Welsh Road (The Depravity Chronicles) Read Online Free Page A

condition,” Anna added.
    The happy dance
quickly came to a halt. “What’s that?” Trevor asked, slouching his shoulders
and scowling.
    “That you keep
the visit to talking ,” she said.
    “What do you
mean? What else would we do?” Trevor asked, attempting to look innocent.
    “Son, you
haven’t been innocent since you were in my womb,” Anna said, making Simon
chuckle. “What I mean is that I have parameters here that I expect you to abide
by. First, no spells, no magic, none of that.”
    “Okay,” Simon
said once it was clear that Trevor wasn’t going to acknowledge her first rule.
    “Second, you
stay on campus with Anish and you don’t even so much as take a single step off
campus.”
    “That’s a weird
request,” Trevor said.
    “I don’t care if
it’s weird, and I don’t need your commentary on my rules. If you have a problem
with it, then by all means, stay home.”
    “No, Mom, it’s
cool,” Trevor said, his excitement returning.
    The boys turned
to walk away, but Anna stopped them by walking in front of them and blocking
the staircase. “Oh, and one more thing. I want to go on the record as saying
that I don’t like this. Although I don’t have a concrete reason for saying no,
which is why I said yes, I still have a feeling about this.”
    “A feeling?”
Simon repeated.
    “A feeling,”
Anna said. “Let’s just say that I don’t want last year’s events to become an
annual affair.”
    “If only we
could be that lucky,” Trevor said. “Minus the death, of course.”
    “Of course,”
Anna said. That’s what makes me nervous , she thought.
    As the boys
traveled down the stairs chattering to each other in teenage boy code, Anna’s
hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention. She decided to blame her
overly cautious and protective nature for her anxiety. After all, with the
portal closed, what could possibly go wrong?
    Everything , a small voice
in her head whispered. Against her better judgment, she decided to ignore it.
     
    * * * * * *
    2
    Trevor and Simon
quickly walked down the stairs before his mom could come up with an actual,
valid reason to turn down their request.
    “Wow,” Simon
whistled. “That went much better than I was expecting.”
    “True that,
dude,” Trevor agreed, adding his own whistle. “We shouldn’t have waited until
the last minute.”
    Simon ignored
him and turned the radio on to their favorite classic rock station. “Are you
ready for what’s coming?”
    “Insanely
ready,” Trevor hummed as he shut the door. “This year has totally sucked
balls.”
    “That’s a visual
image I really didn’t need, man,” Simon complained, laughing humorlessly.
    “Once we get out
in the field, I’ll make sure to bring…”
    DING DONG!
    The sudden, rich
chime of the doorbell made them both jump.
    “Dude!” Simon
cried. “Did you even consider the issue of volume when you wired the
doorbell to ring down here, too?”
    “Jesus,” Trevor
moaned. “I’m sorry, I’ll fix it.”
    If a doorbell
freaks us out… Simon
thought as Trevor threw the door open and bolted up the stairs.
    Tommy, Trevor’s
twin brother, had also heard the chiming. He nearly collided with Trevor as
they reached the front door. Although close in physical proximity, their once
intimate relationship had yet to recover after their father disappeared – well,
died. But only Trevor and Anna knew that.
    Both brothers
reached for the door. Sam was standing on the other side.
    “Sam!” Trevor greeted
happily. They had become close over the last several months. Simon had said
that near-death experiences and fighting demons probably had a way of bringing
people together.
    “Hey buddy,” Sam
smiled as he fist bumped Trevor.
    “I don’t get
you, dude,” Tommy said to Trevor. “What’s the deal with this friendship? You’ve
never been cool with people in positions of power. What gives?” His tone was
scathing.
    “What’s it to
you, asshole?” Trevor shot