Wondrous Strange Read Online Free Page B

strange twinge of regret.
    Then, quite abruptly, the girl stopped in her tracks, and her entire mood shifted. Clenching her fists, she whirled in a frustrated little dance. Sonny watched silently as the girl snatched up a sheaf of paper that had lain on the bench next to her bag. She slapped the words on the page, cursing. “Dammit dammit dammit! See? You see ? You know the lines, idiot! Now why on earth couldn’t you do that at rehearsal? Why? Dammit!” She kicked angrily at the ground, stubbing her toe on a moss-covered rock. “Ow!”
    Sonny let his breath out slowly, grimly amused.
    A script. An actress.
    The fact that this slightly ridiculous girl had actually made him think that perhaps she was—Sonny stopped short before even pursuing that avenue of thought. He was a Janus. He, more than anyone, should be able to tell the difference. Poised to leave, he turned back for one last second to watch the girl.
    She hobbled over to a bench and sat down heavily. Without warning, she crumpled forward, her face buried in her hands. Her shoulders shook with silent sobs.
    Sonny felt his jaw drop.
    He should go. He should leave the pathetic creature to indulge her sorrow in private. Definitely, he should go….
    Instead, Sonny glanced around, looking for something in the weathered remnants of the garden that he could make use of. He spotted a rosebush with one last, withered bloom. The petals clung to the flower head in a desiccated clump, and the leaves on the stem were brittle almost to the point of dust.
    It would do nicely, he thought, plucking the flower. As he touched the blown rose, it quivered and shimmered beneath his fingertips, slowly regaining its color; the petals unfurled in a deep, creamy shade of peach, and the leaves turned a vibrant green once more. Sonny took a deep breath and stepped into the clearing.
    “Excuse me…miss?”
    The girl’s head snapped up, and a little cloud of glitter burst from her hair. Her hand flew toward her enormous shoulderbag, her arm disappearing up to the elbow into its depths.
    Fool , Sonny thought silently, although he carefully kept it from showing on his face. If I’d wanted to hurt you, I could have done so easily by now .
    There was a hint of fear in her eyes. But just a hint. That impressed him.
    “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” He glanced at her purse. “Please. If you’re looking for mace, you don’t need to. I…I only wanted to give you this.” He held out the rose. “You looked as though you could use something…nice.”
    The girl’s face changed from wariness to wonder.
    “Wow,” she said softly. She reached for the flower, hesitantly, looking up at him. He took another careful step forward and placed the rose gently in her hand.
    “It’s beautiful,” she murmured, gazing down at the perfect rose in her palm. The heady scent of the flower filled the little clearing with its perfume, and the girl inhaled deeply, her face softening into a smile. “Thank you,” she whispered.
    But by the time she looked back up, he was already gone.

III
    K elley looked around the clearing, astonished, but the mysterious—and good-looking—guy had vanished without a sound. She sat on the bench awhile longer, holding the rose and listening.
    Nothing.
    At last, gathering her stuff, she picked up one of the footpaths that would lead her out of the garden and toward Bethesda Terrace. It was time she headed home.
    Maybe he’s still around here somewhere , she thought as she strolled leisurely. I should at least make an effort to find him.Thank him properly for trying to cheer me up . Kelley toyed with the tempting idea, playing with the green-amber pendant that hung from a silver chain around her neck. It was a gift from Aunt Emma—a four-leaf clover, for luck.
    Unfortunately, though she kept her eyes peeled, it seemed that she was out of luck, at least where Handsome Stranger was concerned.
    She sighed, remembering the way he had looked at her with those