Fade Read Online Free Page A

Beth, and Dani Michaelson.” Mandy pointed to each girl, right to left, as she introduced them.
    Knowing their names didn’t help much though. The girls were identical head to toe so far as I could tell. They were even dressed similarly in boots, jeans, and thick, cape-like coats.
    “Triplets?” I looked from one to another.
    “Yep,” Beth, the one in the middle, confirmed with an infectious grin. “Don’t stress over telling us apart; no one ever has a clue. We’re used to it.”
    “I can imagine,” I said, feeling a little more at ease.
    “Here,” the triplet on the left – Dani – said, scooting over and gathering up the various bottles of water. “Have a seat.”
    Mandy and I sat down, forming a sort of semi-circle on the blanket with the other three.
    “Do you all go to school here?” I asked after we’d made ourselves comfortable.
    Mandy nodded. “Lived here our entire lives … mostly.” This came with a mischievous grin. “Right, Dani?”
    Dani spluttered, causing her sisters to laugh. “Come on, y’all!” she protested, tossing up her hands and rolling her eyes. “I was nine!”
    “Mmhmm,” Mandy teased and looked over at me with a smile. “She got tired of being a triplet and ran away. Half the town went out looking for her. They were out all night. Midmorning, they found her passed out in Mr. Kellerman’s barn right outside town. She got lost on her way to Little Rock and decided she’d gone far enough.”
    Dani laughed. “Needless to say, being a triplet sucked a little less after that. Nothing like a night in a freezing barn to give you a different perspective.” She shook her head once, her eyes bright with amusement, then she turned to me, sobering a little. “So … when did you make it into town?”
    “Last weekend.”
    “What do you think so far?” she asked, squinting in my direction.
    “It’s … different, I guess.” I tucked a wayward strand of hair behind my ear. “I haven’t seen much of the town yet.”
    “You’ll get used to it,” Chelle said. They were the first words I’d heard her speak since she said hello. Her voice was soft and calming, her accent less pronounced than those of her sisters and Mandy. “Beebe is quiet, but I think you’ll like that.” The way she spoke seemed more statement of fact than a question.
    “Perhaps,” I murmured, not sure what else to say. I rather suspected I would like living here, but part of me still wanted to hate the town. I didn’t particularly want to share that childish desire, and most definitely not the reasons behind it.
    The conversation lulled for a moment.
    “Have you met anyone else yet?” Mandy asked.
    I probably should have expected the question, but it caught me off guard anyway. A blush crept up my cheeks, heating them.
    Dani and Mandy both squealed at the telltale sign while Beth grinned. Chelle just looked at me.
    “She met a guy already! Who is he?” Dani asked, bouncing where she sat.
    They all turned to me.
    “Ah, I don’t know who he is, actually.” My cheeks flamed. “Just some guy I noticed the other day. It’s not a big deal,” I lied, hoping they wouldn’t push for any more. How exactly do you tell a group of strangers you were either going crazy or something downright freaking weird and kind of amazing had happened with one look?
    “What did he look like?” Beth asked, refusing to drop the subject. “Maybe we know him.”
    “Um, tall, messy blonde hair, green eyes, really—”
    “Flipping gorgeous?” Mandy finished for me.
    I hadn’t imagined him after all. Thank God. “I’m guessing you know him?”
    “Everyone knows him,” Beth said with a dreamy little sigh. “He’s sexy as hell, and gay.”
    “Gay?” I blinked.
    “Gay,” Mandy confirmed with a serious little nod. “His name is Dace Matthews.”
    I’d stake my life on the fact that he wasn’t gay. “What makes you think so?” I asked, rabid with curiosity as to how they’d come to that conclusion.