Sisters of Misery Read Online Free

encouraged Maddie to be more independent, to stand up for herself more. Maddie tried, but what her grandmother didn’t realize was that sometimes, it was just easier to go with the flow than risk Kate’s wrath.
    “Go on and introduce yourself,” Tess said. “You’re really going to like her; I can just feel it.”
    Kissing her grandmother on the cheek, Maddie hoped that she was right.
    Then, as Maddie pushed through the expansive front door, Tess whispered, “The cycle is just beginning.” Her grandmother’s words sent a ticklish feeling up Maddie’s spine as she trudged up the narrow staircase.
     
     
    In the guest room, Maddie found a girl sitting cross-legged on the bed, her long, red hair spilling over her shoulders and trailing down her back. She dangled a crystal necklace from her slender hand, swinging it back and forth in front of her face. Her wide blue eyes fixated on the makeshift pendulum as if in a trance. Cordelia looked as if she didn’t belong in this century, let alone this town. She had a haunted, almost unearthly look about her. Solemn yet regal, like the black and white photos of historical royalty. She didn’t look like she had ties to Hawthorne, but more like a descendent from the lost Russian princess Anastasia, the one who was never found after the fall of the Romanov dynasty.
    Even though they had moved from California, her creamy skin was porcelain pale and flawless, as if she never saw the light of day. Her upturned nose and full lips made her look like a cross between a pixie and a princess. She was shockingly beautiful, something that Maddie hadn’t expected. Though she’d seen pictures through the years—Christmas cards and vacation shots—her exquisite beauty somehow had never been translated through the lens.
    Maddie watched for several moments as the girl’s eyes followed the dangling stone.
    “What are you doing?” she finally asked.
    “Hypnotizing myself,” the girl said flatly.
    “Why?”
    “Why not?” Cordelia answered without looking away from the crystal. “This will help me harness my psychic powers, give me something to do in this strange little town.”
    Maddie raised a skeptical eyebrow. How could Cordelia think that this was an unusual town? Obviously, she hadn’t taken a good look at herself. Maddie turned to leave, suddenly deflated.
    “Well,” Maddie sighed, disheartened, and said flatly, “Welcome to the neighborhood.”
    “Thanks. Thrilled to be here.” With that, Cordelia dropped her necklace onto the floor and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Maddie looked at the bathroom door, shook her head, and retreated downstairs, trying to quell her feelings of disappointment. She’d already had to deal with being friends with the most beautiful girls in the school, but now, her model-perfect cousin was just one more person to be overshadowed by. And the worst part was, Cordelia didn’t even seem to like her.
     
     
    Tess convinced Abigail to allow Maddie to skip the cook-out that evening. At first, Abigail objected, but she knew that once the old woman set her mind on something, nothing but an act of God would change it. Maddie was secretly thrilled to be let off the hook. It was just one less social event that she was forced to fake smiles at and endure boring conversations all night. When Rebecca asked if she’d like to join them for a picnic on the beach, Maddie jumped at the chance.
    Abigail grabbed Maddie firmly by the arm as she followed her aunt and cousin out the front door. “Don’t worry,” she whispered. “You won’t have to miss out on any upcoming social obligations. Let’s just let this one slide to keep your grandmother happy and off my back for a change, okay?”
    As they walked down to the water’s edge, mixing with the other evening beachgoers, Cordelia and her mother stuck out like wild tiger lilies in a field of plain green shrubs. With their long crimson hair hanging down their backs, their pale,