Diane Hoh [Nightmare Hall 04] The Wish (epub)

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.The WishNightmare HallDiane HohContentsPrologueChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7Chapter 8Chapter 9Chapter 10Chapter 11Chapter 12Chapter 13Chapter 14Chapter 15Chapter 16Chapter 17Chapter 18Chapter 19Chapter 20Chapter 21Chapter 22EpilogueA Biography of Diane HohPrologueWISHES GRANTED, FORTUNES TOLD.That was what the sign said on the mysterious booth at the back of Vinnie’s pizzeria.Alex was the first to notice the booth.Hidden in a dark alcove, it was tall and narrow.The bottom part was made of dark red metal, the top part glass, like a phone booth.At first Alex thought it was a phone booth, which was what she’d come looking for.Then she realized there was no phone inside.Curious, she walked over to get a better look.And drew back in fear.Inside the booth sat a figure.The Wizard it said on the glass.He seemed made of stone, stiff and unmoving inside his red metal booth.His face was long and chiselled, his jaw firm, his painted mouth slightly open.His skin was pale ivory, his beard and mustache snowy-white.He wore a tall, pointed hat and a long, flowing gown to match.But it was his eyes that Alex would always remember.Made of glass, they were a deep, dark blue.Icy cold.Terrifying.It’s just a mechanical fortune-teller, Alex told herself.A machine that claims it can make wishes come true.Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that it was watching her…Chapter 1“WHAT ARE YOU DOING back here?”The voice startled Alexandria Edgar.But it was only Julie Pierce, her roommate.Her twin sister, Jenny, also Alex’s roommate, laughed with pleasure.“Look, a fortune-telling booth! What fun!”Alex’s friends gathered around the new entertainment, intrigued.What was it about The Wizard that was making her stomach churn and the hair on her scalp tingle? Alex wondered.He reminded her of something, something unpleasant…she couldn’t think what it was.Or…didn’t want to.“Look at this!” Julie cried, pointing to the sign on the front of the booth.“‘Wishes Granted, Fortunes Told!’ Think this old geezer will make me beautiful if I ask?”“You’re already beautiful,” her sister said.“Too bad we’re not identical twins.Then I’d be beautiful, too.Why don’t you ask for something you really need?”Both twins were attractive, although their styles were distinctly different.Julie wore her blonde hair short, in a stylish flip, while Jenny kept hers long and straight.Julie was silk blouses and skinny leggings, Jenny was jeans and sweatshirts.But their blue eyes, fair skin, and carefree, jaunty walk were the same, and people who didn’t know they were twins usually guessed the truth quickly.While Marty Jerome and Gabriel Russo carefully checked out the old booth, Julie complained, “My face is so boring.It’s worth a quarter to wish for something much more interesting.Maybe something exotic, like Alex here, with her Bambi eyes and that wild white streak in her hair.”“Like a skunk,” Alex pointed out drily.Laughing, Gabe handed Julie the coin.They all watched as she inserted it, and then stood back, waiting.“I don’t believe in this garbage,” Alex said more heatedly than she’d intended.“You’re just wasting your money.” She looked directly into the cold blue eyes of The Wizard, and her palms began to sweat.Julie laughed.“It’s only a quarter.And it was Gabe’s quarter, anyway.” She grinned up at red-haired, freckled Gabe with affection.“If I were going to wish for anything,” Gabe said, “it would be wheels, so I wouldn’t have to walk everywhere.My old man says no car on campus until I’m pulling A’s.I’ve never pulled an A in my life.Miracles, the man wants! I’m so tired of walking, my legs are going to be stumps by the time I graduate.”“If you graduate,” Marty teased.As they watched, there was a painful creaking sound, then a whirring noise, and the arm of the man in the booth began to lift slowly.“This is stupid,” Alex declared darkly.“What a colossal waste of time! I can’t believe Vinnie bought something so dumb!”“Oh, relax, Alex,” Julie scolded.“It’s fun! Here comes my card.I’m dying to see what it says.”With more groaning and creaking, the arm of The Wizard reached up and out, and, a second later, a small white card slid into the opening at the front of the booth.Julie reached down and picked it up.When she’d read it to herself, she sighed with disappointment.“Not very encouraging,” she said, running a hand through her hair.“I guess I’m destined to go through life with this same old boring face.”“What’s it say?” Gabe asked.“It was my quarter, so you have to share your fortune with me.”Julie read aloud, “BEWARE THE LOOKING GLASS, LEST YOU SEE YOUR TRUE REFLECTION.”“I don’t get it,” Marty complained.“It just sounds like one of those old sayings to me.”“It could have been written for anyone,” Alex agreed.“These things are all the same.Dumb old sayings like, ‘A penny saved is a penny earned,’ and ‘A stitch in time saves nine,’ that kind of stuff.Those cards have probably been in there for years.”“My turn,” Gabe announced, moving forward to insert a coin [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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