Silver Moon Read Online Free Page A

someone accidentally runs over the new girl.
    A few leaves blow across the sidewalk on my way home, which makes me think about Mom. She used to tell me how beautiful it is here when the leaves change colors. Soon, I’ll get to experience the beauty myself, since autumn is just around the corner.
    I twirl the silver heart locket between my fingers, thinking about how I should call Mom and Dad, but I don’t know if I’m emotionally stable enough for that yet.
    When I got home from school the previous day, I picked up the necklace, still lying on the floor. It means a lot to Mom, and there has to be a reason she wants me to have it.
    Too busy with my thoughts, I haven’t noticed the footsteps behind me, falling in sync with mine. How long have they been back there? One glance over my shoulder and I realize it’s two guys from school. I’ve seen them in the hallways, but don’t have any classes with them.
    “Nice view from back here, sweetheart,” one of the guys says.
    Oh, great. They’re those guys.
    I don’t respond or acknowledge what he says. I continue walking up the sidewalk and through a subdivision of middle class houses.  
    “Not going to talk to us? C’mon. We’re nice guys.”
    “We’re, like, the welcome party,” the second one says.
    “Just wanted to tell you you’re not welcome here.”
    Both laugh and I think I hear a slap of hands. I continue to ignore them and quicken my pace.
    Suddenly, a hand clutches my arm with frightening strength and whirls me around. Both guys have dark features, reminding me of someone else I know, though I can’t place my finger on who. The one who grabs me has the most sinister eyes I’ve ever seen. Almost as if evil took up residence somewhere behind his pupils. Flat. Cold. Unreadable.
    “Too good to talk to us, huh?” he spits.
    “Let go of my arm,” I snarl through gritted teeth. If I have to fight these two, there’s no way I’ll win. My only hope is to scream for help and hope someone hears me.
    My stomach teeters, like I’m on a boat. I might hurl at any second. I’m scared shitless.
    “When I speak to you, you answer me,” he says, getting way too close to my face.
    “I said ‘let me go’.” I try pulling my arm out of his grasp. “When I tell you to do something, you listen to me .”
    Bad idea, Candra. Really bad idea.
    His grip tightens, and I’m about to scream. Something sparks, like electricity, between us and he wails, falling to the ground. The other guy reaches for him, trying to help him up.
    He points a finger at me and says, “Mark my words. You’ll regret this.”
    “Is there a problem?” a husky voice asks from behind me. I turn to see my hero.
    It’s Benjamin.
    My mouth falls open. Where’d he come from?
    “Fine. Just fine,” the Boy with the Vacant Eyes replies, before I have a chance to open my mouth. He narrows his eyes at me. “I’ll deal with you later.”
    “I think you need to leave her alone,” Benjamin warns. There’s an edge to his voice, like he’s controlling rage.
    The two guys shake their heads and smirk. “Mom and Dad won’t be happy about this one.” They turn and leave the way they came.
    Benjamin’s jaw twitches. He stares in their direction, even after they’re long gone.
    Finally, I ask, “Mom and Dad? You’re their—”
    “Brother? Yes,” he confirms.
    I glance in the direction they had gone, but can’t see anything past the six-foot fence surrounding the home we stand beside. “Are they always like this?”
    Benjamin nods. “You could say that.”
    “Well, uh, thanks for saving my ass, I guess.”
    “Let me know if they bother you again.” His eyebrows furrow, and it’s like his eyes put me under some sort of spell.
    I lose my senses. My head goes numb. Everything fades around us.
    I shake my head to lift the curse. “I hope you don’t get into any trouble. I didn’t mean—”
    “Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you around.”
    Like nothing just happened, he fades