Just above the metal doors that opened an the

stairway down to the basement, there was a slanted roof that looked like it was part of a recent addition to the main section of the hacienda. The roof was different, even though the walls were the same shade of stucco. We didn't go back there much. but I had seen it when I was with Gia and could see it from the cornfield when we worked there. Above the roof was the line of windows that we assumed, from what Gia and Mindy had described, were in the rooms occupied by the buddies, rooms we had once hoped would be ours,

Teal, now emboldened by her excitement, went behind the hacienda right before showering for the night and returned to report what she had seen. We had decided not to ask Gia or Mindy about how they had spied on the buddies. That would tip them off that we were going to do it now. too.

Teal said a metal drum was rolled over in the yard right behind the hacienda. She said we could stand the drum up, then stand on it to boost ourselves onto the short roof.

It was probably the way Gia and Mindy did it," Teal said. "It's easy."

Pretending to go sleep was hard. Now that I had committed to the spying. I was filled with anxiety that made me feel as if I had swallowed a dozen live butterflies. They were flapping their silky wings against the inside of my stomach. I couldn't stay in the same position on my cot for more than a minute or so. and I was afraid my tossing and turning would stir Mindy's or Gia's curiosity.

Neither she nor Mindy said anything to indicate they heard or were still awake, but I still thought Teal was getting up too early. She squatted and tapped Robin on her shoulder. I watched them, and for a moment I seriously considered not going along. They hesitated and beckoned. I took a deep breath, glanced at Mindy and Gia, who looked dead to the world, and then I rose, picked up my shoes, and carried them as I walked as softly as I could over the straw. We said nothing to each other. At the door. Teal smiled. She looked as excited as a young girl on her birthday.

Maybe she had gone nuts. I thought. Maybe I was letting a crazy person lead me into disaster. If I had any real weakness, it was not thinking things out carefully and long enough before doing them. Look how easily I had been led to the slaughter back at Stone Mountain when I lived with my uncle and aunt. If I had been more cautious and skeptical. I wouldn't be here now.

Or would I?

Was this my inevitable fate, a destiny I could prevent as much as I could prevent the sun from coming up every morning?

Teal opened the door softly and slipped out. Robin and I looked at each other to see who would go out next. It was on the tip of my tongue to say, "Let's just go back to bed. Robin," but I didn't and I feared that I would later regret it.

She went out and I followed,

For a long moment, the three of us just stood there in the darkness listening and waiting to see if anyone was outside watching us. It was quiet. Not even a coyote was howling tonight. Teal nodded at the house and we made our way through a tunnel of shadows, winding from the barn toward the rear of the hacienda. Once there, we looked up and saw the lights were on in one of the buddies' rooms, We could hear music leaking out from under an opened window. Silhouetted behind a sheer curtain, figures moved like in a puppet show and there were short rolls of laughter, happy thunder.

For a while we stood looking up at the window, none of us speaking. Maybe they, like me, were trying to remember when they had had as good a time,

"What could they possibly be doing that's so much fun here in this disgusting place?" Teal asked, now gazing up with both jealousy and anger.

"Pajama party?" Robin offered, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I'm sure whatever it is, it's not going to be worth our coming out here and risking getting in trouble for," I said, hoping Robin would agree at last.

"Let's find out." Teal insisted. and led us to the overturned barrel.

We rolled it close to the house, then stood it up. Because of the slant of the roof. only another three feet or so remained to the edge of it.

"See? This will work." Teal said. and climbed up on it.

She began by getting most of her arms over the roof and then jumping up and pushing. I was surprised she had the strength to lift herself and swing her leg over the edge of the roof so easily. She looked so thin and fragile to me these days, but she was determined and hoisted herself completely onto the roof. She sat in a pool of self-satisfact

ion and smiled down at us.

"See? Piece of cake. If I can do it, you two can do it," she challenged.

Rabin was next. Teal helped pull her along and they were bath up there. I hesitated and looked around, half expecting Dr. Foreman herself to step out of a shadow from which she had been observing.

"C'mon already," Teal whispered.

I got up on the barrel. For me it shook, probably because of my nervousness and hesitation, and that panicked me. I caught hold of the edge of the roof and the two of them grabbed my arms, but when I lifted my feet, the barrel toppled and I dangled there.

"Great!" Teal moaned. She and Robin then struggled to pull me up.

Finally, scraping my left forearm. I got most of my body up and over the edge. I swung my feet around and lay there. panting.

"How are we going to get off now?" Robin moaned, looking at the barrel on its side.

"We'll just lower ourselves slowly and jump. We're not that high up," Teal said, refusing to be discouraged, "Ready?"

Tags: V.C. Andrews Broken Wings Horror
Source: readsnovelonline.net