Daughters of Silence by R.L. Stine

what she wanted.
    She hurriedly thanked them for tea, then started to leave. To her relief, Simon didn’t accompany her. Angelica followed her, chatting on about the weather as they walked to the door.
    â€œIt was so good to see you again, Jenna,” Angelica cooed, holding the front door open for her guest. “Next time, be sure to bring your friend Hallie with you.”
    Jenna scurried down the stone steps as quickly as she could without running. If Angelica hadn’t been watching, she would have raced pell-mell for the road.
    â€œCome again soon, Julia!” Angelica called.
    That brought Jenna to a stop. Slowly, she turned toward Angelica. She suddenly felt cold, as if someone had replaced her blood with ice water.
    â€œYou mean Jenna, don’t you, Mrs. Fear?” she asked.
    â€œThat’s what I said, dear,” Angelica replied.
    Jenna studied her for a moment. Then she turned and started walking again. Faster this time. She couldn’t wait to get away from here. Angelica might have thought she’d said Jenna. But she hadn’t. She’d said Julia.
    She’d mistaken Jenna for Julia Fear.
    Her dead daughter.

Chapter
14

    J enna’s mind raced wildly. Angelica had called her Julia.
    No reason to panic, she calmed herself. Maybe the Fears are just strange. Maybe their minds have been twisted by grief after losing their daughters.
    But that didn’t explain the necklace.
    And it didn’t explain the bracelet.
    Or poor Hallie.
    Jenna strode quickly down the Fears’ long drive. Tears blurred her vision. She dashed them away with the back of her hand. She couldn’t fall apart now. She wouldn’t let herself.
    But what should she do? If she tried to confide in the Sheridans, they’d probably pack her up and send her home on the next train out of Shadyside.
    She’d be safe from the Fears.
    But what about Hallie?
    What about Rob?
    She had to speak with Rob. Even if he couldn’t help her, she could at least warn him about the Fears.
    Angry-looking clouds filled the sky, making it look nearly as dark as nightfall. Jenna heard thunder off in the distance. She lifted her skirt and ran along the edge of the woods.
    The first drops of rain splashed loudly among the leaves. Jenna felt the rain on her face and hair. Soaking through her clothes.
    A bolt of lightning stabbed across the sky. Jenna flinched. She’d never liked storms. The wind tossed the branches, and the rain started falling so hard she could only see a few feet ahead of her. Her feet splashed into a puddle so deep that water poured in the tops of her ankle-high boots.
    â€œOh, no,” she muttered, shaking first one foot, then the other.
    Lightning flared again. In the brief, searing glare, she spotted a dark, blocky shape just ahead. A building!
    â€œPlease let it be Rob’s cottage,” she said aloud.
    Lifting her skirts with both hands, she scurried through the wet grass. As she neared the structure, she saw that it was more a hut than a cottage. A huge old oak tree shaded it.
    â€œRob?” she called, knocking at the door. “Rob, are you in there? It’s Jenna.”
    The door swung open. Inside, the single room was shrouded in shadows. She could see the shape of a table and the pale rectangles of curtained windows.
    A foul odor wrapped around her. She covered her mouth and nose with her hand. Ugh, how awful! shethought. A horrid, rotten smell filled her nose and she covered her face with her hands.
    â€œGot to have some light,” she gasped with her hands pressed over her nose and mouth.
    She stepped forward, toward the barely seen shape of the table in the center of the room. She groped along the tabletop, searching for a lamp or candle. Feeling the smooth column of a candlestick, she pulled it toward her. Again by touch, she found a box of matches.
    She struck a match and lit the candle. The flickering light spread as the flame leaped and sputtered.
    Jenna