Goddess of the Night by Lynne Ewing Page A
Authors: Lynne Ewing
Tags: United States, Fiction, General, Science-Fiction, People & Places, Action & Adventure, Juvenile Fiction, Fantasy & Magic, supernatural, Los Angeles (Calif.)
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practical joke," Vanessa
spat out. All she could think about was Catty caught in the tunnel.
She pushed back her chair, grabbed her bag, and walked to the door.
Serena's heavy
platforms clumped on the wood floor behind her.
"If Catty
were my friend and someone told me they knew someone who could help,
I wouldn't hesitate," Serena called out.
Vanessa paused,
chewing on the side of her cheek. Serena was right. She didn't have a
choice. She had to go with Serena if there was any chance the person
she knew could help bring Catty back.
"All
right," Vanessa said, but she still felt unsure.
Serena smiled
broadly. "Jimena is parked down the street."
They walked
across the small parking lot, then down the block. A blast of music
filled the night and made her heart vibrate with the beat. The music
came from a blue-and-white '81 Oldsmobile. The girl she had seen in
front of Serena's house on Sunday night leaned against the
156
car. The wind
whirled her black hair around her face. She wore Daisy Dukes,
athletic shoes, and a fuchsia T-shirt. Her long dark legs were
crossed in front of her.
Serena opened
the car door on the passenger side. "Jimena, this is Vanessa.
Vanessa, Jimena."
"Hey,"
Jimena called.
"Is she
going to drive?" Vanessa asked over the music.
"Sure,"
Serena said.
"She looks
kind of young to be driving," Vanessa said nervously.
"Jimena's
fifteen. Her brother lets us borrow his car."
"You got
to know how to drive if you're going to jack cars," Jimena said
with a wry smile and climbed inside.
Vanessa
hesitated.
"Come on,
I quit the life," Jimena yelled back at her. "Te lo
juro."
Vanessa thought
of Catty. She really had no choice. She threw her bag in the back and
crawled in after it. Serena climbed in the front.
Jimena started
the engine. The sound of the
157
mufflers
thundered off the road and shattered the night. The car shrieked
around the corner and the rear end fishtailed.
Serena and
Jimena squealed with joy.
Vanessa wished
she had listened to Morgan now. She rubbed her forehead. What was the
world coming to when Morgan was offering good advice?
The traffic
light ahead turned yellow, then red. Jimena blasted through the
intersection as the oncoming traffic started to move. Horns honked.
Tires skidded.
"We almost
had an accident," Vanessa shouted above the music, and yanked
her seat belt into place with a snap of metal.
"The light
was yellow." Jimena floored the accelerator. The driver of a
Jeep honked at her and a woman in a Corvette leaned out her window
and screamed profanities.
"Aren't
you afraid of getting stopped by the police?"
"In Los
Angeles? Who are the placas gonna pick? Everyone breaks the
law," Jimena said. "Besides, I can outrun them."
158
The awful
gnawing in Vanessa's stomach got worse.
"You'll
totally get used to this," Serena explained cheerfully.
"No
doubt," Vanessa muttered.
"Don't be
so scared," Serena said and leaned over the seat. A silver chain
fell from her overalls. A moon amulet dangled at the end of the
chain. It looked identical to the ones Catty and Vanessa wore. Was it
just a weird coincidence? Maybe there was a shop in Venice Beach that
specialized in moon charms.
She started to
ask Serena where she got the amulet when Jimena slammed on the
brakes. There was a terrible squeal of tires. Vanessa gripped the
seat and squeezed her eyes, waiting to become a tangle of flesh and
metal. When nothing happened, she opened her eyes. Jimena and Serena
were both staring at her.
She leaned
forward to tell them she had changed her mind, but the car shot out
again. Inertia pushed her back with a quick snap of her neck. How had
she let Serena convince her to go with them? It only proved to her
how absolutely
159
desperate she
felt. But overriding all her doubts was a strong foreboding that
something important was about to happen that would change her life
forever.
160
Chapter 16
THE CAR
SCREECHED around the corner and stopped in front of a small gray
apartment building
spat out. All she could think about was Catty caught in the tunnel.
She pushed back her chair, grabbed her bag, and walked to the door.
Serena's heavy
platforms clumped on the wood floor behind her.
"If Catty
were my friend and someone told me they knew someone who could help,
I wouldn't hesitate," Serena called out.
Vanessa paused,
chewing on the side of her cheek. Serena was right. She didn't have a
choice. She had to go with Serena if there was any chance the person
she knew could help bring Catty back.
"All
right," Vanessa said, but she still felt unsure.
Serena smiled
broadly. "Jimena is parked down the street."
They walked
across the small parking lot, then down the block. A blast of music
filled the night and made her heart vibrate with the beat. The music
came from a blue-and-white '81 Oldsmobile. The girl she had seen in
front of Serena's house on Sunday night leaned against the
156
car. The wind
whirled her black hair around her face. She wore Daisy Dukes,
athletic shoes, and a fuchsia T-shirt. Her long dark legs were
crossed in front of her.
Serena opened
the car door on the passenger side. "Jimena, this is Vanessa.
Vanessa, Jimena."
"Hey,"
Jimena called.
"Is she
going to drive?" Vanessa asked over the music.
"Sure,"
Serena said.
"She looks
kind of young to be driving," Vanessa said nervously.
"Jimena's
fifteen. Her brother lets us borrow his car."
"You got
to know how to drive if you're going to jack cars," Jimena said
with a wry smile and climbed inside.
Vanessa
hesitated.
"Come on,
I quit the life," Jimena yelled back at her. "Te lo
juro."
Vanessa thought
of Catty. She really had no choice. She threw her bag in the back and
crawled in after it. Serena climbed in the front.
Jimena started
the engine. The sound of the
157
mufflers
thundered off the road and shattered the night. The car shrieked
around the corner and the rear end fishtailed.
Serena and
Jimena squealed with joy.
Vanessa wished
she had listened to Morgan now. She rubbed her forehead. What was the
world coming to when Morgan was offering good advice?
The traffic
light ahead turned yellow, then red. Jimena blasted through the
intersection as the oncoming traffic started to move. Horns honked.
Tires skidded.
"We almost
had an accident," Vanessa shouted above the music, and yanked
her seat belt into place with a snap of metal.
"The light
was yellow." Jimena floored the accelerator. The driver of a
Jeep honked at her and a woman in a Corvette leaned out her window
and screamed profanities.
"Aren't
you afraid of getting stopped by the police?"
"In Los
Angeles? Who are the placas gonna pick? Everyone breaks the
law," Jimena said. "Besides, I can outrun them."
158
The awful
gnawing in Vanessa's stomach got worse.
"You'll
totally get used to this," Serena explained cheerfully.
"No
doubt," Vanessa muttered.
"Don't be
so scared," Serena said and leaned over the seat. A silver chain
fell from her overalls. A moon amulet dangled at the end of the
chain. It looked identical to the ones Catty and Vanessa wore. Was it
just a weird coincidence? Maybe there was a shop in Venice Beach that
specialized in moon charms.
She started to
ask Serena where she got the amulet when Jimena slammed on the
brakes. There was a terrible squeal of tires. Vanessa gripped the
seat and squeezed her eyes, waiting to become a tangle of flesh and
metal. When nothing happened, she opened her eyes. Jimena and Serena
were both staring at her.
She leaned
forward to tell them she had changed her mind, but the car shot out
again. Inertia pushed her back with a quick snap of her neck. How had
she let Serena convince her to go with them? It only proved to her
how absolutely
159
desperate she
felt. But overriding all her doubts was a strong foreboding that
something important was about to happen that would change her life
forever.
160
Chapter 16
THE CAR
SCREECHED around the corner and stopped in front of a small gray
apartment building
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