Read Online The Bone Artists by Madeleine Roux - Free Book Online Page B

“More than one. One after your accident and one tonight. It’s not a coincidence, Micah. They’re watching me. They’re watching us .”
    His friend gave a cold bark of laughter. “That’s insane, Ollie. That’s . . . That all ended months ago.”
    â€œMaybe for you,” Oliver muttered. “She’s not texting you? She’s not threatening you?”
    â€œI don’t know what to tell you, man.”
    â€œThat’s bullshit .” He winced, lowering his voice again. “That’s not an answer. My dad is dead. Diane is dead. What the fuck is wrong with you?”
    â€œMe? Nothing is wrong with me. Shit. I’m waking up Grams with this. I’ll be in touch tomorrow.”
    â€œMicah, wait—”
    â€œI said I’ll be in touch.”
    Oliver stayed with the phone stuck to his ear for a moment, stunned. He had never heard that voice come out of his friend. Vicious. Detached. It cut. Oliver lowered the phone, dragging his eyes from Sabrina’s huddled silhouette to the open and half-packed duffel bags in the corner. In the morning he would unpack them. He couldn’t leave now, and maybe he couldn’t leave ever.

Ollie—
    I know it’s been a few days since I said I’d be in touch. Okay, scratch that, a few weeks, but I needed time. I think you did, too. But I’ve been thinking about you and your dad, and I wanted to tell you how sorry I am and that I know what you must be going through. It sucks to feel alone. It sucks even worse to think you’re alone because of something you did or didn’t do.
    I’m not emailing to tell you how to live your life, but it helped me to go forward. Juvie was shit at first, then I realized it could be fine. It could be whatever I wanted it to be. So I kept my head down and I worked hard and that got me friends where it counted. Good behavior. That’s all it takes—in life, in work, in juvie, in whatever.
    I heard through the grapevine that you’re not going to Austin. That’s a mistake, Ollie. You have to move forward. It’s the only thing that helped me. Look, I’m moving forward, okay? Part of that means coming to grips with the truth. The truth is, I was drunk and irresponsible that night with Diane and she died because of it. That’s my burden, and I accept it. I don’t know how your dad got into that collision, but it was an accident and that’s what killed him. Mistakes happen. Accidents happen. You have to let all this conspiracy shit go. Sometimes it’s hard to just accept that the world isn’t fair, that it’s a screwed-up place.
    But it can be a good place, too. Hell, I’m going to college. Me! Can you believe it? A decent one, too. The dean at this fancy-pants New Hampshire college reached out, heard some nice things about me from an old boss. See? Good things can and will fall in your lap, Ollie. I can help them fall in your lap if you want me to, but I know you’re probably still sore and that’s fine.
    Think about what I said, okay? I miss you, man.
    You take care of yourself, Oliver.
    Micah

EXCERPT FROM CATACOMB
    W HEN D AN , A BBY , AND J ORDAN TAKE A SENIOR ROAD TRIP TO THE MOST HAUNTED CITY IN A MERICA— N EW O RLEANS—SOME LONG-BURIED SECRETS AND TERRIFYING NEW ENEMIES CONSPIRE TO MAKE IT A TRIP THEY WILL NEVER FORGET. . . .

    Keep reading for a sneak peek at Catacomb , the bone-chilling third installment in the New York Times bestselling Asylum series.

T hese w ere the rules as they were first put down:
    First, that the Artist should choose an Object dear to the deceased.
    Second, that the Artist feel neither guilt nor remorse in the taking.
    Third, and most important, that the Object would not hold power until blooded. And that the more innocent the blood for the blooding, the more powerful the result.

A t first the idea of a cross-country road trip had been hard to stomach. If sleeping in a tent