Read The Turning for Free Online Page A

didn’t have any friends, which they obviously didn’t.
    “You’re a visitor,” said Miles.
    “I’ll be here for two months,” I said.
    “That’s a long visit,” said Flora.
    Finally, Miles opened a door to a huge attic with skylights, armchairs, rugs, a bed, a desk. On the bed was a striped blanket, and on the wall were paintings in simple wooden frames. The room was spacious and bright and smelled new, like wood shavings. Actually, it smelled like my dad when he came home from a carpentry job.
    “This is your room,” Flora said.
    Miles said, “If you like it.”
    “Are you kidding?” I said. “It’s awesome.”
    “Linda fixed it up just for you,” Flora said.
    “So no one lived here before?” I said.
    “No,” said Miles, and Flora said, “No,” almost at the same moment, and for the first time I was pretty sure they were telling the truth and not trying to keep something secret.
    I liked the idea of a room created just for me, because … I promise, this is my last crazy thought of the day. For some reason it crossed my mind that if the house was really haunted, it would take the ghosts longer to find me in a room that no one had lived in before. Maybe by the time the ghosts figured out I was there, two months would be over, and it would be time to leave the island. Are you laughing at me, Sophie? I hope so!
    I sensed that Flora wanted to hang around and watch me unpack. But Miles said, “We’ll be leaving now if you think you’ll be okay without us.”
    I said, “I’ll be fine, thanks, kids. I’ll see you soon.” I looked at my watch. It was almost four. “Maybe I’ll take a nap. Don’t let me sleep through dinner, okay?”
    “Should we come get you?” said Flora.
    I said, “I can find my way back.” It would have seemed too pathetic to ask the kids to come help me and keep me from getting lost inside their own house. I was supposed to be in charge. “Just tell Linda to make sure to call me.”
    Miles said, “We will, but I don’t know how well you can hear anyone from here.”
    The kids exchanged one more look. This one gave me the chills. Then it was over so fast I wasn’t even sure I’d seen it.
    “We’ll tell Linda,” Flora said. They turned around and left.
    Don’t get me wrong, Sophie. I like the kids, sort of. They’re interesting. That’s for sure. Still, it felt good to be alone and have a few hours to rest in my room, which was a million times nicer and more spacious than anything I’d imagined. Though now, come to think of it, I had no idea what I’d imagined.
    I set my laptop up on the wooden desk, beside a window. From my chair I can see beautiful gardens with hedges and flower beds rolling down to a huge lake. A little rowboat is bobbing in the water beside a dock. Down to my right is a tennis court and, nearby, a volleyball net. I can deal with this! The place is like a resort! A private room, a lake, a tennis court, and all I have to do is play with two eccentric kids. And I’m going to get paid for it. Two hundred dollars a week!
    I had my own closet, nestled under the eaves of the pointed roof. It had been swept out, and inside there were hangers and a small chest of drawers. I lined up the ridiculous number of sneakers and shoes I’d brought, in a neat row. I hung up my hoodies and folded away my socks and jeans and T-shirts. I knew that no one would go through my things, but still, I don’t know why—paranoid, I guess—I put my video games underneath my shirts and socks.
    I was feeling chill, pretty squared away, and I sat down at the desk and wrote most of this letter to you. There was so much I had to say. After a while I got up and looked around the room. Most of the paintings on the walls were of the island or the sea. One painting was of the Dark House before it went dark. The house was a pale pigeon gray, but it still looked creepy. The sky behind it was blue, and you could tell that the artist had really tried his best to make the place