Dead End: Midnight Hollow by Penn Cassidy (free novel 24 TXT) 📗

looked out at me, as if we were on a smartphone, only connected between worlds instead of miles. “And did you call me Night Phoenix, or was that just a fever dream?”

Maddie chuckled. “That’s your official code name. Figured we needed some in case anyone got a hold of this mirror.”

“So what’s yours then?” I asked.

“You can call me Merlin’s Beard,” she said with pride.

I rolled my eyes as I said, “So to what do we owe the pleasure of your call this early morning, Merlin? I see you made it back in one piece.” I was kidding around, but secretly, I felt my eyes watering at just seeing her face. I already missed her so much.

“Just wanted to report in. Things are weird on this side.” Her eyes flickered to the sides really fast before she leaned in for a close up. “Shit’s been going down on my side of the universe.”

“What kind of shit?” I asked, suddenly nervous. By now, I could feel Norman and Michael sitting up in bed, and when a cold shiver caressed my neck, I knew Norman had breezed out of bed to stand behind me.

Maddie lowered her voice to a whisper. “So the bus crashed, just like we thought, but that isn’t even the weirdest part. Apparently, every single person on the bus has been missing for three weeks. Not a trace, just a bunch of broken bus parts.”

I shook my head, confused. “That doesn’t make sense…”

“Tell me about it.” She sighed. “When I walked into my parent’s house, my mom straight up fainted and my dad thought I was a ghost. It’s a big mystery on this side, and people all over the state are treating me like a sideshow.”

“What did you tell them about where you've been for weeks?” I asked.

She laughed, this time a full belly laugh. “Get this…I’m pretending to have amnesia. Totally clueless. It’s all terribly frustrating for the detectives.”

“And our parents?” Norman asked over my shoulder.

Maddie waved and smiled. “Hey, Bat Wing! All good on the parent front for now. I told them the last thing I remembered was a bright light, and then we were somewhere else. I told them I have a feeling you’re all alive, but that I can’t remember anything after that or where we were taken. We might have to come up with something soon, because right now, the country thinks we were abducted by aliens or something. The news is still crazy over here.”

Norman let out a relieved breath as he said, “Well, keep us updated.”

“Yes, sir.” She saluted my boyfriend, and he rolled his eyes and went back to the bed.

Maddie was smiling cheekily when I looked back. “You realize how lucky you are, right, Tobs?”

I smiled, cheeks heating. “Girl, I’m still in shock every day.”

“Well don’t be. You deserve all the good things, and you know it.”

“I miss you,” I whispered, fighting back the waterworks.

Her brown eyes crinkled with a smile. “Miss you too, bitch.”

“Come back to bed, pumpkin head!” Michael called out, and Maddie snorted as I shook my head and flipped him off over my shoulder.

“Guess that’s my cue.”

She chuckled. “Go, have some fun with your harem.”

“Harem?” I raised a brow.

With a wink, Maddie blew me a kiss before signing off. But right before her image disappeared, I could have sworn I heard her laughing as she said, “Save some dick for the rest of us!”

About Penn Cassidy

Penn lives in the California Valley as a full time self published author with her husband and her two cats who proofread everything she writes. She's a fan of horror movies, Tim Burton films, and smutty romance novels. She writes primarily New Adult Ficton, Reverse Harem and Dark Romance Fiction. You can find Penn on Facebook for updates and information on new releases, pre-orders and events.

Stalking links below:

Penn’s Facebook Group: Reverse Harem & Open Promo

About Madeline Fay

Madeline lives in rural Michigan in a castle with all her fur babies and husband. She loves to read, you’ll find her in her tower with her kindle and cup of tea. She has a few addictions, chocolate is her weakness and anything seventies related. She’s a hippy at heart. She has an evil day job, but at night she watches over her city in the shadows and calls herself batman. Not really but she keeps hoping it might come true one day. She’s in her bat cave writing and plotting mad, evil genius, stories while sipping some wine.

Stalking links below:

Madeline’s Facebook Group

Madeline’s Newsletter