Read Haven: Revenge of the Viper for Free Online Page B

mirror and the box and the ring? Sam sat on the floor, staring at the ring. Finally, he placed it back in the box and removed the photo.
    It was a black-and-white picture of a small cottage with a lamp post in the center of the yard. There was a small sign that hung from the post but he couldn’t make out what it said. It looked like a nice place; peaceful, he thought.
    Sam placed the picture back in the box and removed the pouch. It was made of black leather with a gold drawstring. It was heavy and from the sound it made as Sam picked it up, there was something inside.
    Sam set the box on the floor and held the pouch in one hand. With the other he gently pulled on the pouch until it opened. Slowly, he emptied out some of the contents into his hand. A few black, triangular crystals slid out. They were thin and about six inches in length. They looked like they were made of Onyx; he could tell because of the thin gray swirls that ran throughout them. Sam would recognize Onyx anywhere; it was his father’s birthstone. He took out the rest of the crystals from the pouch and counted them. There were eleven in all.
    He looked back into the box to see if he was missing one but he wasn’t. That’s strange, he thought, why eleven? He was expecting an even number. Most things came in pairs, but perhaps one had been lost, or maybe they could be used individually, whatever they did.
    Sam placed the crystals back into the pouch and put it back into the box. Next he took out the scroll of parchment. He pulled on the small blue ribbon that held the scroll tight. The paper loosened as the ribbon fell back into the box. It was old and felt thick to the touch. He gently took the edge of the scroll and unrolled it with both hands.
    Sam could see it was a hand-written letter. To his surprise, it was addressed to his mother.
    He looked back at the box and then back at the letter. His skin began to prickle with sudden awareness. This is Mom’s box, not the stranger’s.
    Why in the world would his mother be hiding this in the first place? What made this box and its contents so important that she felt the need to keep it a secret? What was she afraid of? Sam looked back down at the letter, and began to read it.
    Dear Alisa,
    I was just thinking of you and how much fun we had in Mr. Dolen’s class the other day! I don’t think I have ever laughed so hard in my life. Who would have known that you could screw up a Calling test so badly. You had Mr. Dolen screaming and running around like crazy. To be honest, I didn’t know he could move that fast. That’s what I love about you Alisa—you are always good for a laugh.
    Anyway, I will miss you over winter break. Have fun meeting Rylan’s parents—I know they’ll love you! Write me when you can!
    Love you!
    Holly
    P.S.
    Just in case you want to practice the Calling again, remember, Narravista.
    Sam read and reread the letter, trying to make sense of it. It must have been from an old classmate of hers when she was a kid.
    None of this made any sense; this was just a letter from a school friend, so why hide it?
    The questions were staring to pile up and things were becoming more complicated. There were disappearing people outside Sam’s house, and now there was magic everywhere he turned. He knew he was getting in over his head and it was time to tell his mother.
    He would never forgive himself if the stranger harmed someone in his family. Whoever or whatever was lurking outside was a threat; that much he had decided. Why else would this person be spying on him? This time, he would have to make his mother listen. Besides, she had some explaining of her own to do. She was the one who had told him to clean the garage, and she had hidden this box from him and Sarah. After all, it’s not like he went looking for it. He found it doing what she asked him to do in the first place, and now she would have to explain the box, and the magic behind it.
    Sam looked back down at the scroll and focused on