"Andrews, V C - raven" - читать интересную книгу автора (Andrews V.C)

fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons,
living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

An Ortgtiul Publication of POCKET BOOKS

M POCKET BOOKS, a divisionof Sifflon & Schuster Inc.
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York. NY 10020

Copyright © 1998 by the Vanda General Partnership
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce
this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.
For information address Pocket Books, 1230 Avenue
of tile Americas, New York. NY 10020

ISBN: 0671020315

First Pocket Books printing September 1998

10 98765432
V.C. Andrews is a registered trademark of the Vanda
General Partnership.
POCKET and colophon are registered trademarks of
Simon & Schuster Inc.

Cover design by Jim Lebbad
Back cover art by Lisa Falkenstern

Printed in the U.S.A.

Prologue

^

I never asked to be born," I threw back at my
mother when she complained about all the trouble
I had caused her from the day I was born. The
school had called, and the truancy officer had
threatened to take Mama to court if I stayed home
one more time. I hated my school. It was a hive of
mobs buzzing around this queen bee or that and
threatening to sting me if I so much as tried to enter
their precious little social circles. My classes were
so big most of my teachers didn't even know I
existed anyway! If it wasn't for the new automated
homeroom cards, no one would know I hadn't gone
to school.
Mama kicked the refrigerator door closed with
her bare foot and slapped a bottle of beer down so
hard on the counter it almost shattered. She tore off
the cap with her opener and stared at me, her eyes