I stared up at the huge school in front of me, Claire sitting next to me in the middle seat of the car, gaping just like I was.
The front doors were huge, glass, and right under a sign that proclaimed “Robert S. Corneldo High School” in a blindingly pure white. The title lay in the center of a large gray circle with a blue rectangle behind it, making it pop out.
The school gave me an instant worry about being able to find and get to my classes in time. The brick building was about the same size as our other school, but I have never been good with directions.
Students started towards the entrance, scattered in their own pairs as they went to
“Who was that?” Claire demanded when I reached her.“His name is Ryan. He helped me find my locker and stuff.”Claire looked over my shoulder as he rounded the corner and out of sight. “He's cute.”I rolled my eyes. “He's all yours.”Claire looked at me in amazement.“Really? Are you sure? I mean,” she checked the last place he occupied again. “You sure?”
“Go ahead and grab a gun out of the shed over there,” Nathan jabbed his chin towards a large shed, then he finished cleaning his own firearm on the back porch.I watched as his arms moved up and down the barrel, caressing it with his cloth in a hypnotizing manner.The rest of the school day was pretty much uneventful.I avoided Ryan as much as I could and still get to class. I couldn't find my sixth period Spanish, though, so I walked in ten minutes after the bell.Right as I got home, I was ordered to the backyard for my next training. I wasn't expecting
“Elana Berret to the math office, please. Elana Berret to the math office. Thank you.” The loud intercom beamed right as I walked into the school.I looked at Claire, worried about why the math office would want me.She shrugged. “Way to go, math geek. You're already in trouble,” she teased before splitting to go to her locker.My mind raced, trying to figure out why I needed to go to the math office. Maybe I failed my test and they wanted me in another class. Maybe they need to give me my math book. Did I drop my ID in class yesterday?I slung
“Absolutely not!” A loud shout from Stephan echoed through the solid wood door separating me from the downstairs family room.Hyene has been in there for ten minutes, trying to get permission for me to do the tutoring center after school. Apparently, it wasn't as simple as just asking.“She just wants to stay after school for two hours max. She will be around a bunch of people, has her cell phone on her, and we can have someone pick her up once she's done.”“It's too risky! You know what's out there. She can be attacked or kidnapped while she's there, and her training will slow down. I just can't risk that.”
“So, these are the sign in and out sheets, you put your name, time in, whether you are a tutor or student, and the time you leave,” Miss Brewer explained while pointing to a clipboard velcroed to the wall in the tutor center.“I want you to grab one of the tutor stickers as well, so students know they can come to you for help,” she said while pointing to a small pocket containing blue stickers with 'Tutor' in bold letters on it.The tutor center was nicer than I thought.They had multiple tables, four chairs around it, a dark wood making it look more expensive than it probably was. Along the back, there was a row of counters and
I heard the soft tread of footsteps and a slender figure dashed by me. She had long brown hair flowing down a floral dress. I squinted to focus on his face only to find that it was nothing but a blur. My knees felt bruised and I found my knees plunged into moist dirt and grass. I leapt to my feet and took in the scenery. Orange and pink leaves skipped across the grass, which stretched for miles until it reached the trees. There was also a lake with water shimmering in the sunlight. The woman scooped up a little boy in her arms and held him protectively. Her presence brought warmth to the darkness a man in front of her
The empty tutoring center mocked me as I sat down at my usual desk and pulled out my book. The rain seemed to scare everybody away, even the tutors. Only three tutors showed, including me.The rain picked up from this morning, going to a downpour around lunchtime. It has gone down quite a bit, but none of the students showed. Including Ryan, who was actually at a Student Council meeting.Apparently everybody hated rain.Ryan came yesterday too, staying for another tutoring session. I'm guessing it will start to become a regular thing. He was really smart, but the material is just hard for him to grasp.
I grabbed Nathan's hand and pulled both the boys into the dry tile showers. I slowly pulled the curtains aside, almost begging them not to make any noise.They crinkled a little when I let them go not-as-gently. I cringed as I imagined the creature now knowing where we were.I could hear what I thought was the gym door start to open. Whatever was out there, would be in here in just a few seconds.We rounded the shower stalls and I spotted the door at the end of the short corridor. It was connected to the teachers' locker room. Dodging the small lockers and leftover water puddles, we searched for the door. It had a small square window in it, which let i
Thank you so much for reading "Broken Nightmare"! The second book will be out in about April of 2021 and I can't wait to share it with you. Here is a sneak-peek so you can take a look!Chapter 1 I woke slowly with my head pounding, feeling very disoriented. It was pitch black in my room as I opened my eyes. I reached over to turn my bedroom lamp on, but felt nothing. Where was my lamp? And then it all came back flooding to me. Liam kidnapped. Claire and the pack missing. The imprint. I abruptly sat up. Now where was I?
My mind was jerked awake, but my body refused to stir. All I wanted to do was sleep for the next, like, forever.The hard mattress under my back made me realize something was wrong. My bed back at the house felt like clouds, not a rock. I slowly peeled my eyes open, squinting at the bright light that burned my iris.An old, dusty quilt was laid heavily across my body. It looked like I was in some cheap hotel, but nothing around me gave me confirmation of where I was. Not even the windows, which were covered by heavy curtains.Another frightful thought raced through my head. How did I get here? I thought back to the woods. The last thi
I lifted my head to the accusation. In an instant, the film over my mind fell away and reality dawned on me. All? A small group of men emerged from the shadows, all in dark suits. I almost mistook one of the men for Junto, but then corrected myself immediately. This man looked a lot more angry than I believed Junto could ever be. There was a shorter man next to him, his skin so white it glowed in the moonlight. His aged face looked wrinkled and his head was starting to bald from age. Behind them, there was a small group of about five people, but I still felt outnumbered.I felt my body tremble and hugged myself; I feeling more unsure of myself than ever. I averted my eyes, feeling guilty. They already know, I told myself. I stared at the ground, trying to make some of that guilt go away, but instead a s
I wish I could listen. I wish I could turn around and run, never looking back. I wish I could leave Nathan behind and book it out of here as fast as I could. I wish I could listen to my brother's council and just leave.But I can't.The smoke had started to thin as Johnathan's silhouette disappeared. “Wait, no!” I cried. My aching feet propelled me forward and I stumbled through the dead grass. My feet still burned from the left-over heat forcing its way into my cuts. The smoke thinned more and more as I kept hobbling into the empty night. “Wait! Come back!” I called to his destitute presence.He's not coming back,
By now, Nathan is inches from the vampire, looking at something behind me as if his life depended on it. I turned to see Liam dragging me towards the rest of the pack, all of them changed into wolves just as Nathan is. The deadly intent was only coming from Nathan, but the others had a protective stance.Dimitri looked angry as he glanced between the pack, Nathan, and me. Although Liam wasn't a supernatural like the others, he still held his ground and shoved me behind him. “Well, it looks like my job got a bit harder.”Dimitri lunged at us, but Claire intercepted him, snapping at his leg. He moved in a flash, grabbing Claire's exposed neck and threw her across the forest, colliding hard with a solid pine tree. The long root
I had a hard time focusing. I couldn’t see. I felt detached from my own body, as if I was nothing but an observer.My body lay limp on a rocky outcropping. Pine and fir trees huddled around the rocks I lay on. A thick blanket of snow covered the ground and accented the sharp lines of the rocks. Beyond that, a mirage of rocks and trees are displayed before me, white sprinkled around them.What's happening? Why am I here?A cold wind whipped through the woods and sliced through the branches like icy knives. I couldn’t feel the cold. I was numb, dulled, trapped in my own body.
Unbelievable sparks explode from my mouth as his lips make contact with mine. The whole world around me is tuned out as I solely focus on his kiss. I move my numb hands from my side and to the base of his head. I find his hair, pulling at it and undoing all the work he put into making it look nice. He moves his lips against mine and my toes curl as another set of fireworks set off every part of my body.Nathan pulls back slightly and fear invades my mind. What if he pulls away? I pull my arms tighter around his neck and kiss him back, my entire body on fire from the uncontrollable lightning spreading through my body. Our lips move perfectly together, as if they were made for each other.A low moan escapes from my lips as Nathan
Only an hour had passed by, but my feet were killing me and I was tired of putting on a fake smile.I was now standing in a small circle surrounded by three other couples. They were the future Alphas of their own pack, but they seemed to be only slightly older than Nathan. Ben and Krista were the next for the Blackmoor Shade Pack, John and Angela next in line for the South Shade Pack, and Daemon and Liz inherit the Thornton Shade pack.They were all engaged in some talk about the packs. I realized I knew almost nothing of their way of life. Although Shifters go to these events to find their future mate, an Alpha just has to be eighteen in order to imprint. Not only that, but the Alpha and Luna—male and female leader of the pack&md
Claire may have given me a variety of questions to answer, but I didn't want to reply to any of them. They're not getting worse because I'm improving my skills, but because my lifestyle has changed tremendously, and not in the best way, apparently.Claire sensed I didn't want to talk about it. She let out a long, drawn-out sigh and her tense shoulders slumped against the seat like she was exhausted. “Are you okay to go into the party? I can take you back to the house if you would like.” Hyene asked, her cell phone still pressed against her ear tightly.I thought about the tempting offer. It was safe there, and that was something I needed to feel right now. I could go and write it down to help myself forget about this nightma