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Chapter 93: Fact or Fiction
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The True Nature Series Chapter 94: Cursed
"WAIT, GUYS. WHAT DOES 'cursed' even mean?" asked Ruthie. "Maybe it isn't so bad."Zander looked at me. I was starting to feel anxious. My sethian acquaintances included Conrad, Zander and his brother - and the Collector in a roundabout way. I had a pretty good idea who in that group might belong to the cursed category."I don't know," I said. "Maybe.""Well, if we get to vote, I vote that Zander's jerk face brother is cursed," said Ruthie. Zander scowled but didn't comment."I-I think we need more information," I said. "Before we get too upset about this cursed stuff."The silence coming from Conrad spoke volumes. His head must have been spinning. I wondered if now was the right time to tell Zander about his father, about him being the Collector, Dante's boss. "You're right," said Zander. "I say we let Conrad try and dig up something to support these ideas before deciding what to do with them." His face was pinched, like he was thinking too hard. I decided I couldn't accuse h
The True Nature Series Chapter 95: Red-handed
MONDAY MORNING, I KNEW something was wrong as soon as I walked into the kitchen. Dad stood in the middle of the room, his hands on his hips and scowling. What now? My stomach clenched. Had he somehow found out about Zander being in my bedroom last night?"What's wrong?" I asked.He pressed his lips together, staring at me like he'd never seen me before. Then with a grunt of disappointment, he ran his hands through his hair and pointed to the kitchen table. "Sit."With robotic movements, I settled into the nearest chair, burying my nervous hands under my bottom.Dad lowered himself into the chair across from me."Tru, I received a surprising phone call this morning. Can you guess who it might have been from?"With a loud swallow, I said, "No." Who tipped him off? Did a neighbor see Zander leave?Dad shook his head. "Tru, I think I've been too lenient with you since your mother ..." He broke off, unable to finish his sentence. "But not anymore," he rallied. Oh no! Would he keep
The True Nature Series Chapter 96: Proposal
EVERYTHING THAT HAD HAPPENED to me was suddenly too much to handle. And now I was having a real panic attack."Tru, let's get going," Dad called from the hallway. I couldn't answer. I could barely breathe. Zander's anxious voice called to me from my phone. I wondered if he was feeling what I felt, like he had the night Dante dumped me in the cellar and I busted my ankle. I had to calm down, for Zander. My eyes bounced around the room landing on the beanbag chair. I thought about how cute and clumsy he'd been when he'd tried to get out of it. I thought about the sweet way Zander had apologized after we argued. I thought about the warm feeling that overcame me every time we touched. The black dots began to recede."Tru?" Dad stepped into the room. "Honey? Are you all right?"I could only nod my head. As I slowed my breathing, I realized that I was curled up on the floor in a fetal position. I didn't recall dropping down. I had just enough mental clarity to reach over and end my ca
The True Nature Series Chapter 97: Interrogation
THE POLICE STATION WASN'T like anything I would have imagined. Near the entrance, a circular driveway with lush green landscaping separated the building from an ordinary parking lot. A bowl-shaped water fountain with an abstract art design stood in the center of the grassy area. The building wasn't just the police station. It acted as City Hall, too, which might explain the beautiful landscaping. As we headed to the police department on the first floor, I was surprised by the lack of criminals being manhandled in handcuffs like I expected from my tv experience. Were it not for a couple of uniformed policemen heading out, it could have been mistaken for any other business. In fact, the reception area looked like a hotel lobby. We approached the sleek-looking front desk where a woman wearing a brown pantsuit was speaking into a phone. She had a pen sticking out of her gray-brown hair, which was pulled tight into in a bun at the base of her neck. I thought maybe this wouldn't be so
The True Nature Series Chapter 98: Accomplice
I TRIED TO STICK to the same story that I'd told Dad, shrugging off the Vulcan pinch idea like it was my best guess. By the time I was done, the cold metal chair had sucked all the warmth from my body. I rubbed my arms as I waited for the detective to respond. His black eyes bore into me like lasers as he took his time. The longer the silence stretched, the greater my anxiety grew. I finally leaned closer to Dad, needing his warmth and strength."Vulcan neck pinch, huh?" said the Detective Winchester finally. "That's a new one. Sure you don't want to change your story?" His obvious skepticism made my face redden.Dad cleared his throat and the detective's eyes shot toward him, narrowing."Okay," he gave in, leaning back in his seat. Dad nodded with approval. "What about Dante's car, Ms. Parker. Can you describe it to me?"I shrugged. "It was a Blue Suburu WRX, STI, I think. Leather trimmed upholstery."The detective's eyebrows shot up. "That's very specific." He leaned forward aga
The True Nature Series Chapter 99: What the Shrink?
THE DAY WASN'T EVEN half over before a shiny new number pad decorated the wall of our entry hall. Dad had a friend in the home security business who expedited the installation of the new alarm system. Tomorrow the installers would return to take care of the windows.Dad called in more than one favor. He also had a buddy who worked at the Santa Cruz police department's K-9 unit. They had a retired police dog who needed a home. They said he'd be great for home security. I texted fast and furiously with my friends. The news of our trip to the police station had already saturated the student body. To make matters worse, the homeroom teachers announced that the police were looking for Dante and asked the students to pass any information about him to the office or the school counselor. Rumors were flying about Dante's possible crimes, including the death of Mrs. Jackson. And since Bobby and "yours truly" were MIA at school, we were also at the heart of the gossip. Even Isaac had been pepp
The True Nature Series Chapter 100: Woman to Woman
WITH FLUTTERING HANDS, I forced my cement legs toward the living room. The woman angled herself toward me as I trudged forward. When her hazel eyes met mine, they seemed to flash yellow-orange for the briefest of moments, so brief, I wondered if I'd imagined it. When she smiled, I felt a sense of awareness sweep over me, like something inside of me recognized part of her. How odd. I'd never met the woman before, and the instant comfort I felt with her had my senses on full alert. There were too many individuals in Scotts Valley lately with unusual abilities to not get suspicious. Although my stomach muscles squeezed in protest and my hands felt sweaty, I stepped forward to shake her hand."Tru," Dad said with a hint of warning in his voice. "This is Dr. Frankler, the new counselor from school." I limply clasped hands with her. She smiled. "It's so nice to meet you, Tru," she said, shaking my hand like it was a piece of china."Thanks. Nice to meet you, too." Dad nodded approvin
The True Nature Series Chapter 101: Diarrhea of the Mouth
DR. FRANKLER SMOOTHED OUT her expression before addressing me. "Tru, I'd be happy to talk to you about anything you need. That is my job, after all."I swallowed hard. "Okay.""But," she said. "Can we discuss Dante first?"When I nodded, she continued. "How did you meet him?""At lunch. He was hanging out with Bobby. I really didn't ... I mean, I don't know Dante at all. He was Bobby's friend." I felt more relaxed all of the sudden, that feeling of connecting with the doctor enveloping me again. Before I could become suspicious, words streamed from my mouth like a plane on autopilot."He was weird to me. I even thought he called me a dummy once. I mean who says that? But he actually said idimmu--" I slapped a hand on my mouth. What was I saying? I tried to laugh it off. "Um, which is strange, right?"Dr. Frankler stiffened, but she simply nodded for me to continue."Anyway, I got a ride home last Monday with him and Bobby because Dad couldn't pick me up and I didn't want to wa
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