Caeleste High by Kennedy Harkins, Erin Baker (ebooks that read to you TXT) 📖

crushing me.

It felt like I was slowly being crushed to death, like that man during the Salem Witch Trails, the one who kept saying ‘more weight’. There’s only one difference I can see between him and me, I couldn’t make a sound.

I wasn’t scared though, I had a feeling, like when you know you’re in trouble, but you will still get out of it alive. I was sure that I was going to see daylight again. I was right. All of a sudden the weight was removed. I heard Caine’s yelling, previously muffled by the fur in my face, and I was able to breath again. Gasping for air, I glanced around confused by the scene going on.

My vision was swimming, and I was seeing double, but I still had a pretty good idea of what was going on around me. Caine was sprinting towards me, screaming, his eyes locked on my face. I then looked to my other surroundings. There were now two wolves, the second was about twice the size of the one that attacked me. It looked as if the wolves were arguing, but there were no words, sounds, or movements of any kind. The hackles on the smaller wolf were standing straight up. When he glanced over at me and saw that Caine was helping me to my feet, he took a step forward, only to be stopped by the bigger wolf. Glancing at the bigger wolf, the first let out a menacing growl.

I was surprised, he looked as if he was trying to protect me from my own brother. A small smile tugged at my mouth, even through all of the comotion. My instincts told me to nod my head. I did, it was almost like I was reassuring him. The wolf backed down, letting the larger one hide him from my view. I got to my feet, only then realizing that it had just been seconds in which the entire scene happened.

In moments Caine and I were back in the car, Caine was driving. Giving the car gas, we were gone, headed to our new home. I hadn’t realized that Mom had been in the car the entire time. I turned around to see if she was okay, she seemed fine, although slightly dazed. Turning back around to face the on coming road, I wondered what the hell had just happened.

Caine jerked the car right heading off the road. I thought that he had swerved to miss something, but I then realized that we were heading on a dirt road.

On the left a huge house appeared, blotting out the moon. Turning on to the drive way, I took the final step into my new life.

Chapter 4: If glares could kill...

When the car came to a complete stop outside our new ‘home’ nobody moved. Nobody but Mom. She jumped from the car like someone throwing a hot potato and sprinted inside. I guessed Dad wasn’t home due to the lack of light coming from the house, probably off on a business trip or something.

My eyes found their way over to my brother, who was sitting there with his large fingers pinching his nose. I stifled a groan, not this. For as long as I could remember Caine took up this position when he was about to lecture me, which happens a lot.

He blames it entirely on me, of course. His reasoning- ‘if you didn’t act like a reckless idiot all the time then I wouldn’t have to raise my voice at you’.

Which is absurd! I don’t take risks...much.

“You should have stayed in the car,” he breathed angrily.

“I was just following your top notch example,” I retorted. Hind sight says that that was pretty stupid, I mean why bait the rabid dog anymore than needed?

He still wasn’t looking at me, and he didn’t even try to bicker back at me. It sobered me a bit to know that he was really upset about this.

I guess it shouldn’t surprise me, Caine has always been the ‘over protective’ type. Like it was all on his shoulders if something happened to me on his watch. It pretty strange the sense of responsibility he seemed to feel towards me, considering how immature he can be.

“You could have been hurt,” he finally looked up and met my gaze, his eyes were filled with fear.

I instantly felt guilty for baiting him. “I’m sorry,” I know it kind of sounded lame, but it was the best I could come up with. It seemed to have an effect on him and he relaxed into the seat, most people underestimate the wonders that a good apology can bring about.

“We should get inside,” his voice sounded even more husky than usual, probably from all the emotions running through the air. What can I say? He’s still a guy.

***
I awoke the next morning to the annoying sound of the radio DJs laughing and just being their aggravating selves. Rather than pushing the dismiss button on my alarm clock, like a normal civil person, I smacked it and sent it flying across the room. Yeah I know a little rash, but nothing could break that old thing, believe me I’ve tried.
“Honey,” Mom called from below, “breakfast is ready!”
I shot out of bed like a rocket and the mention of food. I wasn’t like those popular girls who turned their nose up at carbs and calories, I’m an athlete and I need nourishment. I was mostly into running, like track and cross-country, anything to get me away from the cheerleaders.

I know, pretty strange for a rich girl with designer clothes not to fit in with the preppy crowd. I just found their shallow conversations really boring. Not that it mattered, even if I avoided them they seemed to radiate themselves toward me. Eventually I would just give in and join their clique, if for no other reason than to get them off my back.

I descended the stairs into the brightly decorated dinning room where Mom had set up plates stacked high with pancakes and waffles.

Mom was bustling around the kitchen in an apron like she hadn’t totally gone psycho on us yesterday. She flashed me a brilliant smile and tucked her red hair behind one ear. I decided to just let it go, what’s the point in ruining a perfectly good morning?

“Mmmmm food,” my brother groaned in ecstasy, with his hair matted everywhere he resembled one of the ‘wild things’ and his eyes were crazy with hunger. I realized that my own chocolate hair probably looked just like his, how icky.

After finishing my own portion, which was anything but small, I rushed to the bathroom for damage control.

Yep, definitely a good idea, I thought as I stared aghast in the mirror. For starters my light brown hair looked like a hay stack, complete with grass and dirt in it from last light. My usually calm icy blue eyes were erratic, probably from seeing my hair.

I hopped in the shower and turned it up as hot as it could go, something was going to have to burn away the ugly.

After my second rinse cycle, I searched around for a towel and found a pink one resting in the closet. I dried everything vigorously and then pulled out my toiletries.

***

Half an hour later I was finally presentable, now all I need was somewhere to go. My brother and I didn’t start school til tomorrow, so I guess there was nothing to do but explore the town.

I swung by my brother’s room to sucker him into driving me around, I so didn’t want to be around Mom when this little ‘high’ that she had going crashed into the ground.

“Look alive, Mills, you’re driving,” I shouted from his door.

“Busy,” he grunted from his bed were he was napping.

I rolled my eyes, yeah he looks really busy. I was currently the bane of Caine’s existence; just two weeks from my 16th birthday and being able to drive myself. He hated being my chauffeur, partly because it was so uncool, but he’d keep doing if he didn’t want me to tell Dad where he really went for spring break.

We were suppose to go visit Grandma Sanred over spring break, she was seventy years old and in the hospital for a hip replacement. Caine on the other hand couldn’t go because he ‘caught the flue’. Ha! As if! When we were all at Grandma’s bed holding her hand through all the pain, his buddies and him went down to Mexico all for the sake of getting laid. He said the best part was that he couldn’t understand a word she said, so it was easy to pretend she wasn’t talking. Pig.

Our eyes met, he quickly remembered that I had dirt and until he found something to use against me he was my slave.

He groaned and buried his face in his pillow, “I’ll meet you downstairs.”

I happily bounced down to the car, it was nice to have the upper hand even if I knew it probably wouldn’t last long. I hopped into the passenger seat and thought about were I wanted to go.

A frown crossed my face, I had never seen the town and neither Mom or Dad had mentioned anything. So, for all I knew it could be Bumkinville. I sighed, great.

The drivers door opened and my brother plopped in, “Where to?”

“Uh, well-”

“Perfect, tour of the town it is.”

I sank back in me seat and prepared to die. Okay, maybe a little over dramatic, but really? How was our life going to be any better by getting there a few minutes faster? It’s not like we even knew where we were going!

Caine put it in drive and we sped down the long windy gravel road.

***

“First stop; Grocery Store,” I sighed when we pulled into the almost empty parking lot next to ‘Elmer’s Stop-And-Shop’.

“Caine needs nourishment,” my brother grunted.

“If by nourishment you