Split by A.M. Bryker (good books to read for beginners .txt) 📖

School was canceled for the week you guys were gone."

     Their jaws drop. I almost laugh at their expressions.

     Alexis groans and buries her head in her arms on the table. Brandon sits back and stares at the ceiling. It's extremely entertaining to see these reactions.

     Suddenly, Alexis lifts her head and demands, "This isn't another trick, is it?"

     I shake my head. "No, of course not. Talk about predictable."

     For the next ten minutes we all sit around the table and eat our miniature sundaes. Alexis and I chatter about the big sale at the East Anaheim Shopping Center this weekend while Cody and Brandon talk about sports. Eventually, it's time to leave for school. Cody and I stand in the front room and wait while Brandon and Alexis grab their backpacks.

     As soon as they come back down the stairs, Cody and I bolt to the door, hoping to leave the other two to catch up with us outside. We run out the door and down the sidewalk until we hear them call after us to wait. Fine by me. I wouldn't have been able to keep running anyway.

     I'm laughing too hard.

Four

Bek

 

Keep your eyes on the enemy, Bek."

     Kadon's voice whips me back into reality, and I instantly become alert again. I definitely need to cease thinking about that dream I had last night. It is distracting me from what is important currently, which is survival.

     I shake my head, pushing any thoughts of the girl in my dream to the back of my mind. It isn't easy. I keep thinking about the way she looked at me with those big green eyes and the way her hair flowed naturally around her shoulders—

     See what I mean? I am totally obsessed with this girl and I don't even know her name! Man, I have it bad. I’m suddenly glad Kadon sent Mayla to pick some more berries.

     Kadon doesn't help much with my training, however. Though he tries to keep my mind off the dream by having me train until I practically collapse, it doesn't work. Through all of that training, I haven't thought about anything but the girl. In fact, training reminds me about how fast and agile she was. It almost makes me wish I could move like her. Well, I actually can, but not with the grace and elegance that she'd exhibited.

     I can tell at the moment that I am really getting on Kadon's nerves, unless his huge sigh isn't any indication that he's annoyed. Now I feel terrible.

     "I'm truly sorry, Kadon," I say. "But I just can't get this girl out of my head and I don't think any amount of training is going to help."

     I feel my face burn with embarrassment. I hadn't told him about it before and I definitely hadn't planned on it because I thought that I would actually be able to push the thoughts of her away.

     Kadon straightens out of his defensive stance and regards me thoughtfully. I shift uncomfortably under his scrutiny.

     "You're talking about that girl in your dream?"

     I nod, saying, "I don't know why she's all I can think about. I've never met her in my life—I would have remembered a face like hers. But I don't understand why I feel so attracted to her. Do you?"

     He turns around and goes to sit on a log nearby. I follow. His face betrays some of the emotions he's feeling: confusion, caution, and anxiety. Though I want to ask what he is thinking, I remain silent. I know it would be a futile attempt to get him to inform me about anything that I don't need to know presently.

     Eventually Kadon speaks. "I understand that nothing will be able to tear your mind away from that girl. You've been captivated by her beauty and nothing will change that until you see another who is more beautiful than she. I know what she can do." Seeing my expression, he continues, "Yes, I know who she is. But I won't tell you her name."

     I start to protest, but he silences me with a finger. "I won't tell you her name because I know you will meet her soon enough. That is usually what happens when someone dreams about her. I won't inform you how I know all of this—you're not quite ready. And don't argue." He points a finger at me when he speaks the last few words, dissolving any thoughts I had about protesting. He knows what is best for me—he always does, for some strange reason.

     "Do you know when I'll meet her, and where?" I ask hopefully.

     He shrugs. "It's difficult to say. You might meet her soon, in this forest. However, I hope that doesn't happen."

     "Why?"

     "Because she is extremely dangerous. Just one glance into her eyes will compel you to do anything she wishes. And what she wishes is never a good thing."

     I shudder. His voice sounds ominous and, surprisingly, frightened. I knew that this girl was more than she appeared to be in my dream, but I never considered that she might be a bad person—she seemed too nice.

     Shaking my head free of any images of her, I stand and assume a defensive stance, saying, "Come, then. Let's not dawdle about."

     Kadon recognizes the words as his own and smiles up at me. Then he stands and begins to instruct me on how to knock someone senseless with a stone. And how to avoid getting knocked senseless with someone else's stone. Mayla arrives in time to practice with me.

     After a few minutes of us throwing a stone around, I notice that Kadon has inched out of my peripheral vision. Alarmed, I swing around. Then I hear the distinct sound of a twanging bow.

     Mayla screams, “Bek!”

     Everything appears to be going in slow motion now. I see the arrow zipping toward me, and I think that this must be the end. I can’t dodge or deflect it—it’s moving too fast.

     Then time seems to speed up again. Suddenly, when I had just resigned myself to my fate, Mayla jumps in front of me, taking the arrow in her chest.

     “NO!” I yell as she falls to the ground. “No no no no no…”

     Dropping to my knees beside her, I watch helplessly as her lifeblood drains. Then I deftly pull out the arrow and quickly rip off my vest, pressing it against the wound.

     “Please don’t leave me, May,” I sob. “Please, stay with me.”

     I repeat those words over and over, hoping they might be able to save her. But I know the truth.

     So does she.

     Placing her hands on mine, she whispers, “It’s okay, Bek. I can’t feel it. My body has gone numb.”

   “I can’t let you go, May.” Tear stream down my face. “I can’t lose you too.”

     A small smile appears on her face. “Don’t worry, you’re not losing me. I’m with you, always. But you have to go now. Those guys aren’t through with you yet. You need to run.”

     I shake my head stubbornly.

     “I love you, Bek.”

     Resting my head against her hands, I whisper, “I love you, too.”

     Her hands shift as they open, revealing the ring she always wore. I take it, putting it in my pocket.

     “Bek,” Mayla breathes. “Promise me something.”

     I lean forward. “Anything.”

     Her eyes close for a moment, but they open again as she says, “Promise that you’ll be happy. For me. Don’t let my passing change you for worse.”

     Tough promise. But… for her, I’ll try.

     “I promise.”

     A moment later a rock hits my head, and I fall over, my head landing inches from Mayla’s. Her eyes are the last thing I see before everything goes black.

Five

Jadelynn

 

I open my locker in the hallway after lunch, once again thinking about the dream I had last night, when someone enters my periphery. Assuming the person is just someone who is trying to open their locker, I ignore them.

     But then I hear them say, "Hey, Jade."

     I close my locker slowly. I know that voice. I heard it just this morning. My dream forgotten, I turn to see Justin leaning against a locker two lockers away from mine.

     "Hey," I repeat, trying to keep the surprise from my voice. "What's up?"

     "The ceiling," he replies, grinning. He rubs the back of his neck distractedly and asks, "Hey, um, are you doing anything after school?"

     My jaw is oh-so-close to dropping. Do I want to know why he's asking me that question?

     "Uh," I say intelligently. "No, I don't think so."

     He stands up straight and says, "Great, 'cause I was wondering if you want to study for the biology test at my house later."

     Tightening my arms around my history books so they won't fall to the floor (not that they'd ever reach it, what with my freakishly insane reflexes), I reply, "Oh, yeah that would be great. Thanks."

     I’m not exactly sure why I agreed to it. Maybe it’s because I’m curious. As strange as it sounds, I’ve never been to his house or met his parents. I can’t say why, because I have no idea. Besides, he’s the one who broke up with me, not the other way around. So why is he doing this?

     Oh right. Probably because I’m his bio partner. Go figure.

     Just then the bell rings.

     Justin says, "I'll take you to my place after school, if your mom says it's okay."

     Then he leaves me standing in the hallway, still trying to make sense of what just happened.

~*~

Alexis catches up to me as I walk down the hallway to our last class.

     She starts to say, "You've been awful quiet since lunch and, you know, I'm still not over that thing about…" But she trails off when she looks up at me. "Dude, what's up with you? It looks like your face is on fire, almost literally. What happened? Spill it."

     Crap. My face is red? Why? Since when? And who all noticed?

     These questions race through my mind as I try to find words to answer her. Wait, so I'm tongue-tied, too? I hadn't realized—none of the teachers had called on me to answer any questions in class and I haven't talked to anyone since my encounter with Justin. Now I wonder if I would have been able to.

     Just as I'm about to attempt to give her