Don't Die Just Yet by Bianca Gray and Friend (classic novels for teens txt) 📖

PROLOGUE

"MAXYYYY WAKE UPPP!!" cried Zera. I woke up to her jumping on my stomach. I groaned and threw a pillow at her. Then I realized, she's in my room.
"MOTHER!! WHY DID YOU LET ZERA INTO MY ROOOMMM!!??" I cried out while trying to fend off Zera.
"SHE'S BEEN IN YOUR ROOM BEFORE!!" my mother yelled back. I groaned.
"BUT I'M TEN NOW!!!" I yelled back. Zera plopped down next to me on my bed.
"So?" she asked crossing her arms. Her naturally pink hair was tied up into two pigtails. I pulled on one of them.
"So, we are older now. I need my privacy," I said. She stuck her tongue out at me.
"You're just a boy," she said.
"A GROWN boy," I said pulling back my covers and putting on a T-shirt.
"Eh, you don't count as a boy to me," she said looking around my room. Well, you count as a girl to me, I thought wistfully. I sighed and looked away from her. I couldn't get those chocolate brown eyes out of my mind. It hardly wasn't fair considering I was ten and already in love. It wasn't fair at all. I pulled on my jeans and threw my backpack onto my shoulder.
"Let's go, Zera," I said. She looked away from my window and smiled over at me.
"Coming!" she said cheerfully. How can she be so cheerful this early in the morning? I wondered yawning. I grabbed my lunch and ran out the door while my mom yelled, "HAVE A GREAT DAY HONEY!" out the door. Zera skipped out ahead of me. She was waving something around. She was saying something about how special it was.
"It's just a piece of paper," I said. She gasped and hugged it to her chest.
"JUST a piece of PAPER!!?? Maxxyyyy!" she whined in the voice that annoyed me the most. She smiled when she saw my scrunched up face.
"Were you not listening when I was talking about how important it is?" she asked cocking her head to one side.
"No," I replied walking past her. Her jaw dropped. She stood in the same place for so long I had to wait until she was breathing again.
"Well, I'll just tell you again," she finally said skipping ahead of me again. I sighed and rolled my eyes. Then she went on and on about how this piece of paper was so important again. Then the wind started to pick up and I looked out at the ocean which laid beyond a large cliff just beyond the road. She was saying something and moving her arms around animatedly, like usual, and then the piece of paper flew from her hands and off the cliff. I looked at her and I remembered her saying that it was important. It was such an important piece of paper. So I ran out and got it for her. I reached over the cliff. My feet slipped off some rocks and I grasped at air. I looked up and saw that Zera grabbed the piece of paper. I smiled. The last thing I heard before I plunged into the icy water where there was sharp pointed rocks was, "MAAXXYYYY!!!" her voice sounded terrified. The ice water engulfed me. I started to sink. I couldn't breathe. I breathed in water and I hit my head against a rock that I couldn't see in the dark water. Then all I could see was black. Suddenly, I was somewhere else. I didn't exactly know where but it was all black. A woman with shimmering white hair and wearing a long white gown. She floated over to me. She lifted her head to reveal piercing black eyes.
"Max," she whispered. I stared at awe at her.
"Who are you?" I asked. She smiled and chuckled silently to herself.
"Someone you'll never want to meet in real life," she said smiling harshly. I breathed in quickly.
"What do you want?" I asked. Still smiling she turned towards the darkness.
"The same thing that you desire... The chance to remain alive." Her gaze turned towards a vile that she pulled out of her coat's pocket, and I felt a shiver run down my spine. I tried to moved my limbs but found that the strength had left me when the lady plunged a needle into my neck.
A month later, Zera was sitting in the pews of a local church, dressed in a new black gown her mother bought. She was choking back tears and refused to go up to the stand where my photo was displayed. Her father, who was a police officer, also tried to help her by giving her a german shepard puppy that was part of the training group that was cancelled due to inadequate funding. Down at the stand there was no body however, because it was believed to have fallen out to sea...

CHAPTER 1
ZERA

I came home from school that day and opened the front door expecting my loyal german shepard, Max, to greet me as usual. He looked extremely happy today.
"MAXXYYY!" I cried out opening my arms so he could jump into them. I fell over as he licked my face.
"You are so heavy," I groaned pushing him off.
"Zera," my mom smiled at me from the kitchen, "come help me with dinner."
"Okay," I replied happily. While walking towards the kitchen, I went past a picture of Max, my human best friend not my dog, and I. He looked so annoyed in that picture while I looked like my happy self, my arm wrapped around his shoulders. I had changed since that day. I chuckled at my pigtails that he used to always pull on. My hair is longer now, down past my shoulders. I looked older and the old spark in my eyes was gone. It left when the old Max left. I sighed.
"Zera, honey?" asked my mom as the new Max nudged my leg.
"Coming," I said taking one last glance at the picture. The past is the past. I can't keep blaming myself, I thought.

CHAPTER 2
MAX

Food. Food. Food. Food. Food. Beg. Beg. Beg. Beg. Give me your food. Give me your food. Itch. Scratch. Itch. Scratch. What is that thing on my butt? CHASE CHASE! Bite. OOOOO, ZERA!! LICK! LICK! LICK! Ow. FOOOOOOOODDD!!! Following Zera into her room. Looking through boxes. She's not happy. Hmmm? Her face is wet. ZERA WHAT'S WROOONNNGG!!?? LICK LICK LICK!! OOOOO!! Paper!! AWWWW she put it away. WHERE DID EVERYTHING GOOO?! AWWW BEDTIME??! Where's my ball?

CHAPTER 3
ZERA'S DREAM

I saw him. He was walking towards me. His bright blue eyes shining mischieviously. He looked older too. He smiled as his light brown hair blew lightly in the breeze.
"Max," I whispered. I was suddenly overcome with sadness and joy at the same time. He smiled and grabbed my hand.
"What happened to your pigtails, Zera? I miss pulling on them," Max said. I wiped my eyes.
"Zera? Are you okay? What's wrong?" asked Max suddenly.
"I'm so sorry, Maxy. I caused this. If it wasn't for..." I said drifting off when he put his finger to my lips.
"Zera, I've always been with you and I'll always be there for you. But my time is running up," said Max. He looked back at darkness.
"Maxy?" I asked. He looked at me suddenly frightened.
"You must find me, Zera! Before I disappear forever," he said his voice getting smaller.
"Max!" I screamed out into the darkness.
"MAX!!" I sat up straight in bed. Max, my german shepard, lifted his head and started wagging his tail. He looked at me with confusion. I looked back at his bright blue eyes. My dog reminded me so much of Max, the dead human. I sighed as I looked out the window. Find him? Where? I scratched Max behind his ears. His tail started thumping harder.
"It was just a dream, wasn't it Max? He's dead. If he wasn't, he'd come back to me," I whispered. I hugged my german shepard. Max, my dog, was named after Max, my best friend. I got him the day of Max's funeral. And because the puppy reminded me so much of Max, I named him Max. This german shepard was different. It was like he WAS Max. You didn't see many german shepards with bright blue eyes that were the same color as Max's. Ugh, thinking of both Maxes were confusing me. I looked at Max, my dog. No, a human can't just turn into a dog, I thought shaking the thought from my head. I smiled at my dog, Max, and hugged his head.
"Got to go to school!" I said. I passed by my desk and stopped and looked at the paper that caused Max's death. I picked it up to look at it. It was the permission form to enter the elementary talent show. I smiled to myself remembering how I made such a big deal about it. A single tear rolled down my cheek. I wiped it away harshly.
"The time for tears is gone," I whispered. Max's ears were up and were twitching listening to something and his head was cocked to the side watching me with those blue eyes. I smiled.
"ZERA SCHOOL!" yelled my mom. I grabbed the keys to my car off of my dresser and dropped the piece of paper. I grabbed my backpack and ran out of my room.

CHAPTER 4
MAX

The piece of paper floated down towards the red brown hardwood floor. Hmm? I jumped down from the bed. Sniff. Sniff. Old paper. I turned my head in one way. My eyes widened as everything started to come back to me. 'I reached for the piece of paper as it flew off of the cliff. My foot slipped. I heard Zera yell, "MAXXYYY" before I plunged into the icy waters.' Where has my mind been this whole time? Why am I a dog? OHMYGOD! I'VE BEEN A DOG THIS WHOLE TIME! I put a paw on the paper that was so important to Zera at the time. I'm a dog... Then everything rushed back to me. The lady who was extremely creepy. I shuddered just thinking about it. What was it that I needed to remember the most? She said something when she plunged that stupid needle into my neck. My eyes widened as I remembered.
"You have until the end of your little dog life to make the love of your life realize who you are or you'll disappear forever..."
"The love of my life?" I remember asking, my voice so weak.
"Zera," she whispered.
....Zera... ZERA NEEDS TO REALIZE THAT I'M A DOG??! HOW IN THE WORLD AM I SUPPOSED TO ACCOMPLISH THAT??! ESPECIALLY SINCE I WASTED SIX YEARS OF MY LIFE DOING DOG THINGS!! .....I wasted six years of my dog life. OH GREAT! I've only got eight years. EIGHT YEARS. I went to the doorframe and started banging my head against it. Whats. Wrong. With. Me? Whats. Wrong. With. Me? Whats. Wrong. With. Me? Then Zera's mom came up.
"MAX! What are you doing? You're going to HURT yourself!" she exclaimed. I just looked up at her and then went back to banging my head against the doorframe. Then she pulled on my collar and pushed me back into Zera's room and closed the door. AND WHY DID ZERA MAKE MY DOG FORM