Unraveling Sarah Cresley by Marisa Maichel (best summer books .txt) 📕

"So do I," she replied. She looked through her selection, settling on a book. She laid on her bed, gesturing for me to sit next to her. I laid beside her. She started reading out loud, and I realized the main character was a male vampire like me. He was as intrigued as I was with a beautiful human girl, and I found that I actually enjoyed it.

Sarah was close to falling asleep when I stated that it was time for me to go. We kissed quickly and gave each other an affectionate hug. I thanked her mother and bid her goodbye. Sabine was already in bed, so I didn't bother with her.

When I got home, I started looking through my book collection. I gave up eventually and went to bed.

School was dull. All I could think about was Sarah. She was in my mind all the time. During lunch, I sat with Mason and his group again. I joined in when they talked about bands.

"I'm saying that every band has their flaws," Mason said.

"Horse crap," Jody said. "Bands like Evanescence have zero flaws. Right, Rachel?" She meant Rachel Zimmeron, a dark-haired, brown-eyed girl with a delicate nose and sharp chin.

"You are so full of shit, Jody," Heather Greene said. Rachel and Amara shared a look.

"Name three other bands who are flawless," Noah said. Jody listed three bands none of us had ever heard of. Duke and I looked at each other. Rachel chewed on her hair.

"Hey, Reese, your girlfriend's here," Mason said. Girlfriend. That word was not enough to describe what Sarah is to me. I watched her as she walked by. But there was something else. Underneath layers of makeup was a fresh black eye.

"Excuse me a moment." I got up, intending to confront her.

"He is obsessed with her," Amara noted.

"Sarah," I said, stepping in front of her.

"Hello, Reese," she said nervously.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Nothing."

"I can see that it's more than nothing. Please tell me."

"It was an accident, okay? A stupid accident." I still didn't believe her.

"Will you text me later?" I asked.

"I have to work until seven thirty. I'll text you after that."

"All right," I said. We hugged briefly and I kissed her hair before she continued on.

"I think he's in love," Jody said.

"No shit, Jody," Noah replied. I rejoined them. The conversation quickly turned to vehicles. I told them about my Astro. Mason mentioned that his father had a Mercedes. Jody told everyone that she had a Mercedes, and only Heather believed her. I knew she liked to exaggerate stories, and a only a few were believable. Only Rachel and Amara discredited every single thing Jody said.

~~~~~~~~~

I was surprised to see an unknown car in the driveway. I got a knife out of the console and I approached the door carefully. I was immediately hit with unfamiliar scents. I kept my phone out, especially after I heard talking. I followed the voices to the library.

"How many live here?" asked a female voice.

"Just two. A father and a son." This voice seemed familiar, although I couldn't remember where I'd heard it. I opened the door and saw three strangers, two women and a man. The woman in street clothes smiled at me creepily.

"Hello. You can tell your father we're interested in buying this house."

"What the hell? Who are you?" I asked warily.

"Didn't Marina tell your father?"

"Hold on," I said after a minute. I went outside and called my father.

"Reese, what is it?" he answered.

"Father, there are three strangers in house and they say they're interested in buying it."

"GET OUT OF THE HOUSE! Shut them in, and do not speak with them. I will be there as soon as I can." Not a minute later, he flitted over and embraced me. He began smelling me, checking me for injuries.

"I called your grandfather," he said. "Unfortunately, he's in Rhode Island. He needed to stay in D.C. Soren will be here momentarily. Do not go back inside, and do not leave this driveway."

"Father, don't go in there alone," I begged. He flashed his teeth, reminding me who and what he was.

"Is there a problem?" asked the strange man, who had come outside.

"Yes," Father hissed. "You are intruding on private property."

"Isn't this house for sale?" the first woman asked.

"It is not," Father said. I noticed the realtor trying to look as small as possible. My uncle, who had flitted over, stopped her. He dug into her pockets.

"Alexandrisa Benjamin, aged thirty," he said.

"You told us your name was Marina!" the first woman said. A pause, and then my father let out a roar. It terrified and awed me at the same time. It also scared the couple, who jumped.

"Soren, interrogate the couple. I will deal with the fake realtor. Reese, go to your room and stay there." I bowed my head in submission and did as he asked. I locked myself in my room, opened the blinds and the window. Soon, I heard shouting. The man and his wife muttered apologies, got into their car, and left.

The realtor was not so lucky. It turned out that she was a vampire, hired to make my father's life miserable. She would not say who hired her, and begged for her life. My father decided to just kill her, which he did by tearing off her head and limbs. She was quickly lit on fire after everything in her pockets were confiscated.

~~~~~~~~~

My father came in and laid next to me. He wrapped himself around me in a protective manner. Whenever I moved, he would growl and tighten his hold.

"What's going on?" I asked my uncle when he came in.

"He's in protective mode right now. Since you and the territory were threatened, he's doing what he can to "protect" you, his offspring. That was his very first instinct when you called him, and it will stay that way for a while."

"Father?" I tried.

"Hmm?"

"Can you let me go?"

"Not a chance."

"Why not? What if I need to eat?"

"Do you need to eat? As for why not, I feel like an incompetent father. I allowed you to be in possible danger. What if you were human, or even half-human, or any other weaker being, and that woman decided to kill you? I couldn't live with myself." That's what he was afraid of. If I died. I rolled onto my back and looked at him. He looked at me then smelled my hair.

"What was that for?" I asked.

"That was him trying to calm himself," Uncle Soren said, leaning against the doorframe. "He riled himself up by thinking about your death." My father smelled my hair again.

"Father, why did that woman target us?"

"I don't know, baby. I wish I did." He was lying. He kissed my temple. I got up slowly, planning to eat and bathe. "Stay home from school until next Monday," Father said. Uncle Soren and I frowned.

"He'll be missing a lot of school, Mordecai," Uncle Soren said.

"He can make it up. All I care about is protecting my son and my territory." My father took his hair out of its bun and retied it. He suddenly looked like something had hit him.

"Alexander Nicolai," he said. "He's behind this." Uncle Soren looked like he'd been punched in the stomach.

"He will rue his mistake," Uncle Soren said.

I went down to the kitchen. I needed blood. I warmed it up and sipped slowly. Suddenly, my throat tightened. The burning began in my mouth, moving down quickly. I held my stomach and started coughing.

"Reese!" Father was by my side in a second. I collapsed onto the floor. I could feel my body start jumping, and I threw up blood. My own blood along with the blood I'd been drinking. I heard Father and my uncle panicking.

I could feel myself foam at the mouth as my back arched. Father lifted me up and carried me to the car.

"His eyes are white!" Uncle Soren said. Then I fainted. I drifted in and out of consciousness. Father continued to hold me as we got into a car.

"Reese! Stay with me, baby. Stay with me!"

When we got to the hospital, Father flitted through the doors.

"Somebody help me, please!" he cried. I saw the same damn nurse who helped me with Sarah.

"What happened?" he asked, looking worried.

"He collapsed. He started seizing, and he threw up and fainted!" My father's voice was frantic. I was put on a stretcher. I grabbed my father's arm.

"Daddy, stay with me," I begged. They all looked at me in amazement.

"I'll be here, son," Father said. I foamed at the mouth and my body started jumping again.

"Some kid's having a seizure," I heard someone say. And then everything went black. I still heard people shouting and talking. And then the sound cut off. I drifted in and out of consciousness again. I knew they hooked me up to an IV, and placed an oxygen mask over my face. Totally unnecessary. I started to become delirious.

I was convinced I was being tortured and possibly dying. I thrashed, fighting the people who were trying to help me. I felt my teeth grow. I was being poked, prodded, shouted at, and spoken to. I was losing my mind. In desperation, I pulled out the needles and wires. I leapt toward the nearest person and tried to bite him. And then I was being restrained by three sets of hands. I smelled other vampires, not recognizing their scents.

I heard a voice telling me to settle down, telling me that he loved me and everything was going to be okay. Part of me wanted to literally tear into him. And then I heard a soothing voice. It sounded like Sarah. Sarah. Mate. Soulmate. These vampires holding me down, were they competition?

CHAPTER 6 - POISON CONTROL

"He's starting to relax, " a familiar male voice said. Uncle. I slowly opened my eyes, and my vision cleared. I saw my uncle first, then my father, then an unfamiliar male vampire. I hissed at him.

"Reese, hush," Father said. I could not stop the sudden flow of tears. My father embraced me and started humming.

"Daddy," I said, "I'm frightened."

"Hush now, sweet one. I'm here. I promise-" He cut off when my body started jumping again. I was restrained with nylon straps now. I looked at my father, panicked, when I fainted again.

"Does he have any illnesses?"

"No."

"Any allergies?"

"His only known allergy is certain hair dyes."

"Does he take any medication? Aspirin?"

"No. He does not take anything."

"Is he possibly suicidal?"

"Absolutely not!"

"Mr. Emerson, I need you to remain calm. Sometimes people, especially teenagers, may be thinking those kinds of thoughts and no one else knows."

"My son is not suicidal. He does not wish to harm himself."

"I understand that you're upset. However, he may be bottling it inside. Teenagers like him-"

"Let me stop you right there. I know my Reese, and he does not have a death wish. I know who poisoned him."

"Anyone else would have died with the amount of poison inside him." I knew what the doctor was thinking. How is he not dead? I also knew that my father would blame himself for this.

"There's a lot of blood in his stomach. What does and eat and drink?"

"He makes himself a turkey sandwich everyday and drinks water." That was a half-lie.

"Does he do drugs or drink alcohol?"

"No. I caught him smoking a rolled bundle of nicotine once and that's it. He's a good boy." I didn't know whether to be insulted or proud. I finally opened my eyes. Father was speaking with Reception Guy. I made a mental note to learn his name.

"We're going to have to run some tests on him. How does he react to radiation?"

"He can withstand a lot."

"That's good." Reception Guy looked over at me. "He's starting to wake up." Father looked at me in astonishment. He rushed to my side.

"Reese," he said, sounding relieved.

"Father. What happened?"

"I think you drank some kind of poison. I'm so sorry, Reese. I should have taken more care. This is all my fault." He stroked my hair lovingly.

"Father, it's not your fault,"