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

Father and got out. I followed suit. She headed straight for the bathroom. I wandered back smokers, drinkers, dancers, and those looking for love. My love came out a minute later, looking better.

We moved onto the dance floor, where I rocked her gently to The Fray's "Never Say Never". I thought, I would be exhausted later. I went back into the kitchen to grab a glass of water, and when I came back, Scarlett had confronted Sarah.

"You're just a nobody," Scarlett was saying to Sarah. "The only one who really likes you is Emerson, and he's even more of a nobody. You're only with him because you're loners. Does he know about your plan? To use him as protection?"

"Scarlett, I have a theory about why you're such a bitch," I cut in. The guy filming this turned his camera to me. "You see Scarlett, you're popular because you're pretty on the outside and you developed early. But there's one thing: you're incapable of love or kindness, and that has turned you into a heartless whore. Few people know who you really are and what you're capable of, but I know. Now you can't stand to look at yourself because all you see is a desperate girl aching for acceptance and power. I could blow the whistle at any time, but I'm not going to. Your little clique? They're afraid of you. That's the only reason why they do your bidding. They're frightened, and they're afraid to show it, so they follow your orders, even if they don't agree with them.

"The only reason why you're on top is because of them. Without them, you're powerless. And we all know you're addicted to power. They know your little secret, and so do I. If you don't leave us alone, I will make sure everyone knows. Goodbye, and have a pleasant night." By now, Scarlett's face was red with anger. She raised a hand to hit me, and Jordan stopped her. I put one hand around Sarah's shoulder.

"Come on, baby, let's go see what's happening in the kitchen." When we reached the kitchen, Sarah spun around, stood on her toes, and kissed me on the lips.

"Reese, no one's ever stood up to Scarlett like that. That was amazing." She kissed me again, much to the chagrin of the people around us.

"She's with that freak?" somebody whispered.

"They've been dating for a while now, ever since he helped her with Mike."

"This is unbelievable."

I ignored them. What did they know? They knew nothing about what we had. Sarah and I were meant to be, even if she didn't realize it yet. Our relationship was special. If someone asked me if I was falling in love with her, I would tell him or her that I was already long gone.

~~~~~~~~~

We danced most of the night, and when we weren't dancing, she was in the bathroom or in the kitchen. Eventually, someone handed both of us a Solo cup of vodka and juice. Sarah tossed hers down the sink, but I tasted mine. It was bitter, and yet, I liked it. I liked it a lot. I kept downing vodkas with tea and lemon wedges. My throat ached for more, until I eventually drank a whole bottle's worth.

Sarah and I made light conversation, and it got more intense as I got drunker. I told Sarah I loved her countless times, only for her to not even respond. We talked about Scarlett and what a mean girl she was. We also talked about Jordan and whether or not she really could be the true mastermind behind all of this.

~~~~~~~~~

I took a cab home.

I crawled into bed with Father. He woke up suddenly and looked at me.

"Reese, what's wrong? You smell like alcohol."

"Daddy, I screwed up. My belly hurts so much and I don't know what to do about it!"

"Calm down. Lay on your back. And for Heaven's sakes, kick off your boots." I quietly did as he asked. He started rubbing my belly in slow circles. Surprisingly, it worked. My belly ached less and less. That is, until I nearly threw up. Father carried me to the bathroom and held my hair back while I vomited. My gut was on fire. I eventually stopped retching and nearly collapsed.

Father flushed the bowl and carried me back to his bed.

"Your hair is so blond," I said, running a hand through his hair.

"You are definitely drunk. I will discuss this with you tomorrow. For now, try to sleep. Sleep will help you." He covered my eyes until I fell asleep.

When I awoke, I felt humiliated. My father's arms were around me, and he refused to release me.

"Stay here," he commanded.

"How grounded am I?" I asked him.

"I'm not going to do that. It will do nothing in your case, as you learn quite quickly and I know you will not do it again. I wish you hadn't tried, though."

"I know. I feel terrible."

"Terrible how?"

"I'm an emotional wreck. I feel so guilty, and I feel like crying. I'm in so much pain; everything hurts, especially my throat, my stomach, and my head." Father whimpered at my words. I knew what he was thinking.

Child is in pain. Care for him. Keep him warm and satisfied. What the heck? I could hear him as if he was...Reese, can you hear me? I yelped and jumped about three feet away. Father looked hurt.

"What the fuck was that?" I said in amazement.

"You know that I'm psychic. This is one of my abilities. I can communicate with a family member telepathically."

"Why did I not know about it? And how long?"

"I've had the ability since you were born. I didn't want to use it with you before because I did not want to scare you. I cannot stop making mistakes, can I? Anyway, I spoke to you all the time when you were a baby. I stopped when you were five years old." Five years old...that was twelve years ago.

I was scared now. Surely he was making it up. No conceivable way he could speak to me, his son, telepathically. I flitted into my own room and locked the door behind me. Father was there after a few seconds, pounding on the door.

"Reese? Reese! Open up! I know you're upset, and I'm sorry. I felt no need to communicate with you that way until recently. It only happens if I'm worried to death about you. I'm sorry if I scared you. Please come out and talk to me." I opened the door a tiny bit and crawled into bed. Father sat beside me, stroking my hair. "I'm sorry, Reese. I know you're frightened, but it's not harmful. Like I said, it only happens when I'm worried about you. I know I haven't used it in a while, and I'm sorry that you do not remember it. I know you've had a bad few weeks, and I'm partly responsible. Please forgive me."

He leaned down and kissed me.

I thrashed around as the pain became worse. Both my crotch and my stomach were on fire. I doubled over, moaning. I felt like I was going to explode at any second. Father stayed vigilant, watching over me. Uncle Soren frequently offered me blood and water. They only made things worse, so I refused them.

Grandfather was worried. He paced incessantly, nervously.

"It's my fault," he said quietly. "I drew Mordecai away from him, and now he's ill." He sat beside me and stroked my hair. "I'm so sorry, Reese."

"Grandfather, it was my own stupidity that caused this." Just then, my stomach had the worst cramp of all. I doubed over, whimpering softy. Father whined when he saw me like this.

"Shhh, little one, Daddy's here," he told me. I ran to the bathroom and vomited. I vomited until my stomach was empty. Father lifted me up and carried me back to bed. He cleaned my face with a warm washcloth. Afterwards, I felt a little bit better.

"What's wrong with him?" Father asked.

"He's hungover," Uncle Soren replied, rolling his eyes. "Honestly, Mordecai. You call yourself a parent?" Father punched Uncle Soren in the mouth. Father's vampiric instincts took over, and he began licking my face.

"Now what's he doing?" I asked.

"He's doing several things," Grandfather replied. "He's cleaning you, making sure you're okay, and spreading his scent on you. That will let other vampires know that you're under his protection. Basically, you're his, and everyone else should know that."

"It's weird," I said.

"To him, it's natural and instinctive. He'll start hugging and holding you soon. He also blames himself for your illness."

"How grounded am I?" I asked.

"I take back what I said earlier," Father said. "Two weeks." He slid in behind me. "It's for your own safety, Reese."

CHAPTER THIRTEEN- STALKER

I could have sworn that the grey van was there yesterday. It's not unusual for hikers or campers to stop and ask for directions, but for a van to sit at the edge of my father's property for two whole days was definitely strange. A fat silver-haired man was sitting inside, chain-smoking cigarettes.

After school one day, I was driving back home in the old 1994 Honda Accord when I noticed how long he'd been there. I decided to call Father.

"Hello, little one. What is it?" he answered.

"You know that grey van that was here yesterday? He's still here, smoking cigarettes."

"I wouldn't worry about it, Reese. Maybe he's just lost. I will talk to him if that will make you feel better."

"Yes it would. Do it quickly."

"Don't sass me."

"I wasn't sassing you."

"Your tone sounded like you were being a smartmouth. Anyway, I'm busy right now. Can it wait?"

"I guess, but get home fast."

"Those are two contradictory statements."

I overheard Uncle Soren saying "What did you expect, Mordecai? He's not an android."

"Shut up, Soren. Focus on getting those items categorized. I'll be home in a few hours, Reese. Can you hang tight until then?"

"Yeah, I can."

"Good boy. Go do your homework or read in the library. Love you."

I decided to take my father's advice and work on homework. I had a lot to do tonight. Two pages of literary reading, twenty four math problems, a report in Mythology and Folklore on sea monsters, and an end-of-chapter assignment in European History.

I was finally finished in three hours. I had started with the math homework, then started my report on sea monsters, then finished the assignment for European History, and then I finally finished reading the literary pages for Advanced Junior English. I laid on my bed when I was done and started reading The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. I had already read Crimes of the Sarahs by Kristen Tracy.

Soon enough, I heard Father's car pull up. I sat up, set the book on my bed, and went out to meet him. He rushed toward me at human speed.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, cupping my cheeks.

"No, just worried," I said, pulling out of his grasp. He frowned at me.

"I think you're being ridiculous, Reese."

"I think you're blind. This guy's a weirdo."

"Fine. If he's still here after two more days, I'll talk to him."

~~~~~~~~

It turned out I was right. The guy was still there two days later.

"I think you were right, Reese," Father said, looking out the window.

"I'm not normally one to say I told you so," I snapped, "and I told you so, did I not?"

"I'm sorry, Reese, you were indeed right. This man is strange. I'll go see what he wants. Do not go past the yard."

"What's his favorite color?" Father asked the strange man in the SUV.

"Black," the man said after a moment. Father tore off the car door and threw it out of sight into the woods. He grabbed the man and threw him on the ground, stepping on his chest. "It's not my fault," the man said. "He wants to keep an eye on him! Says he's his real father!" Father let out a gutteral roar, and the next thing I knew, Father was draining the man of his blood. He tossed him aside angrily when