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

"Have you been eating right?" Her smile got bigger.

"I've been a little naughty when it comes to food. The baby really likes dark chocolate and coffee. But I've been limiting my intake on caffeine. I cut soda out of my diet, and now he wants fruit juice."

"Have you been watching your sugar as well?"

"I have, but it's been hard. I almost got in trouble for snacking in class. Luckily, I was able to hide it before the teacher spotted it."

"What were you eating?"

"Potato chips. He likes salt too."

"What kind of fruit and vegetables do you eat?"

"Strawberries and carrots, mostly. I've also been eating celery, which, I know, takes more energy to digest than it provides. I like the crunchiness."

I nodded. "So what are you looking for?"

"A book for English. We're writing book reports, and we need to find one that involves political issues."

"A young adult book that centers around political issues? Good luck finding one in this library." My minor insult caused the librarian to frown slightly.

"It doesn't have to be specifically from this library. It could be a book that we own or from another library."

"Well, you could always search through my collection if need be."

"Thanks, Reese. You're the best boyfriend I've ever had."

Such a compliment caused my heart to swell with joy and pride. An idea came to me.

"Why don't you record your story? Even if you can't use it for English class, you can still get it uploaded or published. My father's cousin has her own publishing company."

"Reese, you're brilliant!" She pecked my lips when the librarian's back was turned. "I have a cousin who is a nail art expert on YouTube, and she gave me her old camera. I'll ask her how it's done." She was still smiling when we checked out our books and the bell rang. She had found one about a teen who found herself pregnant with an unwanted child, and I found the third Harry Potter book. The librarian gave both of us odd looks.

By now, the whole school knew that Sarah was pregnant, although the identity of the father was widely debated. Some got it right and said it was Mike's, others said it was mine, and still others said that it belonged to a guy that no one had met yet.

I wouldn't mind filling in the role of father if Sarah had decided to keep it. She could have waited, lied to me and said it was mine, but she chose to tell the truth, which made me respect her more.

Ariella was able to use her popularity to keep Sarah's reputation in check. By now, everyone knew that the Beautifuls were backstabbing two-faced bitches, and Sarah was a victim. Everyone was as surprised as I was that Mia Alexander turned her back on Sarah. They used to be inseparable.

One day, however, I noticed a boy pinning Sarah to a locker.

"I hear you like bad boys," he said.

"Leave me alone, Ryan," she said, trying to sound confident. He put his hand up her shirt and squeezed her breast. She gasped and clutched her chest. "Don't fucking touch me, asshole!"

I roared. Before I knew it, I was pounding the hell out of Ryan Arthur. Sarah pulled me off of him and whispered sweet nothings to try to get me to calm down. I walked away, still fuming, being pushed away by my love.

Of course, I got called to the principal's office. Father was there. But when I explained what happened and why I reacted so strongly, I was able to get off with a warning, while Father later told me that Ryan got suspended. Father also contacted Sarah's mother.

The next time I saw Alicia, she peppered me with hugs and kisses. Sabine gave me a thumbs-up. Especially after we found out that Ryan had a cracked skull and two broken ribs from the force of my impact. After a particularly calm weekend, Alicia invited me over to watch professional wrestling. Turned out that all the Cresley women, especially Sarah, were really into pro wrestling.

I tried not to be jealous as she admired John Cena. I felt calmer after she cuddled into me. I left around nine PM, giving Sarah enough time to get ready for bed.

When I got home, however, Father was pacing and looked nervous.

"Thank God you're home," he said. "Do you remember when I tore Alexander's head off? Well, your grandfather just informed me that he's fully recovered."

"I'm not worried," I said.

"You should be. He'll want vengeance."

"We've already proven that we can take him."

"He may try to collect supporters."

"We are royal and rich. And we also have numerous allies. Not to mention loyal servants and guards."

"The guards are not happy with me right now," Father said, wringing his hands.

"Really? Why not?"

"I may or may not have cut their pay in half after the latest Alexander incident."

"It was their fault."

"Yes, but they're still not happy with me."

"Hire more guards," I suggested. He gave me a no duh look.

"I have hired more guards. You'll have a female guard by the name of Janna. She has dark hair and dark eyes, just so you're aware."

"Lots of people have dark hair and dark eyes."

"Yes, but her hair and eyes are especially dark. I think she's half-black. Her skin's the color of a vanilla latte. She'll be stationed outside your room in the guest room right beside yours."

"We're filling up guest rooms fast."

"Yes, I think we'll have to build a guest house, at least for when our relatives visit." I folded my arms across my torso, thinking. Suddenly, my stomach gave a loud growl. Father smirked. "Hungry, little one?"

"Apparently so," I replied. Father heated up some blood and gave it to me. I drank it too quickly and hiccuped. I patted my stomach in satisfaction. Father sat beside me.

"How long is Ryan Arthur suspended?"

"Two weeks. He'll be back before the winter formal."

"I don't want him around Sarah."

"Don't worry, love, he's been warned to stay away from her. I can't believe he nearly assaulted a pregnant girl."

"I can. He's a well-known sleazebag, and he's known for sleeping around and getting his way with girls. I guess he couldn't handle being told no."

"And everyone knows that she's yours. Therefore, she's under our protection."

"Our?"

"Since she is your mate, she is under royal protection. When do you plan on telling her your true nature?"

"I don't know. I don't want to scare her away."

"Tell her quickly, or she will accuse you of lying to her."

I nodded and went upstairs to study and do homework. My stomach tightened when I saw that I had a missed call from Sarah. Hating myself for not taking it off silent, I called her back.

"Hello?"

"Sarah, I'm so sorry that I missed your call. What's happened?"

"Nothing, it's just that I haven't seen Alexander for a while. Do you know what happened to him?"

"He...he's...had a little incident. But he's okay now, and he should contact you shortly."

"Okay, I have some more pictures to give him."

"All right, I'll tell him if I see him. I love you."

"I love you too. Bye."

"Bye, lover."

~~~~~~~~~~~

Sarah asked me to visit an apple orchard with her. I dressed warmly and made myself presentable.

I met her at the gates.

"Who owns this orchard?" I asked.

"Ari's uncle," she answered. "She got us free access. Apparently, it's open to the public, but you need a ticket to get in, and the tickets are ten dollars each."

"That was nice of her," I said. I decided not to mention that I could have paid for both our tickets. An employee let us in after Sarah showed him our free passes, and we walked through. Even though it was December, there were still apples on the trees, as the orchard was climate-controlled, and part of it was inside a greenhouse.

I picked in apple and smelled it. It was the reddest, crispest one I could find. I offered it to Sarah. She thanked me and took it, taking in a deep breath of the rich sweetness. In ancient Greece, if a man offered a woman an apple, it was considered a marriage proposal. If she accepted it, it meant that she was accepting his proposal.

Sarah started laughing. I looked at her confusedly and a little bit hurt.

"This one has a worm," she said, showing me the hole. I reached up and got her a new one, this time checking for bugs. She tossed it around in her hands.

"I actually hate apples," she said.

"Do you?"

"Well, I don't like eating them whole unless they're peeled. I also like apple pie and applesauce."

"Apple cake?" I questioned. She burst into laughter. I winced, wondering what was so funny about it.

"I've never actually tried apple cake," she replied. She bit into the red fruit.

"I thought you said you didn't like eating apples whole," I said jokingly.

"I said I didn't like it, not that I wouldn't do it. Ever since I got pregnant, my teeth have been extra sensitive." That made little sense, but whatever.

We walked through the orchard, occasionally picking apples and eating them. I could bite easily into them, but it was a task for Sarah. We spent two hours in the orchard. When we were done, we threw the cores into a special basket that they kept specifically for cores.

I bought a bottle of tea for Sarah. I was thirsty myself, but not for tea. I gazed hungrily at Sarah's neck.

Snap out of it! I thought. She is your mate! Mate. Sarah.

"Reese, are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I...I'm just a little thirsty." She offered me the tea bottle, and I took a small sip. It did nothing to calm the burn in my throat. When was the last time I ate? One, two...this morning. Gods, my memory's bad. Why am I so hungry?

I tried to contact Father using our mental connection, but I couldn't get ahold of him. That was a problem. I should have packed an extra bottle of blood. Damn.

My future wife sat on a bench, sipping her tea. I wrapped an arm around her and pressed my lips to the side of her head. She began to look faint.

"Are you all right?" I asked worriedly.

"No, I feel exhausted all of a sudden. I think I may pass out."

"Head between your knees," I commanded. "Close your eyes."

"I do, but then the nightmares start and I see him," she said. "The alien overlord. It's always him. He's chasing me for some reason. No matter how fast I run or how far, he always catches me. And then I wake up before I know what he wants with me."

"Shh, baby," I cooed, rubbing her back.

"That's the thing. I don't know if I want to have this baby. I don't want to be pregnant!" She said the last part with so much force that we got some looks.

"You made a promise," I said. "You don't have to keep it. Alexander's going to keep it. He'll take care of it, and it won't be your problem any longer."

"Reese...I think I'm next. First the two teachers, then Mike. I'm next."

"Sarah, why do you think that?" We were definitely getting some looks.

"Is she okay?" a woman asked, bending down.

"I-I don't know. I think she's hallucinating," I said honestly.

"I'm a nurse," the woman said. "Honey, look at me." Sarah looked at the woman, her eyes full of tears. "Are you pregnant?"

"Yeah, but I don't want it," Sarah said.

"There are many options out there. You don't have to keep it," the nurse said.

"We have someone lined up to take it," I said.

"Teenagers," said a random man. "Knocking each other up like rabbits."

"What's your name, sweetie? My name is Janice," the nurse said. Sarah's eyes rolled back into her head, and she collapsed.

Okay, I thought. Don't panic. Where the hell is Father? Janice rolled Sarah onto her back. Sarah began seizing. Don't panic, don't panic! Okay, time to panic!

"What the hell's going on?" I cried. Her body was jumping, her arms never leaving