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

"I don't want to eat a damn snake," I growled. Shadowfang looked insulted and glared at me. "How'd he get out, anyway?"

"The back door, most likely," Uncle Soren answered. "Cats have been known to climb doors and figure out how knobs and locks work. I must show Mordecai this." He took a picture of the snake and the cat and sent it to my father. Father's reaction was to 'GET THAT DAMN SNAKE OFF MY COFFEE TABLE.'

No one wanted to touch it, though, so Louis asked in a baby voice if Shadowfang would kindly take his kill elsewhere. I don't know if the cat knew what he was saying, but he complied anyway. He ran off, probably to feast on the snake or bury it.

I rolled my eyes and pulled out my phone. I started playing a Slenderman game. I played the game until Shadowfang leaped onto me, licking his lips.

"Was that good?" I asked him sarcastically. Shadowfang turned in a circle and then laid on my chest. He tucked his head under and went to sleep. Louis picked him up and petted him. Shadowfang glared at him; unhappy about having his nap interrupted. I readjusted myself, putting my head on my uncle's abdomen.

"Are you tired, baby?" he asked, petting my hair.

"Yeah. I can't seem to get enough sleep. But when I try to sleep, I either can't, or I have nightmares."

"Nightmares? You're having nightmares?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Does your father know?"

"Please don't tell him."

"Oops; too late," Grandfather said, shoving his phone back into his pocket. "He says he'll stop by a drugstore and pick up some melatonin. Hopefully that will help."

I watched news and cartoons with my family until Father got home. He immediately came over to me and looked into my eyes.

"He's lethargic," he said. "He needs blood and sleep. Take one of these pills, Reese. Swallow it. I know it's disgusting, but try it." I swallowed it with the aid of water. Father made me crawl into bed and drink blood through a straw. Father redressed into a t-shirt and pajama pants, and laid beside me. I fell asleep within minutes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I awoke again, it was a bright morning. There was a light snow on the ground, and I had slept for a long time. About sixteen hours, to be exact. I had slept well, and felt the best I'd felt in a long time. Father was already awake and had breakfast waiting.

"Any nightmares?" he asked. I shook my head. "Your hair's getting long. I think it's time for a trim." I ignored him and drank breakfast. "Okay, you're taking melatonin until we can get it sorted out. I think you got a message from Sarah."

I checked my phone. Sarah asked me how I was. I told her that I was fine, and that I would be taking an early vacation. I told her not to worry about me. I also asked if she wanted to meet somewhere. She invited me over to her house. I growled under my breath, and suggested my house. She agreed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When she arrived, it was in the afternoon. I led her to my bedroom. She asked about the guards. I told her they were friends of my father's who agreed to help watch over me. Shadowfang made his presence known two minutes after she arrived. I led her to my room, where we kissed for a long time. The cat decided he didn't like this, and opened my door to let himself in.

I frowned and then promptly shut the door again. Sarah sat on my bed, her knees hugged against her chest. She was biting her bottom lip. The rush of blood entered my nostrils and caused them to flare. She smelled so good. I had to have a sip...just one sip....

"Reese? Are you all right?" Sarah asked. I shook my head. Sarah. Mate. Not food.

"I-I'm all right," I told her. "Why do you ask?"

"You were staring at my lips, and now your pupils are blown wide," she said. She was observant.

"I...it's nothing. Do you want to watch a movie or read a book?"

"Let's watch a movie. What all do you have?"

I went through my extensive movie collection with her. She finally chose a video featuring old Halloween cartoons. I held her while we watched them. Occasionally, she'd shiver or let out a squeak of fear or surprise. She put her hands on her stomach and starting making cooing noises.

"Do you want to choose something else?" I asked her.

"No, I'm just jumpy I guess. How far along do you think the baby is?"

"Well, Mike attacked you in mid-November, and it's now mid-December. I'd say about a month." She shivered again and tried to bury herself underneath me. I kissed her. "In a few more months, we'll know the gender. And then a few months after that, you'll give birth and it'll be off your hands."

"Am I a bad mother?"

"Why would you even entertain such a thought? Of course not."

"The other day, I had a slice of chocolate cake. And then I kept eating it until I got a stomachache. I cried for almost an hour afterwards."

"You are under a lot of stress and pressure. You had a traumatic thing happen to you, and now you have a few cells inside you that will eventually turn into a baby. Plus, finals are coming up. I understand if you're a little emotional."

"Someone told me the other day that I should already be over it. But I'm not. I have nightmares almost every night! I cry all the time for no reason. Ariella feels like the best friend I've had in a long time, though. You yourself feel like a safe port in a storm. I don't know why that is. I've never fallen in love quickly but with you...actually, I don't think I've ever been in love, period. I'm a little scared."

"I've never loved anyone except you," I told her. "I think...we're soulmates." My confession did not soothe her. She looked at me with wide, terrified eyes. Her eyes were watering. I kissed the growing tears away. Had it really only been a month since I found her in the bathroom, sobbing her heart out?

I grabbed my song notebook and started writing.

It's only been a month

Since I saw you in the bathroom

Crying your heart out

I know it's been rough

I know it's been hard

I stopped myself there. I had nothing else to say. I had not written any songs since I started writing "I Love You (Marry Me)". I'd almost forgotten how to write a song. I wondered why. She inspired me. She inspired me so much, yet I had nothing to say. I turned to another page and titled it "Chaos In My Veins". I started to write.

Late at night

I'm so upset

The dawn starts to burn bright

You're treated like a pet

The chaos in my veins turns my heart cold

Our tears fall like rain

Their hearts are as black as mold

I went into my closet, and picked up my old guitar. Sarah watched me with avid fascination. I smiled at her and plucked a string. A note fell out, melodic and beautiful and haunting. I tried another. And another. I made a note in my songbook.

"Are you writing a song?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah, I am," I told her. "Want to take a look at it?"

"Nah, surprise me," she said, holding her knees up to her chest. My stomach twisted with confusion. Why the sudden personality change?

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Eh, you can show me if you really want to." I smiled at her and showed her the notebook. She burst into tears.

"Sarah...did I say or do something?"

"No, your song just reminded me of...it's not important."

"If it upsets you that much, of course it's important! Tell me!" My sudden fierceness scared her, and she whimpered a little. "I'm sorry, lover. I didn't mean to upset you. I'll trash it if that'll make you happy."

"Don't trash it. Give it to Ariella. I know she's in a band."

"I write songs for her band sometimes."

"Really? That's cool." She thought it was cool? Or was she just being nice? No, she thought it was cool. Then she spoke up. "I was drunk that night. At least until Mike..." She closed her eyes and swallowed. "At least until you-know-who did something to me. What he did sobered me up pretty quick. And then he had to go off and die! It's freaky what happened to him. I wonder how many enemies he had?"

"Dozens," I said. "Possibly hundreds. His parents are now pariahs throughout the whole damn city." I flinched at my unintentional curse. She didn't seem to mind, though. She laid her head on her knees. Then she looked up.

"Where's Shadowfang?"

"Hiding, I expect," I told him. "He likes the area under Louis' bed."

"What are you going to do with him?"

"Keep him, unless someone claims him," I told her. "My father put up signs all over town. Louis is hoping nobody claims him, though. He likes Shadowfang the best, although the cat seems to like me the best."

"How do you feel about that?"

"I find it irritating. At least I'm not the one cleaning his litterbox. My father has the guards do that."

"Guards? Why do you have guards?"

"Anyway, Shadowfang seems to like it here. He's adjusting well. He likes the cat food we feed him. He brought me a snake the other day."

"Ew. Dead or alive?"

"Dead. The stupid cat killed it."

"That might actually be a good thing. Did you see if it was poisonous or not?"

"It was a Northern copperhead, I think. Those are poisonous."

"Maybe he was protecting you," she suggested.

"I've not even entertained that thought. I'm pretty sure he buried it somewhere."

"Cats will do that. Some cats like to dig. And you still didn't answer my question from earlier. Why do you have guards?"

I paused. She needed to know. She could figure it out on her own, she was so smart, but it was best if I told her myself.

"Okay. I'll tell you. You know how my uncle and father had that conversation about my grandfather while I was in the hospital?"

She nodded. "I remember it almost word for word. Your uncle said he's a CEO? Is that right? And your father said that he works for the government. Was he right?"

"Yes and no. My grandfather, uncle, and father don't just work for the government. They are a government of sorts. They are roy-damn it, cat!"

Shadowfang had just sprayed in a corner of my room. Truthfully, I hadn't even noticed him until that moment. Sarah stifled her sudden bout of giggles.

"He's a pest!" I exclaimed, irritated. Shadowfang sat in the middle of the room and gave me a smug look. Before I could do anything, however, Louis ran into my room and rescued Shadowfang, picking him up and running out with him. Sarah started full-out laughing.

"You think that's funny, do you?" I asked Sarah. She had tears in her eyes and started choking when she tried to speak.

"It's a riot! It'll be a bitch to clean, though. I think I have some pet stain remover at home. I'll bring you some. Start with baking soda to absorb the odor. Then when it's dried, if it has a stain, spray some pet stain remover on it. Then spray carpet disinfectant over the area."

I absorbed her advice for getting rid of it. I'd never really had a pet before, and I didn't know how to get rid of their messes. I laid back with her and pecked her temple. She purred and laid back.

"You know what I'd like to do?" she asked.

"No, what?"

"Be famous. Of course, most girls want to be well-known. I'd like to write stories for newspapers, get into debates on television, and never have toxic friendships again. I need people who are real and honest, who won't tease me for not going along with something I know is wrong. And what Scarlett and