Unraveling Soren by Marisa Maichel (books under 200 pages txt) 📕

my favorite bookstore and looked among the shelves. I picked out some horror and took it to the counter. The owner, who knew me by name, asked me how I was. I told her that I was all right. She knew I was lying, but didn’t press it.

“Who’s that?” asked a voice. I turned and noticed a goth girl looking at me.

“That’s Reese,” said the owner. “He’s a good boy.”

“You look familiar,” I said, twisting the plastic bag around my arm.

“I’m Chanel,” she said, holding out her hand for me to shake. “We saw each other at the hospital that one day. I think your girlfriend was there? She was almost hit by that other girl.”

“That’s right,” I said, my memory coming back. “How are you?”

“I’m good. How are you?”

“I’m all right. Sarah’s fine, too.”

“Would you like to grab a coffee with me?”

“Sure,” I said.

Minutes later, we sat out a café, Chanel with a hot tea, and me with a water. I thought, Chanel’s cute. She had long black hair that she’d braided Princess Leia-style, red lipstick, and intricate blue eye makeup. She wore a black ruffled skirt and fishnet tights, and a Rammstein t-shirt. Her boots were black, leather, and had chains and studs. Her skin was snow white; her eyes were hazel.

“How is your girlfriend?” Chanel asked me.

“She’s all right,” I replied. “Working two jobs and head cheerleader.”

“You’re dating a cheerleader?” Her nose wrinkled.

“Yeah, she’s a cheerleader. She has practice all the time, and goes to all the games. What about you? Do you have a boyfriend?”

“No,” she replied. “But I’m hoping.” She gave me an odd look. It was longing, full of love. I frowned and looked down at my hands.

“Well, good luck,” I muttered. That was awkward. I decided to end it right then and there. “Well, I should go. They’ll be missing me.”

“One moment, Reese,” she said. I looked up at her, and then she took her hair off. It was a wig.

“Sadie?” I was aghast. “You’re alive? How?”

“I faked my death,” she said. “I couldn’t take it anymore. The fighting with the pack was too much, and you…you’re with her.”

“I knew her long before I knew you,” I snapped. “I love her more than life itself. I was attracted to you, briefly, during a break. We had sex once. It was nice, but it will never happen again.”

“But I could give you so much more!”

“Can you give me children?”

She got quiet.

“I’ve seen my future with Sarah. It will be pure joy. I will have kids with her. I will be a good father, and a loving husband. I can’t be your lover. I don’t even think I can be your friend.”

Sadie’s eyes were shining with tears.

I got up and left.

I went to my Nissan GT-R, and revved the engine. I wanted speed. I drove fast, all the way back home.

My father was sitting on the porch, looking furious.

“Sadie’s still alive,” I told him.

“I know,” he said. “I saw.” He sighed. “I have to talk to Faolan. Make him see sense.”

“Do you still love him?” I asked.

Father’s brows furrowed. “Yes, I do. More than anything, except you.”

I imagined what he felt. To be away from one’s mate is painful. When Sarah and I broke up, I was torn apart. I was glad to be back with her. Our breakup hadn’t lasted long. I’d learned from my mistakes. I was learning to control my jealousy.

I knew she wouldn’t tolerate possessiveness, despite how I felt. I thought for a minute about the few healthy relationships I’d seen. I thought about Mother and Alexander. Just the other day, I’d seen him kiss the tip of her nose without warning, but he was gentle about it. I needed to learn to be gentler.

Father suddenly turned and punched the side of the house, creating a hole.

“Damn!” I exclaimed, jumping a mile in the air.

“Sorry, Reese,” he said, rubbing his fist. “Stay here. I’ll go talk to Faolan.”

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

The next school day started out badly. First of all, Mother insisted on driving me, Sarah, and Sabine to school herself, and she drove the Bugatti. People stared as I got out, followed by Sarah and Sabine. Sarah met up with her friends, while Sabine met up with hers, and I went to my locker and prepared for the day.

“Emerson,” said a voice beside me. I turned and glared at Ryan Arthur. I didn’t like him. He squeezed Sarah’s boob once, right in front of me. I gave him a good pummeling, but not good enough. “Is that lady your mom? Is she a MILF? ‘Cause she’s really, really hot.”

“She’s taken,” I snapped. “And she’s better than you deserve. Talk about my mother like that again, and you’ll wish you’d never been born.”

“Ooh, a threat,” he taunted. He turned back to his buddies and grinned at them like a fool. “So what, is she into younger guys?”

“Older, actually.”

“So, she’s a gold-digger?”

“Shut up, Ryan.”

“Well, what is it? Is she a gold-digger or a MILF? Or is she a cougar? ‘Cause I’ve got no problem with that. I’d like to bang her.”

I slammed him into the ground. My arm pushed on his throat, and I saw blood on the floor.

“Emerson!”

I turned and groaned. It was my old nemesis, Principal Turner, who for some reason had a grudge against me.

“Come with me,” he said, roughly grabbing my arm and dragging me to his office.

A few minutes later, Father arrived, along with Mother.

“What is the problem, Principal Turner?” Mother asked, sitting beside me.

“Your son was seen assaulting another student. I suggest that he be expelled.”

“And what is your side, Reese?” Father asked.

“He assaulted another student! There is no reason for-“

“Is your name Reese, Principal Turner?” Father asked, his eyes flashing. He looked at me. “Go on, son.”

“He called Mom a gold-digger and a MILF! He said he wanted to have sex with her!”

“Did you hear that, Principal Turner?” Mother asked, her voice full of sugar.

“Yes, I did. And I think it’s a cock-and-bull story.”

“Check the cameras,” I said. “They record audio, don’t they?”

“That is none of your concern, Emerson!”

“Turner, you’d better watch it,” Father warned. “I’ll be writing to the school board about this. I don’t appreciate you singling out and threatening my son. You’ve done this before, and you’ll do it again. Now, you have two options: Forget this whole thing ever happened, or let my son go and suspend the other boy. Pick.”

Principal Turner gulped. He was starting to sweat. His glasses slid down his nose, and he pushed them back up again. Braver men than him had cowered under my father.

“Choose an option, you gray-haired bastard,” Mother snapped. “Or I will choose for you.”

Principal Turner gulped. He was quaking under my parents’ icy looks.

“I will forget this ever happened,” he finally said.

“Very good,” Father said. “Expect a letter very shortly. Now, do you have anything to say to Reese?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Good. Now, let Reese go back to class. He’s already missed ten minutes. And go with him, and explain to the teacher that he was with you. Now Reese, do you need anything from your locker?”

“Yes. My books.”

“Go to his locker first. And if I hear of you singling out my son again, you will wish you hadn’t. My son’s achievements are one of the few things worthwhile in this pathetic school. I could have sent him elsewhere. I could have sent him to a rich private school somewhere else. But I decided to send him here, because I thought he’d get more out of a public school. You are a pathetic excuse for a man, Arnold Turner. I don’t know why you target him, but I will find out why, and I will find out if you do anything else to him. He’ll be out of your hair in two months. Until then, control your temper, and I, in return, will not kill you.”

Principal Turner was bright red and looked like he was about to cry. My father’s words had done the trick.

“Now, I believe we are finished here. Coming, Mordecai?” Mother said.

“Yes, Marina. I’m coming.”

When they were gone, Principal Turner rounded on me.

“You are either very lucky or very unlucky. I know what you are, Reese Emerson. You are an evil, sick boy. I will not have anymore in my school. I know what your friends are. I will have you all out before the year is over.”

“Excuse me,” said my mother’s voice. “Did you just threaten my son?”

Principal Turner became pale.

“I came back for my purse,” Mother explained, grabbing it. “Imagine my surprise to find the principal of my son’s school threatening him. Come, Reese.”

I followed her out the door.

CHAPTER TWELVE – NEW VICTIMS

Mother took me home, and Father called the school board. He write a nice, long letter about how I’d been treated by Principal Turner. The video from the hallway was taken, and it showed Principal Turner grabbing and dragging me. Ryan Arthur was also suspended for his remarks about my mother.

Louis hacked into the school cameras, and sent the video to the local news station. Arnold Turner would be forced to resign.

“Damn, these kids are fucking brats,” Louis said. “There’s a group of girls trying to push another girl into the boys’ restroom. And this guy reached into a girl’s pocket and took her cell phone. This school has a lot of problems.”

“There’s a lot of student-on-student crime,” I told him.

“Apparently,” he replied.

The pain started slowly. It was in my stomach. I thought nothing of it. I sat watching the nightly news with Father. The video of Principal Turner’s assault had been shown, my face blocked out, but I would be recognizable to anyone who knew me, by my hair and height.

Father laughed when the reporter tried to get a comment from Turner. He had slammed the door in her face.

“Son, I would like to applaud you,” he said. “I’m amazed you went this long without killing him.”

“I know, I’m amazing.”

But something still was off to me. Turner’s comments about who and what I was. When I shared these thoughts with Father, he too, looked concerned.

“I brought you here to keep you safe,” he said. “I didn’t want you involved in my world. But you’re involved, anyway. That worries me.”

Louis walked into the room, furiously texting on his cell phone.

“I have some news,” he said. “There’s been another body found. Mermaid this time. Her body washed up on the beach of Lake Misty.”

He showed us the photos. Green hair covered her face, but there were slashes across her chest and stomach. The same strange symbol found on the first victim was also on her abdomen.

“So that makes a warlock, a witch, a vampire, and a mermaid,” I counted them off. “Three of them are female, and they’re all supernatural beings. Someone is targeting supernaturals.”

“No shit, Sherlock,” Louis jeered. “I wonder if his main target is women, or if it’s just a coincidence.” He rubbed his chin. “You better keep a sharp eye on your girl, Reese. She could be in danger. And your sister.”

“Do the human authorities know?” Father asked.

“They’re catching on. They’re not stupid. At least, they know about the old woman. Her house has already been torn down. Krauvas took the Nightmare Curse off.”

“What was the mermaid’s name?”

“Denia.”

“Great, just great. He’s a serial killer, and he’s targeting supernaturals. He has to have some power. Or some idea of how to kill us.”

“Proper stakes are rare,” Father said, rubbing his chin. “They need to be from the Socotra tree to kill a vampire. The Socotra tree is extremely rare. Hunters are required to plant new ones if they cut a tree down or even just a branch or a limb.”

“Is Sarah in danger?” I asked.

“Yes, but you are in more danger than she is,” Father told me. “I wouldn’t worry about her, Reese.” He leaned forward and yanked the hair tie out of my hair.

“Ow!” My hand flew to my head. I glared at him, and