Branded (Book 1), Page 3

  Chapter 2

  I was running. Faster and faster, until the trees were a blur and my legs felt like they were on fire. Ahead in the distance I could see a clearing through the trees and someone was standing in the middle. As I got closer, the figure started to glow. Her long hair blew in the wind and her silky white dress clung to her perfectly sculpted body.

  She was an angel—a picture of absolute perfection. She reached out to me and that’s when I knew that my purpose was to save her. From what, I didn’t know. Suddenly, my legs became so heavy that I could no longer move them. The angel’s smile quickly faded and she began screaming a heart-wrenching cry for me to help her. I fought with all of my strength to get to her, but I couldn’t. Then, a figure of black darkness galloped across the field toward her. Silence fell over the angel and her face mirrored horrific fear. As I stood helpless, the black darkness absorbed her.

  “NOOO!” I screamed, breaking loose from the invisible hold. My eyes adjusted to the darkness and I found myself standing in the middle of my bed, dripping with sweat and gasping for air. It was another nightmare. My blankets were thrown across the room, in the same way I usually found them after having this recurring dream.

  I checked the time and cringed when I saw that it was only three o’clock in the morning. I still had more dark hours, and possibly more horrible dreams, to endure.

  Why was I having these horrible dreams? I knew if I told my mother, the self-proclaimed “dream reader,” she wouldn’t hesitate to offer her interpretations of them, but something told me I wouldn’t want to know anyway. I laid my head back down and closed my eyes, trying hard to rid my mind of the awful images.

  My curtains were closed all but an inch where the sun shone in and splashed a beam of warmth onto my face. I forced one eye open and then another as the fog in my head slowly cleared. Mom and Abby were scurrying around getting Abby ready for school. I flipped over and checked the time—seven thirty-eight. Crap! I forgot to set my alarm. I hopped out of bed, jumped into the shower and got ready for school.

  “You’re running late,” Mom noticed as I rushed into the kitchen and threw a bagel into the toaster.

  “Uh-huh,” I agreed.

  “How was Anna’s flight? You got her home okay?” Mom poured a glass of orange juice and set it down on the table in front of me as she planted a quick kiss on my head.

  “Flight was good. She’s home safe and sound.”

  “How is she?”

  “Fanificent,” I answered without thinking.

  “Fan what?” Mom asked.

  “She’s great.” I smiled.

  “I’d love to hear about her trip and see pictures, so make sure she comes over soon, okay?” My bagel popped and Mom told me to sit while she buttered it for me.

  “Do you think you could drop Abby off at school for me today?” Mom asked as she placed the bagel down in front of me.

  “Why? Did she miss her bus?”

  “No.” Mom leaned in and lowered her voice. “I think she’s a little nervous to take the bus today for some reason. She suddenly has a tummy ache and is trying to convince me that the bus ride will make her sick.”

  “Are you serious?” Although Abby was usually no trouble, and I knew she’d do anything for me if I asked, I was really looking forward to the drive to school alone with Anna today.

  “Please?” Mom begged, which she hardly ever did. “I’d take her myself, but I’m not even dressed yet and I have a doctor’s appointment in an hour.”

  As nice as it was that Dad’s job took him away each week from Monday to Thursday, it had its drawbacks too. I was now the man of the house and felt the weight of having to take care of Mom and Abby while he was gone. It was only Wednesday, so Dad was still not scheduled to be home until the following evening.

  I sighed. “Fine,” I agreed as I pulled out my phone and dialed Anna’s number.

  “Thanks, tiger.” Mom kissed my head again and scurried out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

  “Hi,” Anna answered in a delightful voice that reminded me of a bird chirping.

  “Hey, you almost ready? I’m running a bit late and we have to drop Abby off at school, but I can be there in about ten minutes.”

  “Actually, Lexie just showed up. She wants me to ride with her today. I figure it’ll give us some time to catch up. Is that cool with you?”

  What? “Oh, yeah, sure—that’s cool,” I lied. “See you at school then?” An emptiness suddenly plagued my stomach.

  “Tell Abby I’ll see her soon,” Anna added before I hung up. “I have something for her from Africa. I think she’ll like it.”

  “What’d I get?” I teased.

  “Me,” she giggled, making my heart do something strange and fluttery. “Aren’t you lucky?”

  How should I answer that? Strangely, I did feel lucky to have her.

  “I was kidding,” she said, reminding me that I had left an air of awkward silence.

  “I know, sorry, I was just thinking about something.” I’m such an idiot!

  “I’ll see you at school,” she said before hanging up.

  What was going on? Why did I get tongue-tied talking to her? We were used to talking for hours on end about nothing. Why was I suddenly nervous to see her again?

  “I’m ready,” Abby called from the front entry, sounding a lot like a faker.

  “Feeling better?” I teased as I met her in the hallway and gave her a little jab to the stomach.

  She pulled away quickly and put her serious face on. “Hey! Don’t mess with the look!” She straightened her outfit and fixed her hair.

  “Come on, you faker.” I pushed her out the door and chased her to my car.

  I pulled up next to Noah’s car just as he was getting out and we walked the path to the school together.

  “Where’s Anna?” he asked casually.

  “She’s coming with Lexie,” I answered with as much indifference as I could muster.

  “I didn’t see Lexie’s car, so I don’t think they’re here yet,” Noah said. With this new information, I stopped searching for her and focused on the school which was getting closer.

  “So how did last night go after you dropped me off?” Noah asked, nudging me slightly.

  I rolled my eyes and took a deep breath. “Listen, man, you have got to stop talking like that. You’re messin’ with my head and it’s not cool.”

  Noah held his hands up. “Sorry! But seriously, it’s bothering you for a reason, dude.”

  “Apology accepted,” I said, ignoring his follow-up.

  “Hey, gents!” The annoying voice of Eric Hartlen echoed across the parking lot. He jogged over to us as Noah and I both let out a simultaneous groan.

  “What’s up, Eric?” Noah said. I just nodded.

  “Big party this weekend, boys!” Eric pushed his way between us and slung his arms over our shoulders.

  “Oh yeah?” I said, uninterested and annoyed with his cocky presence.

  “Wentworth Lodge. My parents scored us some rooms for the last official ski weekend of the season,” he bragged. “It’s gonna be rockin’!”

  We had spent many weekends at Wentworth after Eric’s parents bought the ski lodge a few years back. That’s where most of us learned how to ski and snowboard. All of our trips were next to free because of Eric’s connections, which was one of the few things that Eric was good for.

  “Who’s going?” Noah asked.

  “Monica and Tyler, Lexie, you guys, and I’ll ask Anna when she gets here. She’s back now, right?”

  “Got back last night,” Noah said. “She’s coming with Lexie today. They should be here soon.”

  “So you coming or what?” he pressed.

  It was a tough one to answer as it was honestly going to come down to whether or not Anna was going. My mind was still on her and on figuring out why I couldn’t stop thinking about her.

  Noah nodded. “Sure, I’m in.”

  We sat down on our usual benches, along the sc
hool wall, facing the football field. Eric kept talking about the Wentworth weekend and how much fun it would be.

  A few irritating minutes later, Lexie’s car pulled into the parking lot. I stiffened as Noah nudged me. “Nervous?”

  “No!” I snapped. “Shut-up about it, would ya?”

  The girls got out of the car and slowly walked toward us, apparently talking about something amusing.

  Eric suddenly stopped in mid-sentence and gawked in their direction. “Is that Anna?”

  “Yup,” Noah answered with a grin. “Africa was good to her, eh?”

  “It sure was!” Eric slid off the bench and jogged over to meet the girls.

  “What the hell is he doing?” I demanded, standing up. The hairs on the back of my neck were stiff and sending chills down my spine. My teeth were pressed together and a faint growl escaped from the pit of my stomach.

  “Relax, it’s just Eric being Eric.” Noah stood up and we headed toward the girls. “Besides, I thought you weren’t interested.”

  “I’m not!” I snarled. “But does that mean I shouldn’t care when she’s about to be victimized?”

  “He’s harmless,” Noah laughed.

  “He’s a dog,” I mumbled, and then we were within earshot.

  “Hey guys,” Lexie said as we approached. “Doesn’t she look fab?” She flipped her hand toward Anna.

  “She sure does,” Eric cooed, giving Anna a wink.

  Anna shifted her weight and smiled painfully. She hated being the centre of attention.

  “So, Anna,” Eric said, “big party this weekend at Wentworth Lodge. Can you make it?”

  “Oh!” Anna hesitated, having been caught off guard. She looked to me for help, but I couldn’t think of what I should say so I just shrugged.

  “You have to come, Anna,” Lexie begged. “It’ll be so much fun!”

  “Isn’t the ski season over?” Anna asked, turning her attention back to Eric. A stall tactic.

  “This is the last weekend. Big party weekend.”

  “I see,” Anna said. “Are . . . are you guys going?” she asked, looking to Noah and me.

  “Probably,” Noah said nodding his head slightly.

  I shrugged, because honestly it depended on whether or not she was going. I didn’t have any real desire to go, but if she was going, I definitely had to go and keep an eye on things. Why, suddenly, do I feel so protective of her?

  Anna’s eyes locked with mine and we exchanged the silent words: “If you go, I’ll go.”

  “I’ll have to ask,” Anna answered.

  “That’s a yes,” Lexie said, excitedly. “Your parents are in Africa. I’m sure they won’t care about an innocent weekend at Wentworth with your friends.”

  “It’s her nanny that might mind,” I pointed out, still trying to create an “out” for her.

  Eric put his arm around Anna. “You can ride with me if you want.”

  My skin crawled and my stomach tightened. I wondered if my face was showing the same agony. “Come on, Anna,” I said quickly as I took her arm and led her toward the school.

  “What are you doing?” she whispered.

  “Uh,” I hesitated, “you’ll be late for class.”

  “It’s her first day back, Jake,” Eric called after us. “No one’s gonna care.”

  What had come over me? Another second with Eric’s arm around Anna and I would’ve lost my mind. Why?

  As we walked into the school Anna stopped in her tracks, turned on her heels and faced the door. “Did you see that?”

  I looked around the hallway, then toward the principal’s office on our right. “Lots of people?” I guessed. “What did you see?”

  Anna’s hands gripped my forearms and her eyes were squeezed shut. “It’s that girl from the airport. The pink luggage girl!”

  I scanned the hallway again and noticed the slender diva prancing out of the principal’s office. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and looked around to see who noticed.

  “I think you’re right,” I laughed. “But I’m sure she doesn’t recognize you.”

  Anna slowly turned around and locked eyes with the new girl. The girl smiled and came toward us.

  “Hi, I’m Rachel. I’m new here.” Her personality was as electric as her smile.

  “I’m Jake,” I answered when Anna stalled. “This is Anna.”

  Rachel’s eyes scanned me up and down, making me feel slightly violated, and then she turned her attention to Anna. “You look really familiar.” She studied Anna’s face for a few seconds and then smiled. “Right,” she slowly added. “The girl who wouldn’t be caught dead with my luggage.” She showed her perfect teeth and then winked. “It’s okay. I wouldn’t be caught dead with yours either.”

  Anna bit her lip as her right eye twitched slightly, an early sign of a certain face-off. I quickly cut in. “So, where you from?”

  Noah appeared at my side. “And I’m Noah Morgan,” he said with newfound enthusiasm.

  Rachel gave one last smile to Anna then turned her big brown eyes to Noah and me. “I’m from California, actually. We just moved here so I haven’t met anyone yet. I was hoping maybe you could introduce me to some people?” She tilted her head to the side and puckered her lower lip. Anna’s fingernails dug deep into my arm and I fought hard not to react.

  “Noah can help you,” Anna said confidently. “We’re going to be late for class, Jake. Let’s go.” She pulled my arm as she led me away. “Maybe we’ll see you around later, Rachel.”

  Rachel looked surprised and pleased at the same time, and Noah was definitely content to be left alone with the new girl.

  “You okay?” I asked when we were in the clear.

  “Perfectly fine,” she lied.

  I tried to act indifferent, but Anna’s new display of jealousy was flattering. I liked it.