Hunted (Dark Secrets Book 1) by Allie Juliette Mousseau Read Free Book Online Page A

Piper, the Takers at the bookstore, a note to call Jodi when I got someplace safe. I thought about writing Theron's name, but didn't.
    I turned back a bunch of pages to read some older notes.
    I want to learn guitar, but I can't carry one with me, way too big and noticeable.
    I want to be a journalist — I think.
    I still didn't know what I wanted to be since I hadn't had enough chances to experiment with different ideas. I sighed deeply. If I could keep in front of Social Services for the rest of the year, I'd be eighteen and out of their age range. But then what? I didn't even have a birth certificate. And my mother never told me where I was born.
    Maybe I could get a professionally faked ID and birth certificate. I've read books, so I know it's possible.
    Hope, my mother would say. Even flowers hide under the earth in the fall only to return gloriously in the spring.
    Maybe … if I could stay out of reach of the Takers, I thought.
    "Greyhound Bus number 79 to Jackson, Mississippi now boarding. Please have your ticket in hand. Thank you," came the announcement, full of static, over the loudspeaker throughout the station.
    I left the safety of the stall, walked through the building with my head down and handed my ticket to the driver. He used a hole puncher on it and passed it back to me. "You'll need to show this at the station when you re-board," he instructed. I climbed the steel steps into the coach.
    The bus was pretty empty. I sat in the middle next to an escape window and settled in, placing my backpack on the seat next to me, hoping to deter other passengers from sitting there. The ride was quiet. I sat alone, watched the scenery and chose a random book on my Kindle to pass the time.
    Halfway to Jackson, we made a stop at another station. Everyone was required to exit the bus while they gassed it up. The driver let us know it would be fifteen minutes. The station was in a business district. There was a sub shop across the street, along with some retail shops, banks, law offices. I went inside the station, but the only things in it were a few metal folding chairs and an ancient soda machine. Soda sounded good, so I walked over to it and slid a few quarters into the slot. I pressed Sprite and heard the can drop into the hold. Coke. At least I liked it. I popped the top, took it outside and sat in the little bit of green grass in front of the station.
    It was a busy afternoon. All sorts of people were walking about. Businessmen and women in their gray and black corporate business wear headed quickly back to work after their lunch breaks, a bunch of customers at the sub shop sat at outside umbrella tables, and a couple was holding hands coming down the sidewalk. They held their heads close to one another with smiles on their faces like they were sharing secrets. I averted my eyes quickly, feeling like I was trespassing on their moment. I thought of Theron.
    " Yeah right! " I spoke out loud to wake myself up, pushing the thought out as quickly as it had come in.
    I peeked back at the couple. I couldn't help it, they looked so happy. They were probably in their early twenties. As they passed my bit of lawn, the man picked a sunny yellow dandelion and tucked it behind the woman's ear. She blushed.
    A mother pushing a stroller walked by, cooing at her fussing baby.
    "Greyhound Bus to Jackson, Mississippi is now ready to board. Kindly have your tickets ready for the driver," a male voice boomed through the outside speaker.
    About twelve of us got into line. I had been a bit lazy, staying in the grass, and was stuck toward the back of the line. A new driver approached the bus door and began punching holes into people's tickets. His dark gray uniform was a bit too tight and his silver buttons strained against the fabric.
    "He's eaten too many doughnuts," the guy behind me sneered jokingly to his friend who sniggered back.
    Suddenly, a Taker appeared out of nowhere, landing on the driver and folding his crumpled form to the