Light by Adrienne Woods Read Free Book Online Page A

with eggs and toast waited for me at the breakfast nook. Mom didn’t say anything as she read the newspaper with a cup of coffee almost touching her lips.
I took a seat behind my plate of scrambled eggs and bacon. One look at it, or sniff, and my stomach started to turn and I got up, ran to the toilet and puked my lungs out.
Tears lingered in my eyes as I bent over the toilet again. Emotions of fear and shock of last night’s events were turning the inside of my gut in turmoil.
“Honey, what’s wrong? You know you can tell me anything.” My mom’s voice came from the door.
    Not this time, Mom. “I’m fine.” I couldn’t tell my mother about that dream. She would think I was crazy, even though she had always asked about my dreams, this was different.
    I finally came out of the bathroom. “I’ve got to go. I’m going to be late for school.” I picked up my backpack, which was where I left it last night by the door.
    “You want me to drive you?”
    I looked at my mom, and smiled. “I’m okay, mom. Really. I just got lost yesterday, that’s all.”
    “Okay, sweetheart,” Mom came over, gently stroked my face and gave me a kiss on the head. “Be safe, I’ll see you this afternoon and then we can speak about your dream last night.”
    I just stared at her. How did she know? I shook my head. Mom always wanted to know about my stupid dreams, it was my paranoia that had gotten the best of me.
    “Bye,” I said and walked to the bus stop with thoughts of Shadow hounds and the most badass, geek beauty I’d ever met.
     
    ON THE SCHOOL BUS EVERYONE MINDED THEIR
own business. Nobody even glanced my way, why should they, Chas? I whispered inside my head. I was sure after today the bus driver would probably never let me on his bus once Clare and the gang told everyone what I’d done yesterday at the lake.
    There was no sign of Clare, Ty, Nicole, or any of the guys when I found my locker. Scared of opening it, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
    Don’t have a heart attack, don’t have a heart attack. My hand lingered on the lock and I opened it quickly.
    Nothing came, no explosion of some sort that would cover me with a liquid stickiness, no booby trap, nothing.
    I took out the books for the first three periods and shoved them into my backpack, fast. When I shut the locker door, I jumped as I found Clare leaning against the locker beside mine. I closed my eyes and wanted to tell her to take a hike when she opened her mouth.
    “Relax, scared-y pants,” she smiled. “Where were you this morning?”
    I frowned. “This morning?”
    “Yes, Ty and I went to your home to pick you up, but there was absolutely no answer. Did you take the school bus?” she said with slight confusion on her face as if the school bus was drenched with the plague or some other deadly disease, and started to walk in the direction of our first period.
    She stopped and turned around.
    “What are you waiting for?”
    I closed my eyes and pinched myself. No I was definitely awake. I looked around, waiting for any of the others that might jumped out behind a closed door or something.
    “Chas, what is it with you today? You’re acting really weird.” Clare came back and spoke softly as concern was evident on her face.
    I’m acting weird?
    “I’m fine, I just don’t feel so well. It must be the fusion my mom tried last night,” I lied.
    “Fusion? Since when does your mom cook fusion?”
    “She’s trying new things.”
    Clare laughed and I couldn’t help but to feel as if we’d just picked up where we’d left off four weeks ago before the Ty incident.
    I followed her into the Science lab and we split up to join our respective lab partners.
    Through the entire class Clare was sending me notes, made faces behind Freddie’s back, which I didn’t like because he was one of my favorite geeks, but I smiled. Something was definitely not right with this picture. Whatever it was, I didn’t care. I had my best friend back, even