Pulled by Danielle Bannister Read Free Book Online Page A

could I possibly be that close to him every day?
     
    The blood drains out of me as I remember one very important thing.
     
    “ Seth…when Seth sees the way I look at Etash, the way I react around him...” I’m rambling now, but I can’t stop myself. “Kari, I can’t take this role, if Seth even suspected anything…” I stop myself, fearing I might have already said too much.
     
    My breath starts coming in shallow bursts in this dank, cold theatre. I need fresh air, now . But when I turn around to leave, the room starts twirling out of focus. Trying to steady myself, I grab a hold of Kari, who's looking at me wide-eyed. Stars start dancing around her face. Shit! Not now! But it's happening. I’m about to have full-blown panic attack. If I don't chill out it'll lead to a black out. Focus, Naya ! I scream at myself to breathe slower. I take another careful breath, but as I inhale, I see Etash dancing around me, and the room starts to spin faster. My eyelids get heavy as they begin their familiar descent to the back of my head. I feel my knees begin to buckle and I brace myself knowing that I'll be helpless to brake my fall; my upper body has already gone numb. Then, there's nothing.
     
     
     

     

 
    Chapter 4
     
     
     
    Etash
     
    Elizabeth hasn't stopped grinning from the moment she posted the cast list and it's starting to piss me off. She has no idea what she's done to me by forcing my hand in this, completely oblivious as she works at her computer, humming some stupid show tune. Her off-key falsetto is making my head hurt.
     
    Unable to sit still, but not daring to leave her office while Naya is still in the building, I start to pace. Elizabeth shakes her head at me and urges me to relax, but I can't. Instead, I pick up speed, marching back and forth across her small office several times, when out of the blue, the room starts to spin a little, and I have to sit down. Whoa. That was weird.
     
    After a minute, I try to stand up again but my legs are wobbly. My stomach knots itself into a tight ball. Clearly something is wrong, but I know that it's not with me: it’s her . Something is wrong with her. I can feel it.
     
    At that moment, an ear-piercing, metallic, crashing sound comes from outside Elizabeth's office.
     
    “ What was that?” Elizabeth asks, looking up from her desk.
     
    “ Naya,” I whisper.
     
    “ What?”
     
    I can’t answer; I just go. I fly out of Elizabeth's office and pause briefly in the hall. Her scent burns my nostrils, pinpointing exactly where she is; she’s still in the Black Box.
     
    Pushing past a small group of students who have gathered in the door frame, I find her. She’s on the floor, chairs scattered around her crumpled body. A girl from my acting class is kneeling down beside her, about to turn her over.
     
    “ Get away from her!” I shout, terrified by the anger in my voice. The girl backs away instantly, scared. There is no time to apologize for my rudeness—Naya's hurt. Manners can wait.
     
    When I finally reach her, she's lying on her stomach, her head turned to one side, her hair falling wildly around her face. But even through her black mane, I can see that part of her face is turning a deep shade of red. Like she was just hit with something hard and unyielding.
     
    And just like that, the walls I had built to keep her out, to keep everyone out, start to crack, and so do I.
     
    “ Naya!” I scream, surprising myself with the pain that is there. I need her to wake up, to know that she is okay. “Naya!”
     
    Over and over again I say her name, and every time she doesn’t respond, the more insane I become.
     
    “ Etash!” Elizabeth is beside me trying to calm me down, I shake her off violently.
     
    “ Call for help!” I order.
     
    “ I already have. Let’s get her into my office. We can put her on the couch.”
     
    But I'm not convinced that moving her is best. I lean down close to her and listen carefully to her breathing, easily