Seventh Mark (Part 1 +2) by W.J. May Read Free Book Online Page A

hadn’t seen those
freakish hollow eyes last night, I wouldn’t believe a word Michael
said.
    We drove for a
bit in silence. My mind raced at the thoughts of a possible
relationship, of monsters and of why in the world my hormones were
all jacked up. Why did Michael know so much about grollics? A
sudden thought crossed my mind. “How old are you?”
    He glanced at
me out of the corner of his eye. “How old did Grace tell you I
was?”
    “She dodged
answering the question, like you are now.”
    “You asked her
about me?” He grinned. “I’m…nineteen.”
    “I’ll be
eighteen in January. However, I think I’m seventeen going on
thirty. I’ve been grown-up for so long.”
    He chuckled. “I
know the feeling.”
    Another thought
hit me. “How old’s Grace?”
    The question
took him by surprise. He appeared about to say one thing but seemed
to change his mind. “We’re twins.”
    Totally weird.
Now how’d I have a hunch on that? “How come you’re done with
school?”
    “I work with
Caleb.”
    “Did you drop
out? Or skip a grade?”
    “No.”
    That didn’t
answer anything. He obviously didn’t want to talk about it – yet.
“Why the pretense she’s younger than you?”
    “She is
younger, by a bit.”
    “You born
first?” Grace had said he was older. Too many weird secrets. “Are
you guys in some kind of trouble?”
    “Questions,
questions.” He grinned. “Has anyone ever told you, you talk a
lot?”
    “Never.” I
shrugged, feeling giddy. Not once in my entire life. “One more
question, and I promise I’m done.”
    Michael raised
an eyebrow.
    “Why was one of
those monstery-things after me?”
    “Now there ’s a loaded question. Caleb might know the answer.” He
glanced down at the book sitting between us.
    “One more
question.” He opened his mouth, so I quickly added, “Can we stop at
Starbucks and grab a latte? Sorry to say this, but you make lousy
coffee.”
     

Chapter
6
    Rocking
slightly side to side, I now hesitated outside the house. Maybe the
reason my body didn’t want to go in had to do with the horrible
memory of the beast. If we went inside and talked about it, I’d be
admitting it was real.
    Michael reached
for my hand and squeezed it, giving me the courage to cross the
threshold. Little currents of hot and cold raced across my
skin.
    Does Michael
have them too? I blinked, trying focus on the task ahead. This was
serious. I really didn’t want to be some monster’s dinner.
    In the middle
of the living room, Michael stopped. Grace and Sarah relaxed on the
couch and a man sat at the desk Sarah had occupied yesterday. My
heart stuttered.
    Caleb .
    He was older
than I thought he’d be. Maybe late fifties or sixties. The
tightness in his face and posture made him appear ready to pounce.
Or overreact? The kind of guy who shot first and asked questions
later.
    Where everyone
looked tanned, Caleb was pale like me but even more so. Almost
pasty white against the dark, expensive clothes he wore. He had the
same intense blue eyes as the others, but with years of knowledge
behind them, like he’d been through the wars. He was handsome, in a
strange way, with strong facial lines. He sat almost regal.
    When he glanced
at me, his eyes darted from my feet to my head to my feet again, a
harrumph escaping his lips.
    I wanted to
disappear.
    “’Tis a
pleasure to meet you.” He spoke with an English accent – very
proper – and polite. However, his words sounded automatic—years of
being taught what to say.
    “Hello, Mr....”
I paused. I didn’t know their last name and it seemed wrong to call
him Caleb without permission.
    “Knightly.”
    “Hell-Hello.”
Should I curtsey or kneel?
    He leaned back
in his chair, fingers clasped tightly together, resting on top of
the desk. “It seems you had an altercation last night with a
grollic.”
    Wow.
Straight to the point. “Michael’s been trying to explain.” I
played with a loose strand of hair which had escaped my