Souls of the Never: A Fantasy Scifi Romance Time Travel series, with Dragons, Elves and Faeries. (Tales of the Neverwar Series Book 1) by CJ Rutherford, Colin Rutherford Read Free Book Online
Authors: CJ Rutherford, Colin Rutherford
The sound frightened Perri more than it should have, because she realised she’d heard it so many times before, directed at others. It was now close to being turned towards her, and she shivered.
Perri knew Whitney expected her to join in the merriment, but as she watched the blonde girl, she was stunned into silence by her total lack of fear.
The girl looked straight at her, daring her to stand her ground against the others, but Perri couldn’t, she was too scared. How could this little girl protect her? Her earlier courage deserted her, along with her tiny defiance at not laughing along with Whitney. She stepped back along with them.
Part of her knew she might pay a price for her brief rebellion, but she realised right at this moment she didn’t care. It was a small victory, and even though she felt ashamed at her cowardice, she watched as the girl acknowledged her sacrifice and smiled.
*
The memory skipped. A year passed; a year in which Whitney and her group repaid the blonde girl’s defiance a hundred times over. A year in which Perri even helped on occasion, too terrified to resist the pressure of her peers.
The girl, Katheryne, wouldn’t be beaten. Through it all she fought back, all the time daring Perri to do what she knew she so desperately needed to do. Every time something was thrown at her, physically or verbally, Katheryne glanced across at her, waiting for a reaction. Every time she ended up sprawled face down in the corridor, with her books strewn around her, she looked up, never begging, but her eyes always met Perri’s with a smile. Perri, however, was always too frightened; until the day of the fight.
Katheryne was on the ground, cut and bleeding with Whitney on top of her. Whitney’s own knuckles were bloody, having been provoked by Katheryne to do her own dirty work for once. Whitney was clever, clever enough to always punish her victims by proxy, using the puppets she surrounded herself with to carry out the beatings she decreed necessary.
Katheryne managed to break Whitney’s temper so completely, that for once she put aside all thoughts for her own safety in anonymity. She had kissed a boy Whitney had claimed as her own, one of a few Whitney had convinced she was a decent person. So Katheryne’s kiss was like a red rag to a bull, and as she watched Whitney pummel Katheryne’s face, Perri saw her chance at last.
As two of the others held Katheryne’s legs and arms, Perri struck. She’d grown over the last year, but Whitney always surrounded herself with big girls. They were on their knees, pinning Katheryne to the ground, so Perri ran, and kicked one of them sideways, producing a satisfying crack as her face hit the ground.
Whitney was still occupied with trying to break Katheryne’s face, but the girl holding her arms looked up in panic, just as Perri landed on her, hard. They rolled and Perri lashed out, hitting the girl a glancing blow on her arm before they separated. Perri waited for the larger girl to fight back, to return and use her size and weight advantage to screw her into the ground, but she was astounded, and relieved, when the girl stumbled up and ran off.
Whitney realised what was going on around her, and the colour drained from her face, as she found herself truly alone for the first time in years.
Katheryne watched as Perri grabbed Whitney’s hair and yanked her backwards off her, swinging the larger girl around so she sprawled across the ground, cutting her arms and face, before rising to confront Perri, her face a mask of fury.
“You bitch!” she spat. “You are so gone, you wee shit! You think you can do this to me and stay in this school? My Dad will have you expelled when he finds out what you’ve done!” She glanced at Katheryne. “Don’t bother looking at her. She’s a freak like you’re gonna be. She’s nothing; I mean look at her...I’ve just beaten the shit out of her and there’s nothing either of you can do about it! I can’t
Perri knew Whitney expected her to join in the merriment, but as she watched the blonde girl, she was stunned into silence by her total lack of fear.
The girl looked straight at her, daring her to stand her ground against the others, but Perri couldn’t, she was too scared. How could this little girl protect her? Her earlier courage deserted her, along with her tiny defiance at not laughing along with Whitney. She stepped back along with them.
Part of her knew she might pay a price for her brief rebellion, but she realised right at this moment she didn’t care. It was a small victory, and even though she felt ashamed at her cowardice, she watched as the girl acknowledged her sacrifice and smiled.
*
The memory skipped. A year passed; a year in which Whitney and her group repaid the blonde girl’s defiance a hundred times over. A year in which Perri even helped on occasion, too terrified to resist the pressure of her peers.
The girl, Katheryne, wouldn’t be beaten. Through it all she fought back, all the time daring Perri to do what she knew she so desperately needed to do. Every time something was thrown at her, physically or verbally, Katheryne glanced across at her, waiting for a reaction. Every time she ended up sprawled face down in the corridor, with her books strewn around her, she looked up, never begging, but her eyes always met Perri’s with a smile. Perri, however, was always too frightened; until the day of the fight.
Katheryne was on the ground, cut and bleeding with Whitney on top of her. Whitney’s own knuckles were bloody, having been provoked by Katheryne to do her own dirty work for once. Whitney was clever, clever enough to always punish her victims by proxy, using the puppets she surrounded herself with to carry out the beatings she decreed necessary.
Katheryne managed to break Whitney’s temper so completely, that for once she put aside all thoughts for her own safety in anonymity. She had kissed a boy Whitney had claimed as her own, one of a few Whitney had convinced she was a decent person. So Katheryne’s kiss was like a red rag to a bull, and as she watched Whitney pummel Katheryne’s face, Perri saw her chance at last.
As two of the others held Katheryne’s legs and arms, Perri struck. She’d grown over the last year, but Whitney always surrounded herself with big girls. They were on their knees, pinning Katheryne to the ground, so Perri ran, and kicked one of them sideways, producing a satisfying crack as her face hit the ground.
Whitney was still occupied with trying to break Katheryne’s face, but the girl holding her arms looked up in panic, just as Perri landed on her, hard. They rolled and Perri lashed out, hitting the girl a glancing blow on her arm before they separated. Perri waited for the larger girl to fight back, to return and use her size and weight advantage to screw her into the ground, but she was astounded, and relieved, when the girl stumbled up and ran off.
Whitney realised what was going on around her, and the colour drained from her face, as she found herself truly alone for the first time in years.
Katheryne watched as Perri grabbed Whitney’s hair and yanked her backwards off her, swinging the larger girl around so she sprawled across the ground, cutting her arms and face, before rising to confront Perri, her face a mask of fury.
“You bitch!” she spat. “You are so gone, you wee shit! You think you can do this to me and stay in this school? My Dad will have you expelled when he finds out what you’ve done!” She glanced at Katheryne. “Don’t bother looking at her. She’s a freak like you’re gonna be. She’s nothing; I mean look at her...I’ve just beaten the shit out of her and there’s nothing either of you can do about it! I can’t
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