Unleashed by Rachel McClellan Read Free Book Online Page A

“Have fun then.” He turned to Claire. “See you around?”
    “Yeah. Sure. And thanks for the phone.”
    He smiled and disappeared into the store.
    “What was that all about?” Logan asked. He ripped open a candy bar and took a bite.
    “I think he asked me out. Weird, huh?”
    “Really?” Logan offered her a licorice rope. “But you guys don’t even speak to each other.”
    “Exactly.” She accepted the licorice and walked toward the beach. “I don’t think this month can get any crazier.”
    But just then Logan took hold of her hand.
     
    The next morning, Claire woke with a screaming headache. She’d laid awake until almost three in the morning, thinking about Logan’s odd behavior at the beach. After he tried to hold her hand, he continued to hit on her until she finally said she had to go. They’d been friends forever, but not once had he ever tried to put the moves on her. Maybe a combination of the sunset, pristine beach, and calm ocean waters had gotten to him, and he’d had a soap opera moment.
    Whatever the reason, she hoped it didn’t happen again. It’s not that she didn’t find Logan attractive, she did, but she couldn’t be with a guy when she knew the details of all of his previous love conquests. It was gross.
    Claire quickly, yet quietly, dressed for school in jeans and a red tank top. Her mother had fallen asleep on the couch and waking her would be like waking a bear out of early hibernation. She sent Kate a text to remind her to pick her up and then snuck into the kitchen for a bowl of cereal. Just to be sure the bear slept peacefully, she ate outside on the back porch.
    Early morning sunlight wove its way through the tops of the trees and onto their faded redwood deck. She and her father had painted it over five years ago and although it was in desperate need of another coat of paint, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Too many bad memories.
    She took another bite of cereal and rubbed her foot against a curled-up sliver of wood. While watching the movement of her foot, she became vaguely aware of something out of place, but it took a moment for her brain to process the abnormality. Finally, she stood up and looked around.
    All over the deck were muddy footprints from what looked like big tennis shoes – not her size or her mothers. She followed the prints off the deck and into the back yard, which was basically a forest. After trailing them for about twenty yards, she stopped and turned around.  They probably belonged to one of her mother’s many male interests.
    Claire followed them back to the house, but froze when she realized the footprints took a detour and ended at her bedroom window. Her heart began to pound and she frantically looked around as if searching for an attacker. Not because of the crushed foliage beneath her window, but because of the mud smeared across the glass by what looked like five fingers.

 
     
     
     
     
     
    SIX
     
    Claire glanced around and then darted back inside, anxious to get out of the open. She considered showing her mom what she had found, but decided against it when she saw her mother sleeping, her hands tucked up under her chin. Her mom had had it rough. Claire didn’t blame her for anything, just pitied her.
    She reached out and smoothed back her mom’s graying hair. It didn’t used to have gray in it. It used to be shiny and dark like maple syrup. She could’ve been in a hair commercial, but then guilt and stress had killed it. Claire touched her own hair and moved away.
    Instead of waiting outside for Kate, she watched from the kitchen window until Kate’s car pulled up. She hurried outside, keeping her head on a swivel, until she opened the car’s passenger door and climbed in. As always, Kate looked awesome, like she’d stepped out of a Neiman Marcus catalog. If it wasn’t for Kate’s keen fashion sense, Claire would be satisfied wearing pajamas to school, but Kate always made sure she was presentable. “Our band has to