Twisted Stars (Hardest Mistakes #3)
Read Twisted Stars (Hardest Mistakes #3) Online
Authors: Dannielle Wicks
TWISTED STARS
DANNIELLE WICKS
TWISTED STARS
Copyright © 2016 by Dannielle Wicks.
All rights reserved.
First Print Edition: March 2016
Limitless Publishing, LLC
Kailua, HI 96734
Formatting: Limitless Publishing
ISBN-13: 978-1-68058-544-5
ISBN-10: 1-68058-544-4
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.
Dedication
This is for you, Ashlee Andrews.
If you didn’t know what you meant to me before,
now you do
.
Table of Contents
All I can see are flashes, colors, and shapes…
It’s difficult to tell what’s happening. I’m in a haze. I can feel my body being pushed around like a limp rag doll.
Suddenly, I’m lying on something cold and hard. My arms and legs are strapped down, then my head.
The clean prick of a hypodermic needle at the top of my spine.
Icy liquid rushing through my veins.
My back jerking off the table out of my control.
The cold pain escalates, becoming unbearable. My head feels like it’s being torn apart from the inside out. I strain against the straps holding me down. My bones feel like they are breaking into a million tiny pieces and then reforming again; my skin stings and itches. I pull against my restraints again, but I can’t break free.
The shapes and colors around me suddenly become frighteningly clear. My mother stands beside me, uncaring as she watches my pain, my father right beside her, his face as blank as hers.
The agony surges until my entire body is affected. The icy liquid makes my veins ache. My back arches off the table again, snapping the restraints tight. I cry out, but no one helps me.
I’m alone.
“What have you done to me?” I shout hoarsely before the darkness consumes me and I slip into peaceful unconsciousness.
When I wake, I feel different. My body doesn’t feel like my own. My senses are dramatically enhanced, and I feel strength surge through my muscles. I pull hard against my restraints, and they break. I look down at myself and nearly scream.
What have they done?
I leap onto the first person I see, my jaws sinking into his throat. His terrified face screams soundlessly up at me. I don’t care. I rip my fangs from his throat, and he drops to the ground, dead.
I swing around, looking for a new victim. Something solid hits me hard on the back of the head—I go down, hitting the tiles with a thump.
The darkness consumes me once again.
When I come to again, I’m lying in a damp puddle on the floor. I feel a little dazed.
What happened? Was it all a dream?
I slowly lift myself off the wet tiles and glance down. My body is back to normal, at least. The color of the floor catches my eye. Red. Blood red. Someone is screaming. I look around. My father is lying motionless on the floor, covered in blood. My mother is kneeling over him, tears falling down her face as she stares at me, horrified.
But they did this to me…
I could think of a million places I would rather be right now. The darkness of night swallows me; the shadows close in. How did I think this was a good idea? I mean, really…a dark forest in the middle of the night. I shake my head and glance up at the moon shining through the canopy above me. The clouds drift across its light ominously.
Sounds like the beginning of a horror movie. Silly sorority girl, or cheerleader, or whatever walking around somewhere they shouldn’t be only to be murdered by the ghost in the woods.
He said he would be here, and now I’m left sitting in the dark like an idiot. I snatch my purse off the ground and stomp my way through the trees. This is the last time I’ll ever trust the word of a guy. Especially one that I know has a bad reputation.
The darkness has masked the path that leads back toward the road, but I’m pretty sure I know where I’m going. The heel of my shoe catches on an exposed root, and I trip, bracing myself on the rough bark of a tree. I steady myself and glance around, trying to get my bearings.
It’s not the dark that scares me—it’s the shadows that move inside it that chill me to the bone.
And just on cue, there it is.
A wolf howls way too close, reminding me of a bad black-and-white horror flick. I jump away from the tree and scan the darkness. There, something moved out of the corner of my eye. I’m sure of it. I turn slowly, afraid of what I might see. The dark leaves move as if someone is there.
“Who’s there?” My voice shakes and my hands tremble in fear. Not good.
I know for a fact that the Black Pike National Park Ranger I spoke to last week said there weren’t any wolves out here…just bears.
Out of the darkness beside me, a hulking shadow steps forward. Oh god, I can’t even see what it is.
Mercifully, as if the universe were answering me, the clouds drift away from the barely-there moon, casting a weak light down through the dense canopy and illuminating my attacker.
Dark, evil eyes stare at me, glinting in the weak light. It is, by far, the single largest coyote I have ever laid eyes on. The monster of a thing growls, lips pulling back from its long, sharp fangs as it prepares to lunge at me.
I spin on my heel and run, trying to get away as its lithe body hits me in the shoulder, knocking me to the ground. My palms and knees scrape across the gravel and leaf litter. I twist around to face the coyote as it stands over me—snapping and growling, thick saliva dripping from its jaws. Without warning, it dives for my throat. I scream and close my eyes tightly, waiting for impact.
Its claws rake across my belly as it’s dragged away from me. I open my eyes in surprise and look around—the coyote is pushed into the ground beside me by a big shaggy black bear. They both snarl and snap their jaws at each other as if fighting over their prey…me.
Something sticky and wet seeps through my shirt around my stomach. I hold my hand up to the moonlight to investigate. I’m bleeding. I need to get home, now.
I need to get up and make a run for it while they’re distracted.
I lift myself off the ground as quickly and quietly as I possibly can, and then I walk backwards toward the trees. Just as I turn and run, I glance back at the overgrown canine and the bear just in time to see them race after me. I try to lose them in the trees.
Before I know it, the thick shrubs and undergrowth open up to reveal the road. Thank the gods I was running in the right direction. I slow to a walk and caution a look behind me. Stupid idea.
The coyote leaps at me, and I stumble back, landing on my bum. I scream and shield my head with my arms before it attacks my face. I roll onto my side and curl into the fetal position—something the Black Pike Ranger taught me about bears. A sudden yelp from above me makes me jump, followed by grunting and growling.
Everything goes silent.
I don’t dare move. Something soft nudges my arm. I squeak in surprise when it licks my fingers. I slowly unshield my face and watch the huge bear warily. It stands over me, licking the blood off my fingers, its ears tilted toward me curiously. Its beautiful gold eyes glow in the dark.
I can’t breathe.
A huge goddamn bear is standing over me.
I’m going to die.
It backs away as I curl back into the fetal position. I tilt my head slightly to glance behind it, at the trees, looking for the coyote, but I find nothing. It’s gone.
Dizziness hits me in waves, and dark blotches start dancing in front of my eyes. The ground feels as if it’s swaying. I throw my arm out to ground myself. The bear lowers its head and grunts at me. Everything goes black just as it moves closer.
***
My eyes feel heavy. I pry them open slowly and squint at my surroundings. Everything is white and starchy. The blanket covering me has
‘Black Pike Hospital’
stitched into the hem. I jolt up, and pain explodes through my stomach. I gasp and lift the blanket off my stomach to find stitches keeping my lower belly together. I frown and lift my arms to examine. Sure enough, long, shallow scratches run all the way to my elbow.
A nurse arrives and stops in the doorway when she notices I’m awake. Giving me a sympathetic smile, she leans over my bed and checks my vitals.
I stare at her, a little confused. “How did I get here?”
She stops what she’s doing and looks at me. “Oh, honey, an anonymous call came through last night, saying they saw a girl lying beside the road.”
I frown and look down at my hands in my lap. “How long have I been here?” Where is my mom? Is she worried? Does she know I’m here?
“About two days. You were in bad shape when they brought you in. Looks like a wild dog attack. There have been reports of coyotes close to town.” She smiles. “You can leave tomorrow.” She turns and walks to the door, leaving the room. “By the way, you have a visitor.”
As soon as she leaves, Sammy walks into the room. She kneels down beside the bed, her dark brown eyes full of worry, but her face is full of accusation and blame. I sigh and look away.
“What the hell were you doing out there? You know what happened to Kai,” she says softly.
“Oh, Sammy, it’s not a big deal, okay?” I answer, annoyed. “I was meeting Connor. He just didn’t show up.”
She shakes her head.
“Is my mom here?”
“She left about an hour ago. I told her to go home and get some sleep. She looked exhausted.”
“Where’s Kai?”
“He’s moving the last of our stuff into the new place.”
Kai and Sammy decided a few months ago that they wanted to live together in their own apartment…away from Black Pike. It doesn’t bother me. Much.
“Do you want me to stay with you tonight?” Her expression is compassionate and loving. In the time we have lived together, we’ve bonded. She’s my best friend. But I won’t make her stay with me when she’s supposed to be spending her first night in her new apartment. It wouldn’t be fair to either of them.
“No, I’ll be fine.” I smile even though I don’t really feel it. Don’t get me wrong—I’m happy for her—I’m just not happy about life in general. And next time I see Connor, I’m going to knock his teeth in for standing me up in the forest.
With one last hug, Sammy leaves me to my own devices in my lonely hospital room.
Just like the nurse promised, I’m discharged the very next day. Sammy picks me up and drops me home. Every time I move, I suck in a breath at the pain. My place is exactly the same as I left it. I walk through the hall and out to the back porch.
I just collapse into the couch and close my eyes when I hear a car pull into the driveway. “Ashlee?” my mom calls from the front door. Her keys clink as she drops them on the hall table. As soon as she sees me, she pulls me close, holding me tight.
“Careful,” I say softly, pushing away from her so I can clutch my stomach. Her dark hair bounces as she fusses about me, helping me lie back down on the couch.
“I’ll make you something to eat.” She smiles and walks into the kitchen. “You must be starving.”
“Shouldn’t you be boarding a plane to the Caribbean?”
“Oh, don’t be silly,” she answers from the kitchen. “I couldn’t possibly go. Not until I know you’re okay.”
I shake my head and lie back on the cushions, drifting off to the sounds of her opening and closing cupboards and buzzing around the house.
***
It’s too early when I wake the next morning. I slowly start dressing for school. Mom is waiting for me in the lounge as I come downstairs.
“You don’t have to go to classes today if you don’t feel up to it, honey.”
I shake my head at her. “I’m fine, Mom. Stop worrying.”
I drive to the university just slow enough to make myself late so I don’t have to answer any stupid questions until after class. How am I going to explain what happened?
I was waiting for a douche-bag, and when he stood me up, a coyote decided to make me his dinner? Oh, and don’t forget the best part—a freaking
bear
saved my life?
Yeah, that sounds believable…
I made sure to wear long pants and a long-sleeved shirt to hide my healing cuts from inquiring eyes. The only other thing they could call me out on is the pain, but hopefully that will fade quickly.
I walk into my Anatomy class just as the buzzer sounds and sit in the chair beside my friend Brooke. She looks me up and down and raises an eyebrow at my choice of clothing. I smile and shrug at her. I can see the questions in her eyes—she opens her mouth to speak but stops herself as our teacher starts the lecture.
I zone out quickly and start doodling in my notebook.
“Miss Reynolds!” Mr. Zane’s voice makes me jump. “Ashlee Reynolds. Are you paying attention? I just asked you a question. I know you’ve probably had a wonderful weekend full of underage exploits and nastiness, and you’re just itching to gossip about it with your peers, but the least you could do is listen while I am speaking!”
I look down at my desk in shame. Where is my head today?
“Well?” he asks, sounding exasperated.
I glance up at him, but don’t look him in the eye. “What was the question, sir?” I already know what’s coming next.
“Excuse me!” he roars, making me flinch. “Are you trying to destroy your chances of getting into the advanced classes next year?” He pauses, but doesn’t let me answer before he launches into another attack. “I can’t believe—”
A knock on the door interrupts his tirade, saving me. His face turns red with anger, and he turns to the door. “What?” He looks as if he’s about to pop a vein in his forehead.
“I’m looking for Anatomy?” The voice is male. He steps further into the room, bringing with him the most gorgeous face I have ever seen. Black hair falls in a messy wave across his forehead, framing his beautifully scrumptious cheekbones. He seems shy in the way he looks up at the class from underneath his eyelashes, but his expression is uninterested and unemotional. His eyes are probably what draw me to him the most. They are so dark they appear black. I can’t even distinguish the pupils.
“Whoa,” Brooke whispers beside me. I nod along with her.
Mr. Zane lightly taps his fingers on his desk in annoyance. Evil man. Even though he doesn’t show it, I have no doubt he is thinking the exact same thing as everyone else. He’s curious. “You’re late,” he states plainly.
“I was held up in the office, filling out paperwork.” Ah…new guy’s voice. Brooke sighs beside me in contentment.
“You have a girlfriend,” I whisper.
She giggles. “I know. I’m just looking. Kelly will forgive me.”
Mr. Zane flicks his fingers at the new guy. “Take a seat, and never
ever
come to my class late again.”
“Yes, sir.”
New guy strolls across the room and then down the middle aisle. He’s so close I can smell his cologne as he walks past. Musky and dark, just like him. He swings into the seat directly behind me, making my neck prickle in awareness.
Brooke throws me a knowing look as she shuffles the papers in front of her. I glance behind me out of the corner of my eye. I honestly thought I was being sneaky and he didn’t see me. I’m wrong.
He looks right at me with his eyebrow raised and his mouth set in a straight line, but his dark eyes shine in amusement. I smile apologetically and look away, my cheeks heating up and betraying me.
I turn back to my notebook and start copying the notes off the board, trying to ignore the butterflies in my aching stomach.
Brooke shifts beside me. “I’m Brooke, and this is my friend Ash,” she says, gesturing to me. “Who are you?”
“Jayden,” he answers quietly. His voice is deep but soft, and he keeps his eyes down on his desk as he speaks. It takes me a moment to realize he’s actually answering Brooke’s question and not talking to me. “Ash?” he asks, looking at me curiously.