Okay, bare with me guys. This is the first book I've ever written and it has been a dream of mine forever. I have some work to do still with merging chapters together so there's not so many but this is my baby and I hope you enjoy it!
Please vote and comment. I would love to hear from you! :)
Copyright 2014
Adult language and mature content.
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INCHOATION
"How do I die?"
"That's easy!" Charlie boasts, popping his head out of the blanket. "You die because you're old. You're gonna be one of those crazy cat ladies and cats eat your whole body." Charlie and I leer at each other playfully; this was our morbid night-time game. "Chad Henley kills himself," my brother's voice is an odd pitch.
"Charlie!" I gape at him through the dark.
"He does!" Charlie hollers, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Why do you hate him so much? He never did anything to you."
"I just don't. He's a creep," Charlie mumbles, fiddling with his toes.
"You're a creep."
"Whatever," Charlie groans before lying down next to me.
"Guess who, Jenna?" I grunted at the force of Chad's impact which was stronger and more abrupt than usual. His fingertips fluttered nervously over my eyes, forcing the metallic scent of dirt and his muggy flesh into my nostrils.
I rubbed my eyes and squinted until they focused on Chad's lanky frame. "Hey Chad," I smiled and stepped back.
"What are you up to?" he asked, stepping forward to close the distance. Chad was always countering my movements - never allowing me to get too far.
"Not much, just playing with Charlie -," I trail off realizing I'd lost sight of my little brother's green-bottomed sneakers. I could still faintly hear the crunch of dry grass as he tromped about the Nevada wastelands.
"Oh," Chad's voice was low as he kicked some rocks around.
Chad shifted his body suddenly towards his house next door and scanned the windows. Something seemed off about him today.
Not one for eye contact, Chad searched my eyes and opened his mouth as if to say something. Charlie came hurling his body into mine, knocking me into Chad and nearly taking us both to the ground. Instead of bracing himself against my weight and pushing me back, Chad absorbed the blow, curling his long fingers around my waist. I had to jerk away for Chad to release his grip.
"Charlie! You oaf," I hissed. Jutting his bottom teeth up over his top lip and crossing his eyes, Charlie made his favorite monster impression and scampered away - his high-pitched shrieks quickly dissipating. "I could kill him sometimes," I growled, closing my eyes to calm the surging blood beneath my cheeks. Chad's laughter forced me to open my eyes. As he covered his mouth to silence his laughter, his sleeve fell down, revealing odd-shaped bruises the entire length of his forearm. "Chad!" I gasped, reaching for his arm. Stepping back, Chad's face paled as he jerked his arm away from me.
"It's nothing," he said hastily, tugging his sleeve back down.
"Really? That didn't look like nothing."
"I said it's nothing, okay?" Chad seethed through clenched teeth. Shaking his head, Chad jostled past me - this wasn't the first time he'd behaved that way. Chad frequently changed from the brilliant boy I'd come to know, to the black-and-white version I feared when I'd first heard of the Henleys.
I followed Chad with my eyes but didn't run after him. A white curtain snapped shut in the distance. Looking past Chad, I became chillingly aware that whoever he was watching for had been watching us.