Chosen Read online

  I snuggled back into my sheets to try to sleep off my headache. But of course, life never went my way.

  The door opened with a slam (which did nothing to help my head) and in came a worried Herbert and Irene. When they spotted me, they sighed in relief.

  “She’s still here,” Herbert said breathlessly.

  “Yeah. I got suspended for—”

  “She’s going to need to be moved soon. They will find her now,” Irene said.

  “What are you guys talking about?” I asked as I looked at the delusional couple.

  What the heck was the matter with them?

  “Um... just thought you already ran away. It’s your eighteenth birthday after all... adult girl,” Irene said nervously.

  I stared at the both of them like they were insane.

  Who says ‘adult girl’?

  Apparently, Irene does.

  “You may be eighteen now, but you still live in our house. You are ordered to stay here until further notice. We have a dinner tonight with company, and we want you on your best behavior,” Herbert demanded.

  Before I could protest, Irene interfered.

  “You can have Alec stay if you like. Just stay here. Consider this punishment for suspension,” she said sternly.

  I resisted the temptation to roll my eyes at her getting Adam’s name wrong. She could never get it right. But I nodded anyway, hoping they would leave. I was just glad that I hadn’t got a worse punishment.

  “We need to do some things. Please stay inside and be safe. We care about you,” Herbert said, and they both kissed the top of my head.

  I looked at them in shock. They care? They had no right to say that. I bit my tongue to avoid letting out a snarky comment.

  Once they’d left, I went to the bathroom to get some aspirin for my headache. I also texted Adam to come over, and he replied almost immediately, saying he’d be there in an hour.

  Good, I could take a nap. I literally crawled to my bed and crashed.

  I woke up to another loud noise. I looked out my window and saw dark clouds covering the sky. I rubbed my temples in pity. My head felt like it had only gotten worse. I heard the front door pounding and shouts echoing. It sounded like a mob was forming in front of my house.

  I peeked out of my blinds and paled at the sight before me. Bryce and his football buddies were surrounding my house. But that wasn’t what terrified me. Each one of them held a metal baseball bat.

  “Let’s show her what happens when she messes with us!” Bryce shouted, and his team roared with him.

  I completely froze. Why had he gone this far to get to me? I didn’t do anything to deserve this! I counted them all—Bryce and eight of his goons surrounded the house.

  I felt panic go through my system and it kicked in my adrenaline. I grabbed my phone to call Adam.

  I rushed out of my room and hid in one of the closets in the hallway. Since I was small enough, I crawled behind a bunch of boxes and covered most of my face with a blanket.

  My heart was beating rapidly, and I could barely breathe as I heard the door starting to break. I felt tears fill my eyes and tried to push them back.

  Calm down, be brave. Calm down.

  I brought my trembling hands to my face and quickly called Adam.

  I heard the ringing as I heard the door start to crack.

  I was going to die.

  I almost cried when I heard a familiar voice.

  “Hey, Girl Scout! Happy Birthday! I’m on my—”

  “Adam,” I whispered. I roughly swallowed as I tried to spit the words out. The fear was choking me. “B-Bryce is a-attacking—”

  “FIND HER AND BRING HER TO ME! I want to settle this once and for all.”

  I felt myself turn pale and go woozy. Bile rose in my throat, and I tried to push it down as I heard Adam’s frantic voice.

  I tried to listen to him, but I felt my headache increase and the pain blocked him out. I heard footsteps and smashing sounds, but I could barely notice anything.

  My headache increased as their footsteps came closer.

  I saw dark spots cover my eyes and my blood turned cold.

  I didn’t realize that the pain-filled scream had come from me until the closet door was pulled open. I looked up to see a smirking Bryce. The stench of alcohol flooded my senses as a disheveled Bryce held his bat tightly.

  “There’s the little Freak. Let’s play,” he sneered.

  I felt him grab my hair and pull me out of the closet.

  Even though it hurt, it was nothing compared to the torture my mind was causing. My senses were going haywire and the only thing clear to me was the pain in my head.

  I screamed again and felt Bryce drop me to the floor. I clutched my head and squeezed my eyes shut, tears streaming down my face.

  “What the hell is the matter with you, Freak? Finally having your breakdown?” Bryce laughed.

  I just kept screaming.

  “It hurts,” I cried out, unable to hold back my tears. “Just make it stop! Please make it stop, it hurts!” I screamed, clutching my head.

  “Well, me and my friends can take care of that for you.”

  Hands roughly grabbed my arms and pinned me to the floor. I heard a crunching sound until I registered the pain in my side. I cried out as the hits kept coming, hitting my back and legs. I was immobile, pain welcoming me every time I breathed. I could feel the warm liquid leave my torn and bruised skin.

  The torture finally stopped, and I sensed putrid breath come near my ear. My head kept building up as my senses were on overload.

  Please be a dream. God, please let this be a dream.

  I cough as blood began to fill my lungs.

  “You know, you could tell the whole school what happened and no one will believe you?” Bryce chuckled harshly with his friends laughing along with him. “No one will care either. This town will do a lot better when you’re not around. Everyone will thank me for this; you’ll see. Might as well take a bonus after all our hard work.”

  As soon as I felt a tug on my clothes, I no longer felt afraid. I felt a wave of anger.

  It was worse than anger.

  It was rage.

  I was filled with rage that I had to suffer this. It began to override the pain.

  And I snapped.

  A bright light flashed, and I heard the screams from Bryce and his friends. Their screams were loud, but I couldn’t feel any pity.

  They were the reason why I’d suffered this year.

  They were the reason why I felt like nothing.

  They were the reason I had to go through this pain.

  Why couldn’t they just forget about me!?

  Forget about me.

  Then the screaming stopped.

  I felt myself start to drain away. I lost the ability to fight back as the pain took over.

  Unable to hold on, I welcomed the darkness, finally having an escape from the pain.

  6 - Waking Up

  Why isn’t she waking up? It’s been hours.

  This is all my fault. I should’ve been there sooner...

  Wow, this girl's hot—minus the injuries.

  Yes, she’s beautiful, but I need her to wake up. She will only get worse if she doesn’t wake up.

  These voices kept talking in my head, and I groaned. Pain filled my body as I felt myself waking up.

  “She’s waking up! You may want to get off your ass, Luke,” a familiar voice said frantically.

  “I’m going, I’m going. Geez Jay, stop freaking out on me,” another voice huffed.

  I felt warm hands grab my hands, and I instantly tried to pull away. No way in heck was I going to let anyone else touch me right now.

  But it was futile; their grip was too strong. Just as I was about to scream, I felt a warm sensation spread through me. I gasped as I felt bones snap, making me arch my back. My skin started to tighten, cuts being closed back together. I felt my headache begin to
lessen. The chills left my body, replaced with warmth. Soon the hands let go of me.

  I let out a content sigh. Much better.

  I slowly opened my eyes to see my rescuer and saw two large figures in front of me. I finally was able to concentrate and saw a worried Adam, a pissed off Jay, and two other guys looking concerned.

  Why on Earth was a bunch of guys huddling over me?

  “Um... hello?” I said in a raspy voice. I grabbed my throat at hearing the croaky voice that escaped.

  She needs water.

  I looked around to see who’d said that, but they were all looking at me curiously. I saw a blonde guy grab a cup and bring it to me.

  “Here,” he said in a deep voice. “Drink this. It’ll make you feel better,” he continued with a shy smile.

  I grabbed it gratefully and slowly let the cold liquid glide down my throat.

  “What happened?” I asked, my throat feeling better.

  I saw Adam look at me shamefully.

  “Question is, what do you remember?” he asked solemnly.

  I thought back with a frown.

  What did happen?

  Memories then started to crash back into me, and I felt myself begin to shake. Bryce was going to... I felt hands grab me, but I couldn’t calm down.

  Voices were in my head again, and I clutched my head in a feeble attempt to stop it.

  What’s wrong?

  She can’t handle it. It’s coming slowly.

  Damn it, she’s close to a panic attack.

  “Too. Many. Voices,” I gritted out. It made my headache increase, and I squeezed my eyes shut. It was a sensation I never felt before. The voices kept growing louder and louder; it was like they were screaming at me. My breathing began to quicken and my ears started to ring.

  Clara.

  I shook my head frantically.

  Clara, listen to me.

  I paid attention to the particular one who called for me. It sounded so familiar.

  “It’s going to be alright, Clara. Take a deep breath. No one is going to hurt you.”

  Jay.

  Just knowing he was there calmed me. After I felt the pain ebb slightly, I felt a large warm hand grasp mine and squeeze gently.

  As I began to calm and focus on Jay, the voices left.

  “Woah,” I said in awe. I looked to see a grinning Jay. “Thanks.”

  He nodded his head and let go of my hand, stepping back. I felt a cold tingle replace the warmth and tried not to look disappointed.

  “Girl Scout.”

  I turned just in time to see Adam crush me into a bear hug. I hugged him back just as tight.

  “I’m so sorry I didn’t make it in time,” he whispered. “If I’d come sooner, Bryce and his friends wouldn’t have—”

  “It’s fine,” I said, cutting him off. “It’s not your fault that he...” I shuddered and squirmed uncomfortably. I didn’t want to think about it anymore. I slowly backed away as I realized the circumstances I was currently in. I eyed the new guys warily. “Where am I? And why am I here? Bryce was...” I trailed off, keeping my eyes on them.

  Adam seemed to understand my hesitation to finish, so he started to talk.

  “After your phone call, I ran to your house. On the phone, all I heard was screaming and... it was terrible. I haven’t been so scared in my life Clara. I contacted Jay, and he joined me as we made it to your house. We ran to your porch and saw the door broken down. We panicked and ran inside. We heard screams and saw a bright light...”

  I could tell he knew more, but he was holding out on me. I decided to stay silent as he continued. I was too drained to get any answers.

  “Anyway, Bryce and his jocks were unconscious, and we saw your body and Clara...” he gulped. “You took a beating. You were knocked out, and Jay carried you out. Right now, we’re at Jay’s house so you can get better. Luke was able to help you with your injuries even though you will still be sore. And here we are now, Girl Scout,” he finished with a tight smile.

  I nodded my head. He’d told me all that needed to be said. It also made sense why I felt better. But why did he only grab my hands? I mentally shook my head as my temple started to pound again. I could tell that my stare was causing the two strangers to look uncomfortable, so I raised an eyebrow.

  “And who are you guys?”

  The first boy gave me a smirk and a mock bow.

  He looked to be in his early twenties and bore a resemblance to Jay. He could be his brother for all I knew. He was well over six foot but still a few inches shorter than Jay. He had blonde hair down to his shoulders and his brown eyes were mischievous and playful.

  “Hello, young maiden, Drake Gordon Woods at your service. And I must say, you look very nice today,” he said, examining me up and down. I couldn’t help but flush. I wasn’t used to compliments. Jay gave him a nudge and glared, while Drake just snickered at him. I rolled my eyes at their bickering and turned to the other blonde guy who wore a warm smile.

  Does everyone have blonde hair?

  Just like everyone else, he was well-built but more on the lean side. He looked a few years older than me, maybe three years. He had sandy hair and green eyes to match. He had some stubble on his face, which made him somehow more attractive.

  Well, not as attractive as Jay, but I’m not saying anything.

  “I’m Luke, it’s nice to finally meet you, Clara. Jay rambles on about you all the time,” Luke said with a wink.

  Jay groaned and facepalmed himself.

  “You guys suck,” he muttered, and everyone just laughed. I looked around, confused.

  “Anyway, how long have I been out?” I asked curiously. This birthday sucked, and I wondered if it could improve at all before it was out.

  “Twenty-four hours at most,” Adam answered with a wince.

  Never mind on the birthday part.

  “What? My parents are probably freaking out! I need to—”

  “It’s fine,” Jay cut me off. “They already know you’re here. It was alright with them that you stayed here to heal.”

  Back to the healing...

  I sat up and examined my body. Not one cut or bruise. But that couldn’t be possible; I felt my bones get crushed from Bryce’s beatings. My skin was bruised from each hit.

  “How am I okay?” I asked in a shaky voice. I could feel hysteria start to creep in as the whispers in my head got louder. I tried to calm down as the whispers diminished.

  Everyone began to squirm uncomfortably.

  “Clara—”

  “I want to go home, please. I need to think,” I muttered.

  They all looked at each other before Luke gave them a nod.

  “She’s all healed. She doesn’t need to stay here. She needs to rest,” Luke advised.

  “Alright then, I’ll take her home,” Adam said quietly. Adam walked to Jay, who looked conflicted.

  “I got her. She’s okay,” Adam whispered.

  Jay nodded and stepped back. Before I could respond, I felt Adam pick me up bridal-style and take me out of the room. I looked around in shock when I saw a grand hallway that could probably fit my room multiple times.

  “Rest, Girl Scout. It’s been a long day. We can celebrate your birthday when we get you home.”

  As Adam said that, I felt fatigue from the following events crash into me. I knew I needed answers, but I couldn’t utter a peep as my heavy eyelids closed on their own.

  7 - Forgotten

  JAY WOODS

  “Are you sure she’s the one? She seems too... fragile. She looks like I can easily snap her in two,” Drake said hesitantly.

  “Of course she’s the one,” Luke snapped. “How else was she able to read us? The voices? Don’t underestimate her. She’s more powerful than you think.”

  I listened to their conversation while I looked out the window. I saw Adam cradling Clara as they walked to his truck. I felt the need to go to her, but I suppressed the urge.r />
  I’d been feeling strange these last couple of days and I had no idea what to do with myself. I felt very clingy lately.

  I had a feeling it had everything to do with a certain tiny blue-eyed brunette.

  It was like I couldn’t stop, I always felt the need to touch her and comfort her whenever she was upset. I wanted to pound every person that had ever hurt her.

  I would’ve torn Bryce to sheds if Clara wasn’t on the verge of death. My body shuddered at the thought.

  It was kind of freaking me out about how concerned I was about her safety. It was one thing to care about the safety of an individual. But how I had been acting...

  “He’s right,” I sighed and turned to the guys. “Everything had been blocked until yesterday. She just turned eighteen, just like it says. This is dangerous and we need to bring her back here. This is the only safe place for her,” I argued.

  She can’t leave. She’s only going to get hurt or possibly killed being as exposed as she is now.

  Luke shook his head.

  “She doesn’t understand anything, man. If we force her to stay, she’s going to think we’re waiting to murder her or something.”

  “But there are people waiting to murder her,” I argued. “Just not in this specific household.”

  “Jay, she needs to know the truth first. Everything is going too fast for her. Let her take her time with this. Make sure you watch her at school,” Luke advised.

  “What if she asks questions?” Drake asked.

  Luke shrugged.

  “Jay can just tell her if he thinks she’s ready. I’m sure Eric and Maggie wouldn’t mind.”

  I groaned. I hated making decisions like these.

  “Alright, next time we’re alone and she asks, I’ll tell her,” I resolved.

  Drake gave me a smirk.

  “I would love the cute little lady coming back here. She seems great,” he purred.

  I glared at him and resisted the urge to pummel him. I didn’t like thinking about Clara with someone else.

  “Make sure Adam is with her this weekend. We probably should contact the Evans as well. They were already angry that everything was destroyed and their special dinner was cancelled,” Luke stated.