Children of Darkness Read Online Free Page A

through my house as I make breakfast. Max wags his tail and spins in circles when I shake the spatula at him. I dance my way to the cabinet to grab the plates and make my coffee as the omelet cooks in the skillet. I flip Max’s steak one last time and he licks his lips.
    I laugh and cut the steak to cool it down in his bowl while my omelet cools on my plate. Max’s ears are perked up so high you would think he has a cone atop his head instead of ears. When I pick up his bowl, he runs full force to the dining room and skids to a stop at his dog bowl holder.
    I place his bowl in the slot and sit down to eat my breakfast. Once finished, I clean up the mess and walk to my bedroom to change. I pull on some shorts with a randomly picked t-shirt then turn to put on my shoes for our walk. Max loves to work off breakfast while I love to let it settle before I do anything. Max won today.
    My iPod holder straps around my arm and has a slot for my spare house key. I put my headphones around my neck and plug them into my iPod.
    “Ready?”
    Max barks and I smile. I slip on his leash and off we go. A few neighbors are out on their morning runs and wave to us as they pass by. I pull on my headphones and turn on the new album I uploaded, Next To Nothing by RITTZ. We cross the street at the end of our block and Max begins to prance while I jog next to him. We are almost to the park and he can’t wait to run around like the crazy dog he is. One more block down and we turn the corner onto the street leading up to the dog park.
    Max can barely contain himself. The other pet lovers at the park greet us as they do every time we come to play. Max is extremely popular with the other dogs.
    A couple, Andrew and Mark, have the most beautiful Labrador I have ever seen. Her name is Lizzy and she is a very big girl. Max loves to chase her and roll around in the grass every time they see each other. Dogs are so weird.
    I let Max play for a few hours as I talk with the other dog owners. They live in the neighborhood and relay all the upcoming events for the town. Even though I don’t attend every gathering, I like to stay current with our community events.
    I walk around the benches and sit down by myself to get some air. I don’t like being surrounded by noise and the park is one of the loudest places I go. I breathe in the air and feel the sun come out from behind some fluffy clouds. My hair sticks to my neck so I quickly put it up into a messy bun. Much better. Because I didn’t stretch before we got to the park, my muscles start to cramp, so I lean down to rub my legs.
    A memory of my mom flashes in my mind and I can’t push it back down. She comes in to wake me up for school and finds me curled up in a ball on my bed crying. My mom stands there and cries as she watches me get off my bed and come running to her. I beg and plead to move away from our house, to get away from the children that come in my room, and all she does is stand there and cry. When I fall to my knees and sob, she walks away from me. Why does she never listen to me? Will she ever believe me?
    Tears prick my eyes and I brush them away quickly. I catch sight of Max running across the park toward me and I notice he is going too fast to stop. I put my hands up to protect my face and he turns at the last minute to take off in a different direction. Did I mention that dogs are weird?
    After three more rounds of ‘is Max going to run into me or turn,’ he finally gets tired and comes over to me. “All funned-out for the day?” He pushes my legs with his body and turns toward our house. “I guess so.”
    We say our goodbyes and head back to the house for lunch. Max is a lot slower now that he exerted all his energy. We make it back and I unlock the door, pushing it open. Max immediately runs to his water bowl and drinks his fill. I grab my phone off the counter and see I have message. Coby wants to come over. I could really use the brightness his company brings. I still feel