Claimed by the Beast - Part One Read Online Free Page A

it.”
    “Ow?” Beth asked. “Are you okay?”
    Crystal could hear the concern in her voice.
“Yeah, I guess. I just woke up and had to run to answer the phone.
I remember why I don’t run.”
    “Why? Oh, never mind.”
    “Yeah, never mind,” Crystal said with a
flash of irritation. Like she needed to be reminded that she was
big up top. “What’s up? How was the party? Sorry I bailed, I—”
    “Crys, where are you?”
    “What? I’m home.”
    “Why aren’t you at school? They forgot all
about you after you ditched me.”
    “I didn’t ditch you, I—school? It’s
Saturday—why would I be at school?”
    “Oh my God! You’re kidding me, right? Crys,
it’s Monday. First period is about to start.”
    Crystal jerked her phone away from her face
and stared at it. Beth was right; it was Monday. “Holy crap,” she
mumbled. “I slept all weekend?”
    “Did I just hear you say you slept all
weekend?” Beth asked.
    “Yeah, uh, I guess I did.”
    “You seemed a little weird at the party.
Wow, I had no idea. I guess that’s why you didn’t answer my calls
or texts?”
    “Um, yeah,” Crystal said. “Crap, I’ve gotta
get dressed and get to school!”
    “Hurry up. Do you need me to come get
you?”
    “No, I’ll make it.”
    “Okay. See you soon!”
    Crystal smiled and hung up. She unlocked her
phone and stared at it. She’d missed twelve calls and sixteen text
messages. Most of them were from Beth but she’d gotten a couple
from her mom, including some voicemails. “Wow,” she muttered while
shaking her head. She turned and moved to her dresser and started
pulling out clothes. She stopped with one leg in her pants and
realized she needed a shower. Especially if she’d slept away two
days!
    Her arms clutching fresh clothes against
her, she dashed back to the bathroom and cranked on the water. She
brushed her teeth while the shower heated up and caught her
reflection in the mirror. The bruises on her face made her pause.
“Lots of makeup and sunglasses,” she mumbled around her toothbrush.
That and a good story about how she tripped and fell on her way
home from the party.
     
     

Chapter 5
     
    Crystal made it to school a few minutes
after her third class started. She walked in breathing hard but not
quite panting from walking over a mile to get there. Fortunately
for her, walking to school took her into town and away from the
bridge. She wasn’t ready to cross over that again, especially on
foot!
    Beth met her at the front of the school and
jumped up from the curb she’d been sitting on as soon as she saw
her. “Crys! What is going on?”
    “Nothing. I just—”
    “Oh my God! What happened to you?”
    Crystal sighed and shook her head. “I fell
on my way home,” she lied. Well, it wasn’t exactly a lie, but
there’d been a lot more to it. A lot more that didn’t make sense to
her.
    Beth reached out and picked up her
sunglasses before she could stop her. “Jesus! That’s terrible! You
look like you got in a fight. Are you sure you fell? Your mom
didn’t—”
    “No!” Crystal stopped her. “My mom is
worried about me, but she let me sleep. She had a busy weekend at
the hospital, working twelves.”
    Beth stared at her for a long moment and
shook her head. “I can’t believe you slept all weekend.”
    “Me either,” Crystal admitted. “I probably
hit the ground harder than I thought.”
    “You mean, like, a concussion?”
    Crystal nodded.
    “Damn! You should get checked out at the
hospital. Maybe you’ve got brain damage or something.”
    Crystal smirked. “Don’t worry. I’ll still
help you with your chemistry final.”
    Beth laughed. “Come on, we’re going to get
in trouble for being late.”
    Crystal shrugged. “You are. I’m eighteen—I
can write myself an excuse.”
    Beth wrinkled her nose and then flipped
Crystal off. Both girls laughed and walked into school and up the
stairs towards their classes. With only three stairs left, Crystal
had the sudden feeling