Fallen Read Online Free Page A

to get settled.”
    I cocked an eyebrow, but said, “Okay.” I hadn’t even dared hope that Thomas and I would share a room. My dad tended to be a little…old school.
    As Thomas and I ascended the staircase, I watched him take in our house. He eyed every painting and every piece of furniture with great interest.
    I’d been the same way when I first saw his house.
    I led Thomas to the room at the end of the hall. My door was already open, and I smiled as we walked in, seeing my cat, Pickles, asleep on my bed. Thomas set down our suitcases, his mouth dropping open as he took in the posters on the pale pink walls and the stuffed animals on the queen-sized white canopy bed. 
    My face grew warm as I cleared my throat. “So…this is my room.”
    “It’s very…lovely.”
    I laughed and picked up my suitcase. “I believe ‘girly’ is the word you’re looking for. Or maybe ‘juvenile.’ ”
    I unpacked my stuff, then Thomas’s. It was surreal to see his boxers mixed in with my underwear in my childhood dresser. 
    He sat on the bed, waking Pickles. He reached over and petted her behind the ears. It was her favorite spot. She purred and nuzzled her orange and white face against his hand.
    Oh, man, I’d missed this cat. Before I left for college, she’d slept with me every single night for six years—ever since we’d gotten her. I walked over and reached out, anxious to feel her familiar soft fur beneath my fingers.
    She turned and hissed, baring her long, sharp canines. I jerked my hand back as she growled, her tail fluffing as she jumped off the bed and darted out of the room, keeping her body low to the ground.
    I stared at the door, dumbstruck. Her rejection stung something fierce. “What the hell was that about?”
    Thomas pulled me into him. “You probably just smell different, that’s all.”
    I frowned. She didn’t seem to have a problem with Thomas .
     
    “Can you pass the potatoes?”
    Several hurt feelings and a bag of wasted catnip later, we were all gathered around the dinner table. I picked up the giant bowl of mashed potatoes in front of me and handed them to my mom. 
    “Thank you, sweetheart.” She scooped out a big helping and plopped it down on her plate.
    The sight of it made my stomach churn and I had to look away, frowning as I thought,  Huh… That’s weird. 
    I picked at the chicken on my plate, moving it around with my fork. I wasn’t really hungry, but my mom had gone to the trouble of cooking, so I was determined to eat. 
    My father finished chewing and set his fork down. “You okay, Em?” His dark blond brows pulled together as he looked me over. “You don’t look so good.”
    Thomas’s concerned expression matched my dad’s. 
    “I’m fine,” I said, grabbing my glass to take a drink of water. I gulped it down and set the empty glass back on the table, then smiled at everyone for reassurance, right as my stomach clenched, sending a sharp pang through me. The smile faded as my stomach heaved. Covering my mouth, I mumbled, “Excuse me,” and got up from the table, turning to run to the bathroom.
    I vaguely heard Thomas say something about checking on me as his chair scraped the tile.
    A second later, I was upstairs in my bathroom, on my knees as I heaved into the toilet. The contents of my stomach left me in a vile, sour rush, making my eyes water and my nose run.
    Thomas banged on the locked door. “Em? Are you okay? Let me in.”
    “Go away.” I coughed and my stomach heaved again, even though it was empty at this point.
    The lock on the door was easy to pick, which he did, after it became clear that I wasn’t going to let him in anytime soon. I flushed the toilet as he came in, my arm and head draped across the seat.
    He sat on the lip of the bathtub, reaching out to rub my back. “Feel any better?”
    As if to answer his question, I retched again, my sides painfully contracting as nothing came out. 
    God , I didn’t want him to see this. He had to be