Frostbitten Read Online Free Page B

Anastasia and ripped his fangs into her left shoulder.
She screamed as an intense pain shot throughout her body, immobilizing her in
the process. As the wolf’s fangs dug deeper into her flesh, the agony worsened
and soon became unbearable. Then everything went black.
    Anastasia awoke with a
start, her heart pounding as she sat up and looked around with wide eyes, only
to find her bedroom in perfect order and sunlight shining through the unbroken
window. Although she could still feel the terror and even the pain in her
shoulder, it had all been a dream.
    A shrill, sudden noise
made Anastasia jump with fright. It only took her a second to realize that the
sound was coming from the alarm clock she’d set-up yesterday. Nevertheless,
after the unsettling night she’d just experienced, she didn’t need anything
else frazzling her nerves. She quickly leaned over and turned off the alarm,
all the while hoping that her day would soon start improving.
    By the time Anastasia
got dressed, breakfast was already on the kitchen table. She didn’t often eat
breakfast, but when she did, it consisted solely of sugary cereal. However, her
grandmother’s homemade waffles and a variety of colorful fruits were too
tempting to resist, and she was soon sitting at the table with her grandfather,
who was reading the newspaper.
    “Good morning,” he
greeted, finally noticing her presence. “How did you sleep last night?”
    “With both eyes shut,”
Anastasia replied, before popping a juicy strawberry into her mouth.
    Mr. Lockhart stifled
his laughter, causing Anastasia to wonder why he felt the need to be so formal.
It was like he didn’t know how to behave around her. She thought it was
ridiculous, and she hoped that he would soon realize that, too.
    “Where’s Grandma?”
Anastasia asked carefully, still embarrassed by the way she’d acted during last
night’s dinner.
    “She had to work an
early shift at the library,” Mr. Lockhart replied. After a few moments had
passed, he added, “Rose forgot to mention that the library’s looking for
part-time help. Would you be interested?”
    Anastasia merely
snorted in response. Spending time in a small, musty library was no longer her
idea of a fun time. Besides, she couldn’t imagine how cranky the old ladies
would be with such a limited supply of romance novels.
    “You used to love that
library,” he commented.
    “And now I don’t.”
    Mr. Lockhart sighed as
he stood up. “You tidy up here, and I’ll get the car ready so I can drive you
to school. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we had quite the snowstorm.”
    Jumping up from the
table, Anastasia hurried to the window. She was upset to find that at least
four inches of snow had fallen, most likely in the early morning hours.
Anastasia had momentarily forgotten that she’d wanted to search the backyard
for wolf or even human prints, but that would be impossible now.
    I guess I’ll never know
what was out there last night, Anastasia thought with
disappointment. That is, if anything was ever there at all.
     
     
    Located five minutes
south of the downtown core, on a large, beautifully maintained property was
Cedar Falls High – a tall, two- story building that appeared too big for the town’s limited student population. Made
from gray bricks of varying shades and covered in ivy that was dusted with
snow, the school looked classic and very elegant. Playing fields and, of
course, trees surrounded the area, with Cedar Falls Elementary and a church
also nearby.
    “Thanks for the ride,”
Anastasia said as her grandfather brought the car to a stop outside the school.
“You don’t need to pick me up, though. I can walk home.”
    “I’d prefer if you
didn’t,” he replied hesitantly. “Just because Cedar Falls is a small town
doesn’t make it safe, especially now. I don’t want to scare you, Anastasia, but
there may be a dangerous animal on the loose.”
    “What kind of animal?”
Anastasia hurried to ask, instantly