Gray (Awakening Book 1) Read Online Free

hours and soak in the feeling. Apparently wherever I had been for eight years had been dark. Right then, that didn’t matter to me.
    I was free. My sister was there with me. Everything would be fine because of those two facts.
    Kassia handed me a pair of sunglasses and motioned to her little black car not far from us. “Are you up for some shopping, get you some clothes and whatever else you’re going to need for school?”
    I rolled my eyes at her. “What? Are you saying you don’t want me wearing your clothes all the time?”
    She didn’t answer, but gave me a questioning look.
    I tipped the sunglasses down to look at her. “I’m not a weakling, Kassia.”
    “I didn’t say you were. I asked if you’re up for shopping.”
    “Aren’t girls always supposed to be up for shopping?”
    “When were you ever like any other girl?”
    I grinned at her. “Excellent point. But yeah. I’d love to have some clothes made for someone my size, rather than someone built like a supermodel. I’d also love a burger . . . and fries and a milkshake.”
    “Not very healthy choices.”
    I smirked at her. “I’ll get a strawberry milkshake. It’s fruit. Exceptionally healthy.”
    She shook her head a little, but her slight smile was still in place as she drove us to the store.
    “Think any of the kids at school will remember me?” I wasn’t sure if that would be a good thing, or a bad one if they did.
    “Your story was on the news last night and this morning and every cop, paramedic, dispatcher and the Connelly woman are probably all talking about it today. It’s a small town. What else is there to talk about other than you?”
    “Um, flying horses, naked mole-rats, whoever’s big in Hollywood these days,” I said with an innocent smile.
    She coughed out a slightly amused sound, but didn’t answer, like since she was my legal guardian, she thought she had to act like the grownup.
    I grimaced, sick and tired of being tip toed around. I wanted my sister back, the one who would laugh like a lunatic while she invented new words to insult me with. We had always roared with hilarity while we ran around, trying to find new ways to annoy each other.
    I missed that, missed the fun, even the annoyance. No. I would not let her be so serious. One thing had to be like it was. My sister had to come back just like I had.
    “So what do you say we go to a tattoo parlor and get all inked up for school?” I asked as we got out of her car and walked toward a clothing store.
    Kassia raised her brows, no smile anywhere near her. “I’d say you’re marked up enough, Shayla,” she said quietly, so much sorrow in her eyes I felt the urge to cry.
    I couldn’t allow myself to do that anymore or there would be no end to the tears. “How ‘bout some—”
    “Is that Shayla? Oh you poor thing!”
    I turned to find a group of girls walking out of the store. They were all my age and stared at me like I carried some weird contagion which might cause them to pop out in boils if they got too close to me.
    The girl who had spoken was tall with curly, light brown hair and big hazel eyes which made me think of a muddy pond with sludge on the top. I wanted to chuckle as that thought came into my mind, but didn’t. She looked almost exactly like she had as a little girl, other than much taller and curvier.
    “Hey, London,” I said, certain it was her simply because of the sharpness of her smile.
    She gave me a startled look, then leaned down exaggeratedly to throw her arms around me as though to show everybody how much taller she was than me. She pulled me back and smiled widely. “Oh sweetie. I’m so happy you remember me, you poor thing. I missed you so much. I was so excited when my mom told me she saw the news story about you being home,” she said, though her eyes and voice told the truth behind those words. “Did you come to get something nice to wear for your interviews?” she asked, eyeing my too-big clothes with