Beheaded In Biology, Kennedy Harkins [children's books read aloud .TXT] 📗

Kara.” The eerily perfect voice sounded from behind me. I whirled to face it. Him.
And it was a him. With flawlessly pale skin, the lightest of blue eyes, and soft brown hair, he was the most gorgeous boy I’d ever seen.
“How do you know my name?”
“I’ve been watching you for some time now.”
I frowned. There was something wrong there. Something about this should bother me, shouldn’t it? I shook off the feeling as soon as it came.
He came closer, his hand reached out to grab mine. His flesh was cool, and sent shivers up my spine. He glanced up from my arm and my eyes widened in horror.
Red. His eyes are red. Was my only thought before his teeth sunk into my forearm.

_____

“Gabi.” I heard my name and my head snapped towards the bushes the noise had come from. I breathed a sigh of relief to see Kara emerging from them, but it was cut off halfway through. She seemed...different. Her eyes a little too bright. Her voice a little too relaxed.
Shaking it off as my usual paranoia, “We need to go. Now.” I tried to keep my tone light, but fear colored it.
“Yeah, you’re right. Sorry.”
And this time, we actually made it to the car.

_____

“Nay! Wait up,” I called down the busy hall at a tall retreating figure.
We met at his locker. There was still a few minutes left until the first bell. After last night, my creep-o-meter was way into the red. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to tell him about it, but his presence would probably make me feel better.
“Where were you last night? Kole and I tried to call you. There was a Batman marathon on...” He must have seen something in my face, because he trailed off and stared intently at me. “Hey, are you alright, Gab?”
I didn’t know whether to cry or laugh. Of course, he would know as soon as he saw me that something was bugging me. Of course, he would see that I was terrified that something had happened to Kara out in those woods. Of course, he would.
He just knows me too well.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just sorry I missed Batman,” The lie fell lamely from my mouth. His eyes narrowed, and he opened his mouth to reply- or more likely to call BS- when the bell rang.
Saved by the bell.
“Gotta go. Don’t wanna be late for class!” My perkiness sounded false even to my ears. Wincing, I pulled him into a hug when it looked like he was going to say more. His scent was crisp like fall, and familiar. Nay’s arms closed around me hesitantly, like he really didn’t want to drop the subject. I allowed myself a few extra seconds of comfort.
Pulling away, I put on my “big-girl pants” and after giving Nay a half-assed smile, I headed off to Pre-Calc to face Kara.
I could feel Nathan’s eyes boring into the back of my head as I hustled down the hallway. Oh, this was so coming back to bite me in butt. God, forbid he ever let anything go. Would it be too lame to eat lunch in the Bio room?
Juli was already settled with her band of merry idiots in the back of the Pre-Calc classroom when I walked in. She spared me her usual disdainful glare, before getting back to gossiping. I plastered a big grin on my face and waved at her like the freak she thought I was.
Sitting in the same seat as yesterday, I ruffled through my binder for my homework. A cold hand landed on my shoulder, jumping to my feet, my textbook crashed to the ground.
Kara. It was just Kara. Only Kara didn’t look like Kara. There were huge circles under her eyes, she was pale, and while yesterday she’d been full of life and hope, today she looked... dead.
“Sorry, Gabi. Didn’t mean to scare you.” She looked at me mournfully. “Look about last night-”
I held up a hand that I hoped wasn’t shaking, “Already forgotten. Let’s just...never mention it again.” I tried to give her a grin, so that the last part would come out light hearted, but I’m pretty sure I fell short.
In truth, I wasn’t scared of Kara. For all her freaky behavior last night, she’s still just a kid. Like me. Nothing to be afraid of.
It was the weird vibe I was getting of her that had me quaking in my boots.
Just because you’re paranoid, doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you.
Turning back towards the front of the room, I watched Kara out of my peripheral vision. She sat down, got out her book, and watched the teacher intently. Hell, she even took notes. Everything should have seemed normal, proving to me that I was just being the same old conspiracy freak I’d always been. She did the exact same thing yesterday. I’d even found it endearing that she tried so hard in math.
Math. Of all things.
Today? Not so much. Although all her actions almost exactly mirrored yesterday’s Kara. Present Kara was... off. There was something too bright in her eyes, her movements a little too restless.
The more I watched her, the more tense I became. By the end of the period I was a tightly wound coil, only one breath away from springing from my chair and sprinting all the way home. Screaming the whole way.
So not helpful.
After what felt like an eternity, the bell rang. It sounded like a beautiful song, announcing I was free from this torture. I grabbed my stuff and hauled some major ass out of the room. Kara was probably looking at me funny, hell; everyone was probably thinking I’d lost my marbles. Maybe I had.

_____

“Gabi! Wait up!” Nay called my name down the crowded hallway, as I hightailed away from gym, my last class of the day. I didn’t turn around, for fear of meeting eyes with a certain creeper, but I did slow down so he could reach me.
Kara sat with us again at lunch today, and much to my dismay, Nay and Kole didn’t seem to sense anything wrong with her. I, on the other hand, got more paranoid with every second I spent with her. I kept imagining that as the minutes passed she got paler, and blinked less.
God, I need professional help.
Feeling a familiar presence at my side, I turned to Nathan, and decided to put the whole Kara thing from my mind. At least for the time being. It wouldn’t do anyone any good to give myself a panic attack.
“Where’s the fire, Gab?” He asked.
I rolled my eyes, “You’re just slow. No football tonight?”
“Nope, Coach had a family emergency. What are we doing?”
“Well...we can hang out at my house, if you don’t mind my Grandma’s friends. She’s having her monthly séance.” I shuddered at the thought of spending the night alone with the “Mystics of Albany”. No doubt, they’d have me eat a live chicken or some nonsense.
“Is that my only option?” His expression of distaste mirrored mine.
“We could go to the Pallor. It’s closed tonight, so it should be deserted.” I suggested.
The full name is Franny’s Magic Pallor, started by my million-times great grandmother during the founding days of Albany. The fact that it’s still standing, and still does relatively good business, is a testament to how messed up this town is. Granted, a lot of the people that frequent the place do so only because of the stellar coffee. Most of them haven’t even seen the ‘backroom’ of the place, where Gran keeps all the really freaky stuff.
Nay grinned, “I bet Kole will love that idea.” He nodded behind me, and a second later, the third Stooge appeared at my shoulder. “Hey, Kole, wanna go to the Pallor tonight?”
“Perfect! I have an exam in Programing tomorrow. One of your Grandma’s magic books is bound to have a spell that’ll tell me what’s on it.” We started towards the parking lot; the hallway was almost empty by that point.
“Or, you could study, you know, like a normal person.” I said.
“Where’s the fun in that?” Kole and Nay asked in unison.
“Oh, there’s no fun to be had, but at least no one gets blown up, or set on fire.”

____

Stepping out of Nathan’s SUV, I took in Franny’s Magic Pallor, and all its glory. It was squished in between the mini-mart and Guns n’ Ammo, both surrounded stores where new editions compared to the Pallor. It was technically three floors, but the cellar was really just for storage or in case of nuclear attack. The faded brick had moss growing in patches all over the building, making it look even more ancient. The windows on the ground floor showed the coffee shop in the front room, a collection of mismatched chairs, tables, and a barista bar. The second story windows, however, had thick purple curtains obscuring the inside from view. That’s where Nana keeps her gadgets, and book collection.
Removing a broken brick from the outside wall, I removed a spare key from its hiding place and unlocked the thick, wooden front door. The scent of coffee grounds and pastries hit me like a wall of yummy goodness. Gran and Madame Losada, her longtime friend and helper, make everything themselves from scratch themselves, though they always imply witchcraft has a hand in it.
I try not to roll my eyes at them. I’m usually not successful.
“Ah, smell like home.” Kole sighs, breathing in the mouthwatering aroma. And he was right, this was home. Ever since we were kids, helping Gran bake the cookies, serve the customers, or hanging out in the attic.
“I’ll grab the grub, meet you guys upstairs.” Nathan hurried off towards the sweets.
Kole and I raced past Grandma’s office, where she does psychic readings, and up the stairs to the attic. The whole place was littered with old fashions oak bookshelves, stuffed with novels of every kind, though mostly magic related, and other miscellaneous mystical items. The walls and carpet, not that you could see it through all the brightly colored rugs, were a deep shade of red that’d faded over time. There were cute little overstuffed couches under each of the windows, a single rocking chair sat in one of the corners, and a rickety table in the middle of the room, surrounded by four magenta colored chairs.
“So, which one do you think has the spell I’m looking for?” Kole mused, glancing at the bookshelves.
I pulled a thick faded volume from the shelf nearest me. The cover said “Saphire’s Guide to Everyday Housewife Spells”, and had a picture of a woman cooking breakfast. Hands Free. Flipping it open, I went to the table of contents.
I. He says he doesn’t like your cooking?
II. Chores taking up too much of your day?
III. Want to know what he’s really thinking?
Smiling, I closed the book. That’s probably not what Kole’s looking for. “Found something!” He exclaimed from across the room. He was holding an old wood colored novel, with intricate engravings on the cover.
“What is it?”
Holding a finger to the text, he said, “Not much. Just some stuff about ‘danger on the horizon’ and being one step ahead of the game.”
“Sounds perfect,” Nay said from the top of the stairs. He had a plate of goodies in one hand, and three cups on top of a travel sized thermos in the other. “What supplies do you need?”
“It’s fairly simple: some paper, holy water, and blood.”
“Oh, is that all?” I laughed, but truth be told, that was simple for a spell. “Does it say what kind of blood?”
He paused, looking over the