A Bite's Tale: A Furry Fable Read Free Page A

him to it.
    The forest spun around me and I couldn’t keep my eyelids up. My muscles went lax and when the ground rose to slam against me, I didn’t feel a thing.
     

 
    Chapter Three
    Cydney
     
    Three years later…
     
    “Cinderella! Aren’t you ready yet?”
    My little brother Gavin had long since learned to pronounce my name correctly, but since the car crash two weeks ago, his old habit had returned. I didn’t mind. Right now, I needed the familiarity of the nickname. Apparently, Gavin did too.
    “Cydney Ella Marsten! You’ll make your cousins late if you don’t hurry,” Aunt Mina called from upstairs.
    “I’ll be right up.” My eyes swept across my new room one last time. I’d trashed the place during the night. My blankets were half on the bed, half off. I’d knocked the chair over and the clothes I’d piled on it the day before were now littered across the wood floor. Several stacked boxes I’d never unpacked were toppled over. My desk was pressed closer to the wall and the little white lamp knocked on its side. Oh, well. I’d straighten up when I got home. Just like I always did.
    I tied my hoodie around my waist, and grabbed my cell phone and backpack. I left the safety of my basement room and bolted up the stairs to the first floor.
    “Shot gun!” Beatrice shouted. My cousin thought she was more mature than me just because she’d been born two months earlier. But she was still a senior, just like me.
    I followed Bea and my younger cousin, Winnie, out the front door, then we all piled into my aunt’s silver Audi. I sat in the back with Winnie — my brother between us, as usual.
    Winnie was a grade behind Beatrice and me. Up until the last year or so, she’d been painfully shy and, even now, acted like she still lived in Bea’s shadow. That’s probably why we’d always gravitated toward each other. We both felt like outcasts.
    I glanced at Gavin who clutched the backpack wedged between his knees and the front seats. I’d been so self-absorbed these past few weeks, I’d barely thought to ask how he was doing. Our mother’s death had to have been rougher on him. Gavin’s dad was still alive, but he’d made it quite clear he didn’t want custody of Gavin.
    “How ya feelin’?” I asked.
    His little shoulders thrust upward briefly, touching the tips of his dark blond hair, then dropped. “Fine.”
    “You don’t have to go to school just because I am. If you need more time—”
    “It’s okay. If I stay home, I’ll just be sad all the time.”
    I understood that a little too well. I leaned into him and kissed him on his cheek. Under normal circumstances, he’d never let me do that. Thirteen was way too old for kisses and hugs from big sis. But it was just the two of us now.
    “Are you sure you want to do this, Cydney?” my aunt asked me. “Maybe you should take a few more days.”
    I met her eyes in the rearview mirror and rolled my own. “You’re the one who pushed me to go back to school today.”
    “Did I push?” She glanced over her shoulder with an innocent look, then returned her attention to the road. “I just thought… well… it’s healthy to return to a routine and interact with other people.”
    Or did she just want me out of her way for a change? With me at school, she had the house to herself.
    These days, I could never figure out Aunt Mina. I had no clue where I stood. It was easier before, when my mom and I would visit — she’d get time with her sister, while Gavin and I hung out with my cousins. That is, when I wasn’t sneaking off to meet Jack. Back then, we all knew what to expect. We’d enjoy a few days together, then we’d go our separate ways.
    But now, with both my parents gone, Aunt Mina was my guardian. At least for the next few months, until I turned eighteen.
    “It’s okay.” I took a deep breath. “School will take my mind off things and I want to graduate on time. Can’t do that if I’m not in class.”
    Aunt Mina pulled the car