ALLUSIVE AFTERSHOCK Read Free

with an angelic pout.
    “Earthquake,” I
corrected and looked at my little brother. “Aaron, I cried too. Does that make
me a baby?” Well, I hadn’t exactly cried, but almost and he didn’t need to know
that.
    Aaron scrunched his
eyebrows together, jumped off the bed and stood, shooting his fists straight up
in the air. His identical reddish brown curls fluffed around his head, and a
thin red blanket tied around his upper chest hung down his back. Mom made sure
he knew never to tie anything around his neck and he took it literally. “Don’t
worry, I will protect you. Me and Dad. We’re the mans of this family.”
    “Well, I feel much
better now, don’t you, Ambie?” Ambrosia rolled her eyes and giggled. I’d taken
to calling her that after I read in some paranormal story that ambrosia meant “food
of the gods, said to bestow immortality.” Picturing my little sister as some
immortal’s snack sort of grossed me out. My mom thought it would be cute for
all of us to have the same initials as she and my dad, ARC. Actually, I thought
it gave us all some sort of bond, something that connected us, more than just
blood.
    “Let’s see, what do you
guys want to wear today?”
    “Mama said we didn’t
have school today ‘cause of the earthcrack,” Aaron pouted.
    “Right.”
    “When can we go back to
school?” he asked.
    “Stupid earthcracks. I
don’t like them.” Ambrosia jumped off the bed, standing stiff with her arms
crossed over her chest and sticking out her bottom lip, while Aaron stood at
her side, a mirror image. 
    “Yeah, stupid
earthcracks,” he mimicked.
    “In about a week, I
guess.” I handed Aaron a pair of jeans and a blue shirt I pulled from his
drawer. “Here, put these on. Ambrosia, you have a blue shirt, don’t you? Oh
here it is,” I said, rummaging through the messy drawer that my mom would no
doubt have a fit over. That is, if she ever got over the mess in the rest of
the house.
    “Who’s here?” Aaron asked
at the sound of a knock on the front door.
    “Probably that
obnoxious Courtland guy. Daddy wants him to help soothe the horses,” I said
with a sigh.
    “He’s not noxious. He’s
nice and handsome, like Daddy. I want to marry him when I grow up.” Ambrosia
twirled around, holding her clothes out in front of her so they flowed through
the air.
    “You’re stupid.” Aaron
rolled his eyes and pounced onto his bed.
    “Shhh. Both of you get
dressed; I’ll go tell him Daddy’s in the stable.”
    I strolled toward the
door, glancing in the living room on my way. The vacuum roared with an
occasional crunching sound as my mother pushed the beast over and over the area
in front of the hutch.
    I opened the door to
find Courtland Reese. His already broad shoulders seemed huge in that dark
green hoodie zipped halfway up his chest, revealing a dark blue and black
checkered shirt I’d seen him wear before. As I remembered, it had tight short
sleeves that made him look rather tough the way his muscles peeked out from the
hem of the sleeve, not like the freaky weird guy everyone claimed he was. He ran
his fingers through his dark hair and gave me an almost dangerous looking half-smile
then looked down at his feet. He shifted from one foot to the other, sticking
both hands in his pockets before glancing back at me with vibrant green eyes. I
don’t remember ever being this close to him and I suddenly felt like I’d
forgotten to get dressed. I’d never noticed his eyes before or the way they
could make me feel so defenseless. He kept glancing around the front yard as if
he was looking for something. Why did he always act like there were a million
and one things he’d rather be doing than talking to me? Well, the feeling was
mutual, I’m sure.
    His dog Shiloh, on the
other hand, a black mixed lab, took a step forward, wanting my attention. My
heart melted as she wagged her tail fast enough to knock a small child across
the porch and nuzzled the palm of my hand, her wet cold nose