Bonded (The Raegan Mason Trilogy) Read Free Page B

my dad and Aunt Sarah’s father was a mysterious man and went away on many business trips to different countries.  On one of those business trips to Columbia, when my father was a teenager, he was murdered.  The drug cartel was blamed.  Aunt Sarah and my father were taken care of financially, but he grew up without a father.  Their mother died a few months later.  I always heard it was a broken heart.  Aunt Sarah had found her in her bed.  She wasn’t breathing and by the time the ambulance go there, she was already gone.
    It seems history has a way of repeating itself.  Here I was without my parents, their lives taken by a tragic accident.  The worst part was, I didn’t have closure.  Their bodies were never recovered, and for months I dreamt of them returning home after being lost at sea, having amnesia, held captive by some stranger.  All of my dreams left me anxious and confused.  Everyone told me time heals all wounds.  Time was dreadfully painful.
    Aunt Sarah brought up college.  She told me that wherever I wanted to go, she would pack up and go with me.  I didn’t really want that for her, but I was all she had left.  She had lost her brother and her only family, and she wasn’t going to let me out of her sight.  Sure she had tons of friends.  Aunt Sarah was the type of lady that never met a stranger.  Her smile was infectious.  Even now with the bitter topic of my parents’ deaths and left behind financial securities, her smile bore straight through me.  She was eager for me to being life again.  I smiled back at her and told her, “I’ve got time to think about it; maybe in the spring.  It’s too late for fall registration anyway.”  I tried to stifle a yawn.  The day had been taxing on my energy.  Aunt Sarah raised an eyebrow then looked away chagrined.  “I’ve pushed you too hard today, haven’t I sweetie?”
    “Not at all, I had a great time, but yes, I’m feeling a bit tired right now.  Will you excuse me?”  I stood up from the table and took my dishes to the sink.  I felt guilty for not helping her clean up, but my body was craving sleep.  I didn’t want to be exhausted when I went out later this evening back to the Rock.  I wanted to be fully alert to try and solve the source of the mysterious music I heard.
     

CHAPTER 4 - KYLER
    I woke up—and the sun was shining in through my bedroom window.  Just great.  I’d slept all night.  I stretched out my arms and legs and stared up at the ceiling.  My stomach was a little queasy.  It must have been all of the food I ate yesterday.  What do I do now?  Had my moment passed and would I ever figure out where that music was coming from?  Frustrated, I kicked off all of the blankets and got up.  If I couldn’t go last night, maybe I could discover something this morning.
    I needed to get some sun anyway.  It had been a long time since my pale skin worshiped the sun god.  It was already the end of summer and I definitely needed some color.
    Aunt Sarah wasn’t into sun bathing these days, so I opted for the next best thing…Julie.  Julie was my best friend.  She had visited me off and on through my six month ordeal and she had been with me through almost everything since I was six.  I picked up the phone and called her.  I told her I was feeling better now and was ready to go out and get some rays.  She was bubbling with excitement on the other end, “There’s sooo much to tell you!” She gushed with gossip over the phone.  I could just see her hands enunciating her emotions through the phone.
    Julie knew everyone and everything.  She was the local gossip guru.  She pulled up to my house in her bright yellow Volkswagen Beetle, hopped out and ran to the house.  As soon as I opened the door, she flung her arms around my neck.  “I have missed being around you so much!  You missed prom and graduation, not to mention all the fun of Senior Skip Day.  You’ll never guess who Valedictorian