Branded (The Branded Series) Read Free

different. This time I got to
hear her voice. Her sweet, energetic, calming voice.
    “You were
quiet,” Anna said after we dropped Noah off at his house. “What’s wrong?”
    “Nothing,” I
lied, keeping my eyes on the road.
    “Jacob Rovert,
do you think we just met yesterday? You are the worst liar ever!”
    “I’m not
lying,” I lied again.
    “Then why are
you chewing on your bottom lip?”
    I quickly
released my lip and gave her my best ‘confused’ look.
    “Okay, fine.”
She threw her arms up in defeat. “If nothing’s bothering you, then I’ll just
see you tomorrow at school.”
    “Don’t be mad,
I’m just tired.” I pointed at the clock on my dash to confirm it was nearly two
o’clock in the morning and I had every right to use it as an excuse.
    “Okay,” Anna
allowed, “but tomorrow you better not be tired.”
    After a moment
of silence, I finally got the nerve to say, “So, you’ve changed a lot. Africa
was good to you.”
    Anna looked
down at her arms, rotating them in the moonlight. “You like the tan?”
    Among other
things. “Yeah, I’m envious.”
    “My hair grew
fast over there too. I couldn’t wash it every day like I do here, and apparently
that’s good for your hair. Who would’ve thought?” Anna pulled her hair out from
her sweater. “Feel it?”
    I hesitantly reached
over and entangled her hair in my fingers. It was smooth, like silk. It slowly
slipped from my fingers and fell onto her shoulder. I wanted to pick it up
again, pull her face into mine and . . . Wait! What the hell? I quickly
retracted my hand and let it rest on the steering wheel. “Nice,” I mumbled.
    Anna tucked
her hair back in and zipped up her sweater. “Hard to get used to the cold
here.”
    “I bet.” I
clenched my jaw and tried to convince myself that it was just going to take
some time to get things back to normal with Anna. She was like a sister. I had
known her since grade eight. We used to catch frogs together and race our bikes
down the hill at the park . . . she was not girlfriend material.
    I wondered
what she was thinking. Did she think I was being rude? Could she tell I was
having a hard time being around her right now? Did she feel the same way?
    When I
couldn’t bear the silence anymore, I looked over and found her tracing a circle
on her leg with her finger, and smiling.
    “What are you
doing?” I asked.
    She began
laughing, making it very clear that she wasn’t upset with me. “You’re so adorable, Jake.”
    “Why?”
    “You’re acting
all weird and stuff.”
    “Okay?” I
said, confused. “And that’s adorable, why?”
    “I don’t know.
It reminds me of when we first met and you were so shy.”
    “I was not !”
    “Yes, you
were.” She poked me in the ribs. “And you know it.”
    I shook my
head and rolled my eyes. “I guess some things never change.”
    “How
so?”
    “You’re
still stubborn,” I laughed.
    “Whatever,” she
said with feigned disappointment. Then she chuckled. “I missed this. I hope
tomorrow things are normal again.”
    “They will
be,” I assured her.
    “Promise?” she
asked, reminding me of our solemn vow when we were fourteen to never break a
promise.
    “Promise.” I
smiled.
    “Best
friends?” She held out her pinky.
    I hooked mine
with hers and said, “Just don’t tell Noah.”
    “He’s got
nothing on me,” she laughed.
    You got that
right.

Chapter 2
     
    I was running . Faster and
faster, until the trees were a blur and my legs felt like they were on fire.
Ahead in the distance I could see a clearing through the trees and someone was
standing in the middle. As I got closer, the figure started to glow. Her long
hair blew in the wind and her silky white dress clung to her perfectly sculpted
body.
    She was an
angel—a picture of absolute perfection. She reached out to me and that’s when I
knew that my purpose was to save her. From what, I didn’t know. Suddenly, my
legs became so heavy that I could no longer move them.