Kaleidoscope (Faylinn Series) Read Free

friends without
some
friction between them. “There’s always some sort of sexual tension from one or both sides,” they’d say. I’d casually brushed them off because I knew perfectly well they were
right
, but Cameron would laugh and wrap his arm playfully around me, hugging me so close to him I felt like I could melt into him and say, “Callie and I have done it so far. Haven’t we, Cal?” crushing my heart more and more every time.
    I’d nod and wryly say, “Who’d want to date this guy?” while inside I would be screaming, “Me! Pick me!”
    So desperately stupid, but such is my life.
    • • •
    Before I went back to get Cameron I figured I would get a head start on some homework. You would think teachers would at least give you a day to get back into the swing of things, but apparently there was no time to waste in order to get everything accomplished by graduation. I had the first act of Macbeth to read through; an essay for home economics on what I thought it meant to be a parent; the first chapter of physics to get acquainted with; and my first worksheet of Calculus to work through without any instruction. My calculus teacher wanted to get a feel for what we already knew. As if I would be taking calculus if I already knew the subject.
    I spread out a blanket on the grass in the backyard near our gnarly old oak tree to appreciate what sun I had left before evening came. The tree swing hanging from the oak swayed slightly in the light breeze.
    Sometimes by going outside before the pulsing started I could beat it and lessen the urge. There were few places that made me feel as relaxed as when I was near our trees. It could have been the peaceful sound of the chirping birds or the fluttering leaves, but I could never place it. It was like the warm river flowing through my veins craved to be among nature. I knew it sounded weird, but I wasn’t sure how else to explain it.
    I nibbled on an apple slice and flipped through my physics book, scanning the pages on matter. There was a rustling in the woods, which normally wouldn’t startle me, but the breeze had stopped and it only came from the left side of the trees. My gaze lifted to the forest lining the back of our property. Our yard backed right up to preserved woodlands. They stood silently now, undisturbed.
    I flicked the light of my cell phone on to check the time. There was still an hour before I needed to leave to pick up Cameron. I bowed my head down again, finding where I left off, trying to become enthralled with atoms and molecules and yada yada yada.
    It wasn’t more than a minute when I heard the snap of a twig. This time I sat up and scanned the grove of trees from one end to the other. Animals heavy enough to snap a twig never came this close to civilization. But everything was eerily quiet again. No motion of the greenery or movement between them.
    Crack
. My eyes darted to the sound on the opposite side of the forest from where I heard the twig snap and yet all I saw were the soaring trees and thick shrubbery.
    “Hello?” I asked uncertainly. I sounded ridiculous, calling out into the forest at nothing. But I felt something there. Tentative footsteps sounded, growing fainter and fainter. But I couldn’t see a thing. I stood up to get a better view. “Hello?” I asked with a little more confidence. There had to be someone there. And most likely I didn’t want to wait to find out who, but curiosity is like a plague, completely unavoidable.
    “Calliope?” I gasped and spun to see my dad’s curious gaze from the back deck. “What are you doing, sweetheart?”
    I fussed with my hair nonchalantly. “Nothing. Just working on some homework.”
    He looked at me skeptically, as if he didn’t believe me. “Did you hear something out there?”
    “It was probably just some squirrels.”
Giant squirrels.
    “Come on inside. I really need to build a fence along those trees. I don’t like you being out here like a sitting duck. You never know