Upon Waking (Youngling Series) Read Free Page B

how someone got scars like that.
    Penelope was staring at her with wide green eyes now. “That was Harper. You stabbed Harper with a shoe?”
    “Harper? Who the hell is Harper?”
    “Harper was the guy we met at DK Hollow. You were so drunk and so was I, no wonder you don’t remember anything.” Penny's cheeks flushed red. “I sort of…ditched you for Louie. I’m so sorry. But you said you didn’t care. That you would find your own way home or you would take a cab. That was when Harper came up and introduced himself. He seemed…charming and you were obviously into him so I left. Crap, Tessa, if I had known he was dangerous I never would have left you alone with him.” Penny's eyes had filled with tears and now they spilled down her cheeks in remorse. “I'm a horrible friend. I'm just so happy you’re okay. We can call your parents; oh they’ll be so relieved!” She jumped up to the grab the phone and Tessa darted after her in a blur, snatching the phone right of her hand. Penny's jaw dropped and her hand started shaking. Tessa didn’t realize it but she had moved so fast that Penny hadn’t even seen her get up. “Tessa…”
    Not having wanted to completely freak out her friend, Tessa had left out the part about her not being human anymore. She took a deep breath, slowly setting the phone down. “Penelope…I haven’t told you everything. There’s one more thing I need to tell you and it’s…well it’s intense. Something happened to me after you left. And I think that Harper guy is the only one that can explain it to me.”
    “How did you get away from the guys in the morgue, Tessa?” Penelope's voice was barely a whisper but Tessa had no problem hearing her.  As Penny's fear and confusion rose, so did her heart rate. It was only then that Tessa realized that there was a slight tickle in her throat. Also, she could now make out a faint pulsing red light that framed her friend.  She took a deep breath and before she could stop it, her fangs extended, filling her mouth.
    Penny screamed then hit the floor in a dead faint.

 
    Tessa had tried, unsuccessfully, to revive her friend for several minutes. Finally admitting defeat, Tessa scooped her up easily and carried her to the couch and laid her down. With a sigh, she sank down to the floor, running a hair through her damp hair. Obviously the whole situation with Penelope was going to be harder than she had thought. But then again, she couldn’t blame her best friend. Tessa herself was having trouble coming to terms with what had happened to her. Of course, it was easier for her since this was now her life and there was nothing she could do about it. Or, at least, she didn’t think there was anything she could do.
    Again her mind wandered back to the man from the street.
    Harper.
    Something about him had seemed awfully familiar. Like her body recognized him but her mind didn’t. But that didn’t make any sense to Tessa.
    She let out a growl of frustration. The whole amnesia thing was getting old fast. This whole situation would be a lot easier if she could just remember. She rested her head back on the edge of the couch and took a deep breath and she realized her thirst was starting to slowly resurface. Her throat felt parched and scratchy but it wasn’t totally unbearable.
    Yet.
    Tessa sat up with a jerk as the strange voice filled her head once more. Something about it bit at her, trying to get her to remember. Every time it whispered through her mind, her memories would flutter, like she knew the voice. And there was something familiar about it but she couldn’t seem to place it no matter how hard she tried. All she knew was that it didn’t belong.
     
    Tessa had managed to sleep through the rest of the night and straight through the morning. By the time she finally stepped out of the spare bedroom it was nearly three in the afternoon. Penny's thick auburn colored curtains kept the apartment in dark shadows, not a sliver of light peeking