FURIES - Shannon Burton (graded readers .txt) 📗

A Roll of the Dice..

 

There are so many what-ifs in this world.

 

What if I would have worn this today or what if I would have spoken a little louder.

 

Maybe, just maybe,things might have been different.

 

But then there are times where you find that there is nothing you could have possibly done to stop   

an outcome.

  

You were one of those times.

 

You stole my power of will and showed me the force of a Furie.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 1

I had dreamt about him ever since I was 13 years old.I would be dancing through the woods and he would creep from behind a tree and land directly into my path.Magnificent. It was the largest word my brain could come up with to begin to describe his degree of beauty.

 

He seemed so much larger than life.But in an instant he would blend out of focus and I would see him for what he truly was. He was still beautiful but he radiated danger. It rolled off him in waves and sent me scurrying to the edge of a cliff.

 

He walked slowly towards me and I knew if he walked just fifteen more steps I would surely fall.In an instant he stood directly in front of me. With him being this close I could see that he could be no more than 16 years old.He gazed down at my slight frame and I admired his features.He had dark sooty lashes and hazel eyes that looked like they had been kissed with sunlight. His eyebrows were beautifully arched and his hair looked to be as black as a raven's wings.

 

"Don't forget me." His husky whisper flowed with the breeze.

 

How could I ever forget such beauty? I thought, before he sent me flying off the cliff.

 

Beep.Beep.I hated this alarm.I wish I had my old one back.When I threw it on the floor it would shut up immediately but this new one seems to be break resistant. Damn my mom for buying this stellar alarm clock.Now I have no choice but to be on time for the first day back to high school. I can't begin to describe how happy I am to be a senior.

 

Don't get me wrong high school was ok but I am ready to head off to college and get as far away from this small town as possible. We moved to Hereford,Oregon when I was eight. After my father passed away my mom began to go crazy living in Portland,Or.She would say it was to loud and busy.In truth,she hated the city.My dad was into architecture and he had helped design buildings.He put his heart into helping to build this city, so much so, that he forgot about us.My mom said that he eventually became to stressed with deadlines that he had a heart attack in his office.

 

I hadn't cried.It was hard to cry over someone I barely knew but my mom took it hard.After just a few months we packed up and bought a small ranch in Hereford.I love this ranch because of the horses we breed here.My mom got into horse breeding when we moved here. She made it into a full time job and now she travels all over the world racing and selling horses.I don't see her for weeks or months at a time and I'm ok with that. Does it get lonely? Sure. But even when mom's home..it still feels as if I'm alone.Mom has never been the kind of mom that I see other teens with.She has always been distant and it was something that I never understood.There is one good thing that I can say about my mom though.She is incredibly beautiful.

 

My phone buzzing pulled me from my reverie and I looked to see that my best friend Tera was waiting in the drive way. I picked up the phone and hit answer.

 

"Hey come on in.We still have an hour before school starts "I tell her.

 

"But it's so cold outside.I don't want to leave my heater."Tera cries back.

 

"Ok suit yourself, but I just wanted tell you that the fire place is going and there is hot chocolate on the stove. You know, just in case you change your mind." I taunted.

 

She hung up and I could hear growling all the way into my room. I laughed when she walked in and I threw a pillow at her.

 

"Your such a damn tease.. You know that right?" Tera glared at me.

 

I laughed at her tone and picked up my hot chocolate and curled into my blanket. Tera sat down on the couch near the fire place and took off her shoes.

 

"Your room is so cool."Tera exclaimed.

 

Every time she comes over she says the exact same thing.Tera is the victim of an abusive father. He works as a lawyer and is surprisingly good at it. He makes loads of money and spends it on their family so you would never know that he was a monster. Teras' mom stopped trying to save her and her older brother ran away 3 years ago.Tera she told me what her life was really like and I have never left her side since then.I couldn't imagine the beautiful Tera being abused and alone.

 

I looked at her sitting on the couch and I felt envy.She may envy my room but I envied her beauty.She was tall and slim like a supermodel with straight shoulder length brown hair and bright blue eyes. Her skin was pale and smooth like porcelain.I was more exotic and wild-looking while she looked prim and polished.

 

"I know, I know.Its amazing."I said sarcastically, as I looked around.

 

Our house was only one story with two bedrooms and my room was on the far left of the house. It had a sliding glass door that faced the mountains and the forest. Next to the glass door is my beloved marble fireplace. It sits at an angle that faces towards the room and leaves it extra toasty. Above the fire place are pictures of me and Tera together through out the years.One of our middle school dance and another of last summer when we went to the lake. We had known each other since we were 14 years old and now here we are starting our last year of highschool together 3 years later. My eyes shifted from the pictures and landed on the closet full of over flowing clothes. One day I would find the courage to clean it.

 

My floors are dark hard wood like the rest of the house and I have a huge red carpet that lies at the foot of my bed. What makes my room so magical is the dome sky light above my bed. Angels are sculpted into the base of it and it gives you the feeling that your looking into heaven. I had to fight my mom tooth and nail for this room and in the end I wore her down.

 

"I guess I gotta start getting ready." I sighed.

 

 I got out of bed and went into the hall bathroom to brush my teeth. When I came back into my room Tera was curled into my blanket with just her face peeking out.I couldn't help but laugh at her.

 

"This bed is so comfy!"She giggled.

 

I shook my head in disbelief and walked over to my closet. Since it was freezing outside I decided to throw on some tight denim skinny jeans,a black v-neck, black knee length pea coat,and black knee high boots.I pulled my black waist length hair into a braid and left a few hairs out to frame my face. I walked back into the bathroom and put on some eye liner to emphasize my large green eyes. A little bit of lip gloss and I was ready. Tera walked into the bathroom and stared in a way that made me uncomfortable.

 

"You are so freaking gorgeous Zhara." Tera whispered.

 

I looked at her like she had lost her mind.

 

"Over the years you have just become so..so..eergh so beautiful. You remind me of the Amazonian princesses we used to read about when we were little."  

 

I stepped back and looked at the mirror and saw the changes Tera had noticed a long time ago.My eyes are green as an apple and are framed by long black lashes.My lips are full and pink but what really makes me look exotic is my skin. I am naturally bronze due to my father being part Native American. My hair is thick and wavy and makes me look delicate when I wear it down. All in all, Tera is right, I have grown beautiful without realizing it.I smiled slowly at my reflection and turned to Tera. Before I could get a word out a yawn escaped my lips.

 

"Hey, did you sleep? Cause now that I see you up close you look like shit! "Tera questioned.

 

I really didn't want to tell her but considering that she's blocking the door way I have no choice.

 

"The dream came back 2 days ago" I sighed out.

 

"Uugh you haven't had the dream in 2 years. Why in the hell is it back now?"

 

I shrugged and dragged her into my room to grab our bags. We walked out into the cold morning to her Impala.It looked like it would rain soon so Tera drove like a bat out of hell to school.Our school wasn't big. It was completely made of brick and consisted of two separate buildings. When we drove into the parking lot people were rushing to get into the warmth of the school and we were no different. Tera and I had recieved our schedule by mail so we didn't have to wait in the attendance line.

 

Instead we went to our lockers on the second floor of Building 1. Unfortunately, Hereford High has never been updated so we took the stairs to the second floor. Our lockers sat side by side at the end of the hall. We raced to them so we wouldn't be late for first period. As I was grabbing my last book Jason crept up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. Jason is my ex boyfriend. He cheated on me last year and I broke up with him before the rumor had a chance to spread.

 

"Hey babe I missed you all summer. Why didn't you answer any of my calls? Jason asked.

 

Wow was he dumb.I decided it would be best not to answer so I grabbed Tera and ran to Chemistry.Jason shouted that we would talk about it later and I gave a loud unlady-unlike snort.For the last few months his voicemails have been the bane of my existence.Only ten people were in class by the time we got there so we both sat at a table in the back.The table was able to seat three people but Tera put her bag down on the last seat to keep any one from sitting there.

 

Just minutes later the rest of the class began to file in. Most of the people I had know for years but there were a few new faces. Mr.Eli stood up from his desk and had the kids introduce themselves. When