FURIES - Shannon Burton (graded readers .txt) 📗

a male waiter, and do yourself a favor and get yourself something pretty.. Some dignity perhaps?"

 

Talon snickered and Tera looked shocked.

 

The waitress took the money and stomped off.

 

"Damien, my boy, I knew there was a reason why I keep you around." Talon laughed.

 

Damien gave a small smirk and I nearly fell to pieces.Just the small action emphasized his masculine beauty.I looked away quickly before anyone noticed my staring.

 

"Hello my name is Michael and I will be your waiter for tonight. Can I start you off with some drinks?"

 

Damien and I both ordered sprite while Tera ordered Fanta.Talon continued looking at his menu while we all waited for him to order.

 

Without removing his eyes from the menu he began to speak.

 

"So Tera, do you have a boyfriend?"

 

I looked over to see Teras' eyes bugging out of her head.

 

"You know what, scratch the sprite, I'll have a vodka. It's going to be a long night."Damien said to the waiter.

 

Damien pulled out an I.D and apparently the waiter found it acceptable which led me to believe that it was a fake.

 

The air was tense as Talon waited for an answer. He looked expectantly at Tera and that seemed to piss her off.

 

"Why do you need to know?" She replied haughtily.

 

"Well if I decide to take you on a date I don't want to have to pay for your little boyfriend to." He replied back.

 

Before the waiter could leave to get our drinks Damien put a restraining hand on his arm and gave him a pleading look.

 

" Is there any way that I can get that vodka to go?"

Chapter 2

All in all, the dinner went terribly. Damien actually got his vodka to go and Tera dragged me out as soon as the food came.Doggy bag in hand, we made it to the parking lot in a time that should have gone down in the Guinness book of world records.

 

Tera had to go home that night so she dropped me off at home before she left. The car ride was unbearably quiet and I knew she was pissed.

 

When I made it home I noticed my mom's car in the driveway. I walked in to find her asleep on the couch with a box of pizza on the table. I walked over and turned off the t.v and I draped a blanket over her. I guess we could chat in the morning.

 

I made it to my room and collapsed on the bed. Today had not been all that I had wanted it to be but I was hoping that tomorrow would be better. I fell asleep fast and dreamed about a dark haired man with sun kissed eyes.

 

" Zhara wake up. It's time for school." I heard a voice murmur.

 

I rolled over to see my mom sitting on the side of my bed. She looked so much older than I remembered. Her black hair was beginning to show signs of gray and her skin looked pale. Even with these flaws showing she was still terribly beautiful.

 

"Hey how was Montana?" I asked.

 

"It was fine now get up and get ready." She answered as she walked to the door.

 

Another great home coming. I rolled out of bed and added more wood to the small fire. When the room was warm enough I headed to the bathroom for a shower. The water felt warm against my skin but all too soon there was another knock at the door.

 

"Hey Mrs.Rosettis on the phone and she wants to know if you've seen Tera!"My mom yelled through the door.

 

Oh god!

 

A million terrible thoughts raced through my head.I wrapped a towel around myself and grabbed the phone from my mom.

 

"Hello Mrs. R? Did Tera not come home last night?"

 

"No I..I haven't even gotten a call from her." She sobbed

 

"Where is Mr.R?" I questioned shakily.

 

"He..he wouldn't. That's his little girl no matter what."

 

I dropped the phone and got dressed.God that woman was so naive!

 

"You can't just go out there looking for her! It's snowing outside." My mom yelled as I ran out the front door.

 

It didn't matter how cold it was.I had to find her. She was the only family I had left and I wouldn't be able to live if..I couldn't think any more. I just needed to keep moving. When I looked up I was standing in front of the school.

 

Maybe it was coincidence or or maybe it was fate but either way I'm glad I was led there.

 

I ran up the stairs of building one and made a sharp left. I ran all the way to the end of the hall with tears streaming down my face.Talon caught me before I crashed and he pulled me into a tight hug.

 

"Zhara what the hell is going on?" He asked.

 

"It's Tera she's missing."

 

He sprang into action quicker then I thought humanly possible.

 

"Stay here." He said before he took off down the hall.

 

Thirty seconds later Damien was by his side.They moved with purpose and it made my heart ache to know that they would go out there and look for her when no one that was suppose to care about her would.

 

They came to a stop in front of me and questioned me relentlessly.I told them all that I knew but I wasn't sure if I should tell them about Teras' father.In the end I knew it could be useful information.

 

"I don't know if this will help but Teras dad is..umm.."

 

They both looked at me expectantly but I felt so guilty about telling them her secret.

 

"Her dad is abusive and he hits her and I think he might have something to do with this." I got out in one long breathy sentence.

 

"He what?!" Talon roared.

 

"Calm down, we need to be level headed if were going to find her Talon.It's getting colder so we need to get moving." Damien said in a soft commanding voice.

 

"Your right.Lets go."

 

We all began moving down the hall and out to Damiens' all wheel drive jeep.

 

Damien started the engine as soon as the doors were closed. I began to think about what I would do if we came to the worst possible scenario and it brought tears to my eyes.I couldn't stop the sorrow-filled sob that escaped my lips.

 

"Zhara, dont cry.We will find her." Damien said as he watched me in the mirror.

 

I believed him.I believed every word he said and it made me stronger.I wiped away my tears and only thought about finding Tera safe.

 

When I looked out the window I realized we were headed to Teras' House.

 

"Ok so we are going to retrace her steps.She would have come this way to get home but these roads are way to snow covered.It started snowing last night so there is no way she could have made it through.So how was she planning to get home?" Talon thought aloud.

 

I began to think.Where would she go?

 

Tera would have gone home because she had to check in with her dad.

 

So how was she planning to get there?  

 

And then it hit me.When we had first got our drivers license we explored the town in my Ford Explorer.We had come up on this dirt road that was wide enough for a car but we stopped using it when the weather began to create slopes on the sides of the road.In weather like this it would be easy to slip off the edge.

 

"Stop the car!" I yelled.

 

Immediately, Damien hit the brakes and jolted us all.

 

"What the hell!?" Damien said glaring at me.

 

"I know where she is but I need to drive.It will take to long to give you directions." I spewed out.

 

Damien seemed to contemplate this and was about to say no.

 

"God dammit Damien get out of the fuckin car and let her drive!" Talon yelled.

 

Damien got out of the driver seat and slumped into the back.He was beyond furious but I didn't have time to worry about his hurt feelings right now.I drove fast and got us to the road in less than 6 minutes.There wasn't as much snow in this area but I still drove carefully.About a mile down the road I spotted the back of Teras' Impala.It had crashed to the left side of the road and was covered in fresh snow.Before the car even came to a complete stop I jumped out and ran to the slope.

 

"Stay here, we will go down there and get her out." Talon murmured as he walked.

 

I nodded my head but couldn't seem to find words.The scene I looked at was so eerily quiet.The snow covered her car as if it had been there for months rather then hours.I watched as Damien and Talon skidded down the slope and heaved the snow off the top.Talon the door open and pulled Tera from the car.She looked frozen.

 

"She's breathing but we really need to get her to the hospital." Talon began climbing back up the embankment but Damien stayed behind and observed the car.I slid down the embankment to him and tried to see what he was seeing but his back blocked me from the view.

 

"We should get going. Come on." Damien said slowly.

 

He turned and walked but that gave me a full view of what he had seen.On the front left side of the car was blood ,flesh ,and...feathers. Large black feathers littered the snow covered ground.What bird could have that many feathers? What bird hasn't migrated for the winter?

 

We made it to the hospital in time and all I could think about was the blood and feathers. That scene didn't make any sense.Everyone was hoping to get answers when Tera woke up but for now we waited.Talon and I waited at the hospital all night.Damien went home four hours after we arrived and showed up in the morning with his mom, fresh coffee, and food.Talon and Damiens' mom introduced herself as Adaliene.She was beautiful and youthful.She had elbow length black hair with gray strands that seemed to add to her beauty rather than detract.She had a curvy figure and bright hazel eyes.Her voice was all honey and she had a gentle way about her.

 

"Your friend will be just fine so dont fret to much." Ada said.

 

I found myself nodding and we began to talk about different things.I found out that she was fifty four years old and she had one other son named Mikael.The boys' father had died a few years back due to a chronic illness and her sons had taken it pretty hard.

 

"What was Damien like before his father passed?" I found myself asking.

 

"Oh sweetie he was and still is a big teddy bear.Why do you ask?"

 

Her answer caught me off guard and I began to wonder if we were talking about the same person.

 

"He seems dangerous." I admitted.

 

Adas' eyes turned cold and calculating and I instantly knew something was off.

 

"Heed my warning, everything that is beautiful inherently comes with trouble so be careful of where you tread." she said deadly serious.

 

"Are you talking about your sons?"

 

"Dont try to unravel too much to soon.Im afraid you wont like the outcome." She turned and walked out of the waiting room before I could ask another question.

 

"Teras' awake and she would like to speak with you Zhara." Doctor Richard told me.

 

I walked slowly through the disinfected halls of the hospital to Teras' room.She was laying in bed with her eyes closed.

 

"Hey Tera, it's so good to see you.How