Fading Away (Hardest Mistakes #1) Read online

  I sigh. “It’s just a truck, I think you’re overreacting.” I know that’s not what she’s talking about, I just don’t care.

  “Underage drinking? Do you know how bad this looks for your father and me? We trust you to be responsible while we’re away and you can’t even do that. We’re getting on a plane right now.”

  “Mom—”

  “No, we’ll talk when we get back. I’ve arranged for Serena to pick you up when you’re released.” The line beeps and goes dead. She’s hung up on me.

  They release me as soon as I’ve been checked over. The nurse has already called Serena for me, but before I leave I make my way through the hospital to the ICU to check on Dylan. He hasn’t woken since the crash, but I’ve been told he’ll be okay. I pause to watch him through the glass viewing window before turning and leaving.

  I reach the glass front door just as Serena arrives in our silver SUV. The drive home is quiet.

  “You don’t need to stay,” I tell her when she pulls into our driveway. “I’ll be fine.” I don’t want her hovering around me all day. She frowns at me, but agrees. I suppose she’s a little afraid of not doing what I say, I could get her fired.

  I trudge up the stairs to my room and head straight for the curtains to close them before sunrise. Glancing into the backyard, I do a double take. There, standing in the shadows of the trees behind my house. Is that a deer? By the time I reach the back door, it’s gone. I scowl into the grey early morning light and then shake my head, turning to go back inside.

  ***

  It’s after lunch before I wake again. I smack my lips together, my mouth is dry. I’m hot and sweaty and my skin is itchy. Am I sick? Slowly sitting up, I inch myself out of bed and head for the shower. The spray of water hurts my skin and I start swaying, dizzy. I need fresh air. Wrapping a towel around my middle, I aim for the backyard.

  When my feet touch the grass, I collapse onto my hands and knees. My stomach is cramping so bad I feel like I’m going to throw up. What’s happening? A pain-filled groan sputters out of my dry throat as a sharp throb flares in my head. I close my eyes tightly and press my forehead to the cool grass. My arms and legs turn tingly and achy. My skin grows goose bumps and I shiver, then unconsciousness mercifully consumes me.

  Sammy

  The coffee shop where I work feels more like home than my room ever could. The people here notice me, they really see me. Probably because I’m taking their order, but still, they are nice. They smile, they give me tips, and it’s fantastic. Not to mention I get on well with my boss, Caity. This morning is no exception, besides the array of my hung-over classmates here to cure their hangovers from the party.

  Their taunts and looks are subdued, which leaves me smiling as I serve them and clean tables. While taking a group’s order, I overhear them gossiping about how Kai and his friends wrecked his new truck. They were probably doing something stupid and deserved it.

  “You can go home now, Sammy. It’s fine, I can finish cleaning up,” Caity says from the other side of the glass counter I was wiping down.

  “Are you sure?” I ask through the glass. The shop is basically empty, the lunch rush over.

  She nods once with a smile, throwing her tea towel over her shoulder. “Go. Have fun and hang out with your friends.”

  Ha, what friends? I smirk as I put my cleaning supplies away and grab my bag from under the cash register. “See you next weekend,” I call as I exit the shop and head for good old George. I pat the rusty car on the roof as I slide in and turn the key.

  I find myself daydreaming as I drive home. What did Kai’s rich elitist parents say when they found out what he did and where he was when he crashed his truck? The thought makes me chuckle.

  Kai

  Waking from the darkness brings on a hazy world. My vision is blurry and unfocused; my body feels unusual and heavy. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and try to stand. My body doesn’t feel right and isn’t responding the way it should. My head feels dizzy, but the haze clears. I look down and my heart stops, leaping into my throat. I have paws instead of hands and dark fur where my skin should be. What is going on? Is this some sort of twisted dream? I start freaking out, my whole body shaking with shock.

  Launching myself off the ground, I sprint out of my backyard. I don’t know where I’m going or why I’m even running, all I know is this doesn’t feel like a dream.

  Sammy

  A dark shape dashes out in front of me and I squeal in surprise, stomping my foot on the brake. My front bumper clips whatever scared me and I pull to the side of the road to investigate. The big dog groans in pain as I lean down to examine it. It has a shaggy coat like a wolf, its fur is a shiny dark brown. It suddenly lifts its head and looks up at me with bright silver eyes. I jump back in fright.

  “Oh god, I’m so sorry,” I whisper at its sad eyes. I don’t want to scare it; if it’s feral it might bite. I stretch out my hand cautiously, ready to snatch it back at the first sign of aggression. “It’s okay, big boy; I just want to make sure you’re okay.” It stares up at me questioningly and slowly lifts itself off the ground. “Whoa,” I exclaim, moving back and landing on my bum. “You’re bigger than I thought.”

  I gaze at the shaky dog. I should take it to the vet, just to be sure I haven’t hurt it. I’d hate to think I’ve hurt someone’s pet. Getting off the ground slowly, I walk backwards toward my car, coaxing the dog to follow me. It hesitates at first, but when I open the back door it jumps in.

  The nearest Vet Surgery is only a few blocks away and thankfully when I get there Dr. Tracey sees me right away. The exam room is sterile and white, with posters of animal anatomy here and there and a silver table in the center. The receptionist hands me a dog lead to put around his neck. I glance down. He looks calm, but a little dazed, like he isn’t fully awake. The door opens suddenly, letting in a tall, dark haired woman wearing a white coat.

  “Hi…Sam, is it?” Tracey asks in a lovely soft voice, shaking my hand. “So what happened?”

  I look down at the dog. “He ran out in front of my car. He looked hurt when I got out. He’s still shaking a little.”

  Tracey kneels down a little bit away from the dog. “Oh, well, let’s have a look at him.” She narrows her eyes in thought as she gazes at him. “You’re a big baby, aren’t you?” She looks up at me briefly. “He looks like a wolf hybrid, which isn’t uncommon around here. He can’t be pure, he’s too docile,” she says softly as she gets closer to him.

  He lets off a low warning growl and she pulls back. The dog is letting me touch him, maybe the vet smells funny? I place my hand on his scruffy neck and the dog turns his silver gaze up at me.

  “He likes you, doesn’t he?” Tracey states before grabbing her pen light to look in his eyes.

  After a few moments of touching and examining, she pulls out a little scanning machine and runs it along the back of the dog’s neck. It makes a beeping noise and she nods, putting it away.

  She stands and tells me to keep an eye on him and bring him back if he acts differently. I stop her, holding my hand out. “He’s not mine, I can’t keep him.”

  “He has no registration, microchip, or owner info and we have no room to keep him. He’ll have to go to the shelter.” She pauses. “I’m not sure anyone would adopt a dog as big as him.”

  My foster family would never let me keep him. Maybe I could tell them I’m babysitting him for a friend until I find someone to take care of him. It would have to work; taking him to a shelter meant he could be put down. Patting the big dog on the head, I nod to the vet and head back out to the car, with him trailing along behind me.

  ***

  I reach my driveway and quickly glance around to make sure David or Kathy aren’t around before letting the dog out and walking up the steps to my place, closing the door behind us. I flip the light switch inside the door and take the lead from around the dog’s neck, then go about defrosting something for dinner and picking a movie to watch from my collection.
r />   When I glance back at the closed door, I notice the dog hasn’t moved, he’s just standing there staring at the floor. “Come here, doggy,” I coax softly. He doesn’t move, just lifts his eyes to stare at me.

  Kai

  I can’t move. I had been dazed after the car hit me, but now… what am I doing here? Who is this girl? I need to figure out a way to escape and get home. I have to become human again. The girl is talking to me in a baby voice—I ignore her. This is bad. How did this happen? Better yet, how is this even possible? The girl thinks I’m just a dumb dog. I’m not an animal! I am Kai Jordan; popular, adored, just accepted into Harvard, HUMAN! What happened? And actually, more to the point, who is this girl? I tilt my head and study her. She looks familiar, I’ve seen her before, I know her, but what’s her name? Oh god, what am I going to do?

  I try to focus on what the girl is saying. It’s getting hard to make out words.

  “You need a name.” I don’t need a name; I already have one—Kai. She puts a finger to her lips in thought. “How about Chester?” She smiles, clapping her hands. Chester? How do you say no when you can’t speak? I shake my head and huff at her, my best try at a no. She narrows her eyes and frowns at me. “Well, I like it, and that’s all that matters. Chester it is.” No! I want to scream my name is Kai! I try to speak, but all that comes out are strangled cries.

  She marches over to me. “You stop that right now, otherwise you’ll wake Connor,” she says in a dangerous tone, smacking me on the nose. She smacks me on the nose. I shake my head and sit down, stunned.

  Sammy

  “Someone needs to take you to puppy preschool,” I mutter at Chester on my way back to the kitchen. I rub my temples in a soothing circular motion; I’m not cut out for looking after myself, let alone a dog. The microwave dings just as I reach it. I dish the now hot food into a bowl and take it with me to the sofa.

  I glance over at Chester, who is still sitting at the door watching me, and relax into the couch, switching on the TV.

  Once I’m settled, I call him over and pat the arm of the chair. “Sorry, buddy, I’ll have to get you some food tomorrow. Come and sit over here.”

  He hesitates before standing and inching his way over to me and lying down beside the sofa.

  Kai

  I tilt my head up and study the girl again. She flicks the remote for the TV. The scratching noise from the speakers hurts my ears. Stupid sensitive hearing. By the looks of the images flashing across the screen, she’s watching a sappy girl movie. The colors are a bit off with my new eyes, but I can still see the actors and scenery perfectly. The girl shifts and I glance up at her as she gets comfortable.

  ***

  I’m woken by movement. My eyes snap open and I lift my head to watch the girl. “She never loved him,” she states as she cleans up her bowl from dinner and moves to a small room off to the side. When she flicks a light on and starts getting undressed, I turn away and close my eyes, facing the opposite wall. That’s not something I need to see.

  I open my eyes again when the water shuts off in the shower and she strides out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her. She’s not wearing her glasses anymore and her hair hangs in wet tangles down her back. I huff to myself, watching her get into bed and switch off the bedside lamp.

  Standing up, I walk into the tiny kitchen and stare down at the bowl of water she left out for me on the floor. How did this happen? How do I fix this?

  CHAPTER 4

  Sammy

  “Sammy! When did you get a dog?” I spin around to face Caity as she runs up behind me; she’s wearing running shoes and gym clothes, her sweaty red-brown hair tied back from her face. Early this morning I decided I should take Chester for a walk in case anyone recognized him or knew his owners.

  Pushing my glasses back up my nose, I smile. “Umm, I’m just looking after him until I can find his owners.” She reaches down to pat his head. Chester snarls at her and she snatches her hand away from him, taking a big step back.

  “Aggressive, isn’t he?” She nods to me and turns, jogging away. “Bye, Sammy.” She throws her hand over her shoulder in a wave.

  As soon as she’s gone, I look down at Chester. “That wasn’t very nice.” He turns his head and gazes up at me with an innocent look.

  We head toward home, passing an electrical goods store on the way; the ones with all the TVs lined up in the windows always playing the news or sport. At first glance I walk right by it, then I do a double take and scurry back to the window; something catching my eye.

  There, in the middle of the screen, is a missing person’s photo. Kai Jordan was last seen by his family’s maid after the party on Friday night. Interesting.

  I think about it for a split second more before pushing it from my thoughts. Who really cares anyway, he’s probably just run away. Poor baby can’t handle his rich, privileged life anymore.

  As I try walking away from the store I’m stopped by the dog; he’s staring intently at the screen, almost as if he can understand what the news reporter is saying. I tug at his lead again and he turns, following me with his head down.

  Kai

  They’ll never find me, of that I am certain. All the science in the world can’t explain where I am now. Hell, I can’t even explain it. Are my parents worried about me? Are my friends? Ashlee? Or do they think I’ve just run away? I have to find out, but first I have to get away from this silly girl. Apparently her name is Sammy? Sounds familiar, but I don’t dwell on it. She isn’t paying attention to me; maybe I can just tug on the lead really hard and then make a run for it.

  She slows to look in the window of another shop and I take it as my chance. Tugging as hard as I can, I wrench the dog lead from her grip and sprint as fast as I can in the opposite direction. Where will my family be? Probably at home, waiting for me to return.

  As I turn a corner, I spot Ashlee’s car in a parking lot. I slow to a walk and inch closer; she’s standing on the other side of the car talking to someone, but I can’t quite make out the words. I have to concentrate to understand English, which is stupid seeing as how English is the language I speak.

  Sliding along the front bumper, I come into view just in time to catch her lean in and kiss Jacob, my best friend, full on the mouth. What the hell? The growl slips from my throat before I can stop myself. Both Jacob and Ashlee jump apart and turn toward me, the scream that comes from Ashlee’s throat makes me spin around and keep running.

  ***

  My house is full of activity when I reach it; I’ve never seen so many people at my home before; besides one of Mother’s silly parties, of course. Walking around the back along the fence, I come to the glass sliding door. I stand and look inside, searching for my parents. There, over on the sofa, speaking to one of many police officers. Surely my own parents would recognize me, right?

  I start yipping at the glass door, trying to get their attention. Mom looks up with hollow eyes and when she notices me standing at the door, she gets up and slowly walks over to the glass. Gazing up into her sad face, I beg her to recognize me with a whine. A look of confusion passes over her face and she turns to call my father over. When he reaches the door, the expression on his face is full of rage. A police officer steps up beside him and reaches for the door handle, his other hand resting on his gun.

  I back up a few steps as dad and the officer step through the door into the backyard. “Get out of here, you monster!” my father suddenly shouts at me, snatching the gun from the officer’s holster and pointing it directly at me. I quickly swivel on my feet and dash for the cover of trees, a shot ringing out behind me and slamming into a tree as I pass. I stop under the dark canopy where no one can see me and turn back to see my father down on his knees, head in his hands, and the officer beside him with a hand on his back. My own parents don’t recognize me and think I’ve run away or I’m dead. This is it, I’m alone.

  ***

  Walking the streets in no particular direction gives me time to think. Where am I suppo
sed to go now? What did I do to deserve this? My thoughts are so clouded I don’t hear the sound of a van slowing down beside me; it’s only when it stops and the door slams that I glance up.

  A man with a long pole is following me up the sidewalk. I quicken my steps and so does he. I turn a corner and come to a dead end. The man stops behind me at the entrance to the alley. Suddenly I’m scared. I growl a warning at the approaching man. His pole swings around and before I know what’s happened, I’m being dragged back toward his van by the choker around my neck.

  The drive doesn’t take long. Once there, I’m shoved into a small cage beside another feral, barking dog. The man sneers at me and leaves for his little office in the next room. I look at the latch on my cage. Opposable thumbs would be so helpful right now.

  Sammy

  I return to my apartment later than I expected. I’ve been out all afternoon looking for Chester, he just took off on me and now I’m worried; of course, he isn’t my dog and he probably found his way home or something, but I miss his company already. The loneliness presses in on me as I head for the shower. I’m not even hungry, but I made a promise to Kathy.

  The house smells of baby powder when I enter. Kathy hears me and calls out for me to set the table before sitting down. David sits down across from me and straps Connor into his baby chair. He throws me a dirty look as Kathy enters the room with the roast and places it on the table.

  “So Sammy, tell us about your week? How was school?” Kathy asks, oblivious to the dark looks David sends my way. I really don’t like awkward family dinners.