I'm Over It (19 page)

“Actually, his parents don’t want him having any contact with you,” Dad says, frowning. He’s obviously upset about having to tell me this.

“Oh,” I say.

It’s probably for the best.

Death and destruction follow me everywhere I go, and nobody around me is safe.

For once though, I don’t blame myself.

I blame Olivia Asher.

She is the reason all the bad things have happened.

I fucking hate her for it.

“The doctor should be releasing you later this afternoon,” Dad says. “I’m going to send somebody to get your things from your apartment, so we will be leaving as soon as you’re released.”

“Where are we going?” I ask.

“Somewhere safe,” he answers, simply. “I don’t want to say out loud. I don’t know if the room has been bugged.”

I can’t believe this is happening.

The door opens up, and Gabe walks in. It’s then I notice there are a couple of guys dressed in black standing outside of my hospital room.

“Dad, what’s going on?” I ask.

“Olivia Asher had access to a bomb,” Dad says. “This is no longer just an issue of a stalker. She blew up a public building and killed five people. She is a terrorist. We don’t know how far she is willing to go to kill you, so we are getting you somewhere safe.”

“No,” I say. “Dad... this can’t be happening to me. Why is it happening?”

“I don’t know. I’m sorry. She is obviously a very sick person,” he says, frowning. “But, I still don’t think you fully understand the severity of the situation. We will talk once you’re released.”

“Okay,” I say, knowing that I won’t get anything else out of him. I turn to look at Gabe. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he answers. “How are you feeling?”

“Good,” I say. “I had a headache, but it’s gone now. The medicine here is awesome.”

Gabe grins, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “You just focus on getting better,” he says, then looks at Ty. “We need to talk outside.”

It’s then that I realize they’re hiding something from me.

But the medicine is making me sleepy.

I start to ask what’s going on, but instead I close my eyes.

I’ll ask them after I take a nap.

4 p.m.

Home.

I don’t get the opportunity to ask what’s going on. As soon as I wake up, the doctor looks at my head and I’m released from the hospital. From there, Ty, Gabe, Dad, and I get on a helicopter that is waiting for us on the roof.

Seeing the chopper scares the crap out of me.

It was never like this before.

But then again, I was never stalked by somebody considered a terrorist before.

It’s too loud to talk in the helicopter, plus I doubt I would be getting any answers. Everybody is still in serious mode.

From the hospital, we fly straight to the airport. There are four guys in suits waiting for us. One of the guys helps me out, and the four of them walk around me as we walk to the plane.

They’re treating me like I’m the freaking president or something.

I get on the plane, followed by the guys in suits, Ty, Gabe, and my dad.

“Where are Veronica, Toby, and Kailee?” I ask, when I get on and notice they aren’t on board.

“They’re somewhere safe. They left early this morning,” he says.

“Are we going to be with them?”

“Afraid not,” Dad says.

I look at Ty. When I make eye contact with him, he looks away.

“What’s really going on, Dad?”

“Last night, while you were being transferred to the hospital, Brian Asher started a fire at our home,” Dad answers, finally looking at me. “Veronica and Kailee weren’t home, but Toby was. He barely made it out alive. He jumped from the second story window.”

“Is he okay?” I ask, trying not to cry over the fact that my
home
was destroyed by a monster. I can’t believe I ever believed Brian when he said he was innocent. The whole time he was working with Olivia.

“He’s going to be fine. He has a broken ankle, but it’s nothing serious,” Dad says. “Until Olivia and Brian Asher are caught, we are going into hiding. I don’t know for how long. But, for now, we are going to be separated.”

“All of us?” I ask.

“Toby, Veornica and Kailee will be in a remote location, with new identities,” Dad explains. “I will be with you.”

“Why can’t we be with them?” I ask.

“It’s not safe,” he says. “Gabe will be flying out soon to meet up with his parents.”

“Gabe isn’t going to be with us?”

“No, I’m sorry,” Dad says.

I’m losing everybody I love.

Kailee.

Veronica.

Toby.

Gabe.

Ty reaches over and grabs my hand, reminding me that he’s here. At least I will have him and my dad. I won’t be alone.

The plane starts to move, so I reach down and buckle up for take-off.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” I say, fighting to keep the tears back.

“I promise, everything is going to be okay,” Dad says. “I will do everything I can to keep you safe.”

“I know,” I say.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too, Dad,” I say back.

The plane starts to lift off the ground. Part of me wants to look out the window so I can see Berkeley one more time. It’s only been my home for three months now, but I will miss it. I only wish I could talk to Carter and Andrea one more time—to say goodbye to them.

I know I will see them again. I just hope it’s sooner rather than later.

I lean my head over on Ty’s shoulder. For some reason, I feel safe here. I know I shouldn’t, but I do.

No matter where we go, as long as Ty is there, I will always feel like I’m home.

The end.

No Escaping Reality
(Kihanna in College, Book 3) is coming December 18, 2015!

Keep reading for a sneak peak
The Academy Introductions (Ghost Bird Series, Book 1)
by C.L. Stone!

As an indie author, I rely heavily on my readers to get the word out about my books.
If you loved this story, it would mean the world to me if you left a review where you purchased it!

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Books by Mercy

New Haven Academy:

Losing Grip

Wasting Away

Kihanna in College:

The College Life

I’m Over It

Moonlit Hills Series:

Fallout

East Wood Prep Series:

Char

Ali

Dirty Secrets:

Season One

The Rock Star Trilogy:

Jaded

Faded

Hated

The Kihanna Saga:

The Fab Life

I Hate Goodbye

Stranded in Paradise

It’s So Obvious

I Need You

Stand Alones:

Don’t Tell

You Got Me

Acknowledgements

First of all, I want to say THANK YOU to my wonderful editor, Janet. In the short time we’ve been working together, I have learned so much from you. I appreciate you so much and look forward to working with you in the future.

To my husband, we’ve been married for over four years now. It’s crazy to think that this all started because YOU encouraged me. If it wasn’t for you, I don’t think I’d be an author. At least not a published one.

Tess... you’re the one who encouraged me to keep going when things got hard. Also, Brian exists because of YOU! So, thank you. If you weren’t so insistent on there being a “sexy pool boy”, Kihanna wouldn’t be the same ;).

Joanne Levy, thank you so much for all the hard work you do for me. It’s an honor to be working with you!

To everybody in the Kihanna Saga Discussion Group, I love talking with you guys. You’re awesome! I love hearing your theories and hearing what you think. I have SO MUCH FUN! Thank you for loving Kihanna as much as I do.

My readers, you guys are the reason that this is my job. Thank you for buying, reading and reviewing my books. Every day, when I sit at the computer, know that it’s not just for me. It’s for you, too!

Team Gabe, I truly hope you don’t still hate me! Though, I suppose after this book, you might. Sorry!

<3
Mercy

Find me online:

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With an agoraphobic mother and a barely-there father, Sang abhors the isolation keeping her in the shadows. The only thing Sang craves is a fresh start and to be accepted as ordinary by her peers, because for her being different meant being cast out alone. 
When her family moves to a new school district, Sang infiltrates a group of boys nearly perfect in every way. Grateful for an influence outside of her parents’ negativity, she quickly bonds with the boys, hoping to blend in and learn from them what it means to have a natural relationship with friends. 
Only the boys have secrets of their own and they’ll do anything to keep her safe from the knowledge of the mysterious Academy that they've sworn allegiance to. Bit by bit, Sang discovers that her friends are far from the normalcy she expected. Will her loyalty change when she's forced to remain in the dark, or will she accept that she's traded one house of secrets for another? 
Meet Kota, Victor, Silas, Nathan, Gabriel, Luke and North in a story about differences and loyalty, truth and mystery, friendships and heart-throbbing intimacy. 
The Academy, ever vigilant.

The Academy Introductions

The Ghost Bird Series

Book One

Written by C. L. Stone

Published by
 

Arcato Publishing

Copyright © 2012 C. L. Stone

Published by Arcato Publishing

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 1481814915

ISBN-13: 978-1481814911

This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

Max

M
y heart thundered under my breast. I was sure my parents could hear me, asleep in their beds inside the two story, gray-siding clad house on Sunnyvale Court.

Rain puddled at my feet, soaking the dirt of a thousand walks into my off-brand tennis shoes. I usually enjoyed the rain. I liked the feel of walking barefoot through puddles in the grass and the smell of rain mixed with pine trees. Tonight, the rain was cool and the air crisp against my skin for early August in South Carolina. I would be out all night, though, so this was completely bad timing.

With my toes pointed out to the street, I stood at the edge of the long driveway. A cool wind split through my dark poncho. I wanted to shiver, but I steeled myself and ignored the cold.

This is it
, I told myself.
If you’re going to leave, you need to do it now.

A new house sat half-finished around the bend of Sunnyvale. I’d explored it yesterday while on a walk and discovered the back door was unlocked.

My hand gripped the straps of my overloaded backpack.
One night,
I told myself. One night where I’m not sleeping under the same roof as my parents.
I’m not going to die, like my mother seems to think I would.
Normal people, everyone else in the world, weren’t all murdered and raped the moment they went outside.

Thoughts of my bedroom in the house behind me flooded my mind: the soft green comforter, the mauve carpet, the warmth of the cotton sheets, a quiet symphony playing from the stereo. I shook my head at the thought, lifting a hand to my brow to flick away the collection of water there. No. I had already made the decision. Besides, it was too late to turn back. Sneaking out of the house was hard enough to do at night. I wouldn’t want to be caught trying to sneak back in.

I forced my leg up and out to step foot on the dark pavement of the road. My parents’ house was the newest on the half-circle street, tucked away behind a forest near a new highway. There were only twenty homes in the neighborhood. In front of my parents’ house was an empty lot with room for one more house, but the land was still undeveloped. The rest of the street had several middle income homes and made for a very quiet neighborhood. Unfortunately, the street light was never installed in front of my parents’ home. Even though I knew the blacktop was flat, it made me nervous that I might trip on a stick -- or an ax murderer.