Crossroads (Crossroads Academy #1) by J.J. Bonds

Author:J.J. Bonds
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance, young adult, crossroads academy, vampires, paranormal
Publisher: J.J. Bonds
Published: 2011-11-11T23:42:56+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

The smoke curls all around me wrapping my body tightly in its grip. The smell permeates my clothes, my hair, my skin. It invades my nostrils and constricts my lungs. I know it can’t hurt me, but I find my body convulsing anyway. I’m unable to control my reaction to the suffocating substance.

Oh, God. I have to get out of here. I can’t take the smell of burning flesh today. I know there’s nothing I can do to save them. There never is. Why would this time be different?

I stumble backward retreating from the building. “It’s just a dream,” I pant, bending over and pressing the palms of my hands to my thighs. “Just wake up!” I command myself desperately.

I jerk awake with a splash. The sudden movement sends soapy water sloshing over the side of the tub and onto the tiled floor below. I’m greeted by the sweet scent of cherry blossom bubble bath. The calming aroma is a welcome change from the assault of ash and soot in my dreams.

I must’ve fallen asleep in the bath. I vaguely remember running the hot water and slipping into the tub to wash away the events of the day. I guess I didn’t realize how tired I was. “Good thing vampires can’t drown,” I remind myself sarcastically.

I lean forward and reach for the faucet intending to add a burst of hot water to refresh the lukewarm bath. As I turn the knob, blood shoots from the faucet pouring into the tub and tainting the water. I stare at it perplexed, my brain trying to comprehend the impossible.

Before I can shut it off, I’m swimming in a sea of red. The water is churning around me, tossing my body back and forth with the tide of blood. The coppery smell is overpowering. I reach desperately for the side of the tub hoping to pull myself to safety, but it’s too slippery, and I can’t hold on. I’m jerked back into the angry bath which is growing impossibly deep.

This can’t be real. This can’t be happening. It has to be another dream; a trick of the mind. I slip below the surface and kick hard, willing my head to stay above the water line. The bottom of the tub is gone. I’m being swallowed up by a sea of blood.

I refuse to accept defeat. I kick harder, reaching again for the side of the tub, for a second chance, for redemption. But all I see is Damian, the boy from town. His cherub-like face smiles down at me from above. He can’t help me. No one can.

I wake up screaming. In Sociology. Professor Lynch and my classmates are staring at me. Their faces show a range of emotions from surprise to amusement. A few of them are actually snickering. I don’t have to look to know that Jade, Lexie, and Blaine are among the entertained. Why did it have to be this class of all places?

“Sorry,” I say trying to act as though this behavior is perfectly normal.

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