Fragile Creatures by Kristina Circelli

Author:Kristina Circelli
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: animals, hope, young adult, healing, ya fiction, ya contemporary, kristina circelli, ya contemp
Publisher: Kristina Circelli

CASTER ENTERED THE big house on a mission to find Jett and share his plan. This time of the afternoon, his uncle was typically holed up in his office fielding phone calls from zoos interested in one of their animals or dealing with other business things Caster knew nothing about. Honestly, he had no interest in learning that business side of things. He was perfectly content working with the animals and, perhaps, one day taking on their prospective partnership with African preserves.

He heard voices traveling down the hall, the harsh and hushed tones making him pause. Curiosity had him tiptoeing forward until he was only a few feet away from the office. It wasn’t often that there were arguments loud enough for the entire house to overhear, as his uncle was one of the most agreeable people Caster had ever met — sometimes annoyingly so.

“Enough with the attitude,” he heard Jett say in what he’d long since thought of as the ‘fatherly voice.’ “You said what you said, and now you face the consequences.”

“What a load of crap, Jett.” Caster identified the voice as belonging to Ash and knew instantly what the woman was being confronted about. He’d informed Jett of the encounter himself. “You want to stick your neck out for that freak, then by all means, go for it. But that doesn’t mean I have to like the fact that she’s here, interrupting my day and messing with my animals. You never should have let her come here.”

“They don’t belong to you, Ash. And you are not in control. I am. Who I bring on the preserve is not your choice, but you will respect each and every person working here, whether they are being paid or part of the program.”

“Oh, right, the program,” Ash sneered back. Caster could imagine her rolling her eyes as she paced the room. He cringed, already having guessed what she was about to say and adding a preemptive, Oh, no, she didn’t in his mind. “The precious Second Hides Program. Your pet projects for losers. Getting off to a great start, isn’t it?”

“It was working quite well, until you started behaving like a raving lunatic.”

Ash scoffed. “I’m the lunatic? Check the medical records, Jett. I didn’t try to kill myself.”

“No,” Jett agreed, his tone sad, “but I suspect her attempt was the result of treatment very close, if not identical, to what you so kindly displayed in the barn.”

Silence stretched. Caster, thoroughly insulted by the woman’s words, almost turned away when Jett spoke again.

“This isn’t the first time someone has complained about you, Ash. Your attitude isn’t welcome by the others here, and I, for one, am tired of having to put out the fires you start with careless words. So, here’s the deal. If you can’t treat Evangeline, or anyone else here, with the respect they deserve, then I have no place for you. The choice is yours, Ash.”

“How about this for a choice?” Ash spat back. “I—”

“If you say the words, there is no taking them back,” Jett interrupted with warning.

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