Read Online Crushed by Kasi Blake - Free Book Online Page A

now if you want.”
    “My stomach hurts. I don’t want anything.”
    “Are you okay?” The incident with Kristen momentarily forgotten, he crossed the room to sit next to his sister. Once again, she became his top priority. “Are you sick?”
    “My stomach hurts,” she repeated. “I ate my snack with my lunch the way you told me to, but it made my stomach hurt. I threw up.”
    “What exactly did you eat?”
    “I had a tuna sandwich, apple, peanut butter, and graham crackers.”
    He made a face. “Next time I make a suggestion like that, I’ll make sure it isn’t such a disgusting combination.”
    Morgan groaned and closed her eyes. “I had a glass of milk, too.”
    Zach moved to the end of the sofa where her head was resting and placed a pillow on his lap, careful not to touch Morgan because sometimes a simple touch set her off on a rampage. She placed her head on the pillow. He sang the song their mother used to sing to them when they were sick. It had always helped him.
    “Did you go out today?” he asked after the song ended.
    “Hmm?”
    “Did you stay inside the house, or did you go somewhere?”
    “I was home all day. I was sick.”
    He stiffened, wondering if she was lying to him. “Are you sure?”
    Morgan sprung off the couch like an activated jack-in-the-box. She crossed the room to grab her treasured notebook. Holding it to her chest, she returned to Zach’s side. “I write everything I do down in my notebook. Look.”
    She flipped the book open to the last page and shoved it at him. “After I ate lunch, I didn’t feel good. My stomach hurt. I had tuna, peanut butter, graham crackers—”
    “I know,” he said, cutting her off.
    It was true. According to the notebook, she had decided to rest after eating the unfortunate lunch and hadn’t gotten up to write in her journal since. So, who had conjured an owl to attack Kristen? Was there another witch in the vicinity, one with a nasty disposition, or had one of Kristen’s own sisters sent the owl as a warning to her?
    And why an owl?
    It was possible there was an outsider with information on his sister, information they should not have. If that were true, both girls were in danger.
    “Did you have a good day?” Morgan asked. “This morning was bad. You had pink crap blown into your face.” She turned back one page in her notebook and showed him a new entry. “See? It says Zach had pink crap blown in his face.”
    Indeed it did. “I had a much better afternoon, thank you,” he said, trying hard not to smile.
    “Why were you late?”
    Should he tell her that Kristen Noah wasn’t an evil witch after all? He decided against it. Morgan could be weird when it came to new people, especially if it was someone he was spending time with.
    “I had to talk to somebody after school. I’m sorry. I promise not to be late again.”
    “That’s okay. I didn’t want an afternoon snack anyway. My stomach hurts because of lunch.”
    Zach interrupted her before she could list off the foods again. “I know. But you feel better now, right?”
    A surprised smile took over her face. “Yes. I do feel better.”
    Morgan plopped down next to him and wound her arms around his middle. It was okay for her to touch him, but she didn’t like him touching her. Hugging him tightly, she added, “I always feel better when you’re here. I wish you didn’t have to go to school. You could stay home with me. We could watch television.”
    It was too bad he couldn’t spend more time with her. School wasn’t just an option for him. He had to go. Otherwise, someone might get suspicious. If the council found out Morgan was with him, they’d both be in trouble.
    “I can’t drop out of school, Morgan, but I’m here now. We can watch a movie if you want.”
    Her face brightened. “I’ll find one.”
    “Okay. I’ll be back in a minute.”
    Zach went out the back door. The moon shed enough light to make the search for a piece of wood easy. A variety of