Read Online Raven by Abra Ebner - Free Book Online Page B

horrible.

    LIES
    Estella

    “ Sam, what was that?” Sam entered the library.
    “ Nothing. I just slammed the door by mistake. Sometimes I guess I don’t know my own strength.” He had a mocking look on his face.
    “ Right. ” Margriete nodded, giving him a blank stare that suggested she didn’t believe him but wasn’t in the mood to know the facts, either.
    “ So, what are you guys up to?” Sam crossed his arms against his chest, looking up at us through the bars of the railing.
    I pushed a few loose strands of hair from my face with a tired exhale. “We’re looking for anything that can tell us why things out there—” I pointed out the large windows that looked out onto the meadow, “—are changing for the worse. I mean, it’s summer and look at it. It’s a mess out there.” I grimaced as I saw the rain pool in the yard, the temperature never more than fifty.
    Sam glanced out the window with little interest, pressing his lips together. “Yes, I know what you mean.”
    Margriete perked up. “So, it’s not just us. You’ve noticed as well.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
    Sam’s mouth curled and he let out one breathy laugh. “Why do I care what’s happening out there? It’s not my world.”
    I stood, gripping the railing in annoyance. “Yeah, but it is underneath all this. What happens here will affect that, too. It has to.”
    Sam tilted his head. “True.”
    “ Tell us what’s happening.” I demanded, sensing he was hiding something. “You know. I can tell that you know.”
    Sam drew in a deep breath, clenching his jaw and letting the air escape from his cheeks as he thought.
    “ Why won’t you just say it?” Margriete barked, growing annoyed. I had sensed a rift with them lately, and I didn’t know exactly why.
    Sam rolled his eyes. “It’s not my place to say.” He paused as his eyes grew wide with sarcasm.
    Margriete tilted her head, giving him a warning glare that even scared me.
    Sam’s demeanor changed, as though Margriete had put him in some sort of trance. “But since he won’t say it, I guess I will.”
    “ Who won’t say it?” I demanded. “Edgar? He knows about this?” I felt my heart sink—he was lying to me. My blood began to boil and the feeling of betrayal from my one true love grew stronger than the feeling of affection I’d previously had.
    Sam shrugged as though shrugging off the blame, but I knew my accusations were right. Who else would it be?
    I spoke through clenched teeth. “So what is it? What does it all mean? Tell me.”
    Sam swallowed as though afraid of me and I found myself shocked, wondering how that could be. “Listen, Elly. This isn’t my beef, so don’t blame the messenger, okay?”
    “ I won’t.” I seethed. I felt my body grow hot with anger and deception.
    The smile returned to his face. “The Earth is dying. I give it a few months.” He said it as though it were nothing, and at first I expected him to say he was kidding.
    “ No. Seriously, Sam. I don’t need your excessive exaggerations.” I put one hand on my hip in exasperation.
    His smile faded, and he looked at me steadily, unflinching. “Elly, I’m not joking.” His arms uncrossed as he threw them in the air, defending his comment.
    Margriete gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth to silence it.
    “ What?” I sputtered in disbelief.
    “ The Earth is dying , Elle. Everything. The humans have finally done it. They’ve messed with the balance enough to send it spiraling into destruction.” He was quick to lay blame.
    “ The humans have done nothing!” I was tired of his discrimination towards my kind. It was no one’s fault but the gods. It was not I that wished to be created, to then spawn this entire race. The humans were an innocent breed, so self involved that they hardly knew what they had done. When I spoke again, I used his creation against him. “Besides, Sam. You always seem to forget that you were human once,” I