Read Online Second Nature by Elizabeth Sharp - Free Book Online Page A

where to
begin looking for answers. I threw myself into the routine of my
life, but even the comfort of the familiar felt hollow.
    Nate sent me some texts, which I deleted
without even opening. I was beyond furious with him. Until I could
hear his name without waves of anger threatening to sweep me away,
I wanted nothing to do with him. His words in the park had struck a
resonating chord with me. I tried not to dwell on the hate that
poured out of him, but I had to wonder if he’d had a point. I had
been devastated by my parents’ deaths. But I didn’t think I was
ever looking for sympathy—just a way to keep myself from falling
apart.
    I talked Dylan into letting me make him
lunch to say thank you for saving my life. I apologized for my
sister’s unorthodox method of finding him, but he only grinned and
shrugged.
    “Hey, a hot blond driving down my block
screaming my name in the middle of the night isn’t exactly the
worst thing that could happen.” His grey-green eyes sparkled as he
looked at me. “Though I prefer redheads.”
    I blushed and tucked a red-blond strand of
hair behind my ear. I could never decide if Dylan was hitting on me
or just a natural flirt. It’s not that I wasn’t flattered to have
his interest. But it still was a betrayal to Nate in my mind, no
matter how angry I was with him I couldn’t move on. Since I was
ignoring him, he had called Xander to check up on me. The two of
them seemed to be getting along better.
    Dylan cleared his throat, breaking the
awkward silence. “My neighbor thinks I got serious game and asked
me for lessons. I told him it was a gift. You’re either born with
it or you aren’t.” We laughed as the remainder of the meal
descended into pure silliness, the kind with lots of laughter and
no uncomfortable silence.
    That was the thing with Dylan. I was always
at ease around him. He could make me laugh no matter how bad my day
was. Whenever he was around, all my troubles seemed to melt away
and be insignificant. Even though I suspected his angel powers were
responsible, I was okay with it. As far as Otherworlders using
their abilities on me, this one seemed the least offensive.
    A week went by, and it was Friday. The
afternoon was slow at the nursery, so I had abandoned the hot
flowerbeds for the cool air conditioning of the garden shop. Gladys
sat in a beat up lawn chair while I perched precariously on a
wobbly concrete statue. There was still about fifteen minutes left
of my shift, and Xander hadn’t pulled up yet. My coworker acted
like one of those pervy old ladies, who’s always checking out guys
young enough to be her grandchildren. Her stories were often so
inappropriate they curled my toes. She was sweet, though, and the
closest thing to a friend I had. Her white hair had very little
grey left in it and was usually pinned back with a variety of
sparkling barrettes. Her glasses hung around her neck on a beaded
chain, and she wore a ring on almost every finger. She was raving
about some celebrity’s buns, and I was only half paying attention
when a sudden subject change brought me screeching back into the
conversation.
    “Did you hear about the girl in Tennessee?
Shot between the eyes during some sort of witchcraft ritual.” She
fanned herself with one of our informational leaflets as she shook
her head.
    I went cold and my body stiffened. I was
afraid to ask where in Tennessee, but I had to. My family had lived
in Memphis briefly after fleeing our home. I stuttered a little as
I forced out the words. “Wh- What part of Ten- Tennessee?” I tried
to be offhand, but Gladys’s white eyebrows shot up, and she sat a
little straighter in her chair.
    “Do you know someone in Tennessee, dearie?”
I nodded, taking the easy out. I hated lying, but I didn’t want her
connecting the story with me any more than necessary. She stretched
out to pat my knee and gave me a smile. “I can’t imagine it’s
anyone you know. I think it was in Nashville.” Just as I was