Read Online Starfall by Michael Griffo - Free Book Online

finishes.
    â€œThem’s there are some big words, Arla,” Archie says. “But people are scared, and trust me, scared people will grab hold of possibility like a life preserver. It’s human nature.”
    There’s that word again. Well, this girl is only part-human, so my flesh tingles and my fur stands up on end when I feel the outside world closing in tighter and tighter around me. My nature is to fight against the inevitable. But how?
    â€œWhat do we do?” I ask.
    â€œNothing.”
    And it’s official: Caleb is SGA’s valedictorian.
    â€œI can’t just do nothing,” I protest. “This is like a public relations nightmare.”
    Caleb rubs some sunscreen onto his arms, the white cream making his muscles look like a snow-topped mountain range; he’s obviously more interested in protecting his pale skin from sunburn than in protecting my life from ruin. “There’s nothing you can do, Domgirl,” he says, his eyes focused on his task and not his girlfriend. “Without exposing yourself to everyone and sabotaging yourself by making your own worst nightmare come true.”
    â€œBells is right, Dom,” Archie adds. “If people are that susceptible and that willing to believe that Comic Con is a cover-up so supernatural creatures can safely show their ugly heads in public, there’s nothing you can do to stop that.”
    â€œAre you saying that when I’m a wolf I’m ugly?” I ask.
    â€œI so knew she was going to go there,” Arla chimes in. “Riddle me this, Dominy, does the wolf ever wonder if she’s a pretty girl when she transforms back?”
    â€œBite me,” I joke. Grateful that I still have friends who make me smile, when all I really want to do is cry.
    â€œIf you would learn not to bite first,” Arla replies, “you wouldn’t be in this situation.”
    Friends who also make me question why they’re my friends in the first place. “Arla!”
    â€œI’m sorry, Dom, but it has to be said,” she continues, not backing down. “I know that Nadine probably had something to do with Gallegos’s going all bounty hunter on you, but you have got to learn how to take control when you find yourself in these out-of-control situations. Otherwise . . .”
    The next headline is going to replace the question mark after the word werewolf with an exclamation point, and my photo is going to be directly underneath. Grammar can save, but it can also kill.
    Sighing heavily, I lie back on the beach towel and look up at the sky. I can only see an immense stretch of blue; no sun, no golden light is anywhere to be seen. It reminds me of the absence of Jess. If only she had shown up when Gallegos was pointing his gun at me, she could’ve created a distraction, some illusion like an abrupt fire or yellow lightning to make Gallegos pause and give me time to flee into the night. But Jess never came. I know it’s not her fault. Well, that’s a complete lie; it’s at least sort of her fault, but how can I blame her? She was my first victim and my first savior; she doesn’t owe me anything. I’ve just come to think that whenever I’m in danger, Jess will rescue me. Time to start rethinking my options.
    But why do I have to think about survival techniques on such a beautiful day? Why do I have to do anything other than look at my hot boyfriend’s bathing suit ride up the length of his thigh? Because I’m cursed, that’s why. Cursed by a psychotic old Native American Indian woman and her pregnant granddaughter. Which reminds me.
    â€œShouldn’t Nadine be staying home at night taking prenatal vitamins instead of hiking through Robin’s Park and hypnotizing cops?” I ask, absentmindedly tugging on the little hairs just above Caleb’s ankle.
    â€œShe was probably foraging through the woods looking for some root herbs to make a potion so her baby