Read Online The MORE Trilogy by T.M. Franklin - Free Book Online Page A

a test in less than eight hours, and I really need to get some sleep.”
    “Ava . . .”
    She held up a hand. “I swear, if I remember anything more, I’ll go down and file a report with campus police. I really . . . I can’t deal with it right now, okay?” She wiped her eyes as they filled with tears once again. “I need some time to think about it when I’m not so freaked out.”
    Lucy bit her lip, unconvinced. “I still think you should tell them.”
    “Maybe it will come back after I get some rest,” she said. “You know, like temporary amnesia or something. Or maybe I’m just getting weirded out by all these nightmares. Who knows? Maybe I dreamed the whole thing.”
    Lucy rolled her eyes and got up to lock the deadbolt. “Okay. I don’t like it, but okay. Gotta say, you’ve got me more than a little worried, Ava. I hope you know what you’re doing.”
    Later, as Ava lay awake staring at the ceiling, she found herself hoping the same thing.

    The next morning, Ava left early for class, retracing her steps from the night before in an attempt to spark her missing memories. She walked quickly to the diner, darting across the street to the open doorway where she’d seen the mysterious man, but found nothing out of the ordinary. She followed her path from the night before, eyes trailing over the ground and the surrounding area as she slowed her steps, trying to stay calm and let the memories flow. By the time she got back on campus, she felt increasingly frustrated, not to mention a little bit crazy.
    As she approached the bridge, a tingle of awareness raced up her spine. Running her fingers along the concrete railing, she peered over the edge and let her gaze trail over the path in front of her, unsure of what she was looking for. She stepped off the bridge and back onto the pathway, taking a few tentative steps before turning in a slow circle, ignoring the curious looks of the students passing by. She tilted her head back, gazing at the tree branches overhead—the sky beyond—then let her focus drop to the gravel underfoot.
    She spotted a glint of metal under a shrub at the edge of the walkway, and her heart began to thud heavily in her chest. Ava glanced around before stepping over to the shrub, and she dropped to her knees, reaching for the object. She pulled it out, staring in shock at the metal cylinder lying across her palm.
    A can of pepper spray. Her pepper spray.
    Ava fell back in shock, sitting down heavily on the gravel path as the memories came flooding back in full color, layering one over another in a dizzying series of flashes. She touched her scar, remembering how she had fallen and hit her head, and her fingers swept to her throat as she recalled the way the monstrous man had gripped her neck. It had all happened—the frightening attack, just as in her dreams, the only difference the appearance of the mysterious rescuer when she feared all was lost.
    “Miss? Are you all right?” An older man, a professor most likely, looked down at her in concern.
    Ava nodded, forcing back tears as she got to her feet. “Yes, I’m fine. Thank you.”
    “Do you need help?” He reached out, but she stepped back abruptly, overwhelmed and unsure if she could handle it if someone actually touched her at that moment.
    “No . . . thank you. I’m fine. I . . . uh . . . I have to get to class.” She turned and began to walk away, her steps speeding up as she went. She would go to the police as she promised Lucy. They might think she was crazy. But she knew it had happened, and she had to report it. But right now, she had a test to take—one she couldn’t afford to miss.
    Ava took a deep breath and forced the fear and anxiety back, stifling the memories of the night before. She rushed to class, and as she neared the science building, she spotted Caleb sitting on the steps of the library, his eyes focused intently on a textbook in his lap. He didn’t look up, but Ava couldn’t quell the