Read Online Until Today by Pam Fluttert - Free Book Online Page B

“It must’ve been some dream.” When I don’t answer, he grunts again and tells me to forget it.
    I flash back to my dream of Greg turning into a lion.
    I know I need to give Scott some kind of an answer. “Yeah, it was about lions and tigers and bears.” Last night’s dream reaches out its claws, trying to pull me back in, while the darkness of the evening closes in on me.
    No, not again. I can fight this. I’m not going to flip out again. The claws begin to retract. My mind searches for some way to release myself from the grip of those claws.
    â€œLions and tigers and bears, oh my,” I chant, starting to skip, desperately trying to chase the dream away. The flashlight’s beam dances around in the dark, like a firefly trying to find its way home.
    â€œYou’re nuts,” Scott says and finally laughs at me skipping around him with the beam of light dancing through the trees.
    The claws are gone, for now.
    â€œOkay, Dorothy, let’s find your sister and get out of Oz,” Scott says.
    â€œPerhaps if I tap my heels three times…” I stand on my tiptoes and tap the heels of my white sneakers just as Dad shouts our names.
    The battery of the flashlight dies as we draw closer to the backyard and we hear voices carry through the evening air.
    â€œWhy don’t you go inside with Sarah? I’ll talk to Kat when she gets back.” Greg sounds like he’s trying to calm my dad.
    â€œNo, Greg, I’ll deal with her.” Dad’s tone leaves little to the imagination as to how he plans on dealing with me. Scott pats my arm.
    My mom’s voice chimes in, softer and a little harder to hear from where we are. “Come…David…has a way with Kat and can handle…”
    â€œI don’t mind, Dave. Go in and see to Sarah. Maria, if you don’t mind, maybe you could go to where you and Amy split up and tell her Sarah is home and safe.”
    Greg is standing alone on the back patio, under the porch light when we emerge from the trees and cross the grass. At this moment, I’d rather deal with him than Dad, especially with Scott beside me.
    â€œCome on,” he motions with his arm. “We found her. She climbed that old willow tree about a mile down the river.”
    â€œYou mean the one with all the branches hanging over the water on the Miller property?” Scott asks as we step onto the patio with Greg.
    â€œYeah, that’s the one.”
    â€œWow, that’s deep water. Jared and I used to dive from those branches. She’s lucky she didn’t fall in,” Scott says.
    I shiver, thinking of Sarah disappearing in the dark water of the river without anybody knowing what happened to her. She may be a pain sometimes and act like a selfish brat, but the thought of something like that happening is unbearable. I really messed up.
    All of this happened because I was trying to talk to Sarah about Greg. I can’t believe I softened toward him earlier tonight. I let him reel me in again, like a fish biting at the first worm he dangles in front of me.
    â€œDo you want me to stick around while you deal with your dad?” Scott’s question draws me out of my thoughts.
    â€œI’ll be here for Kat. You go on home,” Greg says, not even giving me a chance to answer.
    â€œOkay, I guess.” Scott sounds as surprised as I am about Greg telling him to leave, but I still stand there saying nothing. “I’ll see you later, Kat.” Scott pauses as if waiting for a response.
    I snap out of my trance when he turns to walk away. “I’ll walk with you.” How else can I avoid being left alone with Greg?
    Scott stops and waits. I take one step, and Greg’s hand grabs the back of my shirt, hidden from Scott’s view.
    â€œI think we should go inside and get this over with, Kat.” Greg’s other hand sneaks under my shirt and rubs my back. A shudder of disgust runs through me.