Damned - By Brittany Booker Page 0,1

shouted over the phone. I sighed. The only reason she called me “comrade” was because of the family tree project we had done the year before. Turns out my dad’s side of the family was Russian.

“I’m getting ready, Millie. Calm down.”

“Hottie Trevor is getting antsy over here,” Millie yelled over the music. “Brett has to talk to him to keep him calm. He is nervous,” she said, laughing into the phone. “You know that means Brett isn’t paying any attention to me. My boyfriend is not paying attention to me. This should be a crime, Lizzie.”

I smiled at the phone. “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes, okay?”

“Ohmigod, total subject change: you know Lucas Johns?”

“Yeah, how could I not? He was suspected of raping that Holly girl last year. How would I not know him?”

“True. Anyway, he is missing. Like no one can find him. His mother is freaking out. Everyone is talking about it over here. Which reminds me, get ya ass over here! This is Cannon Beach, Oregon. When someone throws a party you come. It could be three years before something interesting happens ever again. You do not want to miss this, Lizzie.”

“Okay, going to leave now.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She smacked her gum. “Get your cute ass over here!” she said and hung up.

I tossed my phone onto my bed and continued to get ready. Pulling my curled hair out from under my jacket I took a look at myself. I didn’t look so bad. Then I heard another knock. “Leave me alone, Sam.”

“It’s not Sam,” my dad said, opening the door, smiling.

“Oh, um, hey.”

“You look nice, sweetie.”

I narrowed my eyes and clicked my tongue. “Watcha’ need?” He smiled. I knew he had an ulterior motive. His eyes were everywhere but on me, and he tended to run his fingers through his short brown hair one too many times when he was nervous.

“Well, you’re going out tonight.”

I stopped. Oh no. “Yeah, about that, well, I’m about to be late. Millie, Brett, and Trevor are already over there waiting for me.”

“Well, wait a minute.” He tugged on the collar of his shirt. “I want you to be careful, okay.” I smiled, and my cheeks turned a little pink. He hesitated, smiled again. “I want you to know that you can call me no matter what the circumstances. This is your first real party. If anything happens, just call me, okay?”

Oh God. “Okay, Dad.”

“Don’t forget your pepper spray.”

God help me. “Okay. It’s in my jacket pocket. But I have to go.” I headed for the door and stopped while he walked down the stairs before me.

Mom was lying on the couch, her attention on the second season DVD of the Vampire Diaries.

“Bye, Mom.” So this is how Dad distracts her when he wants to change the subject.

Her eyes never moved away from Damon’s ridiculously hot body. “Have fun, oh, wait, and take Muffin out before you leave.”

Ugh! There was no point in arguing with her. Her head was so far gone. I huffed and grabbed Muffin, our miniature Pomeranian, from the floor where he was curled up nicely.

“Hurry up, Muffin.” I put him down and watched as he pranced around, smelling the small square of grass beside our one lonely shrub.

Keeping an eye on my watch, I eyed Muffin while he sniffed around our garage. Too bad we hadn’t gotten the Pit Bull Dad wanted. We wouldn’t have had to worry about an intruder.

“Hurry!” I walked toward him. He had started to growl. “Ugh, you little rat.” I reached for him, but he growled and snarled, his teeth nipping at the shrub. “What is it, babe?” I looked toward the bush, all alone beside our garage. Then the bush moved. Oh, snap. I backed away.

Eyeing the open garage door, I sprinted for it. Digging around in the corner for one of Dad’s golf clubs, I eased back around the corner. Muffin was still growling. Taking a deep breath, I faced the shrub.

“Okay, it’s probably a raccoon.” Taking the club, I swung it. I was just going to scare the little booger. In the midst of my swing, a shadow emerged, catching the club and snapping it into two pieces in front of me.

It took me two seconds, but I screamed at the top of my lungs. “Aaahhh!” The guy, robber, man, whoever, took another step toward me. It was at that moment, I noticed the black wings protruding from his back. That’s when I fainted.

***

I couldn’t have been out more than