Read Dahlia (Blood Crave Series) for Free Online

made fun of her. Called her zombie and wolf girl, day after day, as she came back from the forest all disheveled when she was five.
    She thought she had finally overcome the issue of acceptance after meeting Sam’s friends. They were not like the children from her past. But she still couldn’t shake the constant feeling of being inadequate and, frankly, it was getting exhausting.
    Dahlia waited until the noises from outside died down before she finally ventured out into the hallway. It had been about an hour before she heard the silence. She slowly walked to her locker, bag in hand, as she took out the necessary books to study from and slipped on her jean jacket. Slamming her locker shut, Dahlia walked toward the school entrance and once she reached it, pushed open the heavy, wooden door. She felt the windy chill enter the school as she held the door wider. She smiled at the thought that at least the wind was still there to greet her, if no one else was.
    It seemed everyone had vanished while she sat in the bathroom stall. Even though it was the beginning of the week, people were probably already making plans for the weekend and she secretly hoped that the whole banana/condom catastrophe from earlier would be long forgotten.
    She was not in the mood to have Sam poking fun at her when she got home. Nor did she want to deal with the ride back home with him, which was why she had ignored his constant incoming texts asking of her whereabouts. He gave up after she finally text messaged back, telling him to go home. She liked Sam—really, she did—but Dahlia always felt a little apprehensive with others around, especially when she felt insecure.
    She just needed some time by herself and the walk home would be the perfect opportunity to de-stress. Besides, she preferred her own company, which solved the entire situation. She just needed to make it through the next nine months of school and she was set.
    No more foster care or orphanages where she would always feel awkward. Having to spend time with people she didn’t care to be around, people who constantly judged.
    Once she left Cedar Oaks, Dahlia would finally be able to be herself—find herself.
    The heavy wooden door of the school slammed shut behind her with a thud, startling her out of her thoughts. It was a windy day, quite chilly too, the crisp red-brown leaves floating down to the pavement. Pulling her jacket tighter around her to prevent any heat from escaping, she hopped down the steps and strolled leisurely for about thirty minutes before she saw the park, one of her personal landmarks. Crossing the street, she walked toward it.
    The park was huge and a quick short-cut Dahlia discovered while getting to know the area a few months ago when she got into town. It beat having to walk alongside the forest, especially when the evenings where getting darker, earlier and earlier.
    Who knew what could be hiding in the bushes.
    Cutting through the park, she took a step onto the sand, the wind whistling around her. It was dark and the wind was the only sound she heard, her shoes sinking deep into the sand as she tried keeping her balance. Looking up into the sky, Dahlia realized the day had quickly turned to night, the sun covered by clouds that were dark and daunting.
    She suddenly stopped in her tracks as a feeling of apprehension overtook her body, almost like a sixth sense. It felt like an electrical shock—the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end as a tingle ran down her spine. She shivered impulsively, the feeling of being watched so strong, as if two eyes burned a hole into the back of her head. Her breath catching in her throat, she turned swiftly, hair flying crazily in the wind.
    All she saw was darkness, the squeaking sound of the swings amplified by the stillness of the night. They rocked back and forth against the wind methodically, as if children were actually taking a ride on each of the swings, their echoes of laughter almost heard.
    Dahlia shivered