Read Marked (The Pack) for Free Online Page A

bars. Then, as quickly as I’d been caught I was free. I twisted to look behind me but saw nothing in the fading light. Probably a tree limb had snagged me. I mean, what else could it be. I wasn’t going to dwell on that thought.
    I kept going, but my skin seemed to be trying to leap completely off my body. In response, every muscle fiber in me snapped tight. I never remembered being afraid of getting mugged or jumped in a blind alley in the city. Yet, here I was, in what should have been the safest place in the world, racing for my life. Wasn’t I? I left the lake behind, the engine of the ATV whining at top speed. The underbrush on the side of the trail seemed to be moving and even though I knew it was the wind, or at least my imagination, I couldn’t stop the nausea that rocked my stomach.
    The path finally gave way to the yard where my aunt waited under the light of the porch. This was one lecture I’d take quietly.
    The dirt and grass made a crunching sound as I slid to a stop. Aunt Louise jumped to the ground completely missing the last two steps.
    “Are you alright?”
    Nodding, I still couldn’t get my breath. I thought at any minute I might hurl the red beans and rice on my aunt’s bare feet. Sweat dripped from the handgrips as Louise caught my wrists and tugged, pulling my hands loose. The thick rubber dented inward where my fingers had been. I’d heard of adrenaline, but this was the first time I’d ever experience it. I glanced quickly toward Louise wondering if she’d be angry about the damaged handles, but she only frowned then raked back the strands of hair stuck to my sweaty face.
    “You stayed out too late.”
    I opened my mouth to answer but only a gurgle escaped. “I’ll put the four-wheeler in the shed. You go get a bath.”
    I dragged myself off the seat without arguing. I was afraid I’d do something really stupid like throw up or cry, so I ran into the house.
    Cool water from the showerhead washed the sweat down the drain, but I couldn’t get rid of the heaviness in my chest. An aching in my arms and especially my legs made it hard for me to stand. Finally, I sat in the floor of the shower, the water pouring over me. I was sick.
    A knock on the bathroom door had me scrambling to my feet.
    “You almost done in there?” Louise shouted.
    “Uh, yeah, I’m finishing right now.”
    Grabbing a towel and switching off the water at once, I jumped onto the bath mat. Aunt Louise was still in the hall, waiting, when I exited the bathroom.
    “I think I’m sick.”
    “What’s the matter?”
    “I feel nauseous and I kind of ache. Maybe I’m getting the flu.”
    “It’s summer. The flu isn’t going around.”
    “So it’s the summer flu. It has to start somewhere with one person, you know, the whole patient zero thing.”
    Aunt Louise didn’t move, didn’t pat me on the back or offer the least bit of sympathy. She only frowned. “You get the flu a lot?”
    I wasn’t completely sure if that was a question or not, but I answered. “I’ve had it once or twice.”
    She sniffed as though she wasn’t sure she believed me. She strode to my room and thrust the door open. “Go to bed and I’ll get you a couple ibuprofen for those aches in your arms and legs.”
    Halfway to the bed I stopped and ran to the stairs. Aunt Louise was on the last step. “Hey, how did you know it was my arms and legs aching?”
    Louise shrugged. “Typical flu symptoms.”
    Shuffling to my room, I fell into the bed Louise had turned down for me and pulled the sheet to my neck.
     
    ***
     
    The moonlight colored the grass and leaves a milky shade of green and black. Ahead, ripples shimmered on top of the lake. I stood on the path, not remembering leaving the house. I shouldn’t be here after dark, by myself. Aunt Louise would freak. Twigs crackled underfoot. I spun to face the trees behind me, my heart slamming against my chest so hard it hurt. They were coming. Eyes glowed amid the thick undergrowth. I reached