Read NEWBORN: Book One of the Newborn Trilogy for Free Online

should
allow you to take me to the beach sometime. You know, the one right
through the woods. Part of me wants to allow you to take me, but my
other half doesn’t. She’s stubborn.”
    Gabriel cocks his head at me. “Is she? I’m
not worried – I’m sure I can deal with her.” For some
reason, he words make me want to gulp. “I may be mistaken,” he
continues, the white of his smile disarming, “did I ask you to the
beach? Because if I did I have forgotten. Or were you
assuming?”
    “Assuming,” I respond, smiling back sweetly.
“It’s the place to go here, anyway – everybody goes. And besides my
roommate, you’re the only person I’ve met so far. I can’t just go
asking a stranger. So I guess I’m stuck with you,” I say, trying to
sound as forlorn and resigned as possible.
    “Stuck with me,” Gabriel repeats, nodding at
the idea. “I like that. Makes me think I can get away with more.
Maybe I will.”
    Oh shitballs.
    “You know, Nora,” he says, “you can go alone
if you must go. I wouldn’t want my sad existence to distract from
your wonderful day.”
    “That’s okay,” I respond, “I’m used to having
my day distracted.” As though on cue, a stab of nausea hits me and
I wheeze, grabbing my thin stomach.
    Gabriel’s shrewd expression turns to alarm.
“Are you okay?”
    I nod silently with closed eyes, a long
breath expelling from my lungs. “I think so… it’s anxiety. I didn’t
know I had it but apparently I do. Going to school, being away from
home for the first time, leaving my parents – something is causing
it. I can’t even eat. I’ve tried twice today and both times I
couldn’t.”
    “You must eat, Nora,” Gabriel says sternly.
“You need nutrients to survive.”
    I blink away my dissonance. “I know that,” I
say. “But, like, seriously – I feel like I’m going to throw up if I
eat. I thought yesterday was going to be the worst, but today is
worse. I hope the trend doesn’t continue.”
    “Yeah,” Gabriel says, staring into my eyes,
“me too.”
    “At least class was good,” I tell him weakly.
“It distracted me from the pain for a while. Have you had class
yet?”
    Gabriel’s hands stretch out behind him,
resting on the bench and holding his weight. “No. I’ve got one
class and it’s once a week.”
    I thought I was lazy. “Why only
one?”
    “I only felt like taking one,” he says,
shrugging. “I have other business to attend to while I am here.”
Turquoise eyes are hinting at something more, but his mouth isn’t
following suit. Instead, his hand goes into the pocket of his green
robes and pulls forth something that looks like a compass.
    “What’s that?” I ask as Gabriel opens the
device.
    The thing looks exactly like a compass except
that the needle is a long, sharp tooth. Its bottom, jagged edge is
glazed in red. His brow furrowing, Gabriel studies the mechanism.
Several moments pass with no answer.
    “Well?” I follow up.
    He gazes over at me, looking almost surprised
I’m still here. “Oh, sorry. I was just studying this.”
    “I know,” I say impatiently, “I was just
watching you study it. What is it?”
    “A Vampass,” Gabriel answers
matter-of-factly. “Great for when you’re looking for certain types
of people. One kind of person in particular, actually. Doesn’t work
well with most others. A fantastic tool for us who need it.”
    “What do you mean by ‘us who need it’?” I ask
him.
    “Nothing,” Gabriel says quickly, “forget I
said it.”
    “I can’t,” I respond.
    His gaze hardens. “Try, at least.”
    “Can I see that?” I ask, reaching for it.
    Gabriel snaps the Vampass shut. “No,” he
says, and deposits it back in his robes.
    I stare at where I know it’s hidden, making a
mental note to go through his robes at the first chance I get to
investigate this device. Although the first time I may be able to
go through his robes will be when –
    “Okay,” Gabriel says, interrupting my