Read Pivotal Moments (In Time #1) for Free Online Page A

breathlessness, and a cold sweat. I’d heard they sometimes required a trip to emergency room. It would take an actual trip to the ER to get out of this damn excursion into hell, better known as Lake Wimico. I was so not ready for this.
    It had taken hours to fall asleep the night before. All I could do was toss and turn, agonizing over every word and gesture exchanged between me and Teagan. Everything I had said and done was cause for embarrassment, and I groaned again, pulling the covers up over my head. I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t face him today.
    I was rolling over to bury my head in the pillow when I registered the sound of breathing. Inside my room. Barely breathing, I waited. There it was again. My heart skipped a beat, then picked up double-time.
    Someone was watching me.
    I lay under the covers, paralyzed. The worst part was, I’d been rolling all over my bed, and now whoever it was knew I was awake. I really had only one choice—to get the hell out of my room.
    The bed dipped slightly, as if someone were leaning on it, then came a barely audible chuckle. My muscles tensed. Whatever it was, I couldn’t fight it. I had to get out. And I needed to make sure Mom was okay.
    The bed dipped down even more. I could feel someone’s body heat, and in the low light, I could just make out the figure, leaning closer to me. Then a low, hoarse whisper—“Aislinn?”
    That’s it, all bets were off. I screamed. Throwing myself off the side of the bed, I executed a combat roll to the floor. Gasping for breath, I scrambled to my feet and flew to the closed door. Why wouldn’t the damn doorknob turn? I clawed at the mechanism until muscle memory kicked in, and I yanked the door open.
    I sprinted out, jamming my pinky toe in the door jamb, and headed for the stairs, stumbling in pain. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I once again left my mother behind—I’d deal with the guilt later. I was about to launch myself down the stairs to make my escape when another noise registered.
    Laughter?
    I paused, foot poised to take the first step, and listened. Yes, that was definitely someone laughing. At me. What the…?
    I turned and did a hobbling tiptoe back to my bedroom, only to shriek when the door was flung open. Penny. I silenced and narrowed my eyes at her as she giggled like a loon.
    “You’re such a bitch,” I groused, shoving her out of my way. I stomped back to my bed, ignoring the pain.
    She followed me, grinning. “That was freaking awesome!” She wiped away the hysterical tears and added, “God, Ash, I haven’t got you like that in years.”
    I glared at her. “So glad I could be of amusement.” I looked at the clock and narrowed my eyes. “What the hell, Pen? It’s not even seven yet,” I grumbled.
    She shrugged. “Yeesh, I know. Thought I’d shake it up a bit.” She gestured to my nightstand. “I knew you’d set that thing for sure. Had to change my M.O. around.”
    My irritation amped up to border anger when she winked at me. Like she expected a laugh. I growled in displeasure, but she just shrugged again, clearly not respecting my current level of annoyance. My jaw cracked with a sudden unexpected yawn, and I decided it was too early to really care.
    With that thought, I pulled back my blankets and flopped into the cushy softness. I was getting my extra hour. Penny waited until I was nice and comfortable to snatch the covers away. When I opened my eyes to glare at her, Penny was standing at the front of the bed, a look of triumph on her face.
    “What the hell is your issue today?” I whined. It was so not the time for this.
    Penny smirked. “You wanted me, you got me.” She pointed to the two bags sitting next to my desk. “We have work to do. Get up!”
    Pounding on the door redirected my exasperation. “What the hell is going on in here?” Mom demanded as she opened the door. Her face was scrunched with irritation, and seeing Penny, she sighed, shaking her head. “Never mind. Just keep the