Read The Grimm Chronicles, Vol.1 for Free Online Page B

It had been easy, but that didn’t mean I hadn’t worried myself nearly to death the hour before we arrived at class. Edward, Tricia, Seth and I had approached the school as if we were heading to a funeral. Tricia especially had looked more pale than usual. Edward … not so much. He was always confident about the classes.
    The rabbit caught up again. “Boy, you gave that snake a lickin’.” He popped his paws in front of him. “Pow! Right in the old kisser. Just in time, too. That sucker was getting bigger and bigger, so help me.”
    “You talk like you’re from the South,” I said. “You have a southern accent. That makes this whole situation even more ridiculous. I’ve never been to the South!”
    “I am from the South,” the rabbit said, laughing. “And I’ll have you know over the years I’ve made a point of tempering my so-called accent . I slip sometimes when I get excited, though.”
    “This is insane!” I shouted to the sky, picking up my pace.
    “Now you slow yourself,” the rabbit called out.
    “No!” I began jogging. The soles of my feet hurt. Of all the days to wear flats. Behind me, I could hear the rabbit huffing and puffing, trying to keep up. I ran faster.
    At home, I locked the door behind me, then ran through the dining room into the kitchen, locking the sliding glass door that led to our little wooden porch. My parents weren’t home, of course. Every free morning they had, they played 18 holes of golf. They would be gone all afternoon, which meant I would be alone for the entire afternoon. With my crazy, crazy thoughts.
    I went to my bedroom and opened the window a crack to let in some fresh air. Mom had made my bed, tucking the dark gray sheets tightly into the mattress. My bedside table had been cleared of makeup, leaving only my black alarm clock and my collection of feathers sitting in the green vase I’d made my freshman year. The eggshell carpeting was freshly vacuumed. All of my bras that had been lying on the floor were gone, presumably in the pink hamper in my little closet.
    “Mom,” I muttered.
    “She likes a clean house, I guess.”
    I spun around. There, leaning against my dresser next to the window, was the rabbit.
    “I’ll call the police!”
    The rabbit chuckled. “Boy, what a sight that would make!”
    “Look,” I said. “I realize something’s going on here, OK? I accept it. This is real. But … but I still have an exam to worry about!”
    The rabbit waved my excuse away. “Oh come now. Your last exam is your fencing class, and we both know how good you are.”
    I was momentarily taken aback. “OK, well, I didn’t think you would call me out on that lie. Still, I can’t deal with this. That giant snake I just killed? That’s a lot to take in.”
    “Agreed,” said the rabbit. He looked around. “Where are your parents?”
    “They golf,” I said. “All the time. All the time . Any day they’re both free for any reason and it’s not raining, they’re golfing. It’s the thing to do when you hit your mid-forties, I guess.”
    “Golf,” the rabbit said. “Never tried it.”
    “Look, can I please just take a nap?” I asked. “I really need sleepy time.”
    “Tell you what: let me tell you a story and then I’ll be on my way. How’s that for fair?”
    “Fine,” I said, sitting on my bed. “Tell your story.”
    The rabbit stood straight, smoothing out his brown vest with his paws. “Well, I think we should introduce ourselves first.”
    “Are you kidding? Fine. My name is Alice.”
    The rabbit bowed low. “Br’er Rabbit, at your service.”
    “Br’er Rabbit?” I asked. “As in the old fairy tale rabbit that always tricked Br’er Fox?”
    The rabbit nodded. “The very same, young lady, although my friends call me Briar. A little nickname from where I was born and bred. And it’s a pleasure to finally meet you, by the way.”
    I laughed. “Unbelievable. Are you kidding me?”
    “I enjoy a good joke as much as the next