Page 55 of War Games

I groaned, wondering if I really wanted to put myself through all that. I relented, knowing Gwen liked having the entire family together for the holidays. When she called and cried about how I was thinking about skipping this painful ritual, I felt it came from a good place. She just wanted her entire family there. My parents just wanted to find everything they could wrong about me, and skipping important family holidays to them must mean I was being a delinquent somewhere else.

I sat down in my regular spot at the table, staying quiet as food was passed around. I listened to Gwen say grace, always doing it so perfectly, so my parents asked her to every year.

“You couldn’t change into something nicer to sit down at the table?” our mother asked me once Gwen was done.

“There’s never been a dress code when it’s just us,” I said, not sure why this was going to be my mom’s line of attack this time. I looked at Gwen finally, taking in how she had switched her t-shirt for a blouse while I had been outside.

God fucking damn it, Gwen. We were both fine in jeans and t-shirts, and you’ve gone and upped their expectations on me again.

“I didn’t even bring anything like that with me this time,” I admitted, pointing at Gwen’s top.

“Then you won’t be in the family photos this year,” our father said, shaking his head. “Not looking like a slob. I want to use these for the Christmas cards.”

I glared at him, unable to stop my temper from snapping.

“And you think smelling like some other woman’s perfume is acceptable?” I growled. “Because you do. It’s really fucking obvious. How could you do that to Mom?”

I didn’t see it coming.

My mother reached across the table and slapped mehard.

“You will not destroy this family by starting obscene rumors and causing drama, Jacqueline. Get out.”

I rocked back from the power of her slap. Without a word, I got up from the table and walked out, grabbed the first jacket I could get my hands on from the coat rack, and left.

It was bitterly cold outside now, snow beginning to fall as the sun was going down once again. My cheek burned because of how hard she slapped me. My eyes burned from the deeper wound she had torn across my heart.

I ran into the trees, not paying attention to where I was going, fighting the tears that would freeze on my cheek if I let them free. I had no idea where to go or what to do. I couldn’t go home. There was no way I could go home.

It was pitch black by the time I stopped running, panting as I leaned against a tree. I slid down, closing my eyes.

21

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Shivering from the cold, I knew I couldn’t stay outside forever. I had to find somewhere to stay. It felt like I was frozen stiff when I stood back up.

I had no idea where to go, so I just started walking. My head was fuzzy as I trudged alone. It was so damn cold, I figured that was the problem. I couldn’t find any good trails, cutting through underbrush to get anywhere, to find anything.

There was a snap of a branch that wasn’t me, and I stopped, trying to find the source of the sound. Fear filled me as something told me it hadn’t been an innocent sound. That fear drove me to start walking again, cutting through the underbrush loudly as I tried to pick up speed and keep moving. I didn’t know what was following me, and I really didn’t want to find out.

I reached a river, unfrozen but surrounded by snow. I knew it was going to be cold, but the water looked calm, and I had no other options. I went for it, sliding down the bank and into the river, swimming as hard as I could to get across as I heard whatever was following stopped and growled. My lungs felt tight as I gasped for air, every muscle fighting against me as I tried to get across the river.

Shivering hard on the other side, I pulled myself out of the water and climbed up the bank. It wasn’t until then that I turned around to see what followed me.

A massive sabretooth cat snarled at me. Its gold eyes were unnaturally bright as it paced on the far side of the bank, unwilling to cross the river for now. It was bigger than any lion I had ever seen in the zoo, including the giant males.

I felt as if I recognized it, but that only added to my terror as I scrambled farther away from the bank.

It could have attacked me at any time… oh my God, it could have killed me and didn’t. Where is this sense of déjà vu coming from? What…

I pulled my jacket around myself tighter, shivering as I got to my feet and started running again. As I ran as fast I could to get away from it, it roared, a sound that felt like it shook the world around me.

“Help!” I screamed as I broke into a clearing, hoping anyone could help me or even just hear me. All around me was snow lit by the crescent moon, and I stopped running, grateful for the light and unwilling to go back into the dark forest.

It’s full of monsters.

Something responded to that call for help, though, and it wasn’t anyone who could help me. Green glowed in the dark, and I stumbled back, falling into the snow.

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