It was two in the evening and Raven walked down their small town's streets, staring at the sun-streaked sidewalks.
It was almost four in the afternoon, school ended at three, but it took almost an hour to walk home.
Yes, she could drive, but she didn't really feel like it today.
Though, Jae drove her own car to school, and because she lived a mile in the other direction—and that she had her club today—Raven knew she couldn't drive her home.
She didn't really feel bothered by the walk, though... Because her mind was occupied elsewhere...
Malachi...
He knew things... little things... that kind of rubbed her the wrong way...
He knew how to irritate her... which was actually really hard to do...
He knew her nickname... and she would've brushed that off because anyone named Raven would probably have that nickname, but... he knew her best friend called her that...
There could be a valid reason for that... Malachi and Jae could've known each other from the past... it could've been why Jae had a surprised look when Raven had to sit next to him...
Maybe she dated him in the past?
Wait... no... that wouldn't make any sense...
She and Raven have been friends since they were born... and if she were dating someone as mischievous as Malachi, wouldn't she have told Raven...?
She didn't seem to hide things like that from her...
That... and Jae's expression wasn't just shock... it had something dark in it... not jealousy, though almost...
Uncertainty...
It could've been that Malachi was one of those boys who got in trouble a lot... he seemed the type to get into fights or something... and Jae was wary about those types...
Another thing was edging at Raven's mind, though...
The fact that Malachi knew her favorite song.. and artist... and that he had a full paragraph of traits on her when they haven't even spoken before...
It was odd and nerve racking...
Her favorite song wasn't even known... and when she said "I don't sing" he knew she was lying...
What the hell was going on...?
A sudden thought crossed her mind...
Was he a part of the attack on her parents...? The doctors said it was a mugging... but...
Her mom told her in her hospital bed...
You need to be careful... they're coming after you...
Raven blew it off again because the doctors told her it was the meds her mom was on... they could've made her delusional...
She needed to stop brushing things off...
She pulled the paper with Malachi's phone number out of her pocket...
And she needed to get some answers...
At school, she thought he was being an ass, so she was going to dump this in the trash can on her way out...
But deep inside... she knew it was a horrible idea... though she didn't know why...
It was an instinct that popped up every-once-and-a-while.
Though she never questioned it because it was always correct.
So she pulled out her cell and typed in his number.
YOU ARE READING
Corrupted (EXCERPT)
Teen Fiction"Love can be dangerous, Ray. And we both know, YOU CRAVE DANGER." Dark... evil... demented... That's what Raven Magicae fell for... The exact definition of monster. In her nightmares, she'd dream of him standing over piles of dead bodies... eyes so...
