How to Live and Die in Crescent Rock (Crescent Rock Series) Read online

  How to Live and Die

  in Crescent Rock

  by Bree Wolf

  (#1 Crescent Rock Series)

  Text copyright © 2013 Sabrina Wolf

  All Rights Reserved

  To my sister, the most inspirational pain in the butt I ever knew

  To my father, who reads everything I throw at him

  About the Book

  In the small town of Crescent Rock, located in the most southern dip of North Carolina, high school senior and head of the cheerleading squad QUINN MCPHERSON leads a life … almost like the majority of her peers all over the country. Ruling her school with a firm hand, always followed by an entourage of personality-lacking wanna-bes dying to be just like her, Quinn takes the control she’s always had over her life and those in it as a given. Her word is obeyed, followed to the point and never challenged.

  Until one night sends her perfectly structured life into a tailspin – literally.

  As her car threatens to spin off the road, Quinn is saved in the last moment by a handsome new-comer who – as she soon discovers – is more than human, and his presence in town is not a coincidence. Although he’s never met her, ARNAUD DE LA ROCHE came to save her life. From that moment on, as one near-death situation pours into another, Quinn is constantly torn between feeling grateful for the safety of his presence and the almost desperate urge to claw his eyes out. Finding in Arnaud an equally strong mind, not used to backing down or taking orders, Quinn soon finds herself infuriated whenever she lays eyes on him. Not even when more and more supernaturals come pouring into Crescent Rock and dark secrets are dragged into the light of day are they able to set aside their differences.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1 – Rules of Engagement

  Chapter 2 – Kingdom Mine

  Chapter 3 – A Changing Tide

  Chapter 4 – And So It Begins

  Chapter 5 – More Heat

  Chapter 6 – A Call Answered

  Chapter 7 – Maybe, Maybe Not

  Chapter 8 – Hidden Wickedness

  Chapter 9 – Small Oddities

  Chapter 10 – In the Dark of Night

  Chapter 11 – Dead and Kicking

  Chapter 12 – Curse the Darkness

  Chapter 13 – She Who Fails to Plan

  Chapter 14 – The Heart of the Matter

  Chapter 15 – Silenced

  Chapter 16 – Consequences and Implications

  Chapter 17 – Upside Down

  Chapter 18 – By the Light of the Moon

  Chapter 19 – A New Taste

  Chapter 20 – The Morning After

  Chapter 21 – Highs and Lows, and In-Betweens

  Chapter 22 – Far, Far Away

  Chapter 23 – Team Effort

  Chapter 24 – Werewolf 101

  Chapter 25 – Referee Guy

  Chapter 26 – A Debt Repaid

  Chapter 27 – Fine Print

  Chapter 28 – Before My Time

  Chapter 29 – Stories

  Chapter 30 – The Dearly Departed

  Chapter 31 – A Dead Giveaway

  Chapter 32 – A Second Self

  Chapter 33 – Cross-border Cooperation

  Chapter 34 – Dead on Target

  Chapter 35 – Wait Not

  Chapter 36 – Killed By Attitude

  Chapter 37 – Blast from the Past

  Chapter 38 – Fallen

  Chapter 39 – It Began with Trust

  Chapter 40 – Dilemma

  Chapter 41 – The Hours That Are Passed

  Chapter 42 – What Once Was Lost

  Chapter 1 – Rules of Engagement

  “Quinn! For crying out loud, get your butt down here! We’re gonna be late!” Cora whined at the foot of the stairs. Impatiently, she tapped her colorless, long-since outdated sneaker on the pine floorboards.

  Grabbing her book bag, Quinn gave her reflection one last appreciative glance and walked downstairs. “If you’re so concerned about being late, why don’t you drive yourself? Oh wait, you can’t. You’re just a child!” She ignored her sister’s angry glare, strolled down the cobblestone path from the front door to the driveway and got into her father’s old jeep. The sun was barely up a few hours and already beating down.

  “You’re such an ass!” Cora complained. Climbing into the passenger seat, she continued to glare at her sister.

  Quinn just smiled. “You know, if you’re acting like a child, maybe I should make you sit in the back.”

  “You wouldn’t!”

  Starting the engine, Quinn backed out of the driveway. “Don’t try me!”

  “I’m not a child, but you sure are an ass!” Cora hissed, sulking down in her seat.

  Turning on the air-conditioning, Quinn shook her head. “You know, sticking out your lower lip and pouting is something a five-year-old would do, not someone who just started high school.” As they stopped at a red traffic light, Quinn turned to her sister. “Look, I know you suck at fighting – that’s pretty obvious – but the least you could do is hold your head up high.”

  A car honked behind them and Quinn drove across the intersection, turning south onto Cypress Road at the next junction. Cora didn’t utter another word. She stared out the window, arms crossed, but Quinn still noticed her straightening up in her seat and raising her chin.

  The parking lot of Crescent Rock High bustled with students. Most of them were heading to class, while only a few brave ones still lingered by their cars, exchanging the latest gossip. As soon as their car came to a still stand, Cora jumped out and ran across the lawn to the main entrance. Shaking her head at her sister, Quinn turned off the engine, grabbed her book bag from the backseat and strolled to class.

  The school building had once been a manor house from the time of the revolutionary war and had only been turned into an educational facility a few decades ago. Adding another wing to both sides of the main entrance, the builders had been careful not to destroy the southern charm that came with the vaulted roof, the high-ceilinged white-washed pillars and the long rows of white double-hung sash windows equipped with wooden shutters. Every year the shutters received a new layer of paint, midnight blue with a silver border – the school colors.

  Walking down the air-conditioned hallway, Quinn’s steps echoed on the old oak parquet, announcing her arrival long before she opened the door to her classroom.

  “And who do we have here?” Ms. Grainer mused as she lifted her sharp eyes off the book in her hands. She pushed back the glasses on her nose with a disapproving look at Quinn. “If this isn’t our dear Miss Goldilocks,” she chided. “Late again!”

  Quinn shrugged, pushing back a strand of her blonde curls. “What can I say? Perfection takes time.”

  The class cheered, but as Ms. Grainer turned her stare on them, they instantly fell silent. Their math teacher was by all means a tiny woman, slender with just enough body weight to keep her from being blown away in the storms that occasionally rolled through the small town of Crescent Rock, North Carolina. But her eyes could shoot bolts of lightning at those unfortunate enough to get on her bad side. Luckily, it took a lot of misdeeds to unleash Ms. Grainer’s wrath so that few had ever seen her at her gruesome best.

  “I will make sure to find you a perfect homework assignment then,” Ms. Grainer said, smiling sweetly. “If that is alright with you?”

  Taking her seat in the center of the room, Quinn nodded graciously. “But of course, no need to ask.” They had been playing this game for a while now, and Quinn was more than happy to trade early arrivals for a bit more homework. As far as she was concerned, there was nothi
ng worse than rising before the sun did. Even if that only applied to the dark months of winter. Early was early, no matter what the sun did.

  “Alright, since we’re in agreement, let’s turn our attention back to square roots.” A general moan of displeasure rose into the air and Ms. Grainer’s head snapped up, eyes sparkling mischievously. “If you’re feeling neglected, I will be more than happy to find all of you an extra homework assignment.” Many pairs of eyes went wide with shock, and Ms. Grainer was quickly assured that there was nothing they’d rather do than calculate square roots.

  Quinn smiled. Ms. Grainer had a slightly sadistic and yet endearing side to her that made students jump in alarm when she was around, but that had also gotten her elected Teacher of the Year three times in a row.

  “Miss Know-it-all, would you care for the next task?” That was another one of Ms. Grainer’s quirks. She couldn’t recall names if her life depended on it. Quinn didn’t remember her ever referring to anyone by their real name. Attitude however was a different matter.

  Miss Know-it-all rose from her chair and started writing on the blackboard. Her real name was Missy Hunter and she was the most beautiful girl in school – it was as simple as that. Her finely-chiseled face had a soft olive tone and was framed by waist-long, black hair. Her flowing mane was as dark as the night but shone silver-blue in the sun. Her eyes glistened in a clear blue, sometimes light, sometimes dark. Her body was slender but strong, like that of an athlete, but at the same time she moved with such grace, which made the eyes of those around her sting with envy. The only ominous thing was that she didn’t seem to care. She should have been at the top of the social hierarchy, torturing those below her, breaking hearts, and rallying the most popular of the popular around her to secure her position. But for whatever reason, she refused to be the person nature had meant her to be. Missy was neither mean nor manipulative. Although she had an aura of superiority about her, she was kind and caring. Why she was so odd, no one knew. Much less understood. She was part of no group or club. Although she got along fine with everyone, she didn’t even have a best friend. She rarely showed up to social events of any kind and if she did, she didn’t mingle. She always stood apart. No one had ever seen her on a date – which was understandable because no one ever dared to ask her out. Missy Hunter had been like this ever since she’d moved to Crescent Rock a couple of years ago. No one knew why and by now people had stopped wondering. She was who she was. There didn’t seem to be an interesting reason behind it.

  Since Missy refused to demand her rightful place in the spotlight, Quinn had gratefully filled that vacancy. As head cheerleader, Quinn knew what was expected of her. She ruled her school with a strong hand, completely committed to being the person Missy wasn’t. And nature had been kind to her as well. Sure, she was no Missy Hunter. Where Missy was dark, Quinn was light. But the blonde strands cascading down her back, forced into little curls dancing down from her temples, made her shine. She vibrated with life. Her eyes were a dark shade of green set apart from her light skin. But it wasn’t a pale color, not weak, put pulsing with energy. It gave her cheeks a constant rosy blush. No cosmetics needed.

  “As always, superbly solved,” Ms. Grainer praised as Missy had finished the calculation and sat back down at her desk. “Who wants to go next? Any volunteers?” She scanned the class like a predator looking for its next prey, and as though there was only one answer to such a challenge, most had their eyes cast downward, avoiding to meet their teacher’s gaze.

  Quinn looked at them and felt a hint of pity. Not one of them would ever be able to reach their full potential if they couldn’t even hold their heads up high. Glancing to her left, she saw Missy’s unfaltering eyes and found the respect she had for the girl she didn’t understand justified. But nevertheless, Quinn refused to be second to anyone and so she sat up straight and raised her hand.

  “Miss Goldilocks,” Ms. Grainer chirped, handing her the chalk. “The stage is yours.”

  Not intimidated in the least, Quinn set to work. The equation wasn’t difficult and after a few minutes her mode of calculation as well as her solution were praised and she sat back down, nodding to her teacher. It was after all thanks to Ms. Grainer that Quinn had worked her way from a C- to a B+.

  Although Ms. Grainer had first been met with disbelief and then disapproval by parents and teachers alike, she had set firm rules for those on the cheerleading squad. Refusing to have a bunch of blonde dim-wits on her team, Ms. Grainer, who strangely didn’t only teach math but also drilled the cheerleading squad, had one day declared that she would kick any girl off the team who didn’t at least get a B- in math. Since Ms. Grainer was always true to her word, there had been tears from students and angry phone calls from parents after the first class test following her announcement. But Ms. Grainer had not backed down and eventually, all the girls had gotten in line and mastered the challenges of trigonometry and calculus.

  “How long will you keep this up?” Amanda wondered, as the bell freed them from Ms. Grainer and they headed down the corridor to Mr. Mitchell’s English class.

  “Keep what up?” Quinn asked, stopping by her locker to exchange her books.

  “Your tardiness,” Caroline said, intercepting the question. “Aren’t you afraid that she will one day … I don’t know … do something awful?”

  Quinn shook her head. “We have an agreement.”

  “But what if she changes her mind?” Amanda asked.

  “She won’t,” Quinn insisted.

  “How can you be so sure?”

  Quinn looked at them, a growl in her voice as she answered. “I just am. This is how it’s played. Either you catch on or you don’t.” Turning away, she continued down the hall. “But stop asking stupid questions.”

  Slightly hunched over, Amanda and Caroline hurried after her, not saying another word.

  Chapter 2 – Kingdom Mine

  A spacious room with ceiling-high arched windows, the cafeteria overlooked the parking lot and the football field behind it. Along the wall, that separated the dining area from the kitchen, the food counter was set up. From there, students moved on to their tables, which were arranged in little squares, kept apart by medium-height walls.

  With no regard for the line that had already formed, Quinn strode to the front, closely followed by Caroline and Amanda, and filled her tray. No one complained, much less tried to stop her. The school was hers and everyone knew it. Not everyone liked it, but that wasn’t Quinn’s problem. With her entourage following on her heels, Quinn seated herself at her usual table in the middle of the room under the central window. Amanda and Caroline sat to her left and right. Both girls were on the cheerleading squad. Both girls had blonde hair. While Caroline’s was a natural strawberry blonde, Amanda’s was a dye from out of a bottle that didn’t quite cover her brown strands in all places. Void of a personality of her own, Amanda in particular looked like a wannabe double of her idol in the next seat. Sometimes their obsession with her simply amused Quinn and she wondered if either girl had a personality and opinion of her own and just managed to hide them well. But then there were moments when Quinn wished they would just leave her alone and not hang on every word she uttered. Ruling her school was a full-time job that required constant care and attention. A wrong word at the wrong time with the wrong person listening could have devastating consequences.

  “Where is Julia?” Quinn asked, scanning the line at the food counter.

  “She’s not back yet,” Amanda said with her mouth full, chewing noisily.

  Brows knitted together, Quinn glared at her.

  Amanda instantly stopped, taking a napkin to cover her mouth.

  “She called her last night,” Caroline went on, indicating Amanda with a slight nod of her head, “since she couldn’t reach you. Apparently, there is some family thing going on and she has to stay at her grandparents’ a day longer or so.”

  “Only a day?” Quinn asked, picking at her food absent-mindedly. “Or could it be longe
r?”

  Caroline shook her head. “No, she said she’d definitely be back tomorrow.”

  “Good. There is a lot to do before the game on Saturday. I expect all of you to be at practice tomorrow. Tell everyone,” Quinn said, holding up a warning finger. “If any one of you doesn’t show up, Ms. Grainer’s wrath will be the least of your problems.”

  Both girls nodded eagerly and Amanda instantly rose from her chair.

  “Not now,” Quinn snapped. “For crying out loud, finish your food! You seemed so hungry a minute ago.”

  Amanda immediately complied.

  Finishing her French fries, Quinn’s eyes swept over the cafeteria. At the back wall, she spotted her sister in her usual lounge-around style. A pair of washed-out jeans and a plain shirt, her hair gathered in a fuzzy ponytail. Completing the picture were her worn-out sneakers. Why Cora insisted on keeping them was beyond Quinn. She just hoped that her sister’s disadvantageous appearance and her low social status wouldn’t at some point affect Quinn’s own standing.

  Cora was deep in conversation with Jo, her BFF from a year ago. The girl was relatively new to Crescent Rock and just as plain-looking as her sister. From that perspective they were a perfect match.

  When Cora found her sister staring at her, she quickly averted her eyes, but not before Quinn detected a seething anger still present in them. Noticing her friend’s absent-mindedness, Jo glanced over her shoulder and met Quinn’s eyes. Raising her eyebrows in challenge, Quinn waited for her reaction. There was definitely something brewing under the seemingly calm surface of her sister’s friend, but Jo just shot her an angry glance and turned back to the conversation.

  “Look, there’s Andrew Blake,” Caroline whispered.

  Glancing over her left shoulder, Quinn found the quarterback of the football team looking at her. He was just sitting down with his teammates at their usual table. Similar to how she grouped Amanda, Caroline and Julia as well as a few others, who rose and fell in her favor, around herself, he was the center of their attention. If not her equal, he definitely had potential. They had been exchanging a few meaningful looks and veiled words in the last few weeks of the previous school year. Even in summer.