In Ruins (A Black Falls High Novel Book 1) Read online

  In Ruins

  A Black Falls High Novel

  K.G. Reuss

  Book One

  Contents

  Newsletter

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  About the Author

  Also by K.G. Reuss

  In Ruins: A Black Falls High Novel © 2020 K.G. Reuss

  * * *

  Copyright notice: All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  * * *

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  * * *

  Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.”

  * * *

  Cover art by Infinity Books Covers

  Edited by N-D-Scribable Services

  Sign up for K.G.’s newsletter to stay updated on all the things happening in her freakishly ghoulish world. You'll also receive episode one of her new short story series, The Blood Legacy Saga, a paranormal romance. https://storyoriginapp.com/giveaways/1bfeb040-d679-11e9-8fe5-2fd907134791

  Speak softly and carry a big stick.

  Theodore Roosevelt

  To anyone scared to try something new. Do it.

  Due to dark content, reader discretion advised.

  Prologue

  “Fox! Wait!” I squealed as I panted, trying to keep up with my best friend.

  He stopped in the thick foliage and turned to me, a giant smile on his boyish face, his blue eyes sparkling. Tiny beads of sweat dotted his forehead. My heart trembled in my chest at the sight of him. It had been doing that a lot lately whenever I was near him.

  I swallowed down those butterflies and caught up to him. With an easy smile, he took my hand in his and pulled me through the thick forest. He didn’t release me until we stood beneath the old oak tree where our treehouse was suspended in the mighty branches.

  “Dad said he’s going to add onto it for us,” Fox said as he stared up at the treehouse. It wasn’t small by any means, but it wasn’t large. Kurt, Fox’s dad, had a thing for building things. He’d built the treehouse for us on Fox’s sixth birthday. He’d added windows, a slide, and ropes for climbing. Fox could bring anyone he wanted out there, but my best friend and neighbor only ever chose me.

  It was our spot. He promised it always would be.

  Mom said Fox would outgrow me as we got older. I glanced at him as he stared up at the treehouse, throwing out new ideas for adding an upstairs to it complete with a rope ladder. We were going to be thirteen soon. Girls had taken notice of Fox since school started a few months ago. I’d watch from the background as he laughed and started making new friends. He’d started playing more sports, particularly football, and had recently started hanging out with the cool kids—Cole, Enzo, and Ethan. They didn’t even know I existed.

  Fox wouldn’t leave me behind, though. He promised.

  “Maybe your dad can put one of those windows on the ceiling,” I offered as Fox grabbed hold of the rope hanging from the small balcony and began hoisting himself up with ease.

  “That’d be cool!” Fox called out as he climbed to the top and looked down at me. “Come on, Rosie! Take the rope up.”

  I looked to the swinging rope and frowned. There was no way I’d be able to climb it.

  “You can do,” Fox shouted from above, waving me up with a smile on his face.

  Dang the butterflies in my tummy as their wings beat wildly. I grabbed that rope, desperately wanting to make him happy.

  “Wrap your foot around the rope and use it as a step,” Fox instructed, his brows crinkled as I slid down the rope with a whimper. “Try again, Rosie! Come on! I know you can do it!”

  I nodded and swallowed hard before grabbing the thick rope again, vowing I’d make it to the top. With every ounce of energy I had, I pulled and fought my way up, sometimes sliding down, my hands burning.

  “Almost! You almost have it!”

  With a final pull, I reached to the edge of the balcony. Fox’s warm hands greeted me as he helped me the rest of the way, a massive smile on his handsome face.

  I let out a squeak of air as he wrapped me in a tight embrace.

  “You did it. I knew you could,” he whispered, his breath sending goosebumps through my body as it tickled the shell of my ear. “I didn’t doubt you for a minute.”

  He released me, that smile I loved so much still on his face, and took my hand, tugging me into the treehouse. Amy, his mom, had brought up bean bags and a thick carpet for us before the start of summer since we’d been spending more time there. Kurt had left a cooler in a corner and had mentioned filling it for us before we left.

  Fox went to the cooler and pulled out two cold sodas and handed me one.

  “Your dad is so cool,” I said, taking the soda from him.

  “He left some snacks too,” Fox replied, nodding at the small table behind me. He was right. Bags of chips and cookies sat there. “Mom said not to ruin dinner, but I think she forgot we’re staying out here tonight. I don’t know how though. She had Dad bring out clean sleeping bags for us.”

  I giggled and snatched a cookie from a package. “Your mom is cool too. I love her.” I bit into my chocolate chip cookie and sighed. Glancing back to Fox, I caught him staring at me, a strange look on his face.

  “What?” I asked awkwardly, covering my mouth before I blew crumbs out.

  He shook his head and went to the lantern and lit it. “Nothing.”

  “It’s something,” I prodded, settling down on an oversized bean bag and watching him as he moved to claim his spot beside me, not bothering with his own bean bag.

  “Bean bag hog,” I grumbled as he wiggled next to me.

  “This one is mine. Mine is black, yours is pink. Remember?”

  I scoffed. “Pink clashes with my hair.”

  Fox chuckled and picked up one of my long, red braids, a tiny smile playing up the corner of his lips. “I love your hair. It’s so cool.”

  I blushed beneath his compliment.

  “I, um, like yours too.”

  Fox sn
orted and rolled his eyes as he snagged a cookie from me. “My hair’s black. There’s nothing fancy about it.”

  “There is to me.” I shrugged, my heart beating fast. Fox smiled again. He always smiled when we were together. Even I smiled more.

  “Then I guess we’re even, Rosie. We both have cool hair.” He bit into his cookie and chewed in silence for a moment. “Want to tell ghost stories?”

  I looked out the window. Darkness had settled. I always cringed whenever Fox wanted to tell stories. He was a pretty good storyteller and had some of the spookiest stories I’d ever heard.

  “OK,” I agreed, cringing.

  He reached over and turned down the lantern, so it was only a dim orange glow in the treehouse. Then he grabbed one of the sleeping bags and draped it over us before he pulled the other bean bag beneath our legs, so we had a makeshift bed.

  I snuggled against his chest, listening to the even beating of his heart. The soft whoosh of air as he breathed in and out added extra comfort. He rested his arm over my shoulders before launching into his story about a monster from the lake who could only come on land once every twenty-five years.

  “What does he do when he comes on land?” I asked, my voice shaking as Fox paused his story.

  “He takes virgins to the murky depths and feasts on their bones. His watery home is made from the bones of his victims. Sometimes when you sit on the beach at night, you can hear them cry out for mercy over the sound of the waves.”

  “Why would he do that to someone?” I ventured, both scared and curious about the monster Fox claimed existed in our lake.

  “Because he can, Rosie. Does he need more reason than that?”

  I shook me head as Fox gave me a squeeze.

  “Your turn. Tell me a story now.”

  I bit my lip. I didn’t have a story. Mine always sucked and made him laugh instead of being afraid.

  “So, um, once there was this guy with a hook for a hand—”

  “Rosie,” Fox groaned. “Come on! That’s so cliché! Everyone knows that story!”

  “I don’t have one. Scary stories freak me out, Fox. I get scared to go to sleep.”

  “Why?”

  I shrugged against him. “I don’t know. I don’t want to get eaten by a monster. And I always believe you when you tell me stuff.”

  Fox lifted my chin up with his finger, his dark brows crinkled. “Always?”

  I nodded. “Always.”

  His blue eyes raked over my face for a moment before he spoke. “Then believe this. I’d never let the monsters get you, Rosie. I’ll always chase them away. I’d hunt each and every one of them down before I let them near you.”

  “Promise?” I whispered, my voice trembling as he leaned in.

  “Promise.” His warm lips met mine in a gentle, curious kiss, his fingers trailing along my jaw.

  “You kissed me,” I breathed out when he pulled away.

  He smiled down at me. “You kissed me back.”

  “T-that was my first kiss.” I touched my fingers to my lips, the tingle from his still buzzing through them.

  “Mine too,” he whispered, his cheeks flushing pink. “But I wanted it to be with you. I kinda had this thought all our firsts would be together. We’re best friends forever, Rosie.”

  “I wanted it to be with you too,” I admitted before going quiet. When I spoke, my voice cracked, “Do you promise forever, Fox?”

  “Yes,” he murmured. “I promise. Nothing will ever come between us. Best friends are forever, right? Me and you, always, Rosie. Do you promise?”

  “I promise, Fox.” I snuggled against him, my heart fluttering like mad in my chest.

  Fox had kissed me. He kissed me!

  And he promised forever.

  I only wished I’d known forever would only last a week until everything fell apart.

  One

  “Get on your knees and lick my shoes, freak,” Juliet Croft hissed at me, her dark eyes filled with malice.

  “Juliet, I’m sorry—"

  She let out a cackle, drawing more attention to us in the school cafeteria. Juliet was the school’s mean queen. She had it all and still thrived to make my life a living hell. Being cheer captain and Miss Popularity wasn’t enough apparently because there I was standing in the middle of the cafeteria with her demanding I lick her shoes like I was some kind of animal.

  “Bitch, did you not hear what I said?” Juliet’s ugly glare hardened, her red lips twisted into a deep sneer that made me shake where I stood. Her girl group of scavenging pigs all looked at me with smug expressions on their faces.

  Lick her shoes or lick the ground. I knew they’d put me to the floor. Either way, I’d be licking something other than my wounds by the time this encounter was over. They’d made it their life’s missions to screw with me.

  My only ally was my best friend Jamie. Mr. Batess held her after chemistry class because of a low test score. We traveled everywhere together, knowing full well what being alone in our high school meant, at least for me. This, however, was a fight I’d have to battle on my own.

  The snickers and quiet laughter from everyone watching the scene unfold had my stomach twisted in painful knots. My palms were sweating. Each breath ripped harshly from my chest.

  I had to get out of this nightmare.

  “I-I didn’t mean to bump into you,” I started, swallowing the lump in my throat. “It was an accident.”

  “Accidents aren’t free, honey.” Juliet took a step closer to me, flipping her nest of blonde hair over her slender shoulder. I held my ground despite my quaking body. “They’re mistakes, and you have to pay for your mistakes. That’s how this works. Now get on your knees and lick the food off my shoes like a good little bitch.”

  “Get on the floor like she told you or get put there,” Melissa Thompson, one of her goons, threatened me as she mimicked the same hair flip Juliet had done. Her dark curls fell back across her shoulder.

  Juliet’s lips curled up into a wicked grin. She had backup. She knew it. I knew it. Fighting the inevitable was impossible. I was a nobody at Black Falls High.

  I dropped to my knees, my face burning with humiliation. The silence in the cafeteria was deafening. My pulse thundered in my ears. Everyone was waiting for my next move.

  I let out a whimper of pain as Juliet fisted my ponytail, pulling it so hard I thought she’d pull it straight out of my head. Loose red curls escaped from my hair tie, cascading over my shoulders. She tugged my head back, so I was staring up at her.

  “Say you’re sorry for getting food on my shoes.”

  “I’m sorry for getting food on your shoes,” I croaked, a tear slipping down my cheek as she yanked my hair harder.

  “Now clean up the mess you made.” She released my hair, shoving me aside.

  I tumbled over, righting myself before I hit my head. On my hands and knees before her, I silently cursed my existence as a nobody.

  Letting go of my dignity because I knew a beating would come if I didn’t, I leaned forward, ready to lick the salad dressing off her perfectly pink pump.

  “Enough,” a deep voice boomed out, freezing me in my spot. I knew that voice.

  Fox Evans.

  Football quarterback. One of the most popular guys in school. Hot as fire. And my former best friend. I’d grown up with Fox. We’d been so close as kids that I thought nothing could tear us apart. Hell, he even promised me nothing would.

  He was a liar, and I hated him with every ounce of my being.

  We’d grown apart after Fox’s mom died in a car accident when we’d hit middle school. We went from promising forever to one another to him withdrawing from me. He became popular and left me behind. Now I was just a nerd on her knees, ready to the lick the shoes of her tormentor.

  “Hey, baby,” Juliet cooed.

  Fox’s expensive trainers came into my line of sight as I stared at the floor. In my moment of despair, I’d forgotten Fox was dating Juliet. It was a great way to twist the knife.

>   “What the hell are you doing?” Fox’s voice was a low growl.

  “Having this bitch clean up the mess she made.”

  “Have some class, Juliet. This is bullshit and over-the-top, even for you.”

  “Baby—"

  “Get up,” Fox snapped at me, completely ignoring Juliet.

  I wasted no time getting to my feet, hanging my head in shame. Again, the cafeteria was silent. Had any of the teachers been there, I may have been safe for a moment, but no. It was just us students left to our own devices. Evil devices.

  “What the hell is the matter with you?”

  I thought he was talking to Juliet, so I didn’t answer as I silently prayed for an escape.

  “Freakshow, he’s talking to you.” Juliet reached out and gave me a shove.

  I stumbled back, catching myself before I tumbled onto the lap of the person sitting behind me.

  “I-I said I was sorry,” I started, my voice cracking. I hadn’t intended on looking at Fox, but I locked my gaze on his, my heart banging painfully in my chest. He was so handsome it hurt. Muscular, full lips, dark hair, blue eyes that were so bright they looked like they were peering through my soul. I’d always loved his eyes. I hadn’t looked into them in a long time. Not since we were twelve, and he gave me my first kiss in our tree fort in the woods on his parents’ property. Not since he’d stared me down in his driveway and told me we couldn’t be friends anymore.