Rebel One (Melkin Series Book 1) Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter 1 - Travis

  Chapter 2 - Lacey

  Chapter 3 - Lacey

  Chapter 4 - Lacey

  Chapter 5 - Lacey

  Chapter 6 - Lacey

  Chapter 7 - Lacey

  Chapter 8 - Lacey

  Chapter 9 - Lacey

  Chapter 10 - Lacey

  Chapter 11 - Lacey

  Chapter 12 - Lacey

  Chapter 13 - Lacey

  Chapter 14 - Lacey

  Chapter 15 - Lacey

  Chapter 16 - Lacey

  Chapter 17 - Lacey

  Chapter 18 - Lacey

  Chapter 19 - Lacey

  Chapter 20 - Lacey

  Chapter 21 - Lacey

  Chapter 22 - Lacey

  Chapter 23 - Travis

  Chapter 24 - Lacey

  Chapter 25 - Travis

  Chapter 26 - Lacey

  Chapter 27 - Travis

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  REBEL ONE

  J.S. CHRISTINE

  Copyright © 2022 J.S. Christine

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  ISBN: 9798445686804

  For my readers.

  I hope you enjoy the ride.

  Thank you.

  Chapter 1

  Travis

  GRAVEL SLID UNDER my feet. Skidding around the corner, I stumbled forward from the momentum. My fingertips scraped against the ground. I fought to keep my balance but continued running, brushing my hands off on my jeans as I went.

  “Just once,” Ben yelled from where he was running in front of me, “I’d like to go out without a complication.”

  As if on cue, I heard another pop from behind us. Nothing got the adrenaline going like being shot at. The men chasing us didn’t have many bullets left or we would have been dead long ago. Plus, it was dark. Most of the streetlights in Melkin had long since stopped working or my friends and I had broken them to use to our advantage. The men might not be able to see us but this was our territory and we knew these streets like the back of our hands.

  “But it’s great cardio,” Finn, who was in front of us all, yelled back.

  They started arguing back and forth about the pros and cons as glass shattered on the brick building next to me, nearly colliding with my head.

  I frowned, annoyed and offended the men nearly tried to off me with a beer bottle. Casting a look over my shoulder at them, I splayed my arms out wide to make myself a bigger target and slowed down slightly. We weren’t technically supposed to get into any fights tonight, but if they were so determined to start something then maybe if they hit me first, I could retaliate.

  “Does this help? Can you hit me now?” I laughed.

  They started yelling back and something else flew over my head. Instinct had me ducking.

  “What is wrong with you?” Cameron snapped from where he was running just steps behind me.

  Before I could react, one of his hands grabbed a handful of my black t-shirt and pulled me forward faster, away from our attackers.

  “I was just trying to have some fun,” I huffed but kept up with him because making Cameron mad would be worse than dealing with the guys chasing us.

  Cameron Casey was the leader of our group. Realistically, there were many other people in this group but I couldn’t trust anyone besides Cam, Finn, and Ben. Sometimes Annabeth when I didn’t want to push her into traffic. The police liked to stamp the word “gang” onto us while I preferred the term “family”.

  “Not the time for fun,” Cameron said gruffly.

  “If I get shot and die, it’s on your head that I didn’t have fun beforehand,” I accused, picking up speed as I ran.

  Cameron ran to keep up with me and even though my dark hair kept flopping in my face and poking me in my eyes, I still managed to catch the glare he shot me.

  We weaved in and out of alleyways following Finn. After a few minutes, the yelling stopped and the crunching of gravel and stomping of feet behind us disappeared.

  “Are they gone?” Ben whined a few minutes later, running a hand through his brown hair.

  I glanced behind us as we continued to run.

  “Yeah, I think,” I breathed out, tired.

  “I think one scratched my arm,” Finn said and pulled one arm close to his face to inspect it. Too focused on his arm, he toppled over a garbage can. The clatter of it echoed off the brick walls surrounding us. His momentum caused him to roll twice before he paused on his hands and knees. Ben chuckled and Finn might have scowled at him but it was hard to tell in the dark.

  Once we caught up to Finn, we slowed to a walk. Finn shook his blonde hair out and stood, dusting himself off.

  “Why did we even follow you?” I looked at the garbage pile he’d created. “What if you’d gotten us lost?”

  There was no possible way Finn would have ever gotten us lost, tripping or not.

  “Shut it, kid,” Finn said, sounding much less threatening than he intended because he was still trying to catch his breath. That, and I wasn’t much of a kid compared to him even though I was young compared to Finn who was twenty-one and Cameron who was twenty-two. Ben had only just turned eighteen while I was still seventeen, but we got on like brothers and they accepted Ben and me at a young age, which was the important part. Being young and alone in the city of Melkin was a dangerous thing to be.

  We walked onto one of the main roads of Melkin. Panting, I put my hands on my hips and glanced behind me just to make sure we weren’t being followed.

  Once we came up to a fork in the road, Cameron pointed straight ahead but looked at me. “You need a ride?”

  I looked forward into the darkness of the road where their car must have been parked. I shook my head, fingers tapping against my thighs. “No, I’ve got it from here.”

  The three of them were all going back to the house they shared. I still lived in the next town over, where it was marginally safer and free of “gang” activity, with my dad.

  We said our goodbyes and I ran down the opposite road, eager to get back. If I stuck to the main roads, it would take some time to get from Melkin to where my dad lived in Clearmont. But a few years ago, I found an alley that gave me a shortcut. All I had to do was hop over a brick wall and it cut out about twenty minutes of walking. I turned into the alley and came to an immediate halt as I stared at a bright headlights shining on me.

  My bones itched to run but my feet hesitated.

  “Mr. Travis Miller. Care to join me?” a voice behind the lights asked.

  A body walked out from the glare of the lights that, when paired with the voice, I knew it was Officer Gordon.

  I shifted my weight from foot to foot for a moment, considering his offer. Except, it wasn’t really an offer. I could get into his car or he could chase me down and even though I was fast, I wasn’t faster than a car. I threw my head back and let out a deep sigh toward the sky before I got into the back of the police car. I told Gordon my address as soon as he got back in, as if he didn’t know where exactly I lived.

  He narrowed his eyes at me in the rear view because just like this wasn’t the first time he’d driven me home, this wasn’t
the first time I’d pretended he was my personal car service.

  “There aren’t any refreshments back here.” I hummed. “That’s coming out of your tip.”

  “What have you been up to tonight?” Officer Gordon asked as he drove, ignoring me.

  This also wasn’t the first time Gordon had tried to get information out of me.

  I shrugged. “Not much. The usual.”

  Gordon asked, “Are you sure about that?”

  I ignored him and rested my head on the cold window, not bothering to answer because as much as he suspected that I was in the Casey gang, he never had any proof. If I admitted to knowing about any of it, it would put me in his sights more than usual. Despite my tight lips, he always picked me up and drove me all the way home, saying things like “I’d better not find you in Melkin again.” If Cameron had told me that, there would be an underlying threat of “or else” which with Cam, usually meant pain would follow. There was no unspoken threat with Gordon. Or if there was supposed to be, he wasn’t very good at the delivery of it.

  Once we got to my house, Gordon held my upper arm and walked me up the driveway like I was about to bolt. He rang the doorbell and gave me a look of distaste.

  “What?” I asked.

  He narrowed his eyes. “Don’t what me.”

  My dad opened the door, took in the scene, and said, “What?”

  I snorted and Gordon squeezed my arm tighter.

  “Found him down in the back streets again. Pretty sure he was up to something but won’t spill. If you don’t get a hold on him…” Gordon trailed off and this time it was my turn to roll my eyes.

  “He won’t be causing anymore trouble,” My dad said and then looked at me. “Your mom wants you to go live with her.”

  I let out a loud, obnoxious groan as I glared at my father. Gordon on the other hand, shook my father’s hand like he had just preformed a miracle.

  “Aw,” I put my free hand on my chest. “Aren’t you gonna miss me, Gordy?”

  My dad grabbed my hair and yanked me out of Gordon’s grasp and into the house before I could hear Officer Gordon’s response and when I recovered, Gordon was already headed back to his car.

  The front door closed, cutting off my view and my dad glared at me. It wasn’t a secret that he wasn’t fond of my friends or the amount of times I came home either by the cops or bloodier than I should have but it wasn’t like he had a grasp on his life, either. Still, he said, “You’ve got one shot left with your mom. You get brought home by the cops again and you’re done. We’re done with you. She won’t keep you around and I’ll lock the door before you have a chance to come back here. I’m serious Travis, keep out of trouble.”

  He walked past me into the kitchen and I clenched my jaw, tapping my thigh as I stared at his back. My dad’s “or else” was delivered in a way that was different from both Cam’s threat of pain and Gordon’s nonexistent one. It hurt something in my chest but I tried to ignore it. I didn’t know what my dad was thinking. Trouble was my best personality trait, it followed me everywhere even if I ran away from it.

  This wasn’t going to work.

  Chapter 2

  Lacey

  “LACEY?” ALLEN PROMPTED as we exited the school library to head to our next class. He spoke low, head leaning in close to me so I could hear. “That delinquent is looking at you.”

  I shook my head, “They don’t let delinquents in here.”

  “This is public school,” my friend argued. “They let anyone in here.”

  I looked up and sure enough, just as Allen had said, the new kid was staring directly at me as he leaned up against the wall. He didn’t even look away when I met his gaze, just continued with an expressionless face on. He had just started school here not too long ago and I hadn’t spoken a word to him, but I knew his name was Travis. In fact, I was pretty sure everyone here knew who he was. He made an entrance wherever he went, often showing up late to class and talking back to the teachers when he wasn’t too busy making noise at his desk.

  I brushed some of my blonde hair behind my ear, and tried to straighten it out. Maybe something was on my face or stuck in my hair.

  “Come on, let’s go before he sacrifices you to the Gods or sucks your blood.” Allen pushed on my shoulder to get me moving, both pulling me out of my self-conscious moment and moving me from my standstill.

  Still curious, I kept watching as Travis’ eyes moved away from me for the first time and over to Allen only once before he turned and walked away. How weird.

  Walking on my own, I reasoned, “He’s not an Aztec or vampire.”

  “Not far off,” Allen countered as we walked into our next class and took our seats.

  I hugged my books to my chest as I let out a dreamy sigh. “Man, I would love to visit the Aztec Empire.”

  “Lacey, I’m pretty sure you would love to go anywhere as long as it was out of our city,” Allen said as the teacher came in.

  I let my thoughts drift back to my dad as I absentmindedly copied the notes from the board. What Allen said was true. I wanted to travel the world and see as much of it as I could. London, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Egypt, Ireland. Heck, I’d settle for South Dakota. But that went against my dad’s number one rule, which was that I wasn’t allowed to leave our city. I barely remembered things from neighboring cities.

  My dad was a nice man, I knew he was. He was just...withdrawn. My mom died when I was younger when she went away on a business trip. That triggered my dad becoming paranoid about the dangers outside of our city. I thought it was stupid because there were dangers in our own city but he chose to ignore me when I told him that. Instead of moving on in a healthy way, he’d restricted where we went. There had been a few times I went to a neighboring city with him to go to a specific store and only if there was no other option but besides that, nothing.

  I thought it was normal when I was younger until my friends started talking about other stores I hadn’t heard of or other malls I had never stepped foot in. They laughed at me like I’d told a joke when I asked if their parents were okay with them going. They used to invite me to go with them but my dad shot the question down immediately whenever I asked him, no matter how many other parents were going to supervise. It was always no. I tried to meet him halfway, asking if I could go over that friend’s house until they left to go to the mall or wherever their plans were going to take them. I would promise to come right home but instead of the compromise, I just wasn’t allowed to leave the house at all. My dad said he didn’t trust the other parents to keep me safe but as I got older and went through my early teen years, I began to think it was me he didn’t trust to stay safe.

  We got into fights about it. He would just yell and bring up my mom’s death. I would apologize. Right before I turned sixteen, I told him that I could go anywhere once I got my license. He locked me in my room for a night and told me he wasn’t going to teach me how to drive. I apologized to him the next morning. Eight months after I turned sixteen, I got my license but that didn’t mean I had keys to take me anywhere.

  Now, I was seventeen and still didn’t have anything to get me from Point A to Point Unknown. My dad spent most of his days withdrawn from the world and in his study when he wasn’t at work. I still got angry with him, feeling like he shouldn’t keep me in the boundaries of the city and didn’t have the right to. But then when I looked at him and saw the pain from the loss of my mother, the anger went away and I would stop fighting him on it.

  Towards the end of class, my mind drifted back towards earlier today and Travis. Why on Earth would he be staring at me? I made a mental note to stop in the bathroom and check my appearance. There had to have been something wrong with how I looked. I gripped my pencil tighter in my hand as I took notes, thinking about walking around with something on my face and no one having the nerve to tell me. In my head, I was yelling at Allen for not saying a word but I knew none of it would ever leave my lips.

  “You coming, Lacey?”

  I looked up
to see Allen standing in front of my desk with a concerned look on his face and everyone else standing up to leave. I scrambled to get my own things, cursing myself for not realizing the bell had rang.

  Standing quickly, I began to walk but my foot caught one of the desk chairs. I dropped my books so my hands were free to stop myself from face planting into the ground, but a hand grabbed my arm, holding me up.

  “Seriously, you are probably the clumsiest person I have ever met,” he said, leaning over one of the desks with his arm reaching out to grab me.

  I kept quiet because that wasn’t exactly true. When I wasn’t at school or home doing work, I was at dance practice. It wasn’t very often that I ever tripped, but I couldn’t find enough confidence to correct Allen.

  “He’s doing it again,” Allen grumbled as I picked my books up off the ground.

  “Who’s doing what again? Your imaginary friend bothering you?” I joked.

  He glared at me. “You’re hilarious. No. The delinquent,” Allen said the word like a curse as we walked out of the classroom.

  “Again, he’s not a delinquent,” I corrected.

  Travis was right there near the wall opposite of our classroom door. Standing and watching with such intensity that I wondered if something was on my face.

  The rest of the day went by in the same manner. Travis kept staring and he made no attempt to be ashamed of it when I caught him looking. It was in my second to last class, Chemistry, where I started to really get anxious because I had this class with him. I had never viewed it as a problem before because he was nice to look at but he was making me uncomfortable now. Seriously, what was with him? Was I not matching today? Was there a sign on my back? I had already checked my face and hair earlier today. I looked over at him from behind my hair, which I had taken to using as a shield to mask my face so couldn’t see that I was looking and also because half the time when I caught him staring, I would start to blush out of embarrassment.

  This time however, I didn’t see him in his usual seat. I could have sworn he walked in. Where—