Page 1 of The Catalyst

PROLOGUE

BETHANY

Groaning, I press my hand against my temple. What the actual fuck? How much did I drink last night? I know my two best friends and I went out for drinks as a send off for them. They're moving across the country today to Royal City, Washington. We went to Missy's Bar & Grill to let loose. Missy, a sweet old woman, will provide alcohol to anyone as long as they are over eighteen. She's fully aware that it's still against the law, but she does it anyway.

I got drunk for a multitude of reasons, one being that I'm about to have to suffer two weeks in this town without them before my mother uproots my life and forces me to move to Grove Hill.

I don't know anything about it except for it's too close to Houston for my comfort.

I take a deep breath.

I just have to get through these next few months and graduate, then I can follow Teagan and Delaney and go to school as far away from this state as I can while staying within the continental U.S.

One day at a time, Beth.

I slowly open my eyes and stare up at my childhood ceiling before blowing out a long breath, whistling the tune to All I Have To Do is Dream by The Everly Brothers, trying to keep my heart calm.

Last night, I was plagued with a dream of trying to make my way through dense fog and all I could make out was three silhouettes. When the fog cleared, each figure was a solid color, as if they were a cardboard cut out, but they each were a different color. White, medium gray, and black. The figures spoke but only said two words at most no matter how hard I questioned them to find out what they wanted and why they were taunting me.

Black figure: Crazy girl.

Medium gray figure: Butterfly.

White figure: Little rabbit.

I had no idea what they were trying to tell me, but before I could decipher it, I woke up. However, that black figure still haunts me with how massive it was and yet some part of my soul wanted to delve into the darkness and stay there forever.

I slowly pull myself up and rub my temples before looking at my bedside table. My eyes strain against the bright sunlight spilling into the window and see a small piece of paper that wasn't there before last night. I reach out for it and groan from a strong pain in my stomach, but I push through and pick up the paper.

I straighten it out and my eyebrows lift to my hairline.

M.G.

Above the abbreviation is a phone number and considering I detect something sticky between my thighs, I would bet that I hooked up with a complete stranger with these initials.

Just fucking great.

And the dipshit didn't use a fucking condom.

First, I put the number in my phone as a contact as a "just in case" before I toss the paper to the floor. I reach into my bedside drawer and find my handy dandy pack of morning after pills before tossing one in my mouth.

I've avoided getting on birth control for as long as I possibly could considering my holier-than-thou mother who is anti-sex, anti-birth control, and anti-fun. Now that I'm eighteen, I can get on it without her having to know about it.

Until this point, I've relied on condoms and the morning after pill to get by, but I got those from my dad who was a lot less hoity toity than my mother. He's dead though.

Jumping out of bed, I push through the pain throbbing through my head and ditch my clothes, heading for the shower. I really hope I never come face to face with the douchebag who dumped his jizz in my coochie last night or I might bash his fucking head in for his stupidity.

CHAPTER 1

BETH

Iclimb out of the moving van and take in a breath of fresh air. It’s not nearly as clean as in Hempstead, but still, it's not the big city. That makes this move bearable.

My besties were also moving away. Their dad got a job offer from a law firm in Royal City all the way in Washington. I’ll miss Teigan and Delaney Harper like crazy.

The Harper family has been close to mine for so long, but maybe this move will be good for us. It could even pull my mom away from all the bad memories.

My dad died in a car accident that only feels like yesterday, and she’s been slowly dying ever since.

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