High Drama Blogfest!

DL Hammons of Cruising Altitude is hosting a High Drama Blogfest Giveaway!

I am posting my entry just a little early, as I am traveling at the moment.

This is an excerpt from The Circle of Friends, Book V…Heather

A crash from upstairs shattered the silence. Heather almost dropped the bottle as she spun around, her eyes wide. She had not even bothered to look for Dawn’s car in the parking lot, assuming her sister would be at work. Clearly, she was not alone in the house and Heather gripped the plastic bottle tightly in her hands. Her mind raced as she tried to process the situation. Glancing again at the empty bottle, panic suddenly gripped her as she realized Dawn might have consumed both the beer and the sleeping pills.

Heather cautiously approached the stairs and grasped the railing with her free hand. Peering upstairs, she noticed the bathroom door was closed.

“Dawn?” she called, placing a foot on the first step.

No reply met her ears, but Heather could distinctly hear sobbing. Fearfully she pounded up the stairs, her long strides carrying her rapidly to the landing. She recognized her sister’s tearful wails as they echoed within the confines of the bathroom. Dawn’s cries bordered on hysteria.

“Dawn?” cried Heather, pounding on the door. “Dawn!”

“Go away!” her sister screamed, her voice cracking from the effort.

“I’m not going anywhere!” roared Heather, the empty bottle still tight in her grasp.

She seized the handle, prepared to break down the bathroom door if necessary to gain access. To her surprise, it was not locked. Heather forcefully threw open the door and the momentum carried her into the bathroom. Once inside, she stared in horror at the figure crouched on the floor.

Cowering in the corner of the room, her back pressed against the shower door, sat a creature Heather scarcely recognized. Clad only in a t-shirt and underwear, Dawn’s thin frame trembled violently. Her arms were wrapped around her legs, her bony knees and elbows protruding unnaturally. Dawn’s face, once full and round, now appeared gaunt and stretched. Mascara streaked down her prominent cheekbones and her hair hung in tangles. Heather’s sister had always been stocky, but now, she could not weigh over a hundred pounds.

“What the hell are you doing?” cried Heather, too stunned to move.

“None of your business!” Dawn screamed, her small fist striking the floor in emphasis. “Go away!”

Clenching her own fists in anger, Heather remembered the empty bottle in her hand. She held it up for Dawn to see.

“Did you finish this bottle of sleeping pills?” she demanded.

“Yes I did!”

Heather’s eyes widened in horror. “What? Are trying to kill yourself or something?”

“So what if I am?!” screamed Dawn, gasping for air.

Angered by her response, Heather’s brows came together. Slamming the plastic bottle on the counter, she prepared to unleash her fury on Dawn.

“You idiot! Do you realize what that would do to Mom if she came home and found you dead?”

“She wouldn’t care!” Dawn retorted, her voice cracking from the force of her reply. “And neither would you!”

“Bullshit!”


For more information on Book V of my series, visit the "Spunky's Books" page above or The Circle of Friends website.