Crestfall (The Crestfall Saga Book 1)

By A. Stark

Sisters, Sailor and Amelia Landwell are excited to start their first semester at their grandfather’s alma mater, Crestfall University. While Amelia is less than focused, Sailor plans to get through the next couple of years with no distractions, graduate with honors, and go on to the finest medical school possible.

Enter distraction number one, the sexy and playful frat boy, Rafe Catori. The more Sailor tries to keep her distance, the stronger her attraction to Rafe grows. It doesn’t help that his best friend has taken a liking to her sister, Amelia, so the boys are always hanging around.

Soon, the Landwell sisters realize the frat boys are keeping secrets bigger than they could ever imagine. And that while most colleges struggle with rival football teams, the walls of Crestfall University hide a different kind of rivalry. One that could mean life or death. But how far will they go to uncover to truth, and more importantly, at what price?

• Language: English
• Publisher: A. Stark
• Release date: May 7, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310174056

A. Stark

I'm a long time writer currently residing in the southern US. A believer, a reader, and a lover of animals and music. I write a little bit of everything, ranging from horror to paranormal-romance and fantasy.

Book preview

Crestfall

Book one of The Crestfall Saga

By

Ashelia Raven

This book is a work of fiction, written by a reader, for readers. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to anything within reality is entirely coincidental.

Copyright 2015 by Ashelia Raven.

All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

Book design by Stark Photography.

Photo used provided by Pixabay.com.

For my mother, who gave me life.

For my grandmother, who made me realize how precious life is.

For my sister, who made me do something with that life.

Thank you.

- A.

Crestfall.

Welcome To Crestfall.

Chapter One

She was running.

Her heart throbbed painfully against her ribcage as she ran barefoot through the dense forest. Tree branches reached out to her, scraped against the skin of her arms, caught on the cloth of her shirt, but she ignored it all and ran as if her life depended on it.

She heard the distinct sound of a twig snapping, and then a gallop that would have gone unnoticed by her if she hadn’t been waiting for it. She glanced from side to side and finally caught sight of him running through the trees alongside her.

The wolf.

His black coat shimmered beneath the moonlight that managed to break through the roof of trees above them and his eyes glistened in a playful way. She had never seen a wolf smile, but she imagined it looked a lot like him in that moment. He caught her gaze and she shuddered as they both stumbled out into a clearing, the light of the moon as blinding as sunlight. The sound of the river flowing beside them calmed her as she fought to catch her breath. The wolf moved to take a drink and then stopped suddenly, his body growing tense as he arched his long neck and looked to the sky. His fur bristled as he opened his mouth and howled, a long, lonely, haunting sound that never seemed to end…

A cry of warning.

Something’s coming.

Sailor!

Sailor Landwell awoke with a start, tangled in sheets that were sticky with her own sweat. It was only a dream, but the realness of it had left her disoriented. She could swear that she still smelled fresh pine and nighttime air.

Sailor, Her grandfather, Tate, called as he walked in and yanked her blaring alarm clock from the wall. You need to get up. It’s move-in day.

Sailor sat up, squinting against the harsh daylight that filtered in through the blinds. Move-in day. College. Crestfall University.

She took a breath, yawned, and rubbed her eyes. Tate was stacking her already packed boxes and getting ready to haul them out to her Toyota. What time is it? She murmured. Her alarm had been set for 7:30, but the daylight streaming in through her window made her think she had severely overslept, something that wasn’t like her at all. Her dreams were more than likely to blame for that.

10:00, Tate replied, making Sailor cringe. Amelia left about an hour ago.

And she didn’t even bother to wake me up? Sailor groaned, stumbling out of bed and nearly tripping over a sheet. Amelia, her younger sister, who hadn’t even wanted to go to college until Sailor convinced her to give it a chance. I’m gonna kill her!

She didn’t wake you, because I wouldn’t let her, Tate chided, turning around to face the redhead. The seriousness of his stony gaze was hindered by the constant smile he seemed to wear, especially when it came to his granddaughters. I heard you up in here until two a.m. doing God knows what, and you needed to sleep in. Your apartment will still be there no matter how late you set out.

Sailor smiled despite herself, and then wrapped her arms around him tightly. I love you, granddad.

I love you too, kiddo, He replied, kissing her on the head. And, don’t threaten to kill your sister.

I’ll try. She smiled at him as she grabbed the outfit she had picked out for herself the night before and headed to the bathroom to shower - and to think. She was so excited she thought she would burst, and she practically danced her way into the bathtub. For a while, she had been afraid starting school late would be awkward – she was fairly sure she would be the only 20-year old freshman – but when she remembered she had spent the past two years traveling through Europe, she decided she didn’t care. That had certainly been an opportunity she was not going to turn down. Europe had been full of experiences and memories she would never forget, but now it was time for her to focus on what she had been wanting ever since she was ten years old – graduating from Crestfall University with a pre-med degree in her hand.

Crestfall was only two and half hours away from her hometown of Unity, South Dakota, but it was a world renowned university with one of the best medical programs in the north central United States, one that even rivaled those along the West Coast. She had been accepted by colleges all across the country, but Crestfall had always been her goal. Besides, it allowed her to stay close to home, and close to her grandfather, a man she knew she could never be away from for too long without losing her mind.

She stepped out of the shower, dried off, and got dressed before blow drying her long red hair. She checked herself in the mirror and nodded, deciding not to put on make-up. She was only going to sweat it off going up and down stairs, and she would probably need another shower before freshman orientation that night anyway.

She returned to her bedroom, amazed to see Tate had already cleared away all her packed belongings. While her room still held plenty of her things, it seemed strangely empty and she felt a pang in her chest. This had been the first Summer she had spent at home in over two years, and even though she was only going to be a few hours away, it was home and she was still going to miss it.

Her phone chimed from her nightstand, distracting her from her trance, and she grabbed it to find a text from her sister. Amelia had attached a photo of her dorm room along with the caption My room!

Sailor laughed softly as she replied. Looks cool. Also, thanks for leaving without me, ass.

A second later, the phone chimed again. You’re welcome, bigger ass :-P

Sailor took a deep breath of fresh air as she stepped out of her Toyota Camry and stretched her arms up over her head. She had toured the campus of Crestfall University during her pre-registration, but it looked completely different to her now that she was finally looking at it through the eyes of a student.

Buildings dotted the massive landscape, from the oldest looking stone structures to the newly added solar paneled facilities. Sidewalks and paved walkways adorned the neatly manicured lawns heavily so walking through grass was optional. It was a beautiful area, a perfect combination of old and modern times, but her favorite part was the Chelan River that flowed down the middle of campus, back into a thick brush of trees and bleeding into the dense forest of the Unity Nature Reserve that bordered the north side of the university. Bridges were spaced out along the water, allowing for plenty of areas to cross. Sailor smiled and shuddered happily, overcome with a tingling of excitement ever since she had crossed the threshold of Crestfall.

She turned and looked up at the modern style apartment complex she had parked in front of, one of half a dozen identical buildings built in order to house the influx of students choosing to major in pre-med or other doctoral sciences. Sailor was assigned to apartment 218 of building 3, and now she looked up at the steep metal staircase and then at the car packed full of boxes, biting her lip. She wanted to move in, unpack, and relax a bit before freshmen orientation that night, but that seemed nearly impossible now. She sighed and decided to go ahead and bite the bullet. Her car wasn't going to unload itself.

The stairs were steeper than she had first thought, and the steps were metallic and slippery. She nearly lost her footing carrying up a box of clothes. She wanted to get the lighter stuff out of the way before she even attempted carrying up the heavier boxes.

Once she got the door to room 218 unlocked, she stepped in and set the box down, surveying the area. The apartment was open and airy, with plenty of windows already covered with dark curtains and blinds. The main room was larger than she remembered from the campus tour earlier that Summer, and furnished with a pale blue couch, coffee table, and small wooden entertainment center. The living room area led into a small kitchenette, and situated down a short hallway were two doors, one leading to the bathroom and the other to her bedroom. It was homey, she thought, and way more inviting than the dorms where her younger sister would be living.

She was careful as she went down the stairs and returned to her car, staring in at the boxes that were crammed into the backseat. Suddenly, going back inside and taking a nap sounded like a much better option.

Excuse me.

Sailor turned around and spotted a young man walking towards her from the sidewalk. He had obviously been in the middle of a jog, wearing knee length shorts and a grey t-shirt damp with sweat. He tucked his ear buds and cell phone into his pocket and smiled at her as he approached. Sorry to bug you, He began, smiling. But you look like you could use some help.

Sailor smiled back, and glanced at the car full of boxes and then back at him. She shrugged. No, don't apologize. I could definitely use the help.

Great. Glad I’m not intruding, then. He smiled again and extended his hand. I'm Rafe Catori.

Sailor Landwell. She replied, shaking his hand. His firm grip and hot skin sent a jolt through her arm, heightening her earlier tingling, and she fought to ignore it as she pulled away.

A sailor in North Dakota? Rafe grinned and opened the door. I’m pretty sure that’s a first."

Oh trust me, I’ve heard all the jokes. Sailor sighed, studying him as he pulled out two boxes stacked atop each other with no problem. Rafe was tall and muscular, with dark eyes and long black hair pulled back into a loose ponytail. His bone structure and tanned skin made his Native American heritage evident to Sailor, whose blood ran thick with Cherokee thanks to her grandfather’s side of the family.

She was starting to regret going without make-up, imagining how she probably looked at this point and her day had barely even begun.

Oh, I doubt you’ve heard my jokes. Rafe said playfully shaking Sailor from her stupor. She laughed softly and grabbed a light box, following Rafe up the stairs and into her apartment. He set the boxes he had been carrying down inside the room before turning and looking at her. Pre-med? He asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

She smiled sheepishly. Yeah, I've always wanted to go into the field.

Wow, nice. He smiled again. I can't say I envy your course load, but I definitely envy your living space. He looked around the apartment, nodding approvingly.

She laughed softly. Do you live in the dorms?

Nah, I live in a frat house. I'm the head of Alpha Psi. He shrugged, motioning towards his shirt which she now noticed had a print of Greek lettering on the front. He wasn't bragging, Sailor noticed, just stating a simple fact. It's not so bad. I have my own room, so I guess I can't complain too much.

She smiled and followed him back downstairs. With Rafe helping, it only took five trips to get all the boxes out of the backseat and into the apartment. That left the large plastic bin in the trunk, which they managed to maneuver out and start up the stairs with together.

I get that you're pre-med, but did you have to bring your own cadaver? He asked jokingly as they finished lugging the bin up the stairs and headed towards her apartment.

I’m very picky about my specimens! She told him, grinning, as they made their way into the apartment and dropped the bin down on the floor. Rafe sighed theatrically and held his back as if he had pulled a muscle.

Man, the price of chivalry these days. He sighed, and then grinned at her.

She shook her head, laughing. Thank you so much for your help. I was seriously considering living out of my car, at least for the first half of the semester.

He waved his hand in the air. Ah, it was nothing. I was happy to help. He smiled. Hey, are you coming to the freshman orientation tonight?

She cringed, and shrugged. Probably. My sister wants me to meet up with her there.

Your sister? Rafe grinned slowly. Twins?

No! She laughed, shoving him playfully on the arm. She found it odd how she had just met him and already felt so comfortable with him, but she wasn't complaining. My younger sister. She told him, and explained why they were attending college as freshmen at the same time. He seemed especially interested in the fact that she had traveled.

That's great! He exclaimed when she finished, his eyes wide. I've always wanted to visit Europe, especially Italy. Any country that dines entirely on wine and pasta is fine with me.

Sailor smirked. I can definitely recommend a restaurant or two, then. She confessed, shrugging, while finally taking the time to process just how attractive the chivalrous jogger was. The more she looked into his deep brown eyes, the more she wanted to flirt, but she made herself refrain. She was a pre-med student, she told herself, and she had promised not to find herself distracted by anybody, no matter how gorgeous.

Rafe smiled and opened his mouth to speak, but an annoying chime from his phone interrupted him. He pulled it out and clicked around on the screen, sighing. Ahh, I gotta go grab a quick shower and help set up for orientation. Hopefully I'll see you there?

He looked at her with a hopeful expression, that playful smile still flirtatiously on his lips. Sailor sighed and nodded, giving in. Yes, I'll see you there.

Awesome. Bye, Sailor. He smiled even wider and bounded out the door, too fast for her to thank him again for helping her unload.

Amelia Landwell sat in the middle of the crowded auditorium, fanning herself with a Crestfall University Freshman Guide to keep herself from smothering to death. She glanced around the large, packed room in search of her sister, but couldn't find a redhead among the sea of people. She sighed and sat back in her chair, frowning.

Her day had been less than stellar. First, she arrived on campus only to find that her room was on the third floor of Ashland Hall, a girl's dormitory that also happened to be the oldest building on campus. Second, she had tripped and nearly fallen to her death at least six times while carting boxes up to her dorm because it was on the third floor. And third, while her Texan roommate, Jesse Hopkins, a sophomore, seemed like a really nice person, she also owned a country music collection the size of her home state, and a kickass stereo system to boot. She had proceeded to demonstrate the loudness of the bass lined speakers that sat perched atop her dresser for Amelia’s listening pleasure - with Dwight Yoakam, no less.

Amelia had unpacked as best as she could before grabbing a quick shower and getting ready for freshmen orientation. Despite the crappy first day, she was still excited to be a new college student, and was eager to start classes the next day. She just wished Sailor would hurry up and get to the auditorium. Amelia didn't know anyone else at the school aside from her sister and she was tired of feeling like a total loner.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she retrieved it to find a text from Sailor.

-I’m at the entrance. I can't find you!

Amelia rolled her eyes as