Sunny Eve

by Shayla Hyde

  "Just in case you need to," Victor spoke up again, directing his focus on me this time, "Do you know how to use a stake, Evelyn?"

  I shook my head side-to-side, "I know you're supposed to aim for the heart, but that's it..."

  "Let's demonstrate, then. Shall we, Sebastian?" Victor smiled sinisterly. He unzipped the backpack hanging on Elizabeth's shoulder and removed a long, razor-edged block of wood.

  "Absolutely," Sebastian sarcastically chimed, "as long as I'm the one doing the staking."

  I felt my eyes widen. Lots of shade was being thrown between the

  two of them.

  "Sure," Victor agreed, outstretching the plank, "have at it."

  Sebastian squinted, his eyebrows pulling closer together, "Seriously?"

  "Yes," Victor said. "Take it. Show her how it's done."

  "Are we sure that's the best idea?" Elizabeth interfered, snatching the stake from Victor's hand before Sebastian could.

  I glanced up at Kaden and found a soft grin on his face. He was enjoying their quarrel.

  "It was his idea," Sebastian shrugged, jerking the stake out of Elizabeth's hand, "so let's give it a whirl, shall we?" He positioned the wooden post in his hands so that the sharp tip was facing away from him.

  Victor smiled and took a step back, outstretching his muscular arms to his sides, "Go for it."

  Elizabeth anxiously watched as Sebastian lifted the stake above his head.

  "It's pretty simple, Eve," Sebastian, the wiseacre, told me with a sarcastic shrug, "Just take the stake like this, and..." he forcefully brought the stake down, impaling Victor just below his chest with it. The disturbing sound of tearing flesh filled my ears. Victor grunted, falling to the ground on his knees. Elizabeth rushed to his side. I gasped in disbelief. Kaden repositioned his hand to my hip, tugging me closer to him.

  "He's fine," Kaden quietly reassured me. "Don't worry."

  Victor suddenly grabbed the bloody wooden plank and ripped it out of his upper abdomen with a low growl. "Aim a little higher next time, mate," he growled.

  There was a circular see-through hole in Victor's abdomen. I grimaced, but out of morbid curiosity, didn't break my gaze from it. I watched in awe as his skin slowly sealed back together, healing itself almost immediately.

  "Guys? Are we expecting others?" Jake abruptly asked, focusing on a spot behind Kaden and me.

  Victor's head snapped around as he lifted himself off the ground, "What do you mean, Jake?" Then, Victor saw them, too. Whoever they were. He squinted, his jaw pressed tightly.

  Kaden's hand slipped from my hip as he spun around to face them. His body shielded mine. I apprehensively peeked over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of two abnormally tall females dressed in flowy white gowns that reached their dirty bare-feet. Yards away, the two girls motionlessly stood side-by-side and stared at us with their penetrating light-blue eyes. Both girls had long, snowy white hair, thin and colorless faces, and ebony high-arched eyebrows. Their features were so unmistakably identical that I knew they had to be twins.

  "Who are you?" Kaden shouted at the peculiar girls.

  The girls neutrally glanced at one another. Then, one of the girls cautiously stepped forward and left the other behind. She approached a few steps, holding up one of her hands, "we mean you no harm." "What do you want, then?" Sebastian ungraciously interrogated her. "I am Adelaide, and this," she pointed to the girl behind her, "is my sister Ava. We know about your situation, and we want to assist you."

  "Our situation, huh? Assist us in what, exactly?" Victor calmly questioned her, slowly walking in her direction.

  "In the destroying of the Primevals," Adelaide stiffly responded. Victor halted, now standing a few feet away from her. "And why would you want to do that? They have wronged you in some way?" “Who have they not wronged in some way?" Adelaide sharply asserted, her light eyes darkening.

  Victor pursed his lip and bowed his head, impressed by her answer. "The Primevals have taken nearly everything from me," Adelaide continued, a dejected look on her face, "and they won't stop until I have nothing left."

  "What have they taken from you, and why?" Victor questioned her, urging her to go on.

  "My sisters and I are considered Abominations by the Primevals. We and hundreds of other so-called Abominations have been held captive for decades. Because we are different, we were all subjected to punishment."

  "Abominations, you said? What is so different about you?" Victor curiously examined the girls.

  "I can't believe you've not heard about us sooner, you being an Upperclassman," Adelaide said, baffled. "Abominations are the offspring of a mortal and immortal. The Primevals killed my parents and snatched my sisters and I when we were children. For years, they had us locked away in a castle in Central Europe. We were miles from civilization. They used us as slaves. They abused us, fed on us, starved us to the point we would kill each other for blood."

  "Half-human, half-vampire," Victor whispered in wonderment, "that is very interesting."

  "You said sisters," Sebastian spoke, "but I only see one sister." Adelaide nodded, her face sinking, "We were once triplets. It was me,

  Ava, and our sister, Annie."

  I shoved my way around Kaden, determined to ask the girls, "How did you escape from them?"

  Adelaide's eyes found me and trailed to my mark. She smirked at me halfheartedly, "Oh, you're the infamous Evelyn."

  I hesitantly stared at her, not sure how to respond.

  "To answer your question, Evelyn. We had a plan," Adelaide reflected, raised her dark eyebrows. "Me, my sisters, and the rest of The Abominations planned for a long, long time before acting upon it. When we finally did, it was chaos. Ava and I managed to escape along with some of the others, but The Primevals killed our sweet sister Annie and dozens of others. Ava hasn't uttered a word since that night." Adelaide dolefully glanced back at Ava, who was silently staring at the ground.

  I frowned at them, "I'm so sorry they put you through that."

  "Thank you," Adelaide respectfully nodded, "Many of the

  Abominations lost their lives that night, but not all of us. We and the ones that remain would like to join you in your fight against the

  Primevals."

  Elizabeth cleared her throat, "I have some questions first, Adelaide. If that's alright with you."

  "Sure," Adelaide bowed her head.

  "Half-human, half-vampire," Elizabeth said in awe. "Do you drink blood?"

  "We can drink blood, or we can eat human food. I'll survive off either," Adelaide shrugged nonchalantly, "but burgers definitely taste better."

  Elizabeth's eyes widened, "That is amazing. What about your abilities? Do you have any?"

  "We have all the basics; strength, speed, senses, healing. Our abilities aren't quite as enhanced as a purebred vampire, but we definitely exceed mortal limits."

  Elizabeth nodded, "What about aging? You said you were young when The Primevals took you?"

  "Yes, we age, but we do live longer than the average human. We have the lifespan of a human multiplied by two. We were taken when we were seven years old, and we are now twenty-six."

  I stared at Ava and Adelaide in awe. They were twenty-six years old but could pass for sixteen.

  "Wow… Amazing," Elizabeth admitted. "What about weaknesses?" "Anything can kill us. We don't have specific weaknesses, but we do have enhanced healing. We can take a lot more damage before death than a human can, but less damage than a purebred vampire can. Does that make sense?" Adelaide explained then pursed her lips together. "It makes perfect sense," Victor said, "if we were to let you join us, how many Abominations are we talking?"

  "A few," Adelaide grinned, glancing over her shoulder at Ava. Ava pushed her index and middle finger in between her lips, whistling one short, shrill sound.

  In response, I heard distant marching echoing from the trees. I whirled my eyes around the clearing. The footsteps sounded like they were coming from every direction. I desperately tried to find a so
urce, and finally, to my astonishment, found hundreds of sources. They were surrounding the opening, circling us. Hundreds of tall men and women with long white hair lined the trees.

  Laughter bubbled in my chest and spilled out of my lips triumphantly. I was overcome with emotion at this surprising new amount of people willing to fight for me if it became necessary. I glanced up at Kaden, overjoyed to see a massive smile on his face as he gazed at the tree line.

  "So, what do you say?" Adelaide suddenly questioned us, a soft smirk on her pink lips.

  "We are going to try our original plan first so we can avoid a fight and avoid losses," Victor sternly answered her, "but we would love to have you all as reinforcements."

  Adelaide and Ava smiled and nodded in agreement, satisfied with his answer.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR:

  I woke up alone in Kaden's bedroom, lying face-down on his scarlet sheets. I stiffly rolled over onto my back and stared up at the timber ceiling. A soft smile grew on my dry lips. I had a good feeling. For the first time all week, I had hope.

  I heard Elizabeth's boisterous laughter echo through the walls from another room and flinched at the unexpected sound. I wondered what was so funny. After a long, dramatic sigh, I threw my legs over the edge of the bed and stretched my arms above my head.

  Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz.

  On Kaden's nightstand, my cell phone vigorously vibrated. Surprise, surprise. My dad was calling. I cleared my throat.

  "Hey, Dad," I croakily answered.

  "How's it going?" Dad shouted into the phone, busting my eardrum. "I'm good. Partially deaf now, but good," I held the phone away from my ear.

  "Oh," he significantly lowered his voice, "sorry about that. It's hard for me to hear you over the wind, not the other way around."

  "Right," my lips curved. "How are you?"

  "Good," he uttered, "I have news."

  His sudden change of voice concerned me.

  "Okay," I tightened my grip on my cell phone, "what's the news?"

  "Well, Kev asked me to take on another job as soon as I finish this one. I'll make good pay, but I won't be home until the 31st.

  Halloween," he reluctantly explained.

  "Take it on, Dad," I quickly encouraged him.

  "I don't know if I want to leave you alone for that long,” he sighed. I rolled my eyes. "Stop being paranoid. There is nothing for you to be worried about."

  "But how do you know that?" He asked, the wind on his side of the line blowing in my ear.

  "I just do, Dad. Okay?” I sighed.

  “Okay, okay, sorry,” he chuckled, “I just have the strangest feeling.” He breathed into the phone, creating even more static, “but you’re right. I’m probably just being paranoid.”

  "So, you'll do it?" I questioned him, raising my eyebrows, "You'll take on the job?"

  "Yeah, I guess so," he huffed in distress, "I guess I'll, uh, see you on

  Halloween."

  "Okay," I agreed, anxiously chewing my bottom lip.

  "Now you don't sound so sure," he commented, noticeably perturbed. I face-palmed. "No, yes, I mean. Go," I stammered, my words tripping over my tongue, "I am sure."

  "Hm," he grunted, "alright, then. I'll, uh, call you later."

  "Okay," I sighed, relieved the awkward conversation was ending, "bye, Dad." I quickly ended the call, slamming my phone down on the nightstand.

  I heard Victor's disembodied voice in the living room, but I couldn't make out what he was saying. I slid from Kaden's bed, the wooden floorboards creaking beneath my bare feet. I was disgusted with myself and wanted to shower as soon as possible. I adjusted Kaden's sheets before slipping out into the dimly-lit hallway. The bathroom was two doors down, and I practically sprinted to it to avoid being seen. I pulled the door shut behind me, bolting the lock. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my reflection. I reluctantly faced the bathroom mirror, running my fingers through my messy brown hair. I grimaced at the sight of myself. My eyes were bloodshot, puffy, and ringed by soft purple bags. My cheeks seemed more sunken than usual, which made me question whether I'd appropriately been feeding myself since the beginning of the chaos. I glanced down at my outfit, the same one I'd worn the previous day, and sighed, feeling repulsed.

  I slid open the glass door of their fancy stand-in shower and slipped out of my clothes. Chill bumps covered my arms and legs, so I cranked up the hot water. I stood there under the stream for a while, just enjoying the tranquility of the moment. For a fleeting time, while I stood with my eyes closed, it was almost like everything was back to normal. Then, my eyes fluttered open, and I returned to my dreadful actuality. I grabbed some flowery, expensive shampoo that I assumed belonged to Elizabeth from the shower caddie and lathered it into my hair.

  Suddenly, there was a knock on the bathroom door.

  "Hey, Eve! Need some fresh clothes?" Elizabeth peppily shouted from the other side.

  With one hand, I wiped at the steam fogging the glass door. Through the mist, I eyeballed my dirty outfit lying on the floor.

  "Please," I shouted back. I tilted my head back, allowing the warm water to cleanse the soap from my hair.

  "I've got you covered," she exclaimed, "come to my room when you're done!"

  I winced at the thought of taking a casual stroll through their house in the nude, but at least Elizabeth's room was close by. I washed off before gliding the shower door open, releasing the steam once trapped in the cubical out into the open. I scoured their cabinets until I found a neat stack of towels and grabbed a baby blue one from the top. I wrapped up and shot through the bathroom door before I could talk myself out of it. My heart pumped in my throat each step I took toward Elizabeth's bedroom.

  I rushed into her open door, shoving it shut behind me. Elizabeth was sitting on her bed holding a book in her petite hands. I glanced around the room, taken aback by her interesting bedroom decor.

  "Wow, Elizabeth. Did you paint these?" I questioned her, my eyes scanning over all the brilliant watercolor canvases covering her walls. "Yeah," she peeked up from the book and grinned at me. "It's always been a hobby. I've had plenty of time, you know, to master it..." "You're really talented," I complimented her, still checking them out.

  One painting suddenly caught my eye.

  "Hang on. That one," I pointed at it, my tired eyes widening, "is that supposed to be me?"

  Her bright blue eyes followed my finger to the beautiful painting. It was a well-detailed side-profile a brunette girl. She was standing next to a great oak tree, staring up at a full moon. She had a pale pink azalea tucked behind her ear and peaking at us between the layers of her brown locks was a neon orange and yellow sun-shaped mark.

  Elizabeth smiled smugly, "Yeah. I painted it the night I first learned about your mark. The night it lit up and shocked my hand. Your mark really intrigued me, and I guess it also inspired me."

  "Wow," I smiled at the portrait, "it's beautiful."

  "You can have it if you want," Elizabeth courteously offered. She dropped the book she'd been reading face-down on her bed and rose to her feet.

  "No way," I shook my head, "I'm not going to take your art. You should be selling this."

  "I insist," she persisted. She pulled the canvas from the wall and dropped it on the bed in front of me, "I can always paint another." I peered at her, and she gave me a sincere smile.

  "Thanks, Elizabeth," I grinned at her, softly brushing my fingers over the piece.

  "No problem," she bobbed her head, glancing down at my towel, "I

  guess you’d like some clothes now." She skipped to her closet door and tugged it open, and my jaw hit the floor.

  Her closet seemed to stretch on and on for miles and miles. Clothes were everywhere, and I was willing to bet she had a different pair of shoes for each day of the year.

  "I didn't realize this cabin had two hallways," I sarcastically commented under my breath.

  She chuckled, "Don't judge. Go ahead. Pick your poison." "Direct me to the t-shirts and swea
tpants," I raised my eyebrows at her.

  "Ooh, sorry. I don't have any of that in stock. I do, however," Elizabeth stepped into the walkway, shoving and throwing clothes to-and-fro until she settled on an outfit, "have this."

  I eyeballed the designer shirt and jeans in her arms.

  "You don't like?" Elizabeth frowned at me.

  "It's not that I don't like it," I shrugged, "it's just not me."

  "What about leggings?" Elizabeth suggested with a shrug.

  "That will work," I nodded. "Which aisle are they on?" I sarcastically added with a dull smirk.

  Elizabeth scowled at me before stepping deeper into her closet, sorting through her jeans. She held a pair of plain black leggings up in the air.

  "Perfect!" I exclaimed.

  "Are you sure? Wouldn't you prefer these instead?" Elizabeth held up another pair of leggings. They were leather, hot pink, and had horizontal tears covering the upper thighs. She shot me a wink.

  I begrudgingly stared at her in silence.

  "Fine," she grumbled, "the black pair, it is."

  She grabbed a somewhat casual long-sleeved shirt and tossed the outfit my way.

  Elizabeth left the room, allowing me to get dressed in peace. I locked the door behind her and dropped my towel, exposing my body. I got changed in a hurry, and when I was done, I joined the others. I was surprised to find only Jake, Victor, and Elizabeth in the living room. Jake sat on the couch while Victor and Elizabeth shared the loveseat. "Oh. Where is Kaden?" I asked, peering at the three of them. I grabbed one of their traditional wooden chairs from the dining room and dragged it behind me.

  "He and Sebastian went to grab a, um," Victor paused, pursing his lip,

  "a bite to eat."

  My stomach churned. I nodded with an involuntary grimace. Since Kaden wasn't around to keep me so easily distracted, I saw an opportunity to ask Victor some unaddressed questions. "Victor, I have been meaning to ask you something if that's alright," I recalled, insecurely pushing my damp hair behind my ears.