Sunny Eve

by Shayla Hyde

  “Oh, hello, Victor. It’s interesting seeing you here,” Calvin paused, peering at him curiously. “How can you be so sure that she hasn’t killed?”

  Victor bravely stepped forward, clearing his throat, “Because I met Evelyn when she first discovered her mark’s powers. I have spent many days with her since then, and she has tried killing me zero times. She doesn’t hate vampires. She only harms them when they try to harm her first, and even then, it is out of her control.”

  “So, you admit she can’t control the mark,” Calvin smacked his hands together. “So, what does that tell you, Victor? Surely, it doesn’t make you believe she won’t harm you. If she can’t control it, what is keeping it from killing us all right at this very moment?”

  “It’s not killing us right now because we aren’t trying to hurt her,” Victor explained, “the mark only defends her when she is in danger. It doesn’t attack unprovoked.”

  Calvin paused, “I am sorry, Victor. But leaving this girl alive? That is a chance I am not willing to take.” Calvin lifted his right hand over his head, his open-palm pointed toward me.

  Out of my control, I was dragged forward. My feet scraped the ground as he pulled me toward him without even touching me. Jane tried like hell to hold me in place, but my sweaty fingers slipped out of her grip. Kaden rushed my way and, despite the electricity, was about to shield me with his body when a thunderous gunshot sounded from somewhere behind us, echoing through the forest.

  Calvin grunted, falling to his knees and the telekinesis stopped. Jane grabbed my hand, jerking me back to our original spot. I could barely see Calvin through the others, but I did manage to see him pluck a wooden bullet from his abdomen and thump it away. He snarled angrily, his eyes darkening. “Who did that?” Calvin shouted, rising to his feet, glaring into the black forest behind us all.

  “I… I have no idea,” Victor glanced back.

  About that time, I saw someone step out of the tree line with a long-barreled shotgun in tow. The person was reloading as they marched our way.

  “Oh, no. No, no, no,” Jake repeatedly said, rushing toward the person. I squinted at the person’s outline, and when I realized who it was, my heart leaped into my throat.

  “Iris, oh my God, no!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.

  My best friend fearlessly stepped onward, heading straight toward The Primevals. Jake stopped her midway, taking the shotgun away from her. He held her in place, quietly murmuring to her. Hopefully, he was talking some sense into her.

  I kept my eyes peeled and planted on Calvin’s movements. He was furious. He was breathing raspy, his teeth bared. He glared coldly at

  Iris. “I think it is time,” he shouted to his fellow Primevals. Calvin suddenly whistled a long and shrill sound, and what followed was a frightening noise. Footsteps. Hundreds of footsteps. We all paused, glancing at one another.

  Calvin cackled, “What, did you all think we would come unprepared?”

  Victor cleared his throat, “Did you think we would?” He whistled a short tune, and The Abominations marched toward us from somewhere in the woodwork.

  Calvin’s eyes widened, but he tried to pretend like he wasn’t fazed. In a matter of seconds, Calvin was pushing quickly toward Jake and Iris. I screeched a warning, but it was too late. Calvin tossed Jake to the side and sunk his teeth into Iris’s throat in a matter of seconds. She howled in agony. A wailing sound I’d never made bubbled in the back of my throat.

  I helplessly stood there and watched while my best friend was being murdered. Sebastian sped over to the scene, shoving Calvin to the ground where they began to wrestle each other. Iris collapsed onto her knees, her neck soaked in a deep crimson liquid. Jake crawled to her on all-fours. I tried to break away from Jane, but she pulled me closer. “Wait,” Jane whispered to me, “Hold on a little longer. We are almost complete with the merging process.”

  Jake slit his wrist with his teeth, pressing it against Iris’s gaping mouth. The Abominations and The Primeval Servants were already destroying one another up ahead. So many bodies were hitting the ground, I couldn’t keep up. I couldn’t tell which side outnumbered the other as they all clashed together. Amongst the rest, I couldn’t even find Adelaide or Ava.

  Amelia shot through the bloody crowd of bodies, living and deceased, and lunged at Elizabeth, tackling her to the ground. Amelia tilted her head to the side like a confused dog, reaching behind her back with one hand. She was fumbling with my backpack. I’d forgotten to grab it. She slid one of Ida’s stakes out, holding it out of Elizabeth’s sight. Amelia was stopped rather quickly when another stake was pierced through her back, the pointed edge exiting her chest. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open, blood trickling from the corners of her lips. Victor ripped the stake from her body, letting her hit the hard ground, and helped Elizabeth to her feet. Rose, Owen, and Scarlett, the rest of the Primevals were fast approaching. I checked on Iris again and saw that she was now stirring around. She was okay. Jake took her hand, urging her to quickly get on her feet.

  “Come on, babe, you’ve gotta get away from here,” he said frantically. Iris, with Jake’s help, stumbled to her feet and started to limp away from the battle. That’s when I saw Rose. She was sprinting straight toward them, and they were both unsuspecting.

  “Jake! Iris! Behind you!” I shrieked helplessly.

  Rose had already reached them. Iris screamed a chilling, bloodcurdling scream as Rose impaled Jake with the sharp end of a broken tree branch. Jake gasped for air, hitting the ground at once. I could tell Rose had pierced him directly through his heart. Iris wailed, hitting the ground beside him.

  “Jake, no…” Iris said quietly, taking his hand in hers.

  Jake coughed and gargled. He was choking on his own blood, but he managed to quietly say something to her in between many harsh breaths. “Get out of here, Iris. Leave. I love you.”

  “I love you,” Iris sobbed, “I love you, Jake. I’m so sorry.”

  I watched in horror as Jake took his final breath. Iris rocked back and forth, his hand still clasped in hers.

  “No, no, no. This can’t… This can’t be real,” she whimpered, talking directly to Jake’s lifeless body. “Not now, not yet...”

  Rose watched Iris’s breakdown with a sadistic smirk on her ashen face. Iris didn’t notice she had an amused audience until Rose chuckled, capturing her attention. Her sadness quickly transformed into something else entirely. She slowly stood from the ground, glaring at Rose.

  Quickly, Iris jerked the stake from Jake’s chest and full force rammed it into unexpecting Rose’s heart. Rose, astonished by the sudden attack, hit her knees with a gasp. Calvin saw this and broke free of Sebastian’s hold, zooming Iris’s way. Victor tackled Calvin, repeatedly punching him in the face.

  “Jane, are we ready yet?” I exclaimed, “I can’t stand watching any more of this! We have to do something!”

  “Almost, be patient,” Jane squeezed my hand. “Focus.”

  Through the corner of my eye, I saw Kaden wrestling with Owen.

  Owen had him pinned to the ground, his forearm weighing down on

  Kaden’s windpipe. He smiled, his contracture scar stretching. Sebastian swooped in and dragged Owen off of Kaden by a handful of his hair. Kaden jumped to his feet, and together, he and Sebastian decapitated Owen. I dropped my gaze before I could see it. When I glanced back up, they were throwing his body and head-- separately-- into the growing flames.

  Scarlett, Owen’s red-headed mate, was the next one to make a move. Adelaide appeared from seemingly nowhere and tightly laced her

  fingers around Scarlett’s throat. I searched for Ava, finding her lost amid World War III. There were less living Abominations than Primevals. It was only a matter of time before they finished them off and started on us. There was a cloaked man on top of Ava, and she struggled against him unable to call for help. Finally, I felt my hair settle on top of my head, and naturally, my marked began to burn vigorously. I glared at the cloaked m
an, and my mark sent a straight ray of light directly into his chest. He was knocked many yards back, and Ava was able to escape unharmed.

  Out of nowhere, I was grabbed by Calvin. He shoved me to the ground by my hair, and my body landed hard against the cold forest floor. He chuckled, licking his lips. “Wow. You truly do look just like your mother,” he whispered, chilling me to the bone. Calvin wrapped his fingers around my throat, closing my airway. I choked, and I could feel my face turning purple.

  I glanced up at Jane, and she nodded, encouraging me. Our abilities were linked together. We were ready. I was frightened, but I closed my eyes, focusing less on Calvin and more on saving everyone else around me.

  Calvin went stiff, his fingers slipping from my throat, “What the…” he whispered, falling backward.

  I slowly opened my eyes and started coughing. I scanned the forest around me and realized it was illuminated partially in yellow and partially in blue. I leaned onto my elbows and noticed each of my friends and our allies were absorbed in a yellow or blue light. The yellow radiated from my neck, and the blue from Jane’s palms. There was no pain, no draining of energy. Together, Jane and I were effortlessly saving lives. The fighting quickly ended. Everyone went silent. I glanced around, finding Iris, Kaden, Sebastian, Elizabeth, Victor, Adelaide, Ava, and the remaining Abominations completely unscratched and wrapped in our shield. Calvin was right beside me, but I had nothing to be afraid of. In my shield, he could do nothing to me. I chuckled freely.

  Calvin and a dozen of his minions were the only remaining

  Primevals. I turned a blind eye when The Abominations finished the twelve of them off. Calvin backed away from me, trying to allude. Iris cocked her shotgun, and a wooden bullet ripped through his leg, stopping him in place. Ava and Adelaide dragged Calvin back to the center of the clearing, just next to the fire. They pinned his body to the ground using a stake through the stomach.

  Calvin lay still, staring at the moonlit sky. He didn’t try to resist. At this point, I noticed that everyone, excluding myself, bowed their heads. I didn’t know why, not at first. That was, until I heard someone else marching toward us from the darkness. They quietly hiked over the seemingly endless mountains of dead bodies. I rose to my feet, watching the stranger come our way. When he reached the light, a jolt was sent through my body.

  “Dad?” I whispered, taking a step toward him.

  He embraced me tightly, and I rested my head on his shoulder.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked him, my voice quivering.

  “Kaden told me everything,” Dad informed me. “It’s okay, Eve. I understand.”

  I glanced at Kaden, and he nodded.

  Dad dropped his arms to his sides and slowly stepped away from me. He kneeled next to Calvin, reaching into his back pocket. He removed a picture of my mom, holding it in Calvin’s face.

  “Remember my wife?” Dad asked, his voice surprisingly calm. Calvin glanced at the photo for less than a second, “Of course I remember. How could I forget? She was quite the fighter, she was.” Calvin cackled

  Dad shoved the stake deeper into Calvin’s abdomen, making him cry out.

  “So, you do remember what you did to her,” Dad said matter-of-factly, cocking his head to the side.

  Calvin stayed quiet, a fearful expression growing on his face as Dad inched a bit closer to him.

  “Let’s see how you like it.” Dad said angrily, grabbing Calvin’s head in his strong grip. I broke my gaze, not wanting to see what would follow.

  After Calvin was murdered, the forest suddenly darkened. The shield was lifted. My neck became cold. There was no more threat. There was nothing to protect ourselves from anymore.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO:

  Halloween: One Year Later

  Iris and I entered Gemstone, and Kaden and Sebastian were already there, slurping on milkshakes. I chuckled at their ridiculous costumes. They were vampires. Surprise, surprise.

  “Wow, so original,” I scoffed.

  “Figured I’d dress up as a vampire since I don’t much feel like one anymore,” Sebastian rolled his eyes.

  “Oh, yeah,” I raised my brows, “how’s that animal diet working out for ya?” Iris and I sat across from them.

  “I’m living with it,” he shrugged. “Barely.”

  Kaden rolled his eyes, “We dressed in these ridiculous costumes because we wanted to invite you to Elizabeth and Victor’s going-away party.”

  “But you hate parties,” I reminded him.

  “I’m making an exception just this once,” he shrugged. “There’s going to be a memorial for Jake and Bradley.”

  Iris held up her finger, “Oh, that reminds me. Look at the picture I got.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a photograph of Jake. He was standing on a diamond with his baseball gear on and a childlike smile on his face. Iris pressed her hand to the photo, staring down at it with sadness in her emerald eyes. “I can’t believe it’s been a year already.”

  “I know,” Kaden sighed softly. “This photo will do perfectly. Thank you, Iris.” He carefully slid the photograph into his possession and examined it.

  “No problem,” she said, wiping her hands on the thighs of her skinny jeans.

  My cell phone started ringing, I quickly reached for it. “Hey, Dad!” “I know I said I would quit bothering you, but it’s a hard habit to break,” Dad chuckled into the speaker.

  “No, it’s fine,” I smiled softly, “What’s up? How’s your trip going?”

  “It’s actually going fairly well. Guess where I am,” he told me.

  “Where?” I lifted my eyebrows curiously.

  “Well, I decided I’d pass through Langley on the way and pay your mom a visit. First time I’ve been able to come here since the funeral,” he explained. I could hear his smile in his voice.

  “Oh, Dad. That’s great. She would be so happy to see you,” I said quietly.

  “Thank you. It feels great. I just wished I’d come sooner,” he said softly. “So, what are you doing for Halloween?”

  “Just going to Kaden’s for a little gathering,” I shrugged. “There’s going to be a memorial for Jake and Bradley.”

  “That’s really nice. Tell Kaden I said hello,” he exclaimed, “and Iris, too. I’m sure she’ll be around.”

  “I’ll tell them,” I smiled, glancing at both of them.

  I was glad Dad had finally accepted Kaden for what he was. It took some time, but he finally realized that Kaden wasn’t a threat to me.

  That he is nothing like the Primevals were.

  Later that night, Iris and I arrived at the cabin. Elizabeth shook her head side-to-side at her brothers as we walked in.

  “I knew you were planning something. You don’t bring out the wine glasses for just any occasion,” she chuckled, pushing her long platinum locks behind her ears.

  Sebastian shrugged, “You deserve it, Lizzy.”

  “Gross,” she turned up her nose. “Don’t call me that.”

  “So, where are you going, Elizabeth?” Iris spoke up, “Where are you guys moving to?”

  “We are going to Europe,” Elizabeth beamed. She glanced up at Victor, and he smiled down at her.

  “Where we met,” Victor added.

  When everyone arrived and the party started to bump, I snuck outside to see the shrine Iris and Kaden had put together. There was a large canvas plastered with photographs of both Jake and Bradley. There were white lantern lights hanging on each side of the memorial and tall candlesticks on the ground circling the display. I sat in the grass across from it and kicked my sneakers off.

  “What do you think,” I heard Iris’s voice from somewhere behind me,

  “of the display?”

  I peeked over my shoulder at her. She was standing a few feet behind me, her arms crossed and a bleak expression on her face.

  “I think it’s beautiful,” I told her, patting the ground next to me.

  She walked over and dropped on her knees next to me, a weak sm
ile tugging the corners of her lips as she stared at Jake’s photograph from earlier. “I think he would like it.”

  “He would love it,” I corrected her. “You guys did a fantastic job.”

  She sighed softly, grinning over at me, “thank you, Eve.” She rested her cold hand on my arm. After a moment of silence, she rose to her feet. “It’s almost time. I’m going to get some more candles. I’ll be right back.” She slowly walked back toward the cabin, leaving me outside alone.

  Shortly after she closed the sliding glass door, it reopened, and Kaden, still dressed in his ridiculous costume, stepped outside.

  “There you are,” he smiled, ambling over to me. He had a red solo cup in his hand, and he offered it to me.

  “You know I don’t drink,” I rolled my eyes at him.

  “I do know that,” he chuckled, “it’s juice.”

  “Oh,” I grinned, taking the cup from him, “thanks.”

  Kaden sat on the ground next to me, wrapping his long arm around my shoulders. He gazed at the memorial display.

  “This looks great,” I told him, straightening out my legs.

  “It does,” he agreed, “Iris fixed it herself for the most part.”

  The music inside the house suddenly stopped blaring, and all the party-goers went silent. It was midnight, time for the moment of silence for Bradley and Jake. The back door slid open, and dozens of my classmates and even total strangers stepped outside, approaching the memorial. Aside from several footsteps crunching the dead leaves on the ground, there was no sound. Silence for the lives lost.

  Iris stepped through the crowd, a box of unlit tealight candles in her hands. She started passing them out to everyone, and individually, everyone took their candles to the shrine, lit them with one of the larger candlesticks, and paid their respects. A moment of silence quickly turned into ten minutes of silence.

  Iris stuck around even after everyone else had gone back inside to resume their partying. She motionlessly stood next to the display, clutching her candle in her hand. I frowned at the back of her head.