by G. Bailey
True Light
From The Stars
G. Bailey
Contents
Description
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Epilogue
Afterword
Also by G. Bailey
Links
Excerpt from Runes of Truth-
-Runes-
Excerpt from Run Little Wolf
-Run Little Wolf-
True Light Copyright © 2018 by G. Bailey
All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
The author acknowledges the trademark owners of various products, brands, and/or stores referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
Cover design by Jennifer Munswami.
Created with Vellum
With sharing the true light, there is always a cost.
Moving is crap.
My new neighbor is an arrogant jerk.
Oh, he's also an alien who claims we share a soul, and he wants me as far away from him as possible...
Ura didn’t want to move, but her father didn’t give her a choice when he said he wanted an escape after the car accident that nearly killed them both. Trying to survive in a ghost town is never fun, but add in the neighbor from hell, well it’s becoming a nightmare.
When two new strangers move into Maxx’s house, Ura finds out there is more than the true light to be frightened of.
When light appears, so does darkness…
17+
For those who manage to find a little light, even when it seems like there is only darkness.
To the brave ones.
Prologue
“Watch out!” I scream, knowing my warning is too late as a car flies out the other lane, speeding head first into the front of our car. Even as I hear my dad slam on the brakes, I know that nothing will stop the car from hitting ours. Everything feels in slow motion as the car smashes into us, the air bags pop open automatically as my body pushes against the tight seatbelt. A second later, my head slams into the glass window as the car rolls, making me scream out in pain. I turn my head, seeing my father’s worried blue eyes locked on mine, just before everything turns black for what seems like only a few moments, but I know it’s much longer than that. When I open my eyes, everything is so still, so painless for only a moment, and then I scream as I feel the crippling, mind-searing pain. I scream until my voice cracks and I can’t scream anymore. I shakily lift my head off the air bag as I cough, trying to figure out where the pain is coming from and wanting to find out if my dad is okay. I look down at the branch that has come through the smashed window screen and is lodged into my stomach on the left side. My mind tries to pretend it’s not happening as I look away, while the rest of me is screaming in pain and fear.
“Help!” I try to scream, but it comes out as a dry cough. I try to blink out the blood that is dripping into my right eye, but it only stings. I turn slightly in my seat, the little movements hurting more than anything I’ve ever felt, and I see that the car is empty. My dad isn’t in the car anymore.
“Dad! Dad!” I shout out. Or at least I think I do as things start to get hazy and I can’t hear my whispered sounding voice. I can’t lose him too, not after mum…
“Hello?” I hear a distant voice shout through the haze. I look over and see a blurry figure open the driver door, sliding into the seat. I can’t make out his features, only that it is a guy.
“I got you, Freckles,” the smooth, seductive voice says, trying to comfort me. Freckles? I can’t make my mouth move to reply to him, even as something deep inside me wants me to. I feel him place his hand on my head, over my cut, and instead of pain, I only feel warmth as blue light shines in my eyes. The light is all I feel and see as everything else fades away.
Chapter One
“There is a spider in my room, and I’m not touching it or unpacking until it’s gone,” I state, standing at the bottom of the stairs and glaring at my father who chuckles as he runs a hand through his brown-going-grey hair. Dad turns his light blue eyes on me, the amusement clearly shining through them. I glance around at the piles of boxes we are trying to move into the old house and notice that the counters in the kitchen have cobwebs on them. There are going to be more spiders.
“What? The girl with pink hair and a nose piercing can’t handle a spider? I thought you were going through a whole rebellious, badass chick stage,” he replies, being a smartass like usual. Don’t parents grow out of that at some point when they get old?
“I like pink, not hairy spiders in an old house. Please just get rid of it, dad,” I groan, and he laughs, messing my hair up with his giant hands as he passes me to go upstairs. I walk over to the mirror, smoothing down my dark pink hair, which doesn’t match my blue eyes and freckle-filled face. I had to tell dad I dyed it pink when he was in hospital because it naturally started growing out this color after the accident. The pink is darker at the top and lighter at the bottom as the sun has faded it. I also try to ignore the blue pattern on my head, which used to freak me out, but now it’s just a reminder that I might be a little crazy since the crash a year ago. It looks like a mixture of swirls made up of blue light, and it is exactly where I remember my head being cut in the accident. Only, no one can see the weird mark but me since I woke up from the accident. I lift my tank top to see the other mark, the rose shaped one on my hip, and run a hand over it as memories flash in my mind.
I still vividly remember when I started asking about the glowing blue marks after the car crash…and well, the memories make me cringe. I came out of the accident with nothing but bruises, memories of being hurt far worse, and a glowing blue light that was warm and comforting. Neither my dad nor anyone else has believed me about it yet. They assumed I must have hit my head harder in the crash than they thought. It was months of tests while I waited for my father to get out of the hospital after he was flung from the car and somehow survived. The moment he got out of the hospital, he announced he had found this new job and that we were moving to a new house. An old, creaking house full of spiders in the middle of nowhere. Gross.
“At least there won’t be a psychologist in this town for dad to send me to,” I mutter to myself, knowing that’s one benefit of the tiny ass town we have moved into. I walk to the front door, pull it open, and walk down the steps to look up at the new house. Someone once painted the bricks white, but they have faded and chipped over time, making the house seem creepier as it sits in the middle of lots of tall trees. The windows are made of wood, also chipped in places, and the roof doesn’t look in the best condition. This is a massive step down from our flat in London. It was in an old building, but the building was well looked after, not like this place. I shake my head and go to sit on the steps just outside my door.
I stare out over the tiny road to the house on the other side of the street, which only contains these two. It is the mirror image of ours, with perfect white painted br
icks, white plastic bay windows and steps leading up to the blue front door. There are two cars parked in front of the detached garage, both of them sport cars, and the sun shines off the red and blue paintwork. They must have cost a fortune. I keep searching around the only other house on the street, wondering why anyone would choose to live right outside a ghost town. I know the only reason my father chose this house is because of its cheap price; we can’t afford much after we lost the flat in London when my dad was ill in hospital. My dad would have chosen one of the expensive houses in the town if he could have. So why would people who can afford cars like that, live out here? My eyes flicker over the left window, just as the curtain moves a little to make a gap, and I see that someone is watching me. I lift my hand and wave, and the person lets the curtain go, walking away. Well, seems they aren’t friendly then.
“The spider is all gone,” my father says, his footsteps couldn’t be missed as he walked across the creaking floor in the hallway to the front door and opened it. The creaking was so loud, I could hear him before he opened the door. “It is now free in the garden.”
“No going in the garden for me then. The spider can claim that space as his own, and hopefully all his friends inside the house go to play with him,” I say, and my dad chuckles before he walks away. I stand up, stretching a little before going inside and closing the white door behind me.
“I’m going to go into town to get some shopping and a pizza for dinner. Do you want to come?” Dad asks, sliding his wallet into his jeans and picking up his keys off the side.
“I’m good, dad. I have to unpack and log into the school’s website to get my curriculum up for tomorrow,” I tell him. I left everything to the last minute, which is a bad habit of mine.
“Alright. Anything you want from the shops?” he asks. “And you don’t need to ask for popcorn.” I grin up at him, thankful that he remembers my favorite snack. I’m happy to see my dad back to normal, not sitting in hospital and struggling to get better. This dad is like how it was before the crash.
“Toffee or sweet, please,” I suggest, and he pats my shoulder before walking out of the door. I run up the stairs, not enjoying the massive creaking noise the dark wood boards make as I go. I pass by my dad’s room, the shared bathroom and go to my room right at the end of the hallway past a cupboard. I walk into my room, pausing to look around at the magnolia walls, dark wood floors and the big window. I love this room because the window has a window seat, which will be perfect to sit and draw in. I slide my cardigan off my shoulders and chuck it on my single bed that I need to do the sheets for. I walk to the boxes and start pulling them open, looking for only a few things. I pull out my sketch pad and a pencil from my pencil case, then walk to the window as I flip through the sketch pad for a new page. I sit down, not enjoying how cold the wood feels. I need to get some cushions or something for this seat. I might even have some packed away in the boxes.
My hands start drawing before I even really think on it, and when I finally notice what I’m drawing, I stop, staring down at the eyes of a man I’ve never met, the man who haunts my dreams since the crash. I close the pad and put the pencil down, wrapping my arms around my knees as I watch out the window. I frown when I see a flash of blinding, bright green light from outside, and then after a few moments, someone knocks three times on the door as the light disappears. What the hell was that?
Chapter Two
I run down the stairs to answer the door as the knocking continues, and as I get closer, I can hear two people arguing. I pull the door open, pausing at the sight of two unfamiliar teenagers smiling at me. They look about my age, both of them have dark blonde hair, and I would guess they are related somehow. Or it might be they both look like models with how attractive they are. The guy has spikey blond hair, an ear piercing and big friendly smile. The girl…well, she doesn’t look one bit impressed to be here, and her smile is clearly fake. I raise an eyebrow at them because now the smiling—and no talking—is getting creepy.
“Hello, who are you?” I ask, crossing my arms and feeling a little defensive for some reason. The girl is still looking me over, scanning my every small movement, and I get the feeling like I’m a poor girl meeting the rich girl.
“Hi! Sorry! We never get new people moving to this small town, let alone one our age. I’m still in shock that you’re here!” the guy says, practically jumping on the spot and offering me a hand to shake. “I’m Landon.” I slide my hand into his, shaking it as I introduce myself to the overly excited guy. I get a cold feeling when our hands touch, but I shake it off.
“I’m Aura, but most people call me Ura,” I tell them and let go of Landon’s hand. “Only my dad calls me Aura actually.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you,” Landon says, looking at the girl who he has to elbow in the stomach before she says anything.
“Iris. Nice to meet you as well,” she bites out and turns her head to glare at Landon. “We said hello like you wanted, but hell, I won’t ever be her friend. Can we go now?”
“Iris, don’t be a bitch,” Landon says, shaking his head and flashing me an apologetic look.
“I’m not. Maxx will lose his shit about—”
“Look, I don’t want any drama or whatever this is,” I interrupt, totally confused about what is going on here. Iris sneers at me, her eyes briefly flashing up to my forehead before she looks at Landon.
“I’m going back to my house, are you coming now you’ve met the newbie?” Iris asks him, like she expects him to do what she asks.
“Nope, I’m staying,” Landon replies, putting his hands on his hips and glaring Iris down as she stares in disbelief before stalking off down the steps. We both watch as she walks to the other side of the road and gets into one of the shiny cars parked on the other house’s driveway.
“I’m so sorry about her. I wanted to come over on my own, but Iris can be a little—”
“Bossy? Bitchy?” I ask, and Landon chuckles.
“Yep, she can be all those, but honestly she is alright underneath the bitch front she puts up,” he tells me, but I don’t quite believe it as I watch Iris drive the car out the driveway then stop to glare at me through the open window before speeding off.
“Yeah, I don’t see us being friends anytime soon,” I say. Making an enemy on day one wasn’t the plan.
“Neither do I, but I think we could be good friends. For one, pink is my favorite color,” he says, pointing at my hair, and I laugh. “For two, I don’t have any friends that aren’t family, and I’m in dire need of one to talk to.” I see the genuine look in his eyes, and I don’t pick up any way that he is flirting with me. He just seems to need a friend, and that is something we have in common. All my old friends soon disappeared after the accident, when they realized that I believed that something else had happened at the crash. I miss having friends around me that I can trust, and I know I have a year here before I go to university. A year with no friends in a ghost town does not sound appealing.
“Do you want to come in?” I ask, and he nods, looking happy as I hold the door open while he walks in. I watch as Landon looks around, sliding his hands in his jean pockets as he stares.
“This house is so similar to ours,” he states. I know he is being nice. I’m sure my house looks like an old version of their shiny, newly painted house. I don’t call him on it, as I know he is just being nice and it’s not his fault we have to live here.
“Ours?” I ask as I shut the door behind Landon.
“Oh yeah, I live across the street with my brother. We are only ten months apart, and he is nearly eighteen now. You two and Iris will be in the same year, I figure, whereas I still have two years of school left,” he says with a little groan. I wonder if it was his brother looking through the window earlier. I also wonder how much he looks like Landon.
“Sorry, that sucks, how do you know my age by the way?” I ask as we enter the kitchen and I walk to the fridge.
“It’s a small town. Everyone has been talking,
” he explains as I open the fridge, searching for a drink to offer him. It makes a lot of sense.
“We only have lemonade or orange juice as my dad is at the store,” I tell him.
“Orange juice would be great,” Landon replies, and I pull out the bottle. I find us two glasses and pour our drinks, before handing Landon his as he seems to be lost in thought.
“So, what brings you to this place? We are literally in the middle of nowhere in the Lake district,” Landon asks me. I expected this question considering he said that no one new moves in here. It was a little random that my dad found this job. He said they emailed him with an opening and offered him an increased salary to move here.
“My dad got a job at the local garage. So here we are. We used to live in London, but my dad lost his job after the accident,” I say.
“Accident?” he asks, looking worried, but there is something in his expression that makes me doubt his worry. I don’t know what it is, but his concern seems insincere.
“A car crash, we were both in it, and we are both fine now. My dad was just in the hospital for a while, and there wasn’t a job for him when he got out,” I explain.
“Ah, well I’m glad you’re okay and your dad found this job. This town isn’t bad, just remote. We moved here a year ago,” he tells me. So, they aren’t that old to the town either. No wonder he wants to make a friend, he is practically the new kid as well.
