Magic and Shadows: A Collection of YA Fantasy and Paranormal Romances

by T. M. Franklin

  Troy grabbed my wrist and tugged gently. “Come on.” I followed him, but pulled my arm back to cross them over my chest. I was still upset about him not kissing me, but now I wasn’t so sure that he was in the wrong.

  Drake handed me a plate of food and sat down on his blanket. Troy made a plate and spread his blanket out flat. He patted the open space next to him. “Sit.”

  I could have sat down in the sand since my towel was still wrapped around me, but I sat next to him and stared at the plate of food. What if there were people following us? Would I be able to tell? Could I lead them away from Troy if I did find them? The man had told me to stay with Troy, but…

  “The hot dog is better when it’s warm,” Drake said around the food in his mouth.

  “Dog!” I asked in shock. I didn’t know they ate their pets.

  “It’s not really a dog,” Troy explained. “They just call it a hot dog.” He pointed to one of the items on my plate. “This.”

  I picked it up and took a bite. “Juicy,” I mumbled as I chewed.

  “Thank you,” Drake said as though that were a compliment to him.

  “What are these?” I asked and held up a weird crisp orange thing.

  “It’s a chip.”

  I ate one and on top of the weird crunchiness it was odd tasting.

  “Doesn’t look like she likes that flavor,” Troy said. He handed me a different colored one. “Try this one.”

  I did. “That one is better.”

  “Hey, Drake,” a woman with huge breasts in a bathing suit that didn’t seem big enough said with a smile. “Hi, Troy.”

  “Hi, Stacy,” Drake greeted her with a smile and stood up to hug her.

  Troy stood up and hugged her too. “How are you?” he asked her, still standing and facing her.

  “I’m good. I was out on the boat and saw you guys so I thought I would come say hi.” She was pretty and had a really pretty smile. She looked at me and said, “I haven’t seen you before.”

  “This is Alys,” Drake said before Troy could say anything.

  I stood up and held out my hand. “Hi.”

  She shook my hand and said, “It’s nice to meet you, Alys. Well, I better get back. If you guys want a ride on the boat, you’re more than welcome.”

  Ride on the boat? That didn’t sound fun. “Maybe another time,” Troy said and then hugged her again. She hugged Drake again and gave me a weird look before walking towards a rowdy group of people.

  “I think her top gets smaller every year,” Drake commented and then took a drink of water.

  “That’s because she keeps getting boob jobs,” Troy said and sat down on his towel again. I finished the food that had been on my plate, dropped my towel and went back into the lake.

  “She’s still mad at me,” Troy whispered to Drake.

  “Can you blame her? Her first few days of memory haven’t been great.”

  “The guy from the mall who said he would see her again was just here and claims he knows her.”

  “Does he?”

  “I don’t know. She seemed to think he might, but she said she doesn’t remember. Claims this guy mentioned a war of some kind and that she could be in danger.”

  “I don’t think he’s talking about the war overseas.”

  “Me neither.”

  “The gangs have been pretty quiet lately. If a war is brewing, it would make sense.”

  “She doesn’t have any tattoos. If she was part of any of the gangs, she would have a mark.”

  “How do you know she doesn’t have any tattoos?”

  “The doctor told me. We have to know when we make the found person’s report.”

  “Mmhm.”

  “Anyways…”

  “What if it’s the mob? She could be Russian or something.”

  “That’s possible.”

  “What if she’s a mobster’s wife?”

  “She’s a bit young to be anyone’s wife.”

  “You never know.”

  I walked a bit deeper into the water and moved my arms slowly back and forth through the water.

  “She could be a daughter.”

  “Possible.”

  “She was really freaked out after that guy left. He told her that she had her memories removed.”

  “That’s not even possible.”

  “I know, but it really scared her. Now she thinks she could be a criminal.”

  “Pretty women are usually the best criminals.”

  “Drake.”

  “You want me to do some research?”

  “Yeah, I’m off for the next week.”

  “Oh, right. I forgot about that.”

  “Yeah.”

  “So, why is she mad at you?”

  He sighed loudly. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Don’t lose your chance,” Drake whispered. “She’s pretty and kind and she might never get her memories back. Plus, that guy could be full of crap and just a nutbag.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “It’d be wrong.”

  “Wrong? What? You’re stupid.”

  I sat down in the lake, the water coming up to my neck and wiggled my toes around in the sand.

  “I need to try to find that guy and question him.”

  “You need to stop being stupid.”

  “I’m not being stupid.”

  “If she’s mad at you and you won’t tell me the reason, that means you did something stupid.”

  “Whatever.”

  “I’ll just go ask her myself,” Drake said.

  “No!” Troy yelled at him. “Drop it, man.”

  “Hey, Alys!” Drake called.

  I turned my head and looked at him. “Yeah?”

  Troy tripped Drake who was laughing now. “What’s wrong?” he asked me as he stood up and pushed Troy towards the lake and me.

  “Huh?” I asked, like I hadn’t heard him.

  He and Troy were pushing and pulling each other as they walked deeper into the lake. “What’s wrong? You seem sad.” Drake asked.

  Troy shoved Drake, who continued to watch me.

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” I answered him.

  “Typical woman response,” Drake said. “Really though, what’s up? What did Troy do to make you mad?”

  “Just drop it,” Troy growled and somehow pushed Drake under the water.

  He sputtered as he came up and then pushed Troy under the water.

  “Are you guys fighting?” I asked him.

  “Naw, we’re just playing around.”

  “You’re making him mad. His face is scrunched,” I whispered to Drake.

  He looked at Troy, who was wiping water from his face. “Hey, you’re right. Huh? Truce, bro?”

  “You done prying?” Troy asked him as he walked towards me and Drake.

  “For now.”

  “You’re so damn nosey.”

  “What does his nose have to do with anything?” I asked.

  “It means he asks too many questions,” Troy explained.

  “So, I’m nosey?” I asked softly.

  “No, you’re learning about stuff. He’s trying to find out information he doesn’t need to know.”

  “So, you don’t want him to know why I’m mad, so that makes him nosey?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Why don’t you want him to know?” I asked.

  “Because he’ll make a big deal out of it.”

  “Why?”

  “Because that’s what Drake does.”

  “Why would he care? It doesn’t involve him.”

  “He shouldn’t, but he will.”

  “I am right here,” Drake said with crossed arms.

  “Maybe he could explain your reasoning to me better than you can,” I said to Troy defiantly.

  He frowned. “No.”

  I tilted my head back and looked up at the sky to avoid looking at him anymore. He was making me mad all over again. I bet if Stacy had tried to kiss
him, he would have let her.

  “We should pack up,” Troy told Drake.

  “Are you ready to go home?” Drake asked.

  “Alys, he’s asking you,” Troy told me.

  “Oh, I don’t care. I’m just along for the ride,” I said as I continued to look at the clouds slowly drifting by overhead.

  “Three o’clock,” Troy said angrily.

  I looked at him with a scowl. “What do you mean?”

  “Oh, I see,” Drake said, looking off to their right.

  “See what?” I asked and turned to look. Jogging down the beach was a woman who had a huge smile on her face and looked like she was headed right for us.

  She ran into the water and threw her arms around Troy’s neck, making him stumble back a step. “Troy! I haven’t seen you in forever.”

  “Hi, Tara,” he replied in a less-than-friendly tone and stepped back from her.

  “Alys, you want to help me pack up?” Drake asked me.

  I stood up and followed him since it seemed like he wanted to give Troy and Tara some time alone. “Who’s she?” I asked him softly.

  “That’s his ex.”

  “Ex?”

  “The last girl he dated.”

  “Oh.”

  I helped put the items in the rectangle thing. “What’s this called?” I asked.

  “It’s an ice chest,” he told me.

  I glanced back and saw Tara touching Troy’s chest as she talked happily to him. He didn’t look very happy though.

  I dried off with my towel and put my shirt and shorts on again. “Drake, can I ask you a question?”

  “Of course,” he said with a smile. “You can ask me anything.”

  “Am I pretty?”

  He had picked up a bag of stuff, but set it back down after I asked the question to give me his full attention. “What?”

  “Am I pretty or attractive? You know, like Stacy and Tara?”

  “No, you’re much prettier than them,” he said with a smirk.

  “Don’t lie, Drake. I’m being serious.”

  “I am too. You’re beautiful, Alys. Don’t let anyone make you think that you aren’t.”

  Then why wouldn’t he kiss me if he had dated Tara and I was prettier?

  I turned and saw Tara lean forward, wrap her arms around his neck and kiss Troy on the lips. Anger boiled within me and I turned away just as Troy stepped back from her and met my eyes. “I’ve got to use the restroom,” I mumbled to Drake.

  “Alright, we’ll wait for you,” Drake called from the back of the truck where he was putting the stuff we had brought with us.

  I ran to the bathrooms and wished I could scream to release some of my anger. I used the bathroom and then stared at my reflection while gripping the edges of the sink. Even if Drake was right and I was prettier, obviously Troy preferred her to me. Why?

  I knew why. It was because of my past. Or lack thereof. Could I blame him for not trusting me when I didn’t even know if I was trustworthy?

  I washed my hands and headed back to the truck. I didn’t want him to come looking for me again. I didn’t want to be the girl he had to chase down. Troy and Drake were talking when I came back and Troy looked upset. I didn’t even acknowledge either man, climbed into the back seat of the truck, and buckled my seatbelt.

  Neither spoke when they got in and I was glad. Their silence didn’t last long and soon they were joking with each other. When Drake parked, I got out and went right up to my room. I grabbed some new clothes and took a long hot shower to calm myself down. It didn’t work. I got dressed and went out into the backyard and stretched before I began punching and kicking an invisible enemy. It was still hot and without the cool lake water I started sweating immediately. I wasn’t sure how I knew the moves or why I was doing them, but I didn’t think about it. I punched, kicked, jumped, rolled, and pretended I had a sword. When I was breathing hard and drenched in sweat I sat down in the grass and bent my head forward with my eyes closed. Life was so complicated here. Troy was frustrating and yet I could understand that he couldn’t trust me. Yet I still felt angry at him for not wanting me if he did like me.

  “Those were some pretty advanced fighting moves,” Troy commented from behind me.

  “Were they?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Is that a bad thing?”

  “Not necessarily. A lot of women learn to fight so that they’re not defenseless if a man tries to attack them. Although, I’ve never heard of one teaching sword fighting before.”

  “I don’t know. It just felt right. The moves just came to me.”

  “Still no memories?”

  I shook my head.

  “Would you like to spar with me?” he asked.

  “No,” I answered immediately.

  “Why not?”

  I didn’t answer him. I didn’t want to admit that I didn’t want to touch him and I did at the same time.

  “I’m sorry that I upset you.”

  I didn’t respond or move.

  “Are you going to talk to me?”

  “About what?”

  “About today.”

  “Why?

  “What do you mean, ‘why’?”

  “Why would we talk about it? You made it pretty clear that you didn’t want to talk about it anymore at the lake. You also made it pretty clear that you preferred Tara to kiss you.”

  “I didn’t want her to kiss me.”

  “Didn’t look that way.”

  “She’s always been pushy. Trust me, I didn’t want her to kiss me.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because she and I aren’t together anymore and I don’t want to get back into a relationship with her.”

  “So, you don’t want a relationship with me,” I stated. That made sense. He didn’t want to be in a relationship with me so he didn’t want to kiss me.

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “You, um, interfered, no, inferred it.”

  “No, I didn’t. You’re putting words in my mouth.”

  I turned and stared at him in shock. “I’m nowhere near you or your mouth.”

  He laughed loud and long. I stood up and brushed myself off before walking around him and into the house. “Wait!” he said and grabbed my arm to turn me around.

  “No! You’re laughing at me. I’m not going to sit here while you laugh at me.” I was crying…again.

  He stopped laughing and his face grew serious when he saw the tears and heard my quivering voice. “Alys, I’m sorry. I wasn’t laughing at you. I was laughing because of how offended you looked when I said that. It’s just a phrase that means you’re trying to make it sound like I said something that I didn’t.”

  I pulled my arm out of his hold and stormed up the stairs. “I don’t want to talk to you anymore.”

  “Alys.”

  “I was wrong about you. I thought you were nice, but you’re just like the rest of them. You think I’m stupid and that it’s okay to laugh at me. I may not remember much, but I know when someone is being rude,” I snapped and then slammed my door closed.

  “Alys,” he said from outside my door. “Please talk to me. You’re just misunderstanding what I’m saying.”

  “Leave me alone.”

  He sighed and then I heard him walk down the stairs.

  I lay down on my bed and cried into the pillow. I hated this place. Why wouldn’t the silver-eyed man just tell me where I was from? Why couldn’t I go back? Even without my memories I could go back, right? Or maybe they didn’t want me there either.

  7

  I couldn’t sleep and so I waited until the middle of the night, packed a bag of clothes, took some fruit and water, and as quietly as possible left the house. I wanted to leave a note for Troy, but I didn’t know how to write. I walked in the dark night and didn’t feel afraid. The cool air brushed against my cheeks like a caress as I started my journey. I had no idea where I was going, but I hoped I could find someplace. I felt sad to leave Troy, but I was convincing
myself that it was for the best. If things went sour I had to keep him safe. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if he or Drake got hurt. Plus, I didn’t want to stay with someone who thought it was okay to laugh at me and treat me like that.

  Someone was jogging on the opposite side of the street and part of me remembered that people did that to stay in shape. The person came closer and I realized it was Drake. I tried to hide my face, but since I was the only other person outside at this time, he saw me. Before he had time to cross the street I started running at a maintainable pace in hopes that I could out run him and escape.

  “Alys!” he yelled after me from nearby.

  I increased my speed, running as fast as I could. I turned down random side streets and ran behind buildings, through the alleys.

  “Troy, Alys is running. I’m following her right now. We’re headed East on Rivers Avenue. Alright.”

  I wasn’t sure how he had gotten a hold of Troy or how he was communicating with him, but I didn’t need to know. I just wanted to get away. I turned down another street and saw a dead end ahead. I turned left quickly down the next alley and pushed over a trash can behind me.

  “Alys, why are you running? Stop and talk to me,” he pleaded.

  “Just leave me alone!” I begged him.

  “Why are you running?”

  “I don’t want to get you guys involved in whatever war I’m part of. I’d rather fend for myself.” That was only part of the reason I was running. I didn’t want to admit the rest to Drake.

  “What is the war?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t remember anything.”

  “Where are you running to?”

  “Anywhere but here.” I turned down the next street and a car was coming straight at me with bright headlights. I screamed in fear and threw my arms up in front of me. I expected to be hit in the front, but something hit me in the side and I fell to the ground with something on top of me, much less heavy than a vehicle.

  “You okay?” Drake asked.

  I opened my eyes and realized he had tackled me out of the way of the car. I nodded my head and he stood up off of me with a hand out. I stood up on my own and started walking away again. He grabbed me and held on tight to my arm.

  “Let go!” I screamed at him in fear and tried to pull free.