by Lucy Swing
―I wanted to speak with you all, but Maggie and you would be enough. I bring news.‖ He raised his eyebrows a few times.
―Seriously?!‖ No way, he had spent the past three months trying to find a way around this. He couldn‘t had found what we were seeking most. ―You are kidding, right?‖ Air blew past me.
―You found it?!‖ Maggie was jumping with excitement. ―Please, please tell me you did!‖
―I did.‖ Dad said with a mischievous smile as he pulled a brown, worn out leather pouch. ―They are in here…‖ he dangled it in front of us.
Maggie and I exchanged looks and we both bolted forward. She beat me to it, ―Show off,‖ I said as I waited for her to open it. From inside the pouch she pulled two gold necklaces with strange stones that hung from them. One was a brilliant red, almost neon like, while the other one was a vibrant blue.
Maggie handed me the red one. I held the stone in the palm of my hand as my finger glided over it. I looked over at her as she slid the necklace over her head.
―How do you know which one belongs to you?‖ I asked as I inspected the back of the stone, which was surrounded by gold leaves, holding it in place.
She rolled her eyes, ―I‘m water, hence the blue…‖ she enunciated the word as if helping me understand. I guess she was right. I was fire, so red would be very fitting.
―So we can—We can go into the sunlight now?‖ I asked with hesitation. I couldn‘t believe that he had actually got them. It took a very special witch to perform the ritual for this, and most of the ones Dad had gone to wouldn‘t do it. They said we were meant to be caged, to never come out again. We weren‘t humans anymore, and I didn‘t blame them. I was scared of going out there again. I had spent most of my time for the past few months locked within these walls.
―I would try it before you fully go into it, just in case. But it should work, as long as you keep it on, you should be fine.‖
Both of us hugged him tight, until he was tapping or shoulders, gasping for air.
―Sorry,‖ we both said between giggles.
―I can‘t believe it!‖ Maggie shrieked. ―We are going to be able to get back into our old lives, this is so cool!‖ She threw the leather bag onto the couch and from it, fell another bracelet.
I picked it up; its gray stone was rather dull and cold in between my fingertips. ―What‘s this?‖ I asked as I looked up at my Dad.
He shifted his weight uncomfortably and his hand stroked his hand through his hair. ―Well…‖
―It‘s for me,‖ Jude‘s voice came from behind us.
I turned around. ―What? Why?‖ I clenched my hand around it. Why would he need one? He is not a vampire; he can live life like a normal person.
―I want you to turn me. I want to be just like you.‖
―No!‖ It came out a little harsher than I had wanted it to. The slightest sense of rejection emerged through his eyes.
―You—You don‘t want me?‖ He stammered.
―What?! Are you kidding me?‖ I walked to him. ―Of course I do and more. But I wouldn‘t do this to you. Ever. It‘s not easy, you should know, you see how we struggle every single day.‖
―But you‘re frozen in time, you won‘t get older and I will. There aren‘t enough spells I can cast to keep me young forever.‖
My legs quivered under my weight as his hand stroked mycheeks. ―You will regret it, trust me. I—I don‘t want to be the reason why you suffer like we do…‖
As much as I did want him to be a vampire and be able to experience everything with him, it was a daily struggle. Our bodies asked from us things that our minds didn‘t feel comfortable giving.
―I will never regret anything that allows me to spend the rest of my life, however long that is, with you. I love you and I want to be in your life, not the sidelines.‖
I knew I should argue it, give him a good reason why he shouldn‘t do it, but I was too selfish. I wanted him in my life, beyond forever.
And so it was done.
He wouldn‘t wait; he wanted it done that very same night. After we sent my Dad home, Maggie and I thought of ways to do this. We had seen the way vampires are created in the movies, but would that be the same way we needed to do it? Did we need to get a chocolate? We weren‘t sure, but since that had been the way we were created, that‘s the way we wanted to go about it.
Maggie went to the tunnel, where we knew the chocolates would be. It had been months though, as far as we were concerned the chocolates had rotted by now. If that failed, then, I would have to bite him.
I wasn‘t afraid of not being able to stop, my appetite had been satisfied and I honestly didn‘t even have the urge to eat anymore.
The chocolates were in pristine condition when Maggie came back. I gagged when I opened the box and its scent was no longer sweet and scrumptious, now it was revolting. I pinched my nose and took a few steps back.
―Go ahead, Casanova,‖ Maggie told him as she too walked away.
He picked it up without thinking twice and shoved it in his mouth. His face scrunched as he tasted it. I heard it go down his throat as he swallowed. He moved over to the couch and sat down. The moment his eyes met mine, I knew it was working, they were glowing purple, their irises catlike.
―How are you feeling?‖ I asked as I sat down next to him, sliding my hand down his thigh and resting at his knees.
―Fine, normal,‖ he looked at me. ―Did it work?‖
―I think so, your eyes changed already. Are you hungry?‖
He shrugged his shoulders.
―Let‘s go,‖ I stood up and motioned for him to follow me. ―It‘s hunting time.‖
As much as he tried to hide the uneasiness this brought him, he followed me out of the cabin and into the forest. We only had about an hour before sunrise, so time was of an essence. After he had fed, we went back into the cabin where I pulled the necklace down over his head. I could taste the fresh blood in his mouth when he kissed me.
―Is it normal to be sleepy? It feels like I‘ve been run down by an eighteen wheeler,‖ he said as we walked through the house and toward our bedroom. We had never shared it at the same time, so this made the butterflies in my stomach do somersaults. I usually slept while he was at school and him while I hunted. This would be the first time we shared the bed.
I nodded, remembering the question. ―It‘s almost sunrise.‖ I pointed out. ―Although we can stay awake during the day, it really wears youout.‖
―Hmmm.‖
We didn‘t change out of our clothes; we just fell onto the bed. He pulled me closed and wrapped his arms around me. I could feel the drumbeat of his heart.
―Thank you,‖ I whispered. ―You didn‘t have to do this, but I am very glad you did.‖ I turned on my stomach and rested my chin on his chest. His eyes were now back to their normal green. I had never realized how they seemed to soothe me. He pulled me up and kissed me with fervor. Inside, I giggled a little, Icouldn‘t believe I would get to spend the rest of eternity with him.
Here is a sneak peek at ―Feathermore”, Lucy Swing‘s Debut Novel.
FEATHERMORE
PROLOGUE I knew what was happening, even though I could not understand why. I was falling; that much was unmistakable. The air rushed around me, buffeting me.
What would I do once I arrived? Would I even remember this past existence? I closed my eyes and resigned myself to the feeling of peace that the wind beneath me always brought.
Soon it would all be over.
I finally reached the ground. A shiver of energy ran across my skin and back as each cell began its transformation. I was being born. I opened my eyes and glanced around at the strange, colorful world. The trees stood tall, casting shadows like great carpets unrolled from their bases. The sky above me was like a dome closed over a music box. I had never seen anything more beautiful . . . had I? I shook my head to clear the haze.
I tried to balance myself on a fallen tree trunk. I wasn‘t used to walking on these feet. I looked down, wig
gling my toes, and let go of the tree and took a few steps forward. My body felt heavy, and then darkness fell over me.
CHAPTER 1 – BLINDED ―Jade! I swear, if you don‘t get up now . . .‖ Mom closed the bedroom door, trusting the threat of the unsaid to throw me into motion.
I groaned and kicked off the warm covers. ―I‘m up!‖ I called back to her.
I sat up on my bed and dangled my feet over the
edge. It was the first day of senior year, and I was dreading it. I moved over to the closet, where I chided myself for being too lazy to pick an outfit last night. I grabbed a pair of denim shorts and my old AC/DC longsleeved T-shirt and made my way to the bathroom. I was almost done with my morning routine when I heard the door creak.
―Jade? Are you almost ready?‖ My best friend‘s high-pitched singsong voice called from behind the door. ―Are you decent?‖
―Yeah, come in. I‘m almost done.‖ I leaned closer to the mirror and applied the black eye-liner to my lower lid. Claire sat on the edge of the bathtub and played with a strand of loose hair. She was wearing a white blouse embroidered with pink flowers that flowed weightlessly over her body, accentuated only by the glimmer of her tanned skin. She seemed to always look effortlessly perfect,
Summer had been uneventful; we mostly spent our days at North Beach, lying around and soaking the sun, cooling off with the occasional dip in the ocean. Granted, after the first week of doing absolutely nothing, things got kind of boring. There is so much one can do in a sitting position at the beach. I shouldn‘t complain though, watching half clothed boys was very, very enjoyable. Instead, we opted for something a little more active, hiking.
Hollow Falls is entrapped by long miles of forests, so finding the right spot took us close to three weeks. It was worth it. Our favorite spot became what we began calling as ‗Fantasy Land.‘ The tall, maple trees casted shadows on the forest floor. The magical silence that seemed to weight upon us was only interrupted by the creaking of leaves, branches and bark under our feet. Beyond the three mile walk there was a glittering creek, surrounded with gravel banks, where we enjoyed the rest of our afternoon splashing about.
―Ready for another fun -filled year of
schoolwork?‖ She met my gaze in the mirror, and I left the memories of sunny, carefree days behind as I rolled my eyes.
―It‘s going to be torture,‖ I said, putting my makeup bag back in the drawer. ―But at least it‘s our last year.‖ I picked up the messenger bag from the floor next to my bed and gave my room another quick glance. I shouldn‘t be in a rush to get out of Hollow Falls, but somehow I needed to. Hollow Falls is home to 5,385 people, and, as the song goes, ―where everybody knows your name.‖ I felt suffocated in such a small town. I had dreams of going places, things I wanted to do that I couldn‘t see myself doing in this pesky, minuscule town.
Claire followed me downstairs. Mom was in the kitchen, busy packing my lunch. On the table were two plates of pancakes, eggs, and bacon.
Claire was as big a presence in this house as I. We seemed to be attached at the hip, and she practically lived here—mostly because of Trent. He was another foster kid in the Langleys‘ house, and a total creep.
―Mom, I‘m not really that hungry,‖ I said. ―You‘re going to need all the energy you can get, just to stay awake after last night.‖ Claire‘s eyebrows scrunched in pu zzlement. ―Oh, Mom, it was just a nightmare.‖ Not precisely the truth, but as close as I was willing to let things get. It wouldn‘t go well if I told them what really happened—what had been happening all summer long.
Claire and I sat down at the table, and I was surprised at how hungry I actually was. After I had stuffed myself, I pushed around what was left on my plate. Deep in thought, I felt my eyelids get heavy, and that quickly I was lost in the darkness behind them.
― Ki-sikil-lil-la-ke,‖ came the whisper that only I could hear. As the word rolled softly out, a flash of red burst in the darkness. I gasped and open my eyes in shock.
―Are you okay?‖ Claire‘s voice was distant, as if muffled by an invisible water bubble around me. It was the cool touch of her hand on mine that brought me back to reality. She was staring at me.
I wanted to tell her everything. All about the eerie yet wonderful dreams of a gorgeous dark-haired stranger who kept me awake night after night, haunting my sleep. And about the nightmares of being chased by the dark figure with fire instead of hair. How I woke up night after night gasping for air the moment the figure caught up with me, its icy fingers digging into my arms. But how could I? I gave a low, soft sigh and went over to the kitchen sink, dropping my plate in it and giving Mom a kiss.
―Ready?‖ I asked Claire, ruffling her perfectly styled blond bob in passing. I giggled and ran to the door to keep a safe distance from any retaliation. ―‘Bye, Mom,‖ I yelled, running outside and down the driveway, where I waited until Claire caught up.
―I am so going to get you later,‖ she said as she pulled out her compact mirror and fixed a few loose strands of hair.
―There, there. All perfect now,‖ I said as we began walking. I felt a little twinge of jealousy. She was perfect. Between her golden hair that seemed to shine like ripe wheat, and her perfect almond-shaped gray eyes, I sometimes had a hard time being next to her.
Brushwood High was only a few blocks from my house, and the weather was nice, so we walked. The sky was bare of clouds, and the temperature was perfect. The streets were quiet. Only the soft eep, eep of a chickadee, staking out his turf in the rhododendron bushes, broke the silence. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, absorbing the last bouquet of summer smells: honeysuckle and chamomile and horsemint and new-mown grass. Once winter came and the cold started seeping into our bones, we would be forced to take Claire‘s yellow Beetle to stay warm.
Brushwood was different from any other school I knew. It was privately owned, and mostly only well-off parents could afford the tuition. I had often wondered why my parents worked longer hours just so I could go there. An even bigger mystery was how Claire‘s foster parents managed it.
The school was ancient. Its gray limestone walls made it seem cold, but the inside was anything but. The building had once been a mansion, and the owners kept it that way, though with a few add-ons, such as the cafeteria and a brand-new west wing. The rooms were big, considering that they had to accommodate only about twenty students each.
We were walking along the narrow hallway, deep in conversation, when someone banged into me, knocking the few books I was carrying to the floor. I looked back, even though I knew who would be standing there: Amy Crayhill, the all-American mean girl. She grinned at her minion, Savannah, and mouthed a fake Oops! my way. Typical.
And when I turned back around, there he was! Tall, muscular—and holding out my books. Hello, Muscles! My eyes worked their way up to his face. As if that body weren‘t enough, his face almost made me melt. No way. Gorgeous!
Claire was staring at him, her mouth slightly open. It seemed she agreed with my assessment.
―Here you go,‖ he said, handing me my books. His low and deep voice sent ripples of intensity through my body.
I couldn‘t move. I couldn‘t even make my mouth utter a simple thank-you. I just stood there gaping like an idiot.
Claire exhaled loudly and took the books from him. ―Thanks,‖ she groaned as she pulled me toward our lockers. ―What‘s gotten into you?‖
I glanced back and was surprised to find him still in the same spot, looking at me. My lips pulled at the edges, and I managed to smile back at him.
―You know him?‖ I asked Claire, failing in my feeble attempt at nonchalance.
―No, never seen him in my life‖ she said as she looked back. Then she brightened. ―Oh, look, there‘s Nate!‖ She let go of my arm and handed me my books before hurrying away.
I shamelessly stole another look down the hallway, but he was gone. I couldn‘t help but feel like Claire was hiding something from me. But it didn‘t matter now, there was a weird buzzing
energy inside me. Excitement, maybe? No one ever moved into our nowhere little berg; it was usually the other way around.
As usual, Nate was leaning against our lockers, his nose in a car magazine. He lifted his eyes from the page just as Claire launched herself at him. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. One week apart, and they acted as if they hadn‘t seen each other all summer.
―Gross.‖ I glanced around, scouting to make sure no teachers were looking. When they finally came up for air I said, ―I don‘t know how you do it, Nate. She spent the whole week whining about you being gone.‖ I slid my books into the locker and arranged them neatly by height. ―Oh, I wonder what he‘s doing now,‖ I said, mimicking her. ―Oh, I hope he‘s safe.‖ I rolled my eyes.
―You‘re just jealous,‖ she said, sticking her tongue out.
I laughed, mostly because of the mouse like way her nose wrinkled up. I walked past them and toward class. I lost myself in thoughts of the encounter with the new kid, hearing Claire‘s giggles coming from behind.
First period, the class I paid the least attention in, was world history. The first day of the year was always rough, and today would have been no exception, but the exciting prospect of seeing him again kept me awake, alert, and alive, ready to listen to Mr. Morris‘s every droning word about preRoman Europe.
Nate, Claire, and I had been inseparable since the beginning of high school. In fact, those two were already glued together well before I even met them. People often made fun that I was the eternal third wheel on their bicycle built for two.
I found my way to the last row and took the seat closest to the window so I could enjoy the view of the clear blue water in the bay. Wishing it were still summer, I gazed out at the boats on the water.
―Can‘t we sit closer to the front?‖ Claire hissed. ―We look like hermits back here.‖
―Be my guest,‖ I said, my eyes still glued to the boats. ―I like it back here.‖ It was true. Being able to see everyone gave me some sense of control—no sneak attacks could come from behind. Maybe being tormented by Amy all these years was starting to leave a scar after all. Claire sighed loudly, prompting me to look at her as she sat down at the desk in front of me, pouting. Nate took the seat beside her. As I busied myself pulling out my notebook from my backpack, I caught a glimpse of Claire and Nate. Their mouths had dropped in unison, and their eyes were locked on something in the hall, seen through the glass of our now closed classroom door. There was nothing but a blank wall outside.
