What is this feeling?
This feeling creeping on my skin like a snake leaving a trail of water on a rock.
Insidious. Cold.
Under the fluorescence of the lights, her eyes reflected flecks of gold in a pool of lime green. Her dark brows lowered over piercing eyes that burned right through my flesh, searing my soul. Her mouth opened slightly. My eyes followed. The tip of her tongue pushed through her lips briefly but just as quickly it was back in the cavern of her mouth. She frowned.
The dark head nudged her and the moment was interrupted.
Suddenly laughter boomed on our table jerking my consciousness back to the present. Cara was laughing behind her hand. It was Jeff whose laugh interrupted whatever that moment I had with the redheaded Storm was.
Heat crawled up my neck, flushing my face red. "What is so funny?"
"I told you, everyone has the same reaction to them but they are out of bounds for the likes of us." He scoffed. "Who am I kidding, you're a Hunter I bet Kayla would go for you."
"Kayla?"
"That's the redhead. The goth chic is Silver and the dude with the gray sweater is Miles."
"Uh... okay." That was all I could say but my brain was racing with questions. What was that weird moment with Kayla Storm?
Miles returned to the table with a tray heaped with burgers and fries which he dug into with glee. Silver reached a hand into his tray and picked a piece of chip drenched in ketchup and ate it. Miles made a face and said something which she laughed off. Kayla whispered something that wiped the smile off Silver's face but caused Miles to guffaw. Something about Kayla Storm reminds me of something, something I have probably never experienced before and she looked familiar too, still, I couldn't shake off the feeling.
Cara nudged my arm, once again bringing me back to the present.
"What plans do you have tonight?"
I shrugged. Collecting Cara's notes and catching up with the terms work was utmost on my mind and I told Cara so.
"I don't think you'll have a problem with school work. I can help you out during the weekend if you're concerned though," she suggested.
"Oh, thanks."
Jeff who was sitting beside her nudged her arm. "We were planning to grab something at CHOC-IT. There's a nice view of WhiSare from the cliff around the lake. Have you seen the lake?"
"Not yet."
"If you want to you can join us."
Cara was watching me with hopeful brown eyes. Jeff was leaning slightly with his arm pressing against the plastic tray but he was looking at Cara. I recognized the adoring look he gave her and the faint hopelessness in the curve of his mouth as he watched Cara watch me.
Someone has a crush on Cara and she's oblivious to it.
When Jeff looked up and caught my eyes he cleared his throat and looked away.
"What do you say?" Cara asked.
I shrugged. "It won't hurt I guess. I'm in." Mom would be proud to know I'm settling in just fine. All things are possible when you're the son of Jackson Hunter.
Cara smiled.
Jeff seemed pleased with my answer but I guess he sees me as competition now. Mentally brushing aside that thought I polished off my burger. After the lunch break, we went to class for another 3 hours. Curiously, none of the Storms were in the same class as us even though they are in the same grade. I hadn't realized I was looking forward to seeing at least one of them again until I found myself searching every classroom I walked into. Thankfully neither Cara nor Jeff who decided to tag along with us everywhere we went for the rest of the day noticed. Rather they were busy filling me in on what to expect as a new student and what stuff to do to earn points before graduation.
Jeff suggested I joined the Bandy team, a game very similar to ice hockey but with as many players on each team as a football game. Since he was Asst. Cap, he promised to speak to the coach for me.
All of these I listened to halfheartedly. What was utmost on my mind was how to see the Storms again. Maybe this time I'll get to talk with Kayla. Maybe I have seen her somewhere in San Frease or one time during one of my many vacations. No doubt she would recognize me too since she locked eyes with me.
"5 more minutes," Cara announced in a whisper. She yawned and scribbled some stuff in her notebook. "I can't wait to go home."
Even before she finished talking the bell went off. Students rose from their seats before the teacher finished reading the last line from her note, hurrying to get out of the door as soon as possible. I hung my bag on my shoulder and followed Cara out, walking away from the class block to the car park. The park was a lot fuller than it had been that morning. Some of the snow was completely melted and a shy ray of sun was peeking through the cloud. People hurried to cars, trucks, and bicycles, talking all at once. At the far end of the lot where I parked was a red beat-up truck and in front of it, in baggy mom jeans, halter top and worn-out sneakers, was Samantha from the bonfire. She was sharing a cigarette with her friend Debbie. She had her eyes squinted against the feeble smoke of the cigarette and was peering through the crowd. Suddenly she raised her hand and waved someone over. From the crowd, Gabe emerged, walked up and kissed her cheek, patting the side of her arm.
I was almost close to my car when she looked up and saw me. Her smile was surprisingly friendly when she raised the hand that held her cigarette to wave at me. I smiled and waved back.
Beside me, Cara looked over and frowned when she saw who it was I was waving at. She glanced at Jeff who had followed her gaze and was now watching the Vampire Hunters AKA Losers club curiously.
"You won't believe Sam tried to sell her bullshit to DeShawn at the park."
"She did?" He glanced at me for confirmation. I avoided his gaze and walked to the car leaving them behind. But I could hear them since they weren't so far off. Leaning my arms on the roof of my car I waited for Cara to tell Jeff about the bonfire and Sam's craziness.
"Uh uh. I honestly don't know what has gotten into her. Remember when we used to hang out with her in primary school?"
Jeff nodded. "Yeah, that was before..."
"Hi."
The voice came from behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see the dark head Storm, Silver, swinging one long shapely leg over one of the Hayleys that was parked beside my car. Her voice matched her look. Deep and smokey.
She was alone.
"Uh hi." From the side of my eye, I saw Cara peek over her shoulder trying to see who I was talking to. Tapping Jeff lightly on the shoulder she left him and walked to the passenger side of the car.
"Hey, Evan," Silver said with a toss of her head, her eyes drifted back to my face, grey eyes bordered with dark lashes. "You're new?"
I nodded. Should I say more?
She cocked a smile revealing sparkling white teeth. Her canine peeked beneath her top lip. "Welcome to WhiSare."
Without saying anything else she keyed the bike, pumped it and rode off.
That was weird.
Cara chuckled and I glanced at her. "Silver is a wild one. Many students swear up and down that she's had sex with them." She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I hear she's quite good at sex too."
The way she said it with a bit of envy in her voice filled me with a mischievous urge to tease her.
"And you wish you were like her?"
She scoffed again, but her face was as red as ketchup. "Of course not. She's probably just trying to add you to her list anyway." Tapping at the car door she asked, "Can we go home?"
Laughing I opened the door and slid behind the wheel.
The other Hayley was still parked. I guess it either belongs to Miles or Kayla.
I wanted to wait back and see whose it was. If it was Kayla's then I'll introduce myself and find out if we met before.
But the thought of waiting was banished by the thought of explaining to Cara and maybe mom that I wanted to talk to her because I felt a strange sensation while we locked eyes. I doubt either of them will accept such a bizarre explanation.
I doubt even Kayla would buy the explanation. Maybe the odd feeling at the cafeteria didn't even happen, maybe it was a fraction of my imagination or my mind messing with me. Still, it doesn't hurt to know.
Turning on the heater I drove back home. WhiSare roads are starting to look familiar and homely.
Cara dropped off at the stop that divided our blocks, waved goodbye, and walked home. Mom was putting away her shovel after clearing up some snow around her tires and was just heading in when I arrived. She waited on the front step and waved when I got out of the car."Nice day at school?""It wasn't bad," I replied. Our neighbor next door waved at mom and me on his way in with his huge husky with its thick grey and white fur.I followed mom inside. The sitting room was warm and the smell of boiling pasta wafted from the kitchen. "Smells good, mom."She smiled. "It's strawberry spaghetti. Have you had it before."The look on my face as I halted in the process of hanging my jacket and scarf on the rack made her laugh."I take it you've not had it before?""It sounds terrible already."She gasped and laughed. "How dare you judge my food before tasting it? It's delicious. It's my grandmother's recipe too."I wasn't convinced but I was ready to try it and see for myself. While I went ups
The Storms arrived in a monster jeep that crunched gravel as it rode to a barely free parking space where it stopped. First to hop out was Mrs. Storm, tall and shrouded in a thick sweater and black wool skirt. Behind her was Kayla dressed in black jeans and a dark red sweater. The only similarities between mother and daughter were the height and gracefulness, the similarities ended there. Mrs. Storm climbed the low pavement that led to the shop and went in to speak to the owner. Kayla stood with her back resting on the jeep while Silver jumped out of the driver's seat to join her. The two of them stood in the shadows away from the rest of the group and seemed to watch and observe the crowd of students like they were searching for something. Something about the cold calculated way they observed the crowd seemed odd to me. Silver, who from all Cara said about her and my short encounter with her was easy to smile and outgoing, was stone-faced. Kayla was the same beside her. Her da
It was another hour and a half before mom and I made our way home. We weren't alone. Logan's truck was right behind us. He was concerned for mom as much as I was. Mom's eyes were puffy and red and tired by the time the town hall meeting was over so I offered to drive but Logan was still worried about her. I wasn't opposed to it. Yes, I am protective over my mother but Logan was too and he offered a kind of comfort that I couldn't. The night was quieter than ever. The howls of dogs broke the silence. I nosed the van into the drive and Logan packed right behind me. Mom came out of the car and went inside immediately. Logan came up behind me and patted my back before following her. The laughing huge bear of a man wore a long grim face. I could tell that mom's mood affected him as much as it did me. Snow was beginning to fall again so I rolled the windows of mom's van up and threw the plastic cover over it. Inside, mom was putting away our half-eaten dinner. Logan was slumped on the c
"Shawn?" Mom said softly. Her hand was pressed against the side of my face. "Are you alright?"Remnants of my nightmare echoed around me. The scream had been so real that my ears rang from it. But looking into mom's tired face I couldn't bring myself to tell her about it. She would worry about me and I don't want that, especially when she had the candlelight service to think about. Logan who had rushed in with her when they heard my scream moved away from the door and went to open my windows. For the first time since I moved here sunlight flooded into the room. It wasn't overly bright like a hot summer day at San Frease but it was bright enough that I could see the clear clouds.The irony of it all. On a day when the dead was to be mourned, the sun shined the brightest."Did you have a nightmare?"I shook my head and attempted a smile. Her lids were puffy, her eyes were rimmed red, and the green irises didn't sparkle like they used to. "I'm fine.""If it's a nightmare...""I'm just
The Choc-It car park was almost bare. Only Jeff's car, a bicycle, and a few cars were parked when I drove my car into the lot. The neon lights outlining the name of the shop were almost invisible in the warm sun. I got out of the car and walked up the curb to the small steps in front of the door. A bell above it rang as soon as I pushed the door open. The interior was done in vibrant colors. The wall on one side was painted lemon green paints on the wall with a dark shade of orange on the opposite side. Bar stools lined a high bar. There was a coke machine on one side, straws, a menu, and a bowl of candy. Tables and chairs and private booths completed the layout. Only a few patrons enjoyed glasses of soda or melting ice cream on a rare sunny day in WhiSare."Over here, Shawn."I looked and Cara was waving me over from a private booth. The high back of the upholstered chair was slightly worn. Jeff, Liam, Kelly and Nora waved as I joined them."Hi." I slid in beside Cara.Jeff nodded
“Hey.”I could see the curiosity in Cara's eyes as she moved closer to me. It was late afternoon and the sun was still out, the sky was free of clouds, the air was still drafty but the sun provided enough warmth that we took off our sweaters to avoid sweating. We were in front of Tessa’s home where the procession was supposed to start. A couple of cars lined the streets, friends and neighbors came out in numbers to support the grieving family. There were boxes of candles and Tessa’s personal items that her mom had placed out on the drive. People picked candles and lit them, awaiting the start of the procession.I glanced at her as I picked a candle for myself. Since we left Choc-It all she wanted to know was what Charlie called me out for. Even Jeff was curious although he wasn’t as obvious as Cara. “Yes?” I answered vaguely.She nudged my rib with her elbow. “You know what I want to ask. Spit it out.”“It was nothing.” That was the same answer I told her throughout the drive from th
Shrouded by the night Logan leaned on one hip with his hands crossed on his massive chest. His extended right feet tapped the wet grass rapidly as he waited.“Logan,” I called out.He uncrossed his arms and came forward. “Great. Did anyone notice you slip?”“I told Cara I had to pee. That should hold the fort until we are done.”“Good.”“What did you find?” I asked impatiently. My blood was feverish with excitement at the possibility of revealing a murder plot and apprehending the murderer. Vampire or not, Tessa’s death implies foul play and I want to play detective.“You will see for yourself. Are you up for a ride?”“Sure.”I followed him to his truck which was parked a few feet away from the church. The mourning crowd was off the left side from where Logan's truck sat. A tall hedge concealed us as we entered the truck. Logan zoomed off onto the high road. The passenger seat had a toolbox which he moved to the back with an apologetic grin, the truck smelled of beer and grease and a
A loud cry rent the air, piercing the veil of darkness and silence. It took me a while to figure out the scream was coming from my burning throat. My assailant drank from my neck, his clawed hands dug into my shoulders, holding me in place while he fee from me. I lay motionless on the ground, unable to fight, unable to kick back at him.Suddenly his weight lifted off me. A dark shadow flew over us both, the silver ray of the moon beamed on a dark coat that flew with great speed to my right side. A heavy thud resounded causing the rock beneath me to tremble. My arms hung loosely by my side, my body motionless on the ground. A burning sensation started in my neck, like the sizzling of fire that was somehow growing hotter. I wanted to put my hands up to quench the fire but my hands would not move. They were heavy. I stared at the dancing moon, my vision drifted in and out of focus. One minute the moon was a blur of molten silver, the next minute it was sharp and bright, burning my eyes.