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 upstairs to take a bath and change my clothes, mom went back to cooking. The heater was on so the water was piping hot, thawing at my frozen fingers and numb bones. In the mirror on the bathroom wall, I noticed the redness on the tip of my nose and my ears. I'm not used to cold harsh weather but I suppose I can adapt to it the longer I stay.
I checked my phone after my bath to make sure Camille hadn't tried to call or message me. She hadn't. But Tim and Harry texted the latest juicy gossip in San Frease.
Pulling on a pair of old cords, I went downstairs to join mom. Dinner was ready.
Mom served a plate of suspicious-looking spaghetti with strawberry sauce pooling beneath the plate. Picking a fork and glancing suspiciously at mom who nodded encouragingly I took a bite.
It was amazing.
The cheesy sweetness of the sauce coated my tongue lightly. Mom laughed.
"I told you," she chuckled, her green eyes sparkling.
Nodding my approval of the uncommon dish I forked some more into my mouth.
She was about to dish some spaghetti for herself when the phone on the wall rang. With a deep sigh, she wiped her hands on the kitchen napkin.
"It better be Logan!" She said under her breath. "He was supposed to come help me with my van this afternoon."
She had barely finished speaking when my phone began to vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out and glanced at the screen.
It was Cara.
"Hi," I mumbled between bites of creamy pasta.
Her voice was low and barely above a whisper. "They found Tessa."
"Oh, that's great..."
"Her body."
With the phone pressed against her ear mom turned to look at me, the look in her eyes confirmed that she just received the same news. Pressing a hand to her mouth to suppress a sob she shook her head from side to side.
"Now?" She listened for the voice on the other side.
My dinner turned sour in my mom. Pushing the plate away I stood from the table.
"A-are you okay?" I asked Cara.
"Y-yeah... actually...no. I - everyone is going to meet at the Choc-It bar. Can you come?"
"I will."
Mom replaced the phone. Our dinner already forgotten, she walked over to the coat rack to retrieve her coat her scarf while throwing orders over her shoulder.
"DeShawn, if you're done eating we need to go now. They found Tessa's body." Her voice broke. "Oh, that poor girl! I wonder what happened?"
She slipped her arms inside the armholes and buttoned up the oversized coat. I was right beside her slipping my feet into my boots, my scarf wound around my neck, and my coat buttoned to my throat. The despair on mom's face made me worried.
I don't know Tessa but in a small town like WhiSare where everyone knew everybody it must hit the people hard to know one of their own was found dead.
Mom was quick to grab her keys and head out of the door. I rushed to catch up with her.
Night was fast falling over the small, quiet WhiSare town. Outside, people were out of their houses talking in hush tones, some were walking in groups talking about Poor Tessa. Everyone was curious about her death. No one greeted like they usually did. They just solemnly walked down the street.
An ambulance blasted its siren, disrupting the eerie silence. Then I realized everyone was making their way to the town square.
Mom got into the van and I jumped in with her. The van groaned to life emitting dark exhaust clouds but no one seemed to mind. She pulled away from the drive and rolled down the street in the direction everyone was heading.
Drops of rain were beginning to fall making the night even more desolate. The wipers on mom's van scraped unsuccessfully at the fat drops.
On the radio, a solemn voice spoke, "Just in, after weeks of disappearance and subsequent search for Tessa, her body has been recovered. Source on the sight of the discovery of the young teenager claimed he found her body in a clump of brushes on his way to the lake. For now, residents are advised to stay off the area while authorities search for clues leading to her murder."
Mom slammed the button on the radio. I turned to her in surprise. She was crying heavily, wiping her free hand on her face frequently so she could see and navigate the nearly empty road that led to the town square.
"Mom?"
She shook her head crying even more. "I knew that girl as a child. Always so happy. To end a young life in such a tragic way! Her mother would be so heartbroken."
Something in her words made me ask, "Do you think it's suicide?"
She looked at me then looked away quickly to focus on the road again. She didn't have to answer because I could see the look on her face.
"That boyfriend of hers broke her heart. That is the only reason Tessa would do something like that."
Cara had said something similar at the bonfire.
Must be hard being in love.
I couldn't help but be concerned for mom though, even though she wasn't crying at much as before her shoulders were slumped. We arrived at the town square 10 minutes later with the town hall erected right at the center. There was a huge crowd of nearly the whole population of WhiSare around the parking area and the town hall. The atmosphere was damp with both rain and despair, not even the streetlights could disperse the gloom hanging over the square. As soon as we got out mom left to join the rest of the group hanging out in front of the hall. Logan was standing there with a couple of people, he was dressed in a brown parka. He looked up and spotted mom. As soon as she made her way to him he pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back and comforting her as she started crying again.
When I finally made my way to them she was still clinging to him. Logan gave me an apologetic glance and continued to rub her back. Around us, many cried and hung their heads.
The depression at the moment was overwhelming.
"Cara is at the Choc-It shop where is it?" I asked quietly in a bid to escape the wails.
He gave me directions.
Before I turned to leave mom reached out and grabbed my arm.
"Be careful, honey."
I nodded. Her eyes were puffy and red, her nose was just as red.
I followed the directions Logan gave me and found the Choc-It bar a street away. Just like the town square, it was packed full of the entire student population WhiSare. Neon lights from the shop front illuminated the wet road and the cars and bikes packed in front of it.
"Shawn!"
Cara met me as I awkwardly made my way to the shop front. People glanced but no one showed any interest. The news of the night was too heavy to care about the new kid in town.
Cara's eyes were red-rimmed, the veins in her temple stood out, and when she talked her voice was nasal as a result of a stuffy nose from crying so much.
I swung my arm around her shoulder and she leaned into me hugging her arms around herself. Jeff, Nora, Moira, Liam and Kelly, some of Cara's friends who I met at lunch were leaning on the hood of Jeff's car.
Jeff nodded at me. I returned the nod.
Though music played from the crowded store, no one was dancing, no one was laughing.
"The body has been taken to the morgue," Jeff told me. "The Mayor should be headed to the town hall now to speak to the older folks."
A beat-up truck rolled into the crowded drive. Sam's truck.
She jumped out with Gabe coming out of the front passenger seat. They made their way past the grieving teenagers outside the shop and entered the building, disappearing out of sight.
"Have the authorities discovered anything besides the body?"
"They think it's a suicide," Cara cried. "I know it's not. Tessa would never do something like that. We were friends, I should know." She cried softly and buried her face in the front of my coat. "I had that stupid fight with her about Leo before she left and went missing. God, I feel so awful!" She lifted her head and glanced at Jeff sorrowfully. "Why didn't I listen to you? Maybe things would have been different if I hadn't fought her so hard."
"They used to be best friends," Jeff explained. "Long story."
Now I'm curious.
And my curiosity doubled when I caught sight of Kayla Storm.
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.
Dread filled me as I waited for the answer. The air was still and quiet. The only sound was the hammering of my heart against my rib cage.“Kayla would never do that,” Silver whispered.Kayla kicked at the dust with her boots. “Vampires are meant to feed on humans,” she glanced at me. “I am no different.”“What just happened was a mistake, Kay. It wasn’t your fault.”“She sucked my blood…”“She was trying to remove the venom of that daemon dude and went berserk.”“Daemon? You mean demon? He has the eyes of those demons possessed in movies.”“If you get your answer from movies then you need some basic information.” Kayla walked over to me. The green contacts did a good job of hiding her red pupils. Her face was completely healed, not a single scratch was left. She stopped a few feet away from me and released a breath before holding her sweater against her nose. “Daemons are different from vampires. That guy you saw just now was a daemon, they are godlike. Some mythology call them demig