Chasing Shadows (9 page)

Familiar creaking floorboards brought me back to the present. Disappointment filled me as I remembered that tomorrow was registration day. I was going to be a senior. My last year of high school, and I had to go through it with Sebastian, my new crush, and my ex-boyfriend, Langdon. Butterflies swarmed my insides as I thought about Sebastian. He was a vampire, a supernatural creature, like me. But he was into his soul mate, who also happened to be reincarnated, and it wasn’t me. Well, he never said it was, but he never said it wasn’t either. It wasn’t fair. I wanted to know if I was Amaryia reincarnated. Yet at the same time, I didn’t care to know. If I had been her in a past life, then Sebastian had waited for me, but if I wasn’t her, then my heart would break at the thought of never kissing him. Grunting, I flopped facedown on my four-poster bed. Helios jumped on my back and started gently kneading me. His purrs and weight were comforting, and I soon fell asleep.

A hissing and growling Helios woke me up. The fur on his back and tail were sticking up, and he was crouched at the foot of my bed, staring at my closet. As I tried to soothe him, I watched the closet. Shadows shifted and stirred. I watched as Helios began to calm down and the shadows in my closet disappeared. With my nerves unsettled and my mind racing, I went downstairs to the kitchen to get some warm tea. The dying rays of the setting sun filtered in through the windows, lighting the dust motes as they settled in their place. It was only nine o’clock, which meant that I had slept for three hours. Alexandier was snoring somewhere on the couch, and my parents were talking quietly in the kitchen. They smiled when they saw me and continued their conversation. I got the teakettle out of the cupboard, put water and tea leaves in it, then placed it on the stove and turned it on. A few minutes passed and water spewed out of the spout. Carefully, I moved the kettle to different burner to let it cool down and poured the hot tea into my cup.

The old metal staircase was cool against my bare feet. Shivers traveled endlessly down my spine and I brought the cup closer to my body. When I finally reached my room, I saw that Helios had crawled onto one of my pillows and fallen asleep. Sighing, I sat down carefully so I didn’t disturb him and sipped away at the heat in the cup. Delicious aromas filled my nose as I took another sip. My tense body relaxed, and I started to feel calm. After I finished my tea, I leaned farther back into my pillows and got under the covers, and let myself fall back to sleep.

He sat in front of me. The teacher was rambling about some math term, and I didn’t care. It was already in my notes, so I just stared at his glorious dark brown hair. At times, I would even lean closer so I could smell him. I could hear everyone whispering about me and the new kid. Sebastian had been there for at least three months now, and they still called him a new kid. We were officially together, but couldn’t be together in the way we wanted to until everything was figured out.

After school I was going with him to Clamora’s and she was going to do a ritual. This ritual was going to be able to tell us if I was really Amaryia reincarnated. I was completely thrilled. But I was scared at the same time. Sebastian had already told me he loved me, but that didn’t mean it was going to make him stay if I wasn’t her reincarnated. My heart picked up its pace as I thought about it. We had one more class before lunch, which meant the day was almost through. Taking a deep breath, I tried to focus on what the teacher was saying.

A loud clap of thunder tore my attention from the whiteboard. Heavy rain ripped through clouds, and wind threatened to knock over the small trees. And then I saw them again. Shadows. They shifted and moved with the wind, coming closer to the windows. My heart stopped, and my breathing became escalated. Sebastian turned immediately in his chair, looked at where my eyes were focused, and told the teacher something calmly. He grabbed my arm, pulled me out of the seat, and the moment we were out of the classroom, we ran. We were no longer as safe as we thought we were. The end was coming sooner than we had hoped.

I sat straight up. My sheets were tangled, and sweat clung to me like I had just run a marathon. The sun blared through my curtains. It was ten in the morning, and I had two hours to get ready for registration. Frustrated and scared of my dream, I stumbled out of bed and into my bathroom. The claw-foot tub looked so inviting, but I had to hurry, so I opted for the shower. Hot water struggled to get going for a few seconds, then poured out of the faucet vibrantly. Steam filled the room as I got undressed. When I stepped in, goose bumps crawled on my skin, so I put my head under the water. Tense muscles started to loosen and relax, my body heated up, left over thoughts of my dream faded away, and my mind felt clear. Cucumber melon shampoo and conditioner left my hair hydrated and filled the room with a wonderful smell. I shaved my legs and washed my body. Soft fluffy towels hung on a rack, and I used them to dry off.

Various jean shorts littered the floor of my closet. I dug through them to try to find what I wanted to wear. White shorts with roses printed on them caught my attention in the corner; I grabbed them and decided to pair them with a baggy gray T-shirt. My hair was practically dry by the time I was finished getting ready. Helios purred and chirped at me, so I scratched his ears before going downstairs. There was orange juice on the counter, and Alexandier was making toast. I shuffled around the busy kitchen, got a glass of juice, a banana, and a spoonful of peanut butter. The front door closed, and my dad hurried in with some bags from the car. He stopped, pointed at me, and then pointed to the door. It was time to register for my senior year.

The parking lot was full of redneck trucks, beat-up cars, and fancy rich-kid cars. My dad carefully pulled into a spot and we got out. Groups of kids huddled together in the commons of the school. Friends hugged and laughed about stuff they remembered from last year. I kept my head down as we made our way to the registration tables. As my dad paid the appropriate school fees, two new girls walked up to the tables. They were short, with long, thick, wavy hair. One of them had fire-red hair, and the other had earthy-brown hair. The girls smiled brightly at the teachers and staff behind the tables, and their voices were soft and delicate. A tug on my arm pulled my attention away from the girls and toward my class list, locker information, and receipts. I followed the line as it led to the school and student ID photos. After handing the photographer my receipt, he made me sit, pose, smile, and stay still for a minute. An awkward little machine whirred and buzzed, then spit out a school identification card. Then we made our way to the library to get my textbooks and stopped at my locker so we could put the heavy books inside. Feeling a deep sense of relief, I sighed and closed my locker.

I jumped when I saw two pairs of big brown eyes staring at me. The two girls from the registration tables smiled up at me. “I am Fiora, and this is my sister Willow.” A sweet voice came from the redhead, and she gestured appropriately. “We know Sebastian. He’s a family friend, and he told us about you. So we came to this small town and decided to go to school. We are here to help. He sort of filled us in, a little bit.” Fiora kept going, and I had a feeling she wouldn’t stop until she felt like it. I smiled and shrugged at my dad, and he walked outside.

“Fiora, leave the poor girl alone. She doesn’t need your incessant babbling.” Willow elbowed her sister and gave me a soft, sweet smile. “I apologize. We are nymphs. She is a fire nymph, and I am an earth nymph. Fiora here tends to talk too much, and it gets kind of annoying. So here is my number. Call me if you have any questions or just need some girl time.” She handed me a piece of paper with beautiful handwriting and smiled wider.

“Thanks. I will keep that in mind. I, uh, I have to go. My dad is waiting for me, so I guess I will see you guys in a few weeks.” I waved at the nymphs and smiled back at them. Keeping my head down as other students passed, I hurried out of the school and toward the car.

On the way home, my dad stopped at a local mini-mart and got me my favorite ice cream, a bag of candy, and an iced tea. He always did it when I registered for school. It was like he knew that I had a hard time going back, but he didn’t quite know how bad it really was. Part of me felt that this year might be different. There were going to be three people who knew what I was, what I could do, and who were supernaturals as well. My heart was happy at the thought of not being completely alone. All I had to do was wait for two more weeks and my life would be turned upside down one last time.

Chapter 5

An obnoxious blaring noise filtered through my dreams. My hand reached out and flailed, searching for the alarm clock that was disturbing my sleep. It was Wednesday morning and the first day of my senior year. Groaning, I sat up. A disgruntled Helios jumped from my bed and hid in the closet. He had gotten bigger, heavier, and more ornery since the day I had gotten him. The sun was still rising, and I needed to shower and start my day. When I was finally ready, I had to rush to get out the door. My dad hollered for me. I grabbed a pop tart and ran out the door. He dropped me off by the school office. Staring at the big green doors that led into the school, I gulped down air and forced myself forward.

The halls were crowded with students. Everyone seemed to stop and stare at me as I walked to my locker. Langdon was watching my every move, calculating what his next move was going to be. He always had to make a new rumor about me, tell people another lie, or say something he thought would hurt me. In all honesty, I was getting used to the jabs, remarks, and stares from fellow classmates, but it still hurt to think that people I grew up with would believe someone’s stories. Reaching around to dig in my bag, I almost bumped into someone. My iPod clattered to the floor, and students laughed at my misfortune. When I looked up, I smiled. Sebastian was there with the two nymphs I had met on registration day. Relief flooded through me as I noticed his locker was on the other side of mine. Fiora was twirling her hair and glaring at everyone who had laughed. The air around her seemed to crackle with electricity, and her sister elbowed her. Teenagers forced their heads down and scattered. Something about Fiora frightened them.

I got to my locker and was sandwiched in between the two girls and the very handsome Sebastian. My heart fluttered in my chest, and heat flushed my cheeks. Tucking hair behind my ear, I finished my combination and grabbed my textbook for first period. The three of them talked, argued, and teased like best friends. Placing headphones in my ears, I walked away from them and outside toward the art room as a loud ringing bell announced it was time for the first class of the day. Students filtered into the large room, talking and waiting to take their seats. Willow and Sebastian wandered into the room just before the second bell rang. A short, stout, and eccentric teacher waddled in. She was strict about rules but gentle with her students. In a deep nasally voice she demanded we take our seats and told us that we needed to choose wisely, since they were to be our assigned seats for the rest of the trimester. The other two supernatural creatures took their seats by me, being dutiful protectors and guiders.

The hour-and-twenty-minute class passed with Mrs. Summer explaining the rules, going through the course overview, and taking questions. When the bell rang, most of the kids hurried to leave the room, but I lingered for a moment. Sebastian looked back at me and waited. His deep green eyes were filled with concern and tenderness. I smiled and walked by his side to our lockers. Popular girls stared with shock and confusion; some even looked deadly. As I switched out books, I saw that Fiora was going to the same science class as I was. We walked together to the chemistry lab, and she caught the attention of an awkward junior boy. She waved and winked. I tugged her into the class, and the bell rang.

Our chemistry teacher was new, he looked like he was fresh out of college. His eyes were dodgy, and my fingers tingled. I looked at Fiora, and she wrinkled her nose. He scanned the room, his eyes landing on each face, and then he stared at me with a tilted head. A grin broke out on his face, and his eyes gleamed with menace. A loud snap broke the tension and his concentration. My pencil had broken in my hand. When he turned around to write his name on the board, I grabbed a new pencil and avoided the fire nymph’s questioning gaze. Without any more glances or stares from the teacher, second period went much the same as first. After another hour and twenty minutes, the bell rang and I practically ran from the room.

Sebastian was waiting for me at our lockers, and my frantic expression told him something was off. He grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to look into his eyes. My breath caught in my throat at his beauty, and I calmed down quickly. Fiora whispered frantically to her sister about the chemistry teacher, Mr. Hodges. Willow cursed, and Sebastian frowned. Math was my next period, and I had it with Sebastian. Never breaking contact, he laced his arm around my shoulders and ushered me toward our third-period classroom. I took a deep breath in relief as I saw my favorite math teacher, Mrs. Stipple. She was tall, with long brown hair and almond-shaped eyes. Her smile was bright as she skipped into the room. With humor and kindness she went through the rules, course overview, and even made us play a game. Third period passed easily, and when the bell rang for lunch, I reluctantly walked to my locker. Shoving my math book in, I scowled. My first day wasn’t going as decently as I had hoped. Sebastian waited patiently and looked down at me with curiosity. Tired, and not ready for lunch, I just sighed. The tingling sensation in my fingers reappeared, I searched for the cause, but with all the craziness of lunch, there was no identifying it. However, I had a feeling the cause was the chemistry teacher. With one last glance in my locker and one over my shoulder, I slammed it shut and walked toward the commons.