Death Before Daylight (45 page)

Because of her, the Light hadn’t died. They
lived with the Dark, and we were one sect again. Still, there was
discrimination, and we had already dealt with two murders over it.
At the age of eighteen, Jonathon, Jessica, and I were officially
elders. We had seven spots to fill, and Crystal was guaranteed one
when she returned from college. Jessica would choose the other ones
from the Light.

I leaned my back against the willow tree only
to stare up into the leaves. The light that flickered through the
spaces looked like tiny stars, and for once, daylight felt like
home.

I only tore my eyes away from it to glance
down at Jessica. She was sitting at the base of the tree, right at
my feet, and her brown curls were tied into a tight ponytail. She
didn’t want her hair in her face as she read, and she flipped pages
faster than what I thought was possible. Jessica hadn’t dropped a
book since she recovered, and because of it, she already knew more
about the sects than I did. Jessica was reading all the ancient
texts she could.

Fudicia—or Linda—hadn’t lied when she said
they were saved. In fact, she had saved them before Jessica had
asked, but the location was only revealed to her once she became a
light. Out of all the places Fudicia could’ve put them, the books
were finally found in the art room of Hayworth High. Even more
surprising was the person who told us where they were.

Ms. Hinkel—our homeroom teacher—was an elder
in the Light, and she was Fudicia’s trainer. She was also one of
Lola’s best friends, a friendship that had remained intact even
after Lola—as Luthicer—had left the Light in a murderous rampage.
Their friendship was the only way Luthicer had gotten us out of
school all along, including Crystal. It also proved that Fudicia
wasn’t the only light to choose the Dark in the end, even though—in
reality—they hadn’t chosen the Dark at all. Like Jessica, Fudicia
and Ms. Hinkel had chosen both sides. But Ms. Hinkel lived, and she
named off every graduating senior at the ceremony. She only cried
when she got to the end of the list.

Eric Welborn.

My surname fated me to be last, and for once,
I found my place in it.

The graduation ceremony was over, but our
lives were just beginning, and Jessica was already beating me to
the race. Even in her graduation robe, the girl had her nose
stuffed in the latest book—one about the Highland, our apparent
home—and she rambled off facts as she came across them.

I hadn’t known a single one of them—how our
powers came from another dimension and how we had grown into a
human form over time. The sects had been together once before, but
when they crossed into our current world, the Light didn’t want a
shadow anymore. The Dark refused to accept it, and the elders of
both clans decided to take the powers away. Why they gave them back
through three eighteen-year-olds was beyond me, but I was sure
Jessica would read that fact any moment. Until then, I was
satisfied knowing that, for the first time in centuries, we were
one sect with our powers intact, and the possibilities were
endless. It would take years to understand everything, but right
now, I had hours until the morning took me to Iowa.

I leaned over and grabbed Jessica’s book. She
yelped when I took it away, and I had to put it behind me to stop
her from snatching it back.

She pouted. “I was reading that.”

“You can read it tomorrow,” I said, knowing
that I wouldn’t see her for a long time. Today was our last moment
together for months. “Why don’t we enjoy the moment?”

Her pout moved from the left side of her
mouth to the right side, but it eventually subsided in the middle.
“Let me put it in my bag, at least.” She knew it was one of our
last days together. I respected her dedication, but even she needed
a break. History would always be there.

I handed her book back, and she placed it in
her backpack carefully—like it was made of glass. She zipped her
bag closed, leaned against the willow tree, and blew out a sigh.
“Can you believe it?” Jessica’s voice was a whisper as she laid her
head on my shoulder.

I threaded my fingers through her curls. “I
can’t believe we don’t actually get our diploma today.” It would be
shipped to us in two weeks.

Jessica nudged me, but she laughed. “You know
what I mean.”

“Sorry.” I chuckled. “I can’t believe I am
even getting one at all.”

She hit me again, a light slap on my leg.
Before she could lecture me, I grabbed her hand, bent over, and
kissed her.

As her hand curled against mine, her lips
moved with mine. It was a short, consoling kiss, but it felt deeper
than all of the other ones we had shared. Every kiss we had felt
like that—better than the first—and every moment that passed
between us was another moment I was grateful we had.

When we broke apart, she laid her palm on my
chest. “This,” she said, “is how I know we’re still alive.”

I kissed her forehead. “Do you need more
proof?”

She pushed herself away, but giggled as we
stood up. It wasn’t two seconds before Crystal and Jonathon joined
us on top of the hill, both dressed in graduation robes that were
too long for them.

Crystal hugged Jessica like she hadn’t hugged
her before, but—in reality—Crystal hadn’t stopped hugging Jessica.
“That wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be.” She cracked a
smile, but it was her makeup that gave her away. She had cried
during the ceremony, and Jonathon had been the one to console
her.

I wasn’t sure if they were dating, but
Jonathon stayed by her like they were. “I’m surprised you didn’t
stumble across the stage,” he joked at me.

“Coming from you,” I started, but he raised a
hand.

“Go ahead: make a blind-kid joke.”

I cracked a smile. “I was going to make a
clumsy joke.”

Jonathon chuckled, but his eyes never left
Crystal as the two girls began chatting. I leaned against the tree
just to get his attention, and when he finally looked at me, he was
already talking, “It’s going to be weird.”

“What is?”

“Being apart.” His eyes moved down the hill,
and I followed his gaze to the familiar faces—George and Brenthan,
Lola and Mindy, my father and Noah. Jonathon and I would be going
alone, and we would truly put distance between us and Hayworth for
the first time in our lives.

“It won’t be for long.” The trip would last
one year, and Jessica and Crystal would meet up with us in six
months. By that time, we hoped to have a large council together—a
united front for a better future. It was a task the previous elders
had gladly given us. No more secrets. No more fighting. Only
talking.

We would leave in the morning.

“I’m going to see my family,” Jonathon said
before shouting over to Crystal, “Lola wants to see you.”

Crystal spun around, her hair now black. She
had stopped dying it. “She does?”

Jonathon grinned, but the silent message was
clear. He wanted to give Jessica and I more alone time. Crystal
bounced over because she understood, but she stopped inches in
front of me. “Take care of my girl,” she said. As she walked away,
she shouted over her shoulder, “I expect to be the maid of
honor.”

Jessica laughed and walked over to my side.
“Get out of here, Crystal.”

Her friend winked, running down the hill and
following Jonathon like they had been friends for far longer than
they had been.

I watched their backs for a minute, but my
attention was quickly drawn to Jessica. She was holding my hand
again. It was all I wanted to do, but her other hand was occupied.
She waved down the hill, and I followed her gesture to her
parents.

They waved back, grins plastered on their
faces, before her father made the motion of driving a car. He had
already borrowed my Charger four times, and now, they made jokes
with my father. They had officially met two weeks ago.

“I love you,” Jessica said so suddenly I
almost didn’t hear her, but I knew she had said it when she shifted
from foot to foot. She always did that when she was nervous.

“I love you, too,” I responded, wondering
what it would be like to be apart again, but this time, the
distance wouldn’t be forced. It was agreed upon, and the nerves I
felt weren’t nearly as high as all of the times before.

“Be sure to call me when you get to Iowa,”
she said as if she was thinking the same thing.

“Be sure to know where your phone is so I
can,” I joked.

She giggled. It was the best sound I had
heard all day.

“And when I get back, I think we should pick
a date,” I added.

Her blue eyes met mine—widening as a blush
blew across her cheeks. “Eric—”

“I’m still marrying you, Jessica.” A grin fit
itself onto my face. “Only if you want to.”

Her blush deepened. “I do.”

“You’re supposed to save those words for the
wedding day.”

She laughed. “Leave it to you to keep joking
about everything.”

I didn’t respond because I didn’t have to. I
only wanted to kiss her, to live in the moment without worrying
about what my next day would bring. I only wanted to live, and for
once, I felt like I was truly living, but even better, I knew all
of Hayworth was finally allowed to live in peace.

In the end, the Light and the Dark came
together. In the end, we were the same, and I believed we would
remain that way for eternity.

Nine years have passed since I wrote the
first sentence of The Timely Death Trilogy, and now, the trilogy
has come to an end. A countless number of people – including
readers and writers and editors and designers – have guided me
along the way, but there is no guidance when you meet the end of a
road. My emotions range from absolute delight to terrified
reluctance, but I am mainly met with the uncanny feeling that Eric
and Jessica understand this situation. Their story has explored the
light and dark moments of life, and I am honored that I was able to
share these characters with the world. My first “thank you” is for
all of the readers who have supported this trilogy. I am eternally
grateful for your love, and I’m glad I’ve found so many friends who
love the mysterious night as much as I do.

Special thanks also goes out to my team at
Clean Teen Publishing—Courtney, and Rebecca, and Marya, and Kelly,
and Cynthia—for exploring the Dark with me! (And for helping me
find my way through it.)

Between conjuring supernatural beings and
cuddling with cats, I promise another story is always in the
works.

Stay Dark,

Shannon A. Thompson

Join the Dark and visit
www.ShannonAThompson.com

Shannon A. Thompson is a
twenty-three-year-old author, avid reader, and habitual chatterbox.
She was merely sixteen when she was first published, and a lot has
happened since then. Thompson’s work has appeared in numerous
poetry collections and anthologies, and her first installment of
The Timely Death Trilogy became Goodreads’ Book of the Month. As a
novelist, poet, and blogger, Thompson spends her free time writing
and sharing ideas with her black cat named after her favorite
actor, Humphrey Bogart. Between writing and befriending cats, she
graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in
English, and she travels whenever the road calls her.

Visit her blog for writers and readers at

http://www.shannonathompson.com