Don't Stop Running, a Fantasy story

Chapter 1

"Mom! Today's the first day of school! Are you going to drive me?" There was a moan that sounded like a no from the bedroom. I don't know why I asked, but by now it was tradition. Ever since we'd moved to this God awful small town from Greenmoore, my mom had exiled herself to the top bedroom, only coming out to take a shower and use the bathroom. Like always, my dad was passed out on the couch, the stench of body odor and alcohol emanating off him like stink from the garbage can. I didn't bother trying to keep my voice down, there was no way he was going to wake up. I poured myself a bowl of cereal, sat at the quaint little table, mentally preparing myself for the atrocity that was Koda Preston's High School. In Witchfield, there were three kinds of people: The Royals, The Nobodies, and The Forgotten. Unfortunately, I didn't fit in with any of the above. People felt sorry for me because my parents were insane, but I was a freak to them, so I didn't fit in anyway. A knock at the door pulled me out of my thoughts. The clock on the stove read 7:00. I was already running late. I yanked open the door, expecting to find Roxy, but instead staring me in the face was the most handsome guy I'd ever seen.

"Hello? Are you..." he looked down at a notecard. " Ella Butler?" I nodded mutely. He smiled a dazzling smile, but I wasn't impressed, or interested. He must have noticed my irritation because he continued on quickly. "I'm coming to stay with you!"

"Excuse me? I don't know you, I don't care to know you, and honestly I'm late for school," I mumbled, turning the lock and sprinting past the stranger. Only after I got in the car did I notice that there was an Aston Martin blocking the way of my old Volkswagen Beetle. I groaned in frustration. He knocked on my window. I rolled it down impatiently.

"Would you like to ride with me?" he smiled again. I shook my head, rolling back up the window. He shrugged, walked to his car, and sped off. Racing along the back roads was something any normal parent would have forbidden their child to do, but since mine didn't care, I rushed through the doors before the first bell rang. My locker was in its customary spot, two doors down from Raven, across from Dwayne Chad, and as far away as possible from Kaitlyn Roxan, aka Roxy. I rushed down the hall to my worst class of the day, science with Mrs. Eupraxia Xeno. She was a loud mouthed, foul languaged teacher who thought the only way to learn was by reading it out of the textbook and repeating, all in silence, and then she would fall asleep at her desk, and we would be free to do whatever we wanted. Unfortunately for me that meant getting tormented by Raven and Dwayne, along with their band of Royals who would always be in the same class as me. Even worse was that Roxy was the only one that knew how to speak up to Royals, and she was never in my science class, so I was trapped. I barely made it through the door before the bell rang. As always I was in the seat right at the front, in front of the ever-sneering Raven Jasmine. A sigh racked through my body as I took my seat beneath the eyes of the watchful Mrs. Xeno.

Twenty minutes later, we were all reading at our desks and she was slowly falling asleep. As her eyes closed total chaos broke out. I was confused as to why the Royals weren't already tormenting me, but as I turned around the answer became clear. The new kid was standing in the cluster of populars, basking in the glow of their attention. Finally, I heard the familiar gum snapping as Dwayne approached me from behind. I tried to stay busy and ignore him, but that never worked with Dwayne. "Heeeeyyyy..." He drawled. I deliberately stuck my face in the book, continuing my reading of the chapter. "Butler, I'm talking to you!" He shouted in my ear. I turned to face him, deciding not to delay the inevitable. "Oh good, thought you went deaf over the summer. I mean with all the attention you get from Mommy and Daddy at home," he grinned. I kept on a face of stony composure, telling myself that it wasn't worth it, not this time. "Oh, did that hurt? I heard that your Daddy face planted the other night. Yep, right outside the bar. Oh wait, you would know, because Mamma was too busy hiding that you were the one that dragged his sorry butt off the street, weren't you?" He was taunting, and he was winning. I felt my blood beginning to boil, but I kept in mind that it really wasn't worth it. I turned back to my book, but it was in the hands of Jeremiah Trayvon, who was flipping through. Sighing, I grabbed the book on the desk next to me, causing a riot of snickers. The words seemed to jump out of the page, not readable, but I kept my pale face hidden behind it, blocking out the nasty comments and rude gestures. The book was ripped out of my hands by none other than Raven's second, Kimberly Romero. The next thing I knew Jeremiah had my backpack and was tearing through it, hoping to find something that would help him rip me apart. I sent an icy glare in his direction as he tore through papers, notebooks, and finally found the one thing that would hurt me.

"Hey, Butler, what's this, your diary?" He ripped open the cover. "No, it's a sketch journal." Before my eyes he ripped apart everything I had ever drawn. The bell rang, saving the last of the pages. He dumped the journal on the floor, laughing with his friends as they walked out the door. I felt my eyes begin to tear up as I began to pick up the shredded remains of the only thing that had ever mattered to me. Someone was standing behind me.

"Get out of here, Dwayne! You've hurt me enough for this class period." Instead of leaving, the figure bent over and helped me pick up the last remains of my shattered dreams. Upon standing up I came to the realization that it was the new kid. "Hey. I know that you think you know me or something, but it would be best for everyone if you treated me like that or left me alone. Trust me." With that I bolted out the door, shoving everything in my locker and going to my secret place to hide out for the rest of the day. I darted into the gym, ducked under the bleachers, and sat in the nice little alcove they provided, crying my eyes out. Footsteps approached quietly, slowly approaching the sound of my sniffling. They were too loud to be a girl's steps, so I guessed that it was once again my tormentors, coming to hurt me. I cringed into the darkness, hoping that I couldn't be seen.

"Hey. Ella? Is that you? Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you. I promise." Racked with indecision, I decided that I had better come out, despite my better judgement.

"Close your eyes," I commanded, projecting my voice so it sounded like it could have been from anywhere in the gym. I peeked out to see if he had actually done so, and when he had, I crawled out. "H-hey," I stuttered. He turned to find me sitting on the bleachers. He handed me a lunch tray with a slice of pizza, a banana, and a chocolate milk, just the way I liked it. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. So, where did we leave off? Right. My name is Prince, but you can call me Jesse, or Jess, or Prince, whatever you prefer." He stuck out his hand, letting it drop when I cowered away. "So, what do you like to be called?"

"You better go. Being caught with me is like a death sentence in Witchfield," I reminded him. He stubbornly stayed sitting next to me. "Close your eyes," I whispered, leaning in. When he opened them again, I was gone, hanging from the rafters of the gym, watching him pick up my tray and walking out the door with one last glance over his shoulder. I showed up for the last period of the day, the only class I shared with Roxy. I took my seat next to her, in the very back, away from the Royals. Jesse was among them, glancing back at me every few seconds. I shook my head, almost imperceptibly. After that he only looked back once every two minutes.

"One day here, and he's already part of the Royals. Jeez!" It was particularly funny because Roxy was a Royal, every time except for the last section of every school day. Then, in the morning she was accepted back into their group, exactly as if she had never left. The bell shrilled it's relieving cry, and Roxy was off with the populars and I, once again, was last to leave the room. Once everyone had left the school building, I walked out to find Prince sitting out on the hood of my car.

"Get out of here before they see you. Meet me at the park in three minutes," I hissed, walking past him as if he didn't exist. Talking to me was like social suicide for anyone but Roxy. He nodded, pulling himself off the hood and walking to his own car. Three minutes later I was sitting on the beach by the lake, a good five feet away from him. "What exactly do you want?"

"Ella, I'm your half brother on your dad's side. I got kicked out by my parents, and I was wondering if I could come stay with you and my dad?" I had, of course, expected this. I mean the only people that talk to me are crazy or related. "Hello?"

"Ya, of course. Though, there are a few rules, and of course, there are consequences if you break them." I explained to him about my mom, and our dad, then I told him that if he wanted to stay part of the Royals, talking to me would be social suicide. The things didn't work here like they did at his old home. They never had, they never would. There were things, people, and places that you never messed with, and there were strange things that happened every day. He accepted some of this with a nod, and others with a grimace. "So, as long as you understand all that, you can stay. Alright?"

"But, what they do to you isn't okay. Why can't I help you?" He insisted.

"Because the last one who tried had to move. Just leave it be... It's the way things are. We can be friends by ourselves and at home, but nowhere else. Understand?" He saw that I wasn't going to back down so he nodded, pulling me to my feet. " I guess you already know the way home. See you there.-" I looked around cautiously, catching a glimpse of the dusty colored hair of Dwayne, along with the slim hips of Raven. "-Wait three minutes until after I leave." Wishing that I could poof out of there, I ran for my car. Luckily they didn't see me, so I escaped in my sand colored Beetle. I once again took the bumpy back roads, where there wasn't any pavement, nor was there any police officers, the one place I could feel alive. Though I didn't expect to see him when I got home, I was happily surprised to see my dad up and about once again. As I walked through the door, I heard him muttering to himself. "Hi, Daddy." He looked at me with bloodshot eyes, and I could tell that he wasn't truly there. I led him by the arm up to the spare bedroom, his permanent bedroom, and laid him down on the bed. This was a routine in my house, one that I had promised to fulfill right after we moved here from Greenmoore. I shuddered at the thought of my old home, where even worse things had happened...

I was pulled out of my thoughts as I heard the front door open and close. I raced down the stairs. He was carting a giant suitcase behind him that was packed full with who knows what. "Where should I put this?" he asked, gesturing to the monstrous cargo. We didn't have any more bedrooms, since we lived in the smallest house in Witchfield.

"Uh, you can sleep in my bedroom. Follow me." I was nervous to take him to the large basement room, because it was a bit odd. We walked into the room, which was probably as big as the rest of the house in length and width. I could feel the energy of it as I helped him put his stuff down. The light blue walls, began to become the shade of meadow green, and all of the sudden there was another bed and dresser. "Yeah, you can just put all your clothes in there," I mumbled, pointing to the brand new dresser. He didn't question, but he seemed a little dazed as he began to unpack. I went to sit at the desk, pulling the shredded drawings out of my backpack, trying to see what was salvageable. Unfortunately there wasn't much, so most of my drawings went into the trash can, some of the only memories I had left. I began to sketch again, and wasn't surprised when the drawing started to chisel itself into the wall. As I became more focused, the wall drew faster with me, until there was a beautiful girl in a long flowing dress. Her waist was slim, and her hair blew gently as if swayed by the wind. She was crying, surrounded by dark clouds, hanging in mid air, the rain slowly pelting the ground around her.

"That's amazing!" breathed Jesse. I had failed to notice him standing behind me, his voice startling me back into the room, the house, and my life. I slammed the notebook shut and the drawing disappeared off the wall. He seemed disappointed as I threw the journal into a locked drawer and hid the key. I went to lie on my bed, flat on my back staring at the ceiling. He sat down next me, making me slide over on the king sized bed so he could lie down too. "So, why are you here?" I didn't respond, so he said," OK, I'll tell you why I'm here. My uptight mom, and lying, cheating stepdad kicked me out with a name and an address in a place I never even knew existed. I drove around asking for directions that no one knew how to give, and when I fell asleep, I was lost and confused. Then, I woke up this morning right outside town next to the sign that said 'Welcome to Witchfield'. Next thing I know, I'm driving through the streets, knowing exactly where I'm going and then I pull up in front of the smallest house I had seen. The door was yanked open by a girl I'd never met who basically told me to get lost. And that's how I got to Witchfield. Now it's your turn."

He'd been honest enough with me and we were related so I spilled the beans, the truth that no one else knew. "Well, we used to live in Greenmore, where the sun always shines, and everyone was happy, and nothing had ever gone wrong. That is until my little sister was born. She was a year younger than I was, and I loved her with all my heart. Then, one day she simply, disappeared. My mom, she tried everything. I mean, everything. She tried voodoo, magic, anything that might help her find her baby girl. One night, I had a dream. I dreamed about my sister, in the woods just outside the town. What I failed to see, was that she was... dead. We found her in the bottom of the river. We don't know what happened to her. After a few days, my mom couldn't take it anymore. We moved out of Greenmoore, burning the house down behind us. We found ourselves here. My parents, they couldn't fit in. My mom became a recluse, my dad the town drunk. I live it, with people like Raven, Dwayne, and Kimberly. This is my life." I had told this story only once, and that was to Roxy. I had accepted my sister's death, like my parent's never could.

"OK, you win. You have a better sob story than I do," he joked. I smiled for what felt like the first time in years. I went up to cook dinner, something I was used to having alone. The meal was pretty good, my mom said that I was born a chef. After an hour of TV, Jesse and I called it a night. My dreams, like always, turned into nightmares...

We were running through the forest. "Brandi! Brandi! Are you out there?" Screaming and shouting as if my life depends on it. I rely on the setting sun to find my way. I can't find her. The dark trees, their twisting limbs and large roots pose a large problem. I trip and fall, skinning my knee. I just get up and keep running. I have to find her, even if it kills me. As if Mother Nature herself doesn't want me never to find her, dark clouds move in blocking the sun. I can no longer see where I'm going, but I feel my way around. I feel the first drop of rain begin to fall. Then there's a torrent of rain. My feet sink into the mud, I can no longer move. "NOOOOOO!"

" Ella! Wake up!" I was being shaken. I woke up with a jolt. The first thing I noticed is that it was thundering and lightning in my room. The second thing was that I was drenched. As I became more aware, the rain clouds dissipated, no longer visible. Nothing else in the room was wet, not the carpet, not the beds, not the desk or the papers, just me and Jesse. The alarm clock read 12:00. "Hey, the bar just called, they need you to go pick up our dad. Apparently he's making quite a ruckus." I nodded, pulling on sweats and a t-shirt. My hair was already pulled back, and I was ready to go. Jesse made as if to come with me. I put a hand on his chest.

"No, this is my job. You'll get the exact same treatment I do, everywhere you go. Just stay here. I'll be back, promise." I kissed him on the cheek as I bolted out the door to the Beetle. It was a nice morning. As I pulled up to the bar, I saw all the commotion inside. My dad was plainly visible through the window. I sighed, but cut the engine. The bar was exactly how it always was. The bartender, Mel, was pouring drinks, Mr. Romero, Mr. Trayvon, and Mr. Chad were all drinking, pointing and staring at my dad. Tonight he was up on the table, ranting about how everyone was going to die, or pay. "Daddy? DADDY? You listen to me now Leroy Wade Butler. You get down off that table!" I shouted. He looked down at me, but he got off the table like I asked. "Now, aren't you ashamed of yourself? What do you say to all these nice people." I found that the best way to get my dad to listen was by acting like his Mamma. He mumbled a sorry as I dragged him out the door. I was dead beat tired as I pulled my dad into the living room. Almost immediately he was snoring. I stumbled back down into my room, onto my bed, and back into a dreamless sleep.

The alarm clock went off at exactly at 5:45 am, just like it always had. I rolled off the bed, letting the floor wake me up even more. I turned off the alarm, but as I was turning around, I tripped over the edge of something that shouldn't have been there. I turned on the lights. The bed, and mostly the person on the bed, reminded me that I was now sharing my personal space. "Jesse! Wake up," I yawned, shaking his shoulder gently. He sat up in bed, his eyes told me that he too had forgotten where he was. "Rise and shine, your highness. Do you want to take a shower first, or second?" I asked, pulling out my clothes from the "Tuesday" drawer of my dresser.

"What time is it?" he asked, pulling the blanket over his head.

"5:45. I told you there were rules. Now, first shower or second?" I reminded him. "Oh, and just because you say second, doesn't mean you can go back to sleep." I was admiring the walls, which were a light shade of yellow, reflecting my shining personality. "GET UP!" I yelled, causing the sheets to fly off the bed. He sat up, glaring at me. I raised my eyebrows. "First-"

"I'll take the first shower," he sighed.

"Oh, I should warn you there's no such thing as privacy in our house. Mom will probably come in to use the bathroom, dad will probably come in and puke, and I will try very hard to stay out. K?" He nodded again, dragging his clothes up the stairs. I heard the door slam, and smiled. If he could stick to my schedule, we would get along just fine. I spent the time he was in the shower figuring out what array of jewelry I would be wearing. As always, a short necklace hung around my neck. On it were the words "I love you Sissy", followed by a small heart. It was the necklace Brandi had given me when she was nine. I smiled at the memories.

"Shower's ready," Jesse exclaimed, slamming the door to our basement room shut. I couldn't figure why he had bothered to pull clothes out of his dresser, because they were still in his hands, a towel wrapped around his waist. I gawked, wondering how he could even be related to me. A perfect six pack was seemingly chiseled into his abdomen. His bulk was all muscle, from his legs to his biceps. He was a good half a foot taller than I was, his long black hair hanging into his eyes, dripping water onto the carpet. I blinked shaking my head.

"Thanks," I mumbled, ashamed of myself for thinking such things. I mean, he was my half brother. I let the warm water relax me, glad it was finally fall, and I wouldn't have to dry my hair. I stood in front of the full length mirror, studying my body. I was at least ten pounds under weight, as light as a feather, a 85 pound feather, anyway. My cheekbones were high set on my face, my eyes were probably way too big. My lips were puffy, and a light shade of pink. Blonde hair traveled in waves down my back, that is when it wasn't sopping wet. I guess you could say that my hip bones were sticking out a little, and my stomach was flat. Today I wore a red and gold paint splattered tank top that really suited me, skinny jeans, and a pair of golden flats. Bracelets jangled around my wrist, as. I scrambled down the stairs to find Jesse passed out on the bed. "Jesse! Up!" I barked, startling him into awareness. He smiled sheepishly at me. I rolled my eyes.

Breakfast was a whole other ordeal. Dad was sitting in the kitchen stool, already drinking from a bottle of vodka. I pulled out bacon, eggs, and bread. "French toast?" I called down the stairs to Jesse. He said yes, so I made enough for all four of us. I sat Dad's plate in front of him, and carried the other plate quietly up the stairs. I opened the bedroom door. "Mom?" I whispered. She groaned, so I walked in closing the door behind me. "Mom, I brought you some french toast."

"Brandi? Is that you baby? Come in, come in," she rasped. I went along with it. I set the french toast in front of her.

"Ella made this, Mommy. Eat up." I walked out of the room as she sat talking to my sister, who wasn't ever going to talk back. Dad had already passed out on the couch again before I got back downstairs. Jesse was sitting at the kitchen counter, fitting nicely in between the table and the counter. I served him his breakfast, and we ate in silence. An hour later, I was out the door, and driving that ugly Beetle along the Witchfield back roads. To my relief, Jesse was not waiting for me when I parked in the school parking lot. He was already in the tight knit pack of Royals, waiting for their next victim. I sat in in the car, waiting for them to find someone who wasn't me. It wasn't the nicest thing to do, but I didn't know if I could handle being ripped apart yet. The next victim was poor Brett Titus. He wasn't as much as a social outcast as me, but he was the lowest ranking nobody. I could tell that Jesse didn't much fancy the activity, but he didn't fight against it. I took that time to try and escape from my car to the school. I wasn't quite fast enough.

"Hey, look, it's Butler!" crowed Raven. I hung my head, but kept walking, hoping that they might leave me alone. Hanging my head turned out to be a bad idea because I ran right into Dwayne Chad. I fell backwards, hitting my head lightly on the concrete.

I glared up at the football player hulking over me, though let it go just as quickly. I tried to pull myself up, but Kaitlyn stepped on my back pack, catching my hair under her foot. "Where do you think you're going?" she sneered. I could tell that Jesse was about to lose it, watching me like this. I shook my head. This is what I had to deal with. "What's the matter, freak? Nothing to say today?" I shook my head, playing the victim well. "Come on over here, Princey. You don't have to be afraid of the big-nosed witch." She pulled him into the circle surrounding me.

Shut up! I screamed inside my head. Jeremiah yanked me up by my backpack.

"Come on, Jess," they all urged. "Give her what she deserves." I nodded, not wanting him to get hurt. He took a deep breath.

"What's wrong with you, you dirty freak? Don't look at me like that! Did you think I would protect you? Whatever. Let's go guys, she's totally not worth it," he spat, turning and striding away. They all smiled at the devastation in my eyes. I dashed into school, seconds before the bell rang. I took my seat in Mrs. Xeno's class. She went through the same steps as yesterday, yelling, then sleeping. I slid further down into my seat, my face still buried in the science textbook. I had strategically left my backpack in my locker, wanting no more of that.

"Hey, come on guys, Let's have some fun!" I heard Ralf Brooke say. I pretended not hear, tried to pretend that they weren't talking about me.

"How's it going?" Dwayne whispered in my ear. I jumped not expecting him to be so close. I put on a brave face and put the book down.

"I'm fine, how are you?" He raised his hand, as if to smack me. I flinched away.

"I didn't give you permission to speak to me," he snarled. I cowered back. "Oh, you're not worth it. Who are you going to tell anyway? You're your dad's mom, and your witch of a mother stays hidden in her room all day. Is it true that you had to pick up your dad at the bar again last night? I heard that you guys got in a huge fight. That you called him by his full name. God, he's an ugly brute. I bet he doesn't even know you're name anymore." He was pushing the line, and he knew it.

"Ya, I'm sure that every day, when he's passed out on the couch, all he dreams about is the next bottle of booze. Not you." Jeremiah joined in. "My old man says that your Dad's crazy, that all he knows how to do is drink and yell. Is that true? Is there something wrong in your Daddy's head? Well, that would explain why he married your Mommy, wouldn't it?" By this time almost everyone had joined in.

Shut up!

"What kind of mom is she? I hear that she's ugly, even uglier than you!"

Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!

"Well, you know she can't be normal, I mean no normal person could produce that!"

SHUT UP!

"I bet they're criminals, that's the only reason why she stays inside. Or, maybe she's so ashamed of her daughter, she's such a disgrace. I mean look at her, staring off into space instead of fighting back. Pathetic..."

SHUT UP!- The light bulbs exploded shattering everywhere, sparking violently. I stood up, not sure what was going on, but still angry. Suddenly there were rain clouds in the air, thunder, lightning exploding in the classroom. I knew I was going to pay for this, but right then I didn't really care. There was a strange blue glow in the classroom. I looked down at my hands and saw that it was me! I looked in the window and saw that my eyes were glowing a livid red. I felt the anger begin to disappear.

Ella, listen to me. I need you to relax. Don't worry, I'm right here to catch you. Another voice intruded into my head, one that didn't belong to me. I did as it said though, letting myself relax. I fell into strong arms, too weak to move, I sighed pitifully. "Come on, let's get out of here." He went and grabbed my backpack and fled the building. To my surprise he took me to his car instead of mine. He didn't bother to sit me in the passenger seat, he slid into the car, putting me on his lap. I was shaking.

"I'm... ssss-oooo... c-c-c-old," I breathed. I huddle into Jesse's chest for warmth. I could have sworn in that moment that I never would have been warm again.

"Shh... I know. You'll be fine, I promise." He didn't sound very sure, though I didn't really care. I was comforted by the sound of his voice. My head rested between his neck and shoulder. He flipped open a phone. "Hey, I'm bringing her to you." He paused, listening to the other person. "I don't care! She's going to die!" I gasped quietly. He hung up the phone. "Hey, it's all going to be alright. Listen to me Ella, you're going to be fine." He sounded like he was crying. If I could have moved, I would have comforted him.

"Jesse? I don't want to die here... I just want to go home," I whispered. "Hey, Jess?"

"Yeah?"

"I know we're not related. Just thought you should know. It's not your fault, not really. Would you do me a favor though?" My voice was fading fast.

"What is it, hon?" he whispered.

Remember me... With that I slipped into unconsciousness. Death was a lot more painful than I thought it would be. All the angels were sad. They sounded disappointed or worried, one actually wept. I couldn't quite hear specifics, but I wished with all my heart that the angel wouldn't cry. I thought of my dad, I didn't know what he would do without me. My mom would probably get hungry enough to come eat, but what happens when the groceries ran out? I mean, I was dead, couldn't I get a little peace and quiet? I certainly didn't get any in life. I let myself drift again, my mind going blank.

" Ella? Can you hear me? Ella Madeline Butler! Please? Come back to me?" I could hear words, but I couldn't comprehend them. "If you can hear me, say something, anything," the voice pleaded.

"SHHH..." I whispered. A voice that beautiful shouldn't sound that sad. "It'll be ok." I worked to claw my way out of the darkness. My eyelashes were in the way, but as I opened my eyes wider, I saw with the crystal clarity I always had. Sitting next to me was Jesse, his head in his hands. We were in a white room, like hospital white. I was laying down, an I.V. sticking out of my arm. My better judgement told me to panic. Instead I reached out to touch Jesse's arm. "Jesse?" I rasped, sounding worse than my mom. His head shot up. He looked towards the door to see who was talking to him. When he found no one there, he looked at me. Our eyes met, gold to emerald green.

"Ella? Are you really awake?" I nodded. He threw his arms around me. "Oh my God! I thought you were dead! Never do that to me again." He sat down. I stared at him with a whole new awareness. "What is it?" he queried.

"Why did you lie to me? I mean, I understand why you lied initially, but you could have told me the truth after you moved in. I wouldn't have kicked you out. You and everyone else know that I need some company, but you totally violated my trust. I don't know what's wrong, I don't even know what to think." My voice was awful sounding and it hurt to talk. He handed me a glass of water, which I accepted gratefully.

"Look, I'm not the only thing at work here. I have orders that must be followed, orders that I broke when I brought you here. I don't have a say on what I do and do not tell you, because if I did, I never would have lied to you in the first place. Honestly, I should have let you die. That was my order, but instead I brought you here, because I care about you." He looked around, as if someone was going to come and arrest him or something. I didn't know what to believe, I mean, he lied to me, saved my life, all this could just be another one of his lies. It must have shown on my face, what I was thinking, because he stormed out of the room with a determined look on his face. I, on the other hand, stayed lost, afraid, and terribly alone, inside the weird white room where nothing seemed to change. The door flew open once again, finding me messing with the I.V. in my wrist. Jesse was first through the door, followed by a big, muscular man, who looked like one of those cartoon general guys you see on T.V. "General Tannahill, meet our subject, Miss Ella Madeline Butler. Ella, this is General Tannahill." I cowered back, Tannahill looked just like Dwayne, except bigger and older. Jesse stood by my side.

Who does he remind you of? I whispered mentally. It was basically a one-way connection. I mean, I had to let Jesse in for him to talk to me.

He's not going to hurt you, Jesse assured me.

General Tannahill spoke up. "You can call me Alaric. I'm only General to my men. Please to meet you, little lady." He had a distinct Southern drawl, one I would have recognized anywhere.

"You're the Alaric Tannahill?" He nodded. I jumped out of bed, giving him a hug. "You're from Greenmore. You were there when they found my sister's body. The Chief of Police? Remember?" His eyes widened.

"How could I forget? Wow, you look great, you matured really nice, Maddy." Alaric, was basically Uncle Alaric to me. He let me stay at the police station right before we moved, when my dad started drinking, and my mom stopped talking.

"What's going on?" We both looked at Jesse, remembering for the first time that he was here. I explained, laying back down. I moaned a little bit when I layed down, still sore from being dead I guess. The three of us had pleasant conversation, before Jesse reminded Alaric why he was here.

"Ok. I see that you're mad. You're mad because you've been lied to, because a strange kid slept in your bedroom, because he didn't tell you the truth. Well, that's my fault. He was under strict orders from me, to keep you safe. He's there to protect you, and keep an eye on you. I ask you, please, let him stay with you. He's like a son to me, and frankly, he has nowhere else to go." I nodded my assent, not thrilled about it, but after what happened yesterday, I had to agree. "Now, I need you out of here, and since I can't have you knowing where this is, I'm going to put you to sleep. See you soon, darling." My eyelids were already drooping.

3: Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I woke up in bed. My bed, in my room, which I was pleased to note wasn’t any ghastly shade of fuchsia, but was instead the color of moth wings, fitting the room, and my mood, quite nicely. I would have been content to lay in bed all day, except that just wasn’t in the cards. Jesse was sitting on his bed, staring intently at the ceiling. “Jess?”

“Hey, welcome back. How are you?” I shrugged, which hurt.

“Sore, I guess. What happened?” He summarized what we had done. “That’s good, I was almost positive it was just a dream. So. what now?”

“Well, I guess that’s kind of up to you.” He ran a hand nervously through his long hair. “I would like to stay and protect you best I can, but I have a few rules that I would like to put in place. OK?” I nodded, open to about anything at this point. “Good. First, no more hiding with the Royals. They’re filthy and nasty, and I don’t want to be a part of that anymore. Second, you tell me EVERYTHING that goes on. I don’t want you to get lost, or worse. Last, I think that we need to be honest with each other. Do you disagree with any of those?”

“Nope. They sound pretty fair to me. I just want to warn you, yet again, that you’ll never be accepted into the Royal’s, the Nobody’s, or the Forgotten group ever again. No one will take you back once you start openly hanging out with me. As long as you can handle that, we should be good.”

“Ok, well as long as we’re being honest with each other, I would honestly like to ask you to dinner. How about tomorrow night at 6:30?” I laughed at first, thinking he was joking, but as I looked at his face again, he seemed sincere enough. “What’s so funny?”

“Oh, you’re being serious...” I could feel the heat rising to my face. “Well, sure. I guess that would be ok. As long as we’re being honest with each other, I would honestly enjoy going.” I smiled shyly. He grinned back. “What did we miss? What day is it?” I asked, after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

“Well, you’re ‘episode’ was on Tuesday, today is Wednesday. I assume we didn’t miss much. Though, I do hear talk of an essay that’s due on Friday in English. It’s on what you would do if we only had one day to live. Sounds fun.” The thought of only having one day left brought me back to yesterday.

“What exactly happened yesterday?” I figured that was the best question to ask.

“You don’t know?” I shook my head. “Well, it seems that I have a lot of explaining to do. Ok, we started Project Arcanorum, basically Latin for Secret. It was started by the president under the supposition that there were other things in this world than humans. It started out as just a myth, then we found you. You’re the only one we know of existing right now. There are myths and rumors that pop up in history every one hundred years or so. We picked up a massive energy surge in Greenmore. Then, we lost you shortly after Brandi died. Like, you went off the map. They sent me to find you. I ended up here. There’s something going on here that we can’t control, and you don’t know how to. The power that you have right now, is undefinable, it changes depending on which part of history we look at. We decided to call you guys Magi, not very original, but not many people know what it means. It’s my job to make sure that no one finds out about you. As a matter of fact, I already had my team clean up the mess. No one will remember what you did. That makes it safer for you, and for me. That’s all I really know, honestly.” He winked at me after honestly, causing an epic eyeroll. It was all very frustrating, not actually knowing anything. “Hey, let’s skip tomorrow. You wanna go out now?”

“Sure... Though I should warn you that there’s only one good restaurant in town, and they won’t serve me the best food. You, maybe, me not so much.” He didn’t seem very happy with that news.

“Is everyone in this town total jerks?” I nodded, mostly because it was true. “Well, we can enjoy ourselves anyway,” he beamed. I tried to smile at him, though I pretty much already knew he was wrong. The only “nice” clothes I owned were a short pink skirt, and a baby blue short sleeved blouse, so I slipped them on while Jesse was in the bathroom. Skipping up the stairs, I almost ran into him as he was walking back down to my room. His eyes widened as he, for the first time, saw me wear anything that truly emphasised my curves. He cleared his throat,”You’re beautiful.” I blushed, looking down at the ground.

We pulled up in front of Depardo’s Place, the best restaurant in town, owned by none other than Kimberly Romero’s dad. I hesitated outside the door. Jesse gently took my hand, gave it a squeeze and walked purposefully inside the restaurant. I trailed behind him, not sure whether to be scared or happy about this public display of affection. Kimberly was working the desk as we walked into the restaurant. I slipped my hand out of Jesse’s, not wanting to make this any more difficult than it needed to be. “Hey, Princey,” greeted Kimberly, batting her eyelashes. Her face twisted a little when she saw me. “Freak.”

“Hello. A table for two please.” Her mouth dropped open.

“Can I see you for a minute?” He nodded, following her a few feet away. I could hear every word. “What are you doing?” she demanded.

“Trying to enjoy my date with Ella.”

“This is unforgivable. Go down this path, and you’ll never be accepted again. Do you understand?” she hissed. He nodded.

“A table for two, please?” She was about to snap and I could see it. I guess risky behaviour was in the cards that night because I reached out to her with my mind. Her face relaxed into a nice even smile.

“Of course!” she chirped. She sat us down at a table by the window, overlooking the grassy fields that lay on the outskirts of Witchfield. I winked as she walked away, her expression becoming dazed and confused.

“What just happened?” Jesse whispered from across the table. I shrugged, putting on an innocent face. “Come on, Ella. What did you do?”

“I made her a little friendlier, ok?” He rolled his eyes at me. Our server was a young woman who must have been from Lordell, the town right next to ours.

“Hello, my name’s Tulla. I’ll be your server. What can I start you off with?” She looked only at Jesse, flashing a dazzling smile. She was hitting on him hard. I decided not to interfere, choosing to instead experiment with how faithful he could be, especially in the face a beautiful woman.

“Two Mountain Dews.” He never even took his eyes off me. She walked away, utterly disappointed. “So, what should we talk about?”

I contemplated for only a brief second. “Let’s talk about you.”

“Ok, what do you want to know?” He was being cautious, so I started simple.

“What’s your favorite color?”

“Gold, a molten gold, like the color of your eyes. Yours?”

I shook my head. “We’re talking about you. Ok, what’s your favorite kind of music?”

“I’m more of a classical/jazz music guy.” We sat, asking questions that varied from his favorite flower, to the color of his mom’s eyes before the lady came back with our drinks. As I expected, instead of a Mountain Dew, I got water. I sighed, fiddling with the straw as Jesse placed our orders. Before I could think, the drink was ripped out of my hands, replaced with a fizzling Mountain Dew. I opened my mouth to protest, but he spoke over me. “Nope, tonight I get to decide, and you need a Mountain Dew.” His eyes dared me to challenge him, but I didn’t. Instead I gave him my best “when-you-find-bugs-in-your-bed-it’s-not-my-fault” look. He rolled his eyes, probably sensing what I was thinking. “So, what are we doing tomorrow?” he queried, as if he didn’t already know.

“We’re going to school,” I replied, confused. “We already have two hours of detention for missing today, and another hour for yesterday.”

He sighed. “Can’t we do something fun?” he joked. Tulla pranced back out with our food. The top two buttons on her shirt were undone, she bent over, showing off her cleavage for Jesse to see. I was, of course, used to this. People trying to outdo me, that is. His eyes widened, though in interest or disgust I couldn’t tell.

“Will that be all for you?” she asked, with yet another dazzling smile. I figure that he’s had enough by then.

“Yes, that will be all,” he replied, irritated, but this time lighting up the room with his smile. She gasped as she walked away, nearly fainting before she stumbled back to the kitchen. “Wow, is that the normal around here?”

“Only when I’m around.” We ate our linguini, having a pleasant conversation. A different waitress came to fill our drinks, once again giving me water and Jesse a Mountain Dew. I insisted he drank it this time though, considering I had the last one. Stubborn, he refused to drink it until I finally reached over and took the first sip, handing it back to him, challenging him to take a drink. Accepting my challenge, he lifted the straw to his light lips, taking a long gulp. That’s when the War of the Mountain Dew began, each of us seeing who would stop first. Unfortunately, nine sodas later I submitted.

“Enough!” I gasped. I was on a caffeine high, and there was nothing that could stop that. “I feel like I’m floating!” I giggled almost drunkenly. He looked at me like I was crazy. To be honest, I didn’t care what anyone thought at that moment. He stood up, coming to my side of the booth to help me up. I swiveled a little on my feet, but my heart was racing, blood pumping. He laughed. This was the first time he’d seen me with any actual energy, and I think he liked what he saw.

We stumbled into the house. He went to check that my parents were both accounted for before coming downstairs. I was sitting on the bed, practically bouncing up and down. The yellow shade of the wall assaulted the senses as you walked into my room. Surprisingly enough it smelled like springtime, more reeked of springtime. He sat down next to me on the bed. I was jumpy, jumpy, jumpy. Before I could react, he leaned in and pressed his lips gently to mine. I didn’t know what to do, so I let it happen. Let myself fall into the kiss, be soothed by it. So when he pulled back, letting me choose for myself what I wanted to happen, I twisted my fingers into his long black hair, pulling him to me. Finally, I pulled back, as the room glowed around me. A light bulb burst as I layed back in bed, breathing heavily. He looked like he had been electrified. Not knowing what to do, I lay there, waiting for him to say something, anything. “Wow...” he mumbled, flopping down beside me.

“Are you hurt?” I worried, seeing him wince as he laid down.

“I’m fine,” he insisted, smiling at me painfully. I rolled him over onto his stomach, yanking up his shirt. Blisters covered every inch of his back. I gasped, pulling his shirt back down. Stumbling, I fell into the corner, in utter disbelief of what I had done. “Ella, you’re fine. It wasn’t your fault. You can’t control this.” I shook my head, standing up and sprinting for the door. I beat him to it, yanking it open and running out into the night. The weather was pretty nice, though winter lingered in the air, like the stench of onions you eat for lunch.

I stumbled in the direction of the old abandoned mine shafts that were unique in Witchfield. A mile and a half later, I kicked through the door to find the mines waiting for me. This was my home away from home, a second home, if you will. The mines were beautiful, sparkling with fool’s gold. I felt my way to the deepest, darkest part of the abandoned caves before falling into a restless sleep.

Upon waking, I felt as if I never truly went to bed. I was sore, my back and sides aching from sleeping on the sharp rocks. Truly alone, I curled up into the tiniest ball imagining what it would be like if I were normal, if my boyfriend didn’t get burned just because I kissed him, a world where my mom talked to me, my dad loved me, and my sister was still alive. Then I realized I would be “late” for school if I didn’t leave soon.

Before walking in, I checked to make sure that Jesse was gone. I snuck into my room, pulled a brush through my hair, yanked on some clothes, and sped to school. I was the first one there, which really wasn’t that surprising since it was only 6:30 in the morning. Eventually, I fell asleep in the car, wishing that I hadn’t left the mines.

Tap... Tap... Tap... God that sound was annoying. My eyes flew open. The sun was covered by dark, hazy clouds that promised rain. Standing outside my window was Jesse, and he looked pissed. I refused to roll down my window, so he sat on the hood of my car. Deciding that I could be just as stubborn as him, I sat in the car, refusing to look at him. However, what I didn’t account for was that I had left the doors unlocked. He slid in next to me. He was raving, almost literally foaming at the mouth. “I can not believe that you would do that to me! What the hell were you thinking!?! I mean, you could have been killed, kidnapped... It’s unthinkable to me that you would even attempt something like that!” He sat in a rage for only five more minutes, before I felt all the anger dissipate, and it was quickly replaced by sadness. He leaned over and pressed his lips to mine. I jumped, pushing him gently away.

“Please, don’t. Don’t do this to me?” I didn’t want to hurt him, not ever again, and if the only way to do that was by distancing myself, then so be it, it’s what I would do. He looked as if he’d been slapped.

“You mean? You don’t want me?”

“Of course I want you! Can’t you understand that? I hurt you! That’s unacceptable. I won’t ever let it happen again, never. This is why everyone hates me! Everything I touch always gets hurt! My mom, my dad, my sister, you! I’m a monster,” I shrieked, trying to make him understand. Shaking and sobbing helplessly, I curled up in the driver’s seat. He pulled me to him, encircling me with warmth and love.

“Shhh... It’s ok. You’re going to be fine. We’ll figure this out. Promise’” He whispered, trying to soothe me. Trying to push him away was futile, there was no way it was going to happen, so I finally relaxed and let myself be soothed. When I was sane enough to think, I sat up and pulled away from him, already angry at myself for letting it get that far. “Hey. Look at me, Ella.” I stubbornly turned my head, not looking him in the eye. “Come on, Ella! I’m not going to hurt you! Promise.” Knowing that he wasn’t going to leave until I looked at him, I turned expectantly. “You’re not a monster. You’re an extremely gifted girl who doesn’t know how to control it yet. Please, don’t pull away from me, I need you.” I could sense the love and sincerity behind his words. Torn between what was right and what I wanted, I let out a frustrated sigh.

“I can’t take it if I hurt you. You have to tell me when you’re in pain, or I’m going to run away to somewhere you’ll never find me. Do you understand?” I whispered fiercely. His eyes lit up. Leaning in, he kissed me again. This time I felt the power that I had and I held it back, even as I fell deeper into the kiss. If I hurt him, he didn’t complain, though he winced once or twice. We pulled apart as the first car drove into the parking lot. I pushed him out of my car, telling him to wait for me on the sidewalk. He rolled his eyes as he grudgingly got out of the car. I stepped out carefully, not wanting to get glass wedged in my sneakers. The Royals were already outside, pointedly ignoring Jesse as I went to stand by his side. Kimberly looked over at us, pointing us out to her friends. In an act of defiance, Jesse grabbed my hand. Gasps arose from the onlooking students, no one had ever done anything like this before. You don’t have to do this, I told him, waiting for him to drop my hand. To my complete and utter surprise, he didn’t. Instead, he dragged me along to go stand with the Royals.

“Hey guys!” he beamed, dragging me into their circle.

“What do you want, Jesse?” demanded Dwayne, glaring at me with hate in his eyes.

“Well, I thought we were friends,” replied Jesse, doing his best to look hurt. They didn’t buy it.

“You can be friends with us again, as soon as you dump the hag,” sniffed Kimberly. As she was speaking my blood began to boil. The group gasped, though I couldn’t understand why. Jesse pulled me away from them.

“Ummm... Ella? I don’t know how to tell you this, but your hair is changing color.” He seemed entranced. I didn’t quite understand what he meant until I lifted a strand. The platinum blonde I was used to seeing, now was a silver, shining even the hazy sunlight.

“What’s going on?” I whispered, confused.

“When a Magi like you discovers what you are, you turn into your true form.” Now he was looking worried. “We need to get out of here.” He towed me by the arm to his car. I complained for a few minutes, but got over it. Just before we pulled into the driveway, a spasm of pain shot through my body. I screamed, not sure what else to do. Dragging me into the house, Jesse covered my mouth as he sprinted to the basement. “Shhh... It’s ok,” he soothed, but it wasn’t. It was like every bone in my body was shifting, twisting. My skin was on fire, and my head felt like it was about to explode. This time, I kept my mouth shut, more worried about hurting Jesse than what was going on with me. After a few long, excruciating minutes I blacked out. Sleep was just as painful as being awake...

My eyes fluttered open. At first I didn’t understand, my eyes could see everything. From the small dust particles floating through the air, to the exact shade of my wall, it was all different. I could hear Jesse breathing beside me, my mom rolling over in bed. Everything was different. I let out a sigh so that Jesse would know I was awake. His hands drifted over me. “Are you really awake now?” he asked cautiously. I nodded, a quick bob of my head, faster than I thought it was going to be. Catching me off guard, I was off the bed and into Jesse’s arms in seconds.

“How’d you do that?” I wondered out loud, then I took another look at him. I stumbled back onto the bed, not sure whether to run or to fight. He took a step closer. “Stay still,” I commanded. He stopped, turning into a perfect statue. First of all, he was all black, like the color of a midnight sky without stars, mostly. Running up and down his body were white markings, swirling over his skin like a tattoo. His face was different, in a good way. His eyes glittered and glistened blue like a sapphire in the sunlight. The white markings swirled across his cheeks like ripples on a pond. Looking into his mouth, I saw the fangs pointing down, trying desperately to escape his lips. His hair was a bright shade of purple, a purple pink mix that leaned towards the purple side, still hanging in his face. I focused on the ears, they were long, peeking up through his thick mass of hair, and they were pointed like the ears of an elf. The last thing I realized is that he had a tail! It was black, long and slender, twitching impatiently as he waited for me to say something. “What are you?” I demanded, not knowing any other questions to ask. He made a gesture, asking for permission to sit down. I nodded, impatiently waiting for him to explain.

“I’m an Elegant.” He let that sink in a bit. “We’re an ancient race of people who are supposed to protect “Pharmakeia”, or witches. That would be you. I was chosen by the High Priestess of our world to be your protector, or whatever else you needed of me. I too possess certain powers that will help me protect you. My true name is Tarragon Silkgem, I am a warrior and now I will always be known as your protector. If I succeed, then I will be met with fame and riches, but if I fail, I will forever hold my head in shame.”

“How much have you lied to me?” I shrieked. My whole world was falling into chaos. I didn’t know what was real and what wasn’t. I didn’t know who to trust. I could feel my emotions making me begin to glow. Rolling into a little ball, I let them take their course. “Get out of here!” I screamed. There were footsteps and then the door closed, and I knew I was alone. The rain clouds moved in about ten minutes after it started. There was a torrent of rain, lightning, and thunder. Finally, the strange emotions subsided, followed by a perfect calm. Not quite ready to see Jesse yet, I grabbed a pair of clothes without looking and sprinted up the stairs into the bathroom. That’s when I first saw myself. The clothes slipped out of my fingers, landing on the ground with a thud. My skin was smooth and beautiful, but it was a light red, like almost a dark pink, but a little darker than that. My hair, running in waves down my back wasn’t blonde, but instead a silver that sparkled and shimmered under the bathroom lights. Finally, I focused on my eyes. I still had a pupil, but that was the only thing human about them. They were larger and rounder than they should have been, and instead of the whites of my eyes, my whole eye was rainbowed, with all the colors mixed in. As I watched, they turned a muddy brown. My mouth dropped in amazement and they turned a creamy yellow color. Not quite sure what to do, I threw on the clothes I picked out and ran downstairs to find Jesse, Tarragon, whatever. As I raced full speed into the kitchen, I ran into him. We both toppled over, though I got the worst of it by twisting right before we landed. My head knocked against the tile, not a pleasant feeling. He helped me up.

“Are you ok?” He was already checking the back of my head.

“I’m fine, promise.” Still not convinced, he probed around the back of head, looking for any sign of a bruise, weak spot, or concussion. Finally, he pulled back around, frustrated, but happy that I wasn’t hurt. “Told you I was fine,” I laughed, teasing him. “I’m sorry about earlier. I wasn’t expecting any of this. You, me, us, any of it, but I’m glad you’re here to protect me.” His face lit up in a grin that took my breath away, leaving me utterly speechless. He bent down, though I was only a few inches shorter than him, and kissed me. I could feel every touch one hundred times more than I had before. My fingers twisted in his hair, loving the silky smoothness of it. He dragged me over to the couch, never stopping the contact between us. He laid down on the couch, him first, me on top. I was trying really, really hard not to hurt him, and to be honest I’m sure I was failing miserably. He didn’t complain though, and instead deepened the kiss, exploring. Finally, he came up for air, gasping heavily. I too was panting, not believing my luck at having the perfect boyfriend, even if he did have a tail.

“You’re beautiful,” he breathed, rubbing my fiery red cheeks with his finger. I laughed, looking down at his black and white face. My fingers went to his cheeks, tracing the intricate design of the white swirls that fit so perfectly onto his skin. He squirmed a bit and started to giggle.

“Oh my God! You’re ticklish,” I squealed joyfully. Before I could further explore my theory, my hands were pinned to my sides, and I was on the bottom. “Oh, come on! This is totally not fair!”

“Hey, you’re the great and powerful witch, do something about it,” he challenged. I raised my eyebrows. In a few moments he realized the error of his ways as I had him floating in midair, at least four feet off the ground. “Hey! I didn’t actually mean it!” he pouted, his thick arms crossed against his chest. I stood up off the couch.

“You just don’t like that I have complete control over everything you do,” I retorted playfully. His back was parallel to the floor, so I leaned over and kissed him. “See what I mean?” Though it wasn’t very nice, I finally let him drop to the ground. He picked himself up off the floor. Tackling me in a bear hug, we landed on the couch once again. He had my hands pinned to my sides as he tickled me relentlessly. “Stop! Stop!” I gasped, my sides hurting.

“Who has control over who now?” he asked.

“You. I’ll do whatever you want! Please stop!”

“Good.” With that he let me go. What he didn’t suspect was the surprise hug I had in store. I pounced onto his back, letting my momentum carry me forward. I threw my arms around his neck. He carried my around in a piggy back ride for almost ten minutes before I slipped off. “Very clever, you little devil.” I giggled gleefully as I went to go make lunch.

“What do you want?” I asked digging through the refrigerator. “We have meat, cheese, some left over pizza, and some leftover linguini,” I informed him.

“I want meat loaf with extra ketchup and a side of green beans.” I gave him my best “bite-me” look. “No, seriously. I think you can do it.” I shook my head.

“Not in the job description. Trust me on this one, it’s not going to happen... What should I call you? Do you like Tarragon or Jesse, or what?” I guess that had bothered me for awhile.

“Tarragon, where I come from, means Son of the Moon. It has a different meaning here on Earth. I think Jesse will work just fine, but if you ever need me when I’m not around use Tarragon, and I will always come.” The deepness of just those few sentences took me aback. What else didn’t I know about him. He must have sensed the utter chaos inside me because he reached across the counter and put his hand over mine. “I will tell you anything you want to know,” he promised, his blue eyes flashing. I felt my heart beating faster.

“Ok...” Now that I had the opportunity to ask, there was only one thing eating away at my mind. “Never mind,” I mumbled, turning back to the sandwiches I was making. I heard the chair scrape across the floor as he stood up. I turned my head even farther away as his midnight fingers grabbed hold of my chin. I held strong for another minute or two before I was forced to look at him. His eyes flashed with concern as he saw the tears brimming in my rainbow eyes.

“Hey, you can ask me anything.”

“You won’t get upset?” I queried, not wanting to hurt his feelings.

“Of course not,” he exclaimed.

“Is there someone else? There, I mean? Someone special?” I felt the shame evident on my face as I pulled from his grasp, going back to the sandwiches. He didn’t respond, which meant that I had crossed a line. I handed him his sandwich. I went to sit on the counter, legs crossed on the nice granite. Sitting in the stool in front of me, he began to answer.

“There was, once. When I was thirteen I was dating one of my own people, Angelique. She was beautiful, lavender hair down to her waist, long spindly legs, but she was also very cruel. She treated my like property. Then, a year ago, I got chosen by the High Priestess, to come protect you. Angelique was furious. She said if I left I would never be welcomed back by her or her family. So, not really, not anymore.” I felt terrible for asking, but I covered it up well, that at least I was good at doing. Apparently I didn’t hide it well enough because he said, ” You needed to know.”

“How old are you?”

“Uh... Don’t freak out, but I’m almost 150.”

I nodded like that was a perfectly normal thing to hear from your boyfriend. “How old will I get to be?”

“Probably about 900 to 1000 years old.” After a moment of awkward silence, he continued with, “What about you? Anyone special that I need to know about?”

“Not anymore. I’m surprised you didn’t see us together, same sob story though. He was abusive, controlling, and I couldn’t do anything about it. Then, after I fell off the map, I dated Jeremiah for a long time. Ever since I was in the eighth grade to just last year, my freshman year. He wasn’t really interested in me. I was just arm candy, something to show off to his friends. Then one day I tried to take it a step farther. He hit me, ended the relationship, and started treating me like dirt. The end.” He wasn’t very happy with Jeremiah, that much I could see in his face. “Now, we have eachother,” I ended, a grin on my face.

“Indeed we do,” he laughed, taking my hand and pulling me off the counter. We went into the living room, watching TV until I began to doze off. “Time for a nap, sleepy head?” he joked.

“Only if you promise to stay,” I yawned.

“As long as you need me,” he whispered as he started humming a soothing song...

My dreams were not nightmares, and for the first time in what felt like years I fell into a restful sleep. When my eyes finally did open, the sun was just beginning to drop behind the edge of the Earth. I stretched, yawning as I tried to sit up. What I forgot was that Jesse was holding onto me, so as I tried to sit up, his slack arms let go, sending me into the floor with a yelp. He bolted upright. Looking down at my face, he began to laugh. I mumbled something under my breath, but got up to make dinner. He followed me into the kitchen, still chuckling. I made more sandwiches for dinner, giving one to my mom, another to my dad, and sitting down at the counter with my boyfriend to eat mine. “So, now that we’re officially dating, and living in the same house, I’m laying down some ground rules,” I began, looking to make sure he was paying attention.”Ok, first, we don’t sleep in the same bed together. Second, we try to keep our school lives and our home lives totally separate, this is a place of love. Last, if something... happens... to one of us, the other has to take care of my parents. Agreed?” He rolled his eyes but nodded.

Unfortunately as we bounced into my bedroom, I realized the first rule was going to be impossible. While we were upstairs, one of the beds had disappeared, and no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t bring it back. “Ok, scratch rule one. Though, you stay on your side of the king sized bed, I’ll stay on mine. K?” He laughed, nodding his head. I changed quickly into my pajamas, still taken off guard by my red skin. As we climbed into bed, my mind began to wander. “Hey, how are we going to go to school?” I asked, rolling over to face him.

“The humans won’t recognize the difference. We’ll look the same as always,” he assured me. Kissing me on the cheek, he switched out the lights with his obnoxious tail. “Goodnight, Ella.”

“Night, Jesse.”

“Love you,” he whispered, almost frightenedly.

“Love you too.” As I said the words, I knew they were true. I rolled that word around in my head, not quite sure what to think of the commitment I’d just made to a boy I barely knew.

Once again I was running through the forest. “BRANDI!” Then, everything stopped. I froze, not quite sure what was going on. In front of me appeared me an Elegant. She was beautiful, dressed in elegant robe, saturated in pink and purple, almost like a sunset. The scenery disappeared around me, but was quickly replaced with a beautiful landscape, behind which there was a city, silently sleeping. It wasn’t the most advanced city I had ever seen, instead it was simple, almost rustic. She stepped next to me.

“Hello, child. I am Farryn Silkgem, High Priestess of the Elegant people.”

“My name is Ella, Ella Butler. Are you... Tarragon’s mother?” I asked, mouth agape.

She laughed, “Indeed, I am. And, you’re wrong. You’re name is not Ella, that’s your mortal name. I have found your true name, but you must discover it by yourself. Now, I need you to deliver this message to my son. Can you do that for me?” I nodded, a quick bob of my head. “Tell him that he must bring you here. That there are dark things in the world and you must be protected. Tell him I love him.” She leaned down and kissed me lightly on the cheek. In her silky smooth voice she whispered, “Wake up now, child.”

I jolted awake, my alarm going off. I looked at the clock, 5:45, as always. Jesse was still asleep, and I decided that I was going to leave it that way. Somewhere during the night he had wrapped an arm around me, something of concern as I tried to slip out of bed. I shut the alarm clock off as quietly as I could. I snuck up the stairs, took a shower, and when I came back down, Jesse was sitting up in bed, yawning and rubbing his eyes. It was really embarrassing, because, in the hopes of him staying asleep, I hadn’t brought any clothes to the bathroom, and instead was wearing just a small towel, wrapped beneath my armpits. His eyes were as wide as saucers as I walked into the room. “Good morning!” I chirped, trying to act nonchalant about it. “I let you sleep in this morning, so you better hurry.” He took the hint, rushing up the stairs with his own clothes. Closing the door, I walked over to my dresser as my room began to shift again. The walls changed to a burnt brown color, reflecting my worry, the windows were suddenly barred. I was effectively trapped. My dresser was mostly the same, though it drooped a little, which made opening it that much more difficult.

Pulling on a pair of short shorts, a tank top, and some summer flats, I yanked on my jewelry and waltzed into the living room. There I found my dad, pinning Jesse up against the wall, a knife to his throat. “No, Daddy! He’s a friend. He just came to stay with us for a couple days. Now, come on.” With one last agitated glance at Jesse, my dad picked up his booze bottle and stumbled up the stairs to his bedroom. Jesse was lying on the kitchen floor, curled up in a ball, gasping for air. “Oh my God!!!! Are you ok?” I knelt by his side, helping him into a sitting position. He was still gasping for air, holding his throat. I try to soothe him best as I could, sitting beside him, rubbing my hand through his hair. Finally he starts to breathe normally. He sent a dazzling smile my way.

“I’m fine,” he sighs, beginning to get up. I pulled him back down next to me. “Hey, I’m fine, promise. Look at me Ella.” I stared into his beautiful sapphire eyes, though mine were brimming with tears. He hugged me to his chest, sitting me in his lap. “Shhh... You’re going to be okay. This will all work out fine.” He soothed me as best he could, which was kind of backwards, if you ask me.

“What’s your mother’s name?” I asked cautiously, wanting to prove my dream.

“My mother? Her name is Farryn. Why?”

“She talked to me last night, in a dream. She needed me to tell you something...”

“Well, what is it?” he demanded.

“She said ‘you must bring me here. That there are dark things in the world and I must be protected.’ She loves you.” I was still in shock that I had actually spoken with his mom, but he wouldn’t let me dwell on that for any length of time.

“Oh no! Oh no, oh no, oh no! This can not be happening to me! Why?” Moving me off his lap, he began muttering loudly to himself, pacing on the floor. I was in utter shock, not quite sure why he was so upset, or why he wasn’t telling me anything. I stared at him for a few more minutes, irritated beyond belief.

“Hey! What’s wrong!?!” I was stressed out now, a product of his nervous pacing. He looked down at me, pain in his eyes.

“We can’t be together anymore...” With one last glance at me he stormed out of the room. Upon hearing the slamming of the door, I bolted out of the kitchen, out of the house. The keys I had in my pocket were not mine, but his, so I took his stupid silver Aston Martin and sped down the road, not really caring who stared. The mines were already calling me back by the time I finally maneuvered the car to a stopping point. Tears streaked down my face as I dashed into the them, minutes before it started raining relentlessly. Magic seeped through the walls of the cave, though this was the first time I ever felt it. My senses were buzzing, almost vibrating inside my body. What I failed to notice, however, was that I wasn’t alone.

“Hello... Freak,” cackled a voice from behind me. “Or, I guess you’ve moved up in the world, haven’t you? Witch?”

“Come now, can’t you see you’re scaring her?” chuckled a definite male voice from in front of me. Suddenly Jeremiah stepped into my field of vision. I whirled around, only to find Kimberly blocking the exit. Their body shape blurred, they weren’t quite the same as before. I noticed the fangs, even longer than Jesse’s accompanied by claws the size of lion’s. Then I saw the wings sprouting from their backs, falling to the ground in a puddle of black feathers. “Didn’t realize we were even cooler than you thought, did you?” I was freaking out. There was only one option that came to my head, and even that seemed crazy right now, but it was worth a try.

“TARRAGON!” I screamed as both Kimberly and Jeremiah began to circle me, like predators stalking their prey.

“Oh, you poor dear. He left town before we could find him. We raided your house, but he was already gone. He even left a note. Hmmm... What did it say again, Jeremiah?”

“It read ‘Dear Ella, So sorry I couldn’t stay. I guess I’ve failed both of us now. I’m going home a failure. Please forgive me. Jesse’. Isn’t it beautiful? Too bad too, I was really looking forward to tearing him apart.” I wasn’t listening anymore. I couldn’t believe that he had left me. After all we’d been through, I guess it really didn’t matter to him anymore, I didn’t really matter at all anymore. “You’re going to taste good witch. They always do. Now, how ‘bout you scream for me, come on, just one little scream.” He pounced, flying, literally, in my direction. I let out a shrill scream, hoping that they would kill me quickly. Then, I heard a feral snarl from the mouth of the mine. It wasn’t enough to stop Jeremiah though. Turning, his talons raked my back causing me to scream yet again. I crumpled to the floor as the burning sensation in my back combined with the warm sticky feel of my blood poured over my skin.

“Hello, Tarragon. We saw that you ‘skipped town’. Or, maybe you didn’t. She probably won’t live to find out,” giggled Kimberly. “Oh, don't look so upset. You know that you can’t be with her. It’s against the rules. Besides, the more you do with her, the more likely it is she’ll kill you. Yes, but you already know that. Does she?” I opened my eyes. Tarragon had a look of devastation on his face. I was confused.

“No, I don’t think she did!” Jeremiah grinned. “That’s right, witch. You can never truly be together. The power surging through your body would kill him. You’ve hurt him before, haven’t you? Burnt him, maybe? Oh, he didn’t tell you? I’m sure there’s a lot of things little Silkgem didn’t tell you. Did he ever once mention that his mother can have him killed for being with you? That’s right. It’s the death penalty where he comes from. They’ll leave him in the woods with the wolves, and watch as he gets torn apart, slowly while the giant teeth rip into his flesh, inch by inch. They listen to him scream as flesh meets the...” A roar sounded from the mouth of the cave. Jesse was in the air, propelling himself towards the two things. I watched as he almost danced between them, egging them on, until he finally got tired of waiting. With a snarl, he ripped Kimberly’s wings out of their sockets, causing her to whine in agony. I turned my head, knowing what was next. Suddenly the whimpering stopped and was replaced by a howl of pain from Jeremiah. My head was growing fuzzy, it became harder to stop thinking about the burning in my back that was slowly spreading through the rest of my body. The final crack resounded through the cave as I moaned in pain. Cool hands touched my back, followed by a sharp breath.

“Ella? Baby? Can you hear me?” I groaned, trying to say yes. “I’m going to fix this, but it’s going to be very painful. Can you be strong for me, hon?” Bracing myself, I felt his cold hands settle on the cuts on my back. He began to chant something, though I can’t recall what it was. The chanting became louder and louder. Suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my back. The pain grew red hot, causing me to shriek in agony, begging him to stop, over and over. The burning throughout my body stopped, but that one place in my back kept getting hotter inside me. Just as suddenly as it came, the pain was gone. The chanting came to a halt, replaced by cool hands probing my back carefully. “Ella? Can you hear me?” I tried to sit up in response, but his firm hands held me to the ground. “Stay where you are. I’m going to wrap this up for you. Okay?”

“Sure, whatever,” I panted, curling tightly into a ball. He came back, and I felt the dripping rain water on his skin as he slowly sat me up and put a wrap around my torso. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I whispered, leaning against him, shivering.

“I didn’t want to lose you. You’re the most important thing to me now, the most important thing to me ever. If I lost you, I don’t know how I would live with myself. Now, we must go to Ibendalath, my home. When we arrive, you and I are only friends, do you understand? Ella?”

“Ya?” Trembling with fear, I was only hoping to hear one thing from him at this point.

“I love you.”

“I love you more,” I whispered, content and happy, no matter what happened to me next. It was a stupid mistake.

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