“Put me down, oaf face!” I scream, giddy and laughing.
“No way,” he cries and swings me up over his shoulder. “Now that I’ve got you I’m never going to let you go.”
“My skirt is too short for this!”
But he can’t hear me because he’s singing at the top of his voice as he’s striding towards the party “Never gonna let you go, gonna hold you in my arms forever!”
“Enough of the croaking!” cries Zan who’s walking behind us with her hands over her ears. I’m twisting around, trying to pull my skirt down, but giggling and swatting Roman at the same time.
“Gonna make up for the times, I hurt you soooooooooooooooo.”
“Put her down,” Aiden’s voice is low and calm. Roman’s singing fades, he steadies me and in seconds my feet are planted firmly on the ground.
“No need to get all alpha on me,” shrugs Roman as I adjust my skirt. My legs are two pale, awkward sticks. My cream mohair sweater has dusted little white hairs all over my pink mini-skirt. I look like I’ve been rolling around in dog hair.
“Urgh,” I brush at the offensive hairs. I glance down at my ballet slippers that looked so cute in the shop. The ground is moist from recent drizzle and now they’re covered in mud.
Zan is five steps ahead of me, keeping pace with Aiden as they head to the coolers. She wears ripped jeans, knee-high black boots and a black sweater with a scooped back that shows she’s not wearing a bra. She doesn’t need to, but it’s provocative anyhow. They’re all Euro-chic’ed out and I’m unkempt Barbie-dork.
Firelight glints off the gold decorative lines on Aiden’s black cuffs as his hand slips onto the bare skin of Zan’s back. My intestines plummet as my nails start clicking together.
Are they-
No. She would have mentioned it in the car.
I think.
Wouldn’t she?
I can’t move a step closer. The chill of anger is nipping around the top of my head. Breathe in the flowers, blow out the candles.
I scan the crowd for Roman, but he’s already deep in conversation with some nerd, hands gyrating in a scientific dance as he no doubt expresses yet another opinion about some failed chemistry experiment. I stand on the perimeter of the party where the bonfire glow can’t reach.
And just like that, we’re separated again.
This wasn’t what I had in mind when I thought I was going to hang out with my friends. Wish we’d just met at the Sanctuary.
“Ready for junior year?” Callum’s smooth voice startles me. He stands next to me in the shadows, his high cheekbones protruding like a cliff from beneath the breaking waves of his black hair. He watches me with unnerving calm. The green of his eyes is like a swamp. I breathe in the warm, rich scent of his leather jacket. It’s like a biker jacket, only more refined. Designer lines. Looks like he got a dose of Euro-chic also.
“Sure,” I lie.
He shrugs. We watch the party together in silence, like two outsiders pretending we’re a part of the world, but we both know we’re not, not really. The only difference is that it was Callum who left us; then it was me they left.
“Um, you know, I didn’t see you all summer, but, at your party…” I shrug. No need to mention the details. He was there. “Sorry.”
He glances down at my bare legs covered in goose flesh. “It’s warmer by the fire.” He slips a bottle of beer in my hand. It’s cold and hard beneath my fingers. “Come on.”
Zan’s laughter peels across the party as I follow Callum to the flames. Aiden’s holding court, hands sweeping through the air as he regales our classmates with some undoubtedly witty story of his adventurous summer at camp in Europe. Zan stands smiling at his side. The firelight reflects off gold threads woven into the left shoulder of her black sweater. I didn’t notice it before. The gold pattern oddly matches Roman’s, and, now that I think about it, Aiden’s too. I scowl to myself.
My hand inadvertently goes to my necklace, a fine swirl of gold draped around my neck.
“Get a room,” Callum pushes against a couple who seem to be fused together at the mouth, chest, and hips.
“Shut up, little brother,” Jon’s hand shoots out, tapping Callum on the cheek. He has a smile on his gloss-smeared lips as he wrests Callum’s beer from him. “Don’t you know it’s illegal for you to drink?”
Callum takes a quick step back and rips his beer from Jon’s hand. “Don’t tell me what to do.”
Jon’s face pales as lines crease his forehead. He leans forward and raises his right hand in front of his brother’s face. The firelight glints off the silver ring shaped like a bird’s claw, its talons wrap around Jon’s index finger.
“Remember I’m in charge, little brother,” he says. “Telling you what to do is my job. Or hasn’t Aiden’s dad schooled you, yet?” Callum’s body tenses. His hand pushes back his black hair and a spark of firelight reflects from the shadows of his eyes. His eyelids go to half-mast. Callum needs an intervention. My fingers tighten around the rigid neck of my beer as I step forward. Show no fear. It’s always helped diffuse Mom. Guessing it’s one of the first things Dad ever taught me.
I shift my weight and place myself between them. For once I’m glad I’m tall because I can look Jon in the eye.
“When did you get back?” My mouth is upturned in a pleasant hint of a smile and my eyes have a practiced innocent clarity. If it works on Mom, I’m pretty sure it’ll work here.
His body loosens and he smiles back, leaning towards me. The stench of whiskey wafts through the air. “You’ve grown up,” Jon cocks his head to the side, his gaze darts over my body.
“What college are you going to again?” I deflect his attention.
“Who said I’m at college?” he laughs. “I’ve been in Ireland.”
I glance at Callum, but he’s got his head thrown back as he chugs his beer. Why did he tell me Jon left for college? My eyes squint. How could Jon leave his brother alone to hang out in Ireland after their mother killed herself?
“You’re his only family!” How can he not see how much Callum needs him?
“Wrong again,” Jon says. “We have a very large family. And, I brought our uncle back.”
“It took you a year?” My voice swims in disapproval.
“What?” Jon’s arm falls off Naomi’s shoulders as he takes a step towards me. “Did you miss me, Shae?”
“No!” I raise an arm to deflect him, but I’m too forceful, I upset his balance and he bumps into Naomi. His smile vanishes. The mood I tried to change has snapped right back into place.
“It wasn’t my choice.” His voice is low, dark and dangerous.
“Stop it,” Naomi swats at him. Her long blond hair curls against his arm. “I haven’t seen you in a year. Play nice tonight. Don’t make me sorry I came.” She’s a cool breeze by the flames. I don’t think she can sense the danger. She’s fresh and perky, staring up into Jon’s face as if all her stars align there. Naomi wouldn’t regret coming out tonight even if it killed her.
“Oh, you won’t be sorry,” Jon entwines his fingers with hers, but glares at Callum. “No more staying at the Van Arend Manor. You’re at the homestead with me from now on.”
“I thought we’d be alone,” Naomi’s whisper is loud enough for all of us to hear.
“We will be,” he smiles.
She grins back, “Out here.” He nods and I can’t quite figure it out but they manage to walk off into the gloom lip locked in a juicy kiss.
Callum’s not watching them, though. His gaze is on me. My skin heats up in a micro-second.
“How was your summer, Shae?” Aiden’s voice startles me. I was so caught up in Callum I didn’t notice Aiden leave his fans. Callum takes another swig of beer, but he’s still looking at me as I turn to Aiden.
“Good,” I glance around for Zan or Roman.
“Callum, why don’t you get me a beer,” Aiden says.
“Sure,” Callum acquiesces. My head swivels from one to the other. That was wei
rd. I’m pretty sure Aiden gave Callum an order.
“How have you been, Shae?” Aiden asks. I open my mouth to repeat my answer but he places a finger over my lips. “Really,” he says.
“It’s been a pretty quiet summer,” I say shrugging. “But, look, I’m really sorry about-”
“How’s your mom?” he asks.
“She’s okay,” I shrug, but he doesn’t look like he believes me. “Really.”
“I can’t help worrying about you.” His smile is rich and warm as he puts his arms around me, pulling me into a friendly hug. I stand there scrunched in his grip, not daring to hug him back. It’d be too hard to let go. I just breathe into the moment wishing I could stop time.
A piercing scream shatters the air. Aiden and I break apart. My eyes find Zan in the crowd. Her hands are over her ears to block out the shriek. But, it doesn’t stop. It wrenches the sky in half. Someone needs help. Now.
Everyone looks around to determine where the scream is coming from. I point down the path where Naomi and Jon disappeared. A ferocious roar rises and collapses over the scream, swallowing it whole. It’s a wild animal. I think the ground and trees are shaking, but they’re not – I am.
Everyone in the party stands still for a split second, everyone except my friends. Roman, Zan, and Aiden race towards the beast in the woods.
Callum moves with me and we sprint towards the path. Shadows and fog envelop us as Callum pulls ahead of me. His arms stretch out and he leaps high into the air, but his body doesn’t come down. It darkens and shrinks as black feathers spring up across his torso. His eyes turn a piercing green. His face stretches forward and mutates into a raven’s head, his beak wide open as he shrieks out a caw and beats his wings furiously. I freeze.
Callum just turned into a- no- a bird? A raven? It’s- it’s not possible.
I hear air rushing like a torrent around my head. My chest heaves as air passes in a panicked wave through me.
There’s no way that just happened.
Roman, Zan and Aiden have disappeared into the forest. Others from the party bump past me as they surge into the woods. But, frozen, I watch the raven – the raven that a moment ago was Callum - disappear into the dark woods.
The first three chapters of Sanctuary are available here for FREE
www.instafreebie.com/free/cx41V
- OR -
Get goodies and stay up to date on new releases here
www.melleamade.com/that-moment-when
—ABOUT THE AUTHOR—
Best selling author of Sanctuary, Shifter Chronicles Book One, Melle Amade, struggles to maintain her working mom reality in Los Angeles, while constantly slipping away into fantasy worlds where shifters, vikings, and gypsies abound.
THE VOLUNTEER
Melissa A. Craven
Chapter One
“Why do I even bother?” Santi tossed her portfolio on the backseat of her ancient beige Volvo––a hand-me-down from her truly ancient abuela.
Another patronizing interview with a mortal who couldn’t see past her youth and inexperience to notice she had fire and drive with a thirst to prove herself. All he saw was a desperate young Latina girl carrying a mountain of student loan debt. He couldn’t see the young Immortal woman who had to figure out how to finance the rest of her eternal life.
A little over a thousand years ago, Santi’s family lived like kings in Belize. Then the Maya civilization mysteriously collapsed and her parents and grandparents were some of the only surviving Immortals to escape the empire. Of course, they recovered long before she was born, but more recently, they found themselves dealing with a whole new struggle––technology.
Santi sighed as she leaned against her car, arms folded across her chest, waiting for the Immortal following her to make her appearance. They always seemed to find her at her lowest points. It started just after she received her undergrad in journalism, before she decided to pursue her master’s degree in social and political sciences.
“Santi.” The Immortal woman nodded as she approached. This one was younger than the others. She couldn’t be more than a few centuries old. She was striking, and formidable, dressed in expensive black clothes with her long, dark hair pulled into a sleek ponytail.
“Livia.” Santi read the name from the business card the woman offered. Her eyes widened when she realized Livia was the CEO of Soma––the questionable Immortal corporation she’d heard horror stories about in recent years. The corporation that desperately wanted to recruit Santi.
“We will have coffee,” Livia said. It wasn’t a question. “I only need a few moments of your time.” She gestured toward the coffee truck at the corner of the busy intersection.
Santi nodded and followed. She’d found it was easier to listen to what they had to say, tell them she’d think about it and then lose their business cards.
She grew anxious, wondering how such a young woman could head a huge company like Soma. Not that Santi––or anyone outside of Soma––really knew what they did. There were rumors, of course. Frightening rumors, but it was still impressive to see a young woman in such a prominent position in the Immortal world.
“How many interviews have you had since you graduated?” Livia sipped her strong, dark coffee.
“More than I anticipated,” Santi admitted.
“Soma could be good to you, Santi. We are not the despicable corporation most of our kind believe us to be. We need young, educated agents like yourself. I don’t expect you to come to us blindly. But you have my card and if you are interested in learning more, call my assistant to schedule an appointment. I’ll be happy to tell you about Soma. Off the record, of course.”
With that, Livia turned and walked away, leaving Santi alone in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the busy Atlanta afternoon.
As she retreated back to her car, she slipped Livia’s card into her pocket ... just in case.
* * *
“Do not worry about us, Lucero,” Santi’s mother said as she fussed with the flowerbeds around the porch of their home.
Her family always called her Lucero, little bright star, because that’s what she was to them. She was their future. The youngest of her ancient family.
To think of all the Maya riches her abuela used to tell her about, when they were practically penniless now. All they had was their home and their love for each other as they all held their breath from paycheck to paycheck.
“I’m not a child anymore, mami,” Santi argued. “I know when you’re stressing. Let me help you.”
“Lucero, you are barely twenty-five. You may understand technology in a way I never will, but you are not ready for the burdens of this world yet. You have many years left to be a child. I want you to enjoy them, mija.”
“The modern world is my domain. Please, mami, tell me what’s troubling you.”
“We are behind with the mortgage. It is nothing.” She shrugged indifferently. “We will catch up, just like we always do.”
“How late are we?”
“Just a few months.” Her mother continued to sift through the flowerbeds, searching for anything resembling a weed.
“How many notices have you received?”
“Three, maybe four. Abuelo will have the money in a month or two.”
Santi hated how hard her grandfather worked. At fifteen-hundred years of age, he shouldn’t still have to work a full-time job as a high school history teacher during the school year and for a landscape crew during the summers just to make ends meet. Her abuelo deserved a comfortable retirement with a little breathing room financially.
Santi had struggled all of her life, living among such ancient Immortals. For them, time moved slowly—until the most recent centuries. The Industrial Revolution took them by surprise and they’d let the modern world sneak up on them. Santi’s family struggled to keep up with a world they no longer understood.
When I’m that old, I will never let myself become a burden to my children. The thought shamed her. She loved her family,
but they were willfully stubborn when it came to things like interest, bank loans and foreclosures. She feared they would lose the house this time. Santi knew where she could get the money they needed—if she was brave enough.
“I may have a promising interview later this week, mami.” She felt for the card in her pocket, wondering if she would have the nerve to call the number.
After Santi graduated from Georgia Tech, she was eager for the next chapter of her life. But in the months since, her life had stalled as she constantly looked for work before her student loans came due.
“And where is this interview?” Her mother continued sifting through her prized flowerbeds, heedless of the turmoil her daughter struggled with.
“A company in Midtown,” Santi hedged. She knew her mother wouldn’t approve, but if she could get the money they needed to save the house, Santi was willing to give Soma a shot. She still wasn’t sure what they did; she only knew she’d been warned about the suspicious group, active throughout major cities across the world. Some whispered rumors claimed Soma was a more progressive division of the Senate—the ruling body of the Immortal world––and Soma wanted to take over. Others claimed the corporation was simply corrupt and money hungry.
For months, Santi ignored the persistent recruiting, unwilling to take the risk. But now she found herself wondering what the paycheck looked like. Livia’s offer to tell her more about Soma was tempting.
Santi wandered into her grandfather’s study. Scattered papers and unopened mail covered the desk. She picked up the envelop with “Final Notice” stamped across the exterior.
“Thirty-two thousand dollars. How the hell are we behind that much?” Her mother was right; it had been four months since their last payment. But before that, they’d missed three months. And before that it was four. A few partial payments had kept them afloat, but they were so far behind, they would never catch up without a miracle.
That Moment When: An Anthology of Young Adult Fiction Page 11