Sunny Eve

by Shayla Hyde

  “Mary Wilson told me my mark is much more powerful than I think it is,” I whispered to him, “and she told me how to access the greater power, or whatever.”

  “Have you practiced it?”

  “Somewhat,” I admitted, “like the night I lit up the trees.”

  “Right now, is a perfect opportunity to get some practice in. We still have a little time,” Kaden said. He glanced down at me, then back at the fire. “Try something.”

  “I don’t know what to try, though. I don’t know what it can do,” I grumbled.

  “Just think about it,” he encouraged me, “and see what happens.” I hesitated but agreed. I closed my eyes tightly, and the very first thing I saw was a radiant light, then my mom’s face. She mouthed the words, “use your rage”. With zero notice and for a second time, I watched my mother’s death through her eyes. Instead of feeling sadness, I channeled my sorrow into anger. Rage. When the final scene played, and my mother was murdered, I felt fire in my lungs. I screeched and my eyes shot open. Kaden was staring at me with wonder in his eyes. My neck was burning, but I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Not at first.

  “Um, Evelyn?” Victor whispered sharply.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Victor. His entire body was absorbed by a bright yellow light. He was standing as stiff as a board. I jumped to my feet, my heart pounding in my chest. Elizabeth gasped, dropped her side of the tent, and rushed over to him.

  “Wait,” I told her, “don’t touch him. Not yet.”

  Sebastian suddenly appeared next to me with amazement in his eyes,

  “What did you do to him?”

  “Touch him, Sebastian,” I commanded.

  He seemed unsure at first, but he probably didn’t want to look like a scaredy-cat, so he did it. He extended a single fingertip and placed it to Victor’s shoulder. Sebastian immediately shouted out in agony, grabbing his finger in his other hand.

  Even though he was in his shield, Victor chuckled at the sight of

  Sebastian’s pain. “Serves you right.”

  “Holy hell,” Sebastian ogled at me. “If you could do that to all of us,

  The Primevals wouldn’t have a chance in hell.”

  The pain in my neck was intensifying, but I wasn’t ready to break the fiery shield yet. “Can you move, Victor?”

  He didn’t respond, just casually strolled forward with a smile. He flailed his arms and even used his super-speed to loop around the tent. I smiled, closing my eyes again. I focused harder and kept my mom in the back of my mind until I heard an even deeper gasp from Elizabeth. I opened my eyes again, and this time, Elizabeth, Jake, Victor, and Kaden were all absorbed in the light. My neck ached vigorously, but I pushed myself to hold on. Sebastian and I were the only ones without a shield.

  One last time, I closed my eyes. When I opened them, we were all under the shield. I chuckled easily, glancing around at everyone through the bright lights. They were all smiling back at me, probably feeling a bit more relaxed. Maybe my secret weapon would do us some

  good, but I didn’t know how long I could hold the shield. I finally sighed away the lights, and we returned to the darkness.

  “That was amazing,” Kaden breathed, “but you need to rest now.” I nodded in agreement. I was feeling a bit drained.

  Suddenly, I heard marching coming from the east. I whirled my head around, quickly finding Ava and Adelaide. They were smiling, visibly impressed.

  “Well done, marked one,” Adelaide clapped her hands, her sister following pursuit.

  “Thank you for coming,” Victor stated, “they are most definitely close by. We just aren’t sure where.”

  “They’ll be here sooner or later,” Adelaide sighed, running her hands down the abdomen of her milky white dress. “We will wait.”

  “It will more than likely be while we are least expecting them,” Sebastian said.

  “We are always expecting them,” Adelaide cocked her head to the side. “We will keep an eye out.”

  “Where are the rest of the Abominations?” Sebastian interrogated.

  Adelaide smiled, “Here, there, everywhere.” I heard feet shuffling in the forest.

  Sebastian pursed his lip and nodded.

  We all gathered around the campfire. I sipped on water while all the others sipped on blood bags and discussed plans. I kept my cool and even managed to get a little bit of sleep after midnight.

  The next morning, I woke up to the sound of birds chirping and murmuring voices. There were thick blankets covering my face and my back was stiff from lying on the ground all night. I blinked my heavy eyes and yawned. With a sudden and splitting headache, I pushed myself from the rock-hard floor of the roomy tent I was in. I was confused. I had fallen asleep outside in a sleeping bag between the campfire and Kaden, not in a tent.

  I heard Kaden speaking, or mumbling, rather. I couldn’t make out what he was saying. I inched toward the opening of the tent and carefully unzipped it partially, the sunlight blinding me almost instantly. I squinted through the rays and found Kaden resting next to the fire with his back to me. He was sitting next to Adelaide, speaking to her quietly. Something about the sight of them sitting so close together struck a nerve in me.

  I made as much noise as possible while unzipping the tent the rest of the way and stepping outside. I wanted my presence to be known.

  Kaden glanced over his shoulder at me, scrambling quickly to his feet. He stepped my way with a warm smile.

  “How are you?” Kaden asked.

  “Great, why wouldn’t I be?” I responded in a snappy tone, folding my arms.

  He squinted at me, probably confused as of why I was acting like a spoiled brat. I stole a glance at Adelaide. Her back was to us as she stared at the flames.

  “Uh, are you sure?” Kaden asked again.

  I nodded quickly, biting my tongue. I didn’t know why I was so angry. Kaden studied me a while longer, and suddenly, his scrunched-up face flattened. It was like he realized what my issue was. He looked back at Adelaide, then at me. He shook his head side-to-side.

  “No,” he whispered below her hearing range. “Nothing like that.” I sighed, my breath visible in the frigid air. I decided to drop the matter. There were bigger problems to be focused on, and these people were here to help me survive. What they did in their free time was none of my concern. I wordlessly stepped by Kaden and walked to the fire to warm up. I sat down straight across from Adelaide, her face hardly visible through the red flames, and began the defrosting process of my body.

  “Good morning,” she said politely, “did you sleep well?”

  “Well enough,” I said blankly, “What about you? Did you sleep?” “A little. I mostly sat by the fire, though. We half-breeds get cold just like humans do.”

  Kaden was by the fire all night, as well. I had been, too, but someone had moved me to the tent. Had they moved me so they could be alone? Had they sat together all night? I felt a burning sensation in my chest, but I quickly coughed it away.

  “Interesting,” I stated, glancing over to Kaden. He was still standing where I’d left him. His hands were in his pockets and he was staring at the ground. My eyes ached to fill with tears, but I wouldn’t allow it. Suddenly, my phone started to ring. I patted my pockets and pulled it out. It was my father. My heart dropped to my stomach. I cleared my throat and jumped to my feet.

  “Hey, Dad,” I said, trying to put on a fake peppy tone.

  “Hey, Hon, how’s it going?” Dad chimed in.

  I was so happy to hear his voice that a tear actually spilled from my eye onto my cheek. I wished I could go back to my first day in Portland and change everything. I could barely remember what my life was like before continuously being afraid. I walked deeper into the forest so I could be alone.

  “It’s going good,” I told him, my voice quivering and probably telling him otherwise.

  “Are you crying?” Dad interrogated. He noticed. He had always been so great at detecting the slightest bit of ne
gativity in my attitude.

  “No,” I forced a chuckle. “Why?”

  “Oh, you just sounded like it, I guess,” Dad nonchalantly stated, “I’ll be home in the morning.”

  “Oh, alright. I’ll see you, then,” I said convincingly. If I was still living by the morning, there would have to be a slight change of plans.

  When our call ended, I started back toward our campsite. I

  didn’t see Adelaide, but Kaden was still standing by the tent. Only now, he was watching me instead of the ground.

  “Your dad?”

  I nodded, shoving my phone in my pocket, “yep, he’ll be home in the morning. What if The Primevals go to my house looking for me and do something to him?”

  Kaden shook his head, “No. I have a plan, don’t worry.”

  “If I’m not there when he gets home in the morning…” “You will be,” he quickly cut me off, “he’s going to meet me.” “What?” I stared at him wide-eyed.

  “Yeah. We are all three going to have dinner together,” Kaden informed me.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE:

  The next morning, my front door flew open.

  “What is the plan exactly?” Iris threw up her hands, jogging inside my house.

  I glanced from her to Kaden and muttered, “Not really sure.”

  “Just go with it,” Kaden sternly told us. His eyes were narrowed slightly. He was probably tired of hearing me ask.

  “That’s all I can get out of him,” I told her, rolling my eyes. Iris pursed her lip, dropping down on the couch beside me. She placed her arm around my shoulder in a half-hug. “Let’s just trust that

  Kaden knows what he’s doing.”

  “Yeah,” I agreed, resting my head on her shoulder. I was so nervous. It was Halloween Day. Undoubtedly, they would be coming for me tonight.

  In the distance, a loud engine roared toward my home. I gulped. It was my dad. Kaden looked into my eyes and whispered, “I will be back soon.” Then, in a flash, he was nowhere to be seen.

  Iris and I stayed on the couch and acted naturally while waiting for him to come inside. A moment later, the front door squeaked open.

  “Hey, girls.” Dad stepped toward the kitchen, “it’s good to be home! I hope I have some liquor left.” He narrowed his eyes at us in an accusatory way.

  I chuckled softly, glancing at Iris.

  Dad stepped into the kitchen out of my view, and I felt relieved. I heard him shuffling around in the cabinets.

  “Hey, Eve, can you come here for a sec?” Dad asked, a hint of concern in his tone.

  My heart sank to my feet, “Urm, yeah, sure.” I pushed myself to my feet. I stared wide-eyed at Iris with a “what do we do now” expression. She encouraged me to go on with a fake smile of reassurance. It was obvious she was concerned, too.

  I slowly approached the kitchen where my father was sitting at the table with a glass of scotch rested in front of him.

  “Yes?” I casually asked.

  “Thanks for keeping the place organized while I was gone,” he smiled.

  “No problem,” I shrugged.

  “What do you girls have planned?”

  “Well,” I pulled a chair, sitting down across from him. “I was thinking we could have a nice dinner tonight, maybe play some board games.” I rested my elbows on the table.

  “Sounds nice,” he grinned, “but until then, I’m going to take a nap.” “Thank you,” I whispered, resting my head in my hands, “I hope it’s okay that I invited another friend of mine.” “That boyfriend of yours?” Dad stared at me.

  “Kaden,” his name rolled off my tongue, “and he’s not my boyfriend.” He glanced at me for a moment before nodding a single time, “Sure.” He left the room a moment later, leaving me alone at the table. Iris tiptoed in with a concerned look on her face.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah,” I uttered. “Now we just have to wait for Kaden and make everything look authentic.”

  She nodded, “We can do that.” Her voice quivered with probable anxiety, and I knew just how she was feeling.

  “Thank you, Iris,” I whispered, forcing a smile. She waved her hand, “No need to thank me.”

  Hours later, my father rolled his charcoal grill into the backyard where Iris and I were sitting in a couple of lawn chairs. Dad had decided to grill out and was cooking grilled chicken and burgers. I had made some salads as side dishes. The fact we were sitting outside in the open made me feel a little nervous. I didn’t feel the protection the vampire barrier, better known as my front door, made me feel when inside my house.

  It was a beautiful evening. It was undeniably chilly outside, but my sweater and the fire from the grill kept me warm. Kaden would arrive any minute, and I was longing for the comfort his presence would bring.

  “How do you like your hamburgers, Iris?” Dad turned to us with a smile. He was in a good mood. If he only knew.

  “Well done,” Iris said.

  “Eh. They’re better a little bloody,” a familiar voice suddenly said nearby. I followed the sound to the side yard. Kaden was approaching us with his hands in his pockets and a warm smile on his face. He was dressed in a black button-up and jeans.

  “Hey, Kaden!” I said, feeling my whole face light up in relief.

  “Hey,” he chuckled. He redirected his attention to my father. Dad was examining him with squinted eyes but a sly smile. Kaden bravely marched up to him.

  “Nice to meet you, Frank,” Kaden extended a hand, giving my dad’s a firm shake.

  I anxiously watched for my Dad’s reaction, and it was surprisingly good. “You, too,” he chuckled. “How do you feel about sports? You watch the local football games?”

  Yeah. They really hit it off. Kaden knew a lot more about sports than

  I ever knew he did, and that is always enough to get on my father’s good side.

  “Oh, shoot. I forgot the seasoning,” Dad grumbled. He was wrestling with the nearly-burnt chicken on the grill.

  “Run and grab it,” Kaden waved, “I’ll take care of this.”

  Dad paused, giving Kaden a half nod and rushing to the house. Kaden pulled the scorching hot chicken off the grill and onto a plate with his bare hands like it was nothing. I winced at the sight.

  “This is going well,” Iris said quietly, a smile on her face. I nodded in agreement, keeping my eyes on Kaden. He carried the

  plate of food toward the house. I wasn’t very comfortable with the two of them being alone inside of my house, but I made myself stay put. “When Kaden leaves, we will ask my dad if I can spend the night with you,” I told Iris, “and we will have to make it as nonchalant as possible.”

  “Got it,” Iris bobbed her head. “Let’s go inside and eat.”

  I didn’t want to eat. I had no appetite, but I followed her, anyway. Kaden and my dad were in the kitchen together, and they stopped talking when we came inside. Iris made herself a plate while I sat alone on the couch.

  “Aren’t ya going to eat?” Dad poked his head into the living room where I sat alone in the dim lighting.

  I couldn’t tell him no. I didn’t want him suspecting anything, so I got up and went to make myself a plate. We all sat at the table. I was feeling a little awkward, but Kaden kept the ice broken and I hoped he was keeping Dad’s attention off me. It was strange watching Kaden eat human food, but I guess there is a first time for everything. He subtly sent glances my way every now and then.

  After we finished eating, Kaden stood from the table, “Well, it was great meeting you, but I guess I should get back home.” He smiled at my father, outstretching his hand again.

  “Hey, you too. Come watch the game sometime,” Dad pointed at him.

  “For sure,” Kaden agreed. He said his goodbyes to Iris and I and then he was gone.

  “Seems like a good kid,” Dad smiled.

  “Yeah,” I agreed, my voice lacking excitement. I was trying to hide my newfangled nervousness from him. It was almost time.

  “Mr.
Stanton, I was wondering something,” Iris captured his attention right on cue.

  He peered up at her, “Alright?”

  “Could Eve stay over at my place tonight?” I could hear her voice shaking a bit, but maybe he didn’t.

  “Oh, um,” Dad glanced from her to me. There was a long pause, and then, “sure. I guess so.”

  “Thank you!” Iris exclaimed, grabbing my arm.

  I tried to play the part of an over-excited teenage girl who was getting to have a fun-filled sleepover with her best friend, when, in reality, I was a terrified teenage girl with her life on the line and a 50/50 chance of making it through the night alive.

  I went to my bedroom where I quickly packed up a bag of clothes and the wooden stakes Ida had sent me. I wanted to get far away from my house before they could show their faces. I knew they’d know where I was, and hopefully, they’d leave my father out of it. Iris stood motionless and anxiously by my side while I shoved my flashlight and, (stupidly), my pepper spray in my bag. I double-checked my neck for the crucifix necklace Kaden had given me, and thankfully, it was there. From head-to-toe my body was tense, and my stomach was churning, rendering me nauseated. I was really, really regretting the indulging on grilled chicken, but I couldn’t take it back now. I zipped up my bag and threw it over my shoulder. I was as ready as I would ever be. I faced

  Iris and it wasn’t until that moment that I saw the tears streaming down her cheeks.

  She sniffled, wiping at her wet eyes with her jacket sleeve. The mere sight of my best friend crying stabbed me full-force through my chest. It took everything I had not to lose what small amount of composure I had.

  “Oh, Iris, no,” I whispered, my voice cracking, “don’t cry.” She sniffled again, pushing a strand of hair from her damp cheek. “I am so worried, Eve. I want to believe that it’s all going to be okay, but there is this nagging voice in my mind telling me that I can’t let you do this alone,” she quietly said, her voice trembling uncontrollably. “I have to help.”