Of Noble Chains (The Ventori Fables)

by Miles, D. L.

  “What’s got everyone so freaked out?” I asked. “We’re just here for hot chocolate, and all we did at the Center was help a spook realize what she is. Is that so wrong?”

  “Those disappearances have people worried,” he said, “they’re getting closer and closer to the town. They must think we’re next.”

  I mulled that over. “But nobody in Sagefall is that strong.”

  Something flashed over his face, but he quickly returned to his neutral expression. I furrowed my brow at him. He admitted, “I guess that’s true.”

  “So how’s school going?” I changed the subject.

  He sighed. “If you want to go to public school, just ask Wolf. I’m sure he’d be happy to enroll you while you’re mom’s out on work.”

  “No…no.” I took a sip, letting the chocolate wash over my tongue. “I would just be the outcast there like at the Center.”

  “You’d have me.” He smiled, nudging me lightly. I forced a matching expression on my face, but knew it didn’t come out quite right.

  The truth was I wouldn’t have him. He was taking advanced classes, and he had his own friends there that didn’t know about his gift. Once, I had overheard my mother talking on the phone to a distant relative, telling them how I was in remedial math, and basic English. I wasn’t ashamed of those facts, but I had seen enough television shows and read enough books about high school to know what people would say. I didn’t want to be called stupid, and I certainly didn’t want to bring Jayd down to my level.

  “Can you help me study tomorrow for my math test?” I looked over at him, and found he was watching a couple across the café.

  “'Course,” he said, “I have a half day, so I can meet you at the Center.”

  We continued to discuss anything that didn’t have to do with school, or the Center (which basically left anime, manga, and movies). But it was fun, and we left the café at nearly midnight.

  When we got home I still wasn’t tired. I shared a large apartment with Wolf and my mother, not that she was there that often. She was an ambassador for the government, helping to handle certain situations that involved spooks; it took her away from home most, if not all, of the time.

  Jayd followed me to my room, where he started rummaging through the bottom drawer of my dresser. It was declared his drawer, which he kept extra clothes and things for when he stayed over. It happened a lot, since we spent most days staying up too late; days like today.

  “Wanna watch a movie?” Jayd suggested, suddenly full of energy now that we made it into the apartment.

  “Yeah,” I agreed. After we were each changed into out pajamas, we crashed onto the couch with a large bowl of popcorn. Jayd flipped through movies until he settled on my favourite Disney cartoon.

  I wasn’t sure when, but I ended up falling asleep against him.

  At about three in the morning I heard a lock click, and a blinding light coloured my eyelids red. Wolf’s heavy boots stomped over to the edge of the couch, and he turned on the nearby lamp. “Why aren’t you two in bed? It's two in the morning!”

  I rubbed my eyes wearily, the television screen playing a blinking logo the bounced between the corners. I mumbled, “Movie?”

  “Go to bed,” Wolf ordered, and I was curious for a moment why he was home. Hadn’t he said he wouldn’t be here? I stood, and Jayd joined me. “We’ll pull the couch out for you Jayden.”

  “I’m fine sleeping on the floor in Emmy’s room,” Jayd suggested. “Unless she leaves her window open again and tries to freeze me out.” A glance passed between Jayd and Wolf that I almost missed, but was too tired to question it.

  “I don’t mind,” I shrugged and padded towards my room. One of my pink cat slippers had vanished along the way. “We slept next to each other all the time as kids.”

  Simultaneously, Jayd and Wolf growled, “Go to bed.”

  I shut my door gently with a yawn. My room was my true haven, even though I told others that’s what the Center was. But my room was painted a clean white, with posters of my favourite, well, everything plastered over it. Stuffed animals decorated my floor, because I never bothered to put them back on my bed, and my computer sat like a trophy on my desk. I considered checking to see if Carrie was online, but ended up falling onto my comforter.

  After a few minutes of lying there without the covers, I began to feel too hot. A sigh, and I opened up my window. It normally faced an empty field, but the huge oak tree on the buildings property blocked my view of the grass, despite that it was early March and most of the leaves hadn’t come back.

  An owl hooted, resting on the branch nearest me. It looked like a barn owl, with its beady eyes and narrow beak, and I hooted back at it like a child. I sat down on my bed, resting my head on the windowsill as it watched me.

  “I wonder…” I mulled. The sparks took a while to come, for the familiar yet elusive heat to reach me. But it came, for once, and my eyes matched the owls. I let out another hoot, and it sounded like the animals. The heat faded quickly, and I was myself again.

  “You’re lucky you know,” I sighed at the creature, “I bet nobody calls you a ‘sucky spook’.”

  My throat tightened, and I felt the familiar sting at the back of my eyes. When my lip began to quiver, I decided it was time to go to sleep. I crashed onto my pillow, and wished that unconsciousness would come faster.

  That night I dreamed of someone touching my hair, stroking their hand down my face. A familiar voice I couldn’t place told me everything would be all right, and that it would be taken care of. I wanted to open my eyes, to see who was there but I stopped myself; if I opened my eyes the dream would end, and I would lose this feeling.

  I didn’t want to lose this warm feeling. It was like the sparks that Shifting gave, and they crackled against my skin. It was the feeling that I always wanted, that always left so fast.

  Shadeland, the first chapter:

  The first book in The Ethereal Crossings, a YA paranormal mystery

  Chapter 1:

  One year after the “revolution”…

  “I’m so glad your dad is letting you come with me,” he said, “we’ll get to learn so much. You’ll love it.” Luke clapped his hands together in the passenger seat, clearly excited about the coming lecture. I rolled my eyes and kept driving, I had come this far, I wasn’t about to snake my way out now. He patted my leg and said, “Liv, you’ll see.”

  “Do you remember when we were eight,” I started, “and you told me your biggest secret ever?”

  “Yes…” He had no idea where I was going with this.

  “And do you remember how I didn’t care? I still don’t care. I will never care.” It was Luke’s turn to roll his eyes at me. When would he learn that I was just too indifferent to what had happened in the past year?

  “Turn left up here,” he instructed with a smile. He was starting to act like a child. Wait, no, he wasn’t just starting; he had always acted like a child.

  I pulled into the Ellengale Community College student parking lot and waited behind two other cars to get past the guard. Luke flashed a parking permit at a lanky man, he didn’t even look old enough to be called a man in fact. His name tag read “Johnson” and he nodded us through, his finger slamming down on a button to allow us passage.

  Stopping in the first spot I found we stepped out of the car.

  “Did you have to park so far away?” Luke questioned as he shut the door. He gestured to the guard’s tiny hut twenty feet from where we had parked and the furthest point from the B Hall entrance. I shrugged.

  “Easier this way.”

  Soon, Luke and I glided through the glass doors of B Hall. The entrance was nearly empty and I glanced at a large printed clock hanging on the beige wall. 5:05 PM; we were late. My eyes shifted toward Luke in time to see him give me a dirty look, most likely thinking about how far away I had parked. Without a word I nodded my head towards two women seated in front of a set of large wooden doors. Obviously the school went all out on makin
g this place feel non-threatening. I felt conflicted as to whether or not it was working.

  I walked up to the women and took a brief moment to consider where we were, after all this time. Hands in my sweater pockets, I stared down at the blonde woman. She seemed normal enough; humming a small tune beneath her breath while she scribbled something down on paper. Brown roots showed through under the bleached strands with eyebrows matching neither of the colours on her head. Her nametag read “Heather”.

  Luke cleared his throat beside me, drawing everyone’s attention. The blonde woman and her petite partner smiled at him, their thoughts written cleanly on their faces. Luke was a reasonably attractive man; sandy brown hair, big blue eyes with a lean figure. I was often told by others that he was every girls dream. I didn’t see it; he was just Luke to me, the boy that I had grown up with. Lucky me. At least according to the girls at school that never talked to me unless Luke was picking me up.

  “What can I help you with?” the blonde asked, completely ignoring me. She set her pen down and folded her hands in front of her, focusing all of her attention on Luke. This much, I was used to.

  “We’re here for Dr. Wineman’s lecture,” Luke replied, “we’re uh, we’re a little late.” He gave a small, innocent shrug.

  “Names?” She lifted her pen and flipped through some papers.

  “Lucan Harroway,” he said. When the woman gave me an observant look he added, “Plus one.” He held up one finger before quickly putting it back in his pocket. The receptionist looked down her list and checked off the name. Next to her, the small one handed Luke two stickers saying “Hi, my name is” and a blank space.

  “Write your names and stick it to your chest,” she instructed, “humans on the left, everyone else on the right.” She patted her own nametag, sitting over her heart.

  “Oh, um, all right,” Luke said nervously as he picked up a pen. Elegantly, he wrote his name in cursive and peeled the back off. He was about to stick it over his heart but quickly rethought and patted it down on the right side of his chest. I tried not to give him a pitying look; poor Luke had never wanted to broadcast the fact that he wasn’t human, even after the “revolution” last year. Without looking me in the eye he handed the second sticker to me with a pen.

  Unlike my friend, I didn’t have to think about what to write, or where to place the sticker. I quickly wrote “+1” in the empty space and stuck it over my heart. Nobody seemed to notice what I had written though. I felt more amused than insulted by their lack of observation.

  “Walk on in,” Heather said, that same secretive smile on her lips, “the doctor is just getting started.” I held my arm out to gesture for Luke to go first. He followed my order and carefully touched the door handle. Pushing the entry open, he peeked his head in first before stepping inside. I followed behind him, not nearly as nervous as he was, but then again, I had no reason to be.

  “Welcome to New History!” The man at the front of the lecture hall looked at us with open arms. I glanced around at the rows of chairs, the five dozen other people were looking at us too. “Please, take a seat. I was just getting the introduction finished.”

  “Sorry,” Luke said, holding his hands up.

  “Not to worry,” the man said, “everyone is wel—“ he stopped talking when he saw me. Or saw my badge to be more accurate. His already bright eyes lit up even more. “A human!” I gave a small, panicked look towards Luke, who was already at the first step up the chairs. The number one reason I didn’t want to come was about to happen. Humans almost never showed up to these things, so they stood out when they did; and not everyone was so welcoming either.

  “Uh, she’s not—“ Luke tried to stop him, but the kind Dr. Wineman was already in front of me with three long strides.

  “We never get human’s here,” he exclaimed and wrapped me in a warm hug. I couldn’t help but notice he smelled like a mix of vanilla and cinnamon as my face pressed into his chest. My arms stayed at my sides as my fingers grew tense, not knowing what to do. “I knew the human’s would come around, it was only a matter of time.”

  His head rested on mine and he sighed happily. With one free eye, I surveyed the room; nobody else had the nametags over their heart, which meant I was the only human. Great.

  The doctor continued, “Now tell me, darling, what made you decide to come and learn about New History? And so young! How old are you?”

  “Seventeen,” I said quietly, hoping he would be the only one to hear me. I was often told how mature I looked, at least compared to others my age. Luke was the opposite; always being mistaken for younger when in reality he had just turned twenty.

  He pushed me back and held onto my shoulders as I blinked at him. My pause didn’t seem to bother him though, a large smile still plastered on his face when he released me from his grip. He kept his hands firmly on my shoulders, not letting go until I answered why I was there, so instead of saying the reason I merely pointed at Luke. If I was going to suffer through this, so was he.

  As my one, plain finger rose, Luke flinched at the stairs. I hated to be singled out in a crowd but Luke hated it just a little bit more than me.

  “I just thought it would be good for her to learn,” he explained, “with everything that has happened.” The doctor took a quick look at Luke’s nametag and gave a knowing nod before patting me once on the back. I wondered if he knew Luke had lied; we were here for his benefit, not mine.

  “Well, take a seat,” he said, “you’ll be learning a lot.” Luke let out a small sigh of relief as I walked over to him. I resisted the urge to wipe away at my arms, feeling as if the doctor was still hugging me. It felt strange to hug someone I didn’t know, or to even shake hands with them. Luke said that made me weird.

  We found the last two seats together at the very back of the room, allowing us to easily see over everyone else. The seats rested on the end of the row, so I only had to sit next to Luke and the aisle. Thank God for tiny favours.

  “Thank you all for coming,” Dr. Wineman said, “and welcome to New History. Here you will learn all about what the humans never knew about the past. You will find out what started the revolution and what ended it a year ago. You will learn who and what the players really were and maybe learn a little bit about yourself. Your true self.”

  “Sounds like a lot of information for one class,” I mumbled to Luke without taking my gaze off the speaker. I saw he began to play with his hands from the corner of my eye.

  “Did I say one class?” He laughed cautiously. “Because it’s actually a six week course. Guess I forgot to mention that?”

  “Hmm,” was all I managed to say.

  “I’m sure you all know what happened last year,” the doctor said, he seemed to enjoy talking with his hands, “the revolution started for those of us with… for those of us who aren’t human. And within a week, it had ended.”

  But what a week it had been. My hometown didn’t have much happen, a few fires and looters, but the rest of the world lost their minds on a whole new scale. What did the non-humans expect though, coming out all of a sudden like that? One day demons, vampires and the occult were just stories; the next, they were real. They went from haunting children’s nightmares to haunting everyone and the humans didn’t really like that. I was lucky, I already knew because of Luke.

  Luke had told me when I was eight years old that he wasn’t exactly normal. He wasn’t a demon either, but not fully human. At eight I was amazed; he told me that everything from my nightmares and my dreams were real, that about half of the people I saw everyday weren’t what they appeared. He thought I would hate him though, call him a monster and run away. I didn’t, I swore to keep his secret and I did just that. I smiled to myself, remembering how Luke’s parents reacted when they found out I knew. What seemed to annoy them the most was that he only told me because I swore not to tell; that that was all it took for him to confess it to me.

  When the humans discovered who their neighbours were, who their friends were, the
y sort of freaked out. Very few of them accepted it, most feel that the Eidolon, those that aren’t human, should be tagged, like animals; they’re still petitioning to have it done. I try to ignore what people say about Eidolon’s, I try to stay out of the battle all together. It annoyed me how they felt my closest friend should be treated, but I wasn’t welcome to fight on the side of Eidolon’s, since I was a human.

  Luke elbowed me in the ribs to draw my attention back to the doctor. I hadn’t noticed I had begun staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.

  “Now how many of you,” Dr. Wineman said, “know exactly where you come from.” People glanced around the room as a few raised their hands in the air. I counted about fifteen. “And how many of you have absolutely no clue as to what you are; you just woke up and started having abilities.” Almost everyone else in the room raised their hands, most being very careful not to be the first. Most Eidolon’s that didn’t know who they were and were still nervous to identify themselves in public. There are a lot of humans out there that are ready to kill if necessary. Actually, there are a lot of humans out there ready to kill if not necessary. I noticed Luke never raised his hand; which made sense; he didn’t fit into either category.

  “Don’t be ashamed,” the doctor said, “it’s perfectly normal. After all, Cleopatra may have had no idea of her true nature.” The crowd began to murmur amongst themselves at the mention of the Egyptian queen. I had to admit, my interest was piqued.

  “Yes that’s right,” Dr. Wineman smiled, his lesson going as planned, “Cleopatra was not human. Can anyone guess what she was?” Nobody said a word and I spotted a few shrugs across the room.

  “Succubus,” I mumbled under my breath, quiet enough so that even Luke couldn’t hear.

  “What was that?” Dr. Wineman was watching me now and he pointed to me, excited. Damn, how did he hear? Whatever he was, it gave him good hearing. “Ms…plus one,” he said after looking at my nametag, “cute. So, what did you say?” I saw Luke cover his eyes in embarrassment over what I had written. Made us even, he tricked me into a six week course, I embarrassed him.