Shadow Heights (The Dark Side Trilogy Book 1)

by E. N. Goeking

  The smell of Italian herbs filled my nose and I suddenly felt ravished. The restaurant was swamped with teenagers munching on slices of pizza and sipping on Cokes, not one empty seat in the house. Caylie and I walked through the restaurant and I felt like I was in an old western movie when all of the noise fell to silence and everyone turned their attention to us as we walked past their tables. It was a little awkward to say the least. What is wrong with everybody? Have they never seen a stranger before?

  “Take a picture. It’ll last longer,” I wanted to shout but I didn’t have enough courage to speak up. It didn’t seem to bother my sister, though. She ate it up. She loved attention, especially from the opposite sex, and the guys in there were definitely staring at her. I walked up to the counter and paid for our order, and the cashier returned a quick moment later with our pizza boxes.

  I held the stifling hot boxes in my arms and hurried through the maze of tables while Caylie took her time showing herself off to her admirers. A few of them whistled while she strutted away and this gave her the boost of confidence she had been looking for all day.

  “I don’t see how you can do that,” I complained when we stepped outside.

  “What?” she asked, not for one moment feeling that she was doing anything wrong. I was jealous of her lack of conscience, if only I could live life so freely in a world without fear.

  “Flirt with other guys like that. What about Trent?”

  “I’m just having harmless fun, sis. Chill out.” I unlocked the car and we slid inside. I placed the boxes on her lap when she sat down and she screamed out in pain like she had been stabbed in the gut. “You could’ve warned me.” I chuckled and put my car into reverse, waiting while an escort of red and silver cars came up the one way from behind us.

  I sighed in frustration after it started to look more like a parade instead of dinner traffic. I thought this was a small town.

  “Hey sis,” she spoke openly. “I don't want to scare you or anything but that guy over there has not stopped staring at you since we got in the car.”

  “Who?” I followed her gaze and felt my mouth slowly descend like a drawbridge as our eyes met from afar. I couldn't believe he was watching me of all people while my beautiful sister sat next to me in the car. Was he blind? He had to be to give me a second look.

  I tried not to stare at this enigmatic creature but I couldn't help it. It was a sick addiction to indulge in but I desperately craved another hit. His eyes were drawing me to him like before, as if he had a magnet that was only attracted to my mind. He was standing outside of a bar, a lit cigarette between his fingers. A few others stood near him conversing while his sparkling eyes burned through me like a laser.

  I bit my bottom lip, trying to stop the drool that was forming in my mouth, and jumped in my seat after a loud car horn blasted me from behind.

  My eyes danced to my rearview mirror and I saw a gray-haired lady waiting impatiently behind us with her left blinker flickering erratically. I brushed off my embarrassment after seeing his body shake with laughter but was unsure whether he was laughing at me or his friends. I pushed my foot to the floor and backed out of there as quickly as I could, afraid that if I stayed a moment longer I’d make a greater fool of myself.

  On the drive back home, I thought about this new strange place which I now called home and I had to admit, Shadow Heights definitely had potential. I just had to give it a chance.

  Chapter Four

  The pizza was surprisingly good and we all ate until we were stuffed. The food felt good in my gurgling stomach after burning so many calories from the move. I hadn’t realized the full extent of my hunger until I started eating. By the time the sun had set, everything was starting to come together and we were almost finished. I was exhausted and my body was begging for relief. I walked into the upstairs bathroom and flipped on the light, looking around at the spotless room.

  The jet-powered tub sitting in the corner looked enticing to my aching muscles but I decided to put it off until morning. I was too tired to stay awake in a bath full of warm water. My luck, I'd end up falling asleep and drown.

  I flipped on the light switch in the hall and walked toward my bedroom. As I neared my door, a floorboard creaked above me that stopped me in my tracks.

  I listened in a state of quiet but didn’t hear another sound except for the chorus of crickets chirping outside. I moved forward, continuing my trek down the narrow hall.

  The floorboards again groaned with ease but this time with a clambering of footsteps following afterward. A tidal wave of fear fell into my heart, crashing over me like the ocean and the hairs of my arms stood straight up from my skin. What the hell was that?

  “Mom? Dad?” I shouted, my voice cracking in the middle. “Are you up there?”

  Trying my best to ignore my rattled state, I kept my ears open for any reply but all I could make out was the humming of light bulbs hanging above. I shook off a chill venturing up my spine. Okay, that was a little freaky but I'm sure it's nothing. It is an old house after all.

  I hurried into my room and locked the door just to be sure.

  The next morning, I woke up to the sound of a ringing telephone. I was still tired and I didn't want to get out of bed but I knew who was calling by the tune that was ringing out—a Ramones classic. I jumped out from the blanket that covered me and ran to retrieve it.

  The caller ID said Greg but I already knew it was him. Greg Matthews was my friend of the longest time back in Cherry Ridge. During my last week there, he let me in on a secret he had been hiding for some time. He confessed his love for me, which apparently had been building for years, but he was always too chicken to say anything. His confession caught me off guard because I was clueless of his feelings for me up to that point and I never really thought of him that way. Needless to say, it made spending time with him awkward after that. I kind of let his words hang in the air without responding to them as wrong as that was to do. I was hoping that over time his feelings would pass but I knew they wouldn't.

  I always had problems in my relationships with guys. I got into the routine of breaking up with any guy who dared to win my affection, ending it just as their feelings for me started to deepen. I was afraid to get too close or maybe commitment was the real culprit. I figured it was better to end things on a happy note, protecting myself from heartbreak and never letting anyone into the secret fortress that was my heart. But Greg was different; I didn’t want to be the one to make the first battle wound in his heart.

  After loading everything into the truck the day before, he came over to say goodbye. The moving guys had already left and my family was waiting in the car, eagerly waiting to leave as well. We were both sad by what was happening but it was unavoidable. I had to leave even though he wanted me to stay. He hugged me for five minutes, I swear, and finally let go after my dad pried his arms off of me.

  “Hi Gregory,” I answered with a slight yawn.

  “Hey sleepy head, did you just get up?”

  “Yeah, you jerk. You woke me up.” I sat up too quickly and my head started pounding. I squeezed my temples to relieve the pressure while my eyes struggled to open.

  “Well...it is noon. You should be up but I guess you don’t work like the rest of us do.” I glanced at myself in the mirror and cringed after seeing my morning hair.

  “Hey, give me a break. I just moved all of our stuff for the second time in one day and I was exhausted by the time I went to bed.”

  “Yeah, yeah. So how's the life?”

  “Good,” I replied with sincerity. “This house is enormous, Greg, way bigger than I remembered. It's so old and gothic, I mean the house is practically black.” He chuckled

  “You seem to be more excited about your new life.” I reached over to feel the window pane with the back of my hand and it felt cooler than the day before.

  “Yeah, I guess. It’s not so bad.” My mind began to drift toward the dark stranger I saw on the street but Greg was quick to steal my attenti
on back.

  “It’s nice to hear your voice. I woke up this morning and wanted to call you for a road cruise but I remembered I couldn’t. It sucked. It made me realize how much I missed you already and how pathetic I am.” I smiled. “I figured a phone call was better than nothing to fill my need for your morning rant.”

  “I wish I could help you out but I think I’m still too tired to pull out my usual sarcasm. So, how's your life?”

  “It sucks. I have to go to work at five.” Greg's parents own a bar and grill in Cherry Ridge. He had been waiting tables there and cooking in the kitchen since he was thirteen.

  “Like that’s any different from other days.”

  “I’m trying to gain your sympathy.”

  “Oh, okay,” I played along.

  “So, is Caylie being a bitch as usual?”

  “Of course. She doesn't really like the house and she misses Trent. I, on the other hand, don't miss anyone.”

  “Thanks friend.”

  “Well...I guess I do miss you.”

  “You better miss me,” he declared. “So is it too soon for me to come up yet?”

  I chuckled, rolling my eyes. “It might be. I did just see you yesterday. I might come up sometime next month, though.”

  “Why not do it now? I feel a strong urge to see you.”

  “It’s going to be different now. We aren’t going to see each other every day like before. We’ll adjust but it’ll take time.”

  “You should've gone to state.”

  “I didn't want to and we've already gone over the reasons why.” I heard a sigh from his end. “You are welcome to come up here anytime you want. The drive is only a couple of hours and you should really come up so you can see the house.”

  “I might take you up on that.”

  “Good. Well, there isn’t anything else going on right now so, I’ll probably—”

  He cut me off, “I’m going on a date with Kelly Waters tomorrow.” Why was he telling me this? Oh, I know, to make me jealous.

  “That should be fun for you. I know you always liked her.”

  “I guess.” I could tell by the tone of his voice that the reaction I gave him was not the one he wanted to hear. “Will you call me tonight?”

  “I can probably do that but you work until closing, right?”

  “Yeah, but that doesn’t matter. I won’t be doing anything but trying to sleep.”

  “Okay. Well, if I don’t then I’ll call you tomorrow.” There was another moment of silence. “Greg, are you there?”

  “Yeah,” he said with some annoyance and continued, “I guess I’ll talk to you when I talk to you. Later Mina.”

  “Bye.” I pushed the end button and put my arm over my eyes. I didn’t know what to do about him. It was such a different situation now and I felt that it was better to just avoid the conversation for a little while longer. I needed to weigh my options. On one hand, if we were to start a relationship, it would change everything forever. On the other, if we didn’t start a relationship, we both might feel too uncomfortable to have our normal relationship ever again. Besides, I didn’t know how I truly felt about him and I had never thought of him in a sexual way.

  I sat up and reached over to my nightstand and grabbed the picture I had of us together, looking him over. I'll admit I was attracted to him. He had short brown hair that was cut punk-style to the side with the back buzzed to a fine angle. He had dark brown eyes that would always light up when he got excited and the most adorable smile with tiny dimples accompanying it.

  One time we were shopping for cologne and I picked one out that I liked. He ended up buying it without sampling any others and has worn it every day since. I don’t even know if he liked the smell of it personally. I can still smell it as the memory drifts into present time. I should’ve known just by that action alone what his feelings were for me but I guess I was still in a state of denial. I sat the picture back down on the table and got up after stretching my arms.

  I decided to go downstairs and make an appearance since I’d been in bed long enough. As I made my way down the stairs, I heard the television blaring loudly from the living room. Caylie was watching something on MTV without a doubt. I could hear the crappy music she listened to and I plugged my ears while striding through the living room.

  While passing by the TV, I caught the image of a naked midriff sashaying around a metal pole and I rolled my eyes. Pop music was practically a joke now. Talent was no longer a priority in the music business. It was about how much sex you could sell and if their voice was awful, they had technology to alter it to “perfection”. I hated how fake everything was and wondered why no one else could see the rapid decline of our civilization.

  “Don't you have anything better to do?” I asked, glancing her way.

  “Do you? You slept most of the day so get off my case,” she snapped and then burst into laughter at something that flashed on the screen. Resisting the urge to flip her off, I pushed open the swinging door and charged into the kitchen.

  I opened the refrigerator door, enjoying the cool air coasting out for a few seconds and then looked over its shelves for something to eat. The only thing sitting there was pizza and I had my fill of it the night before.

  “Hey!” I yelled to Caylie.

  “What?” she shouted from the other room. I could barely hear her over the loud noise blaring from the speakers. I opened the door slightly to hear her better.

  “After I get out of the shower, do you want to go downtown with me? I saw a few stores yesterday that I want to check out.”

  “Yeah, I'll go.”

  “All right.” I grabbed a soda from the top shelf and took it with me upstairs. I took a few gulps of the bubbly mixture and turned on the water to fill the bathtub. I ran my fingers through the warm liquid and adjusted the temperature to my preference.

  I slipped out of my pajamas and stepped into the water. It nearly scalded my skin but my body soon adjusted to the extremes as I eased into it inch by inch. It soothed my aching muscles and I closed my eyes while I slipped further into relaxation, allowing my mind to drift off.

  When my skin was slightly prunish in appearance, I dried off with a towel and walked into my bedroom to grab an outfit. I chose a pair of jeans and a black top with three-quarter length sleeves and slipped them over my dampened skin. After drying my hair, I applied my usual—black eyeliner, smoky eye shadow, and a little powder to hide any shine. I sprayed some body spray and felt the tiny droplets of liquid land on my skin and my nose was soon overwhelmed by the sweet scent of vanilla—my favorite.

  As I stepped into the hallway, I noticed an unusual smell to the house. It was an old smell. It was a mix of old books, must, and rusted metal. It wasn't an unpleasant odor but this was the first time I ever took notice of it. Why do I smell it so strongly?

  I walked into my room to grab my purse and took a sip of my Coke but had a hard time swallowing it as it went down. By this time, it was warm and half of the carbonation had dissipated. What a waste. I was about to pitch it into the trash can when a loud creak came from the attic again but this time it was right above my room. My eyes scanned the ceiling, following the little pattern of footsteps. They were moving around in circles, like they were pacing.

  Maybe it's a squirrel. Poor fella.

  “I'm ready,” Caylie said in a cheerful manner as she entered my room and I forgot about all I had just heard. I was surprised to see her ready to go. She was always running late and causing family delays. Her hair was up in a high ponytail and it bounced from side to side when she moved.

  “Good, let's go.” It was at least ten degrees cooler than the day before when I made that first step outside. There was hardly a cloud in the sky as my eyes wandered to the horizon above us. Caylie walked ahead of me and the sound of her flip flops clicked with every step she took.

  We got into the car and unlike the outside, it was steaming hot. I couldn't even touch the steering wheel because it burned my fingers with the slight
est touch. We sat there for a few minutes and let the car cool off with the air conditioner on full blast. It was like being in a wind tunnel as our hair blew around our faces and I’m surprised the skin of our face didn’t shake.

  It only took a matter of minutes to get downtown and that was the most pleasant change about living away from a metropolitan area. There weren’t any stoplights in town to clog the traffic flow. I pulled into a parking space and we both hopped out, feeling the radiance of the sun on our backs. There was a shop called Joe's Smoke & More and a store called Raven's Desire. There was also a CD exchange store that looked promising. I decided that I wouldn't go into the smoke shop because my sister looked young and they'd probably be staring at her the whole time.

  “Do you want to go into Raven's Desire with me?” I asked, taking a step in that direction but she wouldn’t budge after seeing the eclectic items in the store window.

  “I guess.” I could see the apprehension in her face so I decided to go to the music store instead. It clearly wasn’t for her. She was frightened by the type of people I would normally associate with—freaks as she calls them.

  We walked inside and it was bigger than I thought it was going to be. Besides music, they had video games and DVDs too. Most of the people in the store were our age but the employees looked like they were all in their mid-twenties.

  I perused some of the punk selections while Caylie went to look at the movies. I was surprised by the wide selection they had but it was mostly mainstream, nothing independent. I was about to check out the alternative section for something different when a certain CD caught my eye at the end of the row. I pulled it out and looked it over, recognizing the names of songs.

  A bell rang at the front of the store and I casually looked over.

  Without warning, the dark and mysterious guy from the street entered my world like a blast of energy. I was growing anxious that we would soon have an encounter, whether I was ready for it or not. He was wearing dark sunglasses but he pulled them off and set them lightly on his head, revealing his exquisite blue eyes for all to see. They popped out from his black hair with such vibrancy that I could see their distinction from the back of the store, leaving me snow blind.