Accidental Ashes: or that time I found out I was a demon, and all my friends were vampires and werewolves (Xoe Meyers Young Adult Fantasy/Horror Series)

by Sara C. Roethle

  My mom shrugged. “I checked the papers for months. The body was never found. That fact alone helped me stay strong in my decision.”

  I raised my eyebrows in question.

  “Your dad must have gotten rid of the body,” she explained. “He could have covered up so many other things. I’m not sure I really ever knew him at all.”

  I cringed thinking of the Dan incident. I couldn’t really throw stones at someone for being involved in covering up a murder.

  Not noticing my reverie, my mom wrapped up her explanation. “And that’s it, that’s why you never knew your father. As time passed I stopped thinking about him as much. I aimed all of my attention on you.”

  It was a lot to take in, but it made sense. I finally knew why my dad had left us, or, I guess, why we left him. “Were you guys married?” I asked.

  “No. We had planned on it. We had a date set and everything.”

  “Oh,” I replied.

  My mom sat up and leaned her back against her headboard, then put her arm around my shoulders and drew me over to sit right beside her. She gave her body a shake and settled back in, as if casting away the residue of her past experience. Wish I could do that.

  “Now,” my mom said, “your turn.”

  “Okay,” I began, “not really sure where to start.”

  “Start with why your dad was here. He is gone, isn’t he?”

  I laughed. “Yeah, he’s gone, for now.”

  My mom let out a nervous chuckle. “Good. Now explain.”

  I turned toward my mom to give her direct eye contact, so she’d know I was serious. “Dad’s a demon.”

  My mom squinted her eyes in confusion. “I’ll admit, the man has his faults, but calling him a demon is a little harsh. I’ve come to terms with the fact that what he did to that man, he did to protect us. Even if I can’t fully accept what he did, I know why he did it.”

  I sighed. “No. I mean he’s actually a demon, like a magical . . . being.”

  My mom raised her eyebrows at me skeptically, but her eyes were uncertain. Her face slowly fell into worried lines. “The combusting appliances?” she asked.

  I nodded my head and pointed a finger at my chest. “Half-demon.”

  “I don’t understand,” she replied. “I mean I do,” she went on. “I of course always suspected something of your dad, ever since that day. But a demon? Like from Hell?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know the exact details of where demons come from, but think less like Heaven and Hell, and more like legends and monsters.”

  My mom’s shoulders slumped as she looked away from my eyes. “I’m gonna need some time to think about this.”

  I almost left it at that, but I figured it would be better to get it all out now . . . better for me at least. “There’s more.”

  My mom whipped her head around to face me again. “More?” she asked, surprised.

  Okay, just had to say it all, then get out. She could deal with the information how she wanted. She’d just have to get over it . . . ri-ght. “Lucy and Max are werewolves,” I said quickly. “And Jason’s a vampire. Okay bye.” I got up to rush for the door, then realized that my mom hadn’t let go of my hand.

  She yanked me back to the bed. “What did you say?”

  I smiled nervously and tried in vain to free my hand.

  My mom turned frightened eyes to me. “Are they . . . dangerous?”

  “No,” I answered quickly, then corrected myself, “well, not really. Not any more dangerous than I am.”

  “Now,” she began, “when you say, um, vampire, what do you mean?”

  I shrugged. “Like, well, I actually mean vampire. Think Dracula with a few minor tweaks.”

  My mom lifted her free hand to press against her eyes. “I don’t see how that’s possible. I mean, you and your . . . father are just like humans with a little something extra, but a vampire? I’ve seen him in sunlight, and he doesn’t look like a dead guy.”

  I squirmed a bit at that. I didn’t like to think of Jason as a dead guy. Me squeamish? Never. “Well, he did kinda die,” I explained, “but it’s not like he’s actually dead, and he has no problem being in sunlight.”

  My mom suddenly removed her hand from her eyes and turned to face me. “Please tell me that he doesn’t drink your blood.”

  I cringed, yet another thing I didn’t like to think about in regards to Jason. “Animal blood actually,” I corrected.

  My mom cringed in return. “Well that’s reassuring. Have you ever seen him drink it?”

  I shook my head, confused. “I’d rather not.”

  “Well then how do you know he’s a vampire?” She countered.

  Oh. I sighed. She was in the second stage of denial; grasping at straws. “He is,” I confirmed.

  My mom’s face crumpled back into worried lines. “And . . . werewolves? How can little Lucy be a werewolf?”

  “She got scratched,” I replied matter-of-factly.

  “By what, er, um, who?” she asked skeptically.

  “It’s not important,” I blurted. “He’s gone now.”

  “Define ‘gone,’” my mom ordered.

  “He’s gone,” I said with meaning.

  My mom shook her head quickly. “Nevermind. I don’t want to know. Is that everything?”

  I breathed a sigh of relief. “Yeah, that’s all.”

  She loosened her grip on my hand and stared off into space. “Okay. I’m going to have more questions, but that’s about all I can take for now,” she said numbly. “We’ll talk more later.”

  I got up to leave, but paused at the door and turned to face my mom again. “I, um, still have some pain killers from when I broke my arm. I didn’t really use them, but they’re supposed to knock you out pretty good . . . ”

  My mom raised an eyebrow, lending expression to her otherwise blank stare. “Why didn’t you take them?”

  “Um,” I began, not really sure how to explain. “I kind of healed a little faster than I let on.”

  My mom’s mouth formed into a little o of understanding.

  “So, do you want them?” I asked again.

  She kept her gaze straight ahead and answered, “Yes please.”

  Chapter Six

  As soon as my mom was dead to the world, I headed to my room, utterly exhausted. What a day.

  I opened my bedroom door to find Jason patiently waiting on my bed. I walked in, shutting the door behind me, then plopped down beside him on my dark green comforter. As soon as I sat, I let my back fall to the bed, swinging my arms over my head with an exaggerated sigh. Jason followed suit.

  We had been lying silently with our legs hanging off the bed, and that’s a lot of legs, with me at 5’8”, and Jason at 6’2”. Suddenly Jason spoke, “I saw Brian outside.”

  “And?” I prompted. Brian was my next-door neighbor after all, there was nothing unusual about seeing him, and Jason knew I didn’t like to talk about him.

  “He said you were with some guy that disappeared into thin air.”

  “That was my dad,” I answered. “So Brian actually talked to you?”

  “Yes,” he answered plainly, but didn’t go on.

  “Well?” I urged. “What else did he say?”

  Jason cleared his throat uncomfortably. “He said to keep that weird stuff behind closed doors.”

  “Why that little . . . ” I began.

  “What else has happened since I left you at Lucy’s?” Jason interrupted.

  He was right to interrupt. I had to avoid getting mad . . . for now. Once I had control of my powers though, Brian had a thing or two comin’. I pushed Brian to the back of my mind and gathered my thoughts to explain things to Jason.

  I took in a deep breath. This would be a long speech. “Well, Lela’s still in town, along with another werewolf, which has somehow resulted in me becoming the leader of a werewolf pack. My dad, as you know, showed up at my front door, shortly followed by my mom, who, of course, was a bit shocked. My dad says that we�
�re all in danger, because someone is abducting and killing supernatural beings. And I finally had to fill my mom in on everything. Well, everything except the possibility of abduction. She’s got enough to worry about already.”

  Jason turned his head towards me and raised his eyebrows. “You told her everything?”

  I nodded my head, making my hair go static-y from my bedspread. “Yep, all about my werewolf pack, vampire boyfriend, and demon dad.”

  Jason cringed. “Does she hate me know?”

  I shrugged, not able to care too much right at that moment. “She was kind of in shock I think. Only time will tell how she’s going to take everything.”

  Jason nodded, then grabbed my hand and gave it a tight squeeze. “And she never knew what your dad was?”

  “Well, she suspected something, and that reminds me of my other news. My mom always told me that my dad left before I was born. Turns out, he stayed past my first birthday, and he didn’t choose to go. My mom and I left him. Of course, I still hate him. He could have at least tried to find us, rather than just accepting my mom’s decision.” I hesitated and glanced at Jason when I realized I was babbling.

  I scooted over to lay my head on Jason’s chest and he wrapped his arm around me obligingly. “You have had quite a day,” he said softly.

  I sighed. “Tell me about it.”

  Jason chuckled softly and began stroking my hair. “Now, how on earth have you become the leader of a wolf pack?”

  I got started on that confusing explanation, including a brief rant on the existence of Nick. We talked things over for several hours, then at some point I fell asleep. I woke up underneath my comforter with my head on one of my yellow pillows. I could feel the press of Jason’s body against my back. “Morning,” he said, as he sensed that I was awake.

  Jason doesn’t sleep. It’s a vampire thing. He stays over a lot (unbeknownst to my mom), and usually lies with me all night. I once asked him if he ever got bored and he admitted that I talk in my sleep a lot. I let the subject drop before he could tell me all of the likely embarrassing things I say.

  I rolled over to face him. “I better check on my mom.”

  He nodded. “I am going to stop by my apartment. Do you want me to come back afterwards?”

  “Well duh.” I answered, and before I knew it, he had kissed my cheek and was out the window. I realized I was still dressed in my burgundy sweater and jeans, with my hair plastered to the side of my head. I decided to take a quick shower before I faced my mom again.

  Once I had dried off and fixed my hair, I dressed in black jeans and a long-sleeved v-neck shirt that was so dark a shade of blue, it almost matched the jeans. My clothes represented my mood perfectly.

  I walked out of my room and down the hall to my mom’s door. I knocked once.

  No answer.

  “Mom?” I called.

  Still no answer.

  I waited a moment more, then twisted the knob and walked in. My mom’s bed was made and she was nowhere to be seen. I left her room and went downstairs to check the rest of the house. Empty. Her car was gone from the driveway.

  There was a half-pot of coffee waiting for me in the kitchen. I gratefully filled a cup up and took a sip. It tasted burnt, letting me know it had been made hours ago. I sat at the pale wood dining room table and sipped my burnt coffee, not really sure whether or not I should be worried. She had taken her car, so it was hopefully safe to say that no one had taken her. Then it dawned on me. Duh, she had gone to work. I was so preoccupied with worry about how she would act today, that I completely forgot that she’d be at work.

  Laughing over my stupidity, I got up and made some toast with butter and orange marmalade, then sat back down to wait for Jason. After a few minutes, I heard the crunch of tires on the gravel of my driveway, and got up to let Jason in. I smiled as I opened the door to see him standing there in faded jeans, green flannel shirt, and hiking boots. He could clean up quite nicely when the need arose, but outdoor casual was his normal mode of dress. I gave him a quick kiss hello, then led him back to the dining room table so I could finish my toast.

  “You want anything to eat?” I asked as we sat down.

  He shook his head. “I ate at my apartment, thanks.”

  I briefly wondered what he had eaten. I knew that he had to drink animal blood occasionally to survive, but I had never thoroughly discussed it with him. I was fine with not having the details on that unsettling tidbit.

  “Where is your mom?” He asked.

  “Work,” I answered casually, as if I had known all along.

  He opened his mouth in an o of realization. Apparently he had forgotten too. He quickly schooled his expression and cleared his throat to hide his lack of foresight. “What is on our agenda today?”

  “Well,” I began between bites of toast. “I’m assuming Lela will be back sometime today with the paperwork I need to fill out. She seemed pretty anxious to get the ball rolling. And unfortunately, I’m sure my dad and/or his proxy will show up at some point.”

  Jason raised his eyebrows in question. “Proxy?”

  I nodded, then spoke around another bite of toast. “Yeah, he said he’d be sending someone to watch over me.” I wiggled my fingers in mock spookiness.

  Jason gave me his crooked half-smile. “Sounds ominous.”

  I nodded while I took a sip of bitter coffee. “Tell me about it.”

  “So all we have to do is wait?” he asked.

  “Or,” I smiled mischievously. “We could go hiking, and ignore all of the impending doom.”

  Jason put out his hand for me to shake. “You have got yourself a deal.”

  I shook his hand then got up to take my plate and empty coffee mug to the kitchen sink. I left a note for my mom by the phone, just in case she came home for lunch. Then I went to sit by the backdoor to swap my sneakers in for my worn in, dark brown hiking boots. As I was lacing up my boots I could hear Jason rummaging through my kitchen for some snacks to bring with and I smiled. Avoiding responsibility is so much more fun when you have someone to conspire with. Hopefully we could make it an all day hike.

  Jason walked towards me as I stood up from tying my shoes, his hand and arms full of snacks and a several bottles of water. I took my dark green hiking backpack off of the hook on the wall and held it open for him to dump everything into. The backpack was already equipped with first aid equipment and pepper spray, so we were ready to go. I guess if an enemy were willing to take on a vampire and a half-demon, they probably wouldn’t hesitate at the sight of pepper spray, but it still made me feel safe. Ridiculous, but true.

  Jason took the backpack from me and swung it over his shoulder as we walked out the backdoor. I locked the door behind us, then made Jason stand still so I could put my keys into the backpack.

  We started up the trail that begins shortly after my backyard ends, and I instantly felt better. Like magic, the woods took custody of the weight of all of my predicaments. Sadly, they would be waiting for me when I got back.

  Jason turned to me as we walked up the path. “Which trail do you want to take?”

  Shelby is full of hiking trails, three of which stem right from my backyard, though you could access them from other paths. “Waterfalls?” I asked.

  Jason nodded merrily and took the trail that led off to the left. It was my favorite trail. It led up to a series of waterfalls. Not like, big rainforest type of waterfalls, more the type you find along a babbling brook. The waterfalls are near the stone remnants of several old, dirt-floor houses. They basically just form partial walls now, the roofs long-since disintegrated.

  We walked in a comfortable silence, birdsong and the distant running water the only sounds to accompany our footsteps. As we walked farther uphill, the trail became more narrow and the trees more dense. The trail up to the waterfalls isn’t used very often, don’t ask me why. I guess people just didn’t know about it.

  It took us about an hour to reach the first of the old houses. It was a mile or so below
the waterfalls and the other less dilapidated houses. Jason went and sat on one crumbled wall that was little more than a few stones stacked on top of each other, and gestured for me to sit beside him. As I sat he swung the backpack off of his shoulder to dig out the water bottles. He turned to me with a fake smile plastered on his face and I immediately knew that something was wrong. His eyes scanned our surroundings as he faced me. “Don’t look now,” he said almost inaudibly, “but someone’s watching us.”

  I, of course, immediately turned my head in search of our anonymous watcher. I caught movement from the corner of my eye as someone ducked behind a bush about thirty feet away from where we were sitting. Jason gave my knee a squeeze, then slowly rose to investigate.

  I tried to pretend that nothing was happening, and started rummaging through the backpack until my fingers wrapped around my pepper spray. Once again, yes, I am a half-demon and shouldn’t need pepper spray, but my powers aren’t exactly reliable, so pepper spray it was.

  I watched Jason out of the corner of my eye as he walked slowly to where I had seen the movement. He walked casually amongst the trees with his hands clasped behind his back. Just a harmless human strolling through the woods. Ri-ight.

  The scuffle sounded again to my right. It was getting closer to me. Jason turned his head at the sound and changed his course to head towards it. I stood and began to approach the area where the scuffle had sounded, with the intention of trapping who or whatever it was between Jason and me.

  My heart pounded in my ears as we both drew closer to the cluster of bushes where we thought the sound had come from. I stopped a few feet away from the first bush and waited for Jason to catch up. He looked irritated that I had involved myself in the situation. A bit over-protective at times, was my Jason.

  Suddenly, a man leapt from where he had been crouching several feet to the right of where I had been looking. I caught a glimpse of a green jacket and dark hair before he turned on his heel to run away through the woods.

  Jason whooshed by me in a blur of motion, hot on the man’s heels. I blinked slowly, shocked at how fast it had all happened, then set off in the direction Jason had gone, pepper spray gripped tightly in one sweaty palm.