Brooke’s boyfriend, but she supposed Alik was right about being needed back at the house.
She looked at him out of the corner of her eye and
wondered if she should ask him to bring her back to the diner so she could walk home later. As much as she
wanted to, she couldn’t find the courage to be that selfish.
Lexie swal owed the lump that had formed in the back of her throat. She felt like such a heel. He was trying to make her happy, not miserable. She had to stop looking at
everything he did as a reason to embarrass her or manage her life. There was nothing wrong with Alik, the fault was her impatience. As he laughed about Theo’s antics, she
committed herself to being less bitchy and more like the kind of sister she should be, even to Max. They al needed time to adjust. Why should she expect more from them
without meeting them half way? Besides, her mom was
smiling and that was her goal al along.
“Thanks for treating me to lunch,” she said earnestly.
“I’m so thankful you came after me… I don’t know why I take everything so personal. I guess I’ve been overreacting because of al of the stress from moving.” He looked over at her and gave her his crooked grin. “I know Max didn’t mean to set me off this morning. I am going to try harder with him.”
Alik’s expression was good-natured, “Lexie…
Lexie…it’s only instinctive to be territorial. You’l get used to the way of things.” He reached towards the dashboard stereo and pushed his CD back into the player. Within a beat, he was back to singing along with Duran Duran.
TORIN
“Torin, what the hel is your damn hurry?” Braden stepped backwards as Torin slammed the hood shut. “If you didn’t want to work on the car, why the hel did you buy it?”
The two had been working on the old ‘ Z Camaro as a
project since Torin spotted it for sale on the side of the road the last time they drove through Bangor. The body was beautiful and the interior was spotless, but it had sat in a garage neglected for far too long without being used. The two of them worked tirelessly replacing the old dry rotted tires after changing al of the fluids and replacing the leaky gaskets.
Torin gave him a patient smile, “I don’t know what else you think we can do to it. I ordered the new sound system, but that won’t be arriving for another week.” He climbed in behind
TORIN
the wheel and turned over the ignition, the vintage Chevy’s engine purred to life with ease.
Braden had always been good natured. Lately, he was
irritable and on edge. Torin loved the guy, but considered taking the car by himself for its first official cruise around Mount Katahdin. He wanted time to just think and see what the car was capable of. His inner clock constantly reminded him that he didn’t have much time left and he needed to come to terms with the changes about to take place, both physical y and what would happen to his family if he
disappointed them.
Torin glanced over at Braden; his closest friend stood patiently waiting to see what he was going to do. The easy smile Braden was known for was missing . Torin chastised himself and turned off the engine. He could wait ten more minutes.
Maybe he understands more than I give him credit for.
Torin pul ed himself out of the car and motioned for Braden to fol ow him into the large barn where Endel ion kept a constant supply of cold beverages in an old refrigerator. He grabbed a couple of cans of Monster and tossed one to
Braden.
“So, I was wondering if anything new is going on with you.
You seem a little uptight.” He opened his can and drank the beverage in a few swal ows.
Braden took off his sunglasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He looked over to Torin; the concern on his face was
noticeable. “You know, I only need about an hour of sleep a night now, probably even less if necessary.”
Torin nodded with understanding, “I know. I only sleep a few hours now.” He crushed the can easily in his left fist. “I used to be able to sleep for ten hours straight and stil be tired.”
It was like his body was always fueled with adrenaline and ready to go.
Braden agreed, “I just roam and hunt usual y. It feels so good to be out at night and I can see just as clearly as I can during the middle of the day.” He wasn’t interested in his energy drink; he just rol ed the cool can between his hands.
“Seeing in the dark, it was my first ability.”
Torin knew his eyes were getting better at night and the capability to see things with just the moons reflection was enough to light up the entire outdoors. His daylight vision was also enhanced with his growing skil s.
Braden’s expression was serious, “Last night, while I was out I came across a new smel . It was a large animal,
maybe even two, unlike anything I have ever come across before.
Possibly hunting together – I discovered the remains of a moose, a ful sized bul , al torn up. ”
Torin realized now why Braden was concerned.
Ferocious animals in the area could harm the local
population and its fal out would cause panic, sending half-cocked hunters,
TORIN
armed and looking for glory into the woods. Someone
could get themselves hurt and the local wildlife would get skittish, even migrate, which the elders relied on for their own survival.
“Did you alert our families?” Torin asked, wondering what Donovan, Seamus and Patrick would make of it.
“The plan is – they are going to go out tonight when the sun sets and see if they can pick up the trail.” He paused, thinking. “My father was the best tracker, I wish he was here,”
His somber eyes looked at the ground. “Anyways, I was
thinking you should keep an eye out for signs of anything strange too.”
Torin agreed. They knew the woods al the way up to
Aroostook County and the creatures that crossed their
borders.
Having something unusual on their lands was never left unchecked. That was how their parents managed to survive in Northern Maine for over two hundred years: they blended into society, even as far back as the Aroostook War,
staying out of political affairs and living peaceful y alongside the Penobscot, Micmac and Maliseet tribes.
They kept homes in different parts of the state and Nova Scotia – and every two decades, would change addresses to avoid questioning about their age. While doing so, they kept a special eye on the National Wildlife Reserve, as wel as the Al agash Wilderness Waterway and the vast area
around Eagle Lake and its lands.
The two stood in silence for a moment, contemplating what needed to be done.
Braden put the unopened can back in the refrigerator.
“So, you real y blew my mind when you launched off your bike yesterday. What did it feel like?”
Torin thought for a moment, “Like free fal ing upward, but with more speed.” He shrugged his shoulders, “Until I
crashed that is.”
Braden tried to understand, “What grounded you?”
Torin took in a deep breath, if he could not trust Braden with this, then he couldn’t trust anyone. “I don’t know. You wil think I’m nuts, but I saw this girl in my mind. I have been dreaming of her for a while and when I was in the air… I felt like… if I just pushed a little harder, I could just go forever without stopping. But then her face came to my mind and I knew I wouldn’t want to miss out on being with her
someday.
That is when I hit the ground.” Pausing, “Go ahead, I know you want to laugh.”
“As much as I would like to torture you and rol on the ground with laughter, I can’t because I’m jealous.” Braden punched him in the shoulder. “First the good looks, and now the emerging abilities and a hot chick. She’s hot, right bro?”
Torin flushed and turned from Braden’
s speculation.
“And how long have you been dreaming of her?”
TORIN
“Months.” Forever.
“You’ve always been a lucky bastard. But that wil change when she final y comes around and I seduce her with my sexiness,” Braden was chortling.
“You want to see how hard it would be to feed without
fangs? Go near her with anything but brotherly intentions and you’l find out,” he sparred back with a laugh.
“That’s okay Torin, she’l be yours. Besides, I was only joking about you having the good looks…You know that
Teagan and I are much prettier than you.”
Torin had always loved the ease in which they could harass each other, “If you mean pretty enough to wear a dress.”
He scanned Braden’s expression for an idea of what he was thinking, “Seriously though, what do you think of me dreaming about her already before I’ve made the change?
You don’t think it’s an omen that I won’t pass into the light, do you?”
Torin could feel the weight of his burden lift off his shoulders once he gave voice to the words that tormented his mind.
Braden looked amused. “Torin, you’ve never been one to wait for anything. Why should your transformation be any different?” He pointed over at the main house. “The elders can only tel us what happened to them, none of us wil be exactly the same. You’l complete the change soon, and when you do, you wil discover what the rest of us already see in you.”
Torin only wished that were true. He had disappointed
everyone before when he failed to save Shane Farrel from drowning a couple of years ago when his class went
exploring the rocky coast of Ingonish near the northern tip of Cape Breton.
Even though he was only fifteen and he hadn’t developed his speed or strength yet, Torin felt ashamed of his
powerlessness to save his smal er classmate and good friend.
What’s the point of being born this way if you can’t save anyone?
Shane was a good kid, quick to laugh and loyal to a fault.
After his death, Torin vowed to never get close to his classmates again. As it stood, even if he did make it
through the change, he would have to live forever with the memory of Shane’s smal limp body as he hauled him to
shore. The image stil stung his mind, with his red hair plastered to his head and his flesh an ungodly shade of gray and coated with sand – no matter how hard the adult chaperones tried, they couldn’t get him breathing again.
I should have known he would follow me into the surf – he followed me everywhere that year.
No one held Torin accountable for his friend’s drowning.
Rip tides were responsible for dozens of deaths in the area over the years. He just couldn’t help but feel like he disappointed everyone, especial y Shane, because he was only yards away
TORIN
from where he went under. Because of that, he found it difficult to trust himself again.
“Did you hear me? I just asked you if you are going to the party tonight,” Braden said breaking Torin from his reverie.
“Cian said Brooke invited a new family in town to come hang out and one of them is pretty cool.”
“As in a new girl? You know I’m not interested in hooking up Braden.” Torin wasn’t in the mood for another night at the state park with the local teens; he wanted to take the car for a long ride and just get away and clear his thoughts for a while.
“Seriously Torin, we need to fit in and not draw attention by acting standoffish,” Braden muttered the same old
argument.
Torin knew they had to maintain a constant balance of
being seen but not involved. It was an expectation that was necessary, but timeworn. He was just weary of playing the same old game and getting nowhere personal y with it.
He looked at the beautiful black paint job on the car with its gold pin striping – the trip could wait for the time being.
When he left, he wanted to stay gone for a while.
Lexie spent the entire afternoon painting and the neglected dry wal s absorbed the color with ease. With a fresh coat of paint, her room felt much more agreeable. After hanging matchstick blinds in the windows and making her bed, she worked on organizing the built in shelving with her valued col ection of books, CDs, and movies. She saved one
smal box of her most valued possessions to unpack last – the first item was the frame that captured an image of Lexie and her dad. She knew she wanted it on her bed side
stand.
As she searched through the box’s content, she felt a smal box careful y wrapped in tissue paper. She had forgotten Liz had given her the stylish choker with the pretty green gem.
She fastened it around her neck, admiring its unique beauty in the mirror. Lexie had promised she would wear it when she was thinking about her best friend. Liz was so funny, she said to
wear it as protection from the netherworld. Lexie didn’t believe monsters were a worry, but would the necklace
protect her from a rogue moose? She wondered if moose could catch rabies.
What would that look like, would they foam at the mouth?
Final y she had a question that was instant message worthy and she decided to sit down and write Liz.
Lexie spent close to an hour detailing every thought and experience she had so far in Erris. At first her email was ful of pleasantries – like how much she enjoyed having a large home to spread out in and how nice it was to meet Theo, Brooke, and Julie. But after a while, she began pouring out her worries about school starting in a few days and her recent altercation with Maxim. It felt good sharing her feelings with Liz, even if it was only through cyberspace.
She would have been able to write al day but Brooke
cal ed, breaking her from her musings.
The party would start at nine and she and Alik were both invited. Lexie had asked how many people usual y show up and was surprised when her new friend said anywhere
between twenty to thirty teens from the neighboring towns.
Lexie was wound up with anticipation. Who knew there
could be so much animation in the moose capital of the world?
What do you wear to a party in the woods? The last party she went to, she wore her yel ow strapless cotton top and worn
jeans. Somehow, she didn’t think that would work in L.L.
Bean country. Would it be uncool to wear mosquito
repel ant?
Looking through her sad col ection of clothes, she decided to opt for her favorite white denim capris because they fit her shape perfectly. She then paired it with her favorite black tank. She decided to wear her cross, keeping Liz close to her heart. She shampooed her hair and then blow-dried it so that her natural curls cascaded down her back with her side bangs framing her face.
Her makeup routine was relatively simple. Her complexion had always been clear and her cheeks natural y pink so she never used much. She applied sheer grey shadow to her
lids and a coat of black mascara. She finished with her favorite lip-gloss and perfume before appraising her
appearance in the mirror. She looked like any other
eighteen-year-old in New England heading out on a
Saturday night.
Alik and Lexie had discussed going to the party and they both were reluctant about bringing Maxim. She felt a
mixture of relief and surprise that Alik was unwil ing to include his older brother, especial y after the awkward moment when she cracked a joke at the buffoon’s expense.
It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to have Max tag along. When she asked Alik, he said partying real y wasn’t Maxim’s thing – that he was more of
a homebody. Although it wasn’t the whole truth, they told Ruby that they were getting together with a few new friends.
Through their adjoining door, El a poked her head in and made a disgruntled face, “That paint smel is horr
ible.”
Lexie smiled, satisfied with the rooms overal
transformation. “The smel wil fade soon. Are your windows open?”
El a came in and dropped backwards onto her bed. With a sigh, she groaned, “I don’t real y feel comfortable keeping the windows open, especial y when it’s dark. The sounds at night are so creepy.”
Lexie nodded, “It wil take a while to adjust. When we lived in the city, the traffic drowned out sounds of nature.”
El a halfheartedly examined her nails, “I’m not talking about the birds and crickets Lexie. Sometimes when I lay there, I can hear animals in the woods. Part of me wants to go out there, but when I hear their growls and whimpers, I chicken out.
Especial y the first night, it was al I could do to just get up and close my windows. I haven’t opened them since.”
Lexie sat down next to El a on the bed. The idea of her younger sister running into the woods at night was
horrifying.
“Listen, you need to promise me you won’t ever go out
there. I don’t think I could handle it if anything ever happened to you.”
Sitting up straight, El a’s forehead creased, “What? Like Dad?”
Lexie nodded her head, “Of course like Dad.”
“I’m not stupid Lexie,” she emphasized. She stood up and eyed her older sister. “You should have been more
concerned with Dad’s life when you crashed our car and kil ed him. I don’t need you to start parenting me, if anyone wil watch out for me it’s Nick.”
Taken aback for a moment, Lexie just stared at her sister.
“You don’t think that I have regretted that night every moment since it happened? And, just so we are clear, I’m not trying to tel you what to do – I just worry because you are my sister.”
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