by kimmie81
“I can’t stay long,” Kendal said. “My parents are getting suspicious of my where a bouts at night.”
They met up at the usual spot. Several large trees covered the empty lot, and the grandest Willow tree allowed its branches to hang low. It was just enough to camouflage anything near its stump and Kendal knew that it was just a block from Randy’s house.
Randy smiled and gently pulled a small section of curly black hair from her face. “Can’t your sister cover for you?”
“Kelsey is more concerned about how to sneak guys in and out of the house,” Kendal replied. “She has no time to meddle in my affairs.”
Randy reached over and rubbed her hand down the bark of the tree. “I’m curious to know if your brother found the killers yet?”
Kendal hesitated for a moment before answering. He knew the risk for getting her involved but didn’t want to lie to her anymore. “Kingsley believes that they are Shifters; ones cursed into changing into different four-legged animals.”
Randy studied his face before asking another question. “Does that mean that our town isn’t safe anymore?”
Kendal shook his head. “Don’t worry. This is what my Espy Hunter family was born to do.”
“Then once it’s done, you will leave and never come back?”
Kendal couldn’t answer. There were several options going through his head and none of them made any sense yet. So instead of speaking, he looked up and took a deep breath in. He could smell the rain coming.
“I wanted to show you this,” Randy said and pushed her hand in her pocket. She pulled out a small silver ring. The symbol on top had two sides, one black and one white. “You’re familiar with the yin yang emblem right?”
Kendal nodded. “Where did you get it?”
Randy placed the ring on her finger. “I bought it from this antique store near the school. The owner told me that it had powers. Stated that yin yang means two complete opposites who can become one and the ring would glow if you find your pairing.”
Kendal laughed. “So you believe that?”
Randy watched the ring for a while then sighed. She looked up at the tree branches and saw the dark rain clouds through the openings. “After what you told me about your family and the other world, I figured that anything is possible.”
“I’m pretty sure that anything that came from an antique store was made from China,” Kendal said. He walked closer to her and brushed his thumb over her cheek.
A few raindrops managed to get through the leaves and fell on Randy’s face but she didn’t move. “I always had a feeling about the supernatural. That all the myths and fairytales had some truth to them.” She pulled her glace away from the tree and focused on Kendal’s golden brown eyes. “Thank you for trusting me with your secrets.”
Kendal leaned inward and kissed her lips. They were sweet like always, watermelon lip-gloss. He gazed into her brown eyes and smiled. “I really have to go.”
Randy laughed. “Charming and mysterious as usual.”
He turned to walk toward his car but stopped when he noticed a guy standing by a nearby street light. The man was too far to notice anything unusual about him other than he was tall and slender. Kendal squinted as the rain began to come down harder and into his eyes. He rubbed them and looked back at the man but he had already made his way further down the street. There was an instant where Kendal thought about following the guy but was halted by Randy’s voice.
“Is everything okay?”
Kendal turned to her and winked. “You better get home.”
“Mom is going to strangle you the next time you sneak out,” Kelsey fussed as she slammed his bedroom door behind her. She plopped herself into the chair near the bed with a bowl of cherries in her hands. “She already suggesting to dad different ways to lock the house up at night.”
Kendal rolled his eyes. “Stop pretending you care. I know the only reason you’re here is because mom is threatening to mess things up for you too.”
“Yeah, mom can try but I’ve been at this sneaking around a lot longer than you,” she snapped back. Kelsey tossed a cherry in her mouth and a few seconds later pulled out the stem tied in a knot.
“That’s real cute sis,” Kendal said as he put his hands behind his head and lay down on the pillow. “You and your many strange talents.”
Kelsey smiled. “The force is strong within me, my dear twin.” She pointed her finger at him. “Mom and dad want us back on the phone in ten to discuss things.”
“Ugh, I know. Espy Hunters are sworn to keep the peace between both worlds and since I am the only one with the true sight, I must behave like a hunter.” Kendal sat up to see his sister. “But we are just hunters in training and I don’t see the point of us not living a normal teenage life right now.”
Kelsey laughed. “That’s because you are too focused on the girl. Don’t get me wrong, I long for a average life too sometimes but I accept my fate and know how to play the cards in my favor.” She stood up and walked to the door but turned around to say one more thing. “The trick my dear brother is to stop fighting what you are. It only makes things complicated.”
He watched his sister leave and was tempted to go after her but his phone rang. Kendal picked it up quickly knowing that the ringtone was Randy. “Hey, I might have to call you back later. My parents are….”
“They killed my parents, Kendal.” Randy whispered in panic through the phone. “They are dead.”
Kendal’s muscles in his body tightened. “Wait, what did you say?”
Her words sounded rushed and scared. “I’m under my bed hiding.”
“Kelsey!” Kendal shouted. “Get in here now!” He returned to the phone. “Who killed your parents, Randy?”
“I don’t know,” Randy sobbed. “I saw them outside our house and their eyes glowed in the dark. I ran inside and they broke in. My dad told me to hide. I can hear them screaming downstairs.”
Kelsey opened the door quickly. “Why are you shouting?”
“Call Kingsley and tell him that the Shifters are at Randy’s address. He has to hurry!” Kendal ordered and watched his sister rush out the room. “Randy, stay calm and be quiet. I’m coming.”
Randy suddenly screamed and Kendal could hear the phone drop. The sound of her screams ripped his soul to pieces because he wasn’t there to protect her. He rushed downstairs, grabbed his keys, and jumped into his car.
It only took a few minutes for them to reach Randy’s house and as they got out of the car, a coyote greeted them at the door. The animal was huge. Its fur was brown with specks of grey and its eyes glowed a metallic white color. They could hear a battle going on behind it and knew Kingsley was inside.
“You think we are ready to fight?” Kelsey questioned as she tied her hair up in a ponytail.
“We have to,” Kendal replied.
The Shifter growled and Kendal rushed him. As the coyote jumped at him, Kendal used all of his power into one punch and hit it in the chest. The animal fell backwards and before it could get back up, Kelsey was on top of the animal. It clawed at her arms and Kelsey winched at the pain. She reached for the blade in her pocket and slit the coyote’s neck.
“You okay?” Kendal asked as he approached her.
Kelsey stood up and wiped the blood off her blade on her jeans. “I’ve got bigger scars from our training fights.”
The door swung open and a ghostly apparition made its way swiftly in front of them. They weren’t surprised because they knew that it was their brother in the phantom form. He materialized into himself quickly and looked at his siblings.
“I told you two to stay home,” Kingsley said and looked at Kelsey. “You did the right thing when you gave me the address but you two are not ready for this.”
Kendal turned to his sister. He realized that Kelsey never mentioned anything about them knowing Randy. It was the first time that his sister wasn’t as selfish as he thought. “Is the family alright?” He asked even though he knew the parent’s fate already.
<
br /> Kingsley shook his head. “They were all dead before I got here.”
Kendal rushed past him, through the door, and up the stairs to Randy’s room. The door was busted open and everything was in disarray. He hurried to look under the bed and saw Randy’s phone covered in blood. Kendal looked around in disbelief, denial surrounded him, and he didn’t want to believe that Randy was gone. He noticed something shiny on the floor next to him in a puddle of blood and picked it up. It was the yin yang ring that Randy showed him earlier.
Emotion flooded him. It wasn’t until Kelsey hurried in and grabbed him that he noticed he was screaming. The tears fell quickly out of his eyes as if trying to flush out the guilt. “I killed her,” Kelsey whined. “I told her everything about us and it got her killed.”
Kelsey took a second to realize what her brother was saying but ignored it. She hugged Kendal as tightly as she could. “We will keep this between us. No one else will know.”
*SIX MONTHS LATER*
The fall leaves that fell from the trees covered most of the street, blowing around fleeing from the power of the wind. South Hampton seemed like a peaceful town just like the others but Kendal knew that if they were there, something was wrong.
“Mom and dad will be home soon,” Kingsley said, as he turned left at the stop sign. “They will fill us in on our purpose once we get settled in so no fooling around.”
“I’m over filled with joy,” Kelsey said sarcastically. “We are not new to this job.”
She turned to her twin who was staring out the car window. “You alright?”
Kendal didn’t know how to answer the question. He could of lied but knew his sister wouldn’t let it go. “I’m just curious to know why we are here?” He responded.
He noticed something glowing in his shirt and reached down to pull out the necklace he was wearing. On the end of it was the yin yang ring and it was shinning brightly. Kendal looked out the window and noticed a group of teenagers hanging out on the corner. In the center was a girl. An eerie sort of glow that only he could see highlighted her whole body.
“What is it?” Kelsey whispered. She side glanced at Kingsley in the driver seat to be sure he wasn’t listening. “Who is she?”
“She’s a Mystic,” Kendal replied. It was the first time that his Espy Hunter ‘sight’ noticed someone that clearly.
The car started to move again. Kendal watched the girl for as long as he could until they turned another corner and she was out of view. Kendal grabbed onto the ring and held it tightly. He knew right then that the mission they were on was going to be a lot different from the others.
About the Author
Kimberly R. Cooper is eagerly seeking to become a full-time author. She is currently earning a Bachelor degree of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing from Full Sail University. She primary writes Urban, Paranormal, and Sci-Fi stories for young adults. Kimberly is also a member of the Wattpad storytelling community. You can visit her at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-cooper-2858a655/ or see some of her works at https://www.wattpad.com/user/KimberlyCooper1.
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