Golden: A Paranormal Romance

by Ellis Marie

  “I knew that would make you happy.” I chuckle, holding onto her.

  “How did you convince him?” She gasps while abruptly dropping me to my feet. I stumble to catch my balance.

  “I just took advantage of the fact that Tracey was clinging to him. For once, she was actually useful and convinced him that a night with the boys was what he needed.”

  Kristie rolls her eyes.

  “No doubt that ‘a night with the boys’ will turn into her being attached to him all night,” she grumbles but then quickly shakes her head and grins. “Anyway, who cares! I get my bestie for a night!”

  Her squeals echo around us again. She loops her arm through mine, dragging me towards the school doors.

  “We’re going straight to mine, yes?” she asks. I nod eagerly. “Brilliant! I can’t wait to get you to do my makeup and I can pick your outfit. It’s going to be so much fun!” She babbles about different outfits that she wants me to try on, and I laugh at her excitement as we reach her little car; its yellow shine almost blinding me in the sunlight.

  “Kristie, have I told you that your car resembles a giant, rolling lemon?” I tease, lifting a hand to shield my eyes.

  She scoffs at my comment, opening her door. “Yes, you have actually, every single time you get in it, but I would suggest zipping it unless you want me to wear my freshman prom dress tonight.”

  Immediately, I shut up and slide into the car, the image of her bright green, diamanté-studded dress flashing through my mind, making shivers go down my spine.

  It really was an awful dress.

  As Kristie sits down, I turn and face her while grabbing her hand from the stereo before she can touch it.

  “K?” She looks at me in alarm. “I am really sorry.”

  Her expression softens as she sighs, squeezing my hand in hers.

  “Elle, you’re my best friend. We’re allowed to fight sometimes. Just don’t ever say it again.”

  I nod straight away, promises babbling out of my mouth as she turns the engine on. My chest feels lighter with the pressure being somewhat lifted.

  As we make our way to her home, our lungs ache from singing and laughing. I look over at her and my appreciation seems to overwhelm me. She deals with me having virtually no free time. She’s there when I have a breakdown or need someone to talk to, and she forgives me in my worst moments. It doesn’t matter how bad Matt, or my father, gets, as long as I have her, I know I can get through it.

  We pull up to her house a short time later, our laughter tumbling out with our feet as we exit the car.

  “I cannot believe Cameron did that!” I chortle, the memories from years ago playing in my head as we reminisce. “He ended up in detention for about a month because of it!”

  “Yeah,” Kristie says. “But it was worth it, even if I do have a fear of chickens.”

  We enter the house and I follow her to the kitchen.

  “Hi, Mom!” she calls as we walk in, the figure jumping up at the sound of us.

  Linda Kennedy turns around with a beaming smile on her face, her cheeks covered in baby food as she comes towards us with arms outstretched and waiting for a hug.

  “Hello, darling!” she greets, pulling a resistant Kristie into her body. “Oh, don’t pretend like you don’t love me.”

  Letting her go after a second, her eyes turn to me and she smiles, advancing. “I know for a fact that Elle will accept my hugs, won’t you, Elle?”

  I laugh and nod, returning the hug as her soft body cocoons me in its motherly embrace.

  Whenever I come to Kristie’s, it’s like a breath of fresh air.

  For a night, or however long I stay, I feel as though I actually have a caring family, like I actually have a mother figure that cares about me and looks after my needs. Her arms around me brings comfort and a sense of safety that I can’t get anywhere else. I will never say no to a hug that brings me all of that.

  “Always, Mrs. Kennedy.” I smile. She rolls her eyes, her hand softly coming out to slap me on the arm with the dishtowel she holds.

  “I’ve told you a thousand times, call me Linda.” She glances down at herself. “Oh goodness, I’m covered in food.”

  It’s still strange sometimes to be in a home with such informality in comparison to my own, and sometimes, I forget that parents often don’t make their children’s friends call them by their last names. Or their children for that matter.

  She turns away from us and crosses to the other side of the island. That’s when I see what has caused her so much stress and mess. Sitting in a highchair with a pile of food not only in front of him, but also on him, is a small giggling figure.

  Benji.

  Benji is Kristie’s one-year-old little brother who, according to her, is ‘Satan reincarnated.’ She will come to school with a stain on her top, or a chunk of hair missing, but only one name will come out of her mouth, like an explanation without words—Benji.

  To me, however, he looks like the most adorable toddler I have ever seen, and every time I see him, his face lights up in a smile, which makes my heart soar.

  That happens as soon as he notices me stepping into the kitchen. With chocolate curls bouncing while his arms stretch out towards me, happy gurgles pouring out of his mouth.

  “Honestly, it’s like you’re his sister and not me,” Kristie grumbles, jumping onto the counter and grabbing an apple. “I swear he puts on an act when you’re here to fool you into thinking he’s an angel.”

  I roll my eyes and walk over to Mrs.—or rather, Linda—who lifts Benji out of his highchair and takes off his stained top before passing him to me. He kicks his leg out as I take him, and immediately, his adorable smile makes me grin as he clutches onto my top, his chubby fingers beginning to prod my face.

  “Maybe he prefers Elle because she doesn’t refer to him as ‘devil baby’ or ‘Lucifer’,” Linda comments pointedly, her sharp eyes glaring at Kristie who just gives her a guilty smile back. “I swear if his first words are ‘Hail Satan’, I’m not paying for college.”

  I gape at Kristie as her mom leaves the room, and she makes her way over with a wicked smile on her face.

  “I’ve been trying to teach him it but Mom’s scared that my ‘negative view’ on him is affecting his development.” She holds out her finger to Benji who looks at it for a moment before turning back to me and continuing to babble. “See? He hates me.”

  “He doesn’t hate you!” I laugh, tickling the baby in my arms who wriggles and giggles at it. “You just treat him like a dog.”

  Kristie huffs and continues eating her apple. “I don’t treat him like a dog, I just feed him things when he does something good.”

  I shake my head and continue tickling Benji, his innocent laughter allowing me to escape in bliss for a while longer.

  “Is that why you rewarded him when he finally brought you the television remote the other day?” Linda interjects as she re-enters the room with fresh clothes in her hands.

  I help her dress Benji while Kristie stands beside us, trying to explain why it’s a good learning exercise for walking and how beneficial it is for him when it comes to future cognitive skills.

  After we finish cleaning Benji, we all have a snack together and talk about the gossip from school. Linda really is like a teenage girl sometimes and she loves hearing stories from us. Kristie complains about Tom and his drama queen behaviour while I interject with stories of Tracey and her horrible comments.

  “So, Elle,” the older woman slyly begins. I glance at my best friend suspiciously. “Kristie tells me that you guys have classes with some of the students from East Bay?”

  I nod slowly, not quite knowing where the conversation is going.

  “And she also said that you’d made friends with quite a few of them and they seem to be nice.”

  I agree again but glare at Kristie, knowing full well what her mother is about to say.

  “Any nice boys?”

  I groan and slam my head on the table, trying to co
ver up my blushing face as the two women laugh at me, sounding like naughty schoolchildren.

  “Kristie,” I moan, raising my head. “Would you stop trying to make me and Trent a thing?”

  “So it is a thing!” Linda shouts in excitement. I resist the urge to jump off the stool and knock myself out on the floor below me.

  That would be too traumatising for Benji.

  “I told you it was a thing!” Kristie boasts proudly.

  “It’s not a thing!”

  They both give me knowing smirks and sip their tea, their eyes flicking over to each other, clearly not believing me for a second.

  “It isn’t!” I state firmly. “It’s not! We’re just friends, well, sort of. I mean, I have kind of been ignoring him because of Matt . . .” I trail off, my words fading as I try to figure out how to explain my feelings and the entire situation.

  “Oh, Elle.” Mrs. Kennedy sighs, her voice full of concern. “I do not know why you are with that boy sometimes. You could do so much better. His father is just as horrible as him, and I’d hate to think he treats you in any way similar to the way his mother was treated.”

  I smile softly and shake my head, easing her worries but feeling guilt flow through me in response.

  I know that Matt’s father hasn’t been a very good guy. Right at the beginning of our relationship, Matt had told me about his childhood, about the constant arguing, and the way his father spoke down to him and his mother. He would tell me stories of when he accidentally did something wrong and his father would blow up, taking it out on his mother if she got involved. It was awful to hear, and I couldn’t imagine the strength that it had taken for his mom to get through it.

  I couldn’t bear to break her heart and tell her that the son she had spent so long protecting and trying to keep safe isn’t any better than her late husband. How could I be the one to shatter all the illusions she has about him and admit to her that he’s putting me through a portion of what she had been through? She doesn’t deserve any more pain or heartbreak; she has been through enough.

  “Absolutely awful what happened to that school, though,” Linda continues, changing the subject quickly. “I mean, imagine an entire building being burnt to the ground with nothing but ashes left behind. It was a miracle no one was hurt.”

  Trent immediately pops into my mind and I feel my stomach drop.

  What if it happened a couple hours earlier and people were still in school? What if he had gotten trapped and injured or, worse, died?

  Why does that thought make me feel so sad?

  “Have they figured out exactly what happened?” Kristie questions, picking at a muffin. Mrs. Kennedy shakes her head.

  “No, but I don’t think it was accidental or a faulty wire like some of the papers are reporting. The building was far too big, and it wouldn’t have travelled so easily. Plus I heard gossip that there were multiple points of origin, so unless various electric sockets overloaded at once, I don’t see how it could have been an accident.”

  We’re all silent for a moment as we take in the situation and eat our food, my mind whirling with thoughts of arson and the people capable of doing it.

  “Did you know the school?” I ask after a moment, realising that she sounds very familiar with the place.

  “Oh yes.” She smiles, cleaning up our dishes. “Back when I was in school, I had a friend that attended East Bay. Her name was Jemma and she was hilarious.” She laughs, her eyes shining as she falls into her memories. “We met the summer before junior year at an internship thing with a summer school and we clicked straight away. I honestly don’t think I would have gotten through it without her. She took me to parties over on her side and I brought her to house parties here. The town really is beautiful over there; it’s all trees and nature and mountains if you go far enough. She even took me camping in the woods one time.”

  Kristie gapes at her mother who laughs lightly and waves her shock away. “It was a different time. There was no massive stigma between the two towns or a fear of the forest, and because it was during summer, we didn’t have to deal with people at school having issues with our friendship. It was one of the best summers of my life.”

  Had Mrs. Kennedy been in the woods? We were basically forbidden to go into most of it by our town; it was like an unspoken rule between everyone that lived here. We were told that it was really dangerous. We never got any information about them. Why would they hide away from us?

  “Mom, you never told me that. I didn’t realise the town was nice. All we hear about it is horror stories and negative descriptions.”

  “Well, that’s because what people don’t know, they make up, especially when they think people are different to them.” Linda shuts the dishwasher with a bang and claps her hands together. “Now, you two better go start getting ready if you want to be on time for this party. I’ll make the two of you some light cocktails if you want?”

  We both nod eagerly. She smiles back before shooing us away with her hands, making Kristie and I leave the room.

  I walk up the stairs but I hesitate, and my thoughts plague me too much to leave without asking.

  “Mrs. Kenn . . . sorry, I mean, Linda,” I correct before she can complain and she grins. “Your friend, Jemma, what happened to her? You’re not friends anymore?”

  The easy smile slides from Mrs. Kennedy’s face within a blink of an eye. Her skin seems to almost pale and her eyes become glassy. I watch as her shaking hand closes the cupboard door.

  “She died,” she states softly, her voice no longer dripping with melancholy. Instead, it’s almost shivering in a hushed tone.

  “What happened?” I push, hoping I haven’t gone too far, but it’s as if I can’t control the urge. I need to know what happened.

  Her dark eyes snap up to me and an almost grave expression coats her face, her lips barely parted as she speaks.

  “She was mauled by wolves.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  “Kristie, would you please stop fussing? You look amazing!” I groan, watching for about the tenth time as she adjusts herself in the wing mirror of a random car we’re passing. “Seriously, you haven’t changed since the last car you stopped at two minutes ago.”

  She huffs, sticking her tongue out at me as she jiggles her bra up and pulls at her skirt again.

  “Well, excuse me if I want to make a good impression tonight. It’s hard enough walking next to you most of the time, let alone right now.” She sighs, shaking her head. “I did too good of a job.”

  I laugh at my best friend as she walks towards me, finally satisfied with her look. I honestly don’t know what she’s talking about, Kristie looks incredible. Her brown hair is curled in almost ringlets and bounces every time she takes a step. She was so proud when she finally got them to sit perfectly that we had to interrupt our process of getting ready to do a ‘happy dance’ in the middle of her bedroom. She finally decided on wearing a bodysuit, which just hinted to her bra underneath, along with a short white skirt and strappy heels. She’s stunning and it annoys me that she thinks otherwise.

  “People aren’t going to be able to keep their hands off you,” I tease, nudging her in the side, but she just rolls her eyes. Her gaze then travels the length of my body.

  “Well, it’s a good thing Matt already agreed to you hanging out with me all night because otherwise, I don’t think he’d let you out of his sight.”

  Kristie dressed me up for tonight. She always says it’s like dressing a real life-sized Barbie. She chose a pair of floaty, burgundy shorts, along with a white strapless top and some matching heels. After a lot of debate, we agreed on straightening my hair and tying it up in a high ponytail. Matt had a thing about my hair being up, but I knew I would get warm at the party and I couldn’t be bothered with the sweaty neck I’d end up with if I kept it down. Around my neck, I wore a thick white choker, which wasn’t my favourite, but I know I have to have something to hide the fading bruise. Luckily, I managed to cover it before Kristie did my makeu
p.

  “Can we just agree that we both look good and leave it at that?” I ask, linking my arm with hers. She pretends to think about it for a minute before nodding and laughing.

  “How many people do you think Tracey has invited?” I ask casually as we round the corner on to the street.

  “I think you got your answer,” Kristie half-whispers, her eyes wide and staring at the home in front of us, which seems to be flooding with people. “She always does go over the top. Our whole year might be here.”

  We make our way up the driveway and step past a couple making out in the grass, their clothes stained green from rolling about. We giggle at each other as we leave them behind, letting them continue their fun as we head for the thumping music.

  Tracey’s house is known for the parties. When she was still too young to have them, it had been her brother that threw them. She just continued the legacy after he graduated.

  I’m always jealous of her house. It’s so large and luxurious that I almost feel intimidated walking into it. It has that shiny and polished look that makes you feel like you’re dirty in comparison, the tall white walls seeming almost patronising; however, it’s the best venue for a party, and the siblings took advantage of it whenever their parents went away on one of their many work trips.

  “I’m so excited!” Kristie squeals, stepping into the house. Suddenly, all my senses are overwhelmed by the sound of chatter and the music coming from the large speakers on the walls.

  All around us, people are dancing or chatting with their hands filled with cups of alcohol. I can already smell the scent of beer drafting through the air as we squeeze through the crowd, making our way to the kitchen.

  “I think I just saw Tyler that graduated last year,” I murmur to Kristie. She rolls her eyes, grumbling about how there are some people with nothing better to do with their lives than attend high school parties. It isn’t very surprising that they are here; Tracey always makes sure to invite as much of the male population as possible, given that they are attractive in her eyes, of course.