Golden: A Paranormal Romance

by Ellis Marie

  Mrs. Grenway puts her cup down on the table before turning to me and taking my hands, her eyes peering into my soul as I wait for her to tell me something.

  Give me your wisdom. Please.

  “You should really pay more attention in class. Education is important.”

  Okay, so maybe not the wise words I was waiting for then.

  “I know, but the tattoo—”

  “Do you know that before I met Ernie, I had a vision that I met him when he was a captain on a large ship, and he happened to be the love of my life?”

  I feel slightly dumbfounded at her change of conversation, but I go with it, knowing that she isn’t going to stop talking unless I let her tell her story.

  “No, I didn’t.” I sigh. “Did that happen? Is that how you met him?”

  She smiles, clearly amused. “In a way, although it wasn’t so much a ship he was on but rather a canoe, which he sort of ran into me with it.”

  I burst out laughing at her description and the picture that forms in my head of her and him flailing about in the water, an argument most likely already falling from her lips.

  “So your vision wasn’t quite right then?” I laugh. She shakes her head, sighing.

  “No, it wasn’t, but do you believe in soulmates?”

  I think it over for a second, the idea floating around in my head without any real arguments to back it up. Do I believe that there is a person out there who is made for you? Who complimented all your good traits and steadied out your bad ones? Someone who loves you no matter what?

  “I’d like to believe it.”

  She smiles softly, pleased with my answer with a knowing glint in her eye. “Well, Ernie was my soulmate. As soon as I saw him, I knew that I knew him from somewhere. Meeting him was like I’d met him before, but I couldn’t remember where. And my dream, although slightly wrong, still happened before I’d ever seen his face.”

  “That’s very romantic,” I state warmly, squeezing her hand. “I’m glad you found yours.”

  “I think you’ll find yours too,” she replies confidently. I can’t help but feel grateful for how supportive she always is of me.

  She is pretty much all I have left of my family.

  “Right, Elle. We should probably be heading back to school.” Kristie emerges from the door with Obi running in behind her. I check the time, cursing when I see how late it is. “It was really nice to see you, Mrs. Grenway.”

  “Lovely to see you too, Kristie. Goodbye, Elle dear.”

  I hug her quickly, grabbing my things as I move. “I’ll be home straight after school.”

  She waves her hands at me and pushes me out the room, a chuckle emitting from her lips. “Don’t worry if something comes up, just let me know you’re safe.” She goes to push us through the front door but quickly stops and runs back into the house, making us pause in our retreat. “I found this, dear. It is so pretty on you, I really think you should wear it.”

  She holds out the necklace to me, the deep colour sparkling as I look at it for the first time in days. I’ve almost forgotten how beautiful it is.

  “Thank you,” I breathe out, a sense of calm washing over me as I take it out her frail hands. “I’ve been missing it.”

  The drive to school is quick, thanks to Kristie’s partially reckless driving. We make it with a few minutes to spare, both our legs running for the doors. When we enter, however, it’s not dead like how we expect it to be. Instead, the halls are filled with people, all walking in the same direction.

  “Last-minute assembly,” Tom shouts as he sees us, flowing past in the river of people. We quickly join the chain, trying not to lose our belongings in the rush.

  “I wonder what this is about,” Kristie mumbles, turning to ask people around her if they know, but no one seems to have any idea. We quickly give up on that plan and just make our way to the hall, taking our seats near the back of the stands.

  As we sit down, I notice Trent and Cole walk in, too, and sit a few rows in front of us, their heads bent together in what looks like a harsh discussion.

  I wonder if something has happened.

  It’s as if he hears me or some cosmic power wants me to look like I’m stalking him because, at that exact moment, he turns around and his eyes connect with mine from metres away, the distance having no effect on the feeling that it gives me in my stomach.

  His eyes flick down from my face to my neck. I realise my hands have tightened around the pendant out of habit as per usual, as if it had never not been sitting on my body.

  He shoots me a smile and turns back around, taking off his jacket as he does, and the ink in between his shoulders reminds me of the tattoo and how strange he had been.

  Why has he been so obsessed with me drawing it?

  As we wait for the other students to file in, I quickly take my notebook out of my bag and open it up to the page he had been so interested in, my fingers skimming over the ink as I read it all.

  There’s the tree, just the same as his tattoo. The actual work that I’m meant to be doing is there too and the date and—

  The date.

  My whole body stills as I reread the numbers once, twice and then three times over, trying to figure out if my mind is playing tricks on me or if I had just been stupid that day and written the wrong one.

  “It can’t be,” I whisper, but the evidence is there on the page. I know for a fact that I haven’t gotten it wrong; the date is right.

  “What’s wrong?” Kristie asks, peering at my book. “Oh, is that the tattoo you were on about?”

  I nod while thrusting it into her hand, eager for her to tell me I’m wrong. “Look at the date.”

  She shoots me a quizzical look before laughing lightly and then does as I ask. “July 20th?” she offers as if it’s a question, not understanding why my eyes have gone wide and my heart feels like it’s stopped in my chest. “Why is that important?”

  I can’t breathe. “Because we hadn’t started school for the year yet. This was summer work,” I explain, my voice barely audible.

  “Okay, so? We know you’re a bit of a nerd—”

  “Kristie. It was before school started. I hadn’t met Trent yet.”

  “So? Why is that important?” she asks, looking at the design again, still not grasping what I am struggling to say.

  “I hadn’t met him, Kristie. I drew his tattoo, but I’ve never seen it.”

  Her mouth pops open at my confession, confusion marring her features as she laughs a little, not knowing what to say.

  “Spooky?” she offers lightly. “I mean, I haven’t even seen the tattoo. Are you sure?”

  I grab her arm and point straight ahead at the back of Trent’s neck where the design contrasts beautifully against his olive skin.

  “It’s right there, on his neck, the exact same design,” I rush out, my palms beginning to sweat.

  She glances at me nervously and then back at Trent, squinting as she does.

  “I mean, look!” I exclaim, pointing to Cole. “It’s on the back of Cole’s too!”

  The exact same image carves itself up the back of his neck, identical to the one Trent has on his. Trent never told me they have matching tattoos.

  Kristie’s whole body seems to sag in relief as she shuts my notepad and turns to face me, smirking at me as if I’ve done something funny.

  “Okay, is this a prank?” she asks with an accusing look. “Have you been planning this because you and Cam haven’t done one of your pranks in a while and—”

  “No!” I cut her off. “Why would I be pranking you? Why would I draw these in my book to match their tattoos just to laugh at you?”

  How is she not getting this?

  Instead of taking me seriously like I expect, Kristie laughs again but it’s uneasy as her eyes dart back to the boys.

  “I mean, I don’t know why you’d do that.”

  “Thank you,” I state, exhausted from trying to explain myself to her. Maybe she’s finally getting how strange
this all is and how I’m trying to come to terms with it.

  “Especially when the joke was up as soon as I looked at them.”

  What?

  I look at her in total confusion. Her smirk making absolutely zero sense to me.

  “Oh, come on, Elle. I can see their necks, I know it’s a joke.”

  A feeling of dread washes over me as I see how truthful she’s being and how much she believes what she’s saying right now. Her friendly face is filled with amusement.

  “What do you mean?” I ask, already afraid of what she is about to say and her brows crinkle at my question.

  “I mean, these ‘tattoos’ on their necks. There’s nothing there. They don’t exist.”

  I can’t even begin to comprehend what she’s telling me. For a moment, I think she’s joking; I want to believe she’s joking, but I know she’s telling the truth.

  She can’t see them.

  “Elle, are you okay?”

  Am I imagining them? No. Trent had shown it to me.

  “Why can I see them, and she can’t?” I mumble, staring at the back of Trent’s head. I put all my focus on him and trying to get him to turn around, to look at me and explain everything.

  I want answers.

  My fingers curl around metal and Trent’s head snaps back to mine, his eyes ablaze with something I don’t recognise, and it knocks the wind out of me.

  Tell me what’s happening to me.

  Slowly, shock forms on his features as I glare at him, pulling his brows together. For the first time, he looks completely lost for words and panic begins to set in.

  What if he’s supernatural?

  For some reason, the thought has never occurred to me. I haven’t really taken the time to even consider it, but now, it just seems far too obvious. The tingles he gives me when he touches me, the way he seems to be so unnaturally beautiful and strong. The invisible tattoo on his neck.

  Trent cuts eye contact with me and turns around, leaning his head into Cole whose gaze flickers to me as he tries to inconspicuously watch me, but I see him.

  Cole must be too.

  Automatically, I stand up, my sight set on the two boys who are anxiously whispering. I feel my feet start to move before a hand grabs me.

  “Where are you going?” Kristie hisses as the hall starts to quiet down.

  “I need answers,” I tell her. She shakes her head, yanking me into the seat beside her.

  “Not right now, the principal is about to speak.”

  Right enough, Principal Knowles is hushing the crowd and walking to the front of us all. Practically, our whole year sits in front of him, and I don’t miss the look of sadness that coats his expression.

  Dread sets in as he clears his throat and looks out at us all, so silent that a pin could be heard if it drops.

  “Good afternoon, seniors,” he begins with a shaky voice, the teachers behind him all clumped together as they sniff and dab at their eyes with tissues.

  Something has happened.

  “I apologise for pulling you out your classes. I know that this is an important year for you; however, I need to make an announcement.”

  Kristie’s hand finds mine and holds onto it tightly.

  “About twenty minutes ago, a body was found in the woods outside of the school.”

  Gasps begin to echo around the room. A chill sweeps over my body as I digest his words.

  Someone is dead.

  Automatically, my eyes dart around the hall and look for anyone who is missing or any of my friends who might not be present.

  “Where’s Cam?” Kristie chokes out. I can feel my stomach drop to the floor, my soul shattering into a million pieces as I realise that I haven’t seen his familiar head of ginger hair sitting anywhere.

  “The body was of your classmate,” he continues. I don’t even feel the tears that fall from my eyes, but my vision blurs, letting me know they’ve started. “Your classmate, Ben Novach.”

  It’s awful, but relief sweeps over me at knowing that it’s not Cam that’s dead. However, the feeling is shortly followed by sadness as I recall Ben over our school lives.

  He’s always the quiet one in classes, barely ever said much and never really got involved in anything we did, but he’s always kind and helpful when he could be.

  How on earth did he end up dead?

  “The situation is being treated as suspicious, and so, we need to advise you guys again to stay out of the woods and to be alert. An email has been sent out to your parents and our school councillors have opened their schedules to provide support if needed. Your classes are cancelled for the rest of the afternoon.”

  “I don’t think many people even really knew Ben, let alone are going to grieve over him,” Kristie mumbles sadly, shooting glares ahead of us.

  I look around the room and see some people with tears in their eyes, but a lot of them seem to not be overly bothered by what the principal is saying and have started whispering, talking about what they think has happened and their theories on it.

  Disgusting.

  Looking down in front of me, I can see Trent and Cole with their heads pressed together, looks of alarm on both their faces. It piques my curiosity.

  Why do they look so concerned about it?

  As everyone begins to stand up and move around, I notice more boys making their way to Trent and Cole, hushed words passing between them as they crowd round.

  Some of the boys I haven’t really seen before—I suppose I never paid much attention to who’s with Trent considering my attention is usually taken up by him—all have the same angry scowl coating their features.

  They all also have the tattoo; the exact same tattoo.

  My breath stops, my hands begin to shake, and my legs begin to tremble as I scan over every person standing with them.

  All on the backs of their necks, shining out like some gang symbol, is the tree. The simple line causes my heart to pound so loudly that I think it’s going to turn me deaf.

  Why do they all have the same tattoo?

  “I need to find Cam.” I release the breath I’m holding and spring up from my chair, ignoring Kristie’s questions as I shove through the crowd, eager to get some answers from the one person who I know won’t lie to me anymore.

  I can feel Trent’s eyes turn to me as I push past people, apologising as some complain, but I don’t spare him a glance and proceed to force myself out the room. I begin to run as I get into the empty corridor.

  What is he? Why is someone dead? Who killed Ben? What if Cam is dead too?

  Before I realise, I’m outside of the school, the fresh air knocking me back as it flies into my lungs. My head starts to spin, the questions filling my head as panic sets in and I struggle to breathe.

  Where’s Cam?

  “Elle!”

  It’s as if a bucket of water is thrown over me as I spin around and look at the person running towards me, the look of relief on their face matching my own. I burst out crying as I run at him, the panic attack stopping as soon as his arms wrap around me.

  “I thought you were dead,” I sob, clinging onto my best friend as he hushes me. He’s holding me so fiercely that I’m scared to even try and move. “Why weren’t you in the assembly? When they said there was a body—”

  “Hey, hey!” Cam coos as he pulls back from me and holds me at arm’s length, his comforting smile gracing his lips. “I’m right here, I’m sorry I worried you.”

  I nod, feeling myself calm down as I look him over. That’s when I notice the cuts all over him and the blood on his shirt.

  “Cam, why is there blood on you?” I whisper, pulling myself out of his arms as the worst kind of thoughts flood into my head.

  “Elle, it’s not mine,” he tells me, reaching out, but I move out the way, fear pouring over me as I imagine the wolf that Cam becomes tearing into someone, his sharp teeth ripping through human flesh.

  “What did you do?” I choke out, my hands shaking as I point at the scratches covering him.
“Whose blood is that?”

  The silence between us is deafening as he watches me, shame overcoming him as he closes his eyes and breathes in deeply.

  “It’s Ben’s.”

  A sound like someone is drowning and choking for air reaches my ears. It takes my lungs burning for me to realise that it’s me as I move back from him, trying to comprehend what he’s saying.

  “Did you kill him?” I ask so quietly that I doubt he would have heard it if he’s human.

  But he isn’t human.

  “How could you even ask that?” Cam’s nostrils flare as he half-spits at me. “I didn’t kill him. I was trying to save him, but hunters got him with wolfsbane, and there was nothing I could do.”

  “Wait, Ben was a werewolf?” Regret floods through me as I look at the pained look that flits across Cam’s features. He slowly nods as he looks away from me, clearly replaying whatever happened in his head.

  “Did you say hunters?”

  A dark look takes over Cam as his fists tighten and a growl emits from his throat, his eyes shooting behind me and the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention.

  “What exactly are we discussing out here?”

  The voice has an edge to it that I’ve never heard before. It makes me jump as I turn around and face him, my feet taking me back to Cam.

  “None of your concern, Trent,” Cam spits. I watch as Trent and Cole snarl back at him, their faces morphing into an animalistic glare. “I didn’t realise the pedigrees would care about anything I have to say anyway.”

  Pedigrees.

  Cole takes a step forward threateningly, but Trent’s hand shoots out and stops him, his eyes flicking to me and my astonished glare as he holds his best friend back from running at us.

  “You’re right,” he comments nonchalantly, his whole demeanour suddenly changing in the blink of an eye. Cole looks at him questioningly. “I don’t care what you have to say usually, but I’m sure we can discuss things another time.”

  His eyes glance to me again and then down at my neck, as always, his eyes finding the necklace sitting there perfectly.

  The same way the wolf looked at me the day I found it.