Shadow Seeker (A Crow Haven Series Book 1) Page 4

  Realizing I was thinking crazy, I shook my head and laughed at my own silliness. I guess I was so used to strangeness in my own life, that I was creating it here, too.

  I went to bed that night with the sounds of the Crow still echoing in my mind.

  Waking up the next morning, I found the warm rays of the sunlight caressing my skin. My alarm wailed from beside me; and as I turned off the annoying sound, I sat up in bed.

  I could already hear my parent’s downstairs, so I knew I needed to get moving. Especially, since Maylee and Ace would be here in thirty minutes.

  After showering and dressing, I walked over to my vanity and messed with my hair. I decided on a high ponytail and then added some light foundation to my face. Applying mascara, I noticed my eyes were even more green today than normal. I finished my look with some shiny lip gloss and then grabbed my new black backpack and headed for the stairs.

  I found my parents in the kitchen. My dad was busy at work on his laptop while mom poured us both a steaming hot cup of coffee. One thing my mom and I definitely shared was a love for coffee.

  As I passed my mom she handed me a steaming cup and said, “Good morning, Lizzy. Are you ready for your first day?” she asked.

  I took the coffee and enjoyed a sip of the rich goodness before responding. “I guess I am as ready as I will ever be,” I say, taking a seat beside my dad at the farmhouse table. When decorating, my mom went all out on the decor. She stayed true to the house’s overall feel and added a touch of modern flare.

  “I still remember your mom’s first day at Salem High,” my dad noted, giving my mom puppy dog eyes.

  It was gross and a little cute how much my dad adored my mom. But, I would never tell them I thought they were adorable.

  “Well, it should be interesting. Maylee and her brother, Ace, are driving me,” I say.

  My mom hands me a fresh apple cinnamon muffin and sits down beside me.

  “That’s very nice of them. You are really getting to know Maylee and Ace,” she says, her attempt at getting some information out of me.

  “Maylee is great,” I offer. “But, Ace is still up in the air. He barely speaks and seems too protective of Maylee,” I finish, taking a huge bite of my muffin. My mind instantly drifted to what Talia had said about Maylee and Ace losing their parents. Maybe I should be kind to Ace. I don’t know what I would do if I lost my parents.

  My mom simply nods, but doesn’t press me further. Before I know it, it’s time for Maylee and Ace to be here to pick me up. Gathering my things, I said my goodbyes to my parents and walked to the front porch. Just as I closed the door behind me, I heard the roar of Ace’s car as it headed toward my house.

  My heart began to beat wildly in my chest and I just assumed it was my nerves at first, but as Ace’s car came into sight, I realized this was more of an eagerness really.

  I spotted Ace and his dark hair flying in the wind as his windows were rolled down. Maylee waved as Ace stopped in my driveway, I felt like my heart was going to explode right out of my chest.

  “Morning,” Maylee said, opening the door for me.

  Since this was a sports car, I would have to crawl into the backseat. I didn’t mind though; they were offering me a ride and I was going to be grateful.

  Maylee moved her seat forward and I climbed in. Once we were seated, Ace took off like he was in the middle of the Indy 500.

  As he drove, I couldn’t help but notice that he kept stealing glances at me in the mirror. I smiled once; but when he scowled, I decided to just keep my eyes focused on the outside and the small town passing us by.

  When we reached the long drive of the high school, I felt my body growing nervous. A two story brick building came into view, and I sucked in a deep breath to try and calm my nerves.

  School buses lined the front as students piled out. Others parked in the student lot like us. Ace pulled into a spot and shut off the engine. Without saying a word, he jumped out of the car, slamming his door shut, and not saying anything.

  Maylee opened her passenger side door and helped me out of the back. “Don’t mind Ace. He is like that with everyone,” she said, rolling her eyes at her brother.

  I paused for a moment and watched Ace walk away. He seemed to stand out in the sea of students. With his black leather jacket, denim jeans, and messy hair, he looked more like a young James Dean in an old Hollywood film, than a high school student.

  “Why is that?” I asked, adjusting my backpack on my shoulder.

  We began to walk toward the school and the blue and green East Jessamine Jaguars sign welcomed us.

  “What do you mean?” Maylee asked me.

  “Well, you said he’s always so… quiet,” I said.

  I wasn’t about to insult her and call her brother rude or cold, so I went with being quiet.

  Maylee seemed to grow tense as she walked beside me. Her smile never faded, but I could feel her energy shift. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked at all.

  “Ace is just different. He keeps to himself mostly. I guess I am just used to it,” Maylee answered.

  I decided to not push her further. We made it to the entrance; and as I stepped inside the school, I realized this was my first step into the newest journey of my life. I was about to embark on a new chapter as the new girl in a new town.

  As we walked through the halls, I took in my new high school. We were greeted by a painted Jaguar emerging from a lush, green forest, featured on the entry wall. A glass case containing years of trophies and plaques lined the halls that led to the library and office.

  “I assume the school mascot is the Jaguar?” I ask, pointing to the many Jaguars and paw prints decorating the building.

  Holding out her hands like paws, Maylee pretended to swat at me as though she were a big cat. “Roar, welcome to the jungle, baby,” she giggled.

  I couldn’t help but laugh at her and it seemed to put me at ease for the moment.

  Maylee told me she would show me to my locker and homeroom. We shared only two classes together, but I was sure I could figure the rest out.

  My locker was upstairs on the second floor; and as we began climbing the stairs, I couldn’t help but notice the hushed whispers all around me about the new girl.

  Maylee pretended not to notice for my sake, but I knew she could hear, too.

  “Your locker is here,” Maylee said, pointing to a set of green lockers. I looked down at my schedule I had gotten before school started and searched for the locker number I was assigned. Once I found it, Maylee helped me with the combination. Easy enough, but I tried twice to make sure I had it down.

  “Got it,” I said, smiling and cheering for myself.

  “Your homeroom is just over there, room 202,” Maylee said, pointing to a heavy wooden door just beyond the staircase we had just come up.

  Nodding, I smiled. I was very grateful for Maylee’s kindness since she seemed to be the only person even talking to me.

  Grabbing books for my first hour, I closed my locker and said goodbye to Maylee.

  Heading to my homeroom, I spotted Ace walking down the hall. Stopping dead in my tracks, I took a moment to watch him. Ace had a strange aura about him that made him seem almost otherworldly. As he sauntered down the hall, students seemed to part to make way for him to glide right past them. Watching this was fascinating. It was as though each step Ace took, my heart, body, and soul was glued to each movement. I tried to look away, to will myself to enter my homeroom, but I just couldn’t seem to stop staring.

  Suddenly, Ace stopped in front of a doorway and turned. Our eyes locked and a shock of energy coursed through me. It caught me off guard and took my breath away.

  His gaze was so intense, I shuddered under his stare.

  Before I could think or even act, Ace broke our eye contact and walked inside the classroom. Once he was out of sight, I felt my body relax and my lungs seemed to remember how to breathe again.

  “Hey, move,” someone sneered from behind me.

  Turnin
g, I realized I was now standing in the doorway and blocking the way for other students.

  “Oh, sorry,” I mumbled, stepping out of their way.

  A few students entered the classroom and gave me nasty looks. Shaking my head, I tried to forget about Ace and the strange way I seemed to be pulled to him. Entering the class, I realized now I had a whole new set of problems; where to sit.

  Chapter Six

  First Steps

  S

  ome people think near death experiences are the most traumatic and terrifying moments of their lives. For a teenager facing a full classroom of judgmental teens, that is the scariest moment of their young lives.

  And now, I was living my biggest nightmare.

  All eyes were on me as I walked inside the classroom. Most students were seated in groups, clearly, they all were already friends and had made their friend groups years ago. I was new; an outsider attempting to break the circles they had already molded together.

  My homeroom teacher, Mr. Slate, was sitting at his desk and messing with his desktop computer. He barely looked up when I walked in.

  Most of the seats were filled, but I found an empty desk in the very back row. As I walked down the aisle, I heard more rumors and whispers as heads turned to check me out.

  Holding in my breath, I tried to keep a stoic expression on my face. I couldn’t let any of them know how terrified I was. I just hoped they couldn’t hear my knees shaking.

  Sitting down, I allowed myself to breathe.

  I pretended to make myself busy by arranging my notebooks on my desk and checking out the decor of the room. The white cinder block walls were covered in motivational posters and East Jaguars memorabilia.

  Something out of the corner of my eye drew my sight to the large window overlooking a large farm. The fact that my new school sat beside a farm full of cows wasn’t what was odd here. No, it was the thick gust of black air that seemed to be swirling among the trees that struck me. My eyes locked on the sight as my breathing grew rapid. Not now. Please, don’t do this to me on my first day of school.

  My legs trembled beneath me and my eyes pricked with tears. I was so lost pretending to be busy, I didn’t notice the girls in front of me turn in their seats.

  “Hey, Lizzy,” Talia says.

  I hadn’t even noticed her sitting in front of me until now. I whiped my head around and the darkness that was once consuming my interest, disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. I did my best to compose myself quickly. Smiling back at me was Talia’s minions, Bonnie, Amy, and Kate. As they sat there in their short skirts and phony smiles, I was reminded of that movie, Mean Girls.

  “Hi,” I reply a little nervously.

  Talia leans in closer to me and I can smell her flowery fragrance filling the space. “Just between us, hanging out with Maylee isn’t going to help your reputation here,” she whispered, plastering a fake smile on her face.

  Shuddering, I tried not to growl at her. This girl had a lot of nerve. Never in a million years would I ever want to be friends with someone like her. Her dislike for Maylee made me like her even more.

  Smiling, I leaned in so only Talia could hear me. “Just so we are clear, my reputation here doesn’t matter to me. In fact, if hanging out with judgmental girls like you is popular, then I will proudly label myself an outcast.”

  I sat back in my chair and turned my gaze to the front of the classroom.

  Talia sat in shock for a moment before she returned to her snarky friends.

  “Hey,” a voice whispered from beside me.

  I turned and noticed a girl with sandy blonde hair and a guy with wavy brown hair were smiling at me.

  “Yes,” I replied, expecting them to lash out at me, too.

  “That was pretty cool,” the girl said, smiling.

  I allowed myself to calm down and I smiled back. “Thanks.”

  “I’m Sawyer and this is Kade,” Sawyer said, pointing between herself and Kade.

  “No one really stands up to Talia. She’s been like that since pre-school,” Kade informs me.

  His kind, blue eyes are calming like watching waves on the ocean. He runs a hand through his hair and I watch as his waves move between his fingers.

  “You’ve had to put up with her that long?” I ask, smirking.

  “It’s a small town,” Sawyer says, shrugging her thin shoulders. Her blonde hair hangs down her shoulders and they look like rays of sunshine. I am instantly jealous of her looks.

  “We should hang out sometime,” Sawyer offers, and I notice Kade blushes.

  “Sure,” I manage to say, right before the teacher begins the class.

  As I sit back and prepare for my first day at East High, I smile to myself as I realize I just made friends simply being myself.

  After school, I met Maylee in the parking lot where we waited for Ace to drive us home. We shared stories about our first day of school and I was lost in a story she was telling me about a cafeteria meltdown, when Ace zoomed right past us.

  Grabbing Maylee by the arm, he whispered something in her ear that had her eyes growing wide.

  Standing by, I felt awkward. Should I just watch their heated conversation or should I start walking home?

  “Ace, it’s not a big deal,” Maylee yelled out.

  Ace’s eyes grew wide with anger and I saw him slam his fists into his pockets as he stormed past me and toward his car.

  “What was that?” I asked, once Ace was out of earshot.

  “Nothing, just family issues,” she said, trying to fake a smile. “Come on, let’s get to the car before Ace leaves us,” Maylee laughed, grabbing my arm and pulling me behind her.

  There was something very strange about Maylee and Ace, but I was too afraid to ask her anything. I really liked Maylee and didn’t want to offend her and lose her friendship.

  Ace was already revving the engine when we quickly jumped inside. Maylee barely had time to close her door before he sped off leaving a trail of smoke behind.

  When they dropped me off at my house, I thanked them for the ride and quickly got out of the tension filled car.

  Heading inside the house, I was bombarded with questions from my parents about my first day. After relieving them that all went well, I dropped my backpack off and fell onto the couch to watch some reality television. After a while, I grew restless.

  A walk through the woods suddenly called to me and I just couldn’t resist anymore.

  Letting my parents know where I was going, I ran out the back door and headed for the woods. I promised to be back before dark.

  I began making my journey through the tall weeds and sunflowers that littered the area. A slight breeze filtered through the air like a caressing touch to the skin. I wasn’t sure where I was going, I was just moving on instinct. As I glided through the sea of hunter green grass, I spotted something up ahead. Increasing my speed, I advanced forward, excited to find something other than the expansive grass and sky.

  As I approached, I noticed a large tree line that stretched as far as I could see. It seemed to go on forever, but that wasn’t what had caught my eye.

  Just on the edge of the opening to the forest, a stone archway with specks of black and silver granite seemed to beckon to me. Black iron fencing with a gothic design seemed to run for miles.

  Mesmerized by the strange natural form, I began to run until I was right in front of the arch. I had no idea where it led or what I would find behind it, but something about this place had me curious.

  “What are you doing?” a voice asked from behind me.

  I spun around so fast, I lost my footing and felt my body beginning to fall. Without anything to reach for to save me from the inevitable fall, I threw my arms out in front of me to brace myself.

  Only, I stumbled into a broad, heaving chest that felt more like stone than a human body.

  Ace’s arms reached out and grabbed me at lightning speed. As I realized I had been saved, and wasn’t lying on the ground below, I looked up to find A
ce’s blue eyes locked on me.

  However, he had a nasty scowl plastered across his chiseled face that made a shudder race down my spine.

  “I’m sorry, you startled me,” I said, moving out of his grasp. “Thank you for catching me.”

  “You didn’t answer my question,” Ace growled out, his arms now angrily folded across his chest.

  White hot anger filled me as I watched his face morph into anger.

  This guy had a serious case of rudeness and I wasn’t about to let him talk to me like that.

  Placing my hands defiantly on my hips, I glared daggers his way.

  “Well, it’s really none of your business what I do on my own property,” I snapped.

  Ace’s gaze never left mine. A cocky smirk grew on his face and my anger turned to fury as I watched him look down at me. “Your property ends there,” Ace said, pointing behind me to the edge of a pond.

  Oh, well he did have me there, but still, I didn’t like his attitude or intrusion.

  “I was going for a walk, if you really must know,” I said, rolling my eyes.

  The heated evening sun was scorching and only adding more fire to my already ignited mood. As Ace towered over me with his six-foot height, I attempted to seem larger than my own five-foot-two frame.

  “You looked like you were looking for something,” Ace replied, his attitude grating on my nerves.

  “I was just exploring behind my house and I guess I went too far. I will just turn around and head back,” I said, acting as though I knew how to get back. I was done with this conversation and Ace. I had no idea how he and Maylee were related at all. They were stark differences-- like night and day.

  When I began walking, I made right turns, then left. I had no idea where I was or how far away from the farm I truly was. Ace had made it clear that he didn’t like me and the thought of being stuck out here with him didn’t settle with me.

  “You are going the wrong way,” he said, watching me like a predator watches his prey.

  “How do you know that?” I asked.