"Do you
have to go?" eleven-year-old Ashling asked her seventeen-year-old brother
Allen.
"I gotta
Ash," he said. The sound of his voice, even though the Irish accent matched
hers, made her feel a little better. "I'm going to college. And I'll meet a woman
who I'll marry and have kids with and-"
"I'll be
Cool Auntie Ashling. I know I've heard it a million times. Ever since you got
accepted. I get it,"
"That's my
girl," he kissed her forehead. "I gotta go now. I promise I'll write once a
week and call."
"Allen,"
his mother Angela said. "Don't spend all of you money…and be careful…Los
Angeles is a big city and people like to take advantage of young children from
different countries…" she was about to cry.
Allen
smiled. "Ma…I'll be fine." He hugged her.
"Be careful
Allen…call us when you get there,"
"I will,"
Allen pulled away. "I love you Ma. You too Ash." He picked up his bags and
headed for the gate.
"Come on
Ashling…lets head home," both turned away as Allen boarded the plane.
NINE
YEARS LATER
Ashling,
now twenty, walked the streets of her hometown alone. She looked up at the
stars and felt tears sting her eyes. Nights like these got her thinking of her
brother Allen. It had been a year and half at least since she'd last heard from
him. He hadn't been home since the day he left.
"Hey, hey,"
Ashling turned to the sound of the voice.
"Hello?" no
answer. She kept walking. She heard footsteps behind her. "Frank is that you?"
she sighed. "I though I told you to…" a growl came from the person.
"You're
going to die tonight," Ashling's blue eyes grew wide. She started run and was
followed. The chaser chased her into the open field.
"Help me!"
Ashling yelled into the dark. Of course there was no one in this part.
"Someone!" she reached a well. She looked down it. Too far and no water.
"Shit." The intruder came to her and looked her in the eye. With out a second
thought he lunged at her. She turned to jump over the well but he pulled her
leg down. "Let me go!" She kicked.
"I don't
think so," he grabbed her arm and got ready to bite down on her neck. She felt
the breath on her neck. She turned as her back was against the stone side of
the well. She positioned to kick but the wall fell under back. "There goes
dinner." The man muttered as he walked away.
Ashling
fell down the long well. She let out a long scream. She felt something change.
Something in her face. Before she could feel what was happening she hit a rock.
Her neck cracked and she lay limply. Seconds later she opened her eyes with a
gasp. She touched her chin and felt her neck move easily. "Oh God…my neck…" she
went to touch her forehead but felt sharp 'pins' on it. "What…" she felt them
all over her face. She sat up and her neck fell to the side. "Please let this
work." She placed her hands, which she saw were now green, on her neck and
snapped her neck back in place. She stood to her feet and jumped. Some how she
flew to the top of the well and climbed out.
"Something's
happening to me." She ran home.
"Ma!"
Ashling ran into the house trying to cover her face. "Ma!"
"What is
it?" Angela came out of the kitchen.
"Ma what is
wrong with me?" Ashling moved her hands and her mother saw what was wrong. Ashling's
face was now green with blue spikes, and her crystal blue eyes were dark red.
"Honey just
calm down…"
"Ma! What
is wrong with me! I was being chased…I fell down a well. Me neck was broken…what
is wrong with me?"
"Ash… sit
down," she sat on the couch along with Angela. Her tears rolled past the
spikes. "I had to tell Allen this when he was twenty…well he was twenty-one."
"Ma,"
"You're
father who left me the day after you were born, is a demon, a Bracken demon…I didn't
think it would show up in either of you. Especially you…but it did show up in
Allen and I knew I'd have to tell you someday."
"How…how
can I get this off my face?"
"Just think
of your normal face. Allen told me in his letters. The demon can come and go as
you please,"
Ashling
thought of her normal face and it appeared. "Why didn't Allen ever tell me?"
"I asked
him not to. I didn't think it would show up in you,"
"Ma, I'm
going to Los Angeles,"
"What?"
"I'm gonna
find Allen,"
"Honey, we
haven't heard from him in almost two years-"
"I don't
care," Ashling got up heading for her room.
"Bring him
Ash," Angela called. She knew she couldn't stop her daughter.
"I will,"
Ashling began to pack.