Author's note
Hey guys! This story has been stuck in my head since I first saw the covenant and I've recently gotten the motivation to finally start writing it.
This is the first story I'm posting, EVER and I'm feeling really nervous and scared but I figure that my writing won't get any better unless I get some feed back. So I hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!
- CT
Three months ago
Emma stood over the main deck's balcony watching the waves reflect the glimmering light of the moon and listening to the soft flow of the water against the yacht. It had been a warm summer night and her Grandparents had no issues with falling asleep after drinking a little too many bottles of wine. Emma on the other hand could not shake the feeling of uneasiness at the pit of her stomach and after hours of wrestling under her sheets, she figured some fresh air might be able to cure her sleeplessness.
That was when she felt it. The same eerie feeling she got the day that her father died, as if a surge of energy zapped through her veins and she just knew that she was in danger. Suddenly she felt a cold gust of wind brush against her bare arms and at the corner of her eye, she spots a thick fog moving unnaturally fast towards the boat. Terrified and confused she quickly rushed to her grandparent's cabin to warn them.
"Nana! Grandpa! Wake up!" She said as she frantically nudged them until they snapped out of their dreams. "Please nana! Get up!"
"What is it, dear?" Her grandmother asked in a groggy voice.
"Look outside!" Emma said pointing towards the window of their cabin where the fog was now only a few meters away. The two looked to where she pointed and the expression of worry and fear in their faces confirmed all of her concerns.
Her grandmother got up and wrapped a blanket over Emma while her grandfather moved towards the window trying to get a better view. He noticed that the waves were getting stronger as each one passed. He looked to his wife has his granddaughter with a blank face.
"Go down to the lower deck and put on the life vests then wake the crew, I'll get this boat started." He ordered.
Emma simply nodded as she guided her grandmother down the stairs. The boat was now swaying back and forth due to the push of each wave, making it harder to keep their balance. Once they made it down, Emma sat her grandmother down and hurriedly pulled the life vests out of the storage closet. Trying hard to stay upright, she helped her grandmother strap her life vest on before strapping up herself.
"Nana, I'll go wake the crew up. Just stay here" Emma said to her grandma who tried her best to show nothing but calmness.
Staggering down the hallway, she banged on each door, trying to make as much noise as she could. The yacht was now swaying violently making it extremely difficult for her to keep her feet planted and she found it odd that none of the crew have yet been woken by it. Holding on to the door frame, she yanked the captain's door open to find a still, pale body lying on the ground. Pushing herself into the room, she knelt down over the body and placed her two fingers on his neck, right under his jaw line, trying to feel for a pulse and just as she suspected, there was none. That was when she noticed the thick fog creeping into the room from the hallway. Panicked and confused, she quickly checked the other rooms only to find the rest of the crew in the same state as the captain. Not knowing what to do with the situation, she found her way through the fog to return to where she had left her grandmother. To her relief, her grandmother was still sitting on the bench, holding on to the railings as each wave pummeled the boat.
"Nana!" Emma cried out.
"Where's the crew?" Her grandmother asked. Emma simply shook her head, trying to find the words to explain what she had just witnessed.
"They- they're dead." She said just above a whisper. "I got there and they were laying on the floor, all of them. And the fog, it doesn't make any sense! What's happening nana?"
"Listen, everything will be alright, just calm down. We need to get to your grandfather." Her grandmother held Emma by the arm and urged her to get up to the second deck where her grandfather was. The two of them struggled to get up to the main deck and once they got there, it didn't get any easier. The winds have picked up and had brought a storm along with it making the stairs leading up to the second deck as easy to climb as Mount Everest.
"Odette! Emma!" The familiar voice of Emma's grandfather echoed through the storm and fog.
"Grandpa! We're here! By the stairs!" Emma yelled back.
"Hang on! I'll come to you!"
Emma gripped on the railings of the yacht making sure that she had good enough leverage to keep her grandmother from falling over. Then Emma felt a strong hand grab her arms and pull her over. It was her grandfather.
"Emma! I'm glad you're safe. Odette!" He moved towards his wife and hugged her tightly.
"Grandpa! The crew! They're all dead!" Emma cried, unable to hold back her tears.
"I figured as much. Come on, you have to get to the life rafts. We need to get off this yacht!" He said as he pointed towards the back of the ship. Emma tried taking a few steps forwards, still holding on to her grandmother but the winds waves have become so strong that it felt as though each pass, the yacht was completely tipped to its sides.
"I have to stabilize the boat! You two need to go ahead. I'll be right behind you!" Her grandfather ordered.
"No! I'm not going to leave you!"
"We don't have a choice! Go!"
"But grandpa."
"Emma, I won't say it again, go!" He said sternly.
Reluctantly she nodded but before she made her way to the rafts, she hugged him tightly.
"I love you Gramps. Please be careful." Emma said with tears streaming down her face.
"I love you too, dear. Promise me you'll listen to whatever grandma says."
Emma simply nodded in her grandfather's arms.
"Promise me." He said wanting to hear her say it.
"I promise." And with that he let her out of his arms and turned to make his way back up to the control room.
Grabbing on to whatever she can get her hands on, Emma mustered up all her energy to get a good footing but the constant swinging and the force of the wind have drained her strength and was begging to feel light headed. It took everything she had to continue to tread through the yacht but she was finally able to get herself and her grandmother to the life rafts. Using her last bit of energy she grabbed the life raft and pulled the pin that allowed inflating, but her vision was fading quickly. No longer able to hold herself up, Emma collapsed to the ground as the world around her became a blur. She felt something grab her by the arms and tie something around her wrist before everything went black.
Present day
It was the first day back from a summer vacation of booze, partying and sex for many of the rich and privileged students that attended Spencer Academy. It was safe to say that most of them were dreading their return to old school uniforms, homework and the stress of keeping their grades up so that their high society parents don't deny them of their trust funds. The Sons of Ipswich were no exception.
Caleb Danvers arrived at the school with his best friend Pogue Parry. Pogue had agreed to pick him up that morning after losing to Caleb over a Foosball match they had at Nicky's a few nights ago. The two spotted Reid Garwin, the hotheaded trouble maker of the four, already at the front steps of the main building having a conversation with Kate and Sarah, Kate's new roommate.
"Garwin!" Caleb called out as he and Pogue made their way to the others. He flashed Sarah a smile and turned back to Reid.
"Kate," Pogue address his girlfriend as he went in to give her a hug.
"Hey Babe. I hope you guys got away okay last night." Kate said referring to the kick-off party they had attended the night before at the Dells. Unfortunately their celebrations were cut short due to complaint by a nearby resident and when the cops showed up, everyone was forced to flee before the night was over.
"Don't worry Kate, I got your boy out just in time." Reid said, clearly trying to impress Sarah. "Caleb on the other hand wanted us to pull over." Caleb just simply brushed off Reid's comment.
"Where's Tyler?" Caleb asked when he noticed the youngest member of their group was yet to be seen.
"Who knows? Probably polishing his car." Reid joked.
Not a moment later, they spot Tyler walking towards the main building with his backpack slung across one shoulder and all his attention focused on the piece of paper in his hand that looked to be his class schedule.
"Yo, baby boy! Over here!" Caleb called out to him. Just as Tyler looked up to see who had called his name, he bumped into something causing him to fall back. Tyler looked to see what he hit only to find a girl with silky, chestnut brown hair, and bright aquamarine eyes looking straight at him.
"Ow" The girl said as she slowly pulled herself up off the ground and began picking up her books. Tyler noticed that he hasn't seen her before. He examined her for a moment until she glanced over to him and gave him a confused look. That was when he realized he was still lying on the ground, staring at her.
"Did you hurt something?" She asked, wondering if the fall had injured him in some way.
"Oh, um, no. I'm fine. You just caught me of guard." Tyler replied, snapping out of his daze. "Here, let me help you with that." He quickly helped pick up most her books and random school supplies scattered all over the floor.
"Thanks." The girl said looking at him with a slight smile.
"No problem. I should have looked where I was going." Tyler said as he handed her books to her.
"I guess I could have been more careful too. Thanks again." She said as she gathered the rest of her things and brushed her skirt strait. Tyler was about to ask for her name but she had taken off before he could do so. Instead, he simply watched as she hurriedly made her way into the main building, unable to stop himself from admiring her curvy features and her long slender legs as she dodged through the crowd of students.
Tyler felt a strong hand on his shoulder, breaking his train of thoughts. It was Pogue and the rest of the gang. He then started to feel his face flush a bit when he realized that they must have witnessed him getting knocked over by a girl.
"Are you okay, bro?" Pogue asked.
"I think I'll survive." Tyler replied.
"Who was that?" Reid said, focusing his gaze on the girl.
"I have no idea." There was a bit of disappointment in Tyler's eyes. "Must be a new girl. I've never seen her before."
"She is. Just transferred in last minute." Kate said. "That's Emma Hawthorne. She just checked in last night. Her dorm is just down our floor."
"Hawthorne? As in the Hawthorne?" Tyler asked.
Kate nodded to him. "That's the one." A look of pity fell on all the boys faces while Sarah looked at them a little confused.
