Ashes to Dust
Prologue
It was about 8pm on a Sunday night. Me and Ash, my new boyfriend, were walking back to my place. I felt a bit of shyness coming from him, but I bet he was no way as nervous as I was. Ash was new to our school and wasn't like the other guys. He was beautiful, in a manly and mysterious way. None of us knew where he moved from or where he originated. He had ash blonde hair that he scruffed up, and believe me, he looked hot. His eyes were piercing green with a tint of blue and his stare was incredibly sexy. There was only one thing imperfect about Ash.
It was as if he could tell what everyone was thinking. Sometimes he would finish off peoples sentences and answer your thoughts. He was nearly always perfectly correct.
As we approached my driveway, he took my hand and kissed it.
"Aren't you a romantic." I giggled.
"I think of myself as more of a…thriller." He replied.
"Prove it."
Suddenly he stood right in front of me, his face only inches from mine. He put his arm around my waist and pushed me up against the garage door. His lips touched my neck and he softly started to kiss it. It felt good. Then he moved his lips to mine. I closed my eyes as he leaned in, and we kissed. He was amazing! His tongue moving perfectly against mine.
All of a sudden, it was as if he was in my mind. I could sense him in a new way. It didn't fell like a touch, a taste or sound. It was something new – very new. I tried to reach out with this new feeling, and found myself hearing everything he was thinking. I reached further and saw a faded picture in my minds eye. It was like an old tape or something. The sound was distant and disoriented.
I could see a young boy in a sand pit making sand castles. The next vision I saw was of an older boy. He had dark hair and dark hazel eyes. He was walking to wards the boy I saw in the last vision. Only, this time the young boy looked a tad older. The hazel dudes expression turned into a face of hatred, and he jumped at the younger lad. I heard a fuzzy scream and then saw the stranger biting the child's neck.
Everything went black and I then saw his mind. I cant really describe it, but there was vines crawling up trees. There was lots of undergrowth, and nearly everything was green. Then I saw a figure in the distance. It started off as a gold glow, then became clearer. I saw a teenage girl with long orange hair with streaks of brown. It as just like mine. The face also became clearer and I could now easily see her grey eyes. She had full pink lips. She was dressed in a long, white, flowing dress. Then I clicked. The girl I saw was me. His mind was focusing on me!
'Is this how he always feels?' I thought to myself. And almost instantly I heard him reply, 'Erm…mostly but never this strong.'
I freaked. His lips were still engaged with mine. He broke away and backed up.
"We were using telepathy. Don't get freaked," Get what I mean by the answering thoughts thing? "Its just something I've learnt over the years. But never, in my entire life, have I been able to actually see a persons mind."
'He saw my mind? He must have heard my thoughts as well. Well, if that's the case, I hope he heard the part about me thinking that he's a very good kisser.' I thought to myself, then remembered that my thoughts were no longer private. Questions started to swirl in my head. How did we do that? Were those visions memories?
Finally I said "All this that's just happened, it impossible right?"
"No I'm afraid." Why was he 'afraid'? "Nothing is impossible Kestrel, and soon I will prove that to you as well. You know that I'm good at proving things."
"Huh?" The whole event had me totally confused.
"It doesn't matter. For now. Lets just focus on me and you."
Once again he leaned in, and we kissed passionately. I knew from then on, that this was going to be the most thrilling, scary and sexy relationship that I would ever experience.
Chapter One
I am now 14. It has been one year since me and Ash were in my driveway. One year since found out his scary secret. Now I also carry that secret. My senses are on fire. I can smell prey from a mile away. I can lock onto peoples emotions and thoughts. I can see in the dark, as if it was pure daylight.
I was stood in a deserted local park awaiting the perfect victim. A small girl, aged around seven was skipping past the gates. I reached into her mind and found that she was daydreaming of skipping up a road of candy. A supposed unicorn was trotting past her calling out to its friend. "Charlie? We've gotta go to Candy Mountain Charlie!" I got a tad bit freaked by the unicorns constant grin, and so decided not to venture any further into her thoughts.
I crept out of the motionless park and crossed the road. She was now skipping on the left, and I was walking with feline grace on the right. The girl didn't seem to notice me, and even if she did, I would probably just be a tall elf with bells on the ends of my converses. She kept on skipping up Pontac Road .
Finally she started to enter the woods. We were ages away from the park now. The entrance to the gloomy forestation, consisted of three dirt paths. She took the first one to the left. Perfect. I let her skip on for a bit, then I pounced with cat power and grabbed her from behind. My hand instinctively covered her small mouth to smother her screams.
I dragged her into a group of spiked bushes. They cut me and her as I pushed her to the ground. 'Cursed thorns! Bloody nuisances.' They tore at my stripy black and red hoody. 'Not the hoody! Shit, that means another trip to the Metrocentre.' Keeping my hand over her mouth I began to transform. My hands became padded paws and my nails grew into deadly claws. My arms and legs became level, and I fell on all fours. My paw slipped from the girls mouth, but she was too shocked to scream by now. Every single part of my body transformed from girl to 150 pounds of lethal tiger. My vision became 10 times sharper and I could smell every single living creature within a 5 meter radius.
Once I was fully transformed , I took one look at the girl and scanned through her mind. I found out that she was called Melissa and that she lived with her dad and brothers. Oh yeah, she also had a grey hound called Buster.
'I'm sorry Mel, but I need to survive. Sorry sweetheart, but I'm the last thing you will probably see before you die.' Then I also added my little phrase of the trade, 'This cat has the sharpest claws.'
With one swift movement I placed my left paw onto her chest, and the other onto her chin. In a flash I sank my teeth into her warm neck and pushed her head back with my other paw. I locked my jaws onto her main artery and tugged. It sliced open and fresh hot blood poured into my mouth. It felt good as it trickled down my throat.
After about 3 minutes of silent screams and unlimited pain, Mel bled to death. The light in her big round eyes faded and I began to get really tucked into my meal. Once again I locked my jaws into her still warm flesh and tugged. This time I heard the skin tear and felt her lung collapse. 'I love the joys of killing' I said to myself.
Chapter Two
Two tasty hours later, her corpse was just a pile of blood stained bones. 'I think my work here is done.' I changed back to human form. It was now 7pm and my curfew was 8pm. I strolled through the forest the opposite way of which I had followed Melissa. I could here birds chirping in the trees. I looked up a dead oak and saw a cute little robin staring at me. It started to chirp and then flew away. It knew that I wasn't normal.
I was now on a more concrete path that was old but still in tact. At the sides of the path were two steep edges that led to higher ground. I froze when I smelt smoke. It was burning wood. I did a running jump up the left edge of the path and followed a narrow dirt one up to a tree surrounded area. I crouched down in a load of undergrowth and focused n a clearing a few meters away.
There was a gang of lads stood around a small wood fire. They were throwing newspaper onto it. I could here its constant hissing. I listened in on their conversation.
"Hmmm, add more wood." A guy called David said. He had a huge out of control monobrow. His skin was tanned, and not to be racist or anything, but he looked like a Jew.
"Shut up will ya? Its fine as it is." Replied a tall blonde. I think he was called Jacob.
"Yeah, lets go on the tarsi or something." This guy was taller than all of them and also had blonde hair, only his was darker. He was called Cal. They all walked over to a rope attached to a strong tree branch. My leg started to hurt so I shuffled around. A twig snapped. "Damn twig!" I whispered.
"Oi, you here that?" Said Cal.
"Huh?" answered Jacob.
"I heard a twig snap. Yo, whoever is hiding, come out now." Replied David.
Tough decision. 'Should I stand up or stay hidden?' I knew I had nothing to loose, so I decided to stand. Their expressions totally changed. Their jaws were wide open. "Oi, stop gawping or else. Anyway, put out the fire or I will."
"No way. Its staying lit. and what you gonna do? You're just a girl for Christ sake." Said the David guy. This made me laugh. He looked confused. My laughs suddenly stopped and I quickly turned my head towards him. I glared with an evil grin.
"I am not just a girl. I am more than that." I started to walk over to them.
"Yeah. You're a ginger girl." David had just made a mistake that could have cost hi his life. I stopped and glared at him.
"I am not ginger. I am a redhead. And one thing everyone knows about redheads, is that they have a fiery temper. You've just messed with it." I ran at David, jumped into the air, then stuck him with a forceful kick. He went flying back wards into the huge tree that the tarsi was hanging off. He slumped to the ground. I landed crouched on my hind legs, with one had on the ground and the held up in the air.
"Whoa! Mint. You just did us a favor. Cheers. I hate him." Thanked Jacob.
"We both do. He's such a nob." Agreed Cal.
"Well, I'm going. See ya." I said.
"Hey, wait!" But it was too late. I was already back on the path. I had to get home quickly or I would be in deep shit. I shot through the forest, tree branches scratching my face. I loved the woods. So many pretty sights. I ended up at the main entrance to the forest. I walked through the gates and carried on casually past the picnic benches.
On the edge of the car park I saw two lovers starring into each others eyes. Their dog was running around yapping at starlings. I simply looked at it and through telepathy told it to stop. Almost instantly the dog walked over to its owners and lay beside the love struck dude. 'Stupid low life Jackrussel.'
I ran down the fields that lead to the streets. I finally got to my house just before it turned dark. I glanced at the sky as I walked onto my driveway. The heavens were lustrous with every shade of orange and pink imaginable. I got to my door and reached out for the handle but it opened by itself. I walked in to see my mum standing with her hands on her hips glaring at me.
"Where the hell have you been young lady?!" She screamed. I was 5 minutes late.
"Hi to you too." I replied.
"Don't use smart remarks. And how the hell did you get so bloody muddy?!" I had a few patches of mud on my jeans. She looked me up and down in disgrace.
"Oh get over it Mother. I'm not a cute little seven year old any more." I started up the stairs and her reply, "And lessen the attitude young lady!"
I hate the word 'young'. It sound so pathetic and venerable. I decided to say, "I'm not a 'young lady'. I'm a proud, flirtatious teenage girl."
"Yeah, and I'm Reese Witherspoon." I clenched my fists and got to my bedroom door. I walked in. Books were scattered across the desk and my CD's nearly drowned my stereo. The only tidy place I could see was my bed and curtains. Obviously Mum had done that for me. I slipped off my hoody and draped it over the back of my leather desk chair. I jumped onto my bed and sat there for a while. I looked back to when I was in the woods. I liked the boy named Jacob, but I wasn't too sure on Cal. And David, ugh, I wanted him to go and jump off a cliff. I lay down. I was getting pretty tiered. I stared up at the ceiling. Song lyrics stared to scroll across my mind. I found myself singing to myself. I felt like a loner.
"I will believe it,
When I see it,
With my own eyes,
No more lies,
I will believe it,
When I receive the love that,
Makes me feel alive!"
It seemed to take me back to that night on my drive. In my minds eye I began to see Ash pushing me up against the garage door. A loud knock took me back to the present and away from my memories. I got up and opened my door no one was there. I stood still and spread my senses. I dosed my eyes and I could still see a clear image of the room and all of its untidiness. Then I spread further and I saw a tall figure at my window. My eyes opened and I dived at my bed, flung open the curtains and started waving like a demented goose.
'Just open the God damn window!' I heard him say in my head.
'Oh, sorry.' I simply replied. I grabbed the window handle and opened up the window. Ash climbed in with very little difficulty. He closed the window behind him and gently lay full length on my bed.
"Give us a hug?" he asked with the cutest puppy dog eyes ever. I curled up next to him and gave him a big hug. His body soon heated up again and within 5 minutes he was warmer than me.
"I love you." He said whilst gazing into my eyes. I gazed back. His irises turned from green to blue like a foreign ocean. They were one of his best features.
"I love you too babe." Was my reply and I put my head next to his. He kissed my forehead. To be honest, I think we just lay there holding each other for half an hour or so. Then I remembered that I had forgotten to shout good-night to my mum.
"Night Mum!" I shouted. I heard a distant reply, so got up and walked to the top of the stairs. "I said, GOOD-NIGHT!"
I think her reply was something like "Night sweetie." I walked back into my room and locked my door. I once again curled up against Ash, and we kissed.
Chapter Three
"Beep beep…beep beep…beep beep…BEEP BEEP…BEEP BEEP…BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!"
My alarm clock awoke me from my peaceful sleep. I grabbed it and flung it across the room at an unexpected force. I heard it smash and break.
"I take it I have to buy another bloody beeping machine!" I said out loud. I stood up with the covers still on me. I put my arms in the air and yawned. My quilt fell to the ground. Ash had left at around 2:30am. It was going to be my first day at school. I really didn't want to go. I went to the wardrobe and got out my new uniform. Like any school I had to wear the usual stuff like shirts, skits or trousers and black shoes, but at Bydales I also had to wear a blazer and tie. The blazer was royal blue with the school logo on the left breast. My mum had to force me to buy it. The tie was also blue but had green stripes. It meant that I was in Zetland house.
I thought that I'd better make a good impression on my first day, so I pulled out a short black, sexy mini skirt. The last time I wore it, I was on the high street and a couple of cops came along and accused me of being a prostitute. I put on some fish net stockings and slipped into some cute black pumps. I tied my tie and made it so my buttons were undone right down to the beginning of my black and pink lacy bra. 'Next for hair, make up and accessories.' I said to myself.
I straightened my wavy hair. It came down to my waist. I also added a little skull bird. Then I applied my make up. I used black eye liner and a special onyx colored eye shadow to make a smoky effect. I looked into the mirror and struck a pose. "Hmmm…you're looking good girl!" I laughed at myself. I grabbed my leather bag, keys and blazer. I had 30 minutes to get to Bydales.
In the end I got there 5 minutes early. I walked through the main doors and saw a group of lads talking. One or them spotted me, nudged his mates and got them all to look at me. One of them was quite hot, but they were no where near as fit as Ash. They all went silent. I walked over to a drinks machine and got some juice. I spread my hearing and heard the guys saying,
"New girl?"
"Hell yeah. What year d'ya think she's in? I'm guessing our year."
"Year 10? Nah, she's in year 8. I've heard a lot about her."
"You must be shitting me? Really? Sweet. Well she's a bloody sexy lass."
"Aye, but she's the kind to give you a quickie before class."
"Even sweater!"
I heard them all laugh and I grinned. I suddenly stopped grinning when I saw a hugely over weight man with a Santa style hair cut and beard. He was wearing a black pin stripe suit and held his hands behind his back. He was obviously trying to show he was respected, yet I doubted he was. He walked over to me and said, "Young lady!", for god sake, I hate that phrase! "Your uniform is a disgrace! Get a longer skirt or something! And get your top button and tie done properly!"
I simply replied with, "Well, for one, you're an old wrinkly pervert for looking at my legs. Two, go and get laid." And with that I walked off. He didn't come after me, I think it was the shock of my reply that left him gawping. I opened my bag and got out my new time table. 'Jesus, this is worse than Ryehills!'
My day included science, french, english, drama and once again science. I was ok with the english and drama part, but I hated science and french. I got taken out of most of my french classes in my last school. It was apparently because I was being racist to a short, stubby french vermin.
"Bleeeeeeeeeep!" I heard the deafening bleeping of the school bell. I glanced back at the timetable. It said that my form room was in the music room. I didn't need to look at a map to get there though. I had my tiger senses. I followed the PE corridor and ran up the small stair well that cam onto the music corridor. I saw a girl with bright orange hair mixed in with brown. It was an unusual colour. She walked into the entrance of the classroom with a brown haired girl. My attention mainly focused on the redhead though. I seemed to recognize her. Her green and turquoise eyes enhanced me. She saw me looking at her and gave me a friendly smile. I placed my bag on the table where she and her mate sat. I pulled over a chair and just sat there listening. They were talking about some 'stupid drunk cheating pervert' called Ben. They were pretty negative about him. The girl with the strange hair, looked at me after their boy discussion and politely said, "Heyaz, you must be the new girl Miss was talking about. Well, welcome to Bydales and all its shity-ness."
"Its not that bad, apart from the fat head master. He was perving on my legs saying that I should get a longer skirt!" I laughed at myself. I could see his shocked face in my mind. If only I had a camera.
"Aye, we all hate him, including the teachers. Anyway, I'm Chaz and my mate here is Rachael." She pointed at the brunette.
"Heyyyyyy!" She jingled in a happy tone.
"She's in year 9. I'm in year 8. I hope you're in my class. Are you in 8S and 8R2?"
I tried to remember what the sheet said.
"Yeah I am. Hmmmm, I like you. Do you have a gang or something?"