Soo. While I was searching for new ideas for re-writes (Like Triple the Trouble, which is deleted for the moment ;( ), I found a prompt that I just had to write. Fresh ideas, fresh stories, fresh everything! I have people assigned to give me sh*t if I don't update on time. Once I have about three chapters up, that'll give me a rough estimate on how long it will be between updates and about how long the chapters will be.
I sorta-kinda have a Beta but she's busy a lot so if anyone would like help out, feel free to PM me or something.
ANYWAY, with all that out of the way, THE STORY.
I have a majority of the story planned out, but I get really bad writer's block. Like I mentioned, I'm gonna have a rough estimate on updates after I get a few chapters up and I'll stick as close as possible to that schedule. But please excuse if I run a few days late; my classes this year suck ._.
Okie dokie!
Darkest Powers belongs to the oh-so amazing Kelley Armstrong.
Alrighty, enjoy the story!
CRACKED TRUTH
I kicked the front door with my foot, slamming it shut as I shimmied off my jacket. I kicked my shoes off with the sides of my feet as I called, "Mom, I'm home!"
The house remained silent so, shrugging, I made my way up the champagne-carpeted stairs to my room.
I closed the door, clicking the lock in place for my own privacy, and dropped my purse and sagging book bag on the clothed bench sitting at the foot of my bed. I sat next to the worn book bag and snatched the socks from my feet, throwing them at my hamper. Then, standing up, I made my way to my dresser to change from my dirty school clothes into a comfy pair of night shorts and my favorite hoodie. I placed the wad of clothes into the hamper and retrieved the socks that had missed earlier. After the pair joined the rest of the laundry that needed to be done, I laid back and sprawled across my bed, trying to relax from a hectic Thursday at school.
With my thoughts racing, I didn't realize I was starting to drift asleep until two loud, angry screams rang in my ears, causing me to abruptly jump up and race to the small window on the left side of my room, which faced the small stretch of yard in between my house and the neighbors'.
There, the notoriously named "Twin Terrors" Simon and Tori Bae, were arguing and shouting at each other, both covered in dirt. Presumably, it was the result of falling down which had sparked the fight. The gate which surrounded their yard swung open and a large figure moved toward them, appearing to be scolding them. The two children cast angry glares at each other before picking up their own toys and dragging themselves through the gate. The figure turned quickly and made his way back inside as well.
Poor Derek, I thought sympathetically about the eldest, Derek Souza. He was eleven years older than his half-siblings and got wrangled into constantly babysitting. Their father, Mr. Kit Bae, was a well-experienced and popular criminal lawyer that spent a great majority of time preparing for cases. I didn't know what happened to Derek's mother, whom he had taken the name "Souza" from; however, I knew Mr. Bae's second wife, Mrs. Elena Bae, had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer a little too late and passed away a few months later.
That was about all I did know about the Bae-Souza family, and only because Mrs. Bae's passing had left a huge impact on the poor widower.
The family, especially the big, gruff, thick-haired, baggy-clothed, deep-voiced Derek, had always been quiet and mysterious.
I had been in classes with Derek since we were in first grade. My dad, being a successful cardio-thoracic surgeon at the central hospital downtown, and Mr. Bae, an uprising criminal defense lawyer, had gotten along so well. They'd often discuss job techniques, tactics, and other boring things I didn't care about. They'd have "play-dates" between Derek and I, sitting us in the same room and play nicely. And we did; we just hardly spoke. Derek would separate his toys in half and give them to me, then would turn his back and play by himself. But as our dads grew more successful and busy and as we grew up, communication lessened and eventually stopped. Since then, we had just been distant classmates that were always quiet in class and neighbors that normally walked a few feet from each other.
It wasn't that I didn't like Derek Souza; in fact, during our somewhat forced play dates, I enjoyed the fact that he didn't talk my ear off. When we had been assigned lab partners in ninth grade, he rarely talked but he helped my grade by stopping me from making stupid mistakes or by fixing the ones I had made. He never talked in class, but neither did I. He sat in the back corner, nose buried in a text book, lap top, or hard cover book. He seemed to always be studying when finished early with his work. But then again, he had the second highest grade in the school and I'm sure he could surpass Kimi Rodriguez if he wanted to.
I was shaken from my thoughts when I heard my phone chiming. I shut the light purple curtains that hung lazily and rushed to my purse, digging around until I found the phone and answered quickly.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Chloe? It's Mrs. Reynolds. I was wondering if maybe you could watch the kids for Shane and I tomorrow night. I know it is short notice, and I wouldn't normally bother since it's a church function, but I think our commitment will keep us too late for the little ones."
"Hi, Mrs. Reynolds," I answered, a small smile spreading across my lips, "I'd love to watch Cameron and Emily tomorrow night. They're so precious and sweet every time."
"Ha, maybe for you! But thank you so much, dear! Can you be here by six? I promise we won't be home later than ten-thirty! And I know your normal wage, is twelve an hour still okay? We'll have the money before you leave tomorrow."
"Yup, everything sounds good, Mrs. Reynolds. I'll see you tomorrow! Bye."
"Okay, Hun. Thanks again. See you tomorrow."
I hung up the phone and tossed it onto the bed, watching it bounce onto a throw pillow. I walked to my desk in front of the larger window that faced the front of the house and the sun and tapped the touch screen computer monitor. I logged in quickly and opened up my email. I knew it would take a few minutes to refresh, so I decided I'd go downstairs for a snack.
I unlocked and opened my door, making my way down the hallway to the staircase. Maximus, our family golden retriever, darted towards my ankles and almost caused me to fall. I scratched his head and he followed excitedly at my heels as I bounced down the stairs and walked into the kitchen.
I grabbed a dog treat from the jar and threw it to Max, scratching behind his ears and under his chin. Then I walked towards the pantry, trying to find anything to eat.
Mom and Dad were usually working, so it was normally me and the house-keeper, Anita. Anita, a tanned Spaniard that was trying to earn a little extra money to help pay for college classes, was one of my favorite house-keepers; she went grocery shopping more often than the others, she snuck me movies my parents wouldn't normally allow me to add to my collection, and she helped me with anything I asked her to help me with.
Unfortunately for me, Anita had called out for the next two nights to recuperate from the flu, so the pantry would remain empty until Saturday. I grabbed a warm can of coke from the box on the floor and the jar of peanut butter and closed the pantry door. I made my way back up to my room to eat half the jar and drink my coke while watching some newly-acquired horror films.
~CRACKED TRUTH~
The final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. I quickly gathered my stuff and got up. Adjusting my purse, I wasn't paying attention and bumped into someone, causing my text book and binder to fall from my arms and go crashing onto the floor.
"I-I'm so s-sorry," I stuttered, my face turning twenty shades pinker than it had already been. I hated that damn stutter.
Looking up, I had to find bright, emerald green eyes under long strips of dark brown hair that belonged to none other than Derek Souza.
I squatted down to pick up my belongings and hurriedly tried to stand up to get out of the way, which caused me to lose my balance and stumble.
Two hands shot out to grab me, one on my hip and the other on my elbow, before I fell completely. I met the emerald stare before blushing again and collecting myself.
"I-I'm r-really sorry about t-that," I mumbled, clutching my belongings to my chest.
"Don't worry about it," Derek grunted looking away, shoving his hands in his pockets.
I nodded, face still bright, and moved towards the door.
"Chloe?"
I turned to him, watching as his lips turned up in what resembled a smile.
"These might be important," he muttered, amused, as he raised my car keys up.
~CRACKED TRUTH~
The Reynolds' house was just down the street and around the corner, so I didn't bother wasting the gas to drive.
At 5:55, I knocked on their front door. Cameron, the older of the two, answered the door with an adorable grin.
"Chloe's here, Mama!" he shouted as he grabbed my hand and led me into the house. I pushed the door close and let myself be lead to the living room, where I had sat many times before as I watched the two. I giggled as I saw Emily, a clumsy toddler, waddle over to her little toy house and play there.
Mrs. Reynolds and her husband hurried from down the stairs and over the baby gate.
"Hi, Chloe. Thanks again for coming, we really appreciate it."
I smiled and nodded, responding, "It's really no problem. Emily goes to bed at 7:30 and Cameron at 8. They're so sweet and easy to take care of."
The couple chuckled and moved to say their goodbyes to their children. Then, with a wave, they left and locked the door behind them.
. . . . . . . . .
I was trying to focus on reading the boring economics packets and work in front of me, but my brain refused and my eyes tried to flutter shut. It was close to ten and the two kids were in bed, fast asleep.
I stood up, rubbing my face, and moved to the kitchen to grab some water.
I grabbed a short glass from the light wooden cabinet and moved to the sink. Looking up, I peered out the window into the darkness. There, I swear I saw something dart away before the motion-sensitive flood lights flashed on. I set the glass down and peered around.
Trying to calm my over-active imagination that flipped through every horror movie scenario possible, I flipped the locks on the windows and moved out of the kitchen, checking the backdoor, living room windows, and front door. Everything was locked and the shades were drawn. I let out a slight sigh of relief.
When I first heard a slight tink at the window in the living room, I laughed at myself, applauding my mind for its tricks. However, when it picked up, I felt my chest filling with slight panic. I raced towards the kitchen, where the alarm was, to hit the panic button. However, the lock to the front door clicked and the door opened, Mrs. Reynolds' calling, "Chloe! We're home."
I let out a shaky breath and moved towards the front area of the home.
When Mr. Reynolds saw me, his face twisted in concern. "Chloe, are you okay? You're as pale as a ghost."
Blaming my imagination and rationalizing with myself, I smiled half-heartedly and replied, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just sleepy and a bit chilly."
Mr. Reynolds, though still appearing concerned, nodded. Mrs. Reynolds moved towards me and handed me two twenty dollar bills and a ten. "Thank you so much for the help, dear," she beamed.
"It's never a problem. They were just as good as always," I reported, slipping on my jacket and retrieving my keys from the coffee table. I folded the economics work and shoved it into a pocket inside the jacket.
"Would you like me to walk you home?" Mr. Reynolds offered.
"No, thank you," I declined, "My house is only down the block. I'll be okay."
The couple nodded and Mr. Reynolds answered, "Okay. Be careful Chloe, alright?"
"Thank you guys. Have a good night!" I called as I walked out and shut their front door. I knew they watched me until I was out of sight.
I fumbled with my keys in my pocket as I walked the streetlight-lit sidewalk. The temperature was dropping and I shivered, picking up my pace. My footsteps echoed in the quiet of the night.
And so did someone else's.
You're still freaked out from earlier, Chloe. You're being a paranoid twit.
I continued to tell myself it was just my mind's tricks and my recent panic that created the sounds, but when I swore I heard them louder, I couldn't help but break into a run. I was a pretty decent sprinter and long-distance runner from different events in track, so I just focused on getting away from the noise.
I was only a few feet away from my driveway when I felt myself suddenly get yanked to the side, behind a large bush that separated my yard from another. A hand clamped over my mouth to prevent screaming. I almost fell completely, but a strong body held me up. Terrified, my blood pumping pure fear through my veins, I looked at my captor and found myself staring at familiar green orbs.
"Shh, Chloe. Trust me," he whispered so low I could barely make out what he said. He pressed himself closer to me, causing me to move further back into the hedge.
Suddenly, everything was silent. I couldn't hear Derek's breathing and I was still trying to catch my breath from having the crap scared out of me. No footsteps, no eerie echoing, nothing.
Derek's hands fell from my waist and he backed up. My hands collapsed to my sides, shaking wildly.
"Are you okay?" He murmured.
I opened my mouth to answer, but words wouldn't come out. I stood there trembling until I forced myself to shrug.
"I'm sorry for grabbing you. I…You shouldn't be out this late by yourself."
"Was someone f-following me?" I asked quietly, still shaken.
Derek didn't answer. Instead, he responded, "It's late, Chloe. You should get inside."
"Was someone following me?"
Derek moved away, grabbing the sleeve to my jacket and lightly tugging me. "Let's go."
We were silent as he pulled me to the front porch. I tried to get the keys out, but was shaking so hard, I ended up dropping them and cursing out loud. Derek looked at me with that semi-amused face from earlier and bent down, grabbing my keys and unlocking the door for me.
"You're not very good at keeping things in your hands," he observed, making my cheeks flame up. I looked down and shook my head, biting my lip.
"Set your alarm tonight, okay? Be safe."
I nodded and met his cautious stare again.
"Thanks, Derek."
He shoved his hands back into his pockets and shrugged. Then he turned and walked down the driveway.
I closed the door, locking all three locks and moved to set the alarm.
Then I went upstairs to my bedroom, setting all my things down. Stripping down completely, I dragged my still-shaking body to my bathroom to shower. With all the adrenaline in my blood, there was no way I was sleeping yet.
When I stepped into the hot stream of clean water, I sighed, feeling all the tension and anxiety fall from my shoulders.
I leaned against the side of the shower, staring at the dark tiles. I closed my eyes and tried to think about all the craziness that had happened in less than an hour. I took a few calming breaths before I opened my eyes and muttered out loud, "What the hell is going on?"
Okay, there you have it; Chapter one for Cracked Truth! I really like the ideas I have for this and I hope they'll play out exactly how I see them!
I'm currently on spring break and will have school again starting Tuesday, so if I don't have a second chapter up by Sunday or Monday, I'd expect one towards the end of next week (Friday/Saturday).
Also: any arising questions about characters should be answered in the next one or two chapters. Feel free to leave questions in your reviews and I should either 1. Answer them in the story or 2. Answer them in my beginning author's note (if it doesn't contain any content that would spoil the story)
I'm really pushing to finish this story. Haven't decided how many chapters but I'll let everyone know once we get into the middle/teetering towards the end about how many I'm thinking.
Thanks for reading, and please take a little time to Review! It makes my day to read what you guys think and feel about the story.
Until next time.
i-watch-nightmares-come-alive
