Summary: Emma Grey's normal life is suddenly ripped away when her parents disappear while on vacation and she is sent to live with her estranged half-brother in Craig, located in Prince of Wales Island, Alaska. There she meets a very strange boy and learns that things may not be what they seem and she learns some strange things about herself as well.
It was a windy, overcast, November day on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska. Passengers were currently unloading off a ferry from the mainland. Seventeen-year-old Emma Grey was one of them.
Wide green eyes scanned over the crowd, looking for a familiar face. A man, maybe in his late 20s, waved at her to catch her attention. He had the same green eyes, though they were more blue-green than forest green like Emma's blonde locks. He greeted Emma with an awkward but warm one armed hug.
"It's good to see you, Emma," he said.
"You too, Will." She replied with an awkward forced smile.
"Let's get your things in the truck. We have quite a drive to start."
Emma followed her older brother out of the harbor and into the parking lot to his old beat up Chevy truck.
"How was your trip" he asked. "Fine."
"Oh that's good."
The drive was filled with awkward silence. It wasn't even in the half-hour mark before she put on her headphones. After driving through misty mountains covered in towering evergreens, Emma began to see signs of civilization. She saw houses every other mile or two. Soon they arrived in town. It was definitely small, and old.
"See that building there? That's your new school. Not a bad place. Pretty small." Will pointed toward a series of buildings. They were all red brick and, like the rest of the town, looked old. "You're starting tomorrow."
When they finally arrived at, the house it was about midafternoon. The house was actually an old refurbished lighthouse made into a home. The white paint was faded and chipped, and the wooden front porch looked rickety and worn. There was a tower with a long dead light at the top. Will noticed his little sister looking up at the bulbs." There is a room that was built just below that. It had windows installed and everything and it has a great view. That'll be your room," he said.
The inside of the house was different than the outside. It looked old, but not in bad shape. There were oak wood floors, and the windows were large and swung open with shutters.
Will said, "Why don't you go upstairs to check out your new room?"
Emma went up the spiraling stairs of the tower until she came to the door. She went through the doorway and into the room. It was small but had plenty of space. On one side of the room, there was in old-fashioned, iron framed, daybed. Across it on the other side was a single vast window that took up the majority of the wall. It opened up in the middle and looked out off the rocky coast and over the cold gray churning waves. It even had a sitting area set below it.
She was sitting at the window, gazing out at the waves, when she spotted a lone figure out walking on the beach. Emma looked closer and saw it was a young man. Everything about him was dark, the clothes he was wearing and his dark hair. He was even wearing sunglasses, dark tinted aviators, even though it was overcast.
She watched him make his way down the rocky beach until he came to the tree line. Almost as if he could sense her watching him he turned around and looked right at her. Emma gasped in surprise and then he disappeared into the trees.
She was still looking out trying to see if the strange boy would reappear, when her brother came in abruptly, startling her. Will noticed her jump and he sheepishly said "Sorry about that. I guess I should learn how to knock. Anyway, lunch will be soon. I'll let you unpack then." He silently left the room and closed the door. When she looked back out the window, the boy still had not reappeared. Emma sighed and left the window and went to her suitcase lying on the bed to unpack.
The next morning came all too soon for Emma. She had gotten very little sleep and was left tossing and turning all night. For some unknown reason, she could not get the boy on the beach out of her mind. She didn't get a very good look, but he looked to be about her age, maybe older. Maybe he would be at her school…
Emma was woken by her screaming alarm clock. She lifted her tired head off her pillow to look outside. The sky was a dark blue bruise outside, probably another overcast day. Apparently there were not a lot of sunny days and Craig, Alaska. That was fine for her. She enjoyed rainy, dreary days. Less light to burn her sensitive pale skin and to give her migraines.
She forced herself out of bed, knowing that if she didn't, she would fall back asleep and be late for her first day at her new school.
New school.
Emma was less than excited. She was not ready to answer all the questions that would be sure to come. Students and faculty alike would want to know why she moved all the way up here in Alaska from southern Colorado to live with her estranged half-brother she barely knew. They would ask her where her parents were… She wasn't ready to confront that particular subject just yet. She couldn't give them an answer anyway. She hasn't the slightest idea where they were, or if they were even alive.
There were no bodies to bury. They had a memorial service for them. Her parents had gone on a cruise vacation to Italy and never returned. Everyone had just assumed they had been martyred by foreign criminals. The only known family that Emma had was her father son, her half-brother William Grey. She had met him only once that she could remember. One Christmas when she was five years old, he had come down for one day with an ancient withered old woman that Emma was told, was his great aunt that he lived with. After that they exchanged e-mails and one or two phone calls for a few years, but then after that, the e-mails became sparse more and more until they just stopped.
Now she had to move all the way up to Alaska. And now she was getting ready to go to a completely new school. This wasn't the first time she'd gone to a new school. When she was elementary, they moved several times to different places all over the country, until about her freshman year of high school, they decided to settle down in southern Colorado. Everything was great. Emma was actually making real friends and enjoying high school, until this happen and she was moved again. And worse, in the middle of her junior year.
After a quick shower and blow drying her hair, she dressed in simple clothes; her favorite shirt, a tight fitting midnight blue long sleeved shirt with a dark gray timber wolf on the front, it's golden eyes staring at out, and blue jeans with her tennis shoes. Emma never wore makeup and the only jewelry she wore was a charm necklace, a gift from her great grandmother that gave it to her when she was born. It was a simple silver chain with a silver winged wolf on it. Her great-grandmother had been in an immigrant of Ireland and came to the US in her late twenties. She was what is called a pagan and followed the ancient ways of Druidism. She always said Emma was special and blessed. She believed that the wolf was her enternal guardian. Whatever that meant.
When she was ready to leave Emma came down the stairs where Will was waiting for her. They went outside to the old Chevy. The cold November morning was, once again overcast. The sky looked like it was getting ready to let down another shower. "It rains here a lot doesn't it?" asked Emma. "Yes, it does quite a bit," replied her brother. A small but noticeable smile grew on her face. "I'm glad. I like the rain. At least I don't have to worry about putting on sunscreen every time I go outside." Will let out a small chuckle, and said "While you're in school, I'll look for something for you to drive."
That made the smile on her face grow wider. "Really? I never had my own car before. Back in Colorado, I just borrowed whichever of mom and dad's cars that wasn't being used."
"Yeah. It probably won't be anything fancy or pretty but I'll make sure it runs good and it won't be too bad on gas either."
"Thanks, Will."
The two half siblings smiled at each other for a moment. "Oh, looks like we have arrived," said Will. They had stopped in from of the large Main building. There were already kids standing outside the building around the two sets of concrete steps.
Emma took a deep breath and stepped out of the truck. Almost immediately, all eyes were drawn to her. Seeing as it was a small school in a small town, they probably didn't get new kids very often. Emma kept her gaze glued to the ground as she weaved through the crowd of teenagers, to the front doors.
She came to the office and went inside the clear glass door. Sitting behind the desk was an ancient withered lady with frizzy white hair and sagging, watery, blue eyes. She had glasses balanced on the tip of her crooked nose. When Emma walked through the door she looked up with a warm smile. "Um hi, I just started here," said Emma.
"Oh yes, you must be Emma Grey. Hello and welcome to Craig high school. You may call me Ms. Francis." Ms. Francis handed her two slips of paper and another smaller one. "Here is your class schedule, map of the school, and your locker number. Enjoy your first day."
Emma walked out of the office, and into the hallway. The first bell had rang while she was getting her paperwork so the hallway was empty and quiet. She looked at her schedule. Her first class was world history with Mr. White. After navigating through the hallway for a while, she finally found her way to the classroom. When she knocked, a gruff male voice said "Come in." Emma slowly shuffled inside the classroom. The room was full of students while the teacher, a heavyset man with sparse gray hair a steel gray mustache and hard eyes was standing at the front of the room.
"Ah, you must be the new student. You are late. I'll let it slide this time, but make note of my roles in this classroom. Tardiness will not be tolerated. If you have a cell phone, I suggest you put it on my desk until class is dismissed." Emma had one, but it was turned on silent and stash in her bag so she didn't bother with it. "Class, let me introduce our newest student, Emma Grey. You can sit there, next to Mr. Smith." Mr. White pointed towards the back where a boy sat. She walked over to the desk next to this Smith boy. When she reached the desk and sat down, the boy turned to her and gave her a small smile. He had light brown, almost blonde hair, cut shaggy and shoulder length, and bright blue eyes. He offered his hand, with a smile. "Michael. Michael Smith."
She shook his hand lightly and smiled shyly back. "Emma Grey."
"Where did you move from?" he asked.
"Colorado."
"What brought you to tiny old Craig?" Michael asked curiously.
Emma didn't want to explain too much, so she just said, "Um, my older brother lives here. William Grey."
"Oh yeah I know him," said Michael. "He works as a park ranger in the tourist station. We don't really get a lot of tourists though," he replied.
The conversation was interrupted when someone came walking through the door. Actually strutting would be a better term than walking. His hands were shoved into the pockets of his dark jeans. Dark tinted aviators covered his eyes and his hair was dark. An arrogant smirk was spread across his face.
The students and teacher all looked up as he entered. "Mr. O'Malley, please at least make an effort of being on time and not disrupting my class."
The boy to not saying anything, but his smirk grew. He started walking towards the empty desk behind Michael. Emma couldn't see his eyes but she could sense when their eyes met. His smirk faded from his face and she could see his eyebrows come together slowly. His nostrils seem to flare. The boy look so familiar but Emma just couldn't place it.
"Mr. O'Malley please take your seat so we can begin," said Mr. White, impatiently.
The strange moment was broken, and the O'Malley boy went and sat down behind Michael. "So what kept you this time, Jack?" asked Michael, grinning.
"Oh you know, just saving the world from evil, like usual," laughed the boy. The two teenage boys noticed Emma watching. "Oh, Emma, this is my friend, Jack. Jack this is Emma, the new girl." Jack gave a quick nod of recognition and then turned back to his friend in front of him.
Soon class began and the day went on. Lunch finally came and Emma went to her locker to retrieve her lunch.
Emma stood there looking at all the people talking and laughing with each other at the tables. She didn't know where to sit. After a couple of minutes of gaping like a deer in the headlights, a girl came up to Emma holding a tray. She had red hair and wide friendly blue eyes. It seems that freckles had taken over her body. "Hello, you're the new girl here aren't you?"
"Yeah," Emma replied, smiling shyly, "I'm Emma."
"I'm Rachel. Come on and sit with us."
Rachel led Emma through the sea of heads. As she passed, people turn to watch her. The redhead noticed and said, "Don't worry; they'll get bored with you eventually. We don't really get a lot of visitors so you're the shiny new toy."
The two girls came to a table that had three other people. One was another girl and the other two were guys. When Emma and Rachel sat down the three looked up. "Hey guys. This is Emma. She's just started here. Emma meet Heather, James, and Daniel." They all nodded to Emma, welcoming.
After that there wasn't much conversation aimed toward Emma. She watch the three teens talk while she ate her lunch quietly. A table near the edge of the cafeteria was occupied by four other students. Two of them she recognized. They were the two guys she had met in first hour, Michael and Jack, and with them were to girls. One of them was sitting beside Jack. She looked a lot like him except her hair had a bit more red in it than the dark-haired boy beside her. The other girl was the definition of pale. She had almost paper white skin, pale almost white blonde hair and ice blue eyes.
All four of them were talking with each other. Michael and the blonde girl were chatting normally but the other two had their heads together whispering furiously. The girl had a worried look while Jack looked increasingly agitated.
"Hey," Emma said, getting the chatting teens at her table's attention. "Who are they?" She gestured towards the table with the four strange people.
"Oh them?" said Rachel, "They are kind of weird. Nice but strange. Well mostly. See the blonde? That's Tara. Frankly she's kind of a bitch."
"Rachel! Language!" exclaimed Heather.
"Oh chill Heather. Anyway, Michael, the lighter haired guy, is a pretty cool guy. He's kinda quiet he's always nice to everyone."
Heather decided to join in at this point. "Not to mention he's totally hot!" She giggled profusely.
Rachel rolled her eyes at the giggling brunette and continued. "That other guy is Jack. He's I guess what you would call a bad boy, but he never really causes trouble. He keeps to himself and only really talks to those three."
Once again Heather interrupted the redhead, "He's a jerk. He thinks he's so cool just because he wears a leather jacket that he looks really hot in and he is mysterious and a really sexy way."
"Oh shut it Heather. You're just sore still from him turning you down again. How many times have you asked him out?"
After that, Heather didn't say anything, just sulked, and Rachel continued on.
"That's Kira, Jack's twin sister. She's pretty much the same as Jack. They really only keep to each other."
Emma kept staring at Jack. She was sure she had seen him from somewhere. She had to admit she agreed with Heather, he was kind of good-looking. She was still pondering and then Emma finally realized it. Jack was the strange boy she saw on the beach the day before.