Anomaly

By: Miranda Callahan

Prologue Part 1: Eve Plainsong, Lilith Octangle, and Damien Wellborn

Eve's P.O.V.

"I want to believe."

Fox Mulder, X Files, 1993

"Remind me one more time why we are doing this", Lilith said as she took one final gaze up into the hazy night over the Big Apple through the big glass window in the airport. I sighed,"Because of all the lives I've ruined, and the others I have touched in the process. Besides, my family hates me." Lilith just rolled her eyes. We've had this conversation far too many times to count over the past few months. And yet, here we stand, waiting to board our flight to Raleigh, and she protests.

"Really, Eve. You are not bad luck", She tried to comfort me, but we both knew she was far from right. Just then, the chain supporting the light dangling over her head snapped. I jolted out my hand and caught it before she could slice her head on the sharp steel edge. I placed the broken light for maintenance to find under her seat, smiling at the irony of the situation.

"Honestly, how did you ever expect to survive without me watching your every move? Hardly a day goes by where I don't save you from getting hit by a bus or spraining your ankle! This move is going to work wonders on you. By the time I'm done with you, you'll be independent and maybe you'll have found some common sense. After all, it's a great place to start. Only you could get in trouble in a town this small. It's not even possible with my luck plaguing you".

"No, Eve," Lilith shook her head,"I would rather have an exciting life running away from fate as your friend then as a stuck up New Yorker". I just laughed,"I'm dangerous, Lilith. Why can't you see that?" I stopped, taking that thought back,"I'm glad you can't see that. Because I'm selfish. I'm to self-centered to know what's best for you and leave. It's too late now. You have a better chance of staying alive, thriving in my house then you do on your own." I said as we took our seats on the plane. First class, of course.

My family is what most would call filthy rich. My dad is the stock market king. We live -well, I lived- in a designer apartment in downtown Soho. Sheryl, my mother, and James, my father, along with my four sisters hate me. Why I don't know. It has something to do with my birth. I wasn't my father's child, very obvious because I take after my biological father and look nothing like any of my family. This was it as far as I know of.

The roar of the plane engines ceased as we dropped into the Raleigh airport. I opened my eyes, for I was pretending to be asleep. Which was very good because no matter where I go my beauty stands out like a sore thumb. Not to be vain or anything. I get almost every boy frothing at the mouth to talk to me.

Speak of the devil, and the devil shall appear. I looked over to the seat on my right to watch Lilith flip her platinum blonde hair and bat her eyes, flirting with the boy in the row behind her. Three hours into our life and she was already rubbing it in my face that I refused get close to anyone. I grimaced and pinched the pressure points at her wrists and she squealed as I drug her off the plane to luggage claim.

It was pouring rain, but we managed to jam all of our duffle bags into the cab before they could get too wet. The time seemed to crawl by slowly as we drove south for two hours. The world just seemed to want to make it this much harder for me to realize that my life meant nothing. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nil. And I have to say it felt pretty awful.

We pulled up into the muddy drive way and it was still raining. the storm had moved south with us, a perpetually rainy cloud looming over our heads. I stepped out of the tacky bright yellow cab and stared up into my own personal hell. The self-inflicted purgatory that was our new home in Half Moon, North Carolina.

When i opened the door I almost gagged at the amount of dust in our powder room sized foyer. I flicked the lights on, only to realize that most of the furniture was soaking wet in the rain. I guess the movers were to stupid to find the key? At least it wasn't all ruined. Most of our belongings were in boxes and were kept safe and dry. A brown leather chair had been placed under the small awning and was still fairly dry. I checked my watch. 2:00 A.M. Lilith was starting to doze, i noted so I dug out a thick sky blue quilt and sent her to sleep in the inviting seat. We had our first school day coming up soon and she needed her rest. I didn't.

I walked into the kitchen and looked around monotonously. It wasn't all that bad, I mean if you were fond of something right out of the That 70's Show. The cabinets were an orange stain and the counters were an atrocious yellow that made me want to puke. The tacky linoleum was the same eye-burning shade of sunshine. A fairly decent conditioned fridge and stove were already in place, but to my dismay there was no dishwasher. God, I get the feeling small town living isn't all it's cracked up to be.

I dug threw my poorly labeled cardboard boxes for a metal pot to boil water in. When it was ready, I realized that I really needed to pay a visit to the store. Especially when my supply of caffeinated coke zero was running low and my espresso machine needed to dry out. I had no tea either. I couldn't live without some form of caffeine so I had no choice but to pay my first visit to the store. At two in the morning. Way to make a bad impression, Eve. Also, it was around this time that it occurred to me that I had not asked the dealership to drop off Lilith's and mine cars. I pushed the white lace curtains aside and looked out the diamond paned kitchen window. At least the rain had subsided for a while.

I stormed out into the front yard and grabbed my bike. I'd go do some light shopping and pick up some coffee, tea, and breakfast for Lilith tomorrow. I had brought enough freeze dried and dry food to tied us over before a major grocery excursion. I didn't eat much, if at all. Lilith claimed to be "watching her figure," but I had to keep a close watch on her diet to make sure she didn't pig out on junk food or go anorexic on me.

I rode down the shoulder lane on the highway, pushed hard on the bike petals to keep from tumbling over on the rough road. it must not have been paved in a millennia, If ever. I hit a pot hole in the dark of the road, and my bike chain snapped in half.

"Shit!" I was already in a bad enough mood not having my precious coffee, and now this? Karma really hates me, doesn't it. I kept my cool and just threw my bike in the woods. Okay, so I lost it and killed some deer in it's sleep I winged it at it's head so hard, But hey. Who's looking? Besides, there are way to many deer in the world for it to honestly be a healthy concentration and I could always buy a new bike.

I thought about turning around and going back home, but the 24 hour mart was only a few blocks away.

I stood at the entrance to the store for a few seconds, waiting for the door to open automatically before I realized I had to pull it open. "Dorothy, You're not in Kansas anymore," I grumbled under my breath as I went to the back of the store for milk. I grabbed a gallon of 1% and a loaf of wonder bread before heading to the isle with the coffee.

I strolled past the little red boxes of Ritz crackers and picked up some Cap 'n Crunch and Cheerios to go with the milk. I turned around the corner to the isle on the far end of the store. A shiver ran down my spine, and it didn't come from the air conditioner which happened to be conveniently stationed right over my head. I walked over to the coffee, a little upset by the lack of selection. They didn't have my Illy, but at least they had my second favorite: Starbucks French roast. I was about to walk away when i got that impeding feeling that some one was watching.

I shifted my gaze to my feet to realize that there were four down there. Either i was not in the best mental state at the moment (but was I ever) or I wasn't the only freak who goes shopping for coffee at two in the morning on a Saturday in a town with a population of barely 5,000. I followed the feet up a body and saw that there was a boy standing next to me. A really gorgeous boy, and you know that's saying something coming from a rich New Yorker. He looked at me -no, glared- at me with bright silver eyes that complemented his wonderfully perfect features. His skin was flawless and wonderfully bronze. His hair was a deep chocolate brown and had that impossibly classy yet casual look, only thought to be achievable in shampoo commercials with high end computer modifications. Theory proven wrong.

My beauty that so many admired as they either passed me on the streets or saw me everyday, was utterly shunned before his... perfection. Okay, so maybe I exaggerate, because no way is anyone perfect, and I'm sure he had his share of flaws. He was probably a bastard behind that beautiful what i couldn't understand was that stare. It was a hunger that made me want to crawl out of my skin but at the same time drew me in closer. I tore my eyes away to break the trance and dashed away to the only open check out counter.

He was already there. I must be daydreaming harder than i thought. I reluctantly took my place in line behind him and kept a good foot between us in the confines of the check out counter as we waited in absolute silence for the ignoramus on the midnight shift to figure out how to operate the register. I could hear the beautiful boy breathing heavily. He was staring at me again.

I looked down and let my hair fall over my face so he couldn't see me blush. I was usually good in attention drawing situations and pulling my ways out with head held high, but him... What made this so freaking hard? I couldn't contain myself and looked up at his face, carefully memorizing the form of his face sparkling with pain and malicious aspiration. Look at me! I had only been in town a day, not even, and I was sliding down a slippery slope to breaking my own strict set of rules.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against a metal rack holding old issues of Reader's Digest, Better Homes and Garden, and some unidentifiable rural farmer's magazine. My pulse jumped to at least some thing over two hundred and I could feel my heart in my throat. I got light headed as my insides did some funny and painful things. I gripped my sides to keep my mental self balanced.

Lucky for me, the sorry cashier boy broke my train of thought and checked me out quickly now that he had figured out how to work the register. I had to get out of this store. i ran to the door only to realize that the skies had opened up yet again.

I drew in a deep breath. There were a lot of things I would be Saying right now if I wasn't a good Catholic. So, i punched my fist into the wall, busting right through to the dry wall. But the building wasn't the only thing damaged. i had jammed my finger in the process and held in a scream of pain as i shook my hand up and down. i speculated on how wonderfully obtuse i must look at the moment. I took off one of my hair bands off from around my wrist and bound my middle and ring fingers together for support. they'd be fine by the time school started, at least.

I leaned against the wall and decided to wait out the storm. I couldn't think straight and it was three thirty in the morning just about. There was no way I was going to walk home in this weather. I sighed and Leaned my head against the wall.

"Need a ride?' A soothing velvety voice asked. My gaze drifted down from the ceiling to meet the eyes of that boy. Really, most guys would have stopped trying after they saw me act like i did, but he didn't mind. Which is one more reason why he was really starting to creep me out at the moment. just the type of guy I like. Oh god, Why do you make me suffer this way? Well if I'm going to hell I might as well do it thoroughly.

"Sure," I stood up, putting forth my best, yet failing, effort at nonchalance. He... smirked? at me as he lead me to the door, holding it open like a real gentleman.

I stared out into the parking lot through the glass panes of the door to the 24 hour mart, plastic environmentally unfriendly bags in tow. It's okay. I didn't believe in global warming. I have my own problems. Although it was raining cats and dogs against the building, I was able to make out that the four cars in the parking lot happened to be a beat up black Camero, a pick up, a Toyota Corolla, and a spotless silver Acura convertible.

"Run," he commanded and we bolted out the door. The rain stung my face and i could hardly see what was in front of me as i bolted after him, all the more thankful for the offered ride. He went in the opposite direction of the truck and camero. great, the corolla i thought as i ran, for there was no way the 50 k Acura was his. But sure enough, before I could even blink, he was leaning up against the glistening silver sliver, waiting for me.

I pushed the thoughts from my racing mind as I bounded into the passenger side door he held open for me. At home in the big apple, hitching a ride with a stranger never even would have crossed my mind. I rarely took cabs even. I sat down against the warm, black leather and withdrew a deep nervous breath. The interior of the car smelled better than the most fastidious and exotic perfumes.

How he ever found the way to my house is a mystery I shan't soon solve. To me the endless blanket of wheat fields stretching out to the horizon looked exactly identical. He pulled into our driveway, pale white seas of crops like walls on either side of the car until we came upon a small clearing what must be identifiable as my sorry, dead, brown, weed-ridden front lawn. He idled in front of the run down embarrassing cottage - it really is a sight for sore eyes.

"Your name?" He finally spoke.

"Eve Plainsong"

"Damien Wellborn" He smiled. "I like you. I think you're crazy enough to keep me company."

I laughed "Some quality entertainment, isn't it here? Watching two rich city girls get slapped in the face by reality."

"That's not what I meant. I was just praying for some decency in this country fried nowhere-land."

"I take it we're on the same page then, Mr. Wellborn."

Suddenly, the car's engine fired, the radio went wild, and so did the lights in the house. The ground shook like a california episode and the car got blazing hot. The wheat stalks exploded from heat exposure. We jumped up out of the car and I raced around to the driver's side door. The last thing I saw was four people in the front yard and a brilliantly gorgeous flash of white light.