"So what are your plans for the summer?"
"Nothing exciting… I'm just going out of town with my family for a couple weeks."
"Oh, well that's cool. My family's going on a cruise for most of the summer."
"Lucky! I wish I was doing something like that. My parents' version of out of town is a little village on the edge of nowhere."
"Come on, I'm sure you'll find something to do."
"Doubtful. The extent of this town is like, two shops and three houses. The population is literally one-hundred and fifty people. Not the prime location for fun in the sun."
"Hah, that's hilarious. So when you said small town you meant it!"
This was the conversation I'd been having with my friend for over an hour. We were on our way home the day before summer vacation. School had finally ended and we were free to explore for a whole two months… if only my family was normal.
Rather than spend our time on a tropical island or a warm beach, we were leaving for a small town in the middle of the boonies. If you blinked you could miss it, not the ideal vacation spot. There would be no malls, no concerts, no nothing. The extent of their entertainment was a hike through the woods or visiting a convenience store. It made me sympathize for those who had to live there all year long. I think boredom would drive me insane after a day never mind a year.
"-En… -wen… Gwen!" I was pulled out of my train of thought by my friend repeatedly calling my name and frantically waving her hand in front of my eyes.
"Huh?" I sputtered, trying to remember what she was saying before I zoned out, with no success.
She rolled her eyes and pushed me lightly, causing me to sidestep to keep my balance. I laughed and struck the conversation back up.
"So when are you getting back from your cruise?"
"About the last week of August. But you have to text me everyday to keep me posted on the small town lockdown." She laughed.
I laughed too, although inside I was silently cringing. I just couldn't wrap my head around spending my entire vacation in a tiny place like that. The city was boring enough, and it was seven times the size!
My friend was still laughing even after I stopped, and I rolled my eyes at her overreaction. Laura had been my best friend since middle school and now that we were in high school we were even closer. She had short brown hair and brown eyes that she loved to cover with thick eyeliner. She was always laughing or smiling and she never took anything seriously, unless it was important to her. In some ways she could be the most annoying person in the world, but that just added to her charm.
"Don't hurt yourself Laura, it wasn't that funny." I smiled.
Laura stopped laughing and continued to talk about her cruise and how we had to talk everyday. It was because of her that I had sprung for unlimited minutes and texting on my cell phone.
"You know, you're bound to meet someone while you're there. Maybe if you're lucky he'll even show you around the block!" she laughed. "I mean you stand out everywhere, with that bright red hair of yours."
I smiled, yes that was the one thing that I was most known for. I was pale with long red hair and green eyes. I had a nice physique, thanks to martial arts training since I was seven, and to top it off I had amazing powers that no one else knew about – with the exception of my grandfather and cousin.
"You're right, maybe it wont be so bad after all." I stated, remembering for the first time that I could use the lack of witnesses to seriously practice using powers for the summer.
"That's the spirit! Now have a safe trip and text me the details as soon as you get there!"
With that Laura ran down the street and into her home, stopping to wave from her front porch before disappearing inside.
Opening the door to my own house, I set down my school bag and ran upstairs. My parents would be home any minute and they had told me before school that day that we were leaving as soon as they got here. I shoved the last of my belongings into my suitcase and carried it down the stairs, setting it by the front door. I ran to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water just as heard my dad's car pull into the driveway.
Gulping down the rest of the drink, I bolted to the door and grabbed my suitcase. I hauled it to the car and threw it in the trunk, returning for two more belonging to my parents after I was through.
My dad got out of the car to help and as soon as we had everything jammed into the tiny space of the trunk, we piled into the car and set out towards the tiny town of Mudite.
It took over six hours to reach the town by car, with no breaks. By the time I saw the sign reading Welcome to Mudite I was so relieved that I didn't care if I would be stuck in a run down town for two months. The car pulled to a stop in front of an old house and we all piled out.
As soon as I stood I felt my knees buckle and I had to lean on the car to regain stability. Six hours sitting in one position can sure make your legs fall asleep; I couldn't even tell if they were still attached to my body other than the fact that I could see them. I stretched and staggered to the trunk of the car for my suitcase. Heaving it out, I walked to the front door of the house and followed my parents inside. It was a rustic looking house with wood floors and ivy growing up the face of the structure. I traipsed up the stairs and threw my suitcase onto my temporary bed, opening it to search for my spell book. Once I found what I was searching for I grabbed it and ran down the stairs and out the door.
"Where you off to?" my dad called as I was slipping on my shoes.
"I'm going to explore the area."
"Ok, well, tell me if there's anything interesting around that we could visit later." He called, and with that I was out the door and walking down the sidewalk.
After a few minutes of walking I came across an old farmhouse that had overgrown fields surrounding it. You could tell from the open doors and crumbling structure that no one used it anymore. I walked through the tall grass and quietly pushed open the barn door, receiving a loud screeching noise as greeting from the hinges. I walked into the barn and looked around. The roof had areas missing so there were beans of light filtering in as if they were spotlights. There were no animals in the barn, only old bales of hay that were left behind by the previous owner. I grinned, this place was so banged up that no one would notice if I accidentally blasted a few more holes while practicing.
I lowered myself to the ground and sat on a relatively clean part of the floor. Setting my spell book in front of me, I opened it to a page that I hadn't attempted yet and began to read. I became so engulfed with practicing various spells that I didn't even notice when the sun began to set and the spotlight-like rays of sun disappeared from the barn floor.
Just as I was getting ready to leave I heard the door on the opposite side of the barn creak open, causing me to jump. I sat in silence for a moment, hoping that whoever it was would feel inclined to leave after a few steps rather than entering to the point of seeing me crouching on the floor. This was my first mistake.
"Well, aren't you a big girl now?" a familiar voice jeered, sending unwanted shivers up my spine.
"How…" I muttered under my breath when the figure came into view.
There standing before me among all the wreckage of the crumbling barn was Kevin. He looked different now, for one he was no longer a monster amalgamated from all of Ben's aliens. But more than that, you could tell that he was more mature, older, like he'd seen things that no one should have to see. He still held the air of a delinquent about him and hair was shaggy, framing his chiseled features that had become more masculine with age. He had to be around nineteen now, which made sense considering he was older than me and I was turning eighteen in a couple of weeks.
I quickly rose to my feet and rushed towards the nearest door, desperately trying to escape. Before I could however, I felt a muscular arm wrap around my waist and another slam into the door, sealing it shut before I could exit. Another shiver shot through me at his touch and I desperately began struggling to break free.
I heard a small chuckle escape his throat before he leaned down and exhaled, sending shivers down my spine when the breath made contact with my ear. Tears were streaming down my face and I was losing feeling in my limbs as I struggled harder and harder. Then, everything went black.
