DISCLAIMER: I do not own Daughters Of The Moon, nor any of Lynn Ewing's
characters. If something in this story doesn't make sense, then oh well...
it's just a story to feed our imaginations. I hope you enjoy.
Prologue-
The sky grew darker and soon the moon appeared, shining it's luminescent rays upon South Florida. As the atmosphere changed, so did the people inhabiting it. Now the nightcrawlers, clubbers, and ravers emerged.
A group was forming outside of a local beach, the Lake Worth Beach. They were all from different walks of life, just crowding around the large bonfire that the city held each Friday night in winter. The city held the bonfires in hopes of bringing families out and closer together. The only thing they succeeded in was giving rowdy teenagers a place to hang out, make out, and drink at. Even though cops patrolled the area, a few still lingered under the pier and out of sight in the water drinking and committing atrocious acts of loose conduct.
A small bunch of the teenagers, 5 or 6 girls, crowded around a small cooler. Most of the girls were drinking cokes and laughing about different events that unfolded during that day of school, most of which involving guys in some way. But one of the young women stood farther away. She was sipping at a bottle of Sobe' tea, and watching the flickering flames that were only seven or eight feet away.
She obviously stood out from the crowd, especially considering that she was the only one wearing all black. And most of the young woman were showing off their legs or their cleavage, but she was wearing a pair of humble pants and a buttoned up blouse.
Her eyes tarried towards a throng of teens on the other side of the fire. All of them were dressed morbidly and most of them had piercings and/or tattoos. They seemed like a reserved and odd bunch, considering that most of them were just drinking beer and staring at each other.
Her eyes hovered over them, trying to figure out something about each and every person. And then her eyes met his. He was standing confidently only inches from the fire, his arms crossed which defined his muscles. Once she met his stare she could not look away. It was as if she was in a trance. She could hear some sort of weird chanting, but it wasn't coming from around her, it was coming from her mind.
She tried to shift her gaze elsewhere, but it seemed as if his eyes were calling her; like an invitation. Exactly...
The words were coming from him. Somehow he had gotten into her thoughts. She began to panic, not knowing what to do. How could this be happening? This is only something that happened in books and movies. Right?
A pain in her head soon grew so intense that she almost doubled over in anguish. She felt as if her mind was being searched. Memories from childhood flew through her mind, bad memories from the past as well as memories of things she never had. And then, it felt like a dark cloud was overpowering her thoughts. She could see herself sitting in an office chair at the Palm Beach Post. She was a head executive. This can be yours... he tempted.
She was confused. How could she get this? It was her dream. She always wanted to be a journalist.
Yes... he eased. Just follow me. Follow the Atrox.
Atrox? The word seemed so unfamiliar yet sent shivers through her spine. What would she have to do for this Atrox? But she knew that there had to be a catch; there always was. She bit her lip hard, hoping that pain would wake her up to reality.
And it did. She broke away from his strange stare. As she did so, she stumbled backwards. What had just happened? What had he done? She looked up and saw him glaring at her. He almost seemed surprised.
She looked around, to see if anyone had noticed her plight. Everyone was normal. She turned her head back to the young man, but he was gone. Her eyes searched frantically around, hoping to catch a glimpse of him so that she could ask what he had done. But he was nowhere in sight.
She noticed that her 'crew' was heading under the pier. A couple girls were dragging the cooler under, while the others flirted aimlessly with some guys they had seen earlier. "Where are you going?" she asked to nobody in particular. But she already knew the answer. The girls were following a group of young guys that they had been eyeing the whole night.
She didn't want to seem like an outcast by staying where she was, and she also didn't want to be caught under the spell of his eyes again. So, she reluctantly picked up her boots and trudged through the sand towards the bridge.
Why had she even come tonight? She had planned on spending the whole evening on the Internet, but when she received the call her foster parents would not let her refuse the invitation. She had been very anti-social lately, spending most her nights reading, studying, writing, and surfing on the Internet. Her foster parents had begun to worry, so to ease their mind she went.
She had no idea that she would end up out here at 11:30 at night. She was supposed to be home at this time, but assumed that her parents would understand... hopefully. She didn't expect the girls to pay their older brothers to buy them beer and come to the bonfire. She didn't expect to be caught in a stare with a complete stranger, a stranger that seemed to be able to enter her mind.
That's crazy though. 'There's no way he could have done that', she thought to herself. 'No human is capable of searching through your thoughts.'
Yes, you are correct. No human could. She quickly turned her head, trying to see where he was. But maybe I'm not your average human. Maybe I'm not human at all. Just hearing his voice sent a cold shudder down her spine, and made the hairs on her neck stand erect.
'What do you want?' she asked.
Didn't it tempt you? He asked, his voice seeming more natural and compassionate.
'Of course, but-'
He cut her off before she could finish her sentence. There has to be a catch. I know.
'So what is the catch?'
...
She could tell he was still in her mind, but he purposely didn't answer the question.
You seem like a smart girl. Presidents Awards all through elementary, as well as various art and writing awards. What happened the past few years, Sophia?
How did he know her name? How did her know about her awards?
Magic, he teased.
'Life happened.'
That's your answer? Why not tell me the truth.
'Because I'm sure you've used your 'magic' already to figure it out'.
Ah, he sighed. You figured me out. So how come you stopped the search?
She was taken back. He found out that much?
Yes, I did.
'I gave up. I think after four years I'm entitled to.'
If you did what I told you, you'd have eternity to search. In fact, I might be able to tell you right now who it was.
She had waited so long to know who had killed her family. She couldn't remember anything. Maybe she psychologically blocked the memory from her mind. It was too painful to remember; to have stored in her mind. 'Who was it?' she couldn't help but ask.
Follow me... his voiced seemed to be so unearthly and mystic. It was a whisper.
He wasn't inviting her to follow him physically, but in a memory instead. With a blink of an eye, she was no longer in the beach. She looked around her and realized that she was in her old home, when all of her family lived together. She could see herself as a pre-teen. She was sitting at the kitchen table waiting for her mother to put the plates of food on the table. In front of her was her dad, to the left her brother, and to right an empty chair where her mother usually sat.
Everything seemed to be so peaceful. And then the room seemed to fill with a black smog. Dark shadows weaved in and out around the table. They almost resembled snake like hands, and they reached out to grab the younger her. 'No...' Sophia said in her mind.
And then everything went black. When she opened her eyes, it was dawn. She was laying on the sand under the pier. Everyone was gone. They hadn't even bothered to wake her up. She couldn't remember anything after the little 'time travel'.
She saw a piece of paper rolled up in her boot. She picked it up and unrolled it. "Sophia, you got so wasted! You looked so peaceful sleeping and we didn't want to wake you up."
She could almost picture them writing it, laughing all the meanwhile. She was surprised they didn't draw anything on her face to further embarrass her.
The Atrox...
What had happened last night?
Her foster parents were probably worried sick about her. She stood up, and stretched. How would she get home? She walked over to the lifeguard station, and waved at the beach bunny lifeguard.
"Can I use a phone?" she asked with a smile, hoping that they wouldn't make her use a payphone.
The woman smiled and let her make the call. Before she knew it, she was riding in the passenger seat of her foster moms car getting lectured about responsibility. Joy...
Prologue-
The sky grew darker and soon the moon appeared, shining it's luminescent rays upon South Florida. As the atmosphere changed, so did the people inhabiting it. Now the nightcrawlers, clubbers, and ravers emerged.
A group was forming outside of a local beach, the Lake Worth Beach. They were all from different walks of life, just crowding around the large bonfire that the city held each Friday night in winter. The city held the bonfires in hopes of bringing families out and closer together. The only thing they succeeded in was giving rowdy teenagers a place to hang out, make out, and drink at. Even though cops patrolled the area, a few still lingered under the pier and out of sight in the water drinking and committing atrocious acts of loose conduct.
A small bunch of the teenagers, 5 or 6 girls, crowded around a small cooler. Most of the girls were drinking cokes and laughing about different events that unfolded during that day of school, most of which involving guys in some way. But one of the young women stood farther away. She was sipping at a bottle of Sobe' tea, and watching the flickering flames that were only seven or eight feet away.
She obviously stood out from the crowd, especially considering that she was the only one wearing all black. And most of the young woman were showing off their legs or their cleavage, but she was wearing a pair of humble pants and a buttoned up blouse.
Her eyes tarried towards a throng of teens on the other side of the fire. All of them were dressed morbidly and most of them had piercings and/or tattoos. They seemed like a reserved and odd bunch, considering that most of them were just drinking beer and staring at each other.
Her eyes hovered over them, trying to figure out something about each and every person. And then her eyes met his. He was standing confidently only inches from the fire, his arms crossed which defined his muscles. Once she met his stare she could not look away. It was as if she was in a trance. She could hear some sort of weird chanting, but it wasn't coming from around her, it was coming from her mind.
She tried to shift her gaze elsewhere, but it seemed as if his eyes were calling her; like an invitation. Exactly...
The words were coming from him. Somehow he had gotten into her thoughts. She began to panic, not knowing what to do. How could this be happening? This is only something that happened in books and movies. Right?
A pain in her head soon grew so intense that she almost doubled over in anguish. She felt as if her mind was being searched. Memories from childhood flew through her mind, bad memories from the past as well as memories of things she never had. And then, it felt like a dark cloud was overpowering her thoughts. She could see herself sitting in an office chair at the Palm Beach Post. She was a head executive. This can be yours... he tempted.
She was confused. How could she get this? It was her dream. She always wanted to be a journalist.
Yes... he eased. Just follow me. Follow the Atrox.
Atrox? The word seemed so unfamiliar yet sent shivers through her spine. What would she have to do for this Atrox? But she knew that there had to be a catch; there always was. She bit her lip hard, hoping that pain would wake her up to reality.
And it did. She broke away from his strange stare. As she did so, she stumbled backwards. What had just happened? What had he done? She looked up and saw him glaring at her. He almost seemed surprised.
She looked around, to see if anyone had noticed her plight. Everyone was normal. She turned her head back to the young man, but he was gone. Her eyes searched frantically around, hoping to catch a glimpse of him so that she could ask what he had done. But he was nowhere in sight.
She noticed that her 'crew' was heading under the pier. A couple girls were dragging the cooler under, while the others flirted aimlessly with some guys they had seen earlier. "Where are you going?" she asked to nobody in particular. But she already knew the answer. The girls were following a group of young guys that they had been eyeing the whole night.
She didn't want to seem like an outcast by staying where she was, and she also didn't want to be caught under the spell of his eyes again. So, she reluctantly picked up her boots and trudged through the sand towards the bridge.
Why had she even come tonight? She had planned on spending the whole evening on the Internet, but when she received the call her foster parents would not let her refuse the invitation. She had been very anti-social lately, spending most her nights reading, studying, writing, and surfing on the Internet. Her foster parents had begun to worry, so to ease their mind she went.
She had no idea that she would end up out here at 11:30 at night. She was supposed to be home at this time, but assumed that her parents would understand... hopefully. She didn't expect the girls to pay their older brothers to buy them beer and come to the bonfire. She didn't expect to be caught in a stare with a complete stranger, a stranger that seemed to be able to enter her mind.
That's crazy though. 'There's no way he could have done that', she thought to herself. 'No human is capable of searching through your thoughts.'
Yes, you are correct. No human could. She quickly turned her head, trying to see where he was. But maybe I'm not your average human. Maybe I'm not human at all. Just hearing his voice sent a cold shudder down her spine, and made the hairs on her neck stand erect.
'What do you want?' she asked.
Didn't it tempt you? He asked, his voice seeming more natural and compassionate.
'Of course, but-'
He cut her off before she could finish her sentence. There has to be a catch. I know.
'So what is the catch?'
...
She could tell he was still in her mind, but he purposely didn't answer the question.
You seem like a smart girl. Presidents Awards all through elementary, as well as various art and writing awards. What happened the past few years, Sophia?
How did he know her name? How did her know about her awards?
Magic, he teased.
'Life happened.'
That's your answer? Why not tell me the truth.
'Because I'm sure you've used your 'magic' already to figure it out'.
Ah, he sighed. You figured me out. So how come you stopped the search?
She was taken back. He found out that much?
Yes, I did.
'I gave up. I think after four years I'm entitled to.'
If you did what I told you, you'd have eternity to search. In fact, I might be able to tell you right now who it was.
She had waited so long to know who had killed her family. She couldn't remember anything. Maybe she psychologically blocked the memory from her mind. It was too painful to remember; to have stored in her mind. 'Who was it?' she couldn't help but ask.
Follow me... his voiced seemed to be so unearthly and mystic. It was a whisper.
He wasn't inviting her to follow him physically, but in a memory instead. With a blink of an eye, she was no longer in the beach. She looked around her and realized that she was in her old home, when all of her family lived together. She could see herself as a pre-teen. She was sitting at the kitchen table waiting for her mother to put the plates of food on the table. In front of her was her dad, to the left her brother, and to right an empty chair where her mother usually sat.
Everything seemed to be so peaceful. And then the room seemed to fill with a black smog. Dark shadows weaved in and out around the table. They almost resembled snake like hands, and they reached out to grab the younger her. 'No...' Sophia said in her mind.
And then everything went black. When she opened her eyes, it was dawn. She was laying on the sand under the pier. Everyone was gone. They hadn't even bothered to wake her up. She couldn't remember anything after the little 'time travel'.
She saw a piece of paper rolled up in her boot. She picked it up and unrolled it. "Sophia, you got so wasted! You looked so peaceful sleeping and we didn't want to wake you up."
She could almost picture them writing it, laughing all the meanwhile. She was surprised they didn't draw anything on her face to further embarrass her.
The Atrox...
What had happened last night?
Her foster parents were probably worried sick about her. She stood up, and stretched. How would she get home? She walked over to the lifeguard station, and waved at the beach bunny lifeguard.
"Can I use a phone?" she asked with a smile, hoping that they wouldn't make her use a payphone.
The woman smiled and let her make the call. Before she knew it, she was riding in the passenger seat of her foster moms car getting lectured about responsibility. Joy...