AN: I own nothing; it's all Miss Kelley's. Thanks Miss Kelley!
Also thanks to my fabulous guy friends: Mr. Rainbows, NateDrake, theBurningBadger, and Frenchfry.
Thanks as well to yorkshirerosesouza, TheWriter-TheCritique, Jayfire, my Advisee of Ballet ;), Emmoria, imaginitivemeagan, and Megan. You guys are a rookie writer's dream-come-true!
Lastly, I have only read a chapter or two of Dangerous from the first Darkest Powers Bonus Pack, but I will try to make Derek as close to how Kelley would make him through that and my guyfriends. Enjoy! R &R!
Chapter One (takes place during Chapter 4 of The Summoning)
The bedroom door swung open and slammed roughly against the wall. I winced at the noise, which was personified tenfold by my "bionic hearing" as Simon called it. The only reason I hadn't heard my brother's approach through the thin walls was that I was wrapped up in Asimov on Numbers, one of my favorite books. Thank goodness for school-free weekends.
Anyways, there Simon stood; the look on his face was one of unusual interest. I gave him my famed 'I-question-your-sanity' look.
"There's a girl."
Greaaaat, just what I need right now, a new target for Simon to aim all that charm at.
"Oh?" I said, returning to my reading.
"Yeah," he said with a ridiculous grin, unfazed by my standard disinterest, "she's supposedly a schizophrenic. Maybe we'll get our first real crazy here, eh?"
I gave him my affirmative grunt as he walked over to his side of the repulsively sunny room and flopped into his bed.
I felt a pang of guilt for having brought him here. Lyle House was for problem teens. As in psycho kids. Neither of us were. Simon was the good kid, always smiling and being nice. Everybody loved him. Even I did. It was my fault we were stuck here. My temper. My strength. My inability to control myself.
Me.
So it was my job to get him out. He didn't belong here. I did. The only thing stopping me was that I knew he would refuse to leave without me. I guess that's what made him so great.
I was woken from my self-deprecating reverie by a scent that made my hair stand on end. Victoria Enright leaned her dumb-ass head into the room and chimed in a girly tone,
"Hey Simon, dinner-time!", and then added in a mocking tone, "You too Frankenstein."
"Okay, thanks Tori." Simon mumbled.
She smiled at him a second longer and continued down the hall.
"Yes Your Majesty." He mumbled when she was out of earshot. I smirked and we were on our way.
…
The topic of discussion at dinner was, of course, the arrival of the new girl. I just ate my three helpings in peace and let my mind wander to my father. He would never just leave us. So where had he disappeared to? I would have taken Simon and run by now if it weren't for the fact that I had absolutely no idea where to start looking. As soon as dinner was over, Mrs. Talbot gave us a useless brief on being kind to the new girl, Chloe. Finally we all went to bed.
Chloe. Sounds like a girl Simon would date. Chloe. Simon would call it a "cute" name.
Chloe, Chloe, Chloe…
I tore through the woods after my prey. I would catch the rabbit this time. I was so close… Suddenly my powerful nose caught a familiar scent. I stopped cold. There was only one thing I remembered about my mom. Not a face, not a voice not a name… but that scent.
I took a hard right and dashed through the trees, Mom wait for me!
I couldn't understand why this scent was so familiar… I plowed through some brush and was blinded be the light in a clearing. I felt a wave of sleepy peace wash over me.
And I caught what I now know was my very first glimpse of her. A swish of blonde hair and bright blue eyes was all I saw, but I heard my name.
"Derek."
What is that smell? It was so familiar and yet…
I awoke not remembering the details of my dream, but with a single word in my mind:
Strawberries. She smelt like strawberries. Mom and… that girl.
Sooooo? What do you guys think? Please be honest. Please review! Thanks a-billion!
-Trin
