Another Delay

Hello dear readers,

Thank you for your continued patronage to this blog. As I've mentioned previously, I am pursuing a doctoral degree currently and it consumes most of my free time. I have also reached Chapter 6 of Book 3, which has the challenge of also being a chapter I believe still needs some reworking (as do some of the other upcoming chapters). I want to ensure this work, that has for so long been my baby, is delivered to you in an acceptable state. I have no illusions about the quality, believe me; but this is the least edited of the three and I would like to give it some quality attention before posting it here. That is in part why I was able to post only two months worth of reading over winter break.

Anyway, the short of it is that there will be another break in posts for an indeterminate amount of time.

Following the completion of this book, I have a preface and chapter of follow-up series to this one. I also have several starts of books from as early as middle school. In undergrad, I took a creative writing class, so there are poems and short stories I can share as well.

For those of you who like writing, I have a writing game I've played with friends before (including a short story I wrote as a result of the game). Let me know if this is of interest to you and I will post it. That would provide something simple for the intermediate.

As always, thank you for reading. The story will continue soon.

Teagen

Eternal: Chapter Four, Part 4

“You knew I wasn’t dead?” I asked, cocking my head to the side, slightly put out. Mitchell’s habit of harmlessly tormenting people for fun was really starting to rub off on me. I was fairly certain that wasn’t healthy.

“I knew you were still around more than I knew you were alive,” he replied, shrugging and crossing his arms over his chest. “You have a unique imprint in the air that was still hanging around. When it disappeared that day, that’s when I called Caroline and learned what had happened. But then it came back.”

“It’s all…really complicated,” I said, knowing he was thinking about how it was always complicated—it did seem that way. “But I’m not even sure if I’m supposed to talk about it.”

He nodded. “She was a mess for the longest time, though.”

“Drei told me,” I assured him, hoping that subject would go away too. I didn’t like knowing I had been the cause of pain for people. It was part of the reason I tried not to think about my parents.

“But she seems better now.”

“I helped her let go of the grief and guilt she was holding on to,” I explained, shrugging, hoping he wouldn’t see it as a bad thing.

“That was nice of you,” he said softly, seeming to look past me. Yeah, he didn’t agree with it, but I personally hated to watch people suffer when I could help them.

“You aren’t mad at me, are you?” I asked, studying the bows on the toes of my flats. Ian was the only free air elemental I knew of, and I wasn’t sure how well I could pull off anything knowing I had angered him. He was one of those people I never wanted to cross, and not because he scared me. Ian was probably one of the frankest people I knew and that, in itself, was invaluable.

“Come ‘ere, love,” he said, pulling me into his arms again. “I can’t be mad at you when I’m sure you wouldn’t have put her through so much if you could’ve helped it.” Kissing the top of my head, he added, “Besides, you’re back now.”

“It’s—”

“Because it’s your time to run things,” he finished for me, unsmiling.

“How’d you know?” I stared up at him.

Approaching his painting, he pointed to the only gray strip branching away from the strand near the top of the canvas. I hadn’t noticed it before, but the three strips chasing after it weren’t pulling it back; they were swirling around it and creating the start of what could be a new strand. “That’s you.”

“You can’t be sure—that might be you,” I insisted, not wanting to believe him.

“I’m supposed to spread truths, but not until after there’s been a great change,” he said, scanning my face. “Which means it has to be soon because I’ve already begun painting.”

“Why can’t it have already happened?” I argued, knowing he was probably right since it was his work—he should know—but being stubborn just the same.

“Because every other air elemental who has led a movement was chosen to lead it by luck, not because they stepped up to lead it.” Eyeing me, having cornered me with the very information I had spent months studying, he concluded, “Until you.”

We stared at each other for the longest time. I still didn’t want to believe that was supposed to be me, but I couldn’t form an articulate argument in response; history was on his side, as well as his own destiny. The silence was broken when Caroline returned with her coffee.

“There’s more if either of you would like some,” she said, sitting on one of the couches, oblivious to the situation upon which she had stumbled.

“No, thanks,” Ian said as I said, “I’m good.”

“Suit yourselves,” she replied, shrugging, clutching her mug in her lap as if it were extremely cold in the room. “So, Abs, what’s the plan? Where do we start?”

Ian and I sat down on either side of her. “I still need a lawyer, and then I have to find the other four people I want on my core team,” I said, trying to remember what else I had already figured out. “Then we work on setup, because that’ll take some time. I’ll go more into detail when I have a full team, but that’s the basics.”

“Sounds like what we started with,” Caroline said to Ian, who nodded. “I can set up the appointment with my lawyer tomorrow. Noon work okay?”

I knew I couldn’t admit I was a vampire and that noon might not work out so well, so I said, “Sure,” hoping everything would work out in my favor. I either needed it to be overcast or to find a really big hat, though an umbrella might work as well; I’d make it work.

“Perfect. Ian can pick you up. Just like old times.”

“Of course,” Ian agreed, smiling as big as Caroline was.

Smiling back, I nodded, wishing it really was like old times. I had thought things were complicated then, but this was an entirely different web of all new proportions, and I would have given almost anything to have the old worries back.

Eternal: Chapter Four, Part 2

Her tears subsided, but she still hid her face. Even with the thick knot of emotions released, she must have felt obligated to still be apologetic and culpable.

“I don’t blame you for anything.”

“But it’s all my fault. I brought you back into it and endangered you because of it,” she said, lowering her hands from her face; her cheeks glistened and her eyes were bloodshot.

“And this isn’t you. I need the old you, Caroline. The confident, almost-arrogant fighter who could be nice.”

Sniffling, she took the napkin and blew her nose. “For what?” Then before I could begin to explain, she said, “God you look so different. You’re so pale…but still beautiful. What happened to you? And why the hell did it take you so long to let me know you were alive?” There was the Caroline I knew and wanted, needed. I loved how she could change gears so quickly.

Smiling, partially because she was now, I said, “I am different, and that’s a really long story; but I can’t go into any of that right now.”

She nodded. “So long as you tell me sometime.”

“Sure;” I wasn’t certain that was a possibility, but I could discuss the likelihood with Drei.

“God, Abs, I just can’t get over that you’re not dead;” she laughed to herself. I wasn’t sure if she was going into hysterics, really happy, or if she was losing it altogether. I hoped it wasn’t the latter. “What’s with the different name, anyway?”

“Caroline,” I said, sitting forward on my elbows, “it’s my turn to run the show. I’m preparing to start a revolution—more a movement. I want you on my team.”

Her bronze eyes grew large and she seemed to restrain herself from dropping her jaw as well. “Really? I-I mean…I never figured you to be one for something like that.”

“Well, I am. And that’s also the reason behind the name.”

“So I’ll have to call you Leirba from now on?” When I nodded, she smiled and admitted, “I’m still going to call you Abs from time to time. But I’ll try to remember not to in public,” she promised, grinning.

“Will you be on my team?”

I watched as she sat back, wrapping her arms around herself and rubbing them. “Abs—Leirba,” she sighed, shaking her head and looking away. “I don’t know if I can do it. Thinking you died really made me think about things. And I decided I don’t want—oh how do I put this?” She stopped speaking, rubbing her temples as she searched for the answer she was seeking. “I don’t want to be part of that scene if people die because of it.”

“Caroline,” I said, drawing her attention and taking one of her hands in mine. “People will die whether or not they participate. Now, what I have in mind is less incendiary than yours was, and I’m going to do my best to ensure people aren’t hurt. But there’s no guarantee and I won’t promise you that it’ll all be okay, because it might not be.” Her eyes darted away and she hugged herself again. I could relate to her internal conflict, but when I’d been there it was in regards to my own safety. “What I can promise you, is that I will do everything in my power to keep this as safe as possible. I would hate to lose anyone I’m bringing into this.”

“And what about yourself?” she asked, staring at me. “Because I really don’t think I’m strong enough to lose you again.”

Holding both of her hands in mine, I said, “No worries, I’m considerably harder to kill.”

She nodded her head. “I’ll do it. I’ll be on your team.”

“Great;” I couldn’t stop smiling. Caroline was in. That was one of six, possibly seven if I found another fire elemental.

“If you’re going for more of a peaceful approach, you’ll want Ian, I’m guessing;” how did she know me so well? Both of us smiling made it seem like no time had passed, like we were scheming all over again. Only, this time our roles had changed.

Nodding, I added, “And lawyers. Good ones. I don’t have time for legal issues and I’m not doing this quietly. Don’t have time for that either.”

“I have the perfect lawyer,” she said, bobbing her head and pushing her crimson locks behind an ear. “What kind of timeline are we looking at anyway?”

“Two years,” I replied, finishing my chai latte.

“For what? Planning, initiating—”

“Everything.”

Her eyes were huge disks again, this time her jaw hanging open as well. “You’re insane.”

“I didn’t have much choice.” Before we could blow this into an entirely different conversation—one I didn’t feel like having six plus different times—I suggested, “How about we find Ian?”

“He’ll be excited to see you.” Caroline let the timeline topic drop, but her eyes sparkled in such a way as to say she was still going to ask about it. “He’s missed having you around, even though he handled it better than I did.”

Eternal: Chapter Four, Part 1

Chapter Four: Light My Fire

Valetta and Mitchell searched for a few people I had met at the camp whom I knew would be assets to the project if we could find them. I had absolute confidence in their ability. The only restraint I gave them, however, was not to approach them regarding the movement. That was something I needed to do personally.

Drei helped me find the one person locally I knew would be the most difficult to approach. Then, after insisting I adjust to introducing myself as Leirba, he disappeared, claiming he had something he needed to do. I didn’t know what he was doing but I trusted him, so I tried not to let the worry overrun my thoughts.

The day had been overcast but I had arranged a rendezvous after dusk, not wanting to risk frightening my guest with an unanticipated injury. We were meeting at a café. It had been forever since I had had a cinnamon chai latte and I couldn’t help breathing in the scent every few minutes to luxuriate in it; it smelled like heaven.

I had to wait quite a while for her to arrive—granted, I had been extremely early. When she walked through the door, I couldn’t help smiling at her. Her long red hair cascaded over her shoulders. She was wearing her classic skinny jeans paired with rainbow flats to match her tie-dye tee. Fashion aside, she wasn’t how I remembered her; her lips smiled, but sorrow and guilt made her cautious, tentative. Sleepless nights left dark circles under her eyes that showed through her concealer; she looked thinner.

“Caroline,” I called, catching her bronze eyes.

She smiled a little more warmly as she strolled up to the table. Cocking her head to one side and furrowing her brow slightly, she asked, “Have we met before? You look…familiar.”

“I’m Leirba,” I said, shaking her hand.

She gasped and grimaced; “Your hands are freezing.”

Folding my hands in my lap, I nodded my head in the direction of the empty seat. “Please…sit.”

“I’ll just get something—”

“Mocha chai?” I interrupted, motioning to the girl at the counter. I had already ordered and paid for it, but I didn’t want it cold by the time she arrived. The guy working brought her drink over a moment later, smiling flirtatiously at the two of us before returning to work.

After taking a drink, she set her cup down and stared at me a moment. “How’d you know?”

“I have my ways,” I replied cryptically, still holding her gaze as I sipped my own drink. Her brow furrowed in confusion and I could see the allure Mitchell found in puzzling me. True, I hated when I was the one being puzzled, but there was something about a good secret that made riddling another person entertaining.

“I really think I’ve met you somewhere before. I’m almost certain,” she insisted, sitting forward on her elbows. “But it doesn’t make sense because she—she…never mind.” Silence fell between us as she watched her finger run along the rim of her mug.

“She what?” I asked gently. “Died?”

Her bronze eyes shot up at me, surprised but also horrified and hurt. “Yeah;” she studied me carefully as if I were the devil. What I was doing was somewhat evil, I’ll concede, but it probably would have gone a lot worse if I’d come straight out with it from the start—the most likely outcome would be her yelling and storming out, and I couldn’t waste time chasing after her. She needed to arrive at her own conclusion about my identity if I was going to be able to bring her and the others into the fold within the month.

“Are you sure?” I tilted my head to one side, staring at her.

“I was there,” she replied softly, daring me to prove her wrong.

I sauntered to the counter, picking up a napkin on the way there. Using one of their pens, I wrote out Leirba in capital letters and drew an arrow from the A to the L. After thanking the guy at the register, I returned to our table and slid the napkin across its surface so she could read it.

At first, confusion flitted across her face as she tried making sense of it. She even glanced up at me a few times in disbelief. Disbelief and confusion quickly transformed into a bittersweet joy which was tossed aside by grief and guilt, her face disappearing into her hands as silent sobs wracked her body.

“Caroline?” She worried me. I hadn’t any idea she was this shaken by it. No, that’s a lie. I did know. Her entire revolution fell apart because she thought I was dead. Because she blamed herself.

“I’m so sorry, Abs,” she murmured into her hands. “I never meant for any of that to happen; I was trying to prevent anything like that. You weren’t supposed to get hurt. I’m sorry. So, so sorry.”

Laying a hand on her forearm, I said, “You have nothing to be sorry for; you aren’t responsible for what happened.” As I spoke, I worked at untying the knot of sorrow and guilt inside her, pulling the emotions surrounding the event away from her and setting them adrift into the sky; only then was I able to loosen and release the pain of the event. All of it floated through the ceiling in blue and decaying black ribbons; it was almost as beautiful as when I had done the same for Nick upon our first meeting. Of course, then, I hadn’t really known what I was doing. I was just hoping my crazy idea would work.

A Gift for You

I know it is very much past Thanksgiving now and no new posts have come. I severely underestimated the amount of work I needed to accomplish by the end of the semester and then I was traveling for a conference. As a gift and apology, I will release a new post every day between now and Christmas before returning to the regular Tuesday and Friday releases.

Happy Holidays and please enjoy the rest of the story!

Vampiric: Chapter Twelve, Part 3

It felt almost like the air had been sucked from my lungs. None of this was making the least bit of sense and it was starting to unnerve me. Why couldn’t he just come out and say whatever it was he was avoiding? He wasn’t making anything better or easier. It only seemed to be messier and more puzzling.

“I don’t understand,” I conceded slowly, hoping against odds the answer would come before he said it. His hesitancy was making me fear it, whatever it was.

“I lost my sisters, and it nearly ruined me,” he whispered. “I could not imagine what losing you would be like, and I never wanted to know.”

“Drei…what did you do?”

He stood, my slipping from his as though he had forgotten it was there, and started pacing along the foot of the bed. “What I did is unforgivable and I understand if you loathe me,” he said, refusing to look at me. “I never wished my fate on anyone—least of all you…but I cannot undo what has been done.”

“What did—” It clicked. I had changed, but I hadn’t died. Not entirely. “You turned me,” I whispered, not sure how I felt about it. On one hand, it meant I could be with Drei and it was considerably more difficult for me to die. It also meant I hadn’t failed yet. But on the other, it meant facing the Council, for they would know eventually. It meant never growing old or living a full life. Would I be able to have children if I wanted them?

“I could not imagine living without you longer than I had already,” he murmured, his pacing stopped but his gaze hidden in shame.

I stood—or tried to, I should say—to go to him, instead bringing him to me as my legs crumpled under my weight. “You are still suffering side effects,” he explained, helping me into bed again. “You will be weak for a while, until your body adjusts. It doesn’t help you were injured when I—” The sentence completed itself, despite my fogginess. “Your wounds are healed, however,” he offered hopefully.

Wrapping my arms around his neck, I said, “I love you, Drei. Nothing, not even this, can change that.”

“Not even the way I treated you?”

“I never stopped loving you.”

“Neither I you.” He held me in his arms, the embrace familiar but strange. If anything, it was more powerful, strengthened by his relief and our former separation.

Then the moment was ruined by me and my newly acquired thirst. He laughed uneasily, though he tried to feign lightheartedness. He left briefly and returned with a mug of warm, dark liquid. “Animal blood,” he offered.

“Do I have to?” My stomach felt sickened by the thought as my mouth watered for it.

“You will grow accustomed to it.”

“I don’t believe you.” I held out against drinking it a while longer before thirst won out. Surprisingly, I wasn’t tempted to gag at the coppery liquid. If anything, I wanted more. But Drei said I needed to learn to curb my thirst early on before I began experiencing blood lust. I wasn’t strong enough to press the issue.

“You need more sleep,” he insisted, setting the empty mug on the bedside table. “That is the only way to regain your strength.”

“You’re always telling me to sleep,” I teased, lying down again, exhaustion washing over me.

“Because you seldom tell yourself,” he replied, grinning, his fingertips gliding down my scar-less arm. I closed my eyes, enjoying his touch, soaking it up after having longed for it.

“Thank you,” I whispered, feeling myself drift off.

“Do not thank me for my selfishness,” he murmured softly into my ear as he lay beside me.

I thought about telling him how unselfish he had been. His motive was selfish, but in retrospect, he had done so much. He had given me the deepest secret he had as well as bought me more time to figure things out. He had saved me from failing, and no one else could have given me that. No one.