Prologue
“Are you
certain she’s the one?” Lily
whispered.
Frost replied softly, “Pretty sure, she even looks
a little like Freja. How old do you
think she is? Four… maybe five years old?”
From the playground, came something remarkable. A little duplicate of the child lying in the grass. The other little angel plopped herself ungracefully onto the grassy bed next to her sister. They were mirror images of each other.
From the playground, came something remarkable. A little duplicate of the child lying in the grass. The other little angel plopped herself ungracefully onto the grassy bed next to her sister. They were mirror images of each other.
Grey said, “This
is quite the unexpected little glitch... isn't it? What does
this mean? How
is this even possible?"
Frost replied, "It's not possible."
Lily glanced at Frost and said, “It definitely complicates things.”
One of the
freckled little girls noticed the three Ankhs watching. She sprang to her feet and raced over to the fence and
stood on her tippy toes. With
a giant grin, she stuck her chubby
little fingers through the rungs of the
fence.
“Do you want to come in and
play?” She squeaked.
Lily whispered, “Aren’t you the most adorable
little thing in the whole wide
world.”
“What’s your name? You delightful
little creature,” Grey said with his thick Aussie accent.
“I’m not a thing or a creature.
I'm a kid. My name is Kayn, that’s my sister Chloe,” she pointed a little finger
adorned with messy sparkle nail
polish at her sister.
The little girl had
sand on her lovely white
frilly dress and grass in her hair. She had a sticker of a frog on her cheek, and she radiated
joy. Chloe sat up. She was
now glaring at them. Chloe was clearly not going
to be the one out of the two
abducted by a random stranger.
Frost appeared to be so captivated by the scrappy child that stood in front of them he couldn’t even manage to speak. He just stood there beaming like a fool.
Frost appeared to be so captivated by the scrappy child that stood in front of them he couldn’t even manage to speak. He just stood there beaming like a fool.
“You guys look like movie stars.”
Kayn gushed, and then turned her attention
to her own hand, “I have nail polish
on...see?” she said, her beautiful eyes gleamed with pride as she displayed
her wiggling fingers for the rest
to see.
“Very lovely,”
Lily appraised. Just as a little boy with a mess of dark curls
came running up to the fence
and grabbed Kayn’s arm.
He glared at the group,
then leaned over and whispered
in her ear assertively, “Chloe says
you’re not supposed to talk to strangers.”
The little girl stated,”
Chloe’s not the boss of me.” She then grasped the fence
firmly and stuck
her face right against it with her little upturned nose sticking
right through to the other side.
Frost, quite obviously blown
away by the feisty, spirited child, touched
one of the little girl’s dainty fingers through the fence. He
met her gaze, marveling at the innocence and
vibrant intensity that shone back through the chain link
barrier.
His expression changed briefly as he whispered to her under his breath.
“It’s very important
that you become
strong.” He touched the tip
of her nose with his finger gently.
Chapter 1
The Moments Before She Sleeps
The humming of Kayn’s blood as it
coursed through her veins seemed to sing along to the steady, almost tribal,
beat of her feet as they pounded rhythmically into the dirt. A veil of earth
flowed behind her. She resembled a flaxen haired angel attempting to outrun a
cloud of dust that seemed to follow her for a moment or two longer than it should
with not one whisper of wind in the afternoon air. The smile that spread over
Kayn’s lips while she trained showed that her heart was overflowing with so
much joy that it could not be contained beneath her serious competitive
demeanor.
Kayn noticed in the moment of clarity that Kevin was not sitting in the
grass watching her run. She could picture Kevin as he rushed to his locker, and
fumbled with the lock in an attempt to keep the facade going. She wasn't
stupid. She didn't actually believe that he enjoyed watching her run in circles
around a track. She knew here was a method to his madness. Her best friend was
madly in love with her twin sister. He had been addicted to the mere sight of
her since kindergarten. To anyone else this would make no sense, but Kayn
understood. She was Kevins friend, and Chloe was his fantasy.
She could picture him shoving his way past a
herd of students and prying his body through the single doorway that lead the
gym. In her vision of why he was late for their daily routine. He was shoved up
against the wall and his books fell out of his backpack. She found herself
laughing aloud as she ran for thoughts of him always brought a smile to her
face. His organizational skills had always left something to be desired. After
taking a moment to collect his papers, he would zip up his bag and continue on
his quest for his moment in the presence of her twin sister. The always unattainable
Chloe Brighton.
She noticed him out of
the corner of her eye. He ran up the hill and unceremoniously plopped himself
down in the grass beside her school bag and things were as they should be. She
rounded the corner and kicked up dust like a champ. She saw him fiddling with
his cell phone. He was going to time her next lap. She flashed by her best
friend in a cloud of dust. Kevin smiled at her through the haze.
Her body, lean and freckled from exposure to the sun, glinted with sparkles. Kayn loved coconut sparkle tanning spray. She could see it on her clenched fists each time they flashed by her line of sight. She was a girl with a list of strange little rituals on her daily to do list. At the beginning of her run, she imagined that she did look magical, glittering in the sun, but not by the end of her run. By the end of her training, the glitter tanning spray would cause the track’s dust to stick to her whole body in a comical way. She would end up looking as though she had spent her whole afternoon rolling in it, not running on it.
Kayn allowed herself to appreciate the sun’s rays gently whispering across her skin. She experienced a feeling of pure joy that was transcendent. Kayn kicked up another cloud to outrun as she rounded the corner. Then came that pleasurable jolt of electricity that surged through her brain, ignited her soul, and set her afire with insurmountable joy. This moment in her run had always left Kayn with the sense that she had been given a gift or anointment of physical power. Her adrenaline rippled a winding path of pleasure underneath her skin.
She hit the straight stretch feeling such unimaginable, euphoric, physical ecstasy that she felt baptized by the sweat trickling down her forehead to the sides of her face. Kayn Brighton was alive in that moment in a way only a runner could comprehend. She was thankful for that moment, and every single time the experience overwhelmed her; her soul felt stronger.
Every nerve ending was humming, “Faster, Kayn, go faster.” Kayn was an athlete born to push the limits of her body, programmed to be a powerhouse. Runners were a breed of their own; they had their incredible days and their horrible days in competition. Every day on the track, trail, or wherever a runner chose to run. The act itself was always a followed by a feeling of spiritual completion.
“Don’t Call Me Baby,” by Madison Avenue was cranked in Kayn’s ears. She kept pace to the beat, feeling powerful and strong. Kayn grinned and made eye contact as she ran past her best friend Kevin, signaling her acknowledgement of his presence.
Kevin sat listening to his own music, plucking the long, green strands of grass out of the ground by their roots. Kevin glanced up from his grass picking duties as she approached, and over zealously waved at her as he displayed a giant charming toothy grin. It was a funny thing he’d done since kindergarten. It never failed to induce laughter. She acknowledged that she had seen him sitting there being a goof by shaking her head and smiling.
Kayn started walking to cool down her overheated body. Her heart began to thump and pound in her chest like an act of defiance to her now walking feet. Kayn licked the sweat from her upper lip, tasting its salty, pleasurable reward. She took her track dust covered hand and wiped her forehead to keep the stinging sweat from her eyes. Kayn wiped the sweat on her shorts noticing the streaks of dirt and wondered if she had a streak of dust across her forehead.
Kayn turned in one fluid movement to greet Kevin, whose grassy scent signaled his arrival at her side. His giant grin told her that her face was most certainly covered in dirt, but he didn’t mention it to her. He always cheered for her as if she had just won the Olympics or something equally spectacular. She smiled for she could see him cheering with no sound. The sight of him cheering to the music in her ears was more than a little bit adorable. Kayn yanked one of her earbuds out.
Her body, lean and freckled from exposure to the sun, glinted with sparkles. Kayn loved coconut sparkle tanning spray. She could see it on her clenched fists each time they flashed by her line of sight. She was a girl with a list of strange little rituals on her daily to do list. At the beginning of her run, she imagined that she did look magical, glittering in the sun, but not by the end of her run. By the end of her training, the glitter tanning spray would cause the track’s dust to stick to her whole body in a comical way. She would end up looking as though she had spent her whole afternoon rolling in it, not running on it.
Kayn allowed herself to appreciate the sun’s rays gently whispering across her skin. She experienced a feeling of pure joy that was transcendent. Kayn kicked up another cloud to outrun as she rounded the corner. Then came that pleasurable jolt of electricity that surged through her brain, ignited her soul, and set her afire with insurmountable joy. This moment in her run had always left Kayn with the sense that she had been given a gift or anointment of physical power. Her adrenaline rippled a winding path of pleasure underneath her skin.
She hit the straight stretch feeling such unimaginable, euphoric, physical ecstasy that she felt baptized by the sweat trickling down her forehead to the sides of her face. Kayn Brighton was alive in that moment in a way only a runner could comprehend. She was thankful for that moment, and every single time the experience overwhelmed her; her soul felt stronger.
Every nerve ending was humming, “Faster, Kayn, go faster.” Kayn was an athlete born to push the limits of her body, programmed to be a powerhouse. Runners were a breed of their own; they had their incredible days and their horrible days in competition. Every day on the track, trail, or wherever a runner chose to run. The act itself was always a followed by a feeling of spiritual completion.
“Don’t Call Me Baby,” by Madison Avenue was cranked in Kayn’s ears. She kept pace to the beat, feeling powerful and strong. Kayn grinned and made eye contact as she ran past her best friend Kevin, signaling her acknowledgement of his presence.
Kevin sat listening to his own music, plucking the long, green strands of grass out of the ground by their roots. Kevin glanced up from his grass picking duties as she approached, and over zealously waved at her as he displayed a giant charming toothy grin. It was a funny thing he’d done since kindergarten. It never failed to induce laughter. She acknowledged that she had seen him sitting there being a goof by shaking her head and smiling.
Kayn started walking to cool down her overheated body. Her heart began to thump and pound in her chest like an act of defiance to her now walking feet. Kayn licked the sweat from her upper lip, tasting its salty, pleasurable reward. She took her track dust covered hand and wiped her forehead to keep the stinging sweat from her eyes. Kayn wiped the sweat on her shorts noticing the streaks of dirt and wondered if she had a streak of dust across her forehead.
Kayn turned in one fluid movement to greet Kevin, whose grassy scent signaled his arrival at her side. His giant grin told her that her face was most certainly covered in dirt, but he didn’t mention it to her. He always cheered for her as if she had just won the Olympics or something equally spectacular. She smiled for she could see him cheering with no sound. The sight of him cheering to the music in her ears was more than a little bit adorable. Kayn yanked one of her earbuds out.
“Holy
crap,” Kevin yelled in her face. “That’s your best time this year. You are
going to kick serious butt at the finals next month.”
“You
know my earbuds are out, Kevin. I can hear you.” Kayn spoke quietly.
“Oh,
you think you’re pretty cool because you’re fast. Well, young lady, plenty of
people are fast, but how many people can do this?” Kevin retorted. He did a
peculiar dance that involved a twirl and some kind of running man move as he
laughed at her mortification.
“Please,
stop,” Kayn said as she surveyed the track and surrounding area for witnesses.
She
knew she was
an attractive girl, but she had
never known the perfection of her twin sister Chloe. It did stand
to reason that she could quite
easily alter her appearance, to match her identical twin, but she didn't care
about superficial things. She was the
socially awkward version, and she
was fine with that on most days.
Her naturally curly, wheat colored hair
was damp with perspiration and in a messy
ponytail.
Kevin
had often told
her that she resembled an Amazonian sized forest nymph. She
had never been
sure if his observation was meant
as a compliment. She knew her face was
speckled with freckles from exposure
to the sun, and her nose was
probably once again streaked with mud. Kevin was jogging beside her now in an attempt to keep up. She walked
with long, atheletic strides.
Her
best friend used to be the most
adorable little boy on the planet,
but there was a point where she
sensed he had stopped feeling adorable.
That was when
she had surpassed
him in height. It was around the end
of seventh grade. As a joke, their mothers had been plotting
their nuptials since the second grade, so
that was a complication
that they had
not anticipated. Kevin had been in a painfully awkward, acne covered stage for at least
three years now. He was still
adorable, although possibly only to Kayn. However, she did
notice that Kevin’s skin was looking
pretty clear today. Kayn smiled at him as he valiantly attempted to run as fast as she
was walking. Kayn’s affliction was very
different. Kayn was invisible. To her this was a good thing.
It was her preference
to blend into the crowd.
“You are awesome.
I mean that, and I’m totally
not saying that to butter you up so you’ll put a good
word in with your sister,”
Kevin said with a grin that spread from ear to ear.
She loved him to death, but she had
been letting him down easy for ten years
now. She gave
him a pat on the shoulder and then flung
her arm around him. She slowed down to a casual stroll and sweetly said,
“There’s just this one problem, muffin. My sister is way too advanced for
you.”
“Right… That’s what you say to all the guys stalking your twin sister,” he countered with a grin at the cleverly creative way of calling her sister slutty.
Kayn choked on a laugh and said, “Yes, as a matter of fact it is exactly what I say to every single one of them. I was forced to come up with one token line that I use with everyone. It just saves time, darling.”
Kevin’s face crinkled into a dimpled grin and he shook his head feigning his distaste.
“Right… That’s what you say to all the guys stalking your twin sister,” he countered with a grin at the cleverly creative way of calling her sister slutty.
Kayn choked on a laugh and said, “Yes, as a matter of fact it is exactly what I say to every single one of them. I was forced to come up with one token line that I use with everyone. It just saves time, darling.”
Kevin’s face crinkled into a dimpled grin and he shook his head feigning his distaste.
He responded in a flirtatious voice, “I can’t believe after all these years, I am merely a number to you.”
She displayed a giant smile at his attempt at innuendo. Maybe she would have even been a little flattered if the conversation had been directed towards her.
She displayed a giant smile at his attempt at innuendo. Maybe she would have even been a little flattered if the conversation had been directed towards her.
Kayn
gave Kevin a friendly pat on the shoulder and
said, “Just do yourself a favor; take a hint. She
is not the right girl for you.”
She slapped him on the butt and teased, “At least have the
decency to warn me if you ever
find yourself wanting to wear my sister as a skin coat. I can try
to get you some
help.”
Kevin
let out a small yelp, and he jumped
from the sting of her hand. He shot
a dirty look back in her direction.
Kayn took on a fake serious tone and said, “How hard can it be to arrange an intervention or a creepy exorcism or something in your honor. I would hate to have to visit my best friend in a padded cell somewhere.” She sent him a sweet, innocent look and waited for his inevitable comeback.
“You’re really very clever, Candy Kayn. You should have a comedy show or something,” he shot back at her.
“It would be hilarious if it wasn't the truth,” Kayn challenged.
Kayn took on a fake serious tone and said, “How hard can it be to arrange an intervention or a creepy exorcism or something in your honor. I would hate to have to visit my best friend in a padded cell somewhere.” She sent him a sweet, innocent look and waited for his inevitable comeback.
“You’re really very clever, Candy Kayn. You should have a comedy show or something,” he shot back at her.
“It would be hilarious if it wasn't the truth,” Kayn challenged.
Kayn’s
twin sister, Chloe Brighton, was the perfected
version of her. She was stylish and
always the picture
of popularity and perfection. Her twin was described with words like captivating, stunning, and provocative. Kayn, on the other hand, was
blandly characterized as cute,
funny, and a good runner. It
didn’t seem very fair; however,
she loved her sister with blind acceptance. They had
always been extremely close but
definitely did not hang out in the same
crowd. To be honest, Kayn had no crowd
at all. It was
really just her and Kevin.
The only boys who had shown an interest in Kayn were usually after her sister Chloe. Kayn, being less sophisticated, would always fall for their games. She would think, maybe this time the guy liked her. She would talk to them on the phone for a while, and then inevitably they would ask to come over to hang out or maybe do some homework together. Kayn would invite them over and right when her heart would begin to flutter with the romantic possibilities of a goodnight kiss or how incredible it would be to have an actual boyfriend, it would happen. They would make their intentions obvious by saying something like, “Because we are such good friends could you introduce me to your sister Chloe?”
Friends… an uncomplicated word, it was also a word that Kayn had begun to hate at a very young age because of her sister Chloe. That one single word had felt like the wind from a breath that would blow out every single candle she had kept lit inside of her heart her whole life to date. Kayn would be blatantly lying if she said that the constantly repeating scenario didn’t breed some resentment toward her sister. Still, she would never let it show. Not once had she ever freaked out at her sister for stealing her imaginary boyfriends or simply for being completely morally bankrupt.
She’d learned at a very young age that Chloe didn’t follow the same ethical or moral codes that most people followed. Kayn had this thing called a conscience which included guilt and a little voice in her ear that repeated until she chose to listen to it, “Don’t do it, Kayn.” She was pretty sure the voice talking to Chloe said, “Do it,” every single time and there was really no need for sentiment or morality in Chloe’s universe.
The giant self-contained universe that seemed to revolve completely around Chloe was simply amazing. One could stand with mouth agape for hours listening to the stories of horrific events that Chloe had caused during a 24-hour period of time. It was as though her sister were protected in her own little snow globe completely by herself and life surrounded her. Once in a while someone stirred up her water, but it simply revolved around her like everything else did, never really touching her or swirling her around to lose a second of her control. Chloe was completely unaffected by the world around her and stood unwavering through life’s currents.
The only boys who had shown an interest in Kayn were usually after her sister Chloe. Kayn, being less sophisticated, would always fall for their games. She would think, maybe this time the guy liked her. She would talk to them on the phone for a while, and then inevitably they would ask to come over to hang out or maybe do some homework together. Kayn would invite them over and right when her heart would begin to flutter with the romantic possibilities of a goodnight kiss or how incredible it would be to have an actual boyfriend, it would happen. They would make their intentions obvious by saying something like, “Because we are such good friends could you introduce me to your sister Chloe?”
Friends… an uncomplicated word, it was also a word that Kayn had begun to hate at a very young age because of her sister Chloe. That one single word had felt like the wind from a breath that would blow out every single candle she had kept lit inside of her heart her whole life to date. Kayn would be blatantly lying if she said that the constantly repeating scenario didn’t breed some resentment toward her sister. Still, she would never let it show. Not once had she ever freaked out at her sister for stealing her imaginary boyfriends or simply for being completely morally bankrupt.
She’d learned at a very young age that Chloe didn’t follow the same ethical or moral codes that most people followed. Kayn had this thing called a conscience which included guilt and a little voice in her ear that repeated until she chose to listen to it, “Don’t do it, Kayn.” She was pretty sure the voice talking to Chloe said, “Do it,” every single time and there was really no need for sentiment or morality in Chloe’s universe.
The giant self-contained universe that seemed to revolve completely around Chloe was simply amazing. One could stand with mouth agape for hours listening to the stories of horrific events that Chloe had caused during a 24-hour period of time. It was as though her sister were protected in her own little snow globe completely by herself and life surrounded her. Once in a while someone stirred up her water, but it simply revolved around her like everything else did, never really touching her or swirling her around to lose a second of her control. Chloe was completely unaffected by the world around her and stood unwavering through life’s currents.
Kayn
couldn’t really get mad at the boys
who fell for
Chloe because she truly believed her sister had the
mythical powers of a siren. Chloe was alluring,
enticing, and seemed to have catnip for men on her somewhere. She wondered how
all of this game had ended
up in one of the babies and not the other.
They were in the same womb
after all, and it didn’t really
seem fair.
Kevin was one person whose opinion she valued. She could vent to him, and he understood. He understood the power that her sister held. They would joke about it on a regular basis, but as soon as Chloe was in a ten-foot radius of him, he wasn't able to tell you his own name. It infuriated her to no end.
Kevin was one person whose opinion she valued. She could vent to him, and he understood. He understood the power that her sister held. They would joke about it on a regular basis, but as soon as Chloe was in a ten-foot radius of him, he wasn't able to tell you his own name. It infuriated her to no end.
She stopped walking,
and she looked
behind her. The track was empty, but
she couldn't shake the feeling that
she was being
watched. She shivered as a gust of wind seemed to run
a trail down the track behind her stirring the dust up into the
air. I need a rest. I overworked myself today, she thought. She
shook her head as she looked up at the
trees that surrounded the span of the track.
They were completely
still. It was
smoking hot outside. She knew
a random cold spot in the middle
of a sweltering hot track was more
than a little bit strange. Kayn turned her attention back to her friend in an attempt to hush the nagging voice
in the back of her mind that was
repeating the words Something’s
wrong.
“Did
someone walk over your grave?”
Kevin whispered in Kayn’s ear,
breaking the silence between them.
She smiled at his quote from
Grandma Winnie. One of the token things
Kevin’s grandmother always said if someone shivered
in her presence. Kevin’s granny always
said a sneeze was a ghost walking
through you. If you shivered, she
would say that someone had walked over your grave.
The retort was
always, “But I’m not dead, Granny.”
Granny
would answer with, “If only you knew how
irrelevant the word dead actually
is in the grande scheme of things.”
Kevin’s grandmother seemed to have a direct line to the spirit world. Nearly All of her random thoughts were more than a wee bit creepy. Sometimes his grandmother would spend hours just chatting with Kayn about her dreams. Granny Winnie was a quirky, warm, witty woman that had treasured her from day one. Kayn was a faithful member of Team Granny because she unlike the rest of the planet seemed to despise her sister Chloe. Granny Winnie couldn’t even breathe when Chloe was in the same room. Granny would pretend to gasp for oxygen or make some kind of foul stench related declaration referring to Chloe. She was believable enough to cause a perfect in her own mind Chloe to smell her own armpits. Chloe, being completely void of respect for her elders or pretty much anybody else, would refer to her as a crazy old bat or a witch. Often Granny Winnie would call Chloe out on an evil deed or two as if she could read her mind.
Strange weather we’ve been having lately, Kayn thought as she watched the clear blue sky change in a matter of moments from completely cloudless to a powder of fluffy white clouds. She could smell the scent of the fresh cut grass; it was almost overpowering to her senses. It was so potent that it was a little strange that she hadn’t noticed it until right this second.
The pair walked quietly for a second more when Kayn looked down at her feet; as she shuffled through the grass the sounds seemed to amplify. She could hear the grass rustling under her feet; it crackled loudly and whispered softly in her steps. Something feels off today. Kevin’s feet came into her line of sight. She raised her eyebrows at him and pointed to his untied shoelaces. Kevin bent over in front of her to tie up his shoes.
Kevin’s grandmother seemed to have a direct line to the spirit world. Nearly All of her random thoughts were more than a wee bit creepy. Sometimes his grandmother would spend hours just chatting with Kayn about her dreams. Granny Winnie was a quirky, warm, witty woman that had treasured her from day one. Kayn was a faithful member of Team Granny because she unlike the rest of the planet seemed to despise her sister Chloe. Granny Winnie couldn’t even breathe when Chloe was in the same room. Granny would pretend to gasp for oxygen or make some kind of foul stench related declaration referring to Chloe. She was believable enough to cause a perfect in her own mind Chloe to smell her own armpits. Chloe, being completely void of respect for her elders or pretty much anybody else, would refer to her as a crazy old bat or a witch. Often Granny Winnie would call Chloe out on an evil deed or two as if she could read her mind.
Strange weather we’ve been having lately, Kayn thought as she watched the clear blue sky change in a matter of moments from completely cloudless to a powder of fluffy white clouds. She could smell the scent of the fresh cut grass; it was almost overpowering to her senses. It was so potent that it was a little strange that she hadn’t noticed it until right this second.
The pair walked quietly for a second more when Kayn looked down at her feet; as she shuffled through the grass the sounds seemed to amplify. She could hear the grass rustling under her feet; it crackled loudly and whispered softly in her steps. Something feels off today. Kevin’s feet came into her line of sight. She raised her eyebrows at him and pointed to his untied shoelaces. Kevin bent over in front of her to tie up his shoes.
Kayn
began to speak as if she were
reading his obituary. “I can see the paper
now; it would read something like this: Kevin
Smith was a wonderful boy, so smart
and good looking
but a little clumsy. Had he
only tied his shoes he wouldn't have fallen down the
stairs and found himself impaled on a janitor’s broom. Remember kids—tie your
shoes—safety first.”
“Have
I told you that
you’re an asshole?” Kevin stated
when she finished
her latest version of his obituary.
Kayn
didn’t have a comeback. She glanced
behind her and then from side to side. She
couldn’t shake the unnerving feeling that something was coming. There
was a hollow ache in her chest. A strange feeling
that lingered each time she swallowed.
Kevin
leaned in to Kayn’s ear and whispered, “You sure you’re okay because
you’re starting to creep me out a bit with this weird behavior.”
Kevin’s warm breath in her ear made Kayn shiver again. Everything seemed heightened. She had the strangest urge to lean over and kiss him square on the lips. She was obviously going a little bit crazy today. It must be low blood sugar or something?
Kevin’s warm breath in her ear made Kayn shiver again. Everything seemed heightened. She had the strangest urge to lean over and kiss him square on the lips. She was obviously going a little bit crazy today. It must be low blood sugar or something?
She replied, “No... just over tired
I guess.”
“The way you’re swinging your head around, young
lady, is frankly a little creepy,” Kevin said, raising his eyebrows in her direction
in a moderately concerned fashion.
He twirled around in a circle and added,
“Nobody is coming, I swear.”
“I know,” Kayn
answered, “I’m feeling a little off. Maybe I’m coming
down with something?”
“We should be more
worried about your creepy behavior
causing a nasty case of whiplash.”
Kevin flung
his arm around her shoulder and gave her a buddy-like squeeze. “You go have
a shower, muffin; you’re kind of sweaty
and nasty. What
do you do,
cover yourself in honey
before you go for a run?”
Kevin chuckled
as he smelled his hands and groaned,
“Ewww, that’s not honey.”
Kayn sparred,
“There you go talking all dirty
again, literally; it’s kind of hot,
all this talk
of toxins and waste.”
“What was your boyfriends’
name again, Kayn?” Kevin asked innocently.
They were walking together,
and she gave
him a solid shove in jest.
“You should call up your invisible girlfriend and ask her what her name is love monkey,” she said and winked.
“You should call up your invisible girlfriend and ask her what her name is love monkey,” she said and winked.
“I have a girlfriend. Her name is Chloe. She just doesn’t
know it yet,”
he teased.
He couldn’t help himself. She knew this. He
was well aware
that constant talk of her sister irritated her to no end. It was
his easy smack down in a comedy standoff.
“Do you know what the
difference between you and a stalker is?” she responded sweetly.
“Do tell, oh wise and
mighty stalking connoisseur,”
he sighed.
“It's whether or not you’re
wearing my sister’s stolen thong underwear
right now,” she said.
She attempted to wrestle with Kevin a bit in order to catch
a stealth look down the back of his shorts.
“Hey, hey, simmer down. I swear
I will yell rape. I'm going commando. Pulling my shorts off is not a great idea,” he
laughed as he fended her off.
“Like you
could handle me,” She chuckled. She cringed with pain
as she shifted her bag to her other shoulder.
It always had
twenty pounds of books in it. She could never
memorize her locker combination. She was
utterly horrible with numbers. That was
her excuse. The real reason probably
being that she
would be obliged to speak to the vapid girls
that hung out around her locker.
She liked to be left alone in her own little world. Kevin grabbed her heavy bag off of her without saying a word.
“Hey, I’ll have
you know that
I have been going commando since my first
wedgie in fifth grade. Once they grab for
underwear and don’t find any,
they get very
afraid and back
right off, “He
chuckled.
Kayn doubled over into a fit of giggles. She chuckled, “I honestly don't doubt that for a second.”
Kayn doubled over into a fit of giggles. She chuckled, “I honestly don't doubt that for a second.”
“You learn lots of little things
that help you maneuver through geekdom unscathed if you’re crafty,
you know,” he
said as they started walking again.
Kevin
was carrying both of their bags. She knew he
was being tough,
but she knew
how heavy her bag was. She
smiled and took
her bag back. It was in these
sweet little moments that she
wondered, Could they be something more? Would he ever make a move
on her? She wasn't sure if her friend
Kevin knew any moves. If he
ever had a second
where he had
allowed the thought to cross his mind, she had
probably reacted as she had a bit
earlier. She would have assumed it
was some kind
of joke. He caught her staring and knit his brow.
This was stupid. What was she even
thinking? She was hormonal or something today. He was
her best friend.
Kayn was beginning to grow tired of the fact
that more and
more of their conversations had become centered
around her sister.
She shot a somewhat disapproving glance at Kevin and said pleasantly, “Let’s stop talking about Chloe all of the time.
Frankly, I’m sick of it.”
“Shush,” he said as he put
one finger directly over her
pursed lips. “You know not to
speak of her voodoo powers.”
The phrase “Chloe has a boyfriend” was easily compared to cursing out
loud in the Brighton household.
Her sister would find herself
running like she was on fire from every
boy she had
ever attempted to date. Seemingly normal
boys would gradually lose their marbles. It was as if
the pressure of being close to her would make their
sanity unfold like a reversal of an origami swan. It would start with a vehicle outside of the house in the
middle of the night, and rapidly
escalate. Once Chloe grew bored or
annoyed by their obsessive behavior. She inevitably dumped
them cold.
On occasion, random guys would break into their house and steal objects that belonged to her. In the beginning, the police thought Chloe must be doing something to bring this on herself, but after she went in for a couple interviews at the police station and full grown men couldn’t help but fawn all over her sister. They all understood what Kayn had always known.
On occasion, random guys would break into their house and steal objects that belonged to her. In the beginning, the police thought Chloe must be doing something to bring this on herself, but after she went in for a couple interviews at the police station and full grown men couldn’t help but fawn all over her sister. They all understood what Kayn had always known.
“We shouldn't even
be joking about this stuff. The breakups with the last three or
four of her boyfriends turned
out to be pretty damn scary situations,”
she said in a hushed tone.
The last thing
Kayn needed was to be caught talking about it by one of her sister’s minions.
Kevin turned and gave her a strange look that said, think about what you just said for a second, and they both broke into a fit of giggles.
A giant stinging slap followed on her spandex running short covered butt. There stood Chloe. Kayns infamous, and moderately evil twin. A living breathing cover girl commercial gracing us with her badass presence. Chloe smiled at her, and gave a slight glance acknowledging Kevins presence. He turned ten shades of red as though she had whispered something dirty in his ear. He’s completely pathetic, Kayn thought, shaking her head.
Kevin turned and gave her a strange look that said, think about what you just said for a second, and they both broke into a fit of giggles.
A giant stinging slap followed on her spandex running short covered butt. There stood Chloe. Kayns infamous, and moderately evil twin. A living breathing cover girl commercial gracing us with her badass presence. Chloe smiled at her, and gave a slight glance acknowledging Kevins presence. He turned ten shades of red as though she had whispered something dirty in his ear. He’s completely pathetic, Kayn thought, shaking her head.
Chloe threw an arm around her, then jumped away saying,
“Ewww, yuck, gross, you’re all sweaty and nasty. Listen, you backstabbing witch with a B, I’m not feeling that hot
today. I’m on my way home. Do
you need a ride?”
She said.
Chloe always donned a giant, gorgeous,
show stopping smile. It was
like every moment of her life was one strange,
endless, beauty pageant.
She had a sarcastic sense
of humor that Kayn never took seriously.
“I’m not going home. I'm going to go
have a shower, and then go
to Kevin’s house for dinner,” Kayn replied.
Chloe leaned over and kissed
her sister’s sweaty cheek, quietly whispering,
“Yes, go have that shower.”
Chloe sighed, “I’m grounded again
for no good
reason. I will see you later Sis.”
“Shocking,” Kevin murmured
as they walked away.
Kayn suspected that her sister Chloe got herself grounded on purpose. Just to have
a forced break from her social responsibilities. If there were medals
in the Olympic games doled
out for groundings achieved
in a three-year period of time.
Her sister Chloe had the equivalent of a gold medal.
“Bye, Kevy.” Chloe yelled
behind her as she flounced
off.
“Yup, voodoo powers,”
Kevin whispered to Kayn.
“I heard that Kevin. You're a little stinker,” she yelled back.
Kayn smiled at
Kevin, casually adding, “I bet when you
thought of sexy nicknames she would call you
in your fantasies, little
stinker wasn’t one of them.”
She couldn’t help herself; he’d left it wide
open, and she
was on a roll. Kevin turned around and
socked her in the arm.
She stopped, turned around,
and said, “Seriously, you hit me. I can’t believe you would do that.”
She glared at him and
feigning pain rubbed her arm looking genuinely upset.
“I was just kidding. I didn’t
actually hurt you, did I?” Kevin whispered.
He knew he had
been had when
Kayn’s serious look crumbled into a grin, and she said,
“Woman abuse,” she smoked him on the arm twice as hard.
“What woman? I don’t see a woman
anywhere around here. Oh, you mean
you?” he countered as he rubbed his still
throbbing arm.
Kevin pretended
to be looking around for a moment.
“I will butt you out like a cigarette, little man!” She
made a fist for a joke duel.
Kevin glared at
her. Oh, no—the expression.
Game over. Whoops...She had gone too far.
It was all
fun and games
until she made one too many short
jokes with Kevin.
“I am not little,”
he said. Kevin stomped
towards the covered entrance to the facility.
“Okay, how about
vertically challenged,” Kayn said
innocently.
She was digging her own
grave, and she
knew it. Kevin could argue for hours.
He could debate something forever and wear
anyone out.
“I might look short to an Amazonian like you,” he countered.
“Touché,” she said smiling.
She did know better than to push it anymore because if he kept
it up, the laughter
she had been
trying to suppress would escape.
“I am still growing,” he said
as his voice cracked a little.
Kayn doubled
over laughing. She couldn’t help it with the
well-timed voice crack.
“Can you please be done laughing
now,” Kevin said as they walked into the
fitness center.
“I’ll see you outside in fifteen minutes, you sexy
stud,” she whispered,
sultry as a porn star.
Kayn was
still grinning as she pushed through the door to the
girls’ changing room.
“Quit mocking me,
Amazonian woman,” he yelled dramatically from behind her.
As she entered the
changing room, Kevin’s last joking retort bounced off the walls of the concrete
and tile room.
Her feet were still throbbing. The
tiles on the floor were icy
and soothed her aching feet. In a matter of months, she’d already
worn out her running shoes.
Her mom would kill her when she asked for another pair. She
dropped her shoes. The sound as they
landed on the tiles echoed. It
repeated a few times as if someone had dropped more
than one pair.
Kayn
was dying to sing in the shower
but was afraid
that someone would walk in on
her. She pulled her tank top and
bra off and looked into the mirror.
With a clear view of the room around her, she could see that
nobody else was there. She was alone.
She thought of Kevin waiting.
Then she remembered
that there was a coffee machine in the lobby by the
pool. Kevin was probably having a coffee and ogling
the girls swim
team; he was
fine. She stripped down and stood naked
in front of the mirror for a second.
She pulled her hair out of her ponytail, and it fell in damp
loose ringlets across her bare shoulders. She
tilted her head to one side and posed
seductively with a smile as she
surveyed her reflection.
Maybe I should start wearing makeup to school, she thought. Her face was freckled and tanned from hours upon hours of training in the hot sun. In the winter time, all of her freckles went away, and her skin was porcelain white. I could look just like Chloe if I wanted to, Kayn thought, sucking in her cheeks and then plastering a giant pageant style smile across her face. She scrunched up her nose. She enjoyed being dorky, and a little bit weird. It would take a lot of effort to pull off her sister’s version of perfection. She didn’t need to be perfect. She would wither and fade if she had to live her life under a microscope. She did prefer to let her strange roam free. Kayn walked toward the shower stalls. She stopped and glanced over her shoulder at her reflection in the mirror. The conversation with her sister flashed through her memory. Chloe was feeling sick today; that’s what was going on then. Kayn quite often had sympathy illness whenever her twin wasn’t feeling one hundred percent.
Kayn turned around, pulled the plastic curtain to the shower, and leaned in to turn on the water. It began to tap dance against the bottom of the stall, and when it was just the right temperature she stepped inside. She smiled as the water beat against her weary muscles. She began to lather herself up with the nice scented pump soap. Today was her lucky day; a fresh full dispenser of soap, shampoo, and conditioner. She didn’t even have to reach down and find her own in the bottom of her gym bag. With her favorite running song still going through her mind, she started humming a few bars and then began to sing the words. Just then she heard the door open, and she became silent. She hurried through, rinsing herself off, and towel dried her hair. She ran her brush through her hair and put it back in a ponytail. As she passed by the mirror again, she wondered if Chloe ever wanted to be more like her. She quickly blew off that completely nutty idea.
Kayn was five minutes younger than her sister Chloe, but her twin acted five years older. Kayn had no voodoo powers with men; she was awkward and definitely possessed no game at all. She wondered if she asked Chloe how she did it if she would she teach her something…anything. It would be nice to have someone ask her on a date before she was eighty years old. She had to admit it bugged her that Kevin obsessed about Chloe, not that she seriously liked him or anything because that was most definitely not a good move friendship-wise; there was that ominous word again…friends.
Kayn towel dried her back again, feeling trickles of water from her still damp hair trail down her back. She stepped into her underwear and wondered why her mind kept travelling the road back to questioning her feelings for Kevin today. Kayn shook the thought out of her head and whipped her clothes back on. She grabbed her bag and hurried out the door, hoping he wasn’t too frustrated waiting for her. She forced open the door with an over-exaggerated grunting sound.
Kevin was sitting on the railing waiting patiently and looking up at the sky with his mouth agape in a totally comical way.
Maybe I should start wearing makeup to school, she thought. Her face was freckled and tanned from hours upon hours of training in the hot sun. In the winter time, all of her freckles went away, and her skin was porcelain white. I could look just like Chloe if I wanted to, Kayn thought, sucking in her cheeks and then plastering a giant pageant style smile across her face. She scrunched up her nose. She enjoyed being dorky, and a little bit weird. It would take a lot of effort to pull off her sister’s version of perfection. She didn’t need to be perfect. She would wither and fade if she had to live her life under a microscope. She did prefer to let her strange roam free. Kayn walked toward the shower stalls. She stopped and glanced over her shoulder at her reflection in the mirror. The conversation with her sister flashed through her memory. Chloe was feeling sick today; that’s what was going on then. Kayn quite often had sympathy illness whenever her twin wasn’t feeling one hundred percent.
Kayn turned around, pulled the plastic curtain to the shower, and leaned in to turn on the water. It began to tap dance against the bottom of the stall, and when it was just the right temperature she stepped inside. She smiled as the water beat against her weary muscles. She began to lather herself up with the nice scented pump soap. Today was her lucky day; a fresh full dispenser of soap, shampoo, and conditioner. She didn’t even have to reach down and find her own in the bottom of her gym bag. With her favorite running song still going through her mind, she started humming a few bars and then began to sing the words. Just then she heard the door open, and she became silent. She hurried through, rinsing herself off, and towel dried her hair. She ran her brush through her hair and put it back in a ponytail. As she passed by the mirror again, she wondered if Chloe ever wanted to be more like her. She quickly blew off that completely nutty idea.
Kayn was five minutes younger than her sister Chloe, but her twin acted five years older. Kayn had no voodoo powers with men; she was awkward and definitely possessed no game at all. She wondered if she asked Chloe how she did it if she would she teach her something…anything. It would be nice to have someone ask her on a date before she was eighty years old. She had to admit it bugged her that Kevin obsessed about Chloe, not that she seriously liked him or anything because that was most definitely not a good move friendship-wise; there was that ominous word again…friends.
Kayn towel dried her back again, feeling trickles of water from her still damp hair trail down her back. She stepped into her underwear and wondered why her mind kept travelling the road back to questioning her feelings for Kevin today. Kayn shook the thought out of her head and whipped her clothes back on. She grabbed her bag and hurried out the door, hoping he wasn’t too frustrated waiting for her. She forced open the door with an over-exaggerated grunting sound.
Kevin was sitting on the railing waiting patiently and looking up at the sky with his mouth agape in a totally comical way.
Kayn
walked up beside him and teased, “Trying to catch flies?”
“Always,”
Kevin sparred with a dimpled grin
and quick wit.
“What
are we looking at?” Kayn said as she stared
up toward the heavens and made
the same open-mouth face of awe.
“Come
with me, and I’ll show you,” Kevin laughed. He grabbed her hand,
and they started
to walk toward the field.
Kayn
had lived this
moment a thousand times.
Kevin lay down in the grass, and she
lay beside him.
“Oh,
wow I get it;
look at how fast the clouds
are moving. I noticed that earlier; it’s
almost creepy. I wonder if there’s
a storm coming?” Kayn
whispered.
As Kayn lay peacefully
in the grass, suddenly a sharp pain
seared through her core.
She grabbed her stomach, sucked a deep breath
in and gasped, “What the hell was
that?”
“You
okay, Brighton?” He sat up and touched
her arm.
Kayn
winced again and doubled over,
her insides afire with another
strange penetrating pain. Kevin placed his hand on her stomach, watching her face calm. The pain
disappeared again as quickly as it had
begun.
He looked at her and
stated, “You probably need a big glass
of water, maybe some dinner?”
She stood up, trying
to shake off a sense of impending danger that had been replaying in her mind. With the pain
suddenly gone, she said, “Yeah, that’s
probably it.”
“Did
you skip lunch
again?” he scolded
with a disapproving look on his face.
“I
do believe that
I did not eat lunch today.” There was a very simple
explanation for the sharp undefined
pain that she
had experienced. Kayn was often practicing
at lunchtime and would forget
to eat. She felt the urge to look
behind her again. She looked around in every
direction trying to shake off the uncomfortable
feeling that had been plaguing her all afternoon. Something in her mind was still
whispering, be careful, Kayn.
She shook off the anxious feeling, remembering that the last horror movie that she had watched with Kevin only days earlier had taken place at a lake. There they stood by the turn off to Lakeshore Drive. It’s all in my mind, Kayn thought. She started to laugh a little at her seriously overactive imagination.
She shook off the anxious feeling, remembering that the last horror movie that she had watched with Kevin only days earlier had taken place at a lake. There they stood by the turn off to Lakeshore Drive. It’s all in my mind, Kayn thought. She started to laugh a little at her seriously overactive imagination.
Kevin
kneeled in the grass and picked
up a handful of it and smelled it.
“Just what I thought,” he said looking
seriously concerned now.
“What
is it?” she asked.
“It’s hillbilly urine; we had better get
our tasty selves home before they come
to eat us,” Kevin said, pointing toward home proving if
there was ever any doubt that
he had no acting ability at all.
“Let’s
get out of here, you geek,” Kayn said shaking her head at him and smiling as he
had obviously recalled the hillbilly, cannibal movie that they’d
watched the week before.
“Okay,
let’s go to my house. It’s got
to be like five by now; dinner’s
probably on the table,” Kevin said and smiled again.
They looked at each
other and smiled
and started running through the field before the trails.
This was the
ritual race home they’d had
since they had first been allowed
out of their yards alone as children. Kevin had always been sneaky.
He knew using
fair play there was no possible
way to beat her in a race. He shoved
her over per usual, and she fell with a gentle
thud into the grass.
“Cheater,”
she yelled, out of breath as he kept
running away from her. She lay sprawled
dramatically in the grass laughing. Kevin was laughing hysterically as he covered a good twenty feet.
“Cheater,”
she yelled again
and slowly rose
to her feet spitting out the freshly mown grass from her mouth.
She would let him win; it was
good for him to win sometimes. Kayn could take one for the
team today, especially to see him this happy. Kevin let out an obnoxiously loud cheer as he
vaulted over the fence to his yard. He raised his arms
in a silent fake fanfare and took
a bow. He had
never once won
graciously in the whole ten years of their friendship.
Sure enough, they walked inside Kevin’s house to the amazing smells of his mother’s cooking. Her stomach began to grumble loudly. The delicious aroma of Kevin’s mother’s cooking filled her senses.
Sure enough, they walked inside Kevin’s house to the amazing smells of his mother’s cooking. Her stomach began to grumble loudly. The delicious aroma of Kevin’s mother’s cooking filled her senses.
Kevin’s
mom greeted her with a giant bear hug and
said, “Hello there, beautiful. Go wash
your hands and I’m not going to ask
you why you
are both covered in grass.” His mom raised her eyebrows
and added, “We are at the table ready
to eat so hurry
up, you two.”
She glanced into the mirror and pulled the grass out of her hair letting a little smile escape as she washed her hands in the bathroom sink. She started giggling as she thought about how wrong it looked when two teenagers of the opposite sex showed up covered in grass. Well, anyone else—with them platonic wrestling would be completely normal. Kayn was sure that if her dad walked in and they were wrestling on her bed. He wouldn’t even flinch.
Kayn sat at her usual spot at the table with his family. Kevin’s family mirrored her own. They were always cracking jokes, and talking loudly about their day. She loved everything about the Smith house, from the mismatched frames filled with family photos in the dining room to the extremely outdated green shag carpet in the living room. The living room was completed with a mismatched, yet cozy, couch set with two fluffy lounging felines that could always be easily seen from the dining room table. Kayn swore they had not moved an inch in years.
She glanced into the mirror and pulled the grass out of her hair letting a little smile escape as she washed her hands in the bathroom sink. She started giggling as she thought about how wrong it looked when two teenagers of the opposite sex showed up covered in grass. Well, anyone else—with them platonic wrestling would be completely normal. Kayn was sure that if her dad walked in and they were wrestling on her bed. He wouldn’t even flinch.
Kayn sat at her usual spot at the table with his family. Kevin’s family mirrored her own. They were always cracking jokes, and talking loudly about their day. She loved everything about the Smith house, from the mismatched frames filled with family photos in the dining room to the extremely outdated green shag carpet in the living room. The living room was completed with a mismatched, yet cozy, couch set with two fluffy lounging felines that could always be easily seen from the dining room table. Kayn swore they had not moved an inch in years.
Kevin’s
granny sat at the end of the table,
her wispy white hair wildly
untamed. Kayn could envision Kevin’s grandmother as a beautiful younger woman. There was a black and white picture in the hallway. Beautiful didn’t quite encompass
Granny in her youth, for she had been
enchanting. She had rich crimson
curls and exquisitely
structured high cheek bones. There was obvious
power, and immeasurable
strength of spirit in her innocent wide doe eyes. Physically she
looked as thin and frail as a newborn
fawn. She had untold stories in her eyes. She was
a girl with many secrets. The chapters
were written in the creases of her smile.
She was not the
picture of pin up perfection, but she
had an unexplainable quality
that made you curious. You wanted
to know more about her with
one look into her eyes.
Granny had worn the same shade
of dark blood burgundy
lipstick even then. She always wore
lipstick ten shades too dark, and her teeth
were worn, yellowed from age, always seeming
to have something stuck in
them. If she got some false
teeth it would make her look ten years younger, but
she didn’t seem
to care in the least. She stared
at Kayn the whole meal without speaking a single word to her. It was very
unusual.
Kayn
couldn’t help herself; she said, “Is there something wrong?”
“You
know something is amiss, don’t you?” Granny whispered. It was
as if she were
afraid of the words that might slip from her lips.
“Kayn
had some stomach
pain earlier; she’s probably coming
down with the flu or
something,” Kevin answered for
her.
“Perhaps,”
Granny Winnie replied. She glanced back down
at her plate. Granny looked a little bit
ill today. It
looked as though she had more
to say, but for once she
remained silent then she
looked directly into Kayn’s eyes with unmasked sadness and said, “Always listen to your instincts, child. They are never
wrong.”
As Kayn was preparing
to leave, Granny stood up and made
her way over to Kayn, hugging
her so tightly that she had to squirm
away in order to breath.
Granny leaned in and
whispered in Kayn’s ear, “You
survive. You fight hard.”
Granny
Winnie always said very strange, random,
and sometimes ominous things. Kayn knew that there would be a
three-hour long conversation
about spiritual things, if she asked
her what she meant. She knew she didn’t have the mental steam left inside
of her for that talk today. Kayn excused herself to go to the bathroom.
She attempted to call
home on her cell. It went straight
to voicemail. Chloe was
probably on the phone; heaven forbid she ever
had some kind
of crisis and needed to talk to her own parents. Chloe had a cell phone,
too, but was
always grounded from it; yet they still
let her talk on the landline which meant nobody else could get through;
heaven forbid, someone spend two dollars on an extra line or
call waiting. She sat on the toilet
trying her mom’s cell; she was obviously
going to be a few minutes late tonight. Then she put
her phone down after leaving a message and sneaked down the
hall to Kevin’s room for a quick prank
or two before she went home.
Kevin’s mom gave her a bag with some fresh eggs in it for her mom. It was starting to get dark, so Kevin’s dad offered to drop her off at home. She thanked him with a huge hug as she got out of the car. The air smelled amazing, like cherry blossoms in full bloom. It must have been raining while they were eating dinner. She stepped out of the car, into a puddle, and twisted her ankle. Of course, she thought. Soaked foot, eggs and school bag in hand, she limped up the steep driveway toward the front door. The door was partially open which was not normal. However it was a little windy out and quite normal for the door to be unlocked, so maybe it was left ajar, flung open by the wind?
She turned around and noticed that Kevin’s father was driving away. Kayn felt off, apprehensive as she walked toward the door that seemed to have a life of its own. The door shifted from cracked open then almost shut again with the wind. She looked at her cell phone. It was a quarter after eight. This was obviously a prank. They had left the front door open, and entrance lights off to freak her out. Chloe was probably hiding around the corner. Practical jokes were an almost daily occurrence in the Brighton household.
It was almost dark outside. She stopped again for a second time, feeling uneasy for some reason. Her heart felt tight, and her chest felt hollow as she paused again. The surrounding giant trees made it extra dark in her yard. The slivers of light flashed through the trees as they moved in the wind.
They lived in a beautiful area but very isolated. Kayn shoved her cell back in her pocket, and pocket dialed Kevin by accident. She stepped toward the darkened doorway’s threshold and paused for a moment again before pushing the doorway completely open
Kevin’s mom gave her a bag with some fresh eggs in it for her mom. It was starting to get dark, so Kevin’s dad offered to drop her off at home. She thanked him with a huge hug as she got out of the car. The air smelled amazing, like cherry blossoms in full bloom. It must have been raining while they were eating dinner. She stepped out of the car, into a puddle, and twisted her ankle. Of course, she thought. Soaked foot, eggs and school bag in hand, she limped up the steep driveway toward the front door. The door was partially open which was not normal. However it was a little windy out and quite normal for the door to be unlocked, so maybe it was left ajar, flung open by the wind?
She turned around and noticed that Kevin’s father was driving away. Kayn felt off, apprehensive as she walked toward the door that seemed to have a life of its own. The door shifted from cracked open then almost shut again with the wind. She looked at her cell phone. It was a quarter after eight. This was obviously a prank. They had left the front door open, and entrance lights off to freak her out. Chloe was probably hiding around the corner. Practical jokes were an almost daily occurrence in the Brighton household.
It was almost dark outside. She stopped again for a second time, feeling uneasy for some reason. Her heart felt tight, and her chest felt hollow as she paused again. The surrounding giant trees made it extra dark in her yard. The slivers of light flashed through the trees as they moved in the wind.
They lived in a beautiful area but very isolated. Kayn shoved her cell back in her pocket, and pocket dialed Kevin by accident. She stepped toward the darkened doorway’s threshold and paused for a moment again before pushing the doorway completely open
“I’m home,” Kayn yelled
as she walked in the door, kicking
off her shoes and dropping her school bag.
She tried clicking
on the front hall light; it
was burned out or something. Kayn had seen lights on
upstairs as she walked up the driveway,
so she knew
the power wasn’t
out. It’s just a burned out light bulb. Kayn began to yank
off her wet socks, she tried to balance
on one leg, but a small stab of pain
from her freshly twisted ankle
caused her to put her hand against the wall
in order to balance herself.
Her hand slid off the wall, and
she struggled to pull her second soaking wet sock off.
She massaged her ankle
for a second and noticing it
was swollen, said aloud, “Great, there goes the track
meet.”
“Kevin’s
mom gave us eggs,” she said, speaking
in almost a whisper, suddenly aware that
she seemed to be alone in the house.
Where would they have gone this
late? Her mind began to sort through the possible scenarios.
“Mom…Dad?”
she called out from the front doorway.
Kayn
was answered by silence, and then
touching the wall, she felt
the stickiness on her hand. She held
her hand up to the faint sliver of light
streaming through the trees that made it
to the doorway. The palm of
her hand was covered in blood. Ripples of
adrenaline coursed through her body. She felt as if
thousands of spiders had run
across the surface of her skin. Kayn froze for
a split second, paralyzed
with fear, shivers of terror crawling across her flesh. She started to gingerly
step backwards out the door. She saw
movement in the form of a dark figure
in the hallway.
She heard her sister’s
voice scream, “Run, Kayn.” It was raw,
primal, and shrill.
She turned and
ran, bringing the eggs in her hand
with her. She knew that someone was behind her. She could sense them there. She knew there was
no time to look
behind her. Kayn ran with no rhyme or reason
in the direction that she was
pointed in. She slipped in the wet
grass, turned around somehow, and
then she saw
the opening to the trails in the
distance. It seemed to beckon her toward its mouth. The neighbor
behind them was closer than the
neighbors on either side of them, making the trails a somehow
logical yet illogical split second decision.
Kayn
wasn’t able to think or breathe,
and her basic animalistic instinct for survival
was guiding her. She had let
go of the bag
of eggs halfway across the back lawn,
throwing them behind her, hoping
to slow her attacker. Kayn sprinted toward the trail’s opening, its entrance overgrown with foliage. She
burst through the branches which had partially hidden the
familiar pathway. The branches of the prickle
filled blackberry bush tore at her flesh as she pushed through.
The pain heightened
her survival instinct which now possessed her. It was only
that which drove her forward.
Kayn barreled into the overgrown trail, forcing her way through where she instinctually remembered the trail had been. She had played in these trails as a child. She had found a place to hide a thousand times, but there was no time for strategy or thought. The crunching of leaves and twigs in the pathway behind her told her he was close; far too close to do anything but react.
Kayn slipped in the mud again, skidding yet not falling. She ignored the stinging of her knees, thrusting her body with a violent jolt as if starting a run on the track.
Kayn barreled into the overgrown trail, forcing her way through where she instinctually remembered the trail had been. She had played in these trails as a child. She had found a place to hide a thousand times, but there was no time for strategy or thought. The crunching of leaves and twigs in the pathway behind her told her he was close; far too close to do anything but react.
Kayn slipped in the mud again, skidding yet not falling. She ignored the stinging of her knees, thrusting her body with a violent jolt as if starting a run on the track.
Kayn
had now lost
that precious half a second lead;
it had allowed
her hunter to close the space between them. Her heart pounded in her chest threatening to burst right through her skin as her tired legs propelled her body through the winding
bike trail. The rocks and clay
mud cut her bare feet. The
sharp reaching twigs and branches
slashed at her legs, and the prickle
bushes sliced at her flesh.
“You
have to run faster, Kayn, run faster,” her sister’s voice mind screeched
inside of Kayn’s terror driven
mind.
Kayn heard the branches crunching behind her; the dark figure’s rhythm, as steady as the rhythm of her running. He was so close behind her that she could feel his breath on her hair and neck as he panted. He was almost touching her. He was so fast, inhumanly fast; she needed a rush of adrenaline to edge her ahead. She could see lights from someone’s house peeking through the trees. She was going to make it, she thought as her bare feet pounded over the rocks and twigs slashing at her ankles and legs; she was almost there. She drove herself forward knowing she had only a half second lead from the hunter that pursued her, almost to safety…just over the creek. Her bare feet hit the small wooden bridge… almost there.
Kayn felt the elation of victory as she was about to burst through the bushes when she felt heat plunge into her back. Her eyes widened in terror as the knife plunged into her again; its blade seared a molten trail of excruciating pain through her body. A sweaty hand muffled her gasp of shock as she sunk to her knees in disbelief.
Her captor’s arms were slick with perspiration; like a python, they constricted around her neck crushing her larynx. Screaming and pleading for her life was now impossible. He continuously brought her to the brink of strangulation and then shook her awake, harshly reviving her. Kayn tried to close her eyes; maybe he would believe her to be gone. He would leave her in the trails to bleed alone, allow her to slip peacefully away, becoming one with the forest floor around her. Instead every time her eyes slipped shut she felt the slicing, searing pain of his knife again and again in her stomach and chest until her eyes opened wide with terror. The next pain stole Kayn’s breath causing blood to sputter from her mouth. She gazed ahead of her and through the trees which were glimmering in flashing flickering light; she saw a figure in the distance.
Help me, oh, God, please help me; see me, please, I’m right here, Kayn’s mind screamed. She could see his shadow on his patio through the trees in the luminescence of his porch lights; he was so close. A man was on the back porch having a cigarette.
He punched her stomach or cut her…she was unable to distinguish one kind of brutality from another…only that something was searing a hot excruciating fire through her stomach. He’s killing me…please, her soul pleaded as her vision blurred from her tears. Kayn couldn’t speak; she tried to scream; her throat crushed, the only sound she could make was a gurgling as she choked and sputtered on her own blood.
Why, why are you doing this to me? Her mind cried to the stranger who breathed quickly with joyous excitement and stimulation in her ear. She felt the competing rhythms of their pounding hearts, her back against his chest. She saw the twigs and rocks on the forest floor around her. Kayn could smell damp moss and the scent of tree sap and the sweet metallic taste of her blood. On her hands, she could feel the warm stickiness that she bled out into the dirt, trickling down her arms as it escaped from her body. Her clothing was heavily soaked in her essence that moistened the earth around her. He let her go for a second; she landed on all fours and tried to crawl away, but she couldn’t will her body to move forward. She couldn’t breathe.
Kayn heard the branches crunching behind her; the dark figure’s rhythm, as steady as the rhythm of her running. He was so close behind her that she could feel his breath on her hair and neck as he panted. He was almost touching her. He was so fast, inhumanly fast; she needed a rush of adrenaline to edge her ahead. She could see lights from someone’s house peeking through the trees. She was going to make it, she thought as her bare feet pounded over the rocks and twigs slashing at her ankles and legs; she was almost there. She drove herself forward knowing she had only a half second lead from the hunter that pursued her, almost to safety…just over the creek. Her bare feet hit the small wooden bridge… almost there.
Kayn felt the elation of victory as she was about to burst through the bushes when she felt heat plunge into her back. Her eyes widened in terror as the knife plunged into her again; its blade seared a molten trail of excruciating pain through her body. A sweaty hand muffled her gasp of shock as she sunk to her knees in disbelief.
Her captor’s arms were slick with perspiration; like a python, they constricted around her neck crushing her larynx. Screaming and pleading for her life was now impossible. He continuously brought her to the brink of strangulation and then shook her awake, harshly reviving her. Kayn tried to close her eyes; maybe he would believe her to be gone. He would leave her in the trails to bleed alone, allow her to slip peacefully away, becoming one with the forest floor around her. Instead every time her eyes slipped shut she felt the slicing, searing pain of his knife again and again in her stomach and chest until her eyes opened wide with terror. The next pain stole Kayn’s breath causing blood to sputter from her mouth. She gazed ahead of her and through the trees which were glimmering in flashing flickering light; she saw a figure in the distance.
Help me, oh, God, please help me; see me, please, I’m right here, Kayn’s mind screamed. She could see his shadow on his patio through the trees in the luminescence of his porch lights; he was so close. A man was on the back porch having a cigarette.
He punched her stomach or cut her…she was unable to distinguish one kind of brutality from another…only that something was searing a hot excruciating fire through her stomach. He’s killing me…please, her soul pleaded as her vision blurred from her tears. Kayn couldn’t speak; she tried to scream; her throat crushed, the only sound she could make was a gurgling as she choked and sputtered on her own blood.
Why, why are you doing this to me? Her mind cried to the stranger who breathed quickly with joyous excitement and stimulation in her ear. She felt the competing rhythms of their pounding hearts, her back against his chest. She saw the twigs and rocks on the forest floor around her. Kayn could smell damp moss and the scent of tree sap and the sweet metallic taste of her blood. On her hands, she could feel the warm stickiness that she bled out into the dirt, trickling down her arms as it escaped from her body. Her clothing was heavily soaked in her essence that moistened the earth around her. He let her go for a second; she landed on all fours and tried to crawl away, but she couldn’t will her body to move forward. She couldn’t breathe.
Now on her knees, her breath came in short
labored attempts. She tried to grasp
ahold of the ground with her
fingertips. His hot repulsive
breath and quiet
laughter echoed in her ear again and
then he began
whispering things that Kayn couldn’t understand. His hot sweaty body
was behind her pressing
against her back. She felt her stomach churning, revulsion mixed with blinding pain. She tried
one last struggling movement to get away
from his grasp, and then suddenly felt
some horribly blinding pain
across her head and face. The lights
flickered and then went out.
In the woods lay a bleeding angel in all her glory. Her arms posed gracefully above her head, and her hair soaked in the mud, blood, and feces in which she lay. Dying, fading into the other realm, her form was christened by the rain as though the trees had begun to weep upon her for the brutality she had endured. There was someone waiting in the trails; a dark presence lingered nearby waiting for her to regain consciousness.
Kayn awoke in frigid darkness. The pain that pulsated through her seemed to recycle in waves until it began to slowly dull and become a tolerable numbness. She struggled to open and focus her eyes. She could smell a familiar scent; it smelled overpoweringly sweet but somehow like metal. Kayn could taste the sweet repulsive flavor of it in her mouth; it made her want to vomit. She was lying in mud, and she felt hot stickiness behind her. She suddenly remembered what that taste had been. It was her own blood that she could taste inside of her mouth. Kayn could not manage a single breath. Shuddering, she began to relive the brutality that she had experienced. Her mind began feeding her slivers, flashes of inhuman savagery. Her mind numb and disoriented from blood loss clicked through scattered memories from her childhood.
Help me, please, her mind pleaded into the forest through the sounds of the rain tapping the branches above where she lay. They seemed to be shielding her, and as her vision came into focus she imagined the lush green branches above as giant arms. They protected her, covering her from the elements allowing her one last peaceful moment. They are beautiful, she thought. Her mind wandered through mystical visions of the majestic cedar trees alive and somehow capable of offering her protection.
In the woods lay a bleeding angel in all her glory. Her arms posed gracefully above her head, and her hair soaked in the mud, blood, and feces in which she lay. Dying, fading into the other realm, her form was christened by the rain as though the trees had begun to weep upon her for the brutality she had endured. There was someone waiting in the trails; a dark presence lingered nearby waiting for her to regain consciousness.
Kayn awoke in frigid darkness. The pain that pulsated through her seemed to recycle in waves until it began to slowly dull and become a tolerable numbness. She struggled to open and focus her eyes. She could smell a familiar scent; it smelled overpoweringly sweet but somehow like metal. Kayn could taste the sweet repulsive flavor of it in her mouth; it made her want to vomit. She was lying in mud, and she felt hot stickiness behind her. She suddenly remembered what that taste had been. It was her own blood that she could taste inside of her mouth. Kayn could not manage a single breath. Shuddering, she began to relive the brutality that she had experienced. Her mind began feeding her slivers, flashes of inhuman savagery. Her mind numb and disoriented from blood loss clicked through scattered memories from her childhood.
Help me, please, her mind pleaded into the forest through the sounds of the rain tapping the branches above where she lay. They seemed to be shielding her, and as her vision came into focus she imagined the lush green branches above as giant arms. They protected her, covering her from the elements allowing her one last peaceful moment. They are beautiful, she thought. Her mind wandered through mystical visions of the majestic cedar trees alive and somehow capable of offering her protection.
The calm smile
on her face that had been contorted with anguish signaled his essence back to her. Her vision came into focus
and once again
the trees came to life. They cackled
and mocked her. "You’re going to die,
you silly bitch," they chanted. They
waved their branches, howling as the wind
whistled through the trails which had suddenly
become icy cold.
Kayn’s consciousness snapped back to reality; she had lost a lot of blood…none of this was real.
A man stood
by that same tree whose imaginary arms
had shielded her from the rain, still waiting,
veiled in mist. The change in temperature had caused the
forest floor to come alive with a dancing mist that seemed to add a thickness to the tapping sound of the rain drops.
Writhing in the mud, Kayn willed her body to move; her fingers clawed at the ground around her until she was spent. She lay in stillness for a moment, feeling like a half dead animal waiting to be finished off by its hunter. She concentrated on each breath…in and out…a little air. She was alive. It felt like she was breathing through a straw and somebody had pinched the end. The streams of light from the moon that had been dancing through the dark stormy clouds had now vanished, leaving only a cold dark night with no final visions of beauty. Kayn longed for some light but was left with only the flickering of blurry dark images. She couldn’t see anything in the absence of light and began to panic again, for she could feel her grasp on her life being absorbed into the mist.
Writhing in the mud, Kayn willed her body to move; her fingers clawed at the ground around her until she was spent. She lay in stillness for a moment, feeling like a half dead animal waiting to be finished off by its hunter. She concentrated on each breath…in and out…a little air. She was alive. It felt like she was breathing through a straw and somebody had pinched the end. The streams of light from the moon that had been dancing through the dark stormy clouds had now vanished, leaving only a cold dark night with no final visions of beauty. Kayn longed for some light but was left with only the flickering of blurry dark images. She couldn’t see anything in the absence of light and began to panic again, for she could feel her grasp on her life being absorbed into the mist.
I’m so scared; I don’t
want to die; please help me, her soul sobbed. The
only answer was the crackling quiet sound of the
rain. Kayn couldn’t see
anything at all now with her vision clouded with tears, so she had
to stop herself from crying.
Her head pounded with the blinding pain that had abruptly returned.
She could sense that he was still
nearby watching her. His dark
shadow loomed in the distance as it
had in the hallway
of her house. Please, please, no more,
she pleaded in her mind as he came closer. He stood only a few feet
away from her now. He was watching her with his head tilted to one side. Her heart was begging, please don’t hurt me anymore. Kayn was trying to wriggle,
but no movement
came from her now. She willed herself to grasp at the moist
cold earth with her fingers. She was
unable to move. Her body was nothing
more than a broken shell. How cruel
for her mind to still see; to still desire life
at this point. Kayn looked into his eyes. In hers was
the desperate plea, why are you doing this to me?
She was so cold her body gave an involuntary shudder. Kayn realized then that she was naked, completely exposed to the elements. Why was she naked? Her eyes were full of tears again; she felt instant, almost overwhelming shame. Kayn could still feel the sticky heat behind her as her blood drained from her body, soaking into the dirt. The pain in her head began to numb as the lights through the trees began to flicker again.
The dark mass of her violator suddenly appeared beside her, leaning in so close that she could smell his putrid breath, moist over her face. Every hair on her body was standing on end. The electrical power between Kayn and the man in the dark was like a charge. He ran a finger over her exposed breast and said, “You were never to be born; this situation had to be corrected.”
She was so cold her body gave an involuntary shudder. Kayn realized then that she was naked, completely exposed to the elements. Why was she naked? Her eyes were full of tears again; she felt instant, almost overwhelming shame. Kayn could still feel the sticky heat behind her as her blood drained from her body, soaking into the dirt. The pain in her head began to numb as the lights through the trees began to flicker again.
The dark mass of her violator suddenly appeared beside her, leaning in so close that she could smell his putrid breath, moist over her face. Every hair on her body was standing on end. The electrical power between Kayn and the man in the dark was like a charge. He ran a finger over her exposed breast and said, “You were never to be born; this situation had to be corrected.”
Kayn
saw his knife glint in the light
from the moon. It was raised
above her chest. Yes, she thought, let it be over now. She
shut her eyes as the knife sliced into her chest. Kayn opened her eyes again with acceptance;
she felt no more pain.
She stared deeply
into his eyes as hers filled
with tears.
With a voice thick
with emotion he said, “To this life
unto the next.” He slowly began
to cut some kind of symbol on the skin on Kayn’s chest above her heart. She lay limp
in his arms, still conscious of what was happening, yet
free from the pain and fear
now. He pulled
her close to cradle her naked body in his arms like a baby, rocking her broken, violated flesh in his arms, stroking her blood soaked hair. He
began to sob as if he were
repentant in some way for how he
had tortured her.
As her vision flickered one last time, the man was gone; it was her mother looking into her eyes. Her mother’s eyes were filled with so much love that it seemed to release her from her pain and fear as it had when she was a small child. Her mother cradled her as a baby, rocking her back and forth. She was safe now in her mother’s arms. She was at peace. Mommy, her heart sang, you’re here to save me. The warmth of her mother’s love enveloped her tortured soul. She looked into her mother’s eyes. She touched Kayn’s face and started to sing a song that she had sung to her every night when she was very small.
As her vision flickered one last time, the man was gone; it was her mother looking into her eyes. Her mother’s eyes were filled with so much love that it seemed to release her from her pain and fear as it had when she was a small child. Her mother cradled her as a baby, rocking her back and forth. She was safe now in her mother’s arms. She was at peace. Mommy, her heart sang, you’re here to save me. The warmth of her mother’s love enveloped her tortured soul. She looked into her mother’s eyes. She touched Kayn’s face and started to sing a song that she had sung to her every night when she was very small.
Sleep, sweet
sleep till the morning
Just dream away and close your eyes
My love you’ll be safe until the morning
Sleeping in my heart, all through the night
Although bad dreams come to scare you
My love will scare them all away
My heart…
The lights flickered, the pain went away, and her mother was holding her, singing: “Sleep, sweet sleep.”
Just dream away and close your eyes
My love you’ll be safe until the morning
Sleeping in my heart, all through the night
Although bad dreams come to scare you
My love will scare them all away
My heart…
The lights flickered, the pain went away, and her mother was holding her, singing: “Sleep, sweet sleep.”
The Beginning
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