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SHE WAS A MURDERER, A PSYCHOPATH AND A VICTIM. SHE WAS ALL THREE OF THOSE THINGS. Broken to fulfil an immortal destiny, she was granted a second chance as a hitman for a Clan of immortals. They needed to create a Dragon. Her sanity was collateral damage. BUY IT NOW

Series deals with a few days left. Children Of Ankh. COA series

 

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Let There Be Dragons

                                                           

                                                              Let There Be Dragons


   

Lexy broke the silence by saying, “I didn’t know about the plot to make you a Dragon. I understand why it had to be done but, I didn’t know beforehand.”

     Lexy wasn’t one to sugar-coat things. She would have told her if she’d known and chosen to keep her mouth shut about it. Kayn met Lexy’s eyes as she disclosed, “I knew we had to kill our enemies during the Testing but when he slit my throat…I guess on some level, I never believed he’d be able to do it. When I woke up, I felt nothing but all-encompassing rage. I killed everyone that crossed my path until I caught up with him. I’ll never be able to forget the expression on his face as I embraced the hollow sensation within myself and slit his throat. I was lost for a while after that and my memory of that time is sketchy, to say the least. All I can recall is the warmth of the blood as it sprayed on my skin and how good it felt. I fought and died over and over until the pain didn’t matter anymore. When Kevin coldly tossed me into a room full of demons, I was eaten alive and that was the moment I understood we were both gone.”

     There was a long drawn out silence before Lexy clarified, “You’re not gone. Your perception of everything has been altered. All you have to do is embrace the change and accept the new version of yourself.” 

     “How do I do that? I used to imagine myself as a noble creature, a golden stallion or perhaps a lion. I know better now. I’m a hurricane, a plague, I’m an apocalypse. I am a Dragon. I’m a method of destruction.” Kayn knew Lexy understood what she was saying because she was also meant to be a method of destruction.

     Lexy pointed to the lush landscape before them and exclaimed, “We can burn this field to ash if you want to. My instinct has always been to burn it. Even though you are meant to be a warrior, you will always have a choice. We choose to work with the Clan, instead of against them. We choose right over wrong. We choose when to be a lion and when to be a Dragon. We choose to be warriors instead of methods of destruction. You’re still the same person. You just need time to sort through what happened to you during the Testing. Some of the dark things you’ve done will stay with you always, those acts are important. You now know that you can survive the darkest of times. You will always know you led your Clan through that dark place and came out on the other side. You found your way back to the light because you’re a survivor. You can choose to be a lion. My attachment to Grey allows my Dragon to sleep. I know having Zach as your Handler, might be complicated. It takes time and it’s not always easy. You’ll both make mistakes while you’re manoeuvring through this situation you’ve found yourself in.”

     Kayn felt a tickle and noticed a tiny red ladybug walking across her barefoot. She had the urge to step on one foot with the other but didn’t. Baby steps. She glanced up at Lexy. 

     Her fellow Dragon teased, “Is that big bad ladybug bothering you?”

     It was bothering her. It was a reminder that she’d changed on the inside. She’d been happy with who she was as a person. She was funny and dorky and a little bit strange and now she was just angry. She was enraged by the beautiful colours in the sky. She was furious that the bumblebees hadn’t heeded her warning and settled back down in the flowers around her. Their buzzing had once been a soothing song and now it was as irritating as someone methodically scraping their nails down a chalkboard. Once again, she fought the urge to stomp on the tiny insect. It remained there, taunting her as it continued its ticklish stroll across her foot. Lexy playfully shoved her and the ladybug spread its tiny wings and flew away. Now, she wanted to punch Lexy right in the face.

     Lexy winked and teased, “I wouldn’t try it. You can’t take me, Brighton.”

     She wasn’t sure about that anymore. She’d never felt stronger. Lexy had obviously hitched a ride on her train of thought again. She was grinning at her and shaking her head as they continued their stroll into the scenic backdrop of the in-between.

     They wandered aimlessly for quite a while in silence before Lexy continued her, it’s good to be a Dragon speech, “Being a Dragon isn’t a bad thing. The good and the light need Dragons to do what they can’t. They don’t want to step into the dark. Not even to do what’s right. It’s not always light outside when it’s time to make a stand for what is right. Dragons can be beautiful things when properly attended to. I love my Dragon and occasionally, I let it out to play. My Dragon enjoys the kill. My Dragon’s a warrior and that’s what warriors do.”

     She’d enjoyed the kill. She heard the rustling of footsteps in the grass. Kayn spun around, it was Grey. She saw the apology in his eyes before he attempted to speak.   

     Grey shook his head and confessed, “We didn’t know about what Kevin had been asked to do, until after the three of you were already in the Testing. They were right not to tell us.”

     It wasn’t an apology. With his concerned expression, she knew he hadn’t known of the Clans plans beforehand. Kayn didn’t want to talk to anyone else right now nor was she feeling like a, ‘you just need to take time to smell the roses’ speech from Grey. The talk with Lexy about Dragons had helped but right now she needed to be angry. The fury within her made her feel strong. Grey cautiously inched closer. Kayn scowled at him. Her furrowed brow, a silent suggestion that she still required personal space.

     He paused, gave her one of his overly charming grins and disclosed, “Kevin was ordered to kill you. It was a means to an end. You know I liked the kid. In destroying you, he more than likely destroyed himself. He was asked to do this to help you evolve into what you needed to become to survive. Your survival outweighs the trauma you went through, in the long run. You don’t see it now, but someday you will. The plan was set in motion so the three of you could make it back home. People tend to lose their marbles in the Testing. It could be that Kevin lost his while trying to do what was best for you.”

     He was ordered to kill me. Kevin had said the words but she hadn’t believed him capable of doing it. She’d been lying to herself about so many things. 

Tragic Fools Coming June 2020 Children Of Ankh Series 4 Books for 4.00 on Amazon amazon.com/author/kimcormack

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     It's like a thousand ways to die with dark comedy and scenes that will make you blush. There also may be cannibalism, dinosaurs, rat spiders, tar lizards and stone lions that hack up ice loogies. Welcome to Immortal Testing.

     An exhilarating paranormal fantasy, romance, action-adventure, magical realism thrill ride. You'll be weak in knees swooning and on the edge of your seat cheering as a trio of newcomers begin training for their Immortal Testing. Time is running out. Soon, they will be dropped into a floating crypt the size of New York city in another world full of their worst nightmares, where they must die thousands of times to prove they're capable of being Immortal.
     This is not a fairy tale. This is a nightmare.  This writer takes you on an epic dark comic romp through the afterlife in with three Clans of naughty certifiably insane antiheroes in these books. Enjoy the ride.

     Warning
   
     The information contained within this book is not intended for mere mortals. Reading this book may inadvertently trigger your Correction. If you show great bravery during your demise, you may be given a second chance at life by one of the three Guardians of the in-between. For your soul's protection, you must join one of three Clans of immortals on earth. You are totally still reading this, aren't you? You've got this. Welcome to the Children Of Ankh Series Universe.

The Children Of Ankh Series Universe is growing his year.


Series Order

Kayn's Series   YA Crossover

Book One, Sweet Sleep     Download Sweet Sleep Free

Book Two, Enlightenment     Download Enlightenment Free

Book Three, Let There Be Dragons     Download Let There Be Dragons Free

Book Four, Handler Of Dragons     Download Handlers Of Dragons Promo Code Deal

Coming 2020

Book Five, Tragic Fools     Release date coming soon



Lexy's Series   YA Crossover

Book One, Wild Thing    Download Wild Thing Promo Code Deal

Book Two, Wicked Thing    Download Wicked Thing Promo Code Deal

Book Three, Deplorable Me   Download Deplorable Me Promo Code Deal          


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On sale for 99 cents on Amazon tomorrow, book one, Sweet Sleep.
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The End Of Her Life Was Only The Beginning Of Her Story

Fantasy adventure, magical realism, non-stop action with laughter, tears and a coming of age paranormal romance that will capture every reader's heart. A story of a teenage girl who overcomes tragedy and evolves into something she never knew possible as her immortal destiny comes to light. This paranormal fantasy will leave you breathless as it takes you through the darkness and leads you back out into the secret world of immortality triggered by choices in the afterlife.

                                 

                                        The end of her life is only the beginning of her story.

                                                                    

     Would you live your life differently if you knew you were going to be corrected from this world after your sixteenth birthday? You and your twin sister were never meant to be born. There will be nowhere to run. No place to hide. You won’t even know they’re coming. Do you have what it takes to survive your Correction? Could you leave your humanity behind? If the answer is yes, then hold on tight, it’s going to be one hell of a ride!

     The monster hadn’t come for her during the night as she’d imagined a monster would when she was small. Those were the childhood rules. You only ever had to be afraid of monsters in the dark. Now that Kayn was grown up, she understood that anyone could be a monster on the inside.

     Warning

     The information contained within this book is not intended for mere mortals. Reading this book may inadvertently trigger your Correction. If you show great bravery during your demise, you may be given a second chance at life by one of the three Guardians of the in-between. For your soul's protection, you must join one of three clans of immortals on earth. You are totally still reading this, aren't you? You've got this. Welcome to the Children Of Ankh Series Universe. This is not a fairy tale. This is a nightmare. Let's do this.    

     Take a trip into the metaphysical spiritual world with these endearing paranormal anti-heroes and wickedly titillating warriors. This will be unlike anything you've ever read.

     A comic romp through the afterlife with three Clans of naughty certifiably insane antiheroes who battle while collecting partially immortal teenagers as they survive the exterminations of their family lines on their sixteenth year. If they've impressed the Guardians of the in-between with their bravery, they shall be granted a second chance at life as sacrificial lambs for the greater good. They must join one of three Clans of immortals living on earth and can be stolen at random by any other Clan until their eighteenth birthday. Plot twist...To prove their partially mortal brains are capable of grasping immortality, they will be dropped into an Immortal Testing which is basically a simulation of their own personal hells. Like rats in a maze made of nightmares and other ghastly depraved thoughts best left locked behind those mortal happy place filters, they must come out mentally intact after being murdered in thousands of increasingly creative ways.

                      She had never coveted the role of princess. She'd always wanted to be the hero.     

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                                                          Melody’s Sweet Sleep

Melody winced as she yanked the car’s back door open. Her stomach had been hurting all day and she’d been plagued with this weird nervous energy. She chucked her school bag on the floor in front of little Stevie’s car seat and avoided his swinging legs. She bent over and kissed her baby brother’s pursed lips and his face illuminated with joy. She lovingly greeted the toddler, “How’s my sweet baby today?” Her other brother was ten-years-old and also in the back. Both boys were adorable with ash blonde hair and deeply set dimples. Melody smiled as she asked, “Did you have a good day at school Kevin?”

     Obviously attempting to push her buttons, Kevin scowled at her and rudely baited, “You’d know how my day was if you ever came home after school.”

     They had the token sibling love-hate relationship but she really wasn’t in the mood for his crap today. Her stomach cramped again. Little Stevie was laughing and wildly swinging his legs, kicking the back of her seat, trying keep her attention focused on him.

     Her mother complained, “Must you always slam the door?”

     “Sorry.” Melody apologised, meeting her mother’s frustrated gaze. Even when she was angry her mother was stunning, with her vibrant auburn hair and wide gentle smile, framed by deeply carved dimples. She was a beautiful woman with the softest green eyes, so gentle her soul looked almost breakable; you just wanted to give her a hug and protect her. Melody looked almost identical to her mother except her chestnut brown hair was shoulder length with a natural, whimsical wave which she always wore tucked behind her ears.

     It was pouring, when her mother announced her father was going to be late tonight. She succumbed to the chanting chorus of ice cream coming from the backseat and they made a unanimous decision to stop at the diner on the way home where they each ordered giant ice cream sundaes, even little Stevie; who had it literally everywhere by the time they were done. Melody smiled as her brother Kevin entertained the table with his outrageous sense of humour. She took a moment to appreciate her mother’s easy laughter and calm demeanor even during Stevie’s ice cream face painting episode. Her mother, all smiles, chose that moment to tell her that they had another baby on the way and that she was well over four months along. It was a happy surprise. 

     “Can you feel the baby moving yet? Melody enquired as she ate another mouthful of ice cream.

     Her mother replied,” Yes…I can.”

     Melody asked, “Can I feel the baby?”

     “You can give it a try.” Her mother answered sweetly.

     It was fluttering around as Melody laid her hand on her mother’s slightly rounded stomach. It was truly miraculous. She didn’t want to take her hand off but she did.

     As they stood up to leave, her mother leaned over and whispered a secret in her ear, “It’s a girl.”

     She watched her mom walk away from the table to pay for the sundaes. Once again, she felt a strange wave of apprehension ripple through her. Melody clutched her stomach and grimaced. She was a little worried but her little brother started to squeal and he winged his empty sundae cup on the floor. Melody crouched down with a napkin to clean it up and mumbled, “Seriously Stevie?” She heard her mother rustling around above her at the table.

     Her mom said, “Thank you honey.”  

     Melody grinned as she rose to her feet and replied, “No problem.” As she followed her family out to the vehicle, her little brother’s footsteps were humming in her ears. She shook her head. I must be over tired? Maybe I’m coming down with something? She was grinning in the car as they drove home thinking about how much she’d always wanted a little sister, while staring out the window watching the trees whirl by. She had to turn away. She was feeling a little dizzy. Motion sickness had never been her friend. The car swerved on the road. Startled, she laughed, “Mom, what the hell?” She glanced at her mother. She’d passed out in the driver’s seat! Melody panicked and with no time to think, she took off her seatbelt while attempting to reach for the steering wheel. The car swerved in one direction and then in another. It happened so quickly. It lurched into a shallow ditch, leaving the rear of the car exposed to oncoming traffic. Melody felt an instantaneous explosion of pain as her body flew through the windshield. She toppled limply down a steep embankment coming to rest in high grass. Stunned, she tried to comprehend the severity of her situation. What had just happened? That didn’t just happen. This wasn’t real. She lay bleeding in the foliage by the side of the road, taking small labored breaths, unable to move. Did that just happen? She could hear her baby brother’s desperate, haunting cries, “Mommy! Melody!” They crackled through the eerie silence in the frigid night air. She began to fight her way back to reality. Smoke was billowing above the car. She lay there twitching, completely incapacitated. Her wrist was in her line of vision; a bone had pierced through her skin. She felt the hot, sticky sensation of her blood as it left her body pooling beneath her. Her head lay twisted sideways and she could see the car through the curtain of blood. She attempted to blink it out her eyes. Melody could see her little brother’s face. He was sobbing with his hand against the window, imploring her to help him. He seemed to be staring right at her. She tried to move but her lack of pain let her know that she was in shock. No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn’t move. A voice inside of her mind kept whispering, go to sleep Melody. It’s time to go to sleep. Her little brother’s cries kept her eyes straining to stay open. She had to stay with him until she was sure he was safe. She couldn’t allow her eyes to close. She couldn’t succumb to the voice in her mind. Not until she knew somebody was there to help him. Melody focused on his tiny outstretched palm on the window. She could remember what it felt like to hold it and how the feeling of her baby brother’s hand in hers made her heart surge with love. She felt no pain. She was only thinking about him. Melody was silently praying as a big rig turned the corner and ran directly into the back of the vehicle. She lay there in horror as her little brother’s cries were silenced by the sound of crushing metal. What was left of the vehicle made a high-pitched scraping sound as it tumbled down the road as a sandwiched pile of rubble. There was a moment of complete quiet before an echoing explosion, followed by the crackling of fire but there was no screaming, not a single cry for they’d all been crushed on impact. Melody began to scream from within her broken being. She screamed over and over until she finally succumbed to her mind’s chanting, go to sleep, just shut your eyes…Go to sleep Melody. A final thought trickled through her broken mind riding on the last current of life as she bled out into the frigid unforgiving earth, if they are gone, please let me die. The heartbreaking vision ended and faded to black.

     She was so cold. Where was she? Her eyes opened and the foggy images came into focus; leaves were all around her. Where am I? She could hear the steady humming of passing cars. She sat up and as she took in her surroundings, she realised that the sounds of the vehicles were coming from above her, up the grassy hill. She looked at her hands and touched her face, confused as to how she’d come to be lying in the grass down a ravine. Morning dew was still glimmering in small droplets on the tips of the tall grass surrounding her. It was strangely magical; it looked like daylight stars in a sky of lush green foliage. Her hands were smudged with mud, as were her clothes but she felt alright. Melody racked her brain trying to remember what she was doing by the side of the road. She began to get flickers of memory; the ice cream, the baby sister and her little brother’s hand pressed against the glass on car window. But nothing solid was coming to her. Had she gotten lost? Had she been kidnapped or attacked on her way home walking from somewhere? She wiped the dirt off her hands onto her clothes. She felt a little woozy as she tried to stand up but quickly found her balance. She stood there at the bottom of the hill in moist thigh deep grass thinking, what happened? As she tried to remember again, she was met with a piercing headache that throbbed and pulsated beneath her scalp. Her mind seemed to be saying, just leave it alone; you don’t want to know.

     She climbed up the side of the hill on all fours holding on to the long thick strands of grass as though she were a wild animal, with an unexplainable feeling of strength rippling beneath the surface of her skin. When she reached the top, she rose to a standing position by the side of the road with her feet half on gravel, half on cement and noticed she was missing a shoe. That’s weird, why would I only have one shoe on? Thoughts raced through her mind, there was something she needed to remember. She had a flash of memory…There were diamonds in sand. She was standing barefoot in the sand with her toes in the warm luxurious silky grains. As she recalled brilliant light and a beautiful woman, she felt more than a little bit delusional. She must have hit her head?

     She could see teddy bears and a memorial around a tree by the side of the road and she slowly walked towards it feeling like it mattered to her in some way. She felt a sense of foreboding as she approached the shrine. Pictures of her family were on the tree, surrounded by flowers and toys. A cheerleading picture of her was also on the tree, as well as a picture of her on her horse. Did I die? she thought, still unable to remember anything solid. Melody stared at the pictures of her in confusion and picked up a bouquet of flowers from someone named Michael and read it…Great loss of Melody and her family…My condolences…Was she a ghost? Had they all died in a car accident? That’s why people made these shrines by the side of the road. She dropped to her knees in front of the makeshift shrine, looking like an angel kneeling at the bottom of a perfect ray of light that shone through the dense forest as though it had extended from heaven to guide her way home. Why was she still here? A car pulled over but she didn’t hear it because she was trying to process everything.

     Her father spoke her name in disbelief, “Melody?”

     What? She turned around and her heart leapt as she looked up at him. Maybe angels came to guide you to heaven in the form of someone you love.

     Her father shook his head in disbelief as he took a step closer. His voice cracked with emotion as he gasped, “Is that really you?”

     Angels wouldn’t cry. Her heart leapt. “Daddy?” She whispered, “Can you see me?”

     Her father knelt before her and she was afraid. What if this wasn’t real, just a cruel taunting nightmare. He reached out and touched her shoulder. He was real. Her father opened his arms and she sprung into his loving embrace.

     He cradled her, sobbing, “How…How are you alive? How are you here with me?” 

     Tears blurred her vision as she whispered, “Are mom and the boys with you?”

     “No,” her father choked out, “They’re gone…I thought you were gone to?” They clung to each other and sobbed.

     They were still crying in each other’s arms by the side of the road when a police car pulled up. An officer got out and exclaimed, “Oh my God!”

     Melody’s father looked up with his eyes overflowing with tears of joy and replied, “Exactly.” 

Sweet Sleep Chapter 2

Connected: To be joined or linked together. Having the parts or elements logically linked together presenting a thoroughly connected view of the problem.

Kevin stood at the window waving as his father’s car pulled out of their driveway. He’d done this for nearly a dozen years. He started picking at the slivered wood around the window frame with his fingernails. The blue paint was peeling and weathered. He got a sliver of it under his nail and cursed, “Son of a…” He dug the shard of out with his teeth. Blood seeped from where the paint chip had pierced his flesh. Kevin stuck his finger in his mouth and sucked on it for a second. “Works better than a bandage,” he said aloud and quickly turned to check for witnesses. Every time he talked to himself someone always appeared out of nowhere and made a smart assed remark. No…he was completely alone in his room. It was time to relax.

     Kevin sprawled on his bed, with his arms behind his neck. Very funny, he thought as he spotted the alterations Kayn made to the sexy poster above his bed of Megan Fox in a smoking hot pose. His shenanigan loving friend had given her a jiffy marker moustache. That’s why she was laughing so hard when she came back from the bathroom. It was a stroke of evil genius on her part. He’d allow her to have her moment. He stared at his ceiling, shaking his head. She was so weird.

     The day he met the Brighton twins had always stood out in his memory as truly magical. He had been playing in the park with his mother and brother. It was only a few days before kindergarten. A woman had given him a flower and told him a story about it. When she was done, she’d pointed at two identical little girls and suggested he tell them about the flower. He remembered walking over to the little blonde girls. He laid down in the grass close by. They were quietly watching bumble bees. He was intrigued by their unusual behaviour. In the end, he had stuck the flower in Kayn’s shoe, and just like that their friendship had begun.
     In school, the twins wore matching sundresses. They looked like little blonde angels with freckles and glistening shiny ringlets of curls. However, the Brighton twins were not cute identical, they were disturbing identical. They would respond to questions at the same time and often they’d even be thirsty or need to go to the bathroom at the same time. He could easily recall his kindergarten teacher’s frustration with their in-sync questions and answers. No matter how hard she’d try to help them socialize with the other children, they’d just play together like no other children were even in the room. They were different in some ways, even then. Chloe never had a hair out of place where Kayn was all grins, grass stains, and mud. He smiled at the friendly one a lot because Kayn smiled back, and he remembered wondering if she still had that flower in her shoe. He suspected that he would also have to become her sister’s friend if he wanted to play with her, so he set out on a mission to win over Chloe Brighton. It was a mission that had never ended. That day during lunchtime the girls had been lying in the grass looking intently at a patch of clovers.

     Kevin walked over, sat down beside them, and said, “What are you doing?”

     Kayn glared at him and whispered, “Shhh, quiet, you will scare them all away…we are petting the bees.”
     Even at the tender age of five Kevin knew petting bees was a buck crazy idea. “Bees can sting you; it really hurts a lot. Believe me, I know.” Kevin exclaimed in a soft whisper.

     “My daddy says they won’t sting us if we are really gentle with them,” Kayn whispered back.

     So, Kevin watched the two crazy little girls petting bees for the entire lunch hour. He was just waiting for them to be stung, for one to go screaming to the teacher so he could say: see, I told you so. He had been extremely impressed when it was time to go inside and neither one of them had been wounded. As a little boy, he found himself most impressed when someone did something dangerous without getting hurt. He had watched so quietly, without disturbing them that they must have decided he would be a suitable addition to their duo. Chloe hadn’t even acknowledged his presence on that first day, but the next day it was Chloe that asked him if he’d like to come watch the bees with them. They did this all the way through that year and for a few years after.
     One-year Kevin bought Kayn a stuffed bee for her birthday. She still had it on her bed even after she found out that she was allergic to bees. Kayn got stung and swelled right up like a balloon. It was an extremely scary day. She still loved the bees; just from afar now and with an EpiPen in her little fanny pack. Her parents had forced her to wear that fanny pack every day because being allergic to bees was a life or death situation. That was the first thing that made the twins unique. They never really knew if Chloe was allergic to bees, she’d never been stung by one. When questioned about whether she had an allergy to bees, Chloe would always reply, ‘A bee wouldn’t dare sting me.’

     He’d believed that statement the first time she said it as though it were a fact. They had only been eight years old, but he would wager her voodoo powers worked on bees as well as boys. Kevin grinned as he realised that the mission of that second day had never ended.  It had been well over ten years, and he was still on a mission to win over Chloe Brighton. Kevin lay on his bed, listening to the hum of a vehicle as it faded into silence. For some reason, he was feeling anxious tonight. Someone knocked on his door.

     His mother walked in and said, “Do you want to know what I think?” She stood balanced against his door frame, smiling in an all-knowing manner.

     His mom was sweet to her core and the sound of her voice always put him at ease. Kevin gave his mom a funny look and teased, “Not really, but I bet you’re going to tell me anyway.”

     His mom marched over and gave him a playful swat for being a smart ass. She questioned, “Is it possible you’re pining over the wrong sister?”

    “I guess anything’s possible,” he replied.

     His mom rolled her eyes and urged, “Just think about it. Which one do you really want to spend time with?” She kissed his forehead, ruffled up his hair and left his room, shutting the door softly behind her.

     The door slammed downstairs. Great…Hulk was home. His older brother Clay came thundering up the stairs. It was almost like his testosterone level made him completely incapable of even the simple act of climbing stairs without announcing his all-powerful presence. His brother was a muscle-bound meathead of astounding proportions. Don’t come in my room. Kevin was not a fan of the inevitable sock in the stomach he would receive if he dared to call his older brother out on a moment of moronic clarity, but it was difficult to keep his lips sealed when he had a great slam teetering on the tip of his tongue. It was a sibling thing.

     Clay was working as a mechanic in town while he saved for college. He also happened to be best friends with the twin’s older brother, Matt. Kayn’s brother was already in university with a football scholarship. Kevin’s bedroom door swung open without a polite knock.

     “I need to use the cord for your iPod. I want to go to the gym later and mine needs to be juiced up.” Clay blurted as he began digging through the cords around Kevin’s computer.

     Kevin raised his eyebrows and said, “What if I said no? Presumptuous much?”

     Clay shook his head and sarcastically questioned, “Did you seriously just say presumptuous much to me? You really need to start hanging out with some dudes.” He started to walk out the door then stopped and added, “No more big words. It’s painfully dorky. You’re my little brother. You should be making out with chicks on a Friday night.”

     Kevin looked at his brother and thought, Well, if I looked like a Greek god like you instead of what Kayn had called me…a vertically challenged dwarf. Oh no, she had called him vertically challenged; someone else had called him a dwarf. He scrunched up his face as he looked at his buff stallion of a sibling. This was genetically unfair. Although his brother had been built just like him at one time, he’d found a reverence for the gym and football. He achieved Greek god status and never looked back. Just then Kevin’s phone rang.

     Kevin grinned and teased, “Well, wouldn’t you know it. There’s a chick right now.”

     “Oh, come on. Kayn doesn’t count.” Clay sat down on his bed, looked up at the poster on the ceiling and exclaimed, “You are a creepy little dude.”

     Kevin ignored him. Kayn probably forgot her bag. He answered the call, “Hey, thanks for pimping out Megan Fox. It’s not at all embarrassing for my brother to see that.” He started talking into the phone as he jogged down the stairs to check and see if she’d forgotten her bag. He pre-empted most useless conversations with his knowledge of her usual foibles. She wasn’t talking on the other end. It was the infamous pocket dial. He kept listening, hoping for some juice about Chloe. His cell started squealing like there was interference.  Just as he was about to hang up, Chloe started shrieking in an ungodly pitch for Kayn to run. He froze as the colour drained from his face. Clay came down the stairs with the iPod cord in his hand. Kevin’s grabbed his brother’s arm and urged, “We have to get over there, right now.” He had to get to Kayn. His mind kept replaying Chloe’s desperate scream.

     The brothers ran out the door, jumped into the car and peeled out of the driveway, passing their father coming home from dropping off Kayn. They began frantically honking the horn, signalling for him to follow. Kevin waved wildly out the window. Their father swerved, pulled a U-turn and began to chase after them.

     Kevin’s heart was not with Chloe, just Kayn. Chloe’s inhuman screaming was still ringing in his ears like a sick recording, driving his desperation to reach her. Kevin had the cell phone up to his ear. She hadn’t hung up. There was a lot of crunching, sloshing, swishing sounds, then silence. He couldn’t hang up the phone. He knew she needed him.

     They raced down the gravel road to her house as desperation constricted his heart. The idea that someone might be hurting her was too much for him to bear. His mind raced through the worst-case scenarios.

     His dad’s car caught up as they pulled over in front of Kayn’s house and got out.

     His father yelled, “What in the hell is going on?”

     Choking on waves of fear induced adrenaline, Kevin knew there wasn’t time to explain. He took off up the path with Clay, forcing their father to follow. The veil of trees blocked out the glow of the moon, so it was difficult to determine where the path was. Out of breath, he slowed his pace. “Chloe was screaming on the phone,” Kevin explained.    

     “Stop!” his dad hollered, using authority reserved for danger.

     He couldn’t… Clay seized his arm to prevent him from pushing past his father.

     “We don’t know what we’re walking into,” his dad asserted while blocking the path to the door. He commanded, “Stay behind me, I’m going in first.”
     Danger was thick in the air. There was something dark, an ominous presence that made Kevin’s skin crawl. He could feel it … It was too quiet. “I have to get in there,” he panicked while struggling to wrestle free of Clay’s grasp.

     His father calmly replied, “I know, son. We are just going to exercise a little bit of caution, that’s all.”

     The ominous feeling came to chilling fruition as his father walked through the pitch-black doorway. He attempted to flick on the light. It didn’t work. Was the bulb burnt out?

     In the darkness he heard his brother’s voice say, “The lights are on upstairs. I saw them from the road.”

     “I know,” his father replied.

     Kevin instantly recalled one of his dad’s stories about pranks kids would play at the high school. One evening, every light in the school appeared to be burnt out, but they weren’t really… Someone had taken the time to manually loosen each one. So now, whenever there was a burnt-out light bulb, Kevin’s father always checked to see if it had been loosened. His dad reached up, tightened the bulb and it flickered on. Light illuminated the doorway revealing a morbid display of blood spatter on the wall. This wasn’t really happening. Tears clouded Kevin’s eyes. This was his second home. There were thick red drag marks, leading to the hall closet. His father covered his hand with his sleeve and opened the closet door.
     It’s not Kayn, it’s not Kayn, Kevin repeated in his mind.

     The opened closet door revealed the lifeless body of Kayn’s mother. Claire Brighton’s eyes were wide open, staring off in the distance. His father looked back and shook his head.

     “Don’t touch anything,” He ordered as he stepped away from the closet and dialled 911. His father was on autopilot from his years as a medic. The soldier had taken over. He’d remained remarkably composed at the sight of Claire Brighton’s body.

     In shock, Kevin stared at the gruesome scene with his eyes glued on Claire’s open glassy stare. All that had been Kayn’s mother was gone. This was nothing more than the vacant case that she had come in. There was a strange moment of spiritual clarity amidst the macabre. Kevin’s brain sparked with thoughts of Kayn. Find her… She needs you. The Smith brothers slipped down the hall as his father spoke to the 911 operator. Kevin reached up to twist the bulb as his father had in the entrance.

     His dad called out, “Don’t touch anything, we might be destroying evidence! Go back outside!”

     They left the light alone but continued down the hall, ignoring their father’s plea. They couldn’t wait for the police. Kevin’s mind kept repeating the same three words. Kayn is alive. He turned on the light in the kitchen… It was untouched. The two boys snuck back down the hall and slipped past their father who was busy on the phone with 911. Their father had closed the closet door to shield them from the horrors within. It was too late for that. Kevin quickly scaled the stairs, knowing his brother was still behind him. The upstairs hall was lit up, displaying a path of bloody shoe prints leading to the twin’s bedroom. They cautiously made their way past the family portraits that were now served as an eerie reminder of what used to be. Approaching sirens brought his shock numbed mind back a touch. A vision of Mrs. Brighton’s corpse distorted Kevin’s view of the hall and he blinked it away.    

     His father’s voice called out, “The police are here! Get back down here!”

     Kevin brushed a crusty red footprint with his shoe. It was nearly dry. He bent and touched it with his finger. It was dry? The voice in his head whispered, find her.

     His father’s voice bellowed, “I have to stay here and let them know you boys are upstairs! Once they see this blood, they might shoot us first and ask questions later!”

     The doorknob for the twin’s room was caked in blood and left slightly ajar. Kevin stiffened, to prepare himself. Clay elbowed him out of the way and shoved the bedroom door open from the upper left corner. The beds were still made. Clay pointed at the bloody footprints on the carpet. They were like bread crumbs leading to the adjoining bathroom. Kevin’s stomach clenched. There was a scent in the air; it reminded him of a handful of pennies.
     His older brother edged past him and gently opened the bathroom door with his foot. Clay staggered backwards, choking back the bile as it spurted out through his fingers.
     No. It’s not her. Kevin maneuvered past his heaving brother, pre-emptively covering his mouth. He stepped into the bathroom and slipped, landing on his hands and knees. Blood covered the white tile. His hands were submerged it. As he grasped what he’d slipped on, his heart constricted in his chest. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t even inhale the smallest amount of air. His vision wavered as his mind tried to stop him from seeing what could never be unseen. Don’t… You don’t want to see it. He looked up from his blood-soaked hands. It was one of the twins. He crawled through her essence with eyes blinded by tears. She was naked in the fetal position, her grotesquely swollen, severely beaten face was nearly unrecognizable. Blood and brain matter were sprayed on the shower curtains, walls, and ceiling. He reached out to touch her, stopping as a wave of nausea made him covered his mouth with the crook of his arm while taking in the ruthless macabre display. Her wheat coloured locks were matted with blood and the eye closest to the floor appeared to be missing. Her remaining eye stared into oblivion just as her mother’s had. Her fingers were clawed, and her arms reaching out as though she’d been willing her body to crawl away from the brutality she’d succumbed to. The towel rack had been ripped off the wall and it lay just out of her grasp on the blood-soaked tile. Had it been used in her torture or had she ripped it off the wall to use in her defence?
     Kevin inched closer until he was kneeling before her body, tranquillized by shock as an unfamiliar voice kept repeating the words, this is not Kayn...This is not Kayn. You must find her. He felt this eerie inner calm and it was like he’d stepped away from himself. He heard the rustling of the officers, the voices, the cries of horror and despair but it was as though he was completely detached from the situation. This is not Kayn. You must find her; the voice kept repeating the mesmerizing mantra. A hand clutched his shoulder and he heard a voice say, “Kevin.”

     His mind repeated the words again, this is not Kayn. Find her. She can still be saved. Snap out of it.

     “Kevin snap out of it!” His father’s voice shouted, as he dragged him away from the body and out of the bathroom.

     When he saw the carpet beneath him, he started to come back to reality. The reasons why this could not be Kayn filtered through Kevin’s mind as he scrambled to his feet. His father pulled him into his arms and he allowed himself a moment of serenity to hear the steady beat of his heart as he tried to ground himself. “It isn’t Kayn,” Kevin whispered against his father’s chest. His father held him tighter. Once again, he spoke, “Kayn had a shower after track. That isn’t her.”

     His father replied, “Kevin, this looks like a home invasion. You need to prepare yourself.”

     Kevin was aware of the accumulation of officer’s, ambulance attendants and first other first responders scurrying around. Still in shock, he heard his brother speaking to someone, “Matt’s at school…we were texting earlier today. He was going to a party tonight. I just texted him again and told him to call me back. I also called and said it was an emergency.”

     Kevin struggled out of his father’s arms, so he could say what he needed to say, “Kayn had a shower before we left the school. That’s Chloe in there. It’s not Kayn. We need to find her.” He tried to maneuver his way past the officers blocking the door and they wouldn’t allow him to pass. He’d seen enough C.S.I to understand that they were trying to protect the integrity of the crime scene. What did that matter? His DNA was everywhere in this house.

     His father whispered, “Son, they’re searching the house for the other bodies, even if it isn’t her, chances are…”

     “No.” Kevin blurted out while shaking his head in denial. “No.” He couldn’t listen to unhopeful words, not now. Not when every nerve ending in his body was vibrating with the knowledge that she was alive. To prove his point, Kevin addressed the lady taking pictures of Chloe’s body in the washroom, “Kayn has a crescent shaped birthmark behind her right ear. Chloe has one behind her left.” Kevin marched over, puffed himself up in front of the officers blocking the door and asserted, “Kayn’s fast, she’s a runner. If anyone could get away, it would be her. She would have found somewhere to hide. I know all her hiding spots. You have to let me out of here.”

     Clay touched his shoulder, squeezed it and whispered, “Kevin, you don’t want to be the one that finds her.”

     They were in no hurry because they thought they were looking for bodies now. They were counting bodies, and there were two unaccounted for.

     He knew she was alive with every part of his being. Kevin looked back at his father and brother and asserted, “You all know how fast she is. She would run; with everything she had. She would run!” Kevin spun around and attempted to burst through the blockade of men. He struggled as they restrained him.

     Officer Jenkins shoved through the crowd of men and came to his aid as he ordered, “Hands off. I know these people, he’s a good kid.”

     Kevin recognized Officer Jenkins. He’d been friends with Kayn’s father since high school. He piped in, “Son, if she’s in this house, we’ll find her.”

     “I can find her faster,” Kevin asserted.

     An officer stepped into the bedroom and announced, “We found Stan in the carport. Looks like he didn’t even make it into the house after he arrived home from work.”

     Officer Jenkins skin lost its colour as he numbly added, “We’re still missing one of the twins.”

     The young officer addressed Kevin, “We all know there’s been a history of issues with young men and Chloe Brighton. Has she broken up with someone recently? They were identical twins… It’s possible Kayn was mistaken for her sister and abducted.”

     Kevin’s heart sank as he gave his response, “No, she was nothing like her.” They all thought a Chloe stalker had gone nuts and massacred the whole family. Kevin looked directly into Jenkins’ eyes and pleaded, “I know Kayn’s alive. I know her hiding spots. You have to let me look for her, she’s not dead.”

     Officer Jenkins took Kevin’s desperate pleas to heart as he stepped aside and motioned for the others to let him pass while declaring, “There’s nothing to lose at this point. Take the lead, kid. Find her.”
     Kevin didn’t know whether or not Jenkins really believed him, but he began to rally the troops.

     Jenkins shouted out, “We still have a missing girl, it’s possible she’s found somewhere to hide. The kid may have some insight as to where the girl might be hiding. She could be in shock or wounded… Let’s find her.”
     Kevin descended the stairs, and just knew she wasn’t in the house. She would have tried to run. He stepped outside and following the pull of intuition, he walked around the side of the house into the backyard.
     An officer tossed off the panel to the crawl space beneath the house. She wasn’t in there. The spiders would have been a deterrent. Kevin called out, “She’s not in there, you’re wasting time!” Kayn could run. She could run fast. He glanced at the opening to the trail and spotting something white in the grass. He sprinted over knowing what it was. It was the plastic bag full of eggs his mom gave her. “She’s in the trails!” Kevin shouted as his heart cheered. She got away. She knew these trails. It was possible and that’s all that mattered. She was alive. The search party was enveloped in incapacitating darkness as they entered the overgrown bike trails. Kevin dug around in his pockets for his phone to use the flashlight. He paused midstride and peered down at the cell in his hand. I can’t believe I’m this stupid. Why hadn’t he thought of this earlier? Kevin grabbed the police officer in front of him to get his attention. “She had her cell phone on her. She pocket dialled me. That’s how we knew they were in trouble.”

     The officer got everyone’s attention; the crowd hushed. The woods were pitch black with shadowed outlines of trees and stumps. They couldn’t see two feet in front of their faces, but maybe they’d be able to hear her phone.  She would have called him by now if she escaped. No…He had to hope for the possibility that she was still alive. He dialled her number, and everyone was silent. Kevin pressed the speakerphone setting on his phone. In the distance, they could hear her phone’s ringtone, as an eerie muffled melody through the misty trails. They made their way towards the sound of the ring. It went to voice mail and the volume on Kevin’s cell was loud… They all heard her message.

     It was like Kayn had really answered the call. She said, “Hello,” then paused and added, “Hello, I can’t hear you. It’s a bad connection.”    

     Everyone froze, it sounded like she’d answered and was alive.

     After about five seconds the message carried on with, “Ha-ha, got you. I’m not able to get to the phone right now. Leave a message.”

     He’d forgotten about that message. Everybody was frozen in place as the split second of hope in their hearts dissolved when they realised it was only a recording. That joke message had been hilarious the first time he’d fallen for it and started talking … It was horrible now.

     Officer Jenkins piped up, “Walk slowly and cautiously people. We need to find that phone. There should be a blinking message light. Look for the flashing light. If her mail box isn’t full, we’ll be able to call it a few more times before it starts going directly to voicemail.”

     Kevin knew there was no point in trying to call. Her inbox was always full. The next unanswered call would probably go straight to her voice mail.

     It was so dark, they could walk right by her even with the makeshift flashlights. The trails were onyx with an eerie lacing of thick mist lingering just above the forest floor. Kevin was trying to walk the pathway through memory. He felt the absence of the voice in his head. It wasn’t urging him on anymore.  Maybe she’d dropped the phone as she escaped? Then he saw a glimmer of light through the dense forest and began to walk gingerly to it. The message light indicating the missed call was like a lighthouse beacon through the mist.

     “It’s over there,” someone yelled.

     “Kayn, can you hear us! Kayn!” the mix of voices beckoned.

     Kevin picked up the cell phone in his hand and stared at it. Come on Brighton, where are you?  Feeling defeated, Kevin passed the phone to Jenkins as the rest continued scouring the bushes.

     A voice yelled, “Hey, what’s going on? Can I help?” It was a man’s voice.

     “We’re looking for a missing girl!” Jenkins hollered. 

     Kevin made his way through the foliage towards the voice. With a backyard adjoining the trails he couldn’t have missed the sirens of every cop car in town.

     The man pushed his way through the bushes at the back of his property to see the excitement in the trails. “Oh my God,” he choked, “Over here… she’s over here!”

     Kevin frantically forced through the bushes at the back of the property until he saw the man standing solemnly before a bloody naked body, in the fetal position at his feet. He was immobilized by grief as everyone shoved by him. The eerie similarities between Chloe’s lifeless body and Kayn’s was more than he could bear. Kevin’s heart began to race, as the dark violence of the night spun around him. He dropped to his knees trying desperately to catch his breath. She isn’t dead… she can’t be, his mind repeated as if it could only be the truth if he believed she would survive with everything that he was. An emergency team pushed by him.

     Kevin had never been overly religious, but he closed his eyes and began to pray, “Don’t take her away from me. Please, I will do anything.”

     Someone yelled, “We have a pulse! We have a pulse!”

     Tears of happiness filled Kevin’s eyes. “Thank you,” he whispered, as he looked up through the darkness towards the heavens.

     Kevin watched in elation as he followed the paramedics out of the forest. He stood beside his father and his brother as they put Kayn into the back of the ambulance, while desperately fighting to keep her alive. The moment they announced there was a pulse Kevin was overcome by an instantaneous sense of peace. He couldn’t explain it, but every cell in his body knew that she would survive. Kayn would fight her way back because she was strong, maybe the strongest person that he’d ever met.