This is another side project that I am working on. It's about a girl who can control part of the Fire Element. (She can control lightning)
She lives in the magical world of Callaria where it is separated into two species: The Vampires and The Human/Elementalists. The Vampires have taken over and now the Elementalists have formed a Rebellion to try and overthrow Prince Cedric (the evil Vampire prince/king).
Here's the first chapter. Tell me what you think. Keep in mind that it hasn't been edited through so there are probably spelling errors and grammar errors.
Enjoy :)
Full Moon
Stephanie Evans
In the time of night it comes, haunting those who are like me.
For one half of my body it makes me stronger,
For the other half, it makes me hungry.
I am cursed with a power that strengthens and weakens me everyday.
But I will not stop fighting until the war is over,
Even if I must die trying.
Chapter One: Found
The air of the night was a bitter cold as the things that roamed Callaria prowled through the night. I, Violet, ran through the snow covered forest, my ripped clothes fanning out around me. I was being pursued by a large wolf-like creature with blazing yellow eyes and teeth sharp as daggers.
Quickly, I ran through the river and suddenly I found that was caught by the current. The wolf watched me being swept away and gave up, turning around and heading back to its lair. I floated in the icy water, not bothering to fight the current.
I’m already dying. That thing, whatever it was, hurt me pretty bad.
I could feel the blood sifting out of my side, staining my already ruined clothes. The sound of falling water engulfed my ears and I was swept to a waterfall where I fell 40ft. I floated in the pond below, still amazed to be alive, and landed on the white snowy shore of the river. The full moon hung high in the sky, giving strength to the feared creatures of the forest. I could hear the echoing cries of the mouse-bats and the howls of wolves.
Breathing heavily, I rested my head on the cold ground and waited for my life to end. Closing my eyes, I prepared myself for death and soon enough entered the blackness.
I awoke to a rough kicking in my side.
“Do you think its dead?” asked a young boyish voice.
“Hush Simon,” said an older, manlier voice.
“But Ian,” Simon began.
“Shh,” Ian replied.
I wiggled my fingers, and then my toes, testing to see if everything still worked. I felt the bitter cold of what was probably the early morning sinking into my stiff joints, and I tasted the snow in my mouth. I was numb, everywhere. My eyes fluttered and then opened, the pupils shrinking due to the bright morning light.
“She’s alive!” exclaimed Simon.
Simon was a small boy with light blonde hair and blue eyes, too innocent to be living in such a deadly world as ours. Ian stood beside Simon as a tall man with light tan skin, devastatingly beautiful blue eyes with hints of gold in them, and scruffy brown hair.
“Get her the drink,” Ian instructed.
Simon dug his little hand into a large pack and pulled out a black canteen. He walked cautiously over to me and handed me the canteen. I attempted to sit up, but was barely successful. I was able to turn my body so that I was lying on my side, but I wasn’t able to raise my upper torso off of the ground. I grabbed the canteen and flicked the top off, taking a large gulp of the mixture within. Something that felt like liquid fire washed over my tongue and escaped down my throat.
I pulled the canteen away, coughing vigorously.
“What the hell is that?” I gasped.
“Fire whiskey,” laughed Ian as he knelt down to look at me. “Always gets a joint working when it’s been completely frozen over night.”
I did realize that it was easier to sit up now. I handed the canteen to Ian, but he shook his head.
“Nope, you’ll have to drink some more before we start heading home. I won’t be able to carry you the whole way,” Ian smiled.
I blushed.
“You have a name?” he asked.
I nodded.
“What is it?”
“Violet,” I answered.
“Violet, huh,” Ian smiled.
“How come you’re sleeping in the snow?” asked Simon innocently.
“I was being chased by one of the wolves. Got swept away by the river and fell 40ft down that waterfall. I must have drifted to shore before I drowned to death,” I explained.
“You’re lucky to be alive with the amount of blood you’ve lost. The doctor will have to fix you up,” Ian smiled.
“Doctor?” I asked. “There aren’t any doctors left, not since the invasion.”
“Naw, they’re just in hiding,” Ian smiled. “Don’t worry, we aren’t the enemy. We normal people have to stick together.”
“How do you know I’m normal?” I asked.
“Well, I don’t know; but Simon likes you so I figure you can be trusted,” Ian replied. “Plus you haven’t bit either of us yet.”
He extended his arm to help me up and I stood, wobbly at first. I downed some more the fire whiskey, forcing myself to swallow the hot drink. When Ian had thought that I’d had a sufficient amount, he took the canteen back and put it in the pack.
“So, Miss Violet, how old are you? Where did you come from? Do you have a home like we do?” Simon asked.
“I’m 19,” I answered. “I come from a far away place, and I haven’t had a home since the invasion.”
“Oh. Well now you do. You can stay with big brother and me; oh, and Auntie Denise and Auntie Tessa. You’ll love Mike and Jackson, they’re really funny. The others might be back from the snatching; I hope they brought back some chocolate,” Simon mused.
“And how old are you two?” I asked.
“I’m 6 and big brother is 20,” Simon answered.
“We’ve been on the run a lot, but we found the Rebellion a few months ago,” Ian explained.
“A rebellion?” I asked.
“Yes. We’re planning on fighting back against Prince Cedric,” Ian stated.
“And you think you can win?” I laughed. “Cedric is stronger than any of you can possibly fathom.”
“Oh, and how would you know?” asked Ian.
“I was supposed to be his 3rd wife,” I replied.
Ian pulled out a dagger and pressed it to my throat.
“Where’s your scar you invading little bastard!” growled Ian.
“I don’t have one,” I growled. “That’s why he sent the wolves after me!”
Ian stepped back.
“You survived the wolves?” Ian asked.
“I’m not as fragile as you might think,” I grumbled.
We walked in silence with Simon in between us. It was a rather easy walk, mostly flat ground, but it became harder when the fire whiskey began to wear off. My skin realized the freezing cold morning and I began to feel every rock that my bare foot walked over. My clothes were still slightly wet from the water and were badly ripped. My once descent dark blue trousers were ripped to the point of being considered an undergarment. The once, long-sleeved white shirt now was a sleeve-less v-neck with a shredded back and a bloody front.
“Well, I guess the wolves explain your – uh – interesting ensemble,” Ian muttered.
“Sorry I can’t look like a possible 3rd wife candidate for you,” I spat. “It’s not like I didn’t just drop 40ft and magically survive.”
“Big Brother, stop being so mean,” Simon interjected.
I muffled a laugh. We continued walking until it began to grow dark again. Simon talked for most of it, blabbing about random things and pointing out different small woodland creatures that we passed. When we came to a small clearing in the woods Ian stopped.
“We’ll set up camp here,” Ian stated.
Simon and Ian removed their packs.
“I’m going to look for some firewood,” Ian announced and disappeared into the forest.
The center of the clearing was snow covered, so we stayed beneath one of the larger trees where the ground was somewhat dry. Simon traced a circle in the dirt with his foot and brought the pacts over to the base of the tree.
“Miss Violet, you can sit down over here, just let me get the mats down,” Simon told me.
Simon set down two thin dark green mats and put a lumpy pillow down on one. He pulled out a few dark blue blankets and pulled out a few cooking supplies, putting them over by the circle he had traced.
“Sit down Miss Violet,” Simon smiled as he pointed to the mats.
I took a seat on the one without the pillow and grabbed one of the blankets to wrap it around my shivering body. They were a scratchy wool fabric, but they blocked most of the cold out.
“So, how long have you been on the run?” asked Simon.
“A few weeks, for practically all of it I was being chased by the wolves; I don’t think I ate nearly anything while I was on the run. Maybe a piece of bread every now and then,” I replied. “What about you?”
“I’ve been on the run for about 2 years. Started when I was four and my parents were taken. I didn’t really know how to snatch, so I didn’t eat very much for the first two weeks. When I attempted to snatch something, I met Ian inside the house. Big brother and I have been together ever since; he says that when I get older he’s gonna teach me how to fight,” Simon smiled.
“You were four? You had to snatch at four,” I gasped.
What has our world come to? Children having to fend for themselves? They shouldn’t have to worry about things like the war! They should only have to worry about what they want for lunch or what toy they want to play with. Not this…
“Yeah,” Simon smiled.
Ian returned carrying a large pile of wood. He made a small tee pee with the logs and put dried leaves in the center. He took a small lighter from his pocket and lit a small fire. Soon it was a descent fire that gave off a large amount of heat. I kept my feet close to the fire, waiting for them to defrost.
“Big Brother, I think we should make the oat meal. Miss Violet hasn’t eaten anything in a few weeks other than a slice of bread,” Simon blurted.
Ian turned to me.
“Really?” Ian asked.
I nodded.
“How is your stomach not growling like mad?” asked Ian.
“I’ve grown accustom to not eating. The first week was hell, but after that it got relatively easy,” I replied.
“You need food. Food is strength; no wonder you ended up getting caught in the current,” Ian sighed.
I shook off the insult and finger combed my hair. Quickly Ian filled a small pot with water and oats. He kept stirring until it was a lumpy, goopy mixture. He spooned small amounts into two bowls, and dumped the rest into a larger bowl. He gave me the larger bowl and Simon handed me a spoon.
“No, I’m fine. You guys take more,” I replied.
“No. Eat,” Ian grunted.
I sighed, taking the bowl in my hands and shoveled a large bite into my mouth. My stomach became aware of its hunger and accepted the oatmeal with pleasure. Pretty soon it coveted more and before I realized it, I had eaten the whole thing. My stomach gurgled for more, but I locked the hunger away once more. Simon had finished before I had, and I regretted eating it all and not offering some more to him. He was so small and so young. He needed the strength more then I did.
Ian finished not long after and Simon dumped the empty bowls into a white mesh bag.
“We’ll wash them when we get walking in the morning,” Ian told Simon.
Simon nodded and set the mesh bag aside. Simon walked back over to the mats were Ian and I sat. He shivered a little and I removed my blanket.
“Here,” I told him.
Ian had the other blanket and I didn’t want to hog their things. But Simon shook his head.
“No Miss Violet, you keep that,” Simon smiled.
“No, I’m fine, take it Simon,” I replied.
“How about we share it then,” Simon offered.
“Fine,” I replied.
Simon sat down in between my legs, resting head against my chest. I wrapped the blanket mostly around him and held him close the way a mother would.
It didn’t take long, but soon Simon was fast asleep. I smiled.
“He’s really taken a liking to you,” Ian smiled.
“I can’t believe that he had to even consider snatching at 4,” I sighed.
“Yeah, it’s a cruel world, isn’t it,” Ian replied.
I nodded.
“You look tired,” he mumbled.
He took the lumpy pillow out from behind him and handed it to me.
“No, you keep it,” I replied.
“Gosh, you’re so bent on making sure everyone else is ok. Why can’t you just be a tiny bit selfish?” he asked.
“Because I don’t deserve to be,” I replied.
“Oh, and why is that?” asked Ian.
“Because I had the best chance to try and kill Cedric and I took it for granted. This war could’ve been over and I was so selfish that I didn’t bother taking advantage of the position I was in,” I admitted.
Ian was silent and I stared at the flames of the dwindling fire.
“You can’t blame yourself for the world’s problems. No one would’ve even considered the other option if they were in that position,” Ian replied. “You don’t owe anyone, so start looking out for yourself because that’s the one thing you’ll always have.”
I pushed the pillow back to Ian.
“Take it. You’re caring too much about me, start being selfish yourself,” I muttered.
Ian sighed.
“How about this, I’ll take the pillow, but I’ll be your pillow,” Ian replied.
I thought for a minute.
“Fine, but I can’t move because I don’t want to wake up Simon,” I murmured.
“That kid sleeps like a log, don’t worry about him,” Ian replied.
He scooted closer to me and laid down, I wrapped my arms around Simon to make sure he wouldn’t move, and situated my head on Ian’s chest. Ian put the second blanket on top of both of us and I was too tired to protest. The body heat of both Simon and Ian made me even warmer. The warmth slowly coaxed me into a cradle of comfort that I hadn’t had in a long time.
Slowly I fell into a much-needed sleep.
I awoke to the absence of a weight on my chest. My eyes shot open when I realized Simon wasn’t lying on me anymore. It was early morning and a bitter chill had sunk into my bones. Simon was asleep on the mat beside me while Ian and I shared the second mat. Simon was still bundled in the blanket I had given him while Ian kept his arms around me while we shared the second blanket. Somehow Ian had wedged the pillow between his chest and my head. Both of them were still sleeping.
I slipped my hands out from Ian’s grip and removed the pillow. I lightly lifted Simon’s head and placed the pillow beneath it. I put my head back down against Ian and closed my eyes.
Hypocrite.
I didn’t entirely fall back into a deep sleep, but it was sleep none the less. When I awoke for the second time, the pillow was once again beneath my head and both blankets were wrapped around me. I opened my eyes and saw that Ian and Simon were no where to be seen. Sitting up, I looked around the camp. The fire was out and the packs were behind the mats, leaning against the tree trunk. The cooking supplies were packed up and the mesh bag was gone. There was a scraggly note in the dirt.
Gone to river. Washing dishes. Whiskey is in bag. Drink up.
I yawned and stretched my arms above my head. I heard my joints crack and I turned to grab the canteen out of the bag. I swallowed two substantial gulps and felt the uncomfortable burning sensation. Putting the canteen back in the bag, I stood up, stretching again, and began to fold the blankets. Soon Simon ran to camp, followed by Ian.
“Ha! I beat you big brother!” laughed Simon.
“Very good Simon,” huffed Ian with a smile. “Maybe when we get home I’ll start teaching you to fight.”
“No!” I gasped.
They both looked at me.
“What?” Simon asked.
“You can’t teach a 6-year-old to fight! He shouldn’t even be involved in any of this!” I exclaimed.
Ian smiled.
“He won’t be aloud on a snatching trip until he’s at least 12. Don’t worry; he’ll only need it for emergencies,” Ian assured.
I sighed.
I was surprised at my outburst. It had only taken me one night to become full-on maternal towards Simon and he wasn’t even my child; I was too young to even have a child!
We started walking once everything was packed up and Simon had scattered the logs. Ian led us north and we began an uphill climb. This was the worst part because there were more rocks on the ground and my tender feet could feel every single one. At one time it became nearly unbearable and that was when I sliced my foot on a sharp rock.
I yelped when it happened and I tumbled onto the ground. Simon and Ian had been walking in front of me and they turned around at my outburst. Ian knelt down beside me.
“You ok?” he asked.
I was biting my lower lip, trying to bite out the pain, but water was escaping my eyes because it hurt so damn bad. I shook my head.
“Damn, you cut your foot pretty bad,” Ian exclaimed.
He took hold of my foot gently.
“Simon, can you get the water out of my pack,” Ian asked.
Simon nodded, pulling out another canteen, this one a dark green. He handed it to Ian who then dumped some of the freezing cold water onto my foot to clean the cut. I yelped as the cold water hit my skin. Ian ripped off the bottom of his shirt and bandaged my foot with it.
“There you go,” Ian smiled.
Simon put the water back in the pack and put the pack on his back. Suddenly Ian picked me up and began walking again.
“What are you doing!” I exclaimed. “I can walk!”
“I don’t want your foot to become infected,” Ian replied. “Would you rather have no foot or have me carry you.”
I was silently contemplating both things.
“Don’t answer that,” Ian muttered. “You’d probably choose no foot.”
I sighed, feeling guilty because I was slightly enjoying not having to walk. I leaned my head against Ian’s shoulder and closed my eyes.
“Is she asleep big brother?” Simon’s voice echoed in my ears.
“I’m not sure Simon; but all of her running is probably catching up to her,” Ian muttered.
“I’m glad we found her,” Simon exclaimed. “She’s big sister.”
Ian laughed.
“You’re very odd sometimes Simon,” Ian muttered.
After that both Simon and Ian were quiet, either that or I had fallen asleep. When I opened my eyes I saw a bright light and a tall man dressed in a white lab coat. I screamed loudly. The man put his hand over my mouth and I ripped at it with my hands, kicking my legs vigorously. I pushed the doctor away and sprang across the room. At that moment Ian came running into the hospital room.
“You!” I yelled angrily. “You betrayer! You gave me over to them! Where is it? Where’s my scar? YOU BASTARD! I TRUSTED YOU!”
Ian grabbed a hold of me and I screamed, kicking and thrashing.
“You might as well have sucked me dry you Vampire!” I yelled.
“Violet, shut up!” Ian growled. “You’re not a vampire you idiot!”
I closed my mouth and looked up at him.
“Then why the hell am I in a hospital?” I asked.
“Your not, you’re in a cave. This is Will, our society’s doctor. He patched up that nasty cut in your side and healed your foot. Vampires aren’t the only ones who got a hold of a water elementalist,” Ian explained.
“Though you do have scars that I am very sure that you are aware of,” Will smiled.
Will was a tall man with short blonde hair, laugh lines, and weary-looking grey eyes.
I narrowed my eyes at him, not sure whether I was upset that he had seen them, or that the places where they were, were exposed.
“Huh?” Ian asked.
“Cedric knew I was human. He took advantage of that and I wasn’t aloud to object. I was sent away when one of his advisors found out,” I muttered.
Ian still had a confused look on his face. I lifted the front of my shirt only so far so that my stomach was visible. All across my stomach were half crescent scars that were a faded pink. I put my shirt back down and looked at Ian, waiting for a reaction.
“He took a liking to biting me, but not sucking anything more then a tester,” I murmured.
Ian looked at me, horrified.
“It was either a tester or sucking me dry. I kind of wanted to stay alive at that point,” I replied.
“Here, you’ll want to change out of your ripped clothes,” Will said, handing me a simple, violet dress with a swoop-neck, and long sleeves.
I took the dress in my hand, walked behind the dressing curtain in the far corner of the room, and quickly changed. When I came out from behind the dressing screen, carrying my ragged clothes in my hands, the expression on Ian’s face changed. It went from the horrified look of finding out a small snippet of my past, to a look of interest at a supposed change in my appearance.
“Here are some shoes, so you don’t cut your foot again,” Will said, handing me a pair of black work boots.
I slipped my feet inside them and laced them as tight as they would go. Even with my yanking and pulling, they were still a little big; but they did their job.
“Mirror, brush, hair band: you’ll want to keep your hair back,” Will told me as he pointed to three things on a small table.
I grabbed the mirror in my hand and looked at my reflection. My face was pale, paler then I remembered. My chocolate brown eyes had small hints of silver in them and a light ring of violet around the pupils. The dark brown locks of my hair were knotted and messy; I took the liberty of brushing them vigorously with the brush until they were smooth. I pulled it back and tied it with the hair band.
“Ian, you should take her to get some food. She needs a lot of nutrition,” Will muttered.
Ian nodded and I followed him out of the hospital and into a long hallway. It was an arched hallway made out of rock.
“Are there Earth Elementalists here?” I asked.
“Yes, two. They helped create most of the cave system,” Ian replied.
The caverns were lit by small balls of fire floating up near the roof. Ian looked different without his heavy coat and gloves. Now he wore a short-sleeve black shirt and dark trousers. He too, had work boots much like mine, and his muscles were prominently visible without the bulk of extra clothing. I sped my pace so that I was walking beside him and suddenly his hand bumped into mine. I jumped back, feeling a hot sensation where our skin had touched.
“What?” Ian asked, turning around to look at me.
I looked down at my hand and there were no marks of being burned.
“Violet, what’s the matter?” Ian asked.
“Fire. Do you control Fire?” I asked, looking up at him.
Ian shook his head.
“Nope. I’m a spin-off of Air. I can use a wind-blade, but I can’t just randomly control air. What about you?” Ian asked.
I looked down at my hand.
“Spin-off of fire; I control lightning,” I muttered.
“Really? Lighting, wow, that’s cool,” Ian smiled. “Simon can use water; but he can’t heal.”
“Oh,” I muttered.
“Come on, it’ll be gone if we don’t hurry,” Ian smiled.
He took hold of my hand and I felt the burning sensation on my hand again. I yanked it away.
“What?” Ian asked.
“Nothing, I’ll follow,” I murmured, looking down at my hand.
Ian shrugged and trudged onward as I ambled behind him. Soon we made it to a large open room with tall ceilings where fire circulated on the ceiling and in the middle of small round tables made of rock with rock benches placed around them. There were a few counters against the walls with shelves above and below them storing cooking things and food.
I took a seat at a table with Simon while Ian got food. He brought back three bowls and placed two of them in front of me along with a roll of bread and a large glass of milk.
“Eat up,” he instructed.
“But-” I began in protest.
Simon picked up my roll and shoved it into my open mouth.
“Eat up,” Simon smiled.
There were three people sitting across from me. One was a petite redhead girl with bright green eyes, an aging man with black hair streaked with silver and warm grey eyes, and a young boy a little older than Simon with black hair and green eyes.
“Auntie Tessa, Mike, Jackson, this is Big Sister Violet,” Simon announced.
“Hello, I’m Jackson, but you can call me Jack,” smiled the aging man.
“Just call me Tes,” muttered Tessa.
“Mike is the short version,” smiled Mike.
“Just call me Violet,” I smiled in return after I had swallowed a bite of the bread roll.
I reluctantly ate everything that was placed in front of me and my stomach gurgled happily. Ian held most of the conversation with the others and I silently listened. Tes and Jack were actually married, but Tes was 7 years younger at the age of 29. Jack had explained that his silverish hair was from his mother’s side that got grey hair in their late 30’s. Mike and Simon were talking about different things and I didn’t pay much attention to them. The only time I spoke were the few times I was spoken to.
“So, Violet, where did you come from? What’s your story?” asked Tes.
“Well. I grew up north of here, just outside the capital. I was born to a mostly fire and air family, so I got the ability to control lightning. I mostly use it like an arrow because I don’t have a hilt to make it a blade. When the invasion started I wasn’t quick enough to run. I was taken to Cedric’s castle about a year ago and ended up being the next in line to be his wife. I would’ve been the third. I didn’t do it because I liked him or anything, but it was either that or me dying; so I chose life.
“Cedric took a liking to biting me, he wouldn’t transform me, but he’d take a blood taster which isn’t the most comfortable thing I’ve ever endured. When one of his advisors realized I was a human, Cedric sent the wolves after me; that was a few months ago and I’ve been on the run ever since,” I replied, telling most of my story.
“You’re the third wife?” asked Jack.
I nodded.
“Wow. That trumps just about all of our escape stories. Where are your scars?” asked Tes.
“Stomach and a few are on my lower back and behind my shoulder blades. He liked to stay away from the neck. Didn’t want to suck me dry; well not yet at least,” I muttered.
Ian’s hand had balled into a fist on the table.
“And I thought I couldn’t hate him anymore than I did before,” Ian muttered.
“That gives all of us a new reason to hate him,” growled Jack.
I sighed and looked down at Simon. Simon had quieted down to hear the story and now that I saw his face, I regretted saying it at all. Horror was ripe in Simon’s big blue innocent eyes and he looked on the verge of tears.
“Big sister,” he muttered, his voice cracking.
I hugged Simon close.
“Don’t worry Simon, I’m fine,” I whispered.
“But he was so, evil,” Simon spoke into my stomach.
“That’s just how some people are,” I whispered.
“Are you crying Simon?” Ian asked.
“No,” Simon lied.
“Real men don’t cry. Do you want to be a warrior, a fighter?” Ian asked.
Simon looked up, water trails running down his face. He nodded.
“I want to be a great fighter like you big brother,” Simon gasped.
“Well then you’re going to have to start by not crying. Men don’t cry,” Ian instructed.
“What?” I asked with half a laugh. “If a man can’t cry then he’s a blubbering idiot who doesn’t know how to feel emotion and care about anything.”
“Huh?” Simon asked, looking up at me.
“A man who can’t feel emotions the way he’s meant to isn’t a man at all; he’s just an immature child,” I grumbled.
Ian looked at me with surprise.
“And I’m guessing that Cedric was a crier,” Ian growled.
“Nope! He’s an immature child who doesn’t cry. He just feels anger and hatred towards everything except a good looking female who will give him the time of day,” I said, a little louder then I should have.
Suddenly I felt electrical currents flowing through my hair, the way they normally did when my anger was rising. Ian had set a glass of water in front of me that I had barely touched. I thrust my hand into it and the electric current faded until it was finally gone. I exhaled, glad that I didn’t blow anything up.
“What are you doing?” Simon asked as I removed my hand.
“If my anger level gets to high then I conduct lightning. I’d rather not blow everyone up. Water gets rid of it,” I explained.
“Oh,” Simon muttered.
“You look tired,” Ian muttered, changing the subject.
Now that I realized it, I was a little tired.
“Come on, I’ll show you to the room,” Ian smiled.
I released Simon from my grasp and stood up. I followed Ian out of the kitchen/eating area and he led me down another long cavern. Soon we passed by many archways with different things blocking the entrances. We stopped at the one with an old white dressing screen in front of it. Ian moved the screen aside and led me into the small room that was lit by a dim fire ball near the ceiling. The room was simple.
It was small with rock shelves taking up the left wall. On the shelves were different possessions like clothes and shoes. In the center of the room was a large thick mattress with a thick brown comforter on it and two lumpy pillows.
“This is the room. It’s small, but comfortable,” Ian smiled.
I was looking up at the ceiling, focusing my eyes on the fireball, trying to figure out how it continuously burned. Suddenly I felt a trail of fire on my cheek. I jumped back, my back hitting the wall of the room.
“Why do you always flinch whenever I touch you?” Ian asked.
He walked over to me and kept a good hold on my arm so that I couldn’t move. With his free hand he lightly caressed my cheek and I closed my eyes, trying to move my skin away from his.
“What?” he asked, moving his hand away.
“Whenever you touch me you leave a trail of fire,” I muttered, looking at him in the eyes.
The corners of his mouth formed into a small smile. His face became very close and suddenly he closed his eyes, forcing our lips to touch. My body seemed to become engulfed in the tingling sensation of burning. At first I tried to pull away, but then I realized that I liked it. I pulled myself closer to Ian, wrapping my arms around his neck as he wrapped his around my waist. Our lips moved in sync and I felt the burning everywhere. Suddenly I pulled away, opening my eyes and looking into Ian’s, dumbfounded.
I raised my hand to my mouth and looked back at him. He still held me with his hands around my waist. I was gasping for air, we both were; our chests rising and deflating in sync. Before I could realize it, tears were streaming down my face and Ian’s once happy expression had changed to confusion and guilt.
“What?” he asked.
“What?” Cedric murmured, looking at me covetously.
“You took a lot,” I muttered, using the wall for support.
“Sorry,” he smiled.
He kissed my neck gently, a teasing gesture that he liked to do often. His skin brushed against mine and I felt the usual chill.
“Wait,” I whispered.
“What?” Cedric asked, looking at me with his icy blue eyes, a ring of crimson around the pupil.
“Can you just give me a second to regain my strength?” I asked.
“Violet,” Cedric sighed.
“Please,” I asked, making my eyes look innocent.
Cedric smiled.
“Fine,” Cedric muttered.
He walked out onto his balcony and I took a seat on the red armchair, waiting for my head to stop throbbing.
What am I putting myself through?
You’re keeping yourself alive.
“Violet,” Ian whispered, putting his hand against my cheek.
I blinked.
“What?” I asked.
“You ok?” asked Ian.
I began to feel the burning in my cheek and I pulled away.
“I’m just tired,” I mumbled.
Ian kissed my forehead and walked over to the screen door.
“Sleep well,” he smiled, and then shut the screen door.
The room became a little bit darker without the light flooding in from the hallway. I untied my shoes and slipped my feet out. I stood quickly, finding the bed easily and laid down beneath the covers. I rested my head on the lumpy pillow and closed my eyes.
Book 2: The Cracked Lookingglass (or Spyglass, haven't decided)
