Part 1- initiation

There are more horses in Knightsen than people.

That seems to be the only fact that people know about this town. Based on that,
they assume that it's just a tiny hick town, just beyond the borders of the suburbs of
Oakland and San Francisco. But it's not really. A hick town, I mean. Even though we're
right on the edge of the farm belt of California, we still have the democratic values of any
citizen of the East Bay. I mean, it's not like we act Southern, just because everyone here
owns acreage. We all have cable TV, broadband Internet, cell phones and all the luxuries
of modern day society. We just also own horses too.
And in my case, alpacas.
Well, we do have two horses, but we live off of the alpacas. Which sounds crazy,
I know. I live on the only alpaca ranch in Contra Costa County, since everyone else
seems to think that llamas or emus are the next great alternative livestock. Raising
alpacas are actually pretty fun. Smelly, but fun.
There really isn't much else to Knightsen. Whenever my family comes to visit
from the city they never stay long, because there's just not a lot to do here. There are
things to do now in Oakley and Brentwood, which is where the Knightsen teens all go to
hang out. Those towns used to be small like mine, but in the past ten years or so they've
sprung up. Suddenly there's all these chain restaurants and shopping centers like you
wouldn't believe. And the tract houses they build are ridiculous; it's almost like they
build them on top of each other. There are no yards for those houses, just small little
patches of fake grass, so the rich people who live there don't even have to maintain it. A
lot of those developers are trying to get their hands on Knightsen and we always turn
them away. There are lots of town meetings in my school gym about it, which my
parents always attend. Everyone always votes to not have any big corporation chains in
town, which upsets all my friends. The only place you can really hang out here, besides
school, is the deli in the town center, which is also the post office and the gas station.
Knightsen is over one hundred years old, and it was founded when the railroads put a
stop here, and everyone wants to keep it small and quaint and farm friendly.
Which is why I had to tell Clem that there was no way I would sign her petition to
host a big dance at school.
"Like the ones you see in the movies?” I asked her, “With the DJs and the smoke
machines and limousines?”
"Yeah," she said, nibbling on her french fries, "It would be a blast! We've never
had like a big prom or anything around here. The seniors usually just sneak into one in
Oakley. We really need to have our own.”
"How exactly are you going to get enough money for all of that? There's no way
you can earn it all back from ticket sales. And the town is not going to loan you any
money for something like this. And are you going to finish your bean burrito?”
We were eating in the cafeteria today with some fifth and sixth graders. Anyone
older usually bikes home to get lunch, but I stayed on campus so I could study some math
before the quiz tomorrow. Of course, I didn't know that I would be accosted by Clem's
big dance plans.
"We can fundraise for it!" she insisted.
 "Yeah, sure. When they're done with homework, right? And taking care of the
animals and the land? I'm not going to waste my time washing cars when I have alpacas
to comb."
"Whatever Jo. You're such a townie."
A townie referred to the people here who liked to keep things old and within
tradition. It's not an insult to the adults here, but it is to the teens.
I just glared at her, "So what if I am? Is that really a bad thing?"
Clem sighed, "You need to go out and experience life. There's a whole world out
there past Delta Road you know. We can hop in a car and be in San Francisco in forty
minutes. Or if we go north we could be in Sacramento in half an hour. Heck, we could
leave past midnight and get to Disneyland by the time they open their gates in the
morning. And you're content just sitting in little pokey Knightsen, reading books all day
and taking care of your parents' alpacas?"
I nodded, "Yep. And really, are you going to eat that? It looks good."
"Sure, have it. I'm going to call Charlie and the twins and see what they're up to
tonight. Since I'm sure you'll be studying or whatever." She got up and left the table,
leaving her food for me.
I just sighed. I honestly don't understand what has got into my friend's heads
recently. It's like they strive to constantly find ways of getting out of Knightsen every
night. They always need to be doing something. I mean, sure, there are times where I
long for the exciting type of life. I mean, I live on an alpaca farm, and not many truly
exciting and adventurous things happen there. When I was younger when I would lie
awake at night, just wondering when something big was going to happen, something that
would change my life forever and make it more thrilling, more exciting. But I live in
Knightsen, and absolutely nothing happens here. And after a while, you get used to it.
The every day, ho hum kind of life just feels relaxing, and pleasant, and easy. I gave up
on that adventure fantasy years ago.
I remember one time when I did go to San Francisco with the girls for a night, and
it really was a lot of fun. I shared a hotel room with Clem and Charlie and Allison and
Angie, and we stayed out all night shopping and eating out and just enjoying the city.
But I remember standing in Union Square and looking up at the sky, and I could see
about three or four stars. And it just felt so lonely. Why should I spend so much time and
energy and money in the city when you can't even enjoy the night sky? In Knightsen the
sky is filled with stars every night. Sometimes when I can't sleep I will sneak out at two
or three in the morning, when everyone in town in asleep and the whole world is pitch
black. And I just look up and up and up, and get lost in all the stars in the sky.
And who wouldn't want that?
-
"It looks like someone is moving into Mary Beth's house on Eden Plains," Mom
said as she and I were washing dishes after dinner.
"Good. Finally," I said, "She died like five months ago."
"I think I spotted the new family this afternoon. Looks like they have a son about
your age. He will probably be starting at the school tomorrow.”
"Great," I sighed. Now there would be a new boy for all the girls to obsess over.
I thought about texting Clem right away with the news, so that she wouldn't freak out and
jump his bones the second she saw him.
 Mom was still babbling on about the new family, "I'll be sure to get them a basket
of some things. Some alpaca sweaters, definitely, and maybe a new teddy bear? Do you
think they'll like that?"
I just nodded, thinking about what kind of people they will be. They were
moving into the little strip of bungalows on Eden Plains, which don't have any real
property. Definitely not enough room for more than two horses. So normally the people
who lived here were retired, like Mary Beth Billings was, or people who realized that
Knightsen is cheaper to live in than Oakley and just commute everywhere. If it's a
family, it was most likely the latter, especially if they had a teenager.
"I'm going to visit the new cria before bed," I announced, and grabbed a
flashlight, my Wellington boots and my work coat before going outside.
I shivered, wrapping my arms around myself for warmth once I was in the night
air. It was September, and the nights would start getting longer and colder, and it was
time to adjust. The sun had set an hour before, and the stars were finally coming out. I
took a second to appreciate them before going inside the barn, remembering my thought
at lunchtime today. Where else can you see stars like this?
The new cria poked his head up at me as I entered. His mother, Abigail, was
sleeping next to him. The cria was all black, just like his father, Abraham, and already
had a think coat of Huacaya hair.
"Hey Ulysses," I cooed, stroking his head and his long neck. He closed his eyes,
and the eternal grin that alpacas have seemed to grow longer, "You're such a cutie, aren't
you? Good boy..."
And that was when I heard something outside. It was quiet and subtle, but it was
enough for my ears to pick up. I had never heard that sound at night before. It sounded
as if someone had their hand on the wall outside, and they had just slid it off. Someone
was out there who shouldn't be.
Very slowly I stood up , grasping the flashlight as tight as I could. I said one more
time, "Good boy, Ulysses," to make the intruder think I hadn't heard him. I very slowly
moved toward the door, thinking over who it could be. None of my friends were ever the
type to sneak around my home at night, nor was anyone in town. The only time that
happened was before they took Ol' Man Jenkins to the hospital for his Alzheimer's. And
none of the elderly around here were like that, not that I knew of. So it had to be
someone from out of town, maybe some bored teens from Oakley looking for adventure.
But most of the kids out there don't even know where Knightsen is, much less have heard
of it.
When I was near the door I ran out, waving my flashlight and yelling, "Hey!" I
listened for movement, or to hear someone yell and run so I could find them easily. But
there was nothing. I thought for a second that whoever it was might as left, or maybe my
mind was just playing tricks on me and there was nobody outside at all. I sighed, and
double checking just in case, I looked around once more. Most likely I was just hearing
things, or going crazy if I assumed there were intruders off the bat. But then the beam of
light fell onto a person, and I gasped.
Even thought he had his back to me, I could tell it was a man. He was wearing a
black jacket and dress pants, and his hair was even darker.
"Who are you?" I gasped. The beam was shaking along with my hands.
The man looked over his shoulder, and I noticed how pale his skin was when
compared to all the black he had on his person. A pair of dark, almond shaped eyes met
mine. And a second later he was gone.
Just gone. He was there one second and the next he wasn't. I stood frozen for a
few moments, and then started shining my light across the grass again. He couldn't have
just disappeared, nobody can do that. He must have just stepped out of the beam of light.
But I would have heard him. And there was no sound, not even a wind rustling through
the long grass. There was only the sound of my heavy breaths, and my incredibly loud
and fast heartbeat.
-
I could barely sleep that night. I was scared, and confused. A part of me started
doubting that I even saw a person there, since he seemed to vanish without a trace.
Maybe I had made the whole thing up in my mind? I probably was just going crazy.
Before I knew it the sun was up and it was time to get ready for school. I moved
around like a robot; I didn't put any effort into washing my sandy-brown hair or putting
on my clothes. I did my chores mechanically. I hardly touched my eggs. I seemed to
move about in a daze all morning, being half-asleep and half-lost in thought. I didn't
snap out of my reverie until I was in the front of school, and felt someone touch my arm
and say, "Hey, excuse me." I whipped around, almost expecting it to be the person from
last night, but instead there was someone completely new, a boy I had never seen before.
The first thing I noticed were his glasses, and then his hair which was cut in that
shaggy style that seems to be really in these days. Then that's when I noticed his clothes.
Most boys come in school in work clothes, overalls, or just an old T-shirt and torn blue
jeans. This guy was wearing a white collared shirt underneath an unbuttoned black blazer
that fit his torso perfectly, along with a very expensive looking jeans and dress shoes.
"Um," I said, "Can I help you? Are you lost?"
"I dunno," he shrugged, "I just wanted to know if that's the student parking lot,"
he pointed at the small parking lot which sat in front of the school. Now it occupied a
little red car, which looked shiny and new. I had never seen that make before, it was so
short and squat, yet still had four doors. Almost everyone in Knightsen drove trucks,
since they're so practical, not tiny little things like that.
"That's the parking lot," I said plainly, "All the teachers park there."
"Oh!" he said, looking alarmed, "Then where do the students park?"
I finally figured it out, "You must be Eden Plains!"
"I'm sorry?"
"Did you just move into that little brown house on Eden Plains? I live just around
the corner from you."
"Yeah," he nodded, "I did. How did you guess?"
"I can tell you're not from around here," I smiled, "Hardly any of the students here
drive. There is no student parking lot."
"Then..." he said warily, "Do you think it's okay for me to park there?"
"What, you think you'll get a parking ticket or something?" I laughed, "Nobody is
going to care."
"Oh," he looked embarrassed, "Well, that's okay then, I guess. My name's
Stephen. Stephen Morrison. I'm starting here in the eleventh grade," He extended his
hand.
"Jolisa Verne, and I'm in eleventh too," I shook his hand, "Nice to meet you
Steve."
"Stephen," he corrected quickly, "Not Steve."
"Oh," I broke off his handshake, "Sorry. Everybody here usually goes by
nicknames. You can call me Jo or Joli."
"But Jolisa is such a nice name," he smiled, and he actually looked pretty cute,
"Very unique."
I rolled my eyes, "Whatever! Guess what my grandparents names were?"
He laughed, "I see. Well I still think it's very nice."
"Thanks," I checked the time on my cell phone, "And hey, we'd better get to class
or we will be late for English."
"Oh," he looked around, puzzled, "I didn't hear a bell."
"There is no bell. Now hurry, I'll show you how to get to room eleven."
"Ah," he said, "I get it. Eleventh grade, room eleven?"
"Yep," I said, "And next year we're in room twelve."
"Wait," he paused, "I was being sarcastic. Are we really in just one class all day?"
"Yeah, why would be going to different rooms?"
"Never mind," he shook his head.
-
I was watching Stephen Morrison reading some papers that Mr. Martinez had
handed him, while he periodically checked his pocket for something. I should have been
listening to a lecture about Lord of the Flies I was wondering what was happening in
Stephen's head. I had no idea just what was in his pocket that required him to look every
so often, but I assumed the papers were telling him about the school.
It's a 100 year old school, which started off as a tiny schoolhouse but now consists
of a long, brown hallway, a cafeteria/gym, and a portable for the kindergarten. It's always
taught all students, and still does. Knightsen School teaches all grades through high
school, all in the same building. It's the school I've been going to my whole life, so I
wouldn't know what an actual high school would be like. All I know is that I sit in the
desk in the very front, and when Mr. Martinez is finished teaching English here he will go
to the ninth grade class to teach that one, and then Ms. Palmer will come in from the
senior class to teach Biology, and so on. I saw Stephen look over what appeared to be
the eleventh grade class schedule looking very perplexed. I made a mental note to ask
him what school he went to before moving to Knightsen.
"Miss Verne!" I jolted back to reality. Mr. Martinez had called on me, "What do
you think William Golding is saying about society in this book?"
"Um," I thought fast. I knew I should have been paying attention. I had read the
book, but my mind had been in other places recently, "He's saying that society is... um,
normally governed by rules. And one that isn't is just chaos. It's..."
"It's the conflict," I turned and looked right at Stephen, who kept going even
though he interrupted me, "Civilization against anarchy. Order versus chaos. Ralph
versus Jack. He basically states that a society with rules is the best way to live. Without
those rules, which is what happened when the boys ended up in two groups, everything
went crazy."
"Very good Mr. Morrison," our teacher smiled, "And what do you think of that?"
"Personally?" Stephen shrugged, "I think rules were meant to be broken. Sure,
society gives us a set of rules, some pretty basic ones, and we follow them. But they can't
always work in every situation. Sometimes you have to go with your gut, your instinct,
in order to survive, even if it involves breaking the rules. Rules are important, but they
shouldn't control your life. I think if I were stranded on an island with these boys, setting
ground rules would be the last thing I would want to do. The first thing they would do is
disobey them."
"Interesting. I expect you'll have some competition in academics this year, Miss
Verne."
"Oh really," I turned to Stephen, smiling, "Game on, then."
Stephen looked properly horrified, and the class all laughed. Everyone knew I was
top of the class, and it seemed that my fellow students were going to be amused by a
rivalry with Stephen. I looked back at Clem, and she and the girls were all giggling and
whispering. Of course.
Mr. Martinez continued on about the book, but I kept watching Stephen. He was
listening and taking notes just as intently as I should have been. He sat just two desks to
my right, and the desk between us was vacant so he was easy to watch. I wondered what
kind of new guy would sit in the front row and upstage the best student, much less show
up to a farm school in such nice clothes and driving a cool car. He must have eventually
felt my gaze, because he turned to me and I smiled nicely. He smiled back.
I had the feeling that Stephen and I were going to become very good friends.
When English was over and we were waiting for Ms. Palmer to show up to class,
Clem came up to me from the back of the class and sat on top of my desk, "We're all
going to Charlie's for lunch. Her Mom made potato salad for dinner last night and there
are tons of leftovers."
"Yum!" I smiled, "Sounds excellent."
"Who's Charlie?" Stephen asked. He must have been listening in.
"Charlotte," I said, "Over there," I pointed to the back where the usual group of
girls gathered. When Stephen met their gaze they all stopped chatting and smiled at him.
"Awesome," he said, probably being sarcastic again, "So where is the guy gang
around here? Like the football team, I don't see a lot of jocks in this class." Which is
true, a lot of the Knightsen guys weren't big and bulky, they were skinny from farming
and taking care of horses. Toned, but still skinny. Stephen was probably the strongest
looking guy in class.
"There is no football team," I said.
Stephen's jaw dropped. It took him a few seconds to say, "What?"
"We don't have a football field," Clem said, "Or baseball or soccer or anything.
Just some grass for the little kids to play on. I'm Clementine, by the way."
"Nice to meet you," he mumbled, and continued, "Why isn't there a sports team
here? You mean there isn't anything?"
"Well there's the kids basketball team, but that's it. We're a farming community," I
explained, "Nobody here has time or energy for sports. Oakley and Brentwood have a lot
of games though, if you want to watch you can go to a home game there."
Stephen scratched his head, "Is there anything to do in this town?"
"Nope!" Clem said, almost cheerfully, "Whenever we want to do something, we
leave. But we need a car for that. And isn't that your pretty car in the parking lot?"
"Um, yeah," he said, "I wouldn't call it pretty..."
"Great!" Clem cheerfully hopped off my desk, "You should hang out with us this
weekend. All the girls have boyfriends, you can meet them and we can go to the
movies!"
"Cool," Stephen smiled, "I look forward to it. Clementine."
"Just Clem," she said, right when Ms. Palmer entered the room, "Talk to you later,
Steve."
"Stephen," he said as she walked away. Clem joined the rest of the girls and they
simultaneously giggled.
Stephen shook his head, "Why don't you sit with them?" he asked me. I shrugged,
"It's easier to concentrate up here. I take school a lot more seriously than they do."
"I can tell," he smiled. His eyes twinkled a little behind his glasses whenever he
smiled. I felt my face get hot.
"Do you..." he started to ask, when Ms. Palmer said, "Alright, let's settle down
and start talking about mitosis. Open up your textbooks to Chapter Two please."
Stephen raised his hand, "Ma'am, I'm new today, and I don't have a textbook."
She smiled, "Ah, you must be Morrison. Share with Verne."
He sat in the empty seat next to mine and slid it up against my desk. I rested the
book between the two desks and tried not to blush. He was sitting rather close to me. I
was focusing more on the sound of him breathing through his nose than on the lesson.
What was he going to ask me, before we were interrupted? He startled me when he
grabbed a piece of paper and his pen and started writing. I assumed he was just taking
notes again, and I concentrated on the part of the book that Ms. Palmer was reading
aloud.
Stephen gently poked my arm. I looked up at him. He met my gaze, and then
looked quickly at his desk and then back to me, silently telling me to look. So I did, and
noticed that he hadn't been taking notes at all. It just said, Hey. Jolisa, right?
I nodded at him, smiling. He smiled back and started writing, I was going to ask
you before class started. Do you have a boyfriend? Clementine said you all had
boyfriends.
I shook my head
Why not?he wrote. I shrugged. He held the pencil out to me and I wrote, I've
never had one. All my friends have boyfriends and they seem to be nothing but trouble.
Stephen chuckled, and Ms. Palmer said, "Is something funny, Morrison?"
"Oh no, I just think interphase is kind of a funny word. You know?" he smiled
that charming, twinkling-eye grin at her, and she just continued with the lesson.
I wrote on the note, You're pretty smart, aren't you? How do you know about
mitosis when you haven't been paying attention?
Oh, I've known everything about mitosis for years. And I read Lord of the Flies in
my English class last year. I do my best to be head of my class.
I smiled. He was just like me. I really was going to have some friendly
competition. It was actually really exciting.
He quickly scribbled, Pay attention to this part, anaphase is important.
I nodded. I did pay attention, as ordered. It was probably the most enjoyable
Biology lesson ever.
-
"Girl, you have hit that!" Charlie said on the way to her house. She lived the
nearest to the school, so it was about a ten minute walk down Delta Road.
 "Well don't put it like that!" I blushed, "He's really cute, but I dunno. He's so
different!"
"Different in a good way," Clem said, "If I wasn't dating Dan I would so after
Steve."
"Stephen," I corrected, "And he asked me why I didn't have a boyfriend."
The girls went ballistic. Their shrieks must have been heard for miles, "Are you
kidding me? He basically asked you out!" Allie yelled.
"Calm down! He did not ask me out!" I tried to yell over them, but it was too late.
All the girls were lost in giggles.
"Just don't take him on a date to the alpaca barn," Angie chuckled.
"I will not him on a date with alpacas. I promise," mentioning the alpaca barn
made me remember what had happened last night, and suddenly I got the shivers.
"What's wrong?" Clem asked me. I just shrugged and said I had felt a breeze. I
had to once again make myself forget that pale man who disappeared in the blink of an
eye.
-
I didn't get a chance to talk to Stephen until the end of the school day, "So what
did you think of your first day at Knightsen School?" I asked him as he packed his new
books into his backpack.
"I had lunch with ten year olds," he said, "That's just wrong."
I laughed, "So not that great?"
We headed out of the class together. The girls kept their distance behind us,
watching. Stephen ranted, "Our entire class has thirty-three people in it, and there are no
sports or extra-curriculars, not even any lockers. And I already know everything that's
being taught in my classes. I mean, is there even a mascot for the school?"
"Yeah," I said, "The town voted it in a few years back."
He shut his eyes, "Please, please don't tell me it's the knights." I kept my mouth
shut and just smiled wryly at him, and he shook his head and laughed, "But I'd say that it
wasn't that bad of a day," he smiled at me, "The people here are really nice."
I tried not to let him see that I was blushing, "Well that's good. So what kind of
car is that?" we had made it to the parking lot, and we were face to face with his weird
red car.
"Oh," he said casually, 'It's a Prius. A hybrid car."
I gasped, "No way! A real hybrid car? That's crazy!"
He blinked at me, "Haven't you seen a hybrid car before?"
"No!" I was shocked. I walked all around the car, amazed, "I didn't even know
these cars were real! Was it expensive? Is it an electric car? How fast does it go?"
He laughed, "That's so weird. Of course they make hybrid cars. They're really
good for the environment, and they save me a lot of gas. And it wasn't that expensive. It
runs off of half electricity, that's why it's called a hybrid. And it goes just as fast as any
other car. Geez, it's just a hybrid, a lot of people have these cars!"
"What's this sticker?" I pointed at a yellow sticker placed above the right rear
wheel.
"The state of California issues them," he explained, "Green vehicles can go in the
car pool lanes. The sticker just proves it. It's supposed to encourage California drivers to
get cars that are more eco-friendly."
 "I see," I smiled at him, "That's really cool, you know."
"It's just my little Prius. Say, did you want a ride in it? I'll show you how quiet it
runs."
"Um, I rode my bike here, and I live half a mile down the road, so..." I looked at
the gaggle of my girlfriends who were spying on us from the front door of the school.
They were all looking at me like I was crazy and were gesturing like mad toward the car.
Thankfully Stephen had his back to them, so he couldn't see.
"But," I said hesitantly, "I do have time for a ride. I can show you around town if
you want."
"Great!" he said, opening the passenger side door, "Hop on in."
I smiled to myself, feeling a small celebration happening in my stomach as I
buckled my seatbelt. Once he was in I saw him turn the ignition, and without a sound he
put the car in reverse and it backed out of its spot. The car only made the most quiet purr.
My jaw dropped and I looked at him, stunned, "You weren't kidding when you said it was
quiet!"
He smiled at me, and headed northeast down Delta Road, "This is a great little
car. So where am I going?"
"Keep driving until we get to the Byron Highway, it will be the next major right
turn. And then we'll go straight down it for a while"
We drove in silence past a few homes. Property is cheap out here, since there's
nothing else, so people have a lot of extra money to remodel their homes. There are big
lots with huge three story mansions in them now, with horses grazing around it. It's really
cool whenever someone finishes their house, everyone in town comes over to see. I've
been inside almost all of them and they're beautiful. The biggest ones belong to people in
the Garden Club, so usually a big mansion in Knightsen is called a Garden Club house.
"A Garden Club house?" Stephen asked as he turned down the Byron Highway.
"The Garden Club is big business here in Knightsen. All of the biggest families
here belong to it. They beautify the town, that's their objective, but mainly they're around
to look down at everyone else."
"I see. So this is something I should look into?" he asked.
"Your Mom, maybe, not you. There's no way they would let a teenage guy in the
Garden Club."
He nodded, "Noted. Where does this street go?"
"Byron. A town a little bigger than Knightsen. Watch out for the train tracks,
they're coming up."
Stephen hesitated before asking, "Are there... um, any traffic lights in Knightsen?"
I laughed, "No, of course not. Just where did you think you moved to anyway?
Where are you from?"
"Oh, now I get interrogated?" he smiled at me.
"Great," I sighed, "I'm in a car with a complete stranger. You're probably taking
me away to murder me for all I know."
He laughed, "Never! I don't even know where I'm going. I'm from Stockton."
I whistled, "Big city."
Now he laughed even louder, "Stockton is not big city! It's a city all right, but it's
just an Interstate-5 stop. Full of fast food and chain malls. Lots of jobs and everyone is
friendly, but there's nothing else out there for miles. Just wineries as far as the eye can
see."
"Yeah, that sounds just terrible," now it was my turn to be sarcastic, and he
chuckled again.
"Oh!" I sat up, "Accelerate right here."
"Why?"
"There's a really cool bump coming up. The faster you go over it, the better."
"Understood," he said as he pushed on the gas. I saw the speedometer go up to
seventy. I braced myself, and a second later we soared over the bump and flew in the air
for a few seconds before touching back down on the road. I squealed a little,
experiencing that roller coaster drop with the car. Stephen let out a whoop, "That was
awesome!"
We giggled for a while, still experiencing the high of the bump, and we calmed
down when we rolled up to a stop sign, "Where to now?" he asked.
"Going right will take us straight to Eden Plains and Quail Trail, that's where I
live."
"What's left?"
"That's Orwood Road. It takes us to an even tinier town called Orwood. It's just a
boat dock town, extremely small but it's a great place to go in the summer."
"Hmm," he mumbled. He was gazing toward Orwood, toward a tall cluster of
trees in the distance. It was almost like he forgot that he was in the car, he just kept
staring. A truck rolled up from the right side of the road, coming from Knightsen, and
honked while waiting for Stephen to go. He snapped back to reality and made a sharp
right.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah," he said, "Fine. Here, I'll take you back to the school to get your bicycle.
Maybe we can fit it in the trunk, so I can drive you home."
We made it back to the school in silence, and he did manage to push the back seat
down to get my bike in. We drove back down toward Quail Trail, still completely quiet.
But right when we were about to turn down Delta Road again the safety lights at the train
track started flashing and ringing, and the gate closed, blocking our path. We were stuck
until the train, which still sounded far away, would pass. We continued to sit in silence.
My mind started wandering, and now that Stephen wasn't distracting me I started
remembering the vanishing man. I shook myself back to reality, not wanting to
remember that. I decided to force some conversation into Stephen.
"Why did you move here?" I asked him.
"I need a quiet place. A place not as busy as Stockton," and then he looked at me
and smiled again, "And Knightsen is pretty much perfect."
I smiled back, "I never heard someone say that about little ol' Knightsen. Usually
people can't stand it."
"Well I'll like it a lot better once this train goes by. But, yeah, it's perfect. Just
what I need."
"Why do you need quiet?" I asked curiously.
"That's not important. What you need to do now is tell me about you."
Clearly he had changed the subject, and I didn't want to upset him, so I talked,
"Well, I live with my Mom and Dad on an alpaca ranch."
"A what?" he said loudly over the approaching train, "Alpacas?"
 "Yeah," I said, "They're like llamas but a bit smaller and their hair is much finer.
They're like very big and very friendly sheep."
"That's crazy," he said, "I didn't know you could do that."
I laughed, "Well, here you are with a spaceman car that I didn't think actually
existed in everyday life, and you think it's weird that I work on an alpaca ranch!" I
couldn't help but laugh.
The train was finally done passing and the guard rails were going up when he
said, "I should come by and see the alpacas some day."
"Definitely you should," I smiled.
We made it home safely. He took my bike out of the back seat and passed it to
me, "Thank you," I said.
"No, thank you," he grinned, and held his arms out, ready to receive a hug. I
wrapped by arms around him and savored the feeling of being in his embrace. It felt
amazing. And he smelled fantastic. It was a musky, masculine smell, but it was so nice.
I could have stayed there for forever.
"Thank you," he said, "for helping me in school, and showing me around town,
and being my friend today. I'm glad I moved here."
"You're welcome," I mumbled, still enjoying this warmth and strength. I was sad
when he let me go, gave me a little wave, and then drove off in his silent car.
I did a little dance before going inside my house.
-
The evening was filled with selling in the store. The whole front part of the house
is an alpaca hair store, where we sell what we weave into clothes and dolls and
decorations. Alpaca hair is really excellent and soft, almost unbelievably so. Nothing
feels better than hugging an alpaca teddy bear. Well, maybe there's one thing that's better
to hug...
But the products we make are so easy to sell. Alpaca hair can be worn by people
with wool allergies, even on their bare skin. Sweaters always keep you warm and they
never fall apart. It's just a matter of getting people to know that our store is here. And we
also charge for a tour of the ranch, and having the experience of brushing and petting the
alpacas. We get around twenty customers a week, but word is definitely spreading. That
day we had a family come by from Hayward for some baby clothes, which is an
incredibly long way to go, but it's so worth it. They had another little kid who was just in
love with little Ulysses.
"We should set up an online store for the clothes," I said, "like on eBay or
something. We could send the hair all over the world."
"The thing is," my Dad said as he counted the money we had made that day,
"there are alpaca ranches all over the world, especially in South America. However, we
are the only ones in the county, so we have a lot of area to serve. That's why we make a
lot. In fact," he finished counting and announced, "I think we have enough to get a hired
hand."
"Really?" my Mom looked up from making a burgundy sweater, "That would be
wonderful!"
"Gee, thanks guys," I said, "I do a lot of work around the barn you know."
"Of course, Joli," Dad smiled at me, "And you do a great job. But business is
booming. We have a lot of births coming up. We can keep Ulysses and use him as a new
herdsire so we can get even more. The only place this can go is up, so we will need
somebody else for the long run."
"How about it?" Mom asked me, "It would be good for you to train someone in
the care and keeping of alpacas. Plus, you're going to college soon, and they can stay
around while you're gone."
"True," I said, not letting them in on my little secret about not going to college. I
didn't know how to tell them. I always expected to go to UC Davis, since they have a
great agricultural program, and it's only an hour away from my house. But I don't know
if I can handle living anywhere else but Knightsen. I've been here since I was a year old,
it's all I know. Davis isn't that big of a town, but it's right by Sacramento. It would be
just as hard for a small town girl to move to a big city as it would be for a city girl to
move here. I still had a year and a half to decide what to do, but I'm sure I'll change my
mind once I visit the campus.
I wondered for a second where Stephen wanted to go to college, and then brushed
it off.

-
I ended up chatting with Clem for an hour or so on the phone that night. Of
course she wanted to hear all about Stephen and I was only too glad to tell her.
“He's so nice!” she squealed, “And not to mention completely gorgeous.”
“Hey,” I said, “Back off. You have Dan anyways.”
“I know, I know,” she sighed, “And I love him to pieces. This Stephen guy is just
so cool. I'm so happy for you.”
“So you really think he's going to ask me out? And date me and stuff?” I asked
her.
“No duh!” she replied, “The movies on Saturday is going to go great. We'll all
make sure that you two have your space. But we still have to include him, introduce him
to the boyfriends and such.”
“Right,” I smiled, “Because we can't do that at school tomorrow, right?”
“Of course!” she said, “We can introduce them tomorrow! Fantastic idea, Jo.
You were always the smart one.”
We went on and on, the more we talked the better and more excited I felt. It
seemed that I was finally going to get a boyfriend. And an amazing one too. I knew that
if I just waited for someone special, then everything would be alright. I felt like I was
walking on air when we eventually got off the phone (Clem's mother kicked her off
because it was almost midnight). I was just so happy, that I had to do something about it.
I plugged my headphones into my stereo and played a few upbeat love songs, dancing
around a little bit to them and just being filled with joy.
Until I saw something move outside my window. I froze, and felt fear rising up
from my stomach through my throat. For a second I nearly screamed. I quickly hit stop
and slowly made my way for the bedroom window, trying to see into the darkness
outside. I still wasn't sure what I saw, all I had seen was movement in the dark. I tried
thinking fast, and the best situation I could think of was someone who had been wearing
all black.
He was back. And he had been watching me.
Once again I threw on my Wellingtons and grabbed the flashlight, and I quietly
tiptoed outside. I shone my light over everything I could, and there was nothing. But I
could feel something was not right, almost the feeling of someone watching me.
“Alright,” I said out loud, “I know somebody is out here. I know it. And I know
you can hear me. And if I catch you prowling around our property again, I am calling the
police,” I had said that as confidently as I could, trying my best not to sound afraid, “Oh,
and we have a gun. I know how to use it. So for both of our sakes go home and never
come back here.”
Silence. There were only night sounds: crickets, mosquitoes, the distant snores of
alpacas. But nothing to indicate an intruder. I was probably just going crazy, seeing
things. Maybe my imagination was running wild. And maybe all I needed was a good
nights sleep.
When I was back inside my room I closed my curtains, and made sure that all the
doors in the house were locked before eventually falling asleep.
-
I got a text right after I locked up my bike at school. It was from Clem. I rolled
my eyes; ever since she convinced me to get a cell phone last year she feels the need to
text even when I'm about to see her in a few minutes. It read, '2 days until the movie date
OMG!'.
I couldn't help but smile. She was probably more excited over my prospective
boyfriend than I was.
Right then I heard a car door shut, and looked up to see Stephen walking out of
his Prius and heading toward me. Today he had on a tie, a white one that looked
incredible against a brown collared shirt and black slacks. He looked amazed, and said,
“Your phone works here?”
“Yeah,” I said hesitantly, “Cell phones tend to do that. Work, I mean.”
Stephen reached into his pocket and pulled out the fanciest phone I have ever
seen. It flipped open, up and sideways, revealing what looked like a little laptop
computer, “I only have one bar here,” he complained, “And nothing at all in my house.
Knightsen is a total dead zone for me.”
“I see,” I smiled, “You have one of those big fancy phone services, right? One of
the major ones?”
He nodded, and I continued, “Yeah, they usually don't work out here. You have to
get a local service, which is normally just a flat fee or pay as you go. They work just
fine.”
“A local service?” he looked shocked, “Those are horrible. If you go anywhere
outside of the range it doesn't work. It's what, sixty miles?”
I nodded, “That's what I have. Works great. Reception is perfect here.”
He looked like he was about to just sink to the ground, “Do they at least have nice
phones?” he said in a small voice.
I showed him mine, “Yeah, it's really fancy. Sometimes I get it confused with my
scientific calculator.”
“Oh God,” he mumbled as he took my phone, looking from it to his, back and
forth. His phone was significantly smaller than mine.
“Hey, I forgot,” I said, trying to think of something happy, “Clem wants you to
meet her boyfriend, so you can get to know some guys around here. He's a senior, which
is why you haven't met him.”
“Ah,” he said, “That's good to know. Well, shall we get to class?”
 I nodded, “Oh, you know, you don't have to drive here. It's like a two minute
drive, right? You could just walk or bike here.”
“Walk?” he chuckled, “Me? Walk? Yeah, right. That's probably like a twenty
minute walk.”
“Yeah,” I said, “Perfect. That's nothing.”
Stephen rolled his eyes, “Small town living sure is quaint, isn't it?”
I grinned, “That would be one word for it.”
-
School went the same as usual, except now there was always an air of excitement
because of Stephen. It wasn't just that he was smart, he was fast. He could spit back
answers to the teacher quicker than I could. I had to focus on sounding smarter than him
whenever a teacher called on me. I tried to use the biggest and fanciest words I knew, and
during math I had to race him to calculate the right numbers in my head. He also finished
the math quiz ten minutes before me. It was almost exhausting to keep up with him. The
rest of the class seemed to be enjoying the show, however. They just sat back and
watched as Stephen and I ended up starting a small debate over the symbolism of the
conch shell in Lord of the Flies. And during World History the class became almost like a
contest over who knew the most about World War II. By the end of the day I was
completely wiped out.
“That was great,” Stephen said when we were leaving school, “I've never really
had competition in school like that before.”
“Same,” I said, “As long as it's friendly, right?”
“Totally,” he grinned, “So that guy Dan is actually pretty cool. We had lunch
together.”
“Yes, believe me, I heard all about it,” I definitely had, since Clem couldn't stop
going on and on about how well our boyfriends were getting along. I had to keep
informing her that Stephen wasn't officially my boyfriend, and to please stop yelling that.
“Well,” said Stephen, “He's about as cool as you can get for a goat farmer.”
I laughed, “That's right! His family is all about goats, just like how mine is about
alpacas. But you should try goats milk, it's actually really good.”
Stephen made a face as if he had just eaten something very bitter, and I laughed,
“Really! It's not bad at all.”
“You don't milk alpacas, do you?” he asked hesitantly, and I laughed even harder,
“No! Of course we don't! Well, we could, they are mammals...”
“Please,” Stephen looked terrified, “Please don't go there.”
I grinned at him, “You should come over today and see them. How about it?”
“Sure!” he said, looking happy again, “Hop in the car, I'll take you home again.”
And now I was in Stephen's Prius for the second day in a row. I started feeling
nervous, just realizing what I had said. I was taking him to my house. He would most
likely meet my parents. When they saw him around the alpacas, they would probably try
to hire him as my helper. Which, actually, wouldn't be that bad.
“Do you need a job out here?” I asked him once we had left the parking lot.
“Actually, yeah,” he said, “I heard that there was a new Starbucks opening in
Oakley, I was considering that.”
“Ew,” I said, “Why would you want to work at Starbucks? Of all places? It's so
gross there.”
 He slammed on the breaks. Thankfully nobody else was on the road at that time.
He looked at me and said in a deadpan voice, “What.” It wasn't even a question.
“I'm just saying,” I said as soothingly as possible, “That I have a coffee pot in my
kitchen. And I can get good, decent coffee out of there. I don't have to go out to Oakley
and get some overpriced, over sweetened, and most likely unhealthy cup of their fancy
coffee.”
“But...” he said, grasping for the right words, “But... but... it's Starbucks.
Starbucks!”
“More like Staryucks,” I said, “Now get me home. You're going to get honked at
again if you keep stopping in the middle of the road.”
He continued driving, just shaking his head and smiling, “You are something, you
know that?”
“Something what?”
“Something different,” he said, “But in a good way. A great way. You amaze me
sometimes.”
I just smiled all the way home.
Mom was out in the front yard making a new sign for the store. Whenever the
store is open to the general public we put big signs by the major intersections in
Knightsen to let everyone know. We actually get a good amount of business on those
days. Mom was painting NEW CRIA onto a big sign.
“What's a cry-yah?” Stephen asked.
“A cree-ah,” I corrected, “It's a baby alpaca,” I replied, “You know, like how a
baby horse is called a foal? Alpacas have crias.”
“Gotcha,” he remarked, parking in front of the house, “Stay there!” he said as he
got out of the car. He ran around and opened my door for me, “After you.”
“Thanks!” I said, taking his hand so he could help me out. Mom saw this and
stopped painting in amazement, “Well hello there, kids!” she greeted.
“Hey Mom! This is Stephen. You know, from the new family on Eden Plains?
Stephen, my Mom.” They politely shook hands.
“My my,” Mom smiled at him, “Aren't you dressed nicely?”
He just shrugged, “I like to look nice, Mrs. Verne.”
“Mom, I thought I would show Stephen around the ranch, he's interested in
working here.”
“I am?” Stephen looked startled. I glared at him, trying to tell him, “Yes you
are!” without saying it. Thankfully he got the message and said, “Oh, yeah. I am looking
for a good job out here. And alpacas are... awesome!”
“Great!” Mom smiled, “That works out wonderfully. Go ahead and show him
around, I'll make you both some snacks!” she abandoned the sign to go into the kitchen.
“Well,” I said, “The barn is this way,” and I led him off.
“You didn't tell me you wanted to hire me here,” he grumbled.
“I didn't think of it until the car ride here,” I said honestly, “And then you went on
about the Starbucks thing. But come on, this is a good job. It's really fun. And you live
just down the road, you could walk here if you wanted to.”
“Yeah yeah,” he kicked a pebble, “I'll think about it.”
“Consider this your interview,” I smiled. He smiled back, his eyes sparkling.
Almost all of the alpacas were out grazing, keeping close with each other and
humming.
“They make that noise?” Stephen asked. I nodded and said, “That means they're
happy, they're content. Here, you should meet Barbara first.”
I led him toward Barbara, while all the other alpacas watched and started
gathering around us curiously.
“They stick together, don't they?” said Stephen.
“They are true herd animals. They are miserable when they are alone. They do
everything together. They even poop together, in a communal poop pile, and cleaning
that up is the worst part of the job. But anyway, this is Barbara.”
Barbara is a beautiful white alpaca who is incredibly soft. Stephen reached out a
hand and gently stroked her neck. She shied away a little at first, but then hummed and
enjoyed her petting.
“She's the friendliest,” I explained, “It takes them a while to enjoy being pet, but
they get used to it. They're all friendly, when it comes down to it.”
The alpacas were all herded around us, analyzing the new stranger. Stephen
smiled to them and said hello, and pet only the ones that didn't jump away a little when
he reached out.
“That's Julia, and Chester. This little guy is Calvin. And now here's Harriet and
Grover.”
“Grover?” he asked, “Like on Sesame Street?”
“No,” I rolled my eyes, “Everyone says that. It's after the president, Grover
Cleveland. All the alpacas are named after presidents and first ladies.”
“No way,” he thought quickly, “I guess that makes sense. Calvin. Barbara. Do
you have a Barack yet?”
“Not yet, everyone asks that too,” I said, “When I get one that just feels like a
Barack I will name him that. I usually get to pick the names. The newest one, the new
cria, is Ulysses.”
“Grant! I know that one,” he smiled.
“Yep, and the alpha male is in the stable. They're usually kept away from the
others because they can be aggressive around other males. His name is George.”
“Ah,” Stephen nodded, “Bush.”
“No,” I glared at him, “Washington!”
“Oh yeah,” he sighed, “Duh.”
“Well, we do have another birth soon. Maybe Letitia will give birth to our
Barack.”
“Letitia? No,” he shook his head, “There is no way there was a first lady named
Letitia.”
“Letitia Tyler, wife of John Tyler, the tenth president.”
“No way.”
“Way.”
He whistled, “Well you learn something new every day, I suppose.”
“Oh?” I smiled, “Did I just manage to outsmart you? I knew a fact about
American history that you didn't?”
He smiled and gasped a little, “That doesn't matter! It didn't happen in school, so
it doesn't count.”
“Oh, so we are having an academic rivalry, are we?”
 “Of course.”
“Whatever!” I laughed playfully, “It is so on. I will destroy you!”
“We'll see,” he laughed too. At this point all of the alpacas were interested in us
and they all came over. A very dominant male poked his head through the crowd to look
at Stephen.
“Oh, here's Zachary,” I introduced, “Watch out for him, he's a...”
But I was too late. Very suddenly Zachary shot a small spit wad out of his mouth,
and it landed right on Stephen's tie.
“...A spitter,” I finished, way too late.
Stephen just stared at the tie, and then looked at me, “What did I do to deserve
this?”
“Some alpacas spit. Some don't. Zachary loves to spit. I'm sorry.”
To my surprise he cracked a smile, “You know what? I don't care. Its spit won't
ruin my Hermes tie, right?”
“Well, it... I mean, no!”
“You play dirty, Verne. Very dirty.”
-
After some grilled cheese from Mom, we spent the rest of the afternoon in the
barn. Stephen fell in love with Ulysses, who was still hanging out with his mother. The
little guy was just figuring out how to walk, and watching him totter around was
adorable.
“I could get used to this,” he said, “You're right, alpacas aren't all that bad. The
ones that don't spit, anyways.”
“Yeah,” I said, “I've done this my whole life. I've always been around alpacas.
It's going to be hard to leave them when I go to college.”
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“My parents went to Davis. That's where they met. It's the nearest university that
has such a great agriculture program. And they have a vet program too, I'm kind of
interested in that.”
“There's no alpacas in Davis though, are there?” he asked. I shook my head.
“I have no idea where I'm going,” he said, “I want to stay in small places, like
Knightsen. Maybe I won't go to college.”
“You won't go?” I was startled, “But you do so well in school!”
“Yeah, I love learning. I just... nah, I won't say it,” he suddenly had that look
again, like he had shut down, and even though he was in front of me he was actually very
far away.
“What's wrong? Tell me,” I said gently. He just shook his head.
“I...” he explained, “I don't think I need to go to college. I have... a set of skills...
that don't require a college education. I can make my own living,” he looked at me and
said very sincerely, “I wish I could tell you, but you're better off not knowing. But the
smaller the place I live in, the better. Trust me on that, okay?”
“Okay,” I said, “But I really can't ask? I won't be able to understand or
something?”
“You might,” he sighed, “But you may not believe it. Now let's change the
subject, please. I really hate talking about this.”
“Okay,” I said, “Do you want to give the alpacas some dinner?”
 “Sure,” he smiled, which faded quickly, “Wait, will this involve the poop pile? Or
more spitting? Or some other bizarre alpaca behavior I don't know about yet?”
I laughed, “Definitely not. Here, let's go outside.”
The sun was about to set, and the sky was turning the most beautiful colors of
orange and pink. I couldn't help but admire it, “Stephen, isn't the sky wonderful? I could
look at it for forever.”
He didn't reply. I turned to look at him and noticed he was staring at the outside
wall of the barn. He was very close to it, practically analyzing it. I was about to ask him
if he found an interesting bug or something, when I saw him put his palm against it, and
then slide it off. His hand had made the same noise I had heard the night I was with
Ulysses, when I saw the dark man... at the same spot that Stephen was standing now.
“Stephen,” I whispered, shocked.
He turned to me, “Did you see someone here? At night?”
I nodded.
“And were they dressed all in black, with black hair?”
I gasped, “Do you know him?”
Stephen looked very grim, “I know of him. I figured it was just a matter of time
until one of them came out. But I don't know why it came here... are you sure it was a
man, or could it have been a woman?”
This was a question I wasn't expecting, “Yeah, it was a man,” I said plainly. How
could Stephen know this person but not know their gender?
“And what did his skin look like? Was it dark and shiny or white and pale?”
“White and pale. Stephen, what's going on? Who is this person?”
He looked very bitter, “Jolisa, you'll tell me if you see him again, won't you? In
fact, call my house. I'll give you my number before I leave here. I'll come over as soon
as possible.”
“Is he dangerous? Stephen, tell me who he is!” I demanded.
“Please don't. Don't try to talk to him, just call me, okay? Promise me,” he
looked incredibly sincere, so I just nodded.
“Good,” he said, “And he shouldn't be dangerous. He would have hurt you by
now if he was.”
-
Clem called me again after dinner, “How did it go with Steve?”
“Stephen and I had a nice time, I guess. A little weird, but good. We might hire
him to help me with the alpacas. Oh, and he gave me his number.”
I had to hold the phone away from my ear after I told her this last thing. I just let
her scream and have her little freak out. I ended up brushing my teeth while she went on
and on over the phone, and she didn't even notice. Eventually she calmed down and said,
“But what were you saying about it being weird? Did he try to kiss you or anything?”
“No,” I said, putting down the floss I had just got out, “It's... well, I'll tell you
tomorrow at school I guess. I'm not quite sure what happened. Yeah, I'll just tell you
tomorrow.”
“Right!” she said, “It will be Friday! TGIF! And then Saturday is our big movie
day!” she squeaked.
“Yep!” I said, “Hey, I'm going to get some studying done before bed. I'll see you
at school, okay?”
 “Good night, nerd!” she said before hanging up. I sighed. Clem has been my
friend since we were babies, and growing up we were practically identical in personality.
But then we became teenagers and she got interested in boys and hanging out in Oakley
and shopping in Brentwood and beyond, and I never did. Somehow in all that she just
got really... girly. Not that I'm not girly, I mean I like to wear dresses and do my hair nice
and sometimes wear makeup on special occasions. She just seems so over the top. But
really, it's a good balance for us, I think. I feel that sometimes I'm the one that's keeping
her grounded, and if I weren't here she would just float away on a happy cloud. And she
does keep me out of the hole, so to speak. Without her I wouldn't have a cell phone and
cable, and there would be so much about the world that I would never know. So, yeah,
it's good for her to be girly and for me to be not so much. That's what friends are for.
-
When I went to bed that night, I couldn't stop thinking about the person that
Stephen was talking about. He wasn't making any sense, and could that man really be
dangerous? For all I knew, he was outside right now, and any second he could make
some small tiny noise that would freak me out. I laid in bed, waiting for it, almost in a
panic. I heard an owl in the distance and I jumped up out of my bed, it had scared me so
bad. So I figured that since there was no way I would be sleeping any time soon, I would
do something about this person. Instead of waiting for him to come and make a noise, I
would go out and make a noise for him. And then call Stephen, of course.
I wrapped myself in a blanket and sat on the front porch, and waited. The night
was beautiful. There's just something about stars that are so magnificent, so...
“Don't call the police.”
I shot up to my feet. Standing about six feet from the porch steps was the man,
exactly as I remembered him. Dark shirt and pants, matching black hair and pale skin.
His voice had been very gentle, and very soft.
“Who are you?” I asked, “What do you want?”
“Who am I?” he chuckled to himself, moving closer to the steps, “That's a very
good question indeed.”
“You have no right to be here. Oh!” I reached for my cell phone in my pocket,
“I'm calling Stephen.”
“Don't bother with Stephen,” he said, “All you will do is wake up his parents over
something unimportant.”
“Unimportant? He told me if I saw you to call him immediately!”
“What do you know about Stephen Morrison?” he asked in his very calm, quiet
voice. He had walked closer to me, and I could see that his eyes were brown, not black
like I had expected them to be. His almond eyes were very gentle.
“What do you mean?” I asked, putting down the phone.
“How much do you know about him?” the man suddenly took interest in his
fingernails, and analyzed them while saying, “You've known him for only two days, and
yet you're going to take his side for everything. You don't even know what he does, and
what he's capable of.”
“I don't understand you,” I sat back down, “What do you want from me? And
how do you know that I've known Stephen for two days? You've been spying on me,
haven't you?”
The man took his eyes off of his hand and looked back at me, “I know many
things. I know your name is Jolisa. I know you told me yesterday you would call the
police on me if I came back, which is why I did. I wanted to see how long it would take
for the Oakley police to get here. Half an hour, maybe? And you know I can make a
quick getaway if I have to.”
I was about to say something along the lines of “You should leave now,” but he
continued, “You can call me Shade. That's what everyone calls me. And I am a lot less
dangerous to you than Stephen Morrison is.”
“Stephen? Dangerous?” I barked a laugh, “Yeah, right.”
“Listen, you have no idea what he is capable of. No idea at all. He never tells
you anything. You have no clue that he actually isn't asleep in his bed right now. He
drives a quiet car so that nobody can hear him sneak out of his house at night and drive
around, doing his dirty work. The work he would never dream to tell you about. He'd
much rather lie than let you know just what he does. And even so you bring him to your
home, you're alone with him in his car, you even let him touch you...” he shuddered, as if
this were something repulsive to him, “And I just want you to know that this is not a
good idea. He will ruin your life if you get too close to him. Why do you think he keeps
distancing himself whenever you start talking about his personal life? It's best if you just
separated yourself from him now. Or else he will have to do it to you in time, and that
will hurt very much.”
“You want me to stop seeing him?” I couldn't believe what he was saying, “Look,
I don't know who you are. You're some guy that keeps trespassing on my property...”
“Jolisa, I want to be your friend. I want to help you. If you help me. We need to
get rid of Stephen Morrison.”
“No,” I said firmly, “Absolutely not. Now get out of here.”
He smiled, “You're a very charming girl. I hope I get to show you the Winterland
before Stephen does. We would have a lot more fun, I assure you. After all, I am a
prince there.”
“I have no clue what you're talking about.”
“Of course you don't. Perhaps it's best that way. It's your decision, not mine at
all. Either keep this relationship with Stephen Morrison and be sucked into a world that
is more dangerous than all the places on Earth, and risk destroying your and your loved
one's lives, or stay away from him and live a happy and content long life in Knightsen
with your parents and alpacas. The choice is yours, Jolisa Verne.”
And he was gone. In a split second there was a man in front of me, and then
something like a man-shaped shadow on the ground, and then nothing.
I sat on the porch, bewildered.
I knew I should call Stephen. He told me so, after all. But if this guy, Shade, was
right, I didn't know anything about Stephen. Could I really trust him? Was Shade trying
to warn be about something totally dangerous? But how could Stephen, of all people, be
dangerous?
I ran to my bike, and not caring at all about my helmet I sped off down the road,
toward Eden Plains. My heart was pounding the whole time. Would he really just
disappear into the night, without telling anyone? What is it that he does exactly? What
sort of 'dirty work' could he be doing in the middle of the night, that would make a guy
like Shade come to my house to warn me?
My heart sank when I rolled up to his house. In the driveway there was a newer
Volkswagen bug, and a silver Mustang. And there was an empty spot. The Prius wasn't
there.
I just stood, holding my bike handles, staring at the place where his car should
have been. A part of me wanted to stand there all night and wait for him to get home, so
that I could ask him just what he was up to. And another part of me was terrified,
because Shade had been right. He does sneak off into the night.
Why? That was all I could wonder about. Why would he do this? Why was he
so reluctant to tell me?
-
Instead of waiting at his house at night, I decided to approach him at our usual
spot in the school parking lot. I got there a few minutes early and waited by the place
where he had been parking. When his car did silently roll up to the space, I saw him
through the windshield, beaming at me.
“Hey!” he greeted, “How are you?”
“Where were you last night?” I asked him coldly.
“Where was... oh, did you try to call me? Did he come back?”
I nodded, “But I didn't call you. He told me you would be gone, and you were.
Just what is it that you do?”
Stephen's face fell, “Um, listen... Jolisa...”
“What is so dangerous that you can't tell me?” I started to feel angry, since I had
the feeling that he wasn't going to let me know.
“I just...” he grappled for the right word, “I really don't want you involved. I'm
sorry, but I just can't tell you.”
“But why?” my face was getting hot.
“Look, just forget it, okay? Let's get inside.”
I could hear my heart pounding in my ears. Now I was really upset, and frustrated.
I only wanted to know these things because I cared about him so much. Did he just not
feel the same way I did? “Tell me, or I am never speaking to you again.”
He looked down at his feet, “Please don't make me do this.”
“What is it that you want covered up? Is it so bad? He told me I shouldn't be
around you, because eventually you would just push me away. Would you do that? If I
found out what you do, would you hate me?”
He looked back up at me, “Never. I could never hate you Jolisa.”
“Then tell me!” my voice was rising, “Who are you? Why did you come here?
How do you know Shade? What's the Winterland?”
At that last question he just sort of froze. He started breathing heavily and
quickly, as if he were trying to control his heart, “Oh God, you know about the
Winterland?” he whispered.
“Are you going to tell me, or not?”
He took a deep breath, and just shook his head.
“Fine,” I said, and stormed into the school.
-
It was a horrible start to the day. English had never been so miserable. I couldn't
look to the right at all, because I knew Stephen would just be trying to catch my eye. I
didn't want to hear an apology or an explanation, not yet. First I had to cool down over
what had happened in the parking lot. I had almost expected him to laugh when I first
asked him, and say something like Shade was a lunatic and he had just gone out to Jack
In The Box in Oakley because he was hungry. And then he would tell me whatever it is
he does, without a problem, because he would be so worried about how upset I was over
him not being at home at night.
But he didn't. He clammed up. He wouldn't tell me. Despite these two,
wonderful days we've had together, and all the laughs and smiled we shared, he couldn't
tell me. It must be something important, but what could it be? If it's dangerous if I'm
involved... was he in the mafia? No, that's way too far-fetched, there's no mafia out here
in Knightsen. He had to have moved here for a specific reason, there's a reason he said
that he wants to stay in small towns...
None of it made any sense. And who was this Shade guy anyway? Where did the
come from? The Winterland, evidently, but why? What does he want with me and
Stephen?
“Miss Verne!” Mr. Martinez's voice brought me back to reality, “Did you hear
me?”
“No,” I said honestly.
“You are my top student, why are you daydreaming in class?” he asked sternly.
I just gaped at him, not knowing what to say. I never had a teacher talk to me like
that before.
He sighed and pointed to the door, “Go stand outside the door for the remainder
of the class.”
The class was dead silent. I slowly stood, not sure if Mr. Martinez was entirely
serious, but clearly he was. This was a punishment at the school, one of the more lenient
ones next to detention and sending notes home and stuff. And it had never happened to
me. I took a deep breath and started my walk of shame toward the door.
“You can't do that!” said Stephen's voice behind me. I turned to look at him, and
he had stood up from his chair, and was glaring at Mr. Martinez, “She didn't even do
anything. Everyone dozes off in class once in a while. That's entirely uncalled for!”
“Then you can join her, Mr. Morrison!” Mr. Martinez was nearly shouting, “Out
in the hall, both of you! I have a class to teach.”
Stephen quickly got out of his seat and walked past me, reaching the door before I
did. I was starting to feel sick, I would be standing in an empty hall with Stephen for half
an hour. It was the last thing I felt like doing. I closed the door behind me and just
looked at him. He had already taken his spot, leaning against the wall, hands in his
pockets.
He looked right at me and said, “The Winterland is the world that exists between
this one and the Summerland.”
My jaw dropped. He was actually telling me! But what I heard was unbelievable.
“Are you kidding?” I said.
He shook his head, “You said you wanted to know. And I'm telling you. The
Winterland is reserved for tragic souls, people who died but haven't made it all the way to
their eternal resting place. That's what it is.”
I just kept staring at him, “Are you serious?”
“I swear on my life. Now what else was there? Oh, why did I come here, that's
right. Since the inhabitants of the Winterland have the ability to wander in and out
through our world, I don't want them to visit a place with a large concentration of people,
like a big city. The more people that are around, the more fun they have, and the harder it
is for me to get them to go back to the Winterland. If I'm in a small town, there will be
less people who will notice. It will be easier for me to cover my trail. And so far it's
worked out great until that shade started talking to you.”
“Are you telling me,” I said slowly, “that Shade, the guy who talked to me, and
has been hanging around my house, is dead?”
Stephen nodded, “He's a shade. Those are people who haven't realized they died.
Just one minute they are alive, and the next they are in the Winterland. They don't realize
what happened, and the other shades there take them in. Then their clothes and their hair
turn black, and they grow wings, and before you know it they've turned into a shade
themselves. And when they become a shade they lose a lot of their memories, who they
were and where they lived and what was going on before they suddenly moved into the
Winterland. That why all of them refer to themselves as Shade, it's the only name they
know. The first one I dealt with was this nine or ten year old girl, and I really had to quiz
her to find out that she had died in a concentration camp in Nazi Germany. One day she
was taken from her village, shoved on a train, brought to a strange place where she was
put in a room with half the people from the train, and next thing she knows she's in the
Winterland. She thought the Winterland was the actual camp that the Nazis took her to,
she never knew she was put in a gas chamber. It was devastating when I had to tell her
she was dead.”
“That's terrible,” I breathed, “So, is that what you do then? You talk to dead
people and ghosts and stuff?”
He laughed, “Ghosts? Don't waste my time. I'm not a medium, I don't deal with
petty things like ghosts. Ghosts are the dead who didn't even make it to the Winterland,
they're stuck on an alternate plane in our world. If I dealt with ghosts, it would be like an
exterminator stepping on ants during a locust swarm. They are far too petty. I deal with
worse things. I'm a necromancer.”
Right when he said that he clasped his hand over his mouth, gave himself a
second before removing it and saying, “Sorry, I've never told anyone that, but I figured
one day I would. I've never, ever said the words 'I'm a necromancer' before.”
“Now you've said it twice,” I said, “It's okay.”
He smiled at me, “Are you understanding anything of what I'm saying? Or do
you think I'm crazy?”
“I don't think you're crazy. But it is a little hard to believe... What exactly do you
do then, as a necromancer?”
“I keep the creatures that live in the Winterland in the Winterland, and if they're
causing problems there then I have to send them to the Summerland.”
“What's the Summerland?”
He took a breath, “How do I explain this?” and took another pause before saying,
“Think of the Summerland as the United States of the afterlife. Heaven is just a piece of
the Summerland, like a state in America. And there's also Hades, and Valhalla, and Hell,
and purgatory, and Tir na n'Og, all of the places you go when you die are all part of the
Summerland. It's a whole different world, much like this one, except our world is made
up of the living and the Summerland are only people who have passed on from this
world. And then there's the Winterland, which is like the gateway to Summerland, like
the Ellis Island, you could say, except most of the people there don't want to go to the
Summerland. They'd much rather cause havoc and make my life harder than it already
is.”
“I get it,” I said, “It's just... this is so weird.”
“Ask me anything. I'll tell you. I just don't want you to hate me, okay?” he
smiled, “Do you see why I didn't want you to know any of this?”
“I understand,” and I smiled back at him and said, “But I believe you.”
“Thank you,” he said, “Really, I mean it. I never thought I would be telling this to
anybody, and if I did I would be locked up in a psycho ward.”
“How did you become a necro...” I had forgotten the world already.
“...Mancer,” he finished, “Long story short, my neighbor, this old man back in
Stockton, trained me. He was a necromancer, and he saw my potential. It's an art form,
really. A series of spells and sometimes combat, and you have to think as fast as you can.
It can be very hazardous to my health.”
“How do you do it? Can you actually go to the Winterland?”
“I can, and I do on a regular basis. But I'm not going to tell you how to do it, I
think that's where your friend the shade was concerned for you. If you learn any of this,
any necromancy, you're going to be stuck. If you look at all inside the Necronomicon,
you will become just like me.”
“What's a necro... thingy?” I asked, curious.
“A book, it has all the spells a necromancer would never need. But about sixty
percent of them are incredibly dangerous. Some of them will do terrible things to the
planet. It's the most feared book ever written, even the darkest Satanists and witch
doctors won't even touch it. But for me, it's all in a days work.”
I felt scared then, “You're not a Satanist, are you?”
He laughed, “Of course not! He had nothing to do with my line of work. Since
he's in Hell he's part of the Summerland, and I can't go anywhere near there. Or else I
would become a permanent resident, you see.”
I nodded, “Well, that's a relief. That you're not some evil dude or anything.”
“Not at all. Necromancers have got a bad wrap throughout history. In order to go
to the Winterland, you have to open up what we call a Door, which can take you from one
world to the other. If I close the Door while I'm in the Winterland, then I'm stuck forever,
you can't open it once you're there. So I have to keep it open the whole time, using the
right spells, and not closing it until I'm safe back at home. But when I leave the Door
open, anyone who is in the Winterland can come into our world, which is where the real
trouble lies. So I came to Knightsen, where there is hardly anything for miles. If
anything gets out here, they are much easier to track down and send back. If they're in a
city, they can do a lot of damage, depending on what they are. But anyway, back to my
point, necromancers were known throughout history as people who can raise the dead and
ask them where buried treasure is, or who their murderer was. But I can't actually raise
the dead, but the dead can sneak through my Door. Which is where the whole myth
comes from.” He exhaled, and said “This is a lot of talking.”
“Yeah,” I said, “Take a breather. I think I need a while to digest all of this.”
“Good,” he said, “Just ask if you have any more questions. It actually feels really
good to finally tell somebody all of this. And hey, how did you find out about the
Winterland anyways?”
“Shade told me. He said he was the prince of the Winterland.”
 It was almost like a light bulb had clicked on over Stephen's head, “Oh, that guy!
No way, that's awesome! I know him. He's Japanese, right?”
“I guess,” I said, “How do you know he's Japanese?”
“Sometimes when he talks without thinking he speaks Japanese. But he has no
memory of Japan at all, or at least that's what he tells me. That's the secret of sending a
shade into the Summerland, you have to get them to realize that they're dead. They have
serious denial.”
“He must have got here through a Door you opened then, right? I first saw him
the night before your first day of school.”
Stephen nodded, “He was by the alpacas. I could tell.”
“And is he really a prince?”
Stephen smiled, “No, he's just the most conceited. And in his defense, he's one of
the popular shades, if not the most popular. He's like a prince, but he's not really. There
was one before him that was like his lady friend or wife or something in their past life,
and she was really popular too. But she's in the Summerland, thanks to me. I must have
said something that triggered her memory, and she was gone.”
“Wow, what did you say?”
“Well, the guy has quite a mouth on him. He was calling me names and I turned
to her and said, “Did you hear what your boyfriend just said to me? Did you hear that?”
and then she looked really shocked and surprised, and then really sad, and then she just
kinda crumpled and vanished into the light, like shades do when they move on. And the
poor guy hasn't forgiven me ever since.”
“Ah,” I said, “So he pretty much hates you, right?”
“You could say that.”
“And he's running loose around Knightsen?”
“Most likely.”
“Fantastic.”
-
We went to my house first after school, so I could drop off my things and check
on the alpacas. They were all doing fine, and I opened up two fresh bags of pellets for
them to eat for dinner. I noticed that Abraham, Dolley and Nancy would need to be shorn
soon, since their hair was getting rather long.
“Why are some of the alpacas fluffier than the others?” Stephen asked me, not
helping at all with the pellets.
“There are two different types,” I explained, “The Huacaya and the Suri.”
“Like Suri Cruise?”
“That's another common thing everyone says when I bring it up. I'm sure Tom
and Katie didn't name their daughter after a breed of alpaca. But whatever. The
Huacaya's hair grows straight out, so it looks like a fluffy teddy bear when they haven't
been shorn recently. The Suri's hair grows down, just like the hair on your head. They
look a lot sleeker.”
“Huacaya and Suri...” he said to himself, “Got it. So when do I know if I get the
job here?”
I shrugged, “I guess it's up to you.”
“Well, how much would I be paid? Is it, like, eight dollars an hour?”
I dropped the large bag of feed I was holding and just looked at him, “Are you
kidding? Just what kind of an operation do you think we run here?”
“Whoa,” he said, “was that number too low or something?”
My jaw dropped, “You must be crazy. That is way too much!”
“It's below minimum wage! Well, what do you parents pay you?”
I looked down at the feed, about to pick it back up, but it was already being
devoured, so I just let it be, “I get twenty dollars a week.”
He laughed very loud, “Are you kidding me? That's hardly anything! What can
you do with twenty dollars a week?”
“Save it,” I shrugged, “I don't eat fast food, I don't shop often, I only really spend
money on books. And those are really cheap if you go to a used book store like I do, and
not the big Barnes & Noble off of Lone Tree in Antioch.”
“I guess that works,” he scratched his head, thinking, “But I need to put gas in my
car...”
“No you don't. You live in Knightsen. Bike everywhere. Or ride a horse.”
Once again, he looked at me like I was crazy, “I have never ridden a horse in my
life.”
“Shut up,” I said instinctively, “Everyone has ridden a horse.”
“Everyone in Knightsen,” he pointed out, “where, I might add, if the horses
suddenly had an uprising and attacked all the humans in town, they would win because
they'd outnumber you.”
I smiled, “You know about the horse fact then?”
“It's the first thing Wikipedia says about Knightsen.”
“You know what,” I removed my work gloves, “we have two beautiful horses,
Monet and Renoir, and we are going to ride them today.”
“Wrong,” he said, “I'm wearing my best slacks today. I'll take a rain check for
that, until a day where I'm wearing jeans.”
“Fine, you win. For now,” I smiled.
Stephen checked his watch, “So it's about half an hour now until sunset. We'll go
have dinner at my place and then we'll send that pesky shade back to the Winterland.”
-
I was bombarded by Stephen's mother the second I walked into the door. She
surprised me, only because she was dressed and styled like a big corporate executive than
a regular Knightsen housewife.
“You must be Jolisa! Oh I've heard so much about you from Stevie!” I saw
Stephen rolling his eyes when she said that, “Allow me to show you around the house.”
“Oh, um, actually, not to be rude or anything, but I know my way. I knew the
previous owner my whole life, and my family came here a lot when she was really sick.”
“Oh, I see. That makes my job easier, doesn't it? Stevie honey, are you going out
at all before dinner?”
“No Mom,” he said, “and actually Jolisa knows, I told her today.”
“Well good! Then if you two kids end up going to the land of the dead tonight,
promise me you'll be safe. And be careful, I could never get those stains out of the carpet
in the Stockton house when that banshee got in.”
“Don't worry, Mom. I promised you. No Doors in the house.”
“That's my Stevie-baby! I'm going to check on dinner. You two let me know if
you need anything,” as she went into the kitchen I asked Stephen, “So is that why you tell
everyone you go by...”
“Stephen,” he finished quickly, “Yes, that's exactly why.”
“So she knows?” I was still whispering for some reason, “About what you do?”
“Of course, she's my Mom. My whole family knows. They moved here for me,
because I asked them. They're very understanding. Here, I'll show you my room.”
I was stunned when I saw what he kept in it. Hanging over his bed were two very
long, shiny samurai swords. I also spotted nun-chucks sitting next to his computer on his
desk, and there were an assortment of sigils and numbers painted all over the walls.
“Those,” he pointed at one, which I recognized as the astrological symbol for
Earth, “keep out the worst of the worst. It does nothing for things like shades or ghouls,
but it keeps things like vampires and incubi out.”
I didn't know how to reply, “Vampires? They're real?”
He nodded, “Very real.”
“Are they like Edward Cullen? Or like Lestat?”
“Neither,” he said, “definitely not at all like Edward Cullen. Vampires are
extremely dangerous, you do not talk or interact with them at all. You just run, or try to
fight them. Understand?”
He looked very serious, so I just nodded, “And the swords?”
“Very useful. My mentor left them to be before he went on to the Summerland.
Carrying around one of those lets all of the residents of the Winterland know that I mean
business. I've rarely had to use them, they're mostly for intimidation.”
“Gotcha. So where's the book?” I looked at his bookshelf, which was just as
overflowing with literature as mine was.
“Hidden, so people like you can't find it and open it up. Remember, just looking
at some of the words in it will automatically sign you up for necromancy. It's a very old
book too, there are only three copies of it written in English and one of them was burned
during the Salem witch trials. I think the other one is in a private collection somewhere
in Washington. Hey, do you want something to drink? A soda or something?”
“Sounds great,” I smiled.
“Good, wait right there,” as he left he looked out his bedroom window and
muttered, “Sunset. Almost time.”
I was alone in Stephen's room. Besides the wall decorations, his room comprised
of a bed, a desk, a bookshelf, and boxes of things he hadn't unpacked yet. First I analyzed
his bookshelf. He had two books set apart from the rest of his collection, Lord of the
Flies, of course, and a huge book about the entire history of Japan, which had dog-eared
pages. He had tons of history books, as well as lots of classic literature, many
anthologies on the works of someone named H. P. Lovecraft, and a whole shelf
designated for paranormal encyclopedias. I had never known that books like that even
existed.
Then I noticed his closet, since he left the door open. It seemed that his entire
wardrobe consisted of the nicest mens clothes I have ever seen. It looked more like a
CEO's closet than a teenage boy's. The only informal clothes he had were jeans, a hockey
jersey, and a few nice T-shirts, which appeared to be from very expensive labels. Next I
noticed his desk, which had a lot of typical things on it like a laptop and pens and paper,
as well as his new textbooks from school. There was also an opened cardboard box
sitting on it, labeled “Compasses”. There were around twenty or so compasses sitting
inside, ranging from giant and ancient-looking to tiny pocket sized ones that hikers use.
Regardless, there were definitely more compasses in there than the average teenager ever
needed. I picked up a few of them, and watched the needles bob around the big letter N.
I was about to put them back when I noticed them slowly swing to another letter, toward
east, which happened to point directly at me. I thought maybe they were broken
somehow, until I heard a voice behind me say, “So.”
I whipped around. Leaning against a wall, still dressed in all black, was Shade.
“You!” I said, shocked. I wasn't sure what to do. I was about to call for Stephen
when Shade said, “I'm very disappointed you did not take my advice. I told you to stay
away from him, and here you are prowling around his room.”
“He's not dangerous,” I said, “And who do you think you are, suddenly appearing
in here?”
“I just want to make sure you have been properly warned. I haven't said one lie to
you. You should not be around Stephen, at all.”
“Why are you...” I started, but froze when I saw Stephen appear in the doorway
holding two cans of Coke. He looked at me a little confused, noting just by looking at
my face that something was wrong, and then saw the stranger standing at the other end of
his room.
“Shade!” he exclaimed, sounding happy. He acted like he was just reunited with a
long lost friend, “What's up, man? I haven't seen you in ages!”
To my shock and surprise, Shade's entire demeanor changed. He went from being
mysterious and spooky to acting incredibly normal, “'Sup, bro? What's crackin'?”
“Not much, just the usual,” Stephen handed me a can of Coke and then gave
Shade a fist bump with his now free hand, “Just enjoying the new scenery.”
“True that,” said Shade, who flopped on Stephen's bed as if he had been invited
over a million times, “This place is different though. Knightsen. A heck of a lot different
than Stockton.”
“Now that's an exaggeration,” Stephen smiled, popping open his can of soda.
After taking a sip he looked at me, “What's wrong?”
I had just been standing there, still as a statue, trying to figure out exactly what
was going on, “What's... who are... I don't get it.”
Stephen tilted his head toward Shade, “I've known this guy over here for ages.
We never really got along, and in the past year we just decided to agree to disagree.”
“Totes,” said Shade, “This dude over here is actually pretty cool.”
“B... but,” I stuttered, “You were just saying how Stephen was dangerous, and
how we should take him out.”
“Well yeah,” Shade shrugged, “He is a necromancer and therefore my mortal
enemy. Ultimately I have to destroy him. But that can wait.”
Stephen shrugged, “For a dead guy, he's pretty logical and laid back. You don't
have to worry about this one, Jolisa.”
“One,” Shade held up a finger, “I'm not dead, and two,” he held up another, “You
should worry about me. Because even though we're bros, there is no code on who gets
the girl. Before you know it, I will have your girlfriend on my side.”
“She's...” Stephen was clearly caught of guard, “I mean, we just... I mean she's...”
he looked at me, and I felt like I was blushing just as red as he was. Shade looked very
pleased with himself.
 Thankfully, Stephen's mother came to our rescue, tapping on the open door
politely and saying, “Stephen, Jolisa, dinner is ready, I...” suddenly her face lit up,
“Shade! Konnichiwa! Where have you been?”
Shade jumped off the bed, “Good to see you Mrs. Morrison! It has been a while,
hasn't it?”
I felt my jaw drop. I couldn't comprehend how Shade, this undead creature from
another realm, was so friendly with Stephen's family.
Mrs. Morrison was practically gushing, almost as much as she did when she met
me, “You must stay for dinner. We have plenty of food. Would you like me to set you a
place at the table?”
“Of course! Nothing is better is better than a home cooked Morrison meal. Thank
you!”
Stephen nudged Shade in the ribs after his mother left, “You are way too nice to
my Mom, you know that?”
“What?” said Shade innocently, “She's so nice to me. Just returning the favor. It's
not like I have any ulterior motives with her...”
“Ew, never mind, forget I said that,” Stephen winced, “Come on Jo, let's go get
some dinner.”
“Wait,” I said, “I'm still trying to understand all of this. It's really weird.”
“Believe me,” Stephen smiled at me, “Having a creature from the Winterland join
us for dinner will probably be one of the least weird thing that will ever happen around
me.”
“Agreed,” said Shade, “Now let's go, I smell meatloaf.”
-
“So Shade,” Stephen's father said over the table, “How have things been in the
Winterland?” Mr. Morrison was dressed just as sharply as Stephen, and he had the same
glasses.
“Not much, just the usual. Lots of souls coming in, most of them incredibly
restless and annoying. Onegai Morrison-sama, could you pass the mashed potatoes?” he
asked me.
I had been silent for most of the dinner. I answered whenever Stephen's parents
asked me questions about my family or the alpacas or my friends. But mostly I was
watching Shade. Nobody else seemed to care that he was a creature from another world.
“How long have you been a necromancer?” I asked Stephen, “How long does it
take to get used to this?”
Stephen put his fork down, “I was twelve. That was when I started, anyway. I
wasn't a full-fledged practicing solitary necromancer until I was nearly fourteen. It takes
a few years to get the hang of it.”
“It's just...” I struggled to find the right words. I didn't want to sound rude or
offensive. I just felt that I should be scared of this creature sitting across from me, or
running from him. Not making polite dinner discussion with him.
“It does take some time to get used to,” said Mrs. Morrison, “Believe me, I felt
very afraid when I first found out. But you just have to adjust. That's why I was so
excited when Stevie told me about you, I just knew you could understand and be his
friend. He hasn't had a real friend since sixth grade.”
“Mo-om,” he whined, “Please!”
 “Yeah!” Shade defended, “What would you call me then? I'm his friend.”
Mrs. Morrison smiled, “Only when you happen to be in this realm. I just mean
that it's nice for Stevie to have a real, human, living friend.”
Shade rolled his eyes, “Oh, gee, thanks, let's keep pretending that I'm actually
dead, fine with me. If I were dead how could I enjoy this fabulous green bean
casserole?”
“Thank you Shade!” Stephen's Mom smiled, “You really are the most polite
creature Stevie ever brought back from his adventures.”
“Speaking of which,” said Stephen, “I have you send you back where you belong
sometime soon. You can't be wandering around this world, it's just not how it's supposed
to be.”
“Aww,” moped Shade, “But it's so nice here. I get good food and good
company... come on Stevie, give me a break.”
I watched Stephen resist the urge to correct Shade about his name. He just gritted
his teeth, “Well, you can't stay here much longer. You go back during the daytime
anyway.”
“Well yeah, if I'm around here during the day, I can't go back and forth from the
Winterland. You know that.”
“Well, anyway,” Mr. Morrison interrupted, changing the subject, “What will you
two kids be up to this weekend?”
“Oh yeah,” I said, “I'm taking Stephen out to the movies with my group of
friends.”
“Awesome!” said Shade, “Can I come?”
“No,” Stephen and I said simultaneously.
“Oh,” Shade paused for a bit before asking again, “Can I still come?”
“You're not serious?” I asked, “You want to just tag along?”
“Of course!” he said, “I won't have anything to do around here at night if Stephen
is off having a good time. I'll have to invent my own trouble, and then Mr. Necromancer
will have to punish me by sending me back to the Winterland. I'd much rather watch a
movie.”
“Knightsen is a small town,” I explained, “Everyone knows everyone here. If a
mysterious guy suddenly shows up and wants to hang out, it will be extremely
suspicious.”
“Fine,” he said, “Maybe I'll just happen to feel like watching a movie by myself
and go.”
“No you won't,” said Stephen, “Because all of your little ideas have some other
motive behind them.”
“Are you implying,” Shade asked, “that I just showed up at your house because I
knew your Mom was making meatloaf?”
The table went silent for a moment. Stephen asked, “I never said anything like
that.”
“Whatever. There were two reasons I came here. One,” he held up a finger once
again, “to warn Miss Jolisa that the guy she's hanging out with can put her in serious
harm, and two,” he held up his second finger, “to tell you that there's a new Cubi couple,
and you might want to take care of them soon before they start tearing apart the
Winterland.”
 Stephen smiled, “Well Mom, I guess we are going out tonight after all.”
-
“What's a Que-Bye?” I asked Stephen and Shade as they were rummaging
through Stephen's bedroom.
“Succubi and incubi,” Shade explained, “Cubi is just a word shades use to
describe them. Winterland lingo. I would advise that you bring your sword, Stephen.”
“They're katanas,” said Stephen, taking one down, “I'm sure you would know
that.”
Shade just looked confused, “Why would I know what kind of silly swords you
own?”
“Haven't you ever had one these before?” Stephen asked curiously, “You know,
before you became a shade?”
“I have no idea,” Shade said, “But I can honestly say that I have absolutely no
memory of ever holding a sword, ever.”
Stephen turned to me, “I try. I feel that if I keep bringing up aspects of certain
Japanese eras he might remember when he was alive. It would help me figure out how he
died.” I nodded, understanding.
“Except that I'm not dead, and is she actually coming to the Winterland?” Shade
pointed at me.
Stephen smiled at me, “Do you want to come?”
I took a deep breath, “If you told me this morning that I would be traveling to the
world that exists between the living and the dead, I... would probably just think you were
crazy. A lot of this day has made little sense to me,” I looked Stephen straight in his eyes,
“I think I have to go with you, just to prove that all of this is real.”
“Great!” Shade clasped his hands together, “So why don't I take her, and you can
just summon yourself, and we'll meet you there!”
“No,” said Stephen, “I'm taking her. I'm not trusting you alone with her. Not after
what you said before.”
Shade just smiled, “Good. Soshite, I think you shouldn't be the only one armed, if
she is indeed coming along.”
“Good thinking,” Stephen took the other katana down from the wall and held the
hilt of the sword toward me, “Just in case.”
I accepted it gently, “Am I really going to need this? You said it was for
intimidation, right?”
“This is going to be one dangerous couple we will be dealing with,” Shade stated,
“Cubi do not listen or obey any shades, even though we're clearly the bosses of the
Winterland.”
“Or so they think,” Stephen rolled his eyes, and then looked at me seriously,
“There is a chance that the incubus could come after you. I'll be watching out for you, of
course. But Shade is right, if they aren't going to listen to him then they definitely won't
listen to me.”
“Incubus?” I asked, attaching the sheath to a loop in my belt, “Isn't that a band?”
Stephen sighed, “They named themselves after the creature. An incubus is a soul
that is trapped in the Winterland, except what makes them stand out is their behavior in
their lifetime. He would have believed that he was better than death, and would laugh in
the face of it. He would probably use a lot of face creams and hair treatments and botox
to make himself look as young as possible. And when he dies he will still carry on that
vain belief, so he never makes it to the Summerland, but lags behind as an incubus. A
succubus is the same thing, except it's a woman who spent her life trying to cheat death.”
“And when an incubus and a succubus get together,” Shade just shook his head,
“It's bad news. There are only a few creatures that won't listen to shades, because they
know how to use their powers to defeat us. An incubus can overpower a shade by
teaming up with a succubus, and vice versa.”
“And I'm guessing this is the situation now?” Stephen asked. Shade nodded.
“Great,” Stephen cracked his knuckles, “I have to open a Door and intercept them.
I'll need the Necronomicon...” he turned to me, “Jolisa, don't look.”
“Why?”
“I don't want you to see where I've hidden it. It's imperative that you never look
inside it.”
“I know, but...” I was about to tell him that he could trust me, when Shade just
chuckled, “It's under his mattress.”
Stephen glared daggers at Shade, “Why did you tell her that?”
“You're getting her involved,” Shade argued, “It's only a matter of time before she
finds out where it is. But you're right, as long as she doesn't look inside, she's fine, and
that's all I'm worried about. You should give her a compass too.”
“You've really thought this out, haven't you Shade?” Stephen said as he walked to
his desk and picked out a compass, “Compass needles point to any creature from the
Winterland,” he explained to me, “They work best here in our realm, because they will
just go crazy in the Winterland. It's best to keep one on you at all times.”
“Okay,” I said, taking the small compass and putting it in my jeans pocket. I
noticed that the needle wasn't pointing anywhere near north, but directly toward Shade,
“Do you always have one?”
He nodded, “I had to keep checking it during the first day of school without
anyone noticing. It was pretty difficult.”
I smiled, remembering when I saw him peaking into his pocket, “Do you suspect
anyone at school is the walking undead?”
“I don't now,” he smiled, “There is a certain someone there who is completely too
good to be true, so I had to be certain.”
I smiled, and tried to hide a blush by looking down and letting my hair fall in
front of part of my face. Shade just sighed, “You guys are so cute it hurts. Now come
on, it's nearly 9:30, and we're burning moonlight.”
“Fine,” Stephen pulled up a corner of his mattress and extracted a very worn and
tattered, yet thick book, “Let's all pile in my car...
“Shotgun!” Shade declared before Stephen could finish, and dashed out the door
ahead of us.
-
“Where are we going?” I asked from the backseat.
“Remember that road you pointed out, the one that led to Orwood?” said Stephen,
“There's a particularly tall grove of trees alongside that road, it's the perfect place for
opening a Door. And if you're still wondering, that's where I was last night.”
“What were you doing there?”
“Trying to summon this guy,” he jabbed a thumb toward Shade, sitting in the
passenger seat beside him. Shade was pressed against his window, staring gleefully at the
passing scenery. He reminded me of a dog on a car trip.
Stephen continued, “All you say is 'I summon the shade nearest to me' and they
should come. But they can be a bit difficult. Since they have so much free will, they will
come only if they want to. Most creatures in the Winterland have a goal. Like vampires,
they go out to suck blood. The incubi and succubi, the things we're going to meet
tonight, suck libido.”
“A what?” I asked.
“Sex drive!” Shade answered, almost too enthusiastically.
“They can... eat that?” I was afraid to ask.
Stephen explained, “Not so much eat as drain. They thrive off of it. Makes them
feel younger, and it does make them more powerful.”
“So what exactly are we going to do, once we meet them?”
“I will do my best to send at least one of them to the Summerland. Having just
one around isn't a danger, but a couple can start disasters.”
I just nodded, looking up at the stars from the backseat, thinking. I was still
trying to absorb all of the information I heard today. The guy I liked was a necromancer,
he could travel to the land of the dead and back, he had all of this knowledge about it, and
tagging along with him was a dead guy who didn't know he was dead... and loved car
rides.
“Are you okay?” that certain dead guy managed to tear himself away from the
window to look back at me.
“Yeah,” I said, “This is just a lot, you know?”
“It is overwhelming,” said Stephen, “I'm sorry. But you did say that you were
never going to speak to me ever again unless I told you. You asked for it.”
“I guess I did,” I sighed.
Stephen stopped at the sign, and we were facing the trees, “This is your last
chance then,” he said, “I can always turn you around here and take you home. It's getting
late. You don't have to come along if you don't want to.”
I grinned, “Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss this for the world.”
“I like her!” Shade smiled.
-
Stephen parked the car by the side of the road, not worried at all about police
driving around. The three of us walked to the center of the tiny grove.
“Shade, did you want to go first?” Stephen asked.
“I suppose,” he said, and in the blink of an eye he was gone.
“He can just go on his own like that?” I asked.
Stephen nodded, “It's one of the things shades can do. Once they go through a
Door they can go from our world to theirs whenever they please. When I officially send
him back, he can't come here at all. Unless he finds another Door of course. And
speaking of which...” Stephen cracked open the book. It made a slight groaning sound, as
if the binding of the book was ancient and worn. He quickly skimmed over a passage and
shut it, muttering, “Hm. Okay.”
“How old is that book?”
“Too old,” he said, tucking it under his arm, “This copy is maybe around three to
four hundred years. It's been passed down, necromancer to necromancer. Now hold my
hand.”
I hesitated slightly. This would be the first time I would ever really hold his hand.
I had been picturing someplace romantic, or during some sweet situation. Maybe during
the movie on Saturday, or walking around the alpaca corral. I definitely did not think the
first time would be as he was opening up a Door to the realm of the dead. I took it, and
he squeezed my hand tightly.
He shut his eyes, “I summon a ring of protection around us. May all four
directions cast their powers unto my aura, and guide me and my companion safely to the
Winterland,” then he started chanting something in a completely unfamiliar language,
using his free hand to draw a big circle in the air. Still keeping his eyes closed, he knelt
down and started making symbols and shapes in the ground. I crouched beside him,
watching, and feeling the warmth and strength of his hand around mine.
A mist had started to come in. This was common around here, since we lived not
too far from the maze of rivers that sprawl off of the larger Sacramento River, and
sometimes when it's cold enough it will get very foggy. But it was way too early for that
to be happening. It took a while for me to realize that the mist was just forming around
us, not swirling around the trees and dissolving up into the air.
“Stephen...” I whispered, feeling a little frightened.
He completed what seemed to be the last marking on the ground, a giant circle,
and looked at me, “It's okay. All we have to do now is lay down here.”
“Lay down?” I asked warily.
He nodded, gently pulling me down onto the ground, right inside the circle. I laid
next to him, starting to tremble. I felt his hand give me a gentle squeeze.
“You won't feel a thing,” he whispered, “In fact, I think we're already there.”
“What?” I sat up in surprise, and noticed that we were at all anywhere around
trees or Orwood or Knightsen. As far as my eyes could see everything was flat and
misty. I could barely see some stars twinkling overhead.
Stephen sat up too, “It's that simple. Welcome to the Winterland.”
“That was it?”
“That's it. You can let go of my hand now. You're about to squeeze it off
anyway.”
“Oh,” I let go, not noticing at all that I had been clenching his hand just as hard as
he had. He stood, and helped me up
My eyes starting adjusting to the darkness. We were actually standing in what
appeared to be a road, sloping down on a hillside. Beyond the hill I could see a town. I
rubbed my eyes in disbelief. There were little houses, with thatched roofs and smoke
coming out of the chimneys. There was a village center with a well in the middle. There
was even a tall building with a steeple.
“What is that?” I asked Stephen, but it was Shade's voice from behind us that
answered, “Shadetown.”
We turned, and noticed him standing with his arms crossed, “That's what we call
them anyway. They're all called that. This isn't mine, but it's the one that the Cubi are
causing trouble in.”
“Got it,” said Stephen, and he turned to me, “I'm going to go take a look down
this hill alone, in case there's something dangerous. If it's safe I'll whistle, and you can
follow. Got it?”
 “Wait, you're just going to leave me here?” I felt a little like panicking.
“Shade,” Stephen sighed, “You'll make sure nothing happens to her, right?”
“I swear on my life,” he put his hand over his heart.
“Right,” Stephen grinned, “And no funny business.”
“What's that supposed to mean?” Shade said innocently, but Stephen turned his
back to us and went down the road, disappearing out of sight quickly down the slope.
“So this is the world you live in?” I asked Shade.
He held his arms out, “My beautiful domain. Home sweet home. I wouldn't want
to be anywhere else.”
“Oh?” I said, “And yet you come to my world all the time?”
“Not all the time. Just whenever I find a Door. Particularly one of Stephen's
Doors. Not that there's anything wrong with the world of the living,” he sat down, “It's
just, why live in one world when you can inhabit both? I'm immortal as a shade, and I
can do almost anything that I want. It's a pretty awesome life.”
I sat next to him, “I prefer my world. It's much brighter. And happier. There are
so many great thing to do when you're alive.”
“I can do them all as a shade. I can eat, sleep, laugh, cry, fornicate, and did I
mention eat?”
“Woah, wait hold on, you can what? I mean, you can do that? As a shade?”
“What?” he looked confused, then understood what I was getting at, “Oh. That.
Yes, I can. Want me to show you?” he grinned wickedly.
“No,” I said as forcefully as I could, “Never. Ever.”
“You say that now,” he was still smiling, “but when you come begging to me,
desiring my manliness, craving my...”
“Stop,” I said.
“ Nani? Can't handle the carnal desires of my sexy...”
“No, really, stop, I thought I heard a whistle,” and right after I said that I heard it
again, what could only be a human whistle. I got up and ran down the road, ignoring
Shade's cries of “Wait for me!”
I found Stephen off of the trail, standing waist deep in tall, dry grass that was
swaying in some sort of wind that I couldn't feel. He waved to me, and pointed at
something around his feet. I stood by him, and looked where he was pointing. It seemed
to be a big pile of rocks
“What is it?” I asked.
“A cave,” he said, “At least, a blocked off entrance to one,” he kicked one of the
smaller stones aside, and I could now definitely see that there was some sort of opening
behind it.
“You think they burrowed?” Shade was suddenly at my shoulder, even though I
didn't hear him traipse through the grass.
“Definitely,” Stephen said, “They must have known a necromancer would come
for them. Here, help me move some of these, guys.”
We moved a few rocks until we had enough room to squeeze into the makeshift
cave. Stephen put a finger to his lips, signaling us to be quiet, and he went inside first. I
went next, and Shade followed.
It was pitch black until Stephen lit a match in front of me By the dim light we
could see that this was just some sort of spider hole, not even four feet long. My head
barely missed the roof, and Stephen and Shade had to bend forward a little. There was
something at the ground at our feet, what appeared to be, in the dim light, the figure of a
person.
There was some sort of movement and rustling, and Stephen quickly blew out the
match. Not a second later a small lantern was lit by some unforeseen light source, and
laying at our feet was the most beautiful, blond haired lady I have ever seen.
“Here you are, my necromancer,” she said in a smoky, seductive voice, “You're
much earlier than I expected. And you brought a shade, I see. And...” her blue eyes
settled on me, “Who is this?”
“She is of no concern,” Stephen said with a very authoritative voice that I had
never heard before, “Where is the incubus?”
She just smiled, showing off her perfect white teeth, “You just missed him. We
were having such a fantastic time, he and I.”
“I don't want to hear about it,” Stephen continued, “Tell me where he is, or else.”
“Or else you'll send me to the Summerland? Please. I'm not frightened of you at
all,” she spoke in a condescending voice.
Quick as lightning, Stephen unsheathed his katana from his belt, pointing the
blade at her neck, “Tell me where he is.”
“I don't know!” she said hurriedly, backing away as far as she could from the
sword, “He just left. I swear.”
“You do know, and you'll tell me,” Stephen took a step closer to her, the tip of the
sword was nearly against her face.
Suddenly she smiled, and in a flash she pushed the sword aside, jumped up and
closed her hands around Stephen's neck.
I screamed, and without realizing it I shoved her away, pushing her off of Stephen
and back onto the ground. She made a retching sound, and glared at me, “How dare you
touch me, with your ugly little hands!”
“That does it,” Stephen sheathed his katana, knelt next to her and started chanting.
“No,” she whimpered, “Please don't. I have so much to offer you. I can show
you the most wonderful of emotions...” but Stephen either didn't hear her or was just
ignoring her. He held out both hands toward her, his palms facing up, and continued
chanting with his eyes closed.
She kept letting out little cries, and grabbed her arms and hugged herself close,
“No, no, this can't be the end. I will not die, never...” then she glared at me one last time
and threatened, “You will pay for this, you little bitch! My incubus will come for you and
he will suck you dry. He will never rest until he's had you. And you will never feel
pleasure or love from this necromancer ever again! Do you hear me? You won't...” but
then she let out a long, high-pitched scream, and the tiny cave was suddenly filled with a
bright, white light. I clasped my hands over my eyes, experiencing the pain from the
light, and just as quick as it arrived the light went out, and we were only illuminated by
the succubus' small lantern.
There was a single, slow applause behind me. I turned and noticed Shade leaning
against the wall, clapping for us, “That was quite a show. Good work Stephen.”
Stephen stood, taking a few deep breaths and wiping his brow before saying,
“Thanks, but that was way too easy.”
“What happened?” I asked him, “What did you do?”
 “I used a binding spell on her, so she couldn't move until my chant was complete.
Her spirit is at rest in the Summerland, where she belongs. She's in God's hands now, or
whatever deity she believed in.”
“It was incredible,” I smiled at him, and he grinned back.
“All in a days work for you, right Steve?” Shade gave him a pat on the back,
“Now let's get out of this tiny hole. We should find the incubus before he finds Jolisa.”
“What?” Stephen asked.
“You didn't hear that?” Shade said in disbelief, “All the stuff the succubus said
before you sent her away?”
“No,” Stephen replied, “I was concentrating. I heard her yelling, but I didn't
make out what she was saying. Jolisa, did she say things to you?”
I nodded, “Yeah. About how the incubus would have me, or something. And I
would never feel pleasure again.” Shade was making a chuckling noise, as if he were
trying to hold back an inappropriate laugh. Stephen just shook his head at the shade and
muttered, “So immature.”
“Well,” Shade was still smirking, even though he was being serious now, “We're
not going to find him here tonight. Everything for miles around would have seen the
light of the Summerland and fled. He could be a few days walk away, and you two don't
have the time for that.”
“True,” said Stephen, “Let's get out of here then. I hope he comes back here
tomorrow, to see if that was his succubus who was sent. Then we can nab him.”
As we were crawling out I remembered, “Tomorrow is the movies.”
“Crap,” said Stephen, “Maybe we can leave early. We definitely have to be back
here this time tomorrow.”
Shade raised his hand, as if he were in school and asking a question, “I can take
her on a date to the movies, and you can do your necromancer stuff.”
“No,” Stephen and I both said.
“Fine,” said Shade, “I'm going to bounce then. See you two tomorrow night!” and
instead of disappearing, he jumped up into the air, and seemed to just soar away into the
dim sky.
“So what do you think?” Stephen asked me, “This is what I do in my spare time.”
“I think...” and I took a second. I wasn't sure what to think. On one hand, this
was insane. On the other hand, this was insane but in the most exciting and wonderful
way.
“You don't have to say,” Stephen smiled, “When you wake up tomorrow you're
going to wonder if this was all a dream. Then you're going to think about it, and then
you'll really know how you feel about all this. If you want to come back with me, you
can, if you want. I mean, you did help me when that succubus just sprang on me like
that. But if you don't like this, and don't ever want to come back here, I completely
understand. I'll still be your friend, of course, but at least now you know my secret.
Right?”
“Right,” I agreed, “And I don't think there's any good reason why I shouldn't help
you with anything. If you ever need assistance here, I'd be glad to help.”
“Thanks,” he sighed, “But wait until tomorrow morning. Promise?”
“Promise.”
“Good,” he took my hand again, “Let's go back home.”
-
Returning to Knightsen was just as easy as leaving it. The circle was already on
the ground for us, and all we had to do was step through it. We were in the grove of trees
once again, standing in the circle that Stephen had drawn.
It was then that I could truly appreciate the differences between the land of the
living and of the dead. I could feel the breeze against my face, and it had a scent of earth
and fresh air, and even a little of the bitter smell of the river. The stars seemed twice as
bright as usual, and I could notice the domed aspect of the sky. I hadn't noticed in the
Winterland how the sky was just flat.
“It's beautiful,” I couldn't help but whisper.
“I know,” said Stephen, who wasn't looking up at the sky at all.
-
He was right, when I woke up in the morning my brain just seemed to cycle
through everything I had done yesterday. It all seemed so magical and wonderful and
scary in a good way. Now I couldn't wait to see Stephen for another reason; not only did
I have a crush on him, and most likely he had one on me too, now I could learn and
explore this fascinating life of his.
But then I remembered what happened when Stephen dropped me off at my
house. It was 10:30 at night, and my parents were worried since I had never been home
that late without telling them. I did say, before I went over to Stephen's, that I would be
studying with him, but I didn't say how long. They couldn't get a hold of my cell (I told
them it had died) and they didn't know Stephen's number, so they were about to drive
over there when I was dropped off. They went on about how I have to call them if I'll
ever be late, and that there's no excuse for studying late on a Friday. I didn't feel like
dealing with them, so I just went off to bed.
Now I was laying there, worried. If I went on all of these adventures with
Stephen, who knows what would happen to me? How many nights would I stay out late
with him? What if Stephen needed me to be gone for a day, like he would have done to
chase the incubus? It was my job to look after the alpacas, and I also have a perfect
attendance at school to maintain, plus my 4.0. Could I really jeopardize my real life, my
normal life, for an exciting life with Stephen? Was it really worth it?
I sat up in bed, resting my head in my hands. No, I couldn't do that. I have a
normal life, and it's going great, why should I change it? And besides, Stephen is just
some boy I met a few days ago. I remembered the girls always talking about how friends
are more important than boys, because boys always come and go. We learned that lesson
when Charlie was dating a boy from Brentwood, and she would sneak out every night to
go see him. All of us girls started noticing something was wrong when we realized that
Charlie did all of the work in the relationship; she would drop everything to see him, she
would act and dress exactly as he wanted to, if he had an idea she always went along with
it. Once we were going to dinner at a new restaurant in Oakley, but Charlie canceled at
the last minute because her boyfriend wanted to hang out with her that night. And
whenever we invited the both of them out somewhere, he always said no. He never came
to hang out in Knightsen, she always had to go hang out with him. We couldn't get
Charlie to notice this, until the guy tried to get her to buy meth for him, and do it with
him. Of course she left him immediately and never saw him again. And ever since then
it was a strict code of Girls First, no matter what. Of course, that rule usually doesn't
apply in the first week or so of one of their new relationships. So was the same thing
eventually going to happen to me?
I thought about it. Stephen wasn't at all like Charlie's meth boyfriend. Sure I've
been hanging out with Stephen a lot, only because he's so new and exciting. I showed
him around town. We hung out. It's only been a few days. And now there was the
necromancer thing, which I was completely excited about. Maybe that adventure that I
dreamed about as a little girl may actually come true. I remembered that while falling
asleep last night I considered calling the girls and telling them Stephen and I couldn't
make it tonight, so that we could go and find the incubus. But how was that any different
that what Charlie would do to us?
I started to get really worried. I didn't want to become that girl who ignored her
girlfriends for a boy. Or, just the reverse, to become a clingy girlfriend, and he wouldn't
want me around anymore (which had happened with Angie and her first boyfriend).
So I decided, right then and there. I was going to tell Stephen tonight that I
wouldn't be able to accompany him on everything, and that I had to put my life as the
priority. School and the alpacas and my friends had to come before him and the
Winterland. If I was free for a night, then I would definitely go and have adventures with
him. But if I had something planned, then I wouldn't be able to. I hoped he would be
able to understand.
I was glad when he told me to think it over when I woke up in the morning. He
was right.
I looked at my clock and was shocked to see it was 11:30 in the morning. That
was unacceptable for farm living. Now my parents were really going to kill me. I flung
open my closet to get some clothes, when I realized another problem. I was going on my
first date tonight, even though it was a group date. And I had nothing to wear.
-
Clem and Charlie came over early, after I had finished my chores, to help me get a
good outfit. They brought over a bunch of their fancy clothes.
“Oh, Char,” I sighed as she removed a short blue dress from it's hanger cover,
“Didn't you buy that at the boutique in San Francisco?”
“Yep,” she said, “It's a good luck dress, I wore it on my first date with Russ, and
look at us now!”
“But,” I reached out and touched it, “It's silk. I can't wear this, I'm sorry. I refuse.
It's way too nice.”
“Fine,” she zipped it back up, “But I will see you in it one day. You're a lot
skinnier than I am, you would look fabulous in it.”
“What do you think I should wear Clem?” I asked, and she sagely replied, “I
usually do my hair first. I do whatever I feel like doing, and then I choose my outfit over
which looks best with the hair.”
“Great idea!” I sat down in my desk chair, and my two best friends descended
upon my head.
“You always have it down,” Charlie said as she gathered it up, “You really should
have it up. You look so pretty when it's up!”
“I do it sometimes,” I defended myself, “Like, I'll wear a braid, or a ponytail.”
“You need something better,” Clem thought out loud, “This is your first date with
your first boyfriend, it has to be special.”
 “Let's get one thing straight first,” I turned around to look at them, “Stephen isn't
technically my boyfriend yet.”
Clem and Charlie just looked at each other, smirking.
“Seriously!” I said, “He didn't ask me out to this, right? You did, Clem. It's not
so much a date... okay, it's mostly a date, but still. It's a big group thing, everyone just so
happens to be partnered up. I'm just not on my own on this one.”
“True,” sighed Clem, “Fine, he isn't your boyfriend yet. Which means he's still
available! Dan is great but Stephen is pretty foxy.”
“Hey!” I jumped out of the seat, “He's mine!”
“Oh Stephen!” Clem pretended to swoon, “You're so handsome! Take me now!”
I tackled her, and there was a brief chase around my room, followed by
uncontrollable laughter, and it took ages until we got back on the topic of hair. I became
their guinea pig, and eventually they had my hair up in a messy bun.
“It looks sloppy,” I said, examining it in the bathroom mirror.
“That's the style,” Charlie explained, “It's like you just rolled out of bed, but
you're still sexy.”
“Whatever,” I rolled my eyes as they sprayed hairspray around my head, so I
could keep the messy look all night, “So what kind of outfit would go best with this?”
“I still think you need to be in a dress,” said Charlie, “And not one of your
gingham, farm girl, Dorothy dresses. A really pretty dress.”
“I brought a great one,” said Clem, “Remember the black dress that I wore to
Allie and Angie's birthday dinner?”
“I do,” I said, “It was nice. I have some black shoes that would go really nice
with it too.”
“Ew,” said Charlie, “No offense to the dress, but you cannot go out in all black,
Jo! It's a date, not a funeral! Who goes out wearing all black anyways?”
I smiled, remembering someone who walks around wearing all black, all the time,
and loves it.
-
I walked out of the house with my messy bun and a very simple yet elegant red
dress that Clem got for her birthday last year. She hadn't worn it, and we even had to cut
the tags off. The girls decided it was the best because everyone else would notice if I was
wearing something that Clem or Charlie had worn to a big outing. I honestly didn't mind,
I was just worried about all the makeup they had put on me. Clem gave me smokey eyes,
which didn't sound very appealing at first, but the finished product looked amazing. I
was worried about what would happen if I got something in my eye, and had to rub it out.
“I still think I look way too fancy for just a movie,” I said as Dan's truck pulled
into our driveway at the correct time, which he had previously specified as 'dusk', so he
couldn't be late. He would be giving us a lift to the theater, where Stephen would meet
us.
“You look beautiful,” Charlie said, “I mean, it's not that you don't look beautiful
every day. It's just that jeans and a T-shirt can get boring. You look good in it, but it's
nice to mix it up a little.”
“I guess,” I sighed. Dan pulled up and hopped out of his beat up truck, opening
the door and saying, “After you ladies.”
Clem practically flung herself onto him. It was so gross to watch them make out,
which they did constantly. It was more like they were trying to eat each others faces off
than kissing. I was used to looking away when this happened, and I silently hoped that
Stephen and I would never be so gross or inconsiderate. But we all got into the truck
without an incident and we were off.
“So what are we seeing?” I asked.
“That new Drew Barrymore movie!” Clem said excitedly.
“Yay!” cheered Charlie, “I've been wanting to see that one for ages!”
Dan and I seemed to have the same reaction: disappointment. Girl movies were
fun, and they had their place, but it wasn't always the top choice to see.
“I thought,” said Dan, “that we should go see that new vampire movie.”
“Eww!” the girls cringed, “That one looks so scary!”
I smiled, wondering what Stephen would think of a vampire movie, when he has
to deal with the real ones in the Winterland.
“How about this,” I said, “This weekend the girls get to choose the movie. But
the next time we do this, the guys pick.”
“Deal,” Dan looked pleased, and Clem nudged him between his ribs.
I was surprised when Dan turned down Lone Tree Way instead of continuing
down Main Street in Oakley, “Where are we going?” I asked, “This isn't the way to the
downtown theater.”
“We're not going to that old place,” said Clem, “I mean, it only has two screens.”
I frowned. I liked that theater. It was right in downtown Brentwood, which was
all Brentwood used to be. Now it had sprawled over all over, with all of the trendiest
shops.
Clem continued, “There's a new theater by the Bypass in the new part of
Brentwood, called Rave. It runs on digital film too, so there aren't any of those black
marks in the movie. They even have 3D movies!”
“Great,” I said, “I bet they have overpriced popcorn too. And they wouldn't dare
do a $2 Tuesday like the old theater does.”
“Duh,” said Charlie, “it's a state of the art movie theater, not some old one.”
There was no arguing. I just sat back and let them talk about how hard our
English class is this year. I would have much preferred to go to the downtown theater.
With all of the changes that Brentwood were making, I wouldn't be surprised if they tore
down that theater soon. It won't be making any money, now that there was this new Rave
theater was around. It was just so upsetting that I was the only one who liked to keep the
old around, and not replace it with all of this new stuff, especially when the new was so
commercialized.
My jaw dropped when we pulled into the new shopping center where the theater
was, off of Sand Creek Road. It was absolutely beautiful. There was a huge fountain in
the middle, and the most fabulous shops. Swarovski, Victoria's Secret, American Eagle,
MAC, DSW, and a bunch of other fancy stores that I hadn't even heard of. It had
reminded me of our trip to San Francisco, I could barely believe that we were still in
Brentwood. And at the very end of the strip of stores was the very neon, very bright
Rave. It looked more like Tomorrowland than a movie theater.
We finally found a spot between two very expensive looking cars. We found two
other couples from school who were joining us, Bella and Brad and Rosa and Chris. But
we were missing the twins, Allie and Angie, and their dates, and of course Stephen.
 “You'll never guess who we saw!” said Bella, and before she could give us a
chance to respond she said, “Lia Lackey!”
Charlie and Clem looked shocked, but I didn't see the big deal, “And? We saw
her in class yesterday.”
“Yeah, but didn't you see what happened after school? She broke up with Mike!
They were screaming at each other, I almost thought he was going to attack her. Oh, and
you look gorgeous Jo!”
“Thanks,” I said automatically, “But what happened with Lia?”
“She wouldn't say why she was breaking up with him,” Rosa explained, “She just
kept her lips closed while Mike was going off on her. It would have been their two year
anniversary next month, you know.”
Amalia Lackey and Michael Galsworthy were one of the most popular couples in
Knightsen, much less the school. The Galsworthys own some of the best show horses in
the state, and they're deeply respected by the breeders in the county. And Mrs. Lackey is
the head of the Garden Club, so she practically runs the town. If anything happened
between you and the Garden Club, chances are you would be looked down upon by most
of the town. Lia and Mike had become this huge power couple, everyone thought they
would get married just because of it. There was no way Mike could ever break up with
her, because of the Garden Club connection, and if Lia ended it then there would be no
way Mr. Lackey could breed any of his horses with the Galsworthys.
“So,” Bella was barely whispering, and we all crowded around to hear, “We just
saw her, here, and she was arm in arm with the oldest Patterson boy!”
Everyone gasped. Mr. Patterson was the mayor of Oakley, the town that has been,
for the past few years, trying to extend its boundary so that it could absorb Knightsen as a
part of it. Mayor Patterson was the one pushing this agenda.
Everyone erupted, even the boys had got into the gossip, “How dare she get
involved with Patterson!”, “Ew, isn't his oldest son like twenty-one?”, “I heard he was
kicked out of UC San Francisco. Isn't his name Randall?”, “Nobody in the Garden Club
is going to stand for this, even if it's Lia Lackey.”
Everyone was twittering with gossip when I felt someone bump into me. I turned
around, and there was a man who I had never seen before behind me.
“Oh,” he said, “Sorry, didn't see you all there.”
I just shrugged, watching him walk off. All the girls turned to each other and
started giggling.
“What?” all of the boys and I asked. The girls instantly got on their phones and
started texting, and when they finished they looked innocent and continued about Lia. I
heard my phone buzz in my purse, and I had received a text from Clem that said “HE
WAS HOTTT” and one from Charlie that said “OMG hottest stranger EVAR!”
The man was still in sight, so I caught a glance at him. He was pretty handsome,
which I hadn't noticed before. He had neat, blond hair and wearing a white shirt with
tight black jeans. I understood what the girls saw in him, but he easily appeared to be in
his late twenties, so I would pass. The man turned around and caught my eye, so I quickly
pretended that I was just looking off into the distance, and not at him.
Thankfully at that moment I saw Stephen's red Prius pull up into a vacant spot.
When Stephen emerged I gasped. He was wearing gray slacks, with a darker gray vest
and a white shirt underneath, and a black tie to top it off. He looked like he had just
walked off of a runway, while all of the other boys were in their best jeans and their
cleanest work shirts.
“Hey,” Stephen came up to me and gave me a one-armed hug, “You look
incredible, wow!”
“Look who's talking,” I said, not quite believing that his guy was interested in me.
He went around and introduced himself to the rest of the guys, whom he
recognized from school. They started asking him about football, and which team he
supported.
“This is Raider Nation,” Brad said, “Right?”
“Actually,” Stephen said confidently, “I'm not really a football guy. My family
has always been into hockey. Go Sharks! My older brother even goes to school in San
Jose, so he can get to see more games.”
None of the boys were very interested in this, “Hockey? You mean, you don't
watch football?”
“Not really,” said Stephen, “But I do like baseball. It's all about the Giants,
right?”
“We support the A's,” Dan said.
“Oh,” Stephen looked down at his shiny black dress shoes, “Well, um, so, what
are we seeing tonight?”
“Drew Barrymore!” Clem chirped.
“Of course,” Stephen said through a forced smile, “Oh, and here comes Allie and
Angie. Let's go get our tickets.”
Stephen graciously paid for mine, which cost about $8 more than the tickets at the
downtown theater, and we ushered ourselves into our theater, picking out a row that could
fit all of us.
I stood up, “If you guys give me some money, I'll go get the food,” and as
everyone rummaged through their wallets Stephen said, “You don't have to go, I will.
The movie is going to start in a few minutes anyway.”
“I don't mind,” I said, “I don't care if I miss the previews or the beginning of the
movie. I'm always the one who volunteers to miss stuff.”
“But...” Stephen protested.
“Hey,” I said, “You bought my ticket, I'll buy you some Raisinets, how's that?”
“Fine,” he said, and then whispered to me as the money was passed over to me,
“But come back soon. I'll miss you.”
I practically skipped out of the theater and into the lobby. He was going to miss
me, even though I was going to be right back. I almost felt like I was floating. This must
be the sensation you get when you're in love. It would be my first if it was.
I was standing in line, thinking about whether or not I truly loved Stephen, or if it
was a crush, when I noticed the blond guy again. He was just standing in a corner of the
lobby, all by himself. I accidentally made eye contact with him again, and I tried to do
the looking away thing like I did before, but he just kept staring, very intently, at me. He
even moved from one corner of the lobby to another, one that I would have to pass by on
my way back to my seat, and he never kept his eyes off of me as he walked.
I tried not to panic, or even think about it. More than likely this was just a
coincidence. Maybe he thought he knew me and he was just trying to remember where.
Maybe he was a customer at the store at home, and he recognized me. And if he was
thinking of anything devious, how could he attack me in the middle of a crowded movie
lobby on a Saturday night?
When I reached into my purse to count the money for food, my hand bumped into
the compass that Stephen had given me. I glanced at it, and noticed that the needle wasn't
pointing anywhere near north. I followed its path, and it was pointing right at the blond
man.
“Okay,” I whispered, “Breathe. Breathe. Think.”
I got out of the line and headed toward the bathrooms. That was one tactic I knew
if a guy was after you: if you head into a public women's room, he was less likely to
follow you. Unless, of course, he was intent on really getting you. As I walked, keeping
my back to the man and my hearing as alert as possible, I thought about what to do. I
would go into a stall and call Stephen, since his phone would work here. I would tell him
that someone, possibly the incubus, was in the lobby, and that Stephen could come get me
and then we can deal with it. It would work out great.
I looked over my shoulder. The man was following me, keeping his distance. I
walked a little faster, and when I reached into the women's room door I dashed inside.
My pounding heart fell once I was inside. It was empty, not one woman washing
her hands, and all of the stall door were open. I made my way for the nearest stall when
the bathroom door swung open behind me, and the man was there.
“Little girl,” he smiled, putting himself in front of the only exit, “I found you.”
“What do you want?” I managed to say, barely hearing myself talk over my
heartbeat.
“Revenge,” he said, his voice raspy, “For what you did to my succubus.”
My hands flew over my mouth. I was right, it was the incubus. He must have
snuck through the Door when we went to the Winterland last night. He hadn't run away
into the Winterland, he ran out the Door...
“That was our plan, you see,” he explained, slowly advancing toward me, “We
cause a ruckus, a necromancer comes and opens a Door. I go out while she seduces the
necromancer, and then we can escape together into the living world. And if that plan
failed, at least one of us could get out. And it did fail, but only because you were there.
A girl, who nullifies the power of the succubus just by touching her. You ruined it,” then
he smiled, “So I am going to ruin you.”
Before I could scream he jumped on me, pushing me to the floor. He grabbed his
hands around my neck, just as the succubus had done to Stephen, and I couldn't breathe.
My hands were still free, so I used another tactic I knew for dealing with assault. I
jabbed two of my fingers right into his eyes, and he instinctively clenched his face with
both hands. I scampered as fast as I could toward the door, but I didn't make it. He
grabbed me from behind and shoved me against a wall.
“No, no, little girl,” I could feel his breath against my neck, “You're not getting
away. Daddy's hungry for you...” and suddenly he wasn't holding me anymore. I heard
an angry yell, and a thud on the floor. I turned around to see what had happened.
Shade was standing there, between me and the incubus. He had thrown the
incubus off of me. Shade's hair was tousled, and he was breathing hard out of his gritted
teeth.
“Shade!” the incubus spat out the word as if he were saying something disgusting,
“What are you doing here?”
 “Protecting her,” Shade said angrily, “You won't lay a finger on her.”
“Is that so?” the incubus slowly stood, “What makes you think you can stop me?”
“You're an incubus. I'm a shade. Therefore, just a bit more powerful than you.
Powerful enough.”
The incubus laughed. The more angrier he became the less attractive he looked.
He was starting to truly look like something that crawled out of the underworld. His eyes
were becoming redder, his muscles were getting bigger, and his blond hair was steadily
becoming spiky, “Foolish shade. You don't even know. Not only have I slept with a
succubus, I have slept with two!”
Shade suddenly looked very worried.
The incubus went on, “I am the most powerful incubus ever! I have tricked and
taken two women for my mate, neither of them knowing. I will kill you, take this girls
libido, thus becoming even more powerful than I already am! Then my true mate and I
will live like royalty, back where we belong in the land of the living. We will be
immortal, and beautiful, together.”
“No,” whispered Shade, “You can't do that.”
“Watch me,” in one stride the incubus smacked Shade across his face, and he
crumpled to the floor like a rag doll.
“No!” I cried out, “Shade!”
By the time Shade recovered and scrambled up, it was too late. The incubus had
me cornered once again. He took my hand and gently bit down on my wrist.
Instantly I felt tired, and felt myself slowly slide down the wall and onto the
ground. All I wanted to do was go to sleep. I closed my eyes and felt the tiredness wash
over me. Distantly I could hear Shade's voice yelling, “Stop that! Don't! Jolisa, please,
snap out of it. Don't give in to him!”
I ignored him. I was way too tired to move. Almost too tired to think...
Then I heard the chanting, and the sleepy feeling started to subside. I opened my
eyes just a crack, and I could make out Stephen, standing in front of me, while the
incubus was covering away. I heard a final, defeating yell, and the incubus was gone.
Stephen was in front of me, kneeling down and grabbing my shoulders. I still
didn't want to move, and I closed my eyes again, trying to find the energy to get up.
“Jolisa,” he was saying calmly, “Jo, can you hear me? Nod if you can hear me.”
I nodded, it took all of my strength.
“Good,” I heard him say, “Jo, come back to me. Just wake up, okay? I'm sorry I
wasn't here...”
“I was,” Shade said in the background.
“Yes, Shade was here, thank God. If he wasn't I...”
“You owe me,” Shade interrupted.
“I do. But Jo, you gotta snap out of it, okay?”
“I mean, I got slapped in the face by the meanest incubus ever. You so totally owe
me.”
“Jolisa,” Stephen was stroking my hair and gently repeating my name, “Jolisa.
Jo.”
The cologne he was wearing was divine, so musky and masculine. I thought
about falling asleep next to that scent, and how wonderful it would be. I nuzzled his hand
on my shoulder, enjoying his presence.
 “It's not going to work,” said Shade's voice, “You're going to have to restore her
manually.”
“What do you mean?” Stephen asked.
“He took some, you're going to have to give it back.”
“Oh Jolisa, beautiful Jolisa...” Stephen said before I felt his lips against mine. He
tenderly kissed me, short and slow, and I couldn't help but kiss him back. It was my first
kiss, our first kiss, and it felt even more wonderful that the sleepy feeling I was
experiencing. I suddenly had the energy to wrap my arms around him, pulling him in
closer. When he broke off the kiss I opened my eyes and looked up at him. He was
smiling, and looking more handsome than he ever had.
“C'mon, let's get you out of here,” he said as he stood, helping me up to my feet. I
immediately felt myself wobble, and Shade was suddenly at my other side. Both men
had one of my arms around their shoulders. I closed my eyes again and let them guide
me out the door.
“Is everything okay?” I heard someone say, most likely a theater employee, and I
heard Stephen reply, “Yes, everything is fine.”
I felt them lower me onto a bench, and Stephen said, “I'm going to tell the others
that you got a call from your parents, and one of the alpacas is sick and they need your
help, so I'm giving you a ride home. Okay?” I nodded, and he left me with Shade.
“You alright?” Shade asked, and I nodded again.
“Because,” he kept talking, “I feel worse than you. Trust me. My face feels like
it's on fire, he slapped me so hard. I should be the one being carried around, getting
treated all special.”
I cracked a smile. It was so like Shade to be thinking of himself first.
“This was what I was warning you about,” Shade's tone of voice changed, and I
knew he was being serious, “Being around Stephen is going to put you in a lot of danger.
If I wasn't spying on you guys, that incubus could have killed you. Or even worse, you
would never be horny again.”
I chuckled, “That's worse?”
“It speaks!” Shade said, and then a little louder, “Hey Stephen! She's talking.”
“Great,” Stephen's voice had returned to us, and he wrapped my arm around his
shoulders again, “Let's go to the Prius.”
“Shotgun!” Shade called out.
-
They draped me in the backseat, buckling the two sets of seat belts around me
before leaving the theater. It felt so relaxing to finally lay down and slowly get my
energy back.
“That was intense,” I heard Shade say, “I have never seen an incubus that beefy.
He said he had two mates! Two, Stephen! The one you sent away was probably his dupe,
he tricked her so he could sacrifice her to get his real mate out. The real mate probably
doesn't know he did this. She's going to be pissed if she finds out.”
“Let's hope not,” Stephen muttered as he drove.
“I know, right? He's back in the Winterland now. I'm sure he feels embarrassed.
And how exactly did you come to save the day at the right moment?”
“I was worried for her. She was taking too long. She wasn't in the concession
stand, and then I just happened to check the compass out of habit, and I followed the
needle.”
“Totes smart,” said Shade, “This place is going to get just as bad as Stockton, if
you're not careful. How did you not notice any footprints around your Door?”
“I forgot to check,” Stephen sounded embarrassed, “I was distracted.”
“Oh. I see. Hey Jo,” I heard him turn around in his seat to face me, “Are you
asleep?”
I was still too exhausted to answer, and before I could nod or anything I heard
Shade turn back around, “I think she's sleeping. So you were distracted by Jolisa's beauty
or something?”
“You could say that,” I heard Stephen say, and I smiled.
“She sure is something,” Shade said, “She's really special.”
“Hands off,” Stephen said sternly.
“What? Like I had planned anything with her, I'm only teasing you.”
“I know you, Shade. And you can't have her. Besides, I had her first.”
“Actually, I saw her before you did.”
“That's right!” I felt the car slowly come to a stop, presumably at a light or a stop
sign, “What were you doing prowling around her house at night, anyway?”
“I was just exploring. She happened to find me. But I watched her for a while,
she's really interesting. And so different.”
“How so?” The car was moving again.
“Her heart is different. She loves that stupid little town. I mean, really loves it,
more than she knows. I spent the rest of that night and the next one going around, trying
to find someone who loved Knightsen more than she does. And nobody does. Not even
the people in charge of the damn town love it like she does. It's almost like a light, and
I'm her moth. I can't look away.”
“Neither can I,” Stephen sounded a little dreamy, “She's probably the most
fascinating girl I've ever met.”
“Yeah, and you kissed her tonight bro! On top!” and I heard them quietly high
five.
“So,” Shade continued, “You're going to hit that, right?”
“Hit what? Oh,” Stephen cleared his throat, “Not like that, I mean, not in that
phrasing. But yeah, I do have some future plans with her.”
“Going to ask her out?”
“Yes.”
“Take her to some romantic spot?”
“Sure.”
“Tongue, right? None of that pansy little pecks like back at the movie theater.”
“Well, yeah. Eventually...”
“Then you pound it all night long!” I heard him do some kind of dance that
involved a lot of hopping and grunting.
“Stop that!” Stephen laughed, “No! I am a man of honor, you know. I'm not
disgusting like you!”
“You wish you were me,” Shade concluded, “Everyone does. But if you don't tap
that, seriously bro, I will.”
“Oh, no you won't.”
“Oh, yes I will. You haven't asked her out yet, right? You haven't actually gone
on a date. Technically, you're both still single. So technically, she's still up for grabs.”
“No, she isn't,” Stephen said firmly.
“That's what you said about Rachel.”
My ears perked up.
“Rachel,” Stephen sounded a little distant, “was... different. Different than this.”
Stephen suddenly chuckled, “And besides, whoever heard of a human and a shade getting
together?”
“I've imagined that,” Shade said smugly, “A lot.”
“There are plenty of shade skirts in the Winterland for you to chase.”
“And I only wanted one of them,” after Shade said that, it got quiet in the car for a
while.
“I didn't mean to,” Stephen stated in a low voice.
“I'm still going to kill you for that. Someday,” Shade's voice was equally as low.
“It was an accident.”
“I loved her, Stephen Morrison. And getting Jolisa could be my perfect revenge.”
Things started to sound a little heated, so I sat up and stretched, feeling that pretty
much all of my energy was back, “Hey guys, what's going on? I think I fell asleep.”
“How are you feeling?” Stephen asked.
“Great,” I answered, almost wanting to follow that with asking who Rachel is.
“Good, you're up, now we can have some radio,” Shade pushed the button for the
radio dial, and the car was promptly filled with music.
“Rihanna!” Shade exclaimed, “I love her!” and he sang all the way home. His
singing nearly drowned out Stephen saying goodnight to me as he dropped me off at my
house, and telling me he would call me tomorrow. As they drove off, Shade waved and
did what I would assume to be his Pounding Dance.
-
My parents were talking to me during breakfast, but it was hard for me to
concentrate on what they were saying. My mind was still reeling from the events of last
night. Now that I had time to think about it, I realized that Stephen's life was going to be
part of mine. There really was no going back, I was always going to be haunted by the
life he has, and it would be tough to avoid it. Going back to the regular life was going to
get harder and harder the more I knew Stephen.
“Jo,” Mom said, “who did you say needed to be shorn? You could do that today if
you wanted.”
“Oh,” I said, snapping back to reality, “Yeah, that would be nice.” Maybe that
was what I needed, good old fashioned alpaca farming.
“And,” Dad said, “You could ask that new guy from Eden Plains to help you. Is
he still interested in the job?”
I smiled, “I think so.”
I called the Morrisons right after I did the dishes, and Stephen's Mom answered.
“Hi Jolisa!” she greeted when she recognized my voice, “You know, Stevie and
Shade told me what happened when they got home. Are you okay?”
“Um, yeah,” I answered, “Everything's great.”
“Being attacked by an incubus is not a good thing. Shade said that he was huge!”
“I'm sure Shade exaggerated, but still, yeah, I'm fine. So can I talk to Stephen?”
“Sure, I'll go wake him up,” I was startled by that statement. I checked the clock
and it was 9:30. After a minute I was greeted by a groggy voice saying, “Hello?”
“Hey Stephen, it's Jo!” I said cheerfully.
“Oh,” he sounded like he was still asleep, “Hey. How are you?”
“I'm good. Um, did I wake you?
“No,” he said, and after a second said, “Yes.”
“I'm sorry, were you up late last night?”
“Shade hung out until like two in the morning. We played Xbox all night. Call
Of Duty. I played as the Japanese to see if he recognized anything. He didn't. He kicked
my ass.”
“I'm sorry, I should let you go back to sleep,” I was about to say good bye when
he said, “No, no, I should get up. It's like, eleven right?”
“No, it's 9:30.”
He moaned, “Are you kidding? That's so early!”
“It's way past dawn. You should go back to sleep though, if you're still tired.”
“I guess that's a farm thing, right?”
“Yep,” I said, “So while I have you on the phone, did you want to come over
today and help me sheer some alpacas?”
“What? What is that?” he asked, still groggy.
“Basically it's shaving off all the hair, but you have to get them and tie them down
and keep them calm and all of that. You should be good for that,” I explained.
“Okay then,” he said, “I'll be there around noon, okay?”
“Fine lazy pants, sleep until eleven. Make sure you bring clothes you can get
dirty in, no fancy city stuff.”
“No fancy pants, got it. Good night,” and he hung up before I could say anything.
-
Stephen didn't show up until 1:30. He sped down Quail Trail faster than any car
I've seen go down our road, and after parking he flew out of the car, dressed in torn jeans
and a black polo tee, “I'm here! I'm here! I'm sorry!” I could hear him yelling even
though I was out in the pasture with the alpacas. I waved at him, calling “Over here,
Stephen!”
He ran over to me, “I'm so sorry I'm late. I must have set my alarm wrong. I'm a
night person, you know that, it's part of the job.”
I laughed, “It's fine, I've just been hanging out here with the herd.”
“I'm sorry, I really am,” he apologized for the last time, “And you are okay, right?
About last night?”
“Yeah,” I said, “I mean, I have a few bruises but that's nothing, I get worse from
working here.”
Suddenly Stephen stepped forward toward me and wrapped his arms around me in
a gentle hug. I stood there for a second, not sure what he was doing, and then hugged
him back.
“It's just,” he murmured into my shoulder, “I want to make sure that everything
about last night was okay.”
I wasn't sure what he was referring to. Was it the incubus attack, or his kiss, or
the ride home? So I just said, “Stephen, I'm fine, I really am. I'm not sure how I'm fine,
but I am.”
“Alright,” he broke off the hug, “Good. Now what do you want me to do?”
 “Well, we're going to get Abraham. He wasn't shorn with the rest of the herd
because he was at the vet. Dolley and Nancy weren't shorn also because they were about
to pop out a cria, and we didn't want the shearing to induce labor. So we have to get
those three. Dolley is the nicest out of the three, so why don't we do her first?”
Dolley was by the fence, hanging out with Rutherford and her daughter, Hillary.
“Go for her behind,” I instructed, “And I'll get her neck.” We spread out arms
out, so she wouldn't have anywhere to escape too, even though she looked around and
tried to find a way. I gently wrapped my arm around her neck and led her toward the
barn, with Stephen behind her, resting a hand gently on her back.
“It's that easy” he asked, “to get an alpaca?”
“Like I said, Dolley is nice. Sometimes you have to be a little more aggressive
with the males.”
He grinned, “You wrangle alpacas with your bare hands.”
“I'm sure this is much easier than wrangling some upset dead creature.”
“You're telling me,” he talked as we guided the alpaca into the small lean-to
against the barn that we used for shearing, and placing her on the shearing mat, “Last
year there was this annoying shade who was ignoring me and the other shades, and I had
to literally wrestle him to get him to listen to me. I sent him to the Summerland though,
since he was recently dead I could figure out what happened to him easier.”
“What happened? How did he die?”
“He was a farmer from Sudan. The Darfur region. In 2003 a helicopter dropped a
bomb on his house while the military came in to slaughter his village. He was in bed,
about to get up to get ready for work when suddenly he was in the Winterland.”
I just stared at Stephen, “That's so... dreadful.”
He shrugged, “You get used to it. I keep my eye on the news for things like that,
just in case there's a new shade. It helps sometimes.”
“So something like that happened to Shade?” I felt a little sad for him.
“Yeah, something like that. He told me once he remembers a war, but Japan has
fought literally hundreds of wars. They used to be an isolated country, all the way until
the 1500s, so before that time they fought wars with themselves. Anything could have
happened to him. Anyway, that's enough from me, what do we do with Dolley here?”
I shook off the thought of the man who died in his bed, and how Shade must have
died in a similar way, quickly and painlessly, and concentrated on my job, “We're both
going to grab her legs, and on the count of three, we're going to toss her down onto her
side.”
“Oh,” he looked appalled, 'We're just going to...”
“One,” I counted.
“Just toss her on the ground? I mean...”
“Two. You can do it, city boy.”
“I'm not a city boy!”
“Three!”
I grabbed her front legs, and Stephen held her back. In one swift motion we
moved Dolley from her standing position to lying on her side. She looked just as
shocked as Stephen did.
“Tie her legs down!” I ordered, pointing to the ropes that were set up on both
sides of the mat. Stephen watched me and mimicked me and we tied her feet together, so
she couldn't move.
“Is this humane?” Stephen asked.
“Of course it's humane, or else we wouldn't be doing it. Do you have a better idea
to shear an alpaca?”
“Fine, I wouldn't know any other way. How do you do it?”
I took out the shears from the supply cabinet. It's like the biggest electrical razor
you would ever see, and three times more powerful, “You're going to hold that burlap
sack over there, and collect the fibers that come off of Dolley while I shear.”
I switched on the shears and started with her front legs, gently pushing the blades
up. Her fiber just flew off, and Stephen grabbed what he could and stuffed it into his bag,
saying, “It's so soft! I can't believe how soft it is.”
“Yeah, it's better than wool,” I explained as I worked, “Sheep fiber have lanolin,
which some people are allergic too, so they can't enjoy a fleece blanket or warm wool
clothes. Alpaca fiber doesn't have it, and it's also warmer and more durable. An alpaca
coat, slippers, hat, gloves, the whole set will last you ten winters.”
“So,” he thought, “What's the point in buying wool then, if you can buy alpaca?”
I winked at him, “Now you get it. I'm going to start on her side now, this stuff is
even softer.”
It only takes a few minutes to shear one side of an alpaca, since the blades are so
sharp and their hair just kind of falls off. The only tricky part is flipping her over to her
other side, since the alpaca wants to break loose the second you move her from her laying
position. But with the way we tied the ropes around her feet we could flip her while she
was still attached to the ground. Then it was just repeat on the other side, and we set
Dolley free. She ran off to join her herd, looking much skinnier than everyone else.
“That wasn't so bad,” said Stephen, holding a full sack of alpaca fiber.
“Good,” I said, “Because we get to do that two more times.”
“Great,” he sighed.
“Just imagine what it's like on shearing day, when we have to do the entire herd.”
Stephen didn't say anything, he just pet the fiber a little.
“Thought so, city boy,” I teased.
-
The rest of the afternoon went really swell. We sheared the alpacas, had lunch in
the house, and Mom even showed Stephen how to spin the fiber in her spinning wheel, so
it can be turned into yarn. And, since he was wearing jeans, I got him out to the horse
stable, and after a few tries I got him onto Renoir. I took Monet and we went for a slow
trot around our property.
“This isn't bad at all,” Stephen said, still sounding scared, “It's bumpy, though.”
“It's a horse, what do you expect? It's not a Prius.”
“You got that right,” he looked up at the sky, which was starting to change color
to prepare for the impending sunset, “So what are your plans for the rest of the night?”
“Well, you know, that paper on mitosis that's due tomorrow. And I haven't
finished reading our history chapter about World War II, and I need to really study for
that Algebra test, math is my worst subject but if I study I can get it.”
“Oh, yeah,” he sounded a little disappointed, “I forgot that the mitosis paper was
due. I should get on that.”
I realized suddenly why he sounded let down by my answer, “Oh my gosh, I'm
sorry, you weren't going to ask me out tonight, were you?”
He looked down at Renoir's mane, “Yeah, kinda. But you're right, I haven't even
touched my school work all weekend. I'm a straight A kind of guy, so I definitely don't
want to slip up in school in my first few days here.”
“You're a straight A student too?”
“I try. Considering all the work I do, I mean, outside of school. It got really bad
one year, and I had to repeat ninth grade, and it was such a wake up call. I've been doing
my absolute best ever since. And, anyway, I really wouldn't know where to take you
around here. This area is still unfamiliar.”
I thought for a minute, “There's some nice places to go in Bethel Island. If you go
straight down Knightsen Road it takes you right to it. They're building a lot of fancy
houses up there, and probably some cool places to check out.”
He grinned, “I'll consider it. So how do you make this thing go faster?”
I felt a little wicked, so I gave Monet a little kick and said, “Hyah!” and I took off
at a gallop, leaving Stephen behind in the dust. I heard him call out, “Hey! That's not
fair!” and I took a second to enjoy the wind in my face and the pure joy that only comes
from riding a horse, before turning around and going back to help him.
-
He went home soon after that, which left me with my homework. I felt like an
idiot, not realizing that he was asking me out. It wasn't even the first time someone tried
to either, most of the single boys in my class have, and I've just not been interested in
them. I've known almost everyone in my class since our early days of school together, it
just seems weird to go on a date with someone that used to pick his nose during class in
first grade.
I was just writing about the final phase of mitosis when I heard a tapping at my
window that made me jump off of my seat. My heart pounding, I looked at the window
to find Shade waving at me. I grumbled, and opened the window, “What do you want?”
“Hello to you too,” he said warmly, “May I come in?”
“Through the window?” I looked around my room, glancing at the door and
making sure my parents weren't in the hallway, “Why do you want to come in?”
“I'm sorry, I thought we were friends. Friends visit friends, and all of that.”
“If my parents hear you in here...”
“They are watching Wheel of Fortune, they're not going to hear. Now open your
window a little wider so I can come in.”
I gave in, “Fine,” and opened my bedroom window. Shade hopped in and
immediately started his own tour of my room, “Pretty sweet place you got here. Nice bed,
how many people can it fit?”
I rolled my eyes, “I don't know. Listen, I'm doing my homework right now, so I
would like it if you didn't bother me.”
“What's your homework about?” he sat on my desk.
“Mitosis.”
“What's that?”
“Cell division.”
“What's that?”
I looked at him, “Are you going to ask questions nonstop?”
“Yes.”
 There was a tap on my door, and I heard my Mom say, “Jo?”
“Um,” I leaped from my seat, “Yes? I mean, I'm watching YouTube, I'll turn it
down.”
“No, it's fine. I'm just saying good night, so I can get up early to spin the fiber.”
“Phew, I mean, good night!”
Shade was smiling at me and whispered, “You thought you were in trouble,
because of me.”
“You are going to get me into loads of trouble, if you're not careful.”
“Then let's get out of here,” there was a twinkle in his eyes, as if he had been
planning this all along.
“What do you mean?”
“You don't want to be doing homework. Let's go chill someplace.”
“Where?”
“I know exactly where. Grab a coat,” and he hopped off my desk and out my
window. I chased after him, taking my coat off its hanger as I went, and I carefully
climbed out of my window, thankful that our house didn't have a second story. Shade
was just standing there, looking up at the night sky and muttering, “Good conditions, it's
perfect.”
“Look,” I said, “Tell me what you're up to, or I'm not going anywhere.”
“Well, riddle me this. What's the biggest difference between a human and a
shade?”
“You're dead,” I answered simply.
“Wrong.”
“You live in the Winterland.”
“This is true, but not the one I'm looking for.”
“You wear black clothes all the time and you're not emo.”
“What does that mean? Anyway, you're completely wrong. Hasn't Stephen told
you about this?” And right in front of my eyes, a pair of huge bat wings unfolded from
Shade's back, each easily had a ten foot wingspan.
I just gaped and said, “Um, I think he said something once... about how you can
fly...”
“Then hold on tight,” Shade grabbed my waist, turning me around so my back
was to him. He wrapped his arms around he as hard as he could, and I grasped them with
all of my might. Suddenly, and very dizzily, we were off the ground, going up and up
and up into the sky.
I wanted to scream, or cry out, or do something, but at the same time I was too
busy being amazed. With a loud flap of Shade's wings we were soaring over Knightsen,
and then over Oakley and Brentwood and their bright new lights, and eventually the
scenery just became a mass of houses and buildings. It was impossible to recognize
anything from the height and angle I was at. Mostly I was impressed by how many lakes
and reservoirs there were, I had never known that some of them existed.
“This is awesome!” I cried out. Shade laughed, and he dove a tiny bit. That was
when I felt the wind, an icy cold blast of air that stung my face. I flinched, and Shade
must have noticed, because he changed the angle he was flying at. His wings spread out
as far as they could go and soon we were gliding above the air current, soaring like a
hang glider.
 “Hold your arms out!” Shade called to me.
“Are you crazy?” I answered.
“It's fun. And don't worry, I got you.”
I looked up at him, making sure that he hadn't gone crazy. Or crazier.
“Don't you trust me?” he asked. And for one, strange moment I realized that I did
trust him. He saved my life from the incubus, and he never really has done anything to
harm me.
I spread my arms out, spread eagle. And he was right, I really did feel like I was
truly flying. I let out a loud “YEEHAW!” of pleasure as we dipped and dove across the
night sky.
-
To my surprise, Shade landed us in a very mountain-like region, full of trees and
plants. We weren't anywhere near anything urban.
“Is this Mt. Diablo?” I asked him, and he nodded, “I guess that's what they call
it.”
The mountain is the biggest natural landmark of the East Bay. Since everything is
flat in Knightsen, with no hills or anything, it dominates the southern skyline of the town.
There are lots of stories about it, like how it used to be a volcano and now it's extinct, and
how the real life Zorro used it as one of his headquarters. And everyone in the East Bay
believes the superstition that if there are clouds on top of Mt. Diablo, it means there are
ten days of strange weather coming up. And it's the only place in the Bay Area that gets
real snow every winter.
We sat down on a big rock that had room for the both of us, and Shade folded his
wings back into his body. That was when I noticed that I was damp all over. I squeezed
water out of my hair while Shade explained, “Yeah, depending on the weather, it's usually
wet up at that altitude. Sorry about that.”
“It's fine,” I said, “Because that was probably one of the coolest things ever.”
“Really?” he smiled what appeared to be a genuine, happy smile. Not his typical,
snarky smile.
“Well, I mean, this whole weekend has been unbelievable. I went to the
Winterland, I was confronted by a creature I never knew existed until the day before, I
met you, I had a katana sheathed to my belt...”
“Meeting me was a highlight?” now he looked surprised, “Really?”
I nodded, “Hey, you're really cool, you know that? I mean, once I get past that
strange, perverted, egotistical layer of you, you're a good guy deep inside.”
“Thank you,” he said, sounding like he really meant it, “Nobody has said anything
like that to me. Not even Stephen, and he's like my best friend.”
“Even though he's your enemy?” I asked.
Shade went stiff, “Yeah, there's something I can't forgive him for. I can look past
it most of the time, until I remember what he did.”
“Is it okay if I ask what it was?” I spoke gently, not wanting to upset him.
“I had a girl,” he said quietly, “She was beautiful. We've always been together as
shades. Whenever one of us was confused, or scared, or didn't know what was going on,
the other was there. We were a team, and Stephen sent her away to the Summerland.”
I nodded, “He told me about that. He said he didn't know what he did, it just
happened.”
 “That's what he says. I dunno. Sending away shades is different than anything
else in the Winterland. What you saw with the succubus is what Stephen typically does,
just not with shades. It seems that if you remember something that happened in your
Earth Life, as we call it, you're gone. You die and go to the Summerland. None of us
know what it is though, that we're supposed to remember. Probably what happened to
make us become shades.”
“Your death,” I said, “It explains a lot. Isn't everything in the Winterland dead?
What makes shades so different?”
“I'm not dead,” he insisted, “I know it. I would have known if I died. Something
would have happened. It was just, one moment I was at a wed-,” and he stopped himself,
frozen.
“Are you okay?”
He nodded, “I haven't told this to Stephen. Promise you won't tell?”
“I promise. I'll keep your secret.”
He took a deep breath, and said, “I was at a wedding. Or about to go to a
wedding, I'm not sure. I don't know whose it was, or why I was there, or who was around
me. That's all I remember, I was at a wedding. And then I was at the Winterland. I don't
know what happened, honestly.”
I thought for a minute, “Maybe there was an earthquake, or something...”
“No,” he said, “I would know. I don't remember a lot from my Earth Life, but I
would have known if I had died.”
“What else do you remember?” I asked him, “Just out of curiosity, I promise I
won't tell Stephen so he can send you away.”
“Really?” he looked at me, very sincere, and I nodded.
“I remember...” he paused, took another deep breath, and said, “I remember when
my Father died.”
I was quiet, letting him talk.
“Chichi,” he whispered, staring off into the distance, before continuing, “My
Mother came to me. I was young, but not a child. She said that Otousan had died, but
we should be honored, because he died for the glory of our country, and for the Emperor.
And I was supposed to be happy, that he died in such a way, but I was so sad. I cried
when nobody was looking...” he paused again, “I don't even remember what she looked
like. And Otousan. I don't even...”
“It's okay,” I said, gently touching his arm. When he looked at me I saw tears
welling up in his eyes.
“Here,” I said, and stood up and gave him a hug. He hugged me back, and I was
surprised how warm he was, compared to me who was still wet from the flight.
“You're just so different,” he said as I let him go.
“What do you mean?”
“From everybody. Not just everybody I've met, but everybody in the world. You
have this light around you... you can't see it and Stephen can't see it. I don't think even
most shades can see the things I see. Your light is so beautiful...” and he just stared at
me, almost in awe.
I cleared my throat, “I heard you say that. In the car last night.”
His smirk came back, “Damn, you were awake.”
“You were saying that I loved Knightsen, more than anybody in town. What did
you mean by that?”
“It's the truth,” he said, “you're so passionate. You're... I can't really describe it.
When I think of the right words, I'll tell you. You just have this intense love for your
land. I was drawn to it... Oh man, you must have heard about Rachel too.”
“Yeah,” I said, sitting on the rock again, “Who is she?”
He thought for a moment, “You know, I am typically a total jerk, which I do on
purpose. But sometimes it's uncalled for. And I would be a huge jerk if I told you about
Rachel. I think that's something Stephen has to tell you about, in his own words.”
“Okay,” I sighed, “Is it anything I should be worried about, though?”
Shade shook his head, “Shouldn't be. You guys shouldn't have any problems, you
and Stephen. You two are a great couple. I'm kinda jealous.”
I grinned, “Really, you are?”
“Yeah. I know I kid around about stealing you away from him. But really, you
are so beautiful.”
I just looked up at him, and he looked back at me, his head resting against his
hands.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“Which is why you should try staying away from him as much as possible,” he
said.
I rolled my eyes, “Not this again.”
“I'm really serious though. The more you hang out with him, the more dangerous
your life will get. That incubus was just a taste. I can guarantee that worse will happen.
And one of two things will happen, I can assure you. One,” he held up a finger, and I
wondered if he did this often, “something will happen that will require your help, when
he's in trouble or something, and you will have to look inside the Necronomicon to rescue
him, and you will become a necromancer yourself, or two,” he held up his second finger,
“something like that will happen and you won't become a necromancer, but Stephen will
realize how close it was and he will break up with you, to protect you.”
“You're certain one of these will happen?” I asked skeptically.
“Guaranteed,” he said, “And both of these options will hurt you, and extinguish
that light around you. And I don't want that to happen, at all, ever. I would do anything
to protect this light.”
I exhaled. Shade was saying some pretty heavy stuff. And, actually, slightly
romantic stuff. Even Stephen hasn't been this romantic with me.
“I really don't know what to say,” I finally spoke.
“You don't have to say anything. I guess I'm putting you on the spot. So tell me
about alpacas.”
“You don't want to know about alpacas.”
“Yes, I do. I just want you to talk, for a change.”
I just started babbling facts about them, and about how I grew up around them,
and how it feels when they die and how exciting it is when a new one is born. And Shade
just smiled and listened. At one point I felt myself lay against him as I talked, and he
wrapped an arm around my shoulders. He was so warm. I felt myself falling asleep, so
Shade kept me awake by asking questions about them, like what colors they can be and
what they eat and stuff. I closed my eyes while I talked to him, and after a while I jolted
myself awake.
 “Wow,” I said, “I think I was falling asleep.”
“You did sleep,” Shade said, “For reals this time. You were out for a while. A few
hours.”
“I was?” I rubbed my eyes, and I definitely felt like I had been asleep, “Geez, I'm
sorry.”
“Don't worry,” he smiled, “I kept myself entertained.”
I felt the blood rush out of my face, “What did you do?”
He burst into laughter, “No no! Not like that! I just watched you sleep, that's all!
And I enjoyed the night scenery. A couple of owls flew by, it was cool. Ha ha, I would
never do anything to you while you sleep!”
That was relieving at least, “What time is it?”
“I don't know, but I think the sun is going to rise soon, so I should get you home
so I can get home.”
“You're kidding?” I was shocked, “Nearly sunrise! I didn't finish all of my
homework!”
“Then let's get you back home,” he said, unfurling his wings.
-
“No way,” I said as we descended on my property, “Stephen's car is here!”
“Kuso,” Shade muttered. We touched down outside my window, and there was
Stephen. He was sitting against the wall outside my window, sleeping.
“Stephen?” I gently shook him, and when he woke up he jumped and said,
“Jolisa! You're alright! Wait, you are, right?”
“I'm fine,” I smiled, “Shade just took me on a trip. What are you doing here?”
Stephen glared at Shade, “What did you do to her?”
“I didn't do anything,” Shade held his hands up in a gesture of innocence, “Geez,
you can't trust me to do anything.”
Now Stephen addressed me, “What did he do to you?”
“He's telling the truth Stephen, we just went and talked. Now answer my
question, what are you doing here?”
He rubbed his eyes, waking himself up fully, “I called you around nine, to ask a
question about the homework. And you didn't answer, which was fishy. So I called a few
more times until midnight, when you still didn't answer and I got worried. So I drove
over here and peeked in your window. I know it sounds crazy, but I was really scared,
especially after the incubus incident. I was really surprised to find your window open,
and foot prints outside, and traces of a shade residue. So I knew he took you somewhere,
but it wasn't anywhere around here, because I drove around town with my compass and it
pointed north the entire time. So I came back here to wait for you. Now explain
yourself.”
“Honestly,” I said calmly, “I think Shade just needed to talk to someone. We just
hung out, nothing happened. Except that I fell asleep, but still nothing happened. I
promise, Stephen.”
Stephen apparently could not accept that answer. He marched right up to Shade
and said, “Is that true? You just wanted to talk?”
“It was nice!” he said, “Just being alone with Jo. She's actually kind to me, unlike
some people.”
Then Stephen turned to me and said, “So how is it, Jo, that you can go out with
Shade all night, just to talk, but you're too busy to go out with me?”
I gasped. I hadn't thought of that. I didn't even consider what hanging out with
Shade would mean to Stephen.
“I'm sorry,” I said, “I just... I guess I forgot. He just came over, and...”
“You had a date planned?” Shade said concernedly, “I'm sorry, if I had known...”
“Like hell you would!” Stephen angrily yelled at Shade, “Just who do you think
you are? You're not a human, you're not alive, you have no right to go out alone with
my... I mean, with Jolisa.”
“Quiet!” I hushed, “My parents are asleep! They're going to hear you!”
Stephen scowled at me. Shade scowled at Stephen.
“Shade, you're not allowed to do that anymore,” Stephen said, as if he were a
parents disciplining his child.
“You don't own her!” Shade whined back.
“No, I don't, but you're a shade and I'm a necromancer. And you're just not
allowed to do that anymore.”
Shade just crossed his arms, scowling at the ground.
“And Jolisa,” he turned to me and with a sigh he dropped his tough guy,
necromancer demeanor, “Look. I'm sorry. I got worked up. I was worried.”
“I know, Stephen, and...”
He didn't let me finish, “Will you go out with me tonight? I'll take you to dinner.
Just the two of us.”
I smiled. Finally, the moment had come, “Yes. I would love that.”
Stephen grinned, “Good. That's... amazing. Thank you,” and he held out his arms
and hugged me. I practically melted in his embrace.
“Lovely,” Shade grumbled in the background, “Aren't you two sweet? Anyway,
I'm going to leave you both before it's too late.”
“Wait, Shade,” Stephen broke off the hug to extend a hand toward Shade, “I'm
sorry. I'm trying to establish a new life here and I don't want things ruined like back in
Stockton. I want things to be right, so sorry if I'm a little overbearing toward you.”
“Hey man,” Shade said gently, returning the handshake, “I get ya. I understand.
Like you said, you're the necromancer, you lay down the law. And that's one that I can
actually respect.”
“Cool. We're cool,” Stephen sighed, “Finally, an end to this long night.”
“Agreed,” Shade took a few steps back, “Summon me after your date, I'll actually
come hang with you, to hear all the juicy stuff. See ya!” and Shade did some kind of
pirouette turn, which landed him right on his behind. I just gawked, confused, but
Stephen and Shade quickly looked toward the east. The sky was getting brighter, and
starting to turn from black to a bright blue.
“No,” Shade stood, moaning, “No. No no no no,” then he scowled at Stephen
again, “This is your fault. Entirely.”
“Oh my God,” Stephen whispered toward the sunrise, shocked, until he realized
what Shade had said, “Wait, what? This is not my fault. You're the one who decided to
stay out all night with Jo.”
“And you just had to keep me here to be all apologetic. I missed my window of
opportunity,” he looked around, almost like he was expecting to find something, “What
am I supposed to do here? Where do I go?”
 “What's going on?” I asked Stephen.
“Shades,” Stephen explained, “can go in and out from the Winterland at night,
after they find a Door. But once sunrise comes, they are stuck here until sunset. They
can't materialize wherever they want, they don't have their wings, and of course they
cannot go home to the Winterland. Not even I can send him back.”
Shade was sitting on the ground, his legs cross and his head in his hands.
-
I was waiting outside of the school doors for Stephen, not knowing what to
expect. He had taken Shade away in his car from my house (the prospect of sitting
shotgun in the car cheered him up a little) and I snuck back through my window and slept
for another hour before getting up and finishing my homework. I hadn't heard from
Stephen at all. If I were him I would just keep Shade in my house, but knowing Shade,
he would end up bored and go out to explore.
I could finally breathe when I saw the red Prius come down the road, with just
Stephen in the drivers seat. But when I ran up to his car, I spotted Shade, laying across
the back seat with his eyes closed.
“What did you do to him?” I asked curiously, as Stephen emerged with his
backpack.
“Asleep,” he said, “I guess he was awake all night.”
“You couldn't have left him with your parents?” I asked.
Stephen shook his head, “My Dad was getting ready for work when I got home.
He commutes to Stockton, so he has to get up at dawn. And Mom has a job substitute
teaching now, so she's out somewhere. I can't leave him home alone, you know how he
is. There may not be a home to go back to after school,”
I smiled, “This is true. So you're just going to leave him here? Will he sleep
through school?”
“I hope so. If he were smart he would just stay in the car the whole time.”
I looked at Stephen incredulously, “But this is Shade we're talking about.”
“Yeah, exactly, I'm hoping he doesn't know how to unlock the doors.”
-
School had started off normally. Stephen and I were both constantly looking at
the window and the door, expecting Shade to walk in at any moment, but thankfully he
didn't. The biggest thing happening in the class right now was the division caused by Lia
Lackey. Her close friends that typically sit around her had found new desks, and the rest
of the class sat in the complete opposite side of the room. Mike Galsworthy was absent.
Clearly the thing with her and the mayors son had gone around, and was still ongoing. I
just shook my head when it was whispered around class whenever a teacher had their
back turned. This time last week it would have been the biggest news to me, but now it
was more about the dead guy in the back of my prospective boyfriend's car, who might
start walking around at any moment.
Everything was going fine until lunch, which I shared with Stephen and Clem and
Dan in the cafeteria. The boys were busily discussing sports, specifically if hockey was
better than football, which gave Clem and I some privacy for us to have our own
conversation.
“So the exciting news,” said Clem, “is that I went door to door with some people
from our class this weekend, and we have garnered enough interest for the dance!
Some people have even donated to it!”
“Really?” I had completely forgotten about Clem's dance idea, “That's amazing!
Good work.”
“Yeah, but here's the thing,” Clem sighed, “If we really want to have a big
blowout, we're going to need more money than just a few donations. We're going to need
one, big pile of money. And who in town has that kind of money to give out?”
“Great,” I said, realizing what she was getting at, “The Garden Club.”
“Exactly. I mean, they save up so much so they can plant some flowers or fix
road signs, and they never use up all of their savings. They could give us more than
enough to have this dance, and still have some left over. Bella was telling me all this,
since her Mom is in the Garden Club.”
I thought a moment before speaking, “But how exactly are you going to convince
them to give you the money? I think the last thing they would want to donate to is some
dance that has nothing to do with their agenda.”
“That's the thing. They meet on Mondays, you know, so I'm going with the girls
to the club meeting after school, and we're going to try to convince them. Did you want
to come? We need all the help we can get.”
I really didn't want to. The odds were against Clem, and I didn't want to be a part
of her sinking ship, “I'm not sure. I mean, I made plans tonight, so...”
“What, not alpaca stuff?” Clem said indignantly. I just nodded toward Stephen,
who was going on about how great the Sharks goalie was, and winked at Clem.
She practically turned white trying to contain her excitement, “You have a date?”
she whispered.
I nodded, “Tonight. Dinner.”
“Really?” Clem squeaked, doing her best to keep quiet, “That's awesome! Where
are you going?”
“Dunno yet, I'm sure someplace small and local, nothing too flashy,” I smiled, I
was just as excited inside as Clem was for me.
“Well you have to tell me all about it right after! Promise you'll call me? Or at
least text or... who is that?” Clem said that last part louder, and everyone at the table
turned to the door to the cafeteria. Shade was standing in the doorway, scanning the
crowd. When he spotted me and Stephen he smiled, waving and heading right for us. I
felt like I wanted to sink into the floor forever.
“Hey guys!” Shade said, shoving Dan to the side so he could sit next to Stephen,
“Food! I'm so hungry,” and he started eating Stephen's salad. By now half of the
cafeteria had stopped whatever they were doing so they could watch.
“What are you doing?” Stephen asked, in a low voice.
“Who are you?” Clem asked.
“Shade,” he replied with his mouth full, “Nice to meet you.”
“Excuse me,” Dan said, “But I was sitting there.”
“Awesome,” Shade finished off Stephen's food, “It's a great spot, isn't it?”
Stephen and I just looked at each other, trying to figure out what to do. Finally I
said, “Shade.”
He froze, “What?”
“What are you doing here?”
“I'm hungry.”
 “Yeah, but, this is our school. You don't go to school here.”
“Oh,” Shade looked around, as if this was news to him, “That explains a lot.”
A group of senior boys, who had witnessed Shade push Dan, all got up from their
table to come over, “Hey, who the hell are you?”
Shade grinned wickedly, “Do you really want to know?”
“He's my friend!” Stephen jumped up, getting between Shade and the seniors,
“He's just visiting for today. He doesn't mean any harm, really.”
The seniors analyzed Stephen, probably trying to figure out if they could beat him
up or not, “Well, is your friend going to apologize?” one of them asked.
“Why?” Shade stood, “Is there a problem, gentlemen?”
I also stood, not sure what to do. I couldn't believe that Shade had only been in the
cafeteria for a minute, and already someone wanted to beat him up.
“Yeah, your face is the problem,” the biggest guy said, “It needs to be out of here,
now.”
Shade rolled his eyes, “That was the stupidest thing I have ever heard, and I've
hung out with drudes.”
The gang seemed to be a little confused at this situation, whispering to each other
just what they should do, when a feminine voice interrupted, “Excuse me.”
Everyone turned, and Lia Lackey was standing there, holding her cafeteria tray,
“I'm trying to get through here. You're all blocking my way.”
This seemed to make the seniors even more upset. Dan and Clem were getting
away quickly, while the gang said, “And who cares about you, Miss Make Out With
Patterson's Son?”
Lia went pale. While the group around us snickered Shade unexpectedly said,
“Hey, that's no way to treat a lady.” In one movement he reached out his arm, gently
pushing the seniors aside so her path was clear. Shade smiled as he bowed and said,
“After you, miss.”
She seemed completely charmed by this, giving Shade her most seductive grin as
she walked past. The seniors, meanwhile, were impressed that one guy could push all of
them so easily, and just grumbled as they headed back to their seats. Shade didn't seem to
notice, he was staring at Lia's butt as she walked away, and when she turned back to look
at him, he winked.
“Oh Lord,” Stephen sank back down to his seat, “This is just what I was afraid
of.”
-
We had no choice but to bring Shade along to class, since he refused to sit in the
car for another two hours. This left Stephen with the task of explaining to our history
teacher, Mr. Hudson, just where Shade came from.
“He's my friend, from out of town, just visiting for today. Would it be alright if he
sat in class? I promise he won't be any trouble, right?” This last part seemed more
addressed to Shade rather than Mr. Hudson. Shade tried to put on his most innocent look.
“I don't see the problem,” our teacher said, which was a relief. Mr. Hudson is
usually very laid back, but when something upsets him, he can get very angry, “What's
your name, son?”
“Shade, and it's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Hudson,” he held out his hand, doing
his best version of being charming.
 “That can't be your real name, can it?” our teacher asked as he shook Shade's
hand.
“Uh,” Shade was stuck, “No, actually, it's...” he looked at Stephen, trying to ask
for help without saying it.
“Um,” said Stephen, “His name is... Yoshi,” clearly saying the first Japanese name
that popped in his head, “Yeah, Yoshi... Yamaguchi.”
“That's more like it,” Mr. Hudson smiled, “Go ahead and have a seat. You can
take the empty one between Jolisa and Stephen.”
Shade whispered as he took his seat, “Really? Yoshi? What, is Mario taken?”
Stephen mouthed, “Sorry,” since class had begun. There was a pop quiz about
World War II, which Shade spent looking over the first chapter of our textbook, which
would have been about ancient civilizations. He just smirked and nodded as he flipped
through the pages, and I spent most of the quiz wondering what was going through his
head.
“Alright class, hand in your quizzes and open your texts to Chapter 35. Today we
are talking about the aftermath of the second world war. As discussed on Friday, we have
the surrender of the German forces throughout early May of 1945, and the surrender of
the Japanese on August 15 of that year. Now who would like to read about the forming
of the United Nations?”
Normally I would volunteer immediately for something like that, but now I was
distracted by Shade. After hearing about the surrender of Japan, he went from his
slouching position in his seat to sitting straight up, and looking very perplexed. He
turned, very slowly, to Stephen.
Stephen nonchalantly turned back a few pages in his textbook, back to the end of
World War II, and pointed at a picture of the mushroom cloud above Nagasaki, and then
looked up, very slowly, at Shade.
Shade stared at the photo for a few seconds, looking terrified and confused, then
just stood up and walked out of the room, without any announcement and making no
sound.
“Um,” Stephen jumped up, “Sorry, I'll show him where the bathroom is,” he
looked at me, and all I could say was, “Um,” as my excuse to leave too, and we dashed
out of the room. We found Shade sitting outside the door, staring off at a corner.
“Hey,” Stephen whispered, “Are you okay?”
Shade didn't say anything, he just placed his hands against his face. If he heard
us, or even knew we were there, he made no indication of it.
“Do you think he's remembering?” I asked Stephen, who nodded. I asked, “What
do we do?”
“Let him remember. Every shade goes through this. For all we know, he's having
a breakthrough.”
Shade shook his head fiercely, side to side, almost like a child who didn't like
what he was hearing. Without warning he stood up again, and ran straight for the
bathroom. We followed him. I hesitated outside the door of the mens room, but when I
heard Shade's voice coming from inside, I went in.
“There's no way,” Shade just kept saying, “Impossible. There's no way. There's
no way.” He was standing in front of a sink, staring at his reflection in the mirror.
“I know,” Stephen comforted, rubbing his back, “It can be hard to believe...”
 “No,” Shade snapped out of whatever reverie he was in, “You don't understand.
We don't surrender. For anything. Ever. There is never an excuse to surrender. How
could just one bomb...”
“Two,” I corrected, “There were two, and hundreds of thousands of civilians died.
If Japan hadn't surrendered, the whole country could have been wiped out. There was no
choice.”
“There's always a choice,” Shade glared at me, “I grew up knowing that you never
quit anything, you never give up. This doesn't make any sense.”
“You don't remember this, do you?” Stephen asked, “World War II. Midway. The
atomic bombings. You don't know about any of that, don't you? You lived before that.”
“You, Stephen Morrison, are crazy. And why aren't you in class? I want to hear
how the United Nations was formed. Let's go.”
Shade led the way back to class, with Stephen and I following. He was muttering
to me, “I thought for sure that would be it. His moment. It makes sense for him to have
died during the bombings, doesn't it? Sudden, unexpected, instant... but no matter how
many times I try to get him to study that era, he just thinks I'm insane.”
“It was a good try,” I said, still dazed.
Stephen looked at me, “What's up with you? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I've just never been in a men's bathroom before. It's so weird.”
Stephen just snickered, and held the door to class open for me.
-
“Hey, are you alright?” of all people, Lia Lackey came up to Shade when school
got out, “I mean, you just jumped out of history like that...”
Shade shrugged, “What can I say? When you gotta go, you gotta go.”
Lia giggled, “So what are you doing later? You're not just visiting for today, are
you?”
He nodded, “Afraid so. It's too bad, since I'll be missing out on such a sweet
thing like you.”
I slapped my palm to my forehead, and Stephen just stared at his feet and shook
his head. I had never known that someone could be such a womanizer.
Lia pouted, “I'll miss you too. We should go do something. Are you hungry?”
“Baby, I'm always hungry,” Shade said in a husky voice, which made Lia laugh.
“This is disgusting,” I said to Stephen, who replied, “You get used to it, after a
few years of knowing him.”
“Jo!” Clem called out to me, “Are you still coming this afternoon?”
“Oh right!” I still hadn't told her if I was going to the Garden Club meeting, which
I still had mixed feelings about. I was about to go over to her and tell her that I couldn't
make it, when I heard Lia laugh. I turned, and Shade was playing with her hair. I
suddenly had a great idea.
“Yeah,” I said to Clem, “I'm definitely going.”
-
“So let me get this straight,” Shade said, after I explained the plan to him from the
backseat of Stephen's car, “I talk to these old ladies in the Gardnerian Club, and try to
convince them to have a dance at your school? Why would I do that?”
“First of all,” Stephen said while he drove, “It's not Gardnerian, it's Garden.
Please, please do not say the Gardnerian Club.”
 “And second,” I concluded, “Lia's Mom is in charge. You woo Lia, then you
charm her Mom, and then you get to dance with Lia.”
“I see your point,” he stroked his chin in thought, as if he had a beard to stroke,
“but what about the part about me being a shade, so therefore I cannot formally date
Lia?”
“Doesn't matter,” I said, “I don't think Lia has a heart to break. She just likes the
chase, and then dumps the guy. She only dated Mike for so long because of the political
ties. She must have cheated on him once or twice.”
“Oh,” Shade perked up, “Well that sounds fun. A good old fashioned hook up, no
strings attached, one night only?”
“Exactly,” Stephen turned down Second Street, to the building where the club
meets, “And it would mean a lot to Jolisa if you did this.”
Shade turned around to face me, “Is that true?”
“Well, it would mean a lot to my friends, so I guess it means a lot to me too,” I
smiled.
“I'll do it!” he said resolutely.
-
“We could have just walked here,” I stated as I got out of the car, “It's just two
minutes away from the school,” Clem and a fairly large group of juniors and seniors were
already gathered in front of the Lackey house, since it was faster for them to bike than for
us to drive.
“I like being in the car,” Shade whimpered, “It's fun.”
“Thanks, Shade,” Stephen tapped the little button on his key chain, and the car
flashed as it locked itself, “Hey, is there a Third Street? I saw a First.”
“Nope, just First and Second. That's the whole area of downtown Knightsen,” I
explained.
“So quaint,” said Stephen, “Now what do we do?”
The party crowd had gathered around us, and Clem started explaining, “Okay
team. We're going to go in there, just state what we want and how much we need. If
they're willing to negotiate, we just agree with all of their terms, no matter what. We do
whatever we can to get this dance happening.”
“Negotiate?” said Angie, “What do you mean?”
“How much do we need?” Charlie asked.
“Is this really necessary?” I took my turn to speak, “I mean, is a dance really this
important?”
All of the girls, and even their boyfriends, looked at me as if I were speaking
gibberish. But it was Shade who spoke up, “Jolisa Verne! Of all people I thought you
would understand the gravity of this situation. Dances are the best things ever. If you
have been to one, you would know.”
“Right,” I said, “Because you've been to so many dances, right Shade?”
“Okay!” Clem interrupted, “It's 3:30, the meeting is starting. We're just going to
go in there, and when they have time on their agenda to hear us out, we speak. Let's go
in.”
The Garden Club is the most powerful force in Knightsen. I realized as I walked
up the steps of the house that if this all went wrong, my parents might lose business from
the locals. This was a really big risk, and I just prayed that we wouldn't screw this up.
 As we entered, we saw a circle of twelve women in the living room, knitting. Mrs.
Atkins was reading the club minutes aloud. However, all of them froze when they saw us
walk in, and Mrs. Lackey stood. A tall woman with dark but graying hair, Mrs. Lackey
looked like a normal stay at home mom, but there was something about her fierce glare
that told you she was a force to be reckoned with.
“Hello everyone. Is there a town issue you would like to bring up with the
Garden Club?” she asked nicely.
“Yes indeed there is!” Shade said as he pushed himself to the front of the crowd,
“A hot talk topic, if you will.”
Mrs. Lackey narrowed her eyes, “And who are you? I've never seen you around
town before.”
“Yamaguchi is the name. Yoshi Yamaguchi. But you can call me Shade,” he
extended his hand, “It's wonderful to meet you. I met your younger sister, Lia, at school
today.”
“My sister?” Mrs. Lackey actually blushed as she shook Shade's hand, “Lia is my
daughter.”
Shade dramatically gasped in shock, “No! That can't be! Well, then you must
have been fourteen or something when you had her, right?”
All of the women giggled, and Mrs. Lackey just blushed even more. I looked at
Stephen incredulously, and he had the same look of disbelief on his face. Shade's stupid
tactic was actually working.
“Now, what is it you would like us to do for you, Shade?” Mrs. Lackey sat down,
giving Shade the floor.
“But,” Mrs. Atkins said timidly, “We haven't finished the minutes.”
“Oh please,” Mrs. Lackey returned to her usual, dominating self, “We don't need
to hear what we did last week, we already know. Let's listen to Shade and his friends.”
Shade grinned his wicked grin, bowed, and spoke, “Ladies of the Knightsen
Garden Club, good afternoon. I am here today with the local youth because they have an
idea. An idea that started small, so very small, but has now became a big idea. A very big
idea, indeed.”
It was almost like watching a car wreck. I wanted to look away, and be
completely embarrassed, and give up on this terrible idea altogether. But I couldn't
believe my eyes when I saw that the faces of the Garden Club were completely
enraptured by Shade's speech.
“These young people, these bright, intelligent, thoughtful young people, have this
idea in their wonderful minds. A dance, if you will, at their school. For years they
dreamed of attending an elegant ball, or a hip party, which involved them and all of their
classmates. In a safe, controlled, chaperoned environment of course. They want a night
to relax, to let loose, to be free. They want to embrace their teenage years. When they
look back on their lives, they will see their high school dance as a bright spot in their
otherwise dull and routine lives. They will think, 'Gosh, that night where we all danced
together was magical and fantastical. I wish it never ended.' And not only will they
remember it for the rest of their lives, it will make them proud to be a part of the
Knightsen youth, for this dance will only be open to the high school students of
Knightsen School. They will be proud, yes proud! Proud of their school and their town
and their community. And all because of a night of celebrating their youthfulness.
 “And now, beautiful women of the Garden Club, we are asking you for your help.
We need sponsorship for such a glorious event. And, as everyone knows, the Garden
Club is the most prestigious and generous organization in this tiny yet wonderful town.
They are willing to do anything, anything, for you to get behind their idea and make their
dreams come true. So please, glorious members of the Garden Club, donate to this
dance, onegai shimasu.”
He finished his speech by getting down on one knee and bending his head to Mrs.
Lackey, clasping his hands together.
Everyone looked as bewildered as I felt. I'm sure the Garden Club had never had
this kind of display at their meetings before. They all looked at one another. I was frozen,
afraid that if I moved something terrible would happen. I felt Stephen's hand on my
shoulder, and felt a little better.
“Well,” Mrs. Lackey finally spoke, “I'm glad that the youth in town finally found
the guts to actually do something worthwhile. But how do they expect us to chip in?
They've never had any interest in us before. Why should we be interested in them?”
“Because,” squeaked Clem, “we are willing to help you in your... gardening...
situations,” clearly she lacked the finesse that Shade had with public speaking. Whom,
by the way, was still in his bowed, pleading position and hadn't moved a muscle.
“Oh?” said Mrs. Lackey, coldly, “Will you help us in the spring, when we plant
the bulbs around the center of town?”
“Of course,” said Clem, and everyone around us nodded.
“How about when the roads flood in the winter, would you be willing to help
out?”
“Definitely,” Clem spoke confidently, even though at this request some of the
group looked a bit worried. Delta Road flooded every time a big rainstorm came
through, and it takes a lot of work to put out sandbags and try to pump the water
elsewhere. I had helped out a bit last year, and I knew what kind of guts to takes to carry
all of those sandbags. If they really wanted this dance, they would be working for it.
“Well ladies,” Mrs. Lackey addressed her club members, “Should we put this to a
vote? Should we give some of our funds to this dance?”
Before anyone could say yay or nay, Lia came down the staircase. She stopped
when she saw the crowd of her classmates in the doorway, but lit up when she saw Shade.
“Hey!” she chirped, “What are you doing here?”
“Lady Lia,” Shade said gravely, “I would love to sweep you into my arms and
embrace you just as a lovely goddess as yourself should be treated, but I cannot move
from this position until the ladies and your beautiful mother agree to our demands.”
Lia's jaw dropped, and she just looked at her mother.
Mrs. Lackey smiled, “Very well then, if that's the case, fine. We will give you the
money for your dance.”
All the teens cheered. It was amazing, I couldn't believe that Shade did it. He
stood, and Lia flew her arms around him, “Is it true? We're going to have a dance? Oh
Mom, that's fantastic!”
“But,” Mrs. Lackey killed the joy with just that one word, and everyone listened
intently as she spoke, “There is one more stipulation. Events like this tend to get out of
hand when they're put off too far into the future, and I don't want this money wasted on
some fleeting idea that you will abandon in a month when you get bored, or realize just
how much work you will put into this. We will help pay for the dance, but only if it will
be held this Saturday.”
Everyone erupted in their own version of, “What?”, “Unbelievable!”, “That's
impossible.”
“Of course,” Clem spoke with her head high, “I fully understand where you are
coming from, Mrs. Lackey. This Saturday it is.”
“Good,” Mrs. Lackey smiled, “Now who should I make the check out to?”
-
“So I hear there's a dance this Saturday,” Stephen said to me outside of the Lackey
house.
“Oh really?” I laughed, “Where did you hear that?”
He shrugged, “You know, it's been going around town. A hot talk topic, if you
will.”
I laughed again, still elated from the feeling that Clem and the gang actually did
something.
“So,” Stephen faced me, “Can I take you? To the dance, I mean?”
I was flabbergasted, “Oh, yeah, totally. I mean, I didn't even think about the
whole date aspect of it. Yeah, that would be wonderful Stephen.”
He smiled, “Good. And you forgot about the date aspect? You've never been to a
dance, have you? Shade wasn't kidding, was he?”
I faked a grimace, “You got me. I've never been to anything formal in my life.
Speaking of which, where is that pesky shade?”
Stephen tilted his head toward the house. When I looked, I spotted Lia Lackey
sitting in Shade's lap on the front porch steps, their tongues intently exploring each others
mouths.
“Ew,” I said instinctively, “I did not need to see that.”
“Again, it's something you get used to,” Stephen explained, “He will try to get
any woman whose interested in him. But I've never seen him try to get a human girl,
much less make out with one. That's a little odd.” Stephen's cell phone rang, which
surprised him, and he quickly answered, “Hello? Oh hey Mom! Yeah, I'm surprised my
phone has enough reception too,” he wandered off, and I was left to just look at Shade
make out with Lia Lackey.
I don't know what it was, but I was feeling a strange rush of jealousy flow through
me. Not that I have ever been jealous of Lia, but it was the concept of what they were
doing. I had never kissed a guy like that, in fact, the only time I had kissed a guy was in
the bathroom of a movie theater after I was attacked by an incubus. Would Stephen and I
ever kiss each other like that? Would we do it tonight?
Shade opened his eyes, looking straight at me as he continued kissing Lia. The
hand he was using to run through her hair suddenly pointed at me, and then at the top of
Lia's head, before resting back on her. I was appalled, was Shade trying to tell me that I
was next on his list? Or that he wanted to do this with me? There was no way to get his
attention and ask what that was, since his mouth was glued to Lia's. But then I thought,
even though I know Shade, it wouldn't be so bad to kiss him. I mean, he isn't ugly, and
he's very nice whenever I was alone with him. In fact, now that I was watching him, I
could definitely see myself making out with Shade a lot easier that I could imagine with
Stephen...
 “Jo!” I snapped back into reality when Stephen called out my name, “I'm gonna
go, Mom just got home from her new job. And there's a few things I have to do before,
you know, dinner. Should I still give you a ride home?”
“Oh,” I said, a little flustered and uncomfortable and not believing what I was just
thinking about, “Don't worry, Dan drove here in his truck, he can just drop me off. You're
going to be driving me around tonight a lot anyways, right?”
He smiled, “Yeah, I figured that. So I will see you tonight, how is seven o'clock?”
“Sounds great,” I smiled back, “And hey, I just want to say, you look really
handsome today.”
“Really?” I caught him off guard, “Um, thanks.” It was something that I wanted to
say, I don't know why. I had a feeling for a moment that he could read my mind and
know that I was thinking about making out with Shade, and I just wanted to compliment
him, letting him know that he's the one I want, not Shade. I don't know why I felt I had to
say it, I just did.
“Hey Shade!” Stephen called out, “Time to go!”
Shade detached himself from Lia, saying, “Well, I guess it's our time to say good
bye.”
“Wait!” called out a distressed Lia, “When am I going to see you again?”
“In the future,” he winked, “I'll always be that mysterious man for you. The one
you think about late at night. The one you'll fantasize about during the class. The one you
will wait for until you think that it's too late, that I'm never coming back. And then, there
I will be. Now I must bid adieu.”
Lia watched him walk away with Stephen with the most blissful and longing face
I have ever seen on anyone. And then I felt that jealousy again. I don't think I've ever
had that look for Stephen, not yet. Could I have that with Shade? No, it's impossible.
Yet he's always joking about how he wants me, to steal me away from Stephen. He
wasn't just completely joking, was he?
I could hear Stephen and Shade's dialogue before getting into the Prius. Shade
asked where they were going, and Stephen replied, “To do some errands. Running around
and stuff. I may as well get a phone that doesn't drop my calls whenever Mom calls me.”
“Oh!” Shade smiled, “Shopping! Can I borrow some money?”
“No.”
“Oh...” his enthusiasm died, “Well then... can I borrow your phone?”
“Why?”
“To call your parents.”
“...And ask them for money?”
“Yes.”
Stephen sighed as he opened his door, “We're stopping by my house. If you really
think you can score some cash off of them again, feel free to ask.”
“Win!” Shade cheered as he hopped into his regular passenger seat. I couldn't
help but smile.
-
Typically there are just two seasons in California, summer and winter. Spring and
fall usually last for a few weeks until the next big season comes along. Summer was
definitely ending, and winter was just around the corner. Or steadily approaching from
the distance, in the form of big, gray clouds dominating the sky. I sighed on the way
home in Dan's truck, wishing that we could have enjoyed the autumn atmosphere a little
longer. But clearly it was time to start moving on, since it looked like rain tonight.
When I went inside my house I found my parents in a flurry of packing, “Mom?
Dad? What's going on?”
My parents looked at each other. My Dad said, “I have to start loading up the
truck. You can tell her.”
My Mom put a hand on my shoulder and said, “Do you remember Old Man
Donnelly? Who has the alpaca ranch up near Portland?”
“Yeah,” I said, “Are you going up to Oregon or something?”
She nodded, “He passed away this morning. And nobody else in his family own
enough land for all of his herd. They called us and said they believed that the divided up
his alpacas to various owners in his will, and that for sure we will be on there. So we're
going to go up, help his family to organize his estate, and most likely come home with a
few new additions. We should be back by Sunday at the very latest.”
“Sunday?” I said in disbelief, “That's an awfully long time. You've never put me
in charge that long before.”
Dad appeared in the room, and handed me a one hundred dollar bill, “That should
cover you for food.”
“Are you kidding me?” I said as I accepted the bill. I've never even held one
before, “This is way more than enough. I'll just give you back the change when you guys
get home.”
But my Dad shook his head and smiled, “We're trusting you with the ranch Joli.
It's a big responsibility, so you definitely deserve a bonus. Consider it our thank you for
running the place.” He kissed my forehead and I smiled.
I helped them pack up a few more things before they left. As they drove down the
driveway my Mom called out, “Be safe! Don't have too many crazy adventures!”
“I'll do my best,” I muttered under my breath, then went inside so I could get
ready for my first date.
-
After doing nothing but staring at my closet for a few minutes, I decided to wear
one of my, as Charlie put it, 'Dorothy dresses' to dinner. I figured that since I don't have
anything incredibly fancy, I should be myself. That's who Stephen wants to date
anyways, not the glamorous, made up version of me he saw at the movies. I curled my
hair a little, and picked a brown ribbon to put in my hair to match my dress, and I had no
choice but to wear my black pumps, since all of my other shoes were tennis shoes for
school and work.
Whatever I did worked, because when I opened the front door for Stephen he just
smiled and said, “Hey.”
“Hey,” I answered, admiring him, “What's up?”
“Nothing, just...” he paused before saying, “You look very pretty tonight.”
“Well, so do you,” I blushed. He was wearing a white dress shirt, with black
slacks and a long black coat, and a very nice scarf.
“Is that Burberry?” I asked, reaching out to touch the scarf, “Clem is always going
off about how it's her favorite.”
“Well, I'm very impressed that you recognized the pattern. It is, actually. And,”
he revealed a beautiful bouquet of red roses from behind his back, “these are for you.”
 “You're kidding me!” I said, taking them, “They're gorgeous! Let me put them in
a vase really quick. Come on in.”
I arranged the flowers, and stared at them for a moment before turning to Stephen
and said, “Thank you. Really. Nobody has got me flowers before, much less roses.”
“It's the least I can do for you, Jo. Anyway,” he gestured toward the front door,
“Shall we? I'm starving.”
I followed him to his car. He opened the passenger door, and before letting me in,
quickly blew and dusted the seat. There was nothing that I could see on the seat in the
first place, which was a little odd, but when he finished I took my seat in Shade's regular
spot.
“So I was thinking,” he said as he backed out of the driveway toward Quail Trail,
“of going someplace in Bethel Island. You had mentioned it before, is it nice?”
I shrugged, “I wouldn't say nice. I mean, it's just little Bethel Island. If you go
toward the school and go straight down Knightsen Road, it will take you straight there.
Oh, we could go to the Rusty Porthole! That's a great restaurant.”
He laughed, “The Rusty Porthole? Seriously?”
I nodded, “It's Pasta Monday too. You won't be laughing once you've tried it.”
When we got to the road, Stephen grunted a little, and then switched on his
headlights, “It got dark pretty quickly, didn't it?”
“Yeah,” I peered out the window, “Those dark clouds are covering up any kind of
sunset. It's too bad.”
“Shade was happy about it,” said Stephen, “He couldn't wait to get back home.”
“How was he this afternoon?” I asked.
“He tried to be grumpy, but had a hard time at it since we were shopping. You
know, getting those roses and stuff. We went to that shopping center by the movie
theater, since it looked pretty nice. Shade just begged to go inside the Victoria's Secret
the entire time, and I finally let him.”
“How did that go?” I asked, grinning.
“He just giggled the whole time. It was like watching a kid in a candy store.”
I laughed, “Well, that's our Shade. I would be more surprised if he kept himself
cool and composed the whole time in the store.”
“Mature, you mean,” said Stephen, “Acting appropriately.”
“Exactly. It's a good thing we're so well behaved, to balance him out.”
Stephen looked at me, smiled, and then turned his eyes back on the road.
-
“Jolisa Mary!” greeted Lori Jean Diver, the main waitress at the Rusty Porthole,
and whom I've happened to know since I was a toddler, “Don't you look beautiful? I
haven't seen you since your fifteenth birthday. And who might you be, young man?”
“This is Stephen Morrison,” I introduced, “The newest student in the eleventh
grade at Knightsen School. Stephen, this is Lori Jean. He's new to the area.”
“Then you've come to just the right place!” she said warmly, “You're going to
have the best seafood dinner in the East Bay! Here, I'll get you the best table.” She led
us to a small table, just for two, with a view over the water. There wasn't much to see at
night, just the twinkle of far off windmills and the occasional airplane. But we could also
see all of the boats docked just outside the restaurant, while a few of their owners were
seated nearby, enjoying their dinners. Lori Jean quickly got us some tall glasses of water,
and left us to peruse the menu.
“So this place is really nice,” Stephen said, looking around and enjoying the
general nautical atmosphere of the restaurant.
“Really? It's just the old Rusty Porthole. There are lots of little riverside
restaurants like this all over the delta. But this place can be fun sometimes, they have a
Pirate Costume Ball every August, and lots of other events too.”
“August?” he looked bummed, “Darn, just missed it. If I had moved here
sooner...”
“I'm glad you moved here,” I heard myself saying, “when you did.”
“What does that mean?” Stephen asked, which was strange because I didn't know
the answer to that. I was so glad, beyond glad, he was here now. Right when I was
making a mental note to think before I speak, especially on dates, Lori Jean came back
and asked if we were ready.
“Cheese stuffed shells,” I said instinctively, “Oh, sorry Stephen, I didn't give you
time...”
“No problem,” He just closed his eyes and jabbed at the menu, “Tiger shrimp
alfredo,” he said after opening his eyes to see where he landed.
“Comin' right up,” Lori Jean smiled as she took our menus.
“I should have warned you,” Stephen said, “That's how I always order at
restaurants. Keeps it exciting. Although it's never as fun when you land on the kids
menu.”
I took a sip of my water, “You certainly are a risk taker.”
”That's me. So,” he put his elbows on the table, resting his head in his hands, “Tell
me about yourself.”
I nearly choked on the water, “What do you mean?”
“Since I haven't even known you for a week yet, you know. We've been around
each other a lot, but I still don't know everything about you. Like, when is your
birthday?”
“July 18,” I answered, “Next year will be my golden birthday.”
“What's a golden birthday?”
I rolled my eyes, “Everyone knows that. It's when you're the same age as your
birth date. I'll be eighteen on the eighteenth.”
“Oh, I get it. So I have to wait a while for that, I was born on August 30. But it
seems that for about a month and a half next year, we'll be the same age.”
It had never occurred to me that Stephen was eighteen. It did explain how he
drove a car, and he did say once that he had to repeat a grade of school. I figured that I
would get an older boyfriend to match Clem's, which made me smile a little.
“So continue,” he said, “More about yourself.”
“Um, there isn't much more to me. I've lived in the same house my whole life,
with my parents. I'm an only child. My favorite color is maroon. I guess the rest you
know. I go to school and stuff. Nothing terribly exciting.”
“Tell me one thing you've never told anyone else.”
I had to think for a second, and the only good thing that I knew I honestly never
told anyone was, “Once I had this dream, during the flood season, that all of Knightsen
flooded and all the alpacas drowned, and I knew my parents were in my house but I
couldn't get in because of the water, and I knew they were dead but I was still trying to
help them...” I stopped when I saw the sad expression on his face, “Oh, sorry, I'm sure
you were looking for some embarrassing story or something. Never mind.”
“No, it's interesting,” he said, “That you keep your nightmares from people. It
says something about you.”
“What does it say?”
“You hide your fears. You only show your strong side.”
“It does?” I stared at the table, “Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?”
“Either,” he said calmly, “Depends on how you want it to be.”
“Okay!” I looked back up at him, and said resolutely, “Your turn. Tell me about
you.”
“Well,” he took a breath, “I was born in Santa Clara, in the South Bay. We moved
to Stockton when I was six, when my Dad got his job there. He works for the city, as the
district attorney of San Joaquin County. I have an older brother, Thomas, who goes to
school at San Jose State. He thinks I'm crazy for moving my family to Knightsen, but my
parents totally understand my needs. Um, I'm a,” he looked around the restaurant to see
if anyone was listening, “necromancer, as you know. I'm a general type, which means I
can get along with anything in the Winterland. Well, except the violent ones of course. I
love reading, especially classic literature. And one thing I've never told anyone,” he took
a moment to think too, “I spilled a can of soda in the back seat of my brother's new car
the last time I saw him, but I didn't tell him and I had to clean it up noiselessly with no
napkins, so most likely it's still there and most likely he doesn't know it's there.”
I grinned, “That's your big secret?”
“Well, not by big secret, obviously. But I've never told anyone that. It's an old
Pontiac that he completely restored, so if you ever meet him I'd be very grateful if you
never told him that.”
“Done,” I said, still grinning, “So how did you meet Shade?”
“I actually met him through his girlfriend, the princess,” he said, leaning back in
this chair, “Well, that's what she referred to herself as. And Shade is the Shining Prince,
they all make little nicknames for each other, you see. And here's what I don't get. She
always wore a kimono. All black, of course, since Shade's clothes and hair turn black
after they die, for some reason. But Shade, who clearly lived and died beside her, is
wearing normal clothes. A shirt and pants. What do you think of that?”
“Hmm,” I thought, “And you're sure they were together before? I mean, when
they were alive?”
“Positive. She told me so, the princess. She remembered a lot more, female
shades tend to do that. I think she even knew what happened to them, but never
processed the fact that she died from it until I said something. But she must have never
told Shade, because he's honestly clueless. I wonder why?”
“Well, he did say he was at a wedding when it happened...” and I stopped myself,
remembering that Shade made me promise not to tell Stephen that. And I just did.
“He was what?” Stephen was shocked, but in an excited way, “Really? Did he
tell you that? When? Last night?”
“Yeah, but, um, he didn't want me to tell you. He was really sincere about it...”
“Jolisa, it's my job to figure out what happened to shades and help them move on.
You have to tell me what he said.”
I sighed. Stephen was right. Even if Shade did make me promise, it really
wouldn't matter eventually. Shade was already dead, “Fine. He doesn't remember much
about it, just that it was a wedding. Do you think the princess was the bride?”
“Possibly. But then why isn't he dressed for it?”
“Is it possible for shades to swap clothes? I mean, if they live in Shadetowns,
which look like working communities...”
“It's possible, sure, Princess herself swapped her kimono for a long, black dress
when she came out here one night. But that's still interesting, the wedding. I wonder who
was getting married? He and the princess were awfully close, and he's still really hurt
about her being gone. He never used to be such a lady killer. I think he tries to get with
every woman he possibly can just to cover up his sadness.”
“You think so?” I sighed, “That's so sad.” I thought about Lia, and how he acted
in the car on the way home from the movies, and even every time he had tried to hit on
me playfully. Was he really thinking about his long lost love during all of that?
“So anyway,” Stephen said, “I've never really had the chance to ask you, about
how you felt after going to the Winterland. What did you think about, the next
morning?”
“Oh,” I said, thinking about my decision, “I thought, well, since I'm already living
my life, and I'm happy with it... I mean, how do I put this?” It had all seemed to clear to
me then, when I made up my mind, but now it felt hard to tell it to Stephen, “I'm glad
you've become a part of my life. But I have my own life, and my own happiness comes
before everything. So coming along on your adventures is fun and all, and really
exciting, and really cool. But it can't clash with my life. My parents were upset that I
was home so late that night. I can't let that happen again. As much as I'd want it to.”
He nodded, “I understand. Really, I do. You don't have to come along with me
every time, it was just really handy when you were. You stopped that succubus from
strangling me, I'm sure that Shade would have just enjoyed the show instead of help me.
And you didn't even know that the one thing that can stop a succubus in her tracks is the
touch of a woman.”
“Really?” I sounded shocked, “I guess that makes sense. Is it the same with
incubi? I mean, if a man touches one?”
Stephen nodded, “Except for that one, the one that went after you. He's really
powerful. And he's probably cooking up a plot to stop me, in the Winterland.”
“So he's really still around in the Winterland? You didn't send him away like the
succubus?”
“Nope, I can only send people to the Summerland while I'm in the Winterland. If
I'm here, I can only send them back to the Winterland. But anyway, I don't want to talk
business the entire time. It's fine then, you don't have to come along for every adventure.
But I will invite you sometimes, if I feel that you could be useful. How about that?”
“Sounds great,” I beamed at him, conveniently when our dinners arrived.
-
“I want to give you something,” Stephen said as I sat down in my seat after
returning from the bathroom. Our table had been cleared when I was gone, and I hoped I
hadn't been away for too long. I reapplied what little makeup I was wearing, plus making
sure I didn't have that “food baby” look Clem says I get after eating a big meal.
“Oh?” I asked, intrigued, “What do you mean?”
“It's just, like I said, I haven't even known you for a week. But it feels a lot longer
than that, doesn't it? And I'm glad I have you. You've meant so much to me in the short
time that I've been here, I just felt that I needed to get you something,” and from his
pocked he pulled out a small, rectangular box, and placed it on the table. I recognized it
instantly as a jewelry box, and I froze. I was terrified that he bought me a diamond
necklace or something.
“Stephen,” I whispered, “You shouldn't have. Really. I don't want this. I don't...”
“Just open it,” he grinned. I complied, and I gasped when I did.
“Oh my gosh! I love it!” I said as I snapped the small silver charm bracelet
around my wrist.
“See these?” he pointed out as he helped me put it on, “You can put little pictures
of whatever you want there, so you can see them always.”
“I really like it,” I held out my arm so I could admire it. It had tiny bells on it too,
so it made a pleasant jingling sound, “Nobody has bought me jewelry before.”
“Good. I'm glad you like it. Shade actually helped me pick it out this afternoon.”
“Well, you both have good taste,” as I said this I noticed him start to dig into his
wallet, to pay for the dinner. I quickly said, “Oh, here, let me,” and took out the one
hundred dollar bill from my purse.
“Whoa, hey there big spender,” he whistled, “I thought you didn't earn that much
at the ranch.”
“I didn't. My parents are gone, a bit of a family emergency. They left me this for
spending money.”
“Well I hope everything is okay. I was wondering why nobody was there at your
house. And put that back,” he said as he set a credit card on the table by the bill, “I asked
you out on this dinner, so I pay.”
“Fine,” I put the bill back in my purse, listening to my bracelet chime a little bit
when I did so. Another random thought popped into my head, and I let myself say it,
“Why did you talk to me, on your first day of school?”
“What do you men?” he asked seriously.
“You could have gone up to anyone and asked them about the parking lot. Why
did you ask me?”
He just smiled, “That, I will tell you on our second date.”
-
It had rained a little bit while we had been in the restaurant, the headlights from
Stephen's car shone off the wet road as we headed over the small bridge leaving Bethel
Island.
“I don't want to go home,” I muttered.
“What was that?”
“I don't want this to end yet. I mean, my house is empty. I would have nothing to
do. And I'm wide awake.”
Stephen laughed for a second, and then pursed his lips together to make himself
stop.
“What got into you?” I asked.
“Nothing, it's just that I can hear Shade's voice in the back of my head. I know
exactly what he would say right now if he were here,” Stephen turned to look at me, “But
thankfully he's not. So what should we do? I don't want to go home either.”
I just shrugged. I was out of ideas. There really is absolutely nothing to do out
here at night. I was starting to see just why Clem wanted to have this dance so badly.
“Show me Orwood,” Stephen said suddenly, “I don't know what's beyond my
little grove of trees.”
“There's nothing really there,” I explained, “Just a boat launch, a dock, a
restaurant or two, some houses. There's nothing to do there. Especially now.”
“But I want to see it,” he said, “with my own eyes.”
“Fine,” I said, “you know the way.”
We couldn't help but watch the grove of tall trees go by on Orwood Road, the
ones where Stephen opens his Doors. We didn't say a word, we just gazed at them as
they went by.
“So what's ahead here?” he asked, breaking the silence.
“The launch will be on your right, coming up. Everyone goes there during the
summer, it's a wonderful place to swim when it gets sweltering hot.”
“Is this it here?” he asked, and it was. We crossed a tiny bridge that went over the
small finger of water that stemmed off the river, and along its shore were a few dozen
sailboats and fishing boats tied up and docked. The big, concrete boat launch was just off
the side of the road, descending deep into the water. Stephen pulled off the road, parked
right above the launch, and to my surprise turned off the car and went outside.
“Stephen!” I whispered, dashing out of the car and following him down the
launch, “What are you doing? We're not supposed to be here!”
“Who says?” he asked, speaking louder than I was, “I don't see any signs. And
nobody is here. What's the harm?”
“Keep it down, the harbor master lives just over there,” I pointed to a small house
on the other side of the water. There was a restaurant and an RV park near there as well.
Stephen just shrugged, and sat on the concrete.
“And you're not supposed to sit on a boat launch,” I said, even though I took a
seat right next to him, hugging my knees while keeping my dress covering me.
“I break a lot of rules,” he grinned, staring at the black water, “Especially when
they're stupid ones. What do you mean we aren't supposed to sit here? Nobody is
shoving their boat into the water right now, are they?”
“No...” I said, shivering a little. The air was cold, especially so close to water.
The bright moon was reflecting off of the tiny current, making little polka dots of white
light dance on top of the river. There was no other noise except a light wind, and the
sound of water lapping against boats.
I felt Stephen's gaze upon me, so I looked up and found myself looking right into
his eyes. We stayed that way for quite a while, just looking at each other.
“Hey,” he finally said.
“Hey,” I replied.
“You okay?” he asked, which I thought was a strange thing for him to say.
“Sure,” I said, “Better than okay.”
“That's good,” his gaze turned back to the water, “It's just that I feel really bad.
About the whole incubus thing. Whenever I think about it, I get so angry. He came so
close to seriously hurting you, and I keep thinking about what would have happened if I
was a second too late...”
“You weren't,” I put a hand on his arm to comfort him, “You saved me. I'm
eternally grateful for that. And I've recovered. I mean, it's still scary to think about, but
you stopped him and I'm fine.”
“It wasn't awkward?” he asked another unexpected question.
“What do you mean?”
“That night. I... never mind. My mind just keeps going over the events of
Saturday night, and I would feel a lot better knowing that you were okay with them.”
I nodded, “I'm fine Stephen, really I am.” He went quiet, and I rested my hand
back on my knees. I could tell that he had been trying to tell me something, but just
stopped. I was used to this by now, from all the times before when he was trying not to
tell me about being a necromancer. But he had always just changed the subject before, to
something lighthearted. And now he was just quiet, thinking.
I realized in a flash what he must have been getting at. The kiss. He wanted to
know if the kiss was awkward. Which it wasn't. It had been wonderful. Hadn't I thought
about it every time I watched Clem and Dan kiss, or during Shade and Lia's make out
session this afternoon? I had never wondered what Stephen had thought about it, and
how often. Was he still thinking about it, right now?
Eventually he sighed, and said, “I just have to say it, I guess. There's no other
way to do it, is there?”
“Do what?” I was curious and also a little afraid, not quite sure what he was
getting at.
“Jolisa,” he said, his voice faltering a bit, “Will you... be my girlfriend?”
I noticed I had been holding my breath, and I let it all out in one big exhale. I
giggled, and said, “Yeah.”
“Really?” he said, surprised.
“Yeah. Yes,” I repeated.
“Really?” he said louder, his eyes lighting up and his grin as big as I've ever seen
it.
“Yes, Stephen,” I turned toward him, “Yes. I'm your girlfriend. And you're my
boyfriend,” when I said it, I finally realized the happiness that Stephen was experiencing.
Stephen was, finally, officially, my boyfriend. I almost felt like I was floating.
“Good then,” he looked down at the water and then back at me, “So now it's okay
for me to do this?” and he reached over, grabbing the back of my neck and my shoulder,
and pulled me close to him, planting a kiss on my lips.
I was about to reply that yes, it was okay for him to do that, but words and
thoughts got jumbled up in my head while he was kissing me. My brain just stopped, to
focus all its attention on Stephen. I wrapped my arms around him, wanting him even
closer to me. Just the feeling of our closeness felt intoxicating, and I kissed him as hard
as I could. He squeezed me even tighter, moaning against my mouth.
This was truly my first kiss. It felt more wonderful that I could have ever
imagined. I didn't ever want it to end. And it didn't feel strange at all, it was all
completely natural. Our movements and emotions seemed to blend into one, long action:
he gently bit my lower lip, our tongues met, I cried out uncontrollably when he breathed
on my neck as he kissed me by my ear, the scent of his hair, his hands going up and down
my back, his taste, his breathing, his blue-green eyes, soft lips, butterflies, happiness, joy,
love... love...
A slamming car door made us both jump out of each others arms. I had to
quickly remember where I was, and for a second, who I was, until I registered that we
were still on the boat launch in Orwood, and it was late at night, and the night fishermen
were most likely getting ready to set up.
“We should go,” I whispered, and he just nodded, clearly still recovering from our
passionate kissing. We ran as quietly as we could back to his car, opening and closing the
doors as gingerly as we could. He started the car silently and kept the car moving at a
crawl, so it didn't make a sound. We spotted three men holding fishing rods and tackle
boxes walking down the opposite end of the road, and Stephen quickly stepped on the gas
and the car roared off back toward Knightsen. I felt almost delirious and high off of the
experience, yelling and laughing, “Go! Go! Hurry, they'll catch us!” as he sped off.
“Are they following us?” Stephen cried out just as dramatically.
“Yes!” I lied, still laughing, “The night fishermen come after young couples!
They will use us as their bait!”
Stephen cried out in mock terror, speeding the car up to seventy miles per hour. I
couldn't control myself, I kept laughing. Whenever he looked at me, he burst into his
own fit of laughter, which made me laugh even harder. I couldn't recall the last time I
felt so giddy and young and free.
I heard his laugh suddenly stop, and I wiped some tears out of my eyes to look at
him. He was staring gravely out the window. Somehow I though that the night fishermen
really were after us, and I looked outside. There was nobody there, Stephen had stopped
the car next to the grove of trees.
“What is it?” I asked seriously.
“Something's there,” he said, hushed.
“Who?” I asked.
“Not who, not a person, something is there,” he rested his forehead against the
steering wheel, sighed and said, “Jo, I'm sorry. I know you just said you didn't want to go
with me every time, and this is our first date and all. But I have to do this.”
“Hey,” I reached over and combed my fingers through his hair, which made him
grin a little, “I don't mind. Why don't we say our date is officially over, and now it's
Winterland time?”
“You sure?” he peeked over at me. I nodded. He put his head up and said,
“Alright then,” gave me a quick peck on my lips and said, “That was nice. Now let's see
what's happening at my Door site.”
-
He was right, there was nobody there. And from what I could tell, nothing
different at all. Stephen was slowly walking around the small patch of dirt, which had
become mud from the rain, analyzing the ground. I tried helping him by looking around
too, which proved to be difficult since I didn't know what I was looking for. Whenever I
tried to say something, Stephen quickly shushed me, and continued his search.
I was beginning to think that whatever he was looking for would be visible only
to him, when I spotted something at my feet. It was a bright, white feather. I knelt down
to look at it. At first I thought it must have been from a dove, or even an egret, but the
feather was the wrong size for both of those birds. It was shaped more like an eagle
feather, or off the wing from any bird of prey, except it was way too small. Against the
mud, it looked even whiter than it probably was.
“Hey Stephen,” I called out, reached down to pick up the feather, “Look at this.”
“DON'T!” he screamed, running toward with me with full force and pushed my
hand away from the feather, “Don't you dare touch that!” he yelled in my face.
I was as still as a statue, not knowing how to react to him yelling at me like that,
but quickly he said, “Sorry, I'm sorry, it's just that you should definitely not touch this.”
“Why?” I asked in a quiet voice.
Stephen bent down and picked up the feather, looked at it for a second, and said,
“Yep, it's a drude feather.”
“What's a drude?” I asked, “I heard Shade say that word today.”
Stephen paced as he spoke, “A drude is another creature that inhabits the
Winterland. The person who becomes one killed themselves, but by accident. They did
an action which unintentionally caused their death. Plus, they have to be virgins when
they die.”
“Why virgins?” I was taken aback by that last statement.
“I'm not sure how people turn into these things when they die. Shades and drudes
and encantado and whatnot. It's all written in the Necronomicon. It just happens. But
when you're a virgin, and you accidentally kill yourself, you become a drude. They're a
lot like shades in the Winterland, except they have a perfect memory of their former life,
and they know full well that they're dead. They look just like people, exactly like they
were before their death. Except there's one thing they can't do that most things in the
Winterland can: they can't come into this world in their own bodies. If they do, they
become puffs of wind, a will o' the wisp, which isn't very fun to be apparently. So what
they can do is cast one of their feathers into a well known Door site, and wait. If a virgin
touches that feather, then the drude can come into this world into the virgin's body,
possessing them, and doing whatever they want. Which, in a drudes' case, is sleeping
with as many people as possible.”
“Wow,” I said, taking in all of the information, “So that feather...”
“Is probably from some poor teenage girl, feeling lonely and wanting to have a
good time out here. Which is why you couldn't touch the feather. Well, assuming...” he
trailed off.
“What?” I asked right when I understood what he was getting at, “Oh, I see. For
your information, yes, it would have been bad news if I had touched that feather.”
He chuckled quietly to himself, “Okay then. But seriously, here's what I'm
thinking. Shade is most likely in the Winterland, telling all his friends about you. A
drude listens in, and believe me, Shade really enjoys the company of drudes, if you catch
my drift. She sends a feather out here for you, just based on the knowledge that there's a
necromancer who is hanging out with a girl.”
“You think so?”
“That's the most likely scenario. See, that's why this can be a bit dangerous for
you. Things like this,” he looked up at me and smiled weakly.
“Hey,” I said, “Listen. You're my boyfriend, and I'm gonna stick by you, even if
some crazy dead virgin is after my body.”
He laughed at that, “I wonder who is crazier, the drude or my girlfriend?”
“There's only one way to find out,” I grinned.
-
We went to the Winterland in the same way we did before; Stephen took my hand,
chanted and drew some circles, some mist gathered, and after I reluctantly laid down in
the mud we were back in the land of the dead. It still had that murky, dark feeling. It
may have just been a trick of the eyes but the sky seems lower, like its just twenty feet
above you. We were on a hill, like before, except it must have been a different once since
there was no sign of the Shadetown below us. There was no wind this time, the knee-deep
grass was still and the only sound was the tinkling of my bracelet.
“So what do we do?” I asked Stephen, my voice sounding muffled in this silent,
strange place.
He held out his hand, and the white feather was resting in his palm. He gently
blew it into the air, and I expected it to just fall to the ground, since there was no wind.
But the feather danced in the air on its own, heading away from us.
“Now, we just follow,” he said. We were still holding hands, so we walked side
by side, our fingers entwined, slowly following the feather that dipped and dived in the
air as if it were carried on a breeze. We followed it down the slope of the hill, and at the
base we could clearly hear the sound of a girl giggling.
“What was that?” I whispered, but Stephen hushed me, pointing at the feather. It
finally started to sink, and vanished from view into the tall grass. I heard a feminine
voice say, “Hey!” and a girl popped up. Clearly she had been hiding in the grass.
“Oh my gawd, how did you, like, find our hiding spot?” she moaned in a
complete valley girl accent. I honestly didn't believe that people actually talked like that.
And her voice matched her appearance; long blond and styled hair, with a pink headband
matching her strappy sundress. Her skin was an unnatural mix of tan and orange.
“Our?” Stephen said warily, “Who else is with you?”
She made a sound which was a combination of a sign and a groan, and said,
“Come on girls, like, a necromancer totally found us.”
Two other girls emerged from hiding, and to my surprise all three of them looked
completely different. One girl had dyed black hair, and a complete black goth outfit with
matching lipstick. The other had cropped brown hair, round glasses, and was wearing
high waisted brown pants with a long sleeved green shirt. It was a style I had never seen
before.
“I figured your plan wouldn't work,” the goth girl droned, “As usual.”
“Geez Autumn, it wasn't even my plan!” the blond complained.
“Honestly,” the third girl spoke up, and she had a very crisp British accent, “I
haven't had faith in either of you for quite some time.”
I turned to Stephen, “Are they drudes?”
“Yep,” he said, “The most annoying creatures in all existence.”
The blond turned to Stephen, “I can totally hear you! Like, I'm not deaf.”
Stephen let go of my hand so he could extend it out in a handshake, “I haven't met
you before. I'm Stephen, a necromancer from California.”
The girl let out another strange sound I couldn't identify, which sounded like
“Squee!” and said, “I'm from California too! Well, I used to be, before my accident. It's
so cool that you're Cali too! Where from? I'm from Santa Monica. You know, right by
LA and Hollywood,” she shook his hand enthusiastically. Her long, manicured nails were
the same pink as her dress.
“I'm from a bit farther north,” Stephen said, “near San Francisco, a town called
Knightsen.”
“Oh,” she dropped his hand as if it were diseased, and sneered, “NorCal.”
I stepped up, “Is there something wrong with Northern California?” I crossed my
arms.
“Um, yah,” she put her hands on her hips and her head swiveled to the side, “It's
all hippies and super gays and ew up there. In SoCal, we're sophisticated and modern,”
she flicked her hair over her shoulder as she defended her territory.
“Right,” I looked her up and down, “Sophisticated.”
The British girl chuckled, and the goth girl, Autumn, said, “Don't bother trying to
convince her she's wrong. She doesn't have enough brains in that head to do that.” The
blond just rolled her eyes, but the goth continued, “I'm Autumn, if you didn't know, and
this is Helena and Kimberlee.”
“I'm Jolisa. Nice to meet you guys.”
“Pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Jolisa” Helena came forward to shake
my hand, “And you, Sir Necromancer Stephen. I've heard so much about you.”
“Really? From who?” asked Stephen.
“Why, the Shining Prince, of course,” Helena smiled.
“Oh,” Stephen grinned as well, “Your one of those drudes, aren't you?”
I asked, “Who is the Shining Prince?”
Stephen shrugged, “Shade, of course. All the shades have their own little
nicknames, and their own reputations behind them. Our friend Shade clearly has a good
grasp of Japanese literature to go by that name.”
“Indeed,” said Helena, “He speaks very fondly of you, quite often.”
“Hey,” whined Kimberlee, “He hasn't talked about any necromancers to me.”
“Or me,” Autumn looked just as let down.
Right on cue, I heard Shade's voice behind me say, “Did someone mention my
name?” we all turned to see Shade standing there with his hands above his head in a,
what I assume he thinks as, a male supermodel pose, “Well greetings, Stephen and Jolisa,
funny seeing you here,” he dropped his cynical attitude for a moment, and said softly,
“And sweet, beautiful, fantastic in bed Helena.”
“Prince Shade!” Helena ran up to him and threw her arms around him. He kissed
her gently on the cheek, and once again I felt that wave of emotion while watching him
give his affections to someone else. It couldn't be jealousy, could it?
Shade asked her, “How is my little Cambridge student who falls asleep at the
wheel doing?”
“Stop it,” she playfully glowered at him, “It's not my fault I had to stay up all
night studying at home and then drive back to university, I blame my professors entirely.
And I'm doing well, thank you. I'm on a special, secret assignment with Kimberlee and
Autumn.”
“Kimberlee and Autumn?” he seemed taken aback, then looked up to find two
drudes staring daggers at him, “Oh, hello ladies. It's been a while, hasn't it?”
“Oh. Em. Gee,” Kimberlee said, placing emphasis on each syllable, “You slept
with Helena?”
“Yeah,” Shade said plainly, “On multiple occasions.”
Kimberlee made a gagging noise, “And you didn't even mention that when you
slept with me?”
“You slept with Kimberlee?” Helena sounded disgusted, she put her hands up and
took a step away from Shade.
“Wait, wait!” Autumn called out, “You slept with Helena, I can understand that,
but you slept with Kimberlee? And you would only just make out with me?” She rubbed
her left wrist as she spoke.
I looked at Stephen, who had placed a hand on his forehead and closed his eyes,
and muttered, “I should have known.”
“Alright, look ladies,” Shade announced, “You are all very beautiful in your own
unique ways. Helena, you're smart, and I have a thing for smart girls. Kimberlee, you're
easy, and I wanted a quickie that one night and of course you were willing. And Autumn,
you weren't that great of a kisser, so I didn't want to take any chances. But no hard
feelings, right? We can put this behind us, right Helena?” he seemed to want to impress
her the most.
She had her arms crossed, tapping her foot, “I haven't seen you for weeks. You've
found someone else, haven't you?”
Shade quickly looked at me, then looked back at Helena and said, “No.”
Helena quickly looked at me, then looked back at Shade and said, “Her?”
Shade laughed, “What makes you think that? She's a human, I have no business
with her, right?”
“And I'm a drude,” Helena rebutted, “Technically you should have no business
with me either.”
“Excuse me?” Kimberlee interrupted, “Just what makes you think I'm easy? I
mean, I've never put out before, ever.”
Shade teased, “Which is probably why your boyfriend cheated on you, I'm
assuming.”
“As if!” Kimberlee yelled, “He just never noticed me. He never appreciated me
for what I was.”
“So swallowing a bunch of pills would do the trick, huh?” Shade sneered.
“I didn't mean to die! Geez!” Kimberlee threw her hands in the air, “I give up.
Today sucks.”
Stephen finally spoke up, “Which brings us to the matter at hand. I found a
feather outside my door, and it belong to you Kimberlee. Why did you do this?”
“I was asked to, okay?” she said angrily, “Someone wanted me to possess your
little friend here, I don't know why. I asked those two to come along with me to see if it
worked. And obviously it didn't, so I'm going to go now.”
“Not so fast,” Stephen reached out and grabbed her arm, “Who hired you?”
She mimed locking up her lips and throwing away the key.
“You're really going to play with me?” Stephen sounded annoyed, “When you
know what I can do to you? Or should I say, what I will do to you?”
“I know,” Helena said, “It was an incubus. He asked her to do it.”
I swear my heart stopped for just a moment. One look at Shade and I could tell he
was feeling the same way.
“An incubus?” Stephen gasped, “Seriously? Was he tall, blond, muscular?”
Helena nodded, “Yes, why? Do you know him?”
“All too well,” Stephen sighed, “Kimberlee, I'm going to have to send you to the
Summerland for conspiring with a violent creature.”
“Conspiring? What does that mean? Wait,” she suddenly looked terrified, “The
Summerland? Seriously? No, don't, I can explain!”
Stephen looked up at Autumn, “Is there any reason why I shouldn't send her?”
 Autumn smiled, her teeth looked extremely white against her black lips, “None at
all.”
Stephen started his chant, and Kimberlee sank into the grass, only becoming
visible from the shoulders up, “Don't do this, Stephen, come on now, you're really cute
you know...” when she realized that begging wasn't going to change his mind, she
sneered, “It doesn't matter anyway. The incubus said he was going to send a vampire
through your Door, to get you.”
Stephen stopped abruptly, “What was that?”
She flicked her hair one last time, “I wouldn't sleep so well tonight, if I were
you.”
Stephen said a few more words in his chant, and Kimberlee disappeared in a
bright burst of light.
“This is the best day of my life!” rejoiced Autumn, “Or, um, death. But whatever,
Kimberlee is gone! Thank you Stephen.”
“Yeah,” said Stephen, whose mind was clearly elsewhere, “Jo, we have to get out
of here, now.”
“Right,” I said, following him. I felt a little afraid, I hadn't forgotten what
Stephen told me about vampires.
“Wait,” Helena called out, “Jolisa, may I speak with you? Privately?”
“Helena, we have to go,” Stephen said urgently.
“It will only take a moment. Go guard your Door. She will be there shortly. And
you,” she addressed Shade, “I'll have a talk with you later.”
Shade gulped, “Um, I'm going with Stephen,” and the boys dashed back up the
hill, toward the Door.
“What is it?” I asked the drude.
“You fancy him,” she said plainly.
“What?” I didn't understand what she meant.
“You... like him,” she translated.
“Oh! Oh no, no, not at all!” I said a bit too loud, “I mean, he's a shade and all.
Like he said, I'm a human so...”
Helena just grinned, “I meant your friend. Stephen. You fancy him.”
I felt like an idiot, “Um, yeah, he's my boyfriend.”
“You'll be coming here often then, I can assure you,” she continued to grin, “So I
would be a lot more cautious when you do so. Dress better, for one thing, or else the
creatures here will walk all over you. You should always look like you're about to start a
fight, or just look commanding. You'll be safer that way.”
I nodded, taking in what she had to say. She had no way of knowing that I was
dressed for a date previously, but she was right. If I was going to come here again, I
needed to be smarter about it.
“Thanks,” I said, “And I'm sorry about your whole car thing.”
“Don't worry,” she said, “Prince Shade tells me that automobiles have things
called seat belts and air bags now, that keep people safe. We didn't have such things in
the forties. There was a war, you know.”
“I understand. I really have to get going now,” I pointed in the direction that
Stephen and Shade ran off.
“Of course. Go on then. Be careful with that vampire, I could never face one
myself,” then she called out at the last minute, “And be careful around Shade, he is quite
the man-about-town!”
-
I ran through the Door and found Stephen and Shade crouched down by one of
the trees, looking at something on the ground. I joined them, and found that they
discovered a set of footprints that didn't belong to either of us.
“He got through,” Stephen said, “And he's loose somewhere. This is bad.”
“What do we do now?” I asked.
“I know what I'm doing,” said Shade, “I'm going home. No way am I going to
stay here with a vampire out for blood.”
“No,” said Stephen, “You're staying here, and you're going to watch Jolisa for
me.”
“What?” Shade and I asked at the same time.
“I'm going out to find that vampire. I can't let it hurt anyone or anything. See,
that's why I moved out here in the first place, it's going to take a while for it to find a
decent victim, and he's going to find me even easier with no distractions around. I'm
going to find him and take him down. And if he comes anywhere near Jolisa, Shade,
you're going to pick her up and fly toward me, wherever I am. Got it?”
Shade frowned, “Can you really take down a vampire by yourself?”
“I did it before,” Stephen said proudly.
“Yeah, but she was an old lady. I could have killed her if I wanted to.”
“Sure, if you wanted to, which you never would,” then Stephen turned to me,
“Can you put up with Shade for a bit? I just don't want to leave you alone, with the
vampire out there.”
“I should come with you,” I said, “I'm just going to worry about you if I don't.”
“Hey,” she said soothingly, holding both my hands, “I'll be fine. I'm the
necromancer, you're not. You would be in so much danger if you came with me, and I
wouldn't be able to focus on stopping the vampire. Does that make sense?”
I just nodded, feeling very sad that I was sending him off to do something
incredibly risky. Stephen gave me a quick kiss on my lips, and turned to Shade, who just
said, “Whoa, what was that about?”
“Shade...” Stephen tried to say.
“You just kissed her! Does that mean...”
“Shade.”
“I never heard how your date went tonight! You used tongue, like I told you to,
right?”
“Shade.”
“Please tell me you at least copped a feel.”
“Shade! It's my turn to speak now. You're going to watch Jolisa until sunrise,
with no funny business.”
Shade slouched, “Why do you always say that?”
“Because I always mean it!” Stephen turned to me, “I should drive you home, it's
been a long night.”
“Shotgun!” Shade yelled as he ran for the car.
-
I held Stephen for a long time at my doorway, and kissed him for a few minutes
until he broke it off, saying that he really had to get going.
“Here,” he removed his scarf, and wrapped it around my neck, “That way you can
always have a piece of me near you.”
“Thank you,” I murmured as I accidentally caught a whiff of the scarf, which
smelled so much like him. It was divine.
Stephen checked his watch, “Almost midnight, I have to get a move on if I want
to catch a hungry vampire by dawn. I'll call or text you if anything happens. Good night,
Jo.”
“Good night, Stephen. Good luck,” I gave him a kiss on his cheek, and I stood on
the porch until his car was out of sight.
“Where are your parents?” Shade asked me once I came inside.
“Out of state,” I replied.
I may as well have told him that I hid twenty bikini models somewhere in the
house, and he had to find them, “Really?” he said greedily.
“No funny business,” I replied.
“Fine,” he looked around, “So where do you keep the food around here?”
“The kitchen, of course. Did you want something?” I headed toward the kitchen,
and he followed, thinking out loud, “Something warm, like grilled cheese. But I want
eggs too. And maybe chicken. And turkey. And ramen!”
I laughed, “I can't get you all of that Shade! Geez, are you always this hungry?”
He responded by opening up the fridge, “We don't have food in the Winterland, so
we're never hungry. When I come here, I'm staving. Now let's see,” he took a moment to
peruse the contents of the refrigerator, “Leftover pizza, I like. Will you heat this up for
me?”
“Sure,” I shrugged, popping a pizza from a week ago into the microwave. Shade
peered as close as he could into the microwave, watching the slices spin around as they
cooked.
“You're not supposed to put your face that close,” I warned, “there's radiation in
that, you know.”
He turned and looked at me, “And that's going to harm me... how, exactly?”
“Oh right,” I remembered, “You're dead.”
“Nope,” he replied as the pizza finished heating up, and he ripped open the door,
reached inside and pulled out his dinner, and then sat on the floor right then and there,
saying “Itadakimasu!” before devouring his meal.
“You really don't think you're dead, do you?” I asked him.
“Because I'm not dead,” he said with his mouth full. He quickly swallowed his
bite and said, “I'm just a shade. We're immortal. Not dead. Big difference.”
“Even though everything in the Winterland is dead. Except you guys?” I joined
him on the floor of my kitchen.
“Pretty much. That's just our realm, like how this is your realm. I can just move
through them on my own.”
“Even though a necromancer can send you to the Summerland, like they do to
everything else?”
“That's the only thing that can kill us,” he said before finishing off his first slice.
“Then how do you explain it? What happened to you that made you become a
shade?”
 He put down the next slice he was about to eat, “It's a mystery. Something
happens to you, I dunno. I think it's some kind of near death experience, something that
should have killed you but didn't, and you just end up stuck between the world of the
living and the Summerland. That's the theory that's been going around the Shadetowns,
anyway.”
“Then what happened to you?”
“No idea,” he finally took a huge chomp of pizza, and once again spoke with his
mouth full, “I don't even remember where I used to live.”
“Japan, obviously,” I answered for him.
“Duh,” he said before he ate the rest of his second slice. It was amazing how fast
he ate.
“Do you always eat like this?”
He just smirked, “You don't even know,” and then his face changed to sincerity,
“Oh, sorry, did you want some?” he held up his plate, which only contained one tiny
slice.
“No thanks, you can have it. I'm still full from my own dinner.”
“That's right!” he held up the small slice and in three quick chomps he had the
entire thing in his mouth, “How did it go?”
I sighed, smiling. I breathed in Stephen's scent from his scarf before saying, “It
was so wonderful. He's perfect for me, I knew it from the moment I saw him.”
Shade gulped down the last of his dinner, “Did he use tongue, like I told him to?”
I looked at him in disgust, “What kind of a question is that?”
“A valid one. And I see he gave you the bracelet that I helped pick out.”
I lifted my arm, making the silver bracelet jingle. I couldn't help but smile,
“Yeah, it's lovely. I didn't expect it at all.”
“Which reminds me,” he stood, and started walking toward my room, “I got you
something!”
“You what?” I quickly stood and followed him. He was standing in my doorway.
“Well,” he explained, “Since he picked out a nice gift for you, I thought I would
get you something that would please you both,” he turned and walked into my bedroom.
“Shade, tell me right now what you... oh no you didn't!” I couldn't help but
exclaim as he held a big pink and white striped shopping bad that he must have put in my
room previously. The words 'Victoria's Secret' were written on the bag in gold.
“It made me think of you,” he said nicely, “And I think you should put it on right
now.”
I grabbed the bag from him, and removed a very silky black thong with pink lace,
and a matching bra, “Shade... I... I have no words,” I stated.
“Well, go on,” he smiled and sat on my bed, “I'll be right here.”
I put the underwear back in the bag, which I dropped on the floor, “Why did you
buy me those?”
“They're for you and Stephen, like I said! I thought of the both of you, together,
when I saw it. In fact, I think about the two of you together a lot...”
“Shade! Seriously though, how do you even know what bra size I am?”
He said very nonchalantly, “When I looked in your underwear drawer.”
“You what?!” I practically shrieked at him.
“Okay, okay,” he stood, holding his hands up in a gesture of peace, “Let me
explain myself. You see, once upon a time, I was making out with this girl named Lia
Lackey.”
“Uh huh,” I crossed my arms, starting to feel a little angry.
“And as I was exploring her mouth, my hands were feeling her up. And what I
could feel was amazing. She was wearing something with bows and lace, and it latched
together in the front, and it just held everything together so nicely, you know? So I
couldn't help but wonder if you had anything just as nice hidden underneath your shirt.”
“Wait, back up,” I said, “Are you saying that while you were making out with Lia,
you were thinking about me?”
He just smiled, and said quietly, “A little.”
“So you did what, exactly? After your little hook up, I mean.”
“I went shopping with Stephen. Then I hid outside your window while Stephen
picked you up for your date. Then I went in here and found where you keep your bras.”
“That is disgusting,” I couldn't help but say.
“And I figured that they were just plain stuff. Nothing too fancy, like your
wardrobe. Not that I'm dissing your wardrobe or anything, but it is plain. Nothing to
write home about. So I went to Stephen's parents and asked them for sixty dollars, which
they gave me, and I went to Victoria's Secret and I bought you my favorite matching set.”
“And you did this,” I said slowly, trying to comprehend his actions, “for Stephen
and I.”
“Well, when Stephen is feeling you up, I want him to able to discover something
nice, right? Now try it on. I promise I won't do anything, you know, shady,” he winked.
“You know what?” I picked up the bag, “Fine. I will try it on. You did go
through a lot of trouble to do this, and you probably won't shut up about it until I do this.
So you win,” before he could say anything else I whisked myself off into the bathroom.
As I was removing my clothes in privacy, I couldn't stop thinking about how
crazy this was. I was about to put on lingerie for another man. Particularly a sex-crazed,
egotistical lunatic. I froze for a second, not believing what I had just thought. This was
Shade, and yes he is a sex-crazed, egotistical lunatic, but somewhere down the road he
became my friend. I could trust him, he made me laugh, and sometimes when he's
around I felt... I couldn't describe it. It was warm, and happy, and safe. And I
experienced the opposite emotion whenever I saw him with another girl. I would feel
upset and angry and, I finally admit it, jealous. But these were always directed toward
the girl, not Shade, even though it's completely his fault that he has all of these women. I
didn't really feel anything for Shade, did I?
But it's not like Stephen, I told myself a few times, over and over. Stephen was so
different. Stephen was magical, wonderful, blissful. I was completely and entirely happy
when I was with him, safe and warm. Shade was nothing like that, Shade felt like an
adventure, something exciting, while Stephen felt like something comforting and loving.
Stephen felt like a bubble bath, while Shade felt like sky diving.
And, when I put it like that, walking around in lingerie was nothing compared to
sky diving. I just gritted my teeth and put on the bra and thong. And, to my surprise, it fit
perfectly. Every strange curve of the garments suited my body so well, it almost felt like
I wasn't wearing anything. And then I looked in the mirror, and couldn't believe my eyes.
I actually looked sexy. And I felt sexy too. For the first time. I had no idea just how
good my body looked in something like this. I couldn't even imagine what Stephen
would say or do when he saw me wearing this.
I opened the door to the bathroom, expecting to find Shade waiting for me and
making some sort of obscene remark about me. But when he saw me the constant smirk
he always wore faded away instantly from his face. His gaze turned into one of
wonderment, and awe.
“What do you think?” I asked, resting my hands on my hips.
After a pause he just said, “You are so beautiful.”
It was not at all the reaction I expected from him. He made me blush, and I felt
like covering myself up immediately. Not because I was upset or scared or embarrassed
from it, it just seemed the wrong this to do. The wrong person to do this with. The wrong
moment, the wrong timing. I didn't want this with Shade.
Even though, deep down, it felt wonderful.
“Okay, you saw, now I'm going to put on my pajamas,” I said in a rush, “Get out
of my room.”
He obeyed, and I shut the door behind him, removed the lingerie and stuffed it
into my underwear drawer as quickly as I could. Then I picked out the baggiest shirt and
the biggest sweat pants I could find to wear, and then went back out to join Shade. He
was sitting quietly in the living room, staring off at a corner. When he noticed me enter,
he turned to me and said with a scratchy voice, “I'm sorry.”
“For what?” I asked.
He just shook his head, “Nothing. Do you have anything else to eat? I'm
starving.”
-
It started raining at three in the morning, and at that time I hadn't heard back from
Stephen. Shade kept assuring me that it meant that he was either just fine, or dead, but
most likely fine. I held onto his scarf, so that I could feel his protection, and remember
that he's looking out for me in his own way. Yet I still couldn't help but worry. And now I
was becoming more and more sleepy; it was getting hard to keep my eyes open.
“Get some rest,” Shade said, “Don't you have school in the morning?”
I nodded, “So does Stephen. I don't want to go to sleep until I know he's okay.”
“Listen,” Shade got up from the couch, “He's going to call you, right? Get some
sleep, and the phone will wake you up. That way you can get something at least.”
“I suppose,” I stood up from the armchair, “Good night then,” I was about to walk
down the hall toward my bedroom when Shade asked, “Where am I sleeping?”
“You?” I turned back to him.
“Yeah, me,” he said, “I was up all last night with you, I only got a little bit of
sleep. I'm tired too. And if Stephen needs me he'll summon me, and that will wake me
right up. I want to get some sleep too.”
“You're supposed to be protecting me from the vampire. That's the whole reason
you're here.”
“And the best way to do that is if I sleep next to you.”
I rolled my eyes, I had a feeling he was going to say that, “You've got to be
kidding me. No.”
“You did it last night!” he insisted.
“That was different. I fell asleep on your shoulder, we didn't get into bed
together.”
 “Nothing will happen. You have my word. Shade's honor,” he put his hand over
his heart.
I didn't feel like arguing with him, I was way too tired, “One thing happens, and
you're out.”
“Shotgun!” he instinctively called out as he ran for my room, “Oh wait, there's no
shotgun seat in a bed, is there?”
I sighed, shutting the door and turning out the light. Shade had already crawled
into my bed, as I laid down next to him I muttered, “I can't believe I'm doing this.”
“Doing what?” Shade's voice was near my shoulder.
“Sleeping next to another man on the night I agreed to be Stephen's girlfriend. It
should be Stephen next to me right now.”
“Sorry that I can't be him,” he said indignantly, and I wondered for a moment if I
hurt his feelings. It certainly sounded like I did. He was even quiet for a minute before
saying, “So you're really going to date him then?”
“Yeah,” I said, letting the sleepiness take over me.
“You do know that I still think he's dangerous for you to be around?”
“You always say that.”
“Because it's true. Just be careful, okay?”
“Sure, sure,” I was half listening to him, just wanting to get some rest. I squeezed
my cell phone in my hand, making sure that I had it so it could wake me up when
Stephen called. His scarf was resting by my head, making a small pillow for me. That
way I could at least pretend that it was him in bed with me, not Shade.
Shade was uncharacteristically quiet, and I assumed he was asleep. Now that his
voice was silenced, I could hear a completely different sound coming from him – a
heartbeat. I checked to make sure I wasn't just hearing my own, and I wasn't. Mine was
beating much faster than his.
“Your heart beats,” I stated.
“Yeah,” he whispered, “'Cause I'm actually alive, contrary to popular belief.”
I guess I had just figured that he wouldn't have one, since he was dead and a
shade. It caught me off guard to hear evidence of his being alive. Besides his breathing,
and how much he ate, and the twinkle he would get in his eyes. Just for a moment I
thought that maybe Stephen had it all wrong after all, and that maybe Shade was actually
right.
“I'm sorry,” he whispered again, “About my reaction. To the Victoria's Secret. I
hadn't anticipated that. You looked a million times better than in my wildest dreams.
You're just so different, Jolisa Verne.”
“Shade,” I moaned, making sure that I could still smell Stephen's scent on his
scarf, and recall what a terrific boyfriend I had.
“Your light is so magnificent, so captivating. You're like an angel. I can't resist it.
I'm sorry about that. I'm sorry that you heard about those drudes, and how you saw me
with Lia. Things are different now, I don't want to do that anymore. Helena is right, I
haven't sought out any girls for a few days now, because I found the most beautiful and
marvelous girl that could ever be.”
I couldn't breathe. I didn't know what to think.
“And I'm sorry that I have to put this on you, when you like Stephen so much, and
he adores you. I'm sorry that I have to tell you that I could change my everything for
you. I don't want to be the Shining Prince Shade that everyone knows. I want to be
Jolisa's Shade. And I can't be, no matter how much I warn you about how dangerous it is
to date a necromancer. It's not safe at all. You would be so much safer with me. But you
have Stephen, and I can't put this on you, so I'm not going to ask you anything. I just
want you to know this, and do with this knowledge how you please. You can kick me out
and tell me never to see you again, and I'd obey you. But I'd prefer if you just kept this to
yourself, stow this away in your brain, and remember it only when you realize that I'm
going to be here for you, waiting for you, for all eternity, no matter what. So that's why I
apologized. I'm sorry that you're one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen, and
my heart beats for you. Good night.”
And with that he rolled over, and was quiet for the rest of the night.
Shade's speech mulled over through my thoughts, until it jumbled up into a sleepy
jargon, and I dreamed about rain, and that Stephen had black hair and bat wings, and we
soared together through the sky and into Heaven.
-
My phone buzzed. I jumped up, suddenly awake, and read the text that was on
my phone.
'Didnt find vamp. Home goin 2 bed. Send S home. <3'
The clock on my night stand read 4:48 AM. Stephen was right, the sky was going
to start getting brighter within an hour or so, and Shade would be trapped in the land of
the living for yet another long day.
I looked at him. He was lying with his back to me, his hands resting under his
head, his lips barely parted. He actually looked very sweet and innocent when he was
asleep.
“Hey,” I gently shook his shoulder, and he very slowly opened his eyes and sat up.
He rubbed his face and looked at me, muttering, “Did he find it?”
“No,” I said, “And you need to go home soon.”
“Oh,” he looked down at the bed sheet, just stared at it, and finally said, “Okay,”
and started to climb out of the bed. I heard my bracelet chime as I moved out of the way.
“Hey,” I said, “Just a second,” I got up and went to my desk, where my digital
camera sat, “I suppose I should get your picture for my charm bracelet.”
“Oh,” he repeated, “Okay.”
I turned on the camera and pointed it at him. In the screen I saw a very sleepy
Shade, with his hair sticking out all over. He smiled wearily which, surprisingly, almost
gave him a male model look. I took the picture, and before I could tell him that it was a
good shot, he was gone.
-
I found the vampire at 7:15 that morning, when I went out to feed the alpacas
their breakfast. It was hiding in the barn, in the farthest and darkest corner it could
possibly go into. At first I thought it might be Shade, or at least a shade, because all that
was there were bat wings, wrapped around something that was human in size. I stared at
it for a few seconds, not quite sure what I should do. Was it going to come alive and
attack me? Well, obviously not, now that the sun was out. Was it sleeping? Was I in
danger?
I called Stephen, and he answered with something that resembled, “Wrrhhmm?”
“Stephen, it's me. The vampire is in the alpaca corral.”
 “Vmpr?” he mumbled, until he realized what I said, “Oh God! The vampire! Is it
asleep?”
“I think so,” I said, “It covered itself up with bat wings.”
“Good,” he sighed with relief through the phone, “I'll be there as soon as I can to
look at it.”
“What should I do in the meantime? What should I do with the alpacas?”
“They're fine, as long as its daylight. You could kick that vampire, light it on fire,
whatever and nothing will happen while its asleep. I don't think an alpaca has much to
worry about.”
“Okay, see you soon,” I said before hanging up on my boyfriend. I sat down next
to the vampire, looking at it and just marveling over the fact that I was, indeed, sitting
next to a sleeping vampire, until I heard Ulysses coo hungrily for his mother. I grinned,
and got up to get Abigail from her breakfast so she could feed her little cria.
-
Stephen arrived before eight o'clock, and we both just stood and stared at it.
“There's nothing we can do about it until sunset,” he said, yawning, “We'll just
have to wait this day out.”
“You should go back to bed,” I said, “You haven't got a lot of sleep recently.”
“It comes with the job, I'm used to it,” he said, shaking it off.
“But really, you need your sleep. Don't worry about school, you should take the
day off.”
“But I shouldn't miss. I already have truancy on my permanent file.”
“You're eighteen, the law can't make you go to school. And besides, you're not
going to retain anything from our lessons if you're sleepy.”
“What about homework?”
“I'll bring you everything. I'll take extra good notes,” I smiled at him.
He returned it, “You know, last night was incredible. With dinner and the boat
launch and all... I think it was the best night of my life.”
I thought for a second, “Yeah, I'd agree. Most likely the best night of my life
too.”
“Did Shade to anything completely ridiculous last night?”
“No,” I lied. I quickly removed the Burberry scarf from around my neck and
wrapped it around Stephen's, “Here, take this home with you.”
He just took it off and handed it back to me, “Wear it to school. I'll accept it after
that.”
“Fine,” I said, returning the scarf to its cozy spot around my neck, then I went up
on my toes and kissed his forehead, “Go back to bed now. I'll call you after school.”
He replied by wrapping his arms around me and planting a series of strong kisses
on my lips, “I don't want sleep,” he said between kisses, “I don't want school. I want
you.”
“Stephen,” I caught my breath, “I want you too. But you need sleep. And
besides,” I looked over at the vampire, “I feel like he's watching us.”
“He's sleeping, he can't hear a thing. We could make insults about his mother and
he would never know.”
I unraveled myself from Stephen's embrace by grabbing his hands, “Go home
now. I'm going to bike to school. We will continue this later,” I didn't let his hand go
until I closed his car door for him, and he drove away from me once again.
-
“I'm so mad at you,” was the first thing I was greeted with at school. It came
from Clem, who was standing by the door of our classroom.
“What did I do?” I asked her.
“You didn't call me last night, and tell me how your date with Stephen went!” she
demanded.
“Oh, sorry, I got... distracted, I guess,” I didn't know how else to describe it.
“Ah,” she nodded knowingly, “I understand. It was that good, huh?”
I wasn't quite sure what she was getting at, and I really didn't want to know,
“Well, yeah, it was fantastic.”
“Listen,” she said, “Tell me all about it after school. I've been so busy with
putting together the dance that I probably wouldn't have had time to hear about your date
last night anyways. I got a lot of things going on, but what we really need to focus on
today are dresses. So we are going shopping after school, and you can tell me and the
girls exactly what happened, detail by detail.”
I panicked for a second. I promised Stephen that I would call him so we could get
started on the vampire. But school didn't get out until three o'clock, and that was hours
before sunset. There was plenty of time for shopping beforehand.
“Deal,” I grinned. Clem jumped up and down and hugged me, clearly more
excited about getting new dresses than I was.
-
“You never answered my text!” Charlie practically attacked me as we were
heading toward the cafeteria for lunch.
“Yeah,” I replied, “That's what happens when you text me during class, and I sit
in the front row. It's kinda hard to read it and reply.”
“That's why you should sit in the back, with the rest of us,” Clem butted in, “That
way we can have normal conversation, and pass notes and stuff.”
“Clem, Charlie, I go to school to learn and get good grades, not to socialize in the
back of the class and waste my time.”
“It's not a waste of time!” Clem rebutted as she took out a piece of paper from her
backpack, “I passed around this note today, about what kind of food and drinks people
wanted at the dance. Almost all the boys put some form of alcohol, which obviously we
can't serve. Boys can be so stupid. But the girls all put punch, which when you think
about it is really vague. What kind of punch can I get in bulk? How much do I need?
What is punch made out of, anyway?”
“Poor Clem,” I said as I dug into my purse for my cell phone, “You brought this
all upon yourself, you know.”
“I know,” she smiled, “But it's gonna be so worth it.”
I read my phone as we walked together. My text from Charlie read 'Where is
Steve?'
“So Stephen,” I explained, “is sleeping in today, because we had a long night last
night and we was still really tired.”
By now the twins, Allison and Angie, had joined in, and upon hearing this all four
girls started giggling.
“Wow,” snickered Charlie, “It must have been quite the night then.”
 “Well, yeah,” I shrugged, “It was really nice. He asked me to be his girlfriend.
Oh, and he gave me this!” I held out my arm so everyone could see my new charm
bracelet.
“Awesome!” exclaimed Clem, “I have my camera with me. You have to get a
picture of all of us in there.”
“Of course,” I said, right when I heard something outside right before entering the
cafeteria. I heard someone sobbing, and it sounded a lot like a girl.
I broke away from the group, “Hold on, I'll tell you guys after school during our
shopping trip. I have to go do something.” I looked around outside for the source of the
crying, and soon enough I found, to my surprise, Amalia Lackey curled up in a corner,
bawling her eyes out.
“Lia,” I said gently, kneeling down to her, “Are you okay? Did something
happen?”
“Leave me alone!” she wailed, “Especially you.”
“Wow, what did I do?” I felt offended.
“It's not you, it's... it's... him. Stephen's friend. Shade,” upon saying his name she
started to cry even louder.
“Oh geez,” I sat next to her, “Just what did he do to you?”
“It's not what he did, it's what he didn't do. I...” then she looked at me, “You
know him, right? Through Stephen Morrison. Do you know when he's coming back?”
“I honestly have no idea,” I answered truthfully.
“Has he said anything about me?” she whispered earnestly.
All I remembered him saying about her was regarding her bra, “No, not really.
Here, I have some tissues in my purse.”
“Thanks,” she accepted them, wiping tears off her face, “You don't have to be nice
to me. All my friends are making fun of me. Nobody takes me seriously anymore. And I
thought... I thought...” she stammered as she tried to recover her composure, “I thought
that Shade would. He was so nice to me, he was such a gentleman,” I barked out a laugh
at that statement, which I covered up as a cough. Lia continued, “And then he was just...
gone. He just left. He didn't give me his number, or email, or anything. He hasn't tried
calling me. And Stephen's not even here today, I can't even ask him. I feel more alone
than ever,” she started crying into the tissue, where she moaned, “I made a big mistake,
breaking up with Mike.”
“I'm really sorry,” I spoke reassuringly, gently patting her back. I felt guilty, since
it was my idea for Shade to seduce Lia in the first place. I didn't expect her to react like
this, “Shade's not really boyfriend material anyways. I think you're much better without
him.”
“But... but,” Lia stammered, “He was amazing. He was larger than life. And
when he kissed me... Jo, I can't describe it, it was like electricity. I've never felt that way
when I kissed a boy, any boy, ever. I thought for sure that that meant he was the one. But
he just left, and nobody listens to me, I was up nearly all night thinking about him. I'm so
stupid.”
“You're not stupid. Honestly, you're not. You're very clever,” and manipulative,
and a little evil, which was what I wanted to say, but obviously I held it back.
“Thank you,” she blew her nose, “You're a really nice person, you know. Really,”
she smiled at me, her face was so red and splotchy, “We were kinda friends back in
elementary school. What happened?”
“I dunno,” it was amazing how honest I could be while still sounding nice to her,
“Things change over time.”
“I guess,” she hugged her knees, “I still feel so gullible. I thought I would be
going to the dance with Shade. Now I don't have a date.”
“You know what,” I took out a tissue to help her fix her running mascara, “Mike
is not going anywhere. And you've seen him in school, he's so quiet now, he used to be
just as rowdy as the other boys. I'm sure that if you apologized sincerely, and treated him
like gold, and then ask him to the dance, he would be glad to go with you.”
“Do you really think so?”
“I know so. He loves you, he would do anything for you.”
“Okay then,” she sighed, right when my stomach started growling. I hadn't had a
very big breakfast, due to the fact that there was a sleeping vampire in my alpaca corral.
“Want to have lunch with my friends?” I asked her.
“Sure,” she said as I helped her up.
-
The girls seemed wary and suspicious at first when I brought Lia to the lunch
table, but in no time at all she fit right in. It was as if Lia had never been mean or
condescending to us, ever. All of her old friends glared at us as we were laughing about
boys and drama and the dance. She enjoyed it so much that she even offered to drive us
out to Antioch in her Mom's van for the shopping trip. Before classes resumed she gave
me a big hug, whispered, “Thank you,” and sat down with the girls at the back of the
class. It felt a little good that I helped out someone, especially if it was about getting over
Shade.
Shade. I hadn't forgotten about last night, and what he said to me. A part of me
just wanted to convince myself that I heard him wrong, and I was making up half the
stuff I heard him say. But I know what I heard. He didn't actually confess his love for
me; he never said 'I love you.' He just said that he wanted to be my shade. What does
that even mean? I couldn't ask Stephen, he would totally flip. And how could I even
know that Shade was being serious? He's always joking around, always being a goof....
But there was just no way that someone could say that they would always wait for
you, and their heart beats for you, while joking.
Since it was history and my book was laying out on my desk, I flipped back to the
first few chapters about ancient civilizations, and found just a few paragraphs about
Japan. There was only one picture for it, a very old looking scroll depicting a man
climbing over a wall to a very colorful and shy looking woman. The caption read, “A
scene from Genji Monogatari, The Tale of Genji, the first novel ever written in human
history, by Murasaki Shikibu. It tells the story of the 'Shining Prince' Genji, who spends
his live chasing after and romantically seducing women.”
Now I understood why Shade went by that name. It fit perfectly. I couldn't help
but grin.
-
Our first stop in our shopping adventure was Old Navy. They didn't have much to
wear, formal wise, but the girls all managed to find adorable outfits. I only picked out
one plain, black tank top.
“It's only six dollars!” I explained to the girls when they stared at my one tiny
shopping bag, as opposed to their giant ones, “And it will be great for working around the
farm.”
“Jo,” Clem put a hand on my shoulder, “We are not looking for farm clothes. We
are looking for glamor clothes. Something beautiful, something you can wear on your
second date with Stephen.”
“That's right!” Charlie chimed, “You still have to tell us what happened. Let's
walk to Payless while you explain, it's not far.”
We were in one of the new shopping areas in Antioch, which was the city that
bordered Oakley and Brentwood. It's the easternmost point of the East Bay Area, before
you start getting into the farm belt, so its usually the first stop for Knightsonians who are
looking for a good place to shop. This particular shopping center was bordered by both
Oakley and Brentwood, the center point of the ongoing city limit line war. We had to
cross a small road and walk past a Target Greatland before we reached Payless Shoe
Source, so I had time to talk.
“Well, we had dinner at the Rusty Porthole, and it was so nice. Then he gave me
the bracelet. After that we didn't know what to do, and we didn't feel like going home, so
we just drove and we ended up in Orwood. We sat together on the boat launch, and
then...” I trailed off, giving them the hint.
“Well?” they all said in unison.
“You know, one thing led to another...”
“And?” it was like speaking to one person, they were so in sync.
“You know. We made out and stuff.”
They practically deflated, sighing in disappointment. Angie even had the guts to
say, “What, don't tell me you guys did it on the boat launch. Ew!”
“What!” I was shocked, “No! That's disgusting! What made you guys think that
we...”
“Had sex?” Charlie finished my sentence for me, thankfully, since that wasn't the
word I was going to use, “I mean, hello! You told us that you were up all night, and he
was too exhausted to come to school. What were we supposed to think.”
“Gosh,” said Lia, “I was getting worried that you were one of those girls. The
kind that give it up on the first date.”
“No!” I said appallingly, “Of course I'm not like that! Sex is so gross anyway.”
“You mean you haven't done it?” Lia asked.
“No duh,” Clem replied, “She hasn't had a boyfriend until Stephen. But really,
when are you going to give it up to him?”
I blushed, “I haven't thought that far, to be honest. I'm not going rush in. I don't
really even want to have sex for a long time.”
“It's not a big deal,” stated Charlie, “I mean, the first time I did it with Russ I was
really nervous. But once you get going, it's so easy, and it feels really good.”
This was the first time I ever heard any of them talk about sex, “Wait. Are you
telling me that you've had sex with Russ? More than once?”
Clem rebutted, “It's nothing to be scared of. If the timing's right, and it just feels
like the moment, then it's wonderful. And Stephen looks amazing, a lot stronger than
Dan.”
“Oh my God,” I was shocked, “You too, Clem?”
“Yeah,” she said matter of factly, “I've been active with him for nearly a year now.
It makes our relationship that much more special.”
“Oh come on now,” I looked over at Allie and Angie, “What about you two?”
They nodded, looking at me as if I asked them a really basic question, “Of
course,” Allie answered, “It's the only thing to do in Knightsen with your boyfriend.”
“Totally!” said Lia, “I mean, Mike never wanted to go out and do something
fancy, he would much rather stay at home and watch a movie. And one thing would
usually lead to another. Most of the time I'm happier that we stayed in together, you
know?”
“I can't believe this,” I remarked, “All of my friends have had sex, and they never
told me.”
“It just never came up,” Clem said, “You're not really the go to person for that
kind of thing. I just assumed you knew.”
“Well I didn't know,” I almost felt like I was cheated on, like there was this huge
secret that all my friends knew but me, “But I guess, I mean, I'm kinda glad I didn't
know.”
“Anyway,” Lia announced, “We have arrived.” And we had, we were now
standing in front of one of the greatest discount shoe chains in California. We went
inside and was greeted by a cool rush of air conditioning and walls of shoes. We quickly
fanned out through the store, looking for our sizes and seeing if there's anything that was
nice. Charlie is the same size as me, so we were together.
“You know what?” she said,”I'm making you wear my blue dress to the dance.”
“Why are you so intent on that?” I asked as I scanned the Size 8 section.
“I'm telling you, you're going to look like the bomb in that dress. And it's lucky.
Plus, I don't think that we're going to find anything significant on this trip, what with your
choice of purchase already,” she pointed at my bag that held my new tank.
“I guess you're right,” I sighed, “I'm not really the fancy type, am I? Not all the
time, at least. But I could use some good shoes to wear with it then. Do you think
something white?”
“Whoa,” Charlie gasped as she spotted something on the highest rack. She pulled
down a long box, which contained a pair of shiny black boots with long, slender heels.
“Jo,” she looked at me, grinning wickedly, “You have to get these.”
“No way,” I said immediately, “These are so not me. They're not practical at all.
You should get them.”
“I'm an 8 Wide, there's no way I can squeeze my big feet into these. But they'll fit
you. At least try them on!” she insisted.
“Okay, there's no harm in that.” I slipped off my sneakers, and Charlie helped me
tuck my jeans into the boots and zip them all the way up. They went just up to my knees.
I was now towering over Charlie, having grown a few inches.
“Um,” I said, looking down at them, “I really don't need these.”
“Jo, you need one wild thing in your wardrobe. And these are them. They fit like
a glove. And they would make such a statement wherever you wore them.”
“Not to the dance, obviously. Which is why we're here, looking for shoes for the
dance, remember?”
“You can fit into some of mine. Jo, if you don't buy these boots, I will buy them
for you. They are too fabulous for you to pass up.”
“Okay, alright, you win, I'll get them,” I looked at myself in one of the long
mirrors. And really, I looked pretty damn good in them.
-
We came back to Knightsen around five o'clock, right when the sun was
beginning its slow descent toward the Western horizon. It had been an uncomfortable car
ride home for me. I couldn't help but look at my friends in a new light. I just kept
imagining them with their boyfriends, and what they would do behind closed doors. I felt
almost left out of the group, like they kept this huge secret from me on purpose. Not
even my best friend told me she was sexually active. For a moment I wondered exactly
why I was hanging out with these people. My friends were becoming less and less like
me. They were always trying to get out of town to do things, they were interested in
things different from me, all of them had developed a different lifestyle... why was I here
with them?
“Hey,” Clem turned to me as Lia directed the car down Quail Trail, “Are you
okay, Jo?”
“Yeah,” I lied to her. I didn't want to, I just didn't know what to say to her. I
didn't know how to voice my feelings. I saw Lia's eyes look into her mirror so she could
see me. I had a feeling that she knew something, not about the whole virginity thing, but
she knew that there were things going on in my life. I'm not sure how she knew, unless
Shade told her things in between them making out. There was just something in her gaze
that said a lot more than just a quick glance.
When we arrived at my house I hopped out, and Lia waved me over to the drivers
side window. I went to her and she slipped me a business card, “My number is on the
back. If you want to talk about anything, you can call me, okay?”
“Sure,” I accepted the card, still confused about what she would know. I watched
all the girls wave at me as they drove back down the road, heading toward Clem's house
so they can work on the dance.
I kicked a pebble in the driveway. I left my two shopping bags on the front steps.
I looked up at the sky just feeling so frustrated and alone. Who could I talk to about this?
None of the girls of course. I couldn't tell Stephen, since he's my boyfriend, and that's
what the whole issue was about. And of course I couldn't tell Shade, he wouldn't see
where the problem was.
I texted Stephen, telling him he could come over anytime, and I headed toward
the stable. As I saddled up Renoir, I couldn't help but look over my shoulder at the
newest resident in the alpaca corral. It was still there, curled up in its bat-winged ball in
the corner. It had done a very good job of figuring out which spot would have absolutely
no sunlight reaching it, but I suppose if that's how you survive then you have to be good
at that. I led Ren out into the field, hopped on and we were off.
The only sound was the fast gallop of her hooves. I leaned forward to improve
the aerodynamics, to make her go even faster. Feeling the wind in my face and the
constant movement of the horse made all the problems melt away for just those moments.
Now, I didn't have to worry about being the only virgin out of all of my friends. There
was no sleeping vampire, there was no shade who longed for me. Right now I was just a
girl on a horse in Knightsen, that was all.
I spotted Stephen's car pull up to my house, and I rode over toward him. I smiled
when I saw my boyfriend, he was wearing his two katanas on his belt, black jeans and an
untucked blue buttoned-down shirt. It struck me as odd, since he's usually so neat about
his clothes; it wasn't like him to walk around looking messy.
“Hey!” he called out to me, “What's up?”
“Nothing,” I replied, “Just blowing off some steam.”
“What's wrong?” he helped me off Ren and we walked together back to the stable,
leading my horse along.
“It's just... stuff. I dunno. I don't really want to talk about it,” I still didn't know
what to say.
“Hey,” he put his arm around my shoulders, “You can tell me anything. Really.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
I took a deep breath and I just said it, “I'm the only person out of my group of
friends who isn't a virgin.”
“Oh,” I clearly caught him off guard, “Um,” and he uncomfortably removed his
arm.
“I'm sorry,” I said, “It's just... they didn't even tell me. I feel so left out from
them. So removed. I don't belong with them anymore, no matter how hard they try to fit
me in.”
“Well,” announced Stephen, “You should know that, um, you have at least one
friend who is still a virgin,” he smiled at me weakly.
“Really?” I asked.
“Really,” he answered.
I paused for a second, before asking again, “Really?”
“Really,” he repeated, “Did you think I wasn't?”
“I've never thought about it,” I confessed, “But... I guess... if you had asked me if
I thought you were... I dunno!” I felt my face getting red.
He returned his hand back to my shoulders, “Don't worry about it. I'm in
absolutely no rush to change that.”
“That's a relief,” I said.
“Unless...” Stephen grinned at me.
“No,” I responded, “Not yet anyways. I'm still seventeen and all.”
“That's true. Your parents would probably kill me if they found out. But
anyway,” he quickly changed the subject, “he have much bigger things to worry about.
Vampires.”
We had reached the barn. I hesitated before leading Renoir inside, “What should I
do about all the animals?”
“They should be outside when the sun comes down. Since the vampire is after
me, a human, it shouldn't be too interested in animals. But just in case, I think everyone
should be outside.”
Stephen and I spent the next few minutes clearing out the alpacas from the corral.
I couldn't help but notice how big Letitia was getting. She wasn't due for a few more
weeks, but she already looked like she was about to pop. Stephen caught me staring at
her.
“So that's our future Barack, right?” he questioned.
“That's the one,” I replied, “But it won't be for a while yet. So what do we do
now?”
Stephen opened up his backpack, removing the Necronomicon. He sat on the
ground facing the vampire and opened up the book to a random page, “Vampire,” he said
aloud, and I gasped as I saw the pages quickly flip themselves to what I assumed was the
section about vampires.
“How did it do that?” I asked, amazed.
“It answers to necromancers. It's very handy when you're in a bad situation and
you don't have time to go through the table of contents. You just ask what you need and
it will show it to you. Of course I have a few pages memorized, but I don't encounter
vampires every day. We're going to need all the help we can get.”
“Can Shade help?” I sat down next to Stephen, “I mean, he helped me when the
incubus attacked me.”
Stephen shook his head, “Shade wouldn't help us with a vampire even if I
promised him a date with Rihanna. Shades hate vampires,” he bookmarked the page and
turned to me, “You know what happens when a vampire bites a human?”
“Well yeah, the person becomes a vampire.”
“The person dies, and they end up in the Winterland as a vampire. There they
constantly crave blood, human blood in particular. That's why they usually go absolutely
crazy whenever they get through a Door. But of course they can't get that tasty human
blood in the Winterland. So they go for the next best thing, the only thing in the
Winterland that bleeds like a human. Shades.”
“So what happens when a vampire bites a shade then?” I inquired.
“Well shades obviously can't die, since they're already dead. So they get even
worse. Shades are highly allergic to vampire venom, and a number of things can happen.
Typically they get severe brain damage, or some of their major organs will shut down.
The best case scenario is that they go into a vegetative state. The sad part is that the
shade can still think, and use all his senses, and is still completely aware of their
surroundings. They just can't do anything about it. I was once asked by a group of
shades to send away their friend to the Summerland after he was bitten, his whole body
had inflated, as if he had been stung by a million bees. It was pretty sad, I could barely
hear him mumble a 'Thank you' before I did my duty.”
“That's horrible,” I sighed, “So Shade won't be coming around tonight, I assume?”
“Of course not. Shades always keep their distance from vampires. I bet anything
he'll just stay home tonight. That's why I wanted him around you if the vampire came to
your house last night. I knew he would run away as fast as he could, hopefully taking
you with him. How did it go last night, anyway?”
“It was alright. He ate half of the food in the kitchen. And... well, you said I can
tell you anything, right?”
“Oh no,” Stephen smiled jokingly, “What did he do this time?”
I took a deep breath before confessing, “He bought me lingerie.”
To my surprise, Stephen erupted in laughter, “Good one Jo! You had me worried
there for a second. Buy you lingerie, honestly...” his laughing slowly faded into a very
serious look when he noticed my straight face, “Wait, he really did? I thought you were
joking.”
I just shook my head.
“Shade, Shining Prince Shade, actually did this?”
I nodded.
“I'm going to kill him. Wait, I mean, he's being sent away. Right after this
vampire, he's going right to the Summerland.”
“Woah,” I didn't think he would be that upset, “It's not that big of a deal! He did
it for us. He wanted to get something that you would enjoy too.”
“Yeah, that's a great excuse! No Jo, he's just perverted. He always says that he's
going to steal you away from me, and then insists that he's joking. But the more he says
it the more I start doubting if its just a joke. He's taking this way too far. I mean, you
know what he's like. You heard it from the drudes. He hasn't tried to... proposition you
or anything?”
“No,” I said, “I can honestly say that he hasn't tried to do anything like that,”
which was the truth.
“Then what has he done?” Stephen was sounding more and more aggressive. I
knew I should have just kept my mouth shut, and not told him about the lingerie. If he
ever found out that Shade and I shared the bed last night, I didn't want to know how upset
he would become.
“Stephen,” I spoke as reassuringly as possible, “You have nothing to worry about,
when it comes to Shade. I'm with you. There's no way that a guy like Shade, especially a
guy who is already dead, take your place,” Stephen smiled, and as I said that I
remembered something else, “Oh yeah, last night I found out that Shade has a heart beat.
How does that work? You even said tonight that shades have blood.”
“Yeah, shades think they're really, truly alive. So their bodies think so too. Well,
their astral bodies, obviously those aren't the bodies they had when they were alive, or
else some of them would be walking around with horrific injuries. Their souls form this
new body, that comes complete with everything. They just don't age. And somehow
their hair always turns black, and their skin gets that glow, depending on how dark their
skin is. How did you get to hear his heart, anyways?”
“Um,” while I quickly tried to think of a lie, a sound came from the vampire, like
a sharp gasp. Stephen jumped to his feet, drawing a sword. The vampire was awake.
The wings unfolded, revealing a boy, who looked to be only eleven or twelve
years old. He was dressed head to toe in a black shirt and pants, curled up in a fetal
position, his head tucked in front of his knees. I could tell that his hair, too, must have
turned black after he died and entered the Winterland. When he lifted his head I could
tell that he was probably a bit younger than eleven, and of some sort of Hispanic descent.
He slowly opened his eyes, which were so bloodshot that they practically glowed red. He
fixed those eyes right on Stephen, and then hissed. I was taken aback at just how big his
fangs were; they weren't tiny, Dracula fangs. They were easily two inches long, and
curved. He looked more like a cross between a human and a saber-toothed tiger.
I slowly made my way to my feet, keeping my eyes on the vampire, afraid of what
it would do. Stephen gingerly removed his other sword and handed it to me, “Use this to
defend yourself. Just in case. Please be careful.”
“Okay,” I tried to say, I have no idea if he heard me since it came out as more of a
croak. I jumped when the vampire hissed again, crawling to his hands and knees.
Stephen gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands, crouching a little, preparing
himself.
I'm not sure how he did it, but the vampire just seemed to rise straight up to his
feet, as if some invisible strings pulled him up. His wings folded completely into his
back. Now I could tell that he was a good foot and a half shorter than Stephen, but he
was still terrifying. The red eyes finally moved away from Stephen, now he seemed to be
staring at Stephen's shoulder, or something behind him.
“I know this trick, vampire,” Stephen spoke in his intimidating necromancer
voice, “The second I look away from you, you attack. I'm not falling for it. You're
cornered!” Stephen ran at a sprint at the vampire, and in the blink of an eye the vampire
ran just past Stephen, ducking under his arm and running toward the door of the barn.
“GET HIM!” Stephen yelled, and we both followed the path of the vampire. We
reached the big double doors and froze. They hadn't been opened, much less touched. It
was still somewhere in this barn.
Stephen's breathing seemed so much louder than usual as he looked up at the roof,
trying to figure out where the vampire must have gone. My mind raced, thinking of other
places someone could hide, when I heard a sharp, high-pitched braying coming from one
of the stalls. It was a sound I knew all too well, and a sound that terrified me every time I
heard it. It was the sound of an alpaca in danger and screaming for help. My mind raced,
wondering why it was so high pitched. Stephen looked at me in alarm.
“Oh God,” I wailed, “ULYSSES!”
I felt horrible, warm tears forming in my eyes when I ran to the stall. I
remembered how he had been sleeping under the straw when we were evacuating all the
alpacas, we must have forgotten about him and looked over him. And now there was a
vampire standing in his stall, holding the cria with both hands around the middle and
around his neck.
“Put him down!” I instinctively shrieked. I pulled the sword out of its sheath,
holding up the blade to defend my cria. To my horror, the vampire just smiled, and
slowly licked his lips. Ulysses let out another bray, scared out of his little mind.
“HEY!” Stephen yelled from behind me. I whipped around and saw Stephen tear
off his shirt. He held out his bare arm and nicked it with his sword. A small bead of
blood trailed down his arm, “This is what you want! Not that! Come and get some of
this!”
The vampire's expression went from greedy to desperate. He dropped Ulysses,
mesmerized by Stephen's blood. He let out a growl.
“Stephen,” I panted, “What are you...”
“Get out of the way,” Stephen cautioned.
“But...”
“I said GET OUT OF THE WAY!” he hollered right when the vampire dashed
toward him. Stephen bellowed as he swung his sword at it, the vampire just missing the
blade by a hair, ducking out of the way by rolling on to the floor. He floated back up to
his feet, like Dracula rising out of his coffin. The vampire made another mad dash
toward Stephen, who side-stepped out of the way so the vampire ran past him. It pivoted,
turning back to Stephen, looking very angry.
Stephen began his chanting, “Urdluhar, cadluhar...” as he and the vampire slowly
circled each other. The vampire started to realized that he was being sent back to the
Winterland. He turned his attention to me, and grinned.
I held the sword up again, warning him, “Stay back, don't even think about it.”
The vampire didn't seem to understand me, and took a step toward me. Stephen
called out, “STOP!” and cut his arm again, letting out a lot more blood than before. The
vampire whipped his head toward Stephen, keeping his body facing me.
 Stephen took a breath from his chanting and said, “Jo, you gotta distract him.”
“How?” I asked desperately, “I'm not cutting myself.”
“Just think of something, I need to concentrate,” Stephen then closed his eyes,
thinking deep as he resumed the chant. The vampire still kept his eyes on Stephen,
looking suspiciously glad that his victim wasn't watching anymore.
“Okay,” I said to myself, and I lifted my sword and took a swing at the vampire.
Thankfully it turned to me, dodging the blade once again. It looked very confused, I
guess it didn't think I would be a threat.
“You want a piece of this? Huh?” I tried to sound tough. I held up the sword
again, threatening the vampire. It smiled again, taking a huge step toward me. With
lightning reflexes before it was even two feet from me it turned around toward Stephen.
He was feinting! Before my blade could reach him the vampire leaped onto Stephen,
pushing him down and pinning him to the ground. Stephen had the wind knocked out of
him, gasping for breath as he tried to continue the chant. As he tried to speak, the
vampire chomped down on the wounds that Stephen made on his arm, and Stephen let
out a horrifying scream of pain.
I dropped the sword in shock. I had to do something, or else Stephen would die.
My mind was a jumble of thoughts. How could I get it to stop? How could I get Stephen
to send it back? How could I save my boyfriend? I pitifully watched Stephen try to
wrestle the vampire off of him, to no avail. I could hear the vampire slurping away at his
meal.
I spotted the Necronomicon, sitting not to far away. In there, I could find a way to
stop the vampire. It was the only way. I dashed over toward it, holding the book for the
first time.
“Don't!” Stephen gurgled as he spoke, a drop of blood dripping from his mouth.
Even the vampire looked up at me, continuing to eat.
“I have to!” I screamed as I opened the book to the page that Stephen had marked.
The writing was very small, and the first page just seemed like a description of vampires,
not what to do when you encounter them.
“How do I stop it?” I asked in frustration. To my surprise, the book flapped its
pages toward the beginning, and I scanned the page it suggested, “What's a Cthulhu?” I
asked, confused.
Even the vampire stopped to gawk at me. Stephen looked as though I said
something completely forbidden, “Don't you dare repeat that word ever again!” he took
that moment to punch the vampire square in the face. It rolled to the floor, and Stephen
sat on top of him and just kept punching him. Blood was pouring down his right arm.
I looked down at the book again, “How do you send a vampire away?” I queried,
and it flipped back toward where Stephen had marked. It was written in much bigger
words, 'The cry of Urdluhar, Cadluhar sixfold, followed by Astradliss, then repeated, will
damn the Vampire to where it rightly belongs.' I read it twice, to make sure I understood.
From what I gathered, I repeat the chant six times, then say that one word, and then keep
going until it was gone.
Stephen was already saying it, holding the vampire down by grabbing its neck
firmly with both hands, “Urdluhar, cadluhar, urdluhar...” suddenly he lost his voice, and
started gasping for breath. He started twitching, almost like he was having a seizure, and
crumpled to the ground. The vampire sat up, and even though its face was smashed in he
still smiled down at Stephen.
I felt myself starting to panic. The vampire venom was starting to sink in.
Stephen was dying. I resumed the chant, “Urdluhar, cadluhar, urdluhar, cadluhar...” I was
practically screaming it. The vampire looked stunned, not expecting me to know the
chant at all. It stood slowly, and started walking toward me.
I squeezed my eyes shut, scared and trying my best to concentrate. I counted six
times on the chant, and said, “Astradliss!” and continued. I heard the vampire hiss just
inches away from my face, and when I peeked all I could see were the huge fangs,
dripping with dark blood. I just kept the chant up, until the vampire took a step back,
screamed a high pitched sound, and then vanished in a ball of light.
I had done it. I had exorcised a vampire. I hadn't realized that I was sweating
until then, and I wiped my brow. Stephen, meanwhile, was still convulsing.
Grabbing the Necronomicon I rushed over to him, “Stephen! Can you hear me?”
He didn't reply. He was staring up at the ceiling, pink foam was gathering at the
corners of his mouth.
I opened the book again, “How do you treat a vampire bite?” and the book turned
two pages. I read out loud, “Okay, 'Vampire Bites, Human. Place your hands upon the
bite and perform the healing chant thrice. Then suck out as much of the Venom as you
can, and repeat until human is cured.' Healing chant?” and the book turned back a few
pages on my command, and I saw a chant labeled 'Healing-Venom'.
“Here goes,” I said, reciting the long chant it had listed three times. When I
removed my hands they were drenched in blood, and I winced as I put my mouth over the
wound and sucked up what I could, spitting out whenever it filled my mouth. It was
disgusting; there was still the copper taste of blood but it had a bitter, almost sour taste to
it, which I assumed was the venom. I looked at Stephen to see if he was getting any
better. He still had that faraway look in his face, but he wasn't foaming anymore and his
tremors weren't as severe. I repeated the chant, sucked out the venom, chanted, sucked,
chanted, sucked, each time praying with all my might that this was working, and that I
could get Stephen back. After removing my hands for the fifth time I noticed that he
wasn't bleeding anymore, and as I sucked I couldn't taste anything bitter, and I could
hardly get any blood out of him. Stephen's whole body shivered, and he quickly propped
himself up on his elbows, looking at me.
“What did you do?” he demanded.
“I...” I was shocked that he recovered that quickly, “I just saved your life. From
the vampire.”
He looked at the open Necronomicon, and then back at me, “You didn't?”
“What else was I supposed to do?” I pleaded, “There was no choice.”
“There's always a choice,” he sounded furious, “I would have rather died than see
you use that book. I... I think I'm going to be sick,” and he started retching. I stood,
helping him to his feet, and once we got outside he pushed me away so he could throw
up.
“Stephen, are you okay?” I asked when he finished.
“I really need to lie down,” he groaned, “I'm so dizzy.”
“Here,” I put his arm over my shoulder, and I wrapped mine around his waist, and
I supported him all the way back to the house. It was completely dark outside; night had
fallen so quickly. The entire herd of alpacas watched us walk past them, and then they
started following us, like some kind of bizarre parade. They stopped as we climbed the
front steps, walking over my shopping bags from that afternoon, and I laid him down on
the living room couch. I draped an alpaca blanket over his bare shoulders.
“Dust,” he said as he stared at the couch cushion his head was resting on. I wasn't
quite sure what that meant, so I asked, “Do you need some water or something?” He
nodded, so I filled up my water bottle I use whenever I work and gave it to him. After
making sure he got a few good swigs off of it, I soaked some hand towels in warm water
and wrapped them around where the vampire bit him. Now I could clearly see the two
holes it left with its fangs, both around the size of a quarter.
“Is there anything else you need?” I asked, but he had fallen asleep. I sat next to
him, making sure he was fast asleep before going outside to tend to the alpacas, and clean
up the mess. Abigail was very glad to be back with her cria, and Letitia just cushed down
in her stall and fell right asleep, exhausted. I got out the mop and cleaned up all the
blood and vomit on the floor, and I very carefully put the Necronomicon and Stephen's
backpack on a shelf where they could be temporarily safe. I made sure that all the alpacas
had plenty of food and water, visiting each and everyone of them to see if they were
alright, and telling them things would be okay. I tucked in Monet and Renoir for the
night, giving each of the horses a big hug. Then I put on my work gloves, got out the
shovel and wheelbarrow, and started cleaning up the poop pile, which should have been
done ages ago. I was mad at myself for skipping this chore, which really wasn't so bad
and very important for their health. I put all of my strength into the shoveling, grunting
each time I tossed a big pile into the wheelbarrow. And, suddenly, I crouched down to
the ground, and sobbed my eyes out for a solid ten minutes before continuing my work.
-
When I came back inside the house, carrying the backpack, the Necronomicon,
and my shopping bags, Stephen had left the couch. I held my breath, trying not to worry,
until I noticed by bedroom light was on. I found Stephen inside, holding the blanket
around him, just standing in the middle of my room and staring at a wall. He didn't
notice me come in, and for a moment I wondered if maybe the venom ended up working
and he had become a vampire after all.
“Stephen?” I said cautiously. He snapped out of his reverie, and looked right at
me, and smiled.
“Hey,” he said warmly, “What's up?”
“How are you doing? Are you okay?” I set everything down on my desk so I
could give him a hug.
“Yeah, I'm okay,” his arms wrapped around me, and I felt all the panic and worry
and stress just flow out of me, “I'm just a little weirded out. And I'm amazed how much
shade dust is in here.”
“Shade dust?” I asked.
“Shade's leave behind a residue in this world. It's much easier for a necromancer
to track them down that way. Our Shade always leaves behind a big pile of it in my
passenger seat. This room is practically black with all of his dust, it looks like he touched
everything when you weren't looking. Especially the bed.”
“Oh,” I said flatly, “Um, how could he have done that?”
Stephen let me go, walking over to my bed and brushing off the dust that only he
can see, “That's better. At least this stuff is easy to remove. Do you want to have a seat?”
he gestured toward my bed, sitting on it himself.
“Sure,” I said, taking my place next to him.
“Can I ask you something?” he said quietly.
“Of course.”
“May I stay here for the night?”
“Sure,” I answered automatically.
“It's just that I know if I go home I won't get any sleep. And the more I rest the
quicker this will heal,” he pointed at the bite on his arm, “And I need to do some
thinking... a lot of thinking. And if I leave you I'll just get frustrated and upset. You keep
me calm, you know that?”
“Thanks,” I said, smiling and leaning against him.
He kissed the top of my head, “I need to get some sleep. I'm so tired even though
I slept all day,” he laid back on my bed, resting his head on the pillow that Shade had
used just last night, “If you don't mind.”
“Not at all,” I said, “I'm just going to be up for a bit, if that's okay?”
“Yeah,” he said, “Do some homework. I'm sure there's tons.”
I turned out the light, but kept my computer on so I could see around my desk.
Clem had emailed me the picture that she took of all the girls. I smiled, wondering if it
was only just today that I was worried about our friendship. These past few days seemed
like years, I couldn't believe it was nearly Wednesday. This time last week I had only
spotted Shade outside the barn, I didn't even know who Stephen was. I looked over my
shoulder at him, and he was already snoozing away. He had taken off his glasses when I
wasn't looking, and had left them on my night stand. I'd never seen him without them,
and he looked really cute. I couldn't help but grin.
I went on Google and typed in 'Stephen Morrison Stockton CA' and ended up
finding a picture of him from last year, when he was on the Stockton Colts Youth Hockey
team. He looked exactly the same, so it was perfect. I took my camera and uploaded the
picture of Shade, then cropped all three pictures I had so they could fit in my bracelet and
printed them up. In no time at all I had Stephen, Shade, and all the girls around my wrist.
It really was the perfect gift.
I yawned, realizing just how tired I was. I changed into my pajamas in the
bathroom, again, and then slipped into bed with Stephen. Now it was right, I didn't need
his scarf at all to smell him as I fell asleep.
-
When I woke up that morning, Stephen was gone. I jumped out of bed and raced
around to find him. Oddly, the kitchen smelled like freshly brewed coffee, and I
discovered Stephen sitting on the back porch, drinking his cup and watching the sun rise.
I went outside to join him.
“Hey there,” I greeted, “Good morning. How did you sleep?”
“Wonderful, thank you,” he set down his mug, which he had already emptied, “I
did the thinking I needed to do. I've been out here for about an hour now.”
“What were you thinking about?”
He turned to me, “You, Jo.”
“What about me?” I smiled.
He didn't smile back, “Last night. You reading out of the Necronomicon. I've
told you before that you aren't allowed to look at that book.”
 “I couldn't help it,” I defended, “You would have become a vampire. I saved the
both of us.”
“That wouldn't happen to me, as a necromancer I get a one way ticket to the
Summerland when I die, no matter how it happens. Yes, it would have killed me, but...
your safety comes first.”
I wasn't sure what to say to him, so I just stayed quiet.
He continued, “I can't let that happen again. You reading the book, I mean. For all
we know it's already too late, any moment now you could start feeling the changes. I
don't want to see you become what I am. It's way too risky of a lifestyle, as you already
saw. And you told me yourself that you don't want to become too involved in this, since
you have your own life here, with you parents and the alpacas in Knightsen.”
“This was different, there was a vampire in my barn...”
“You know, yes, thank you for being there. I'm sorry, you're right, you did save
us. That's twice now you've helped me out. Thank you. But you can't be doing this
anymore. I can't do these jobs and worry about you, no matter how helpful you may be.
And if you ever end up looking inside that book again, then it will be too late. I can't give
you that opportunity.”
“Then what do you want me to do?” I asked, “I want to be with you.”
“I want to be with you too,” he took a deep breath and said, “But I can't do this
anymore.”
I was certain that I heard him wrong, “What do you mean?”
“I can't be around you anymore. I'm not right for you. I don't want to ruin your
life. I'm sorry. But I just can't,” he stood, taking his mug with him. He went to the
kitchen and started washing it out in the sink.
“I still don't understand,” I said, following him, “How can you just stop being
around me? I'm your girlfriend.”
He looked at me with a straight face, square into my eyes, “That's just what I
mean. I can't do this anymore. I'm so sorry Jo,” he left the kitchen and headed for the
front door.
“Wait,” I chased after him, “You're breaking up with me? Only after two days of
being a couple? Not even two days...”
He had his backpack ready at the door, he picked it up and looked at me one last
time, “I know. It was my mistake. It's all my fault, as usual. Good bye, Jo,” and he
walked out the door, closing it behind him.
I stared at the door, feeling numb and alone and scared and betrayed and nothing
all at the same time. After what must have been ten minutes of me standing there I put
my hands over my ears, and screamed at the top of my lungs.
-
I wasn't surprised when Stephen's car wasn't parked at the school when I got
there. I locked up my bike, still not feeling real at all, almost like I was floating. It
seemed strange that everything I thought I knew had just stopped an hour ago, and now I
was going about my day as if everything was normal, as if Stephen hadn't broken up with
me... Even thought that had happened right in front of my eyes, I still couldn't believe it.
Stephen broke up with me.
As I was approaching the school door I heard Lia call out to me, “Jo! Hey, Jo!”
she ran up to me, gasping, “You'll never guess what! You were totally right. I had a
really long talk with Mike all last night, and I apologized and we got back together! He
came right over to my house and picked me up in his arms and kissed me! Can you
believe it? I'm so happy!”
And that was the moment that I finally broke down. I collapsed in her arms and
sobbed the biggest tears I have ever cried in my life.
-
I had mostly composed myself by the time class had started. Lia didn't ask me
what was wrong, nor did any of the girls. They all just stared at my reddened face as I
walked into our classroom, and I took out my English notes and worked furiously. I
didn't want to deal with any of it, all I wanted to do was focus on school and take my
mind off of Stephen.
Mr. Martinez was going over an essay we had to write for Lord of the Flies. I did
my best to pay attention, but it was getting harder and harder with each passing minute.
My mind kept wandering to Stephen. I felt numb when my thoughts went to him now. I
knew now how to felt to be empty. It was the worst kind of loneliness I could ever
imagine.
Do you see that?
I flinched when I heard a voice. It sounded almost like it was right behind me,
whispering in my ear. I turned, and all I saw were the boys drooling and the girls passing
notes to each other. Nobody sat close enough for me to hear anything that clearly. I
shrugged it off and listened to Mr. Martinez again.
A necromancer? But how?
I nearly jumped out of my seat. I looked around the class, trying to keep a low
profile, so nobody would think I was hearing voices. There was nobody, it was just an
average day in English class. How could I have heard this? Especially hear a voice
mention a necromancer?
She must have. Poor thing.
This time it was a different voice, a female voice. There were two people talking
in my head, and the more I listened the clearer they became.
She must feel so alone.
I know, Arizona. I pity her. Hey, that's not the one that the Shining Prince is
always going on about, is it?
I gasped.
“Miss Verne?” asked Mr. Martinez, “Is there something you wanted to add?”
“No, sorry, just yawning,” I said, probably too quickly.
Should we tell him?
Good idea Ari. I'll go get him.
And there was silence. I sat there, trying to figure out exactly what was
happening. I must have finally gone crazy, because there was no other explanation.
A minute later I heard none other than Shade say, You've gotta be kidding.
There's no way. Stephen would never let her look at the book.
But it must have happened, Prince. See for yourself.
And that was when I heard Shade's voice let loose on a variety of swear words. I
cringed, trying to tune him out. I just stared at the cover of Lord of the Flies, and thought
about only that. I went through the list of characters in my mind, and what happened in
the book, scene by scene. And to my surprise, the voices faded away, as if someone just
turned down the volume in my head.
I was free to focus on my classwork again. Only frequently throughout class
would I hear someone say something like, New shade in town. I think she speaks
Russian. It's just a matter of time until she's assimilated, or Have you heard the one
about the banshee, the encantado, and the drude who walk into a bar?, and only once
that morning did I hear Shade's voice again, saying only I'm going to kill Stephen
Morrison.
-
I told the girls before lunch that Stephen had broken up with me, and they all
jumped to my defense. They called him an idiot, among other things, and we all walked
over the Red Coach Deli for lunch where they bought me a sandwich and a Coke. They
all started sharing break up stories, which did little to make me feel better, but at least
they were trying. I suppose it didn't matter whether they were virgins or not, they still
wanted to look out for me. They still wanted me in their circle, whether or not I had a
boyfriend. That in itself felt good.
For the rest of the school day the voices in my head only came in snippets and
sentence fragments. I never heard Shade, as much as I wanted to, but instead heard
mostly a man and a woman talking. One of them was named Alex, I wasn't sure which.
It didn't occur to me until the end of history that maybe, possibly, somehow the
Necronomicon's magic had taken affect, and I could hear voices because I had become a
necromancer. I shivered at the thought. I didn't want to be a necromancer; being around
Stephen had been fun, but the thought of doing what he does scared me. I didn't even
know anything about the Winterland, apart from what little Stephen told me. He would
be so upset if he found out.
And Shade. He would be even worse. He was the one who had been warning me
about this since day one. He had even told me that I shouldn't be around Stephen,
because either he would break up with me or I would become a necromancer. And now
both of those had happened, on the same day. I didn't believe him, I didn't take him
seriously, and now here I was. I felt alone. There was nobody I could talk to.
What would happen to me? Would I undergo some sort of physical
transformation? Would more things from the Winterland try to attack me? I peeked into
my backpack where the compass Stephen had given me still sat, and the needle still
pointed north. But who knows when that would change? What if I did something by
accident that would just destroy everything? What if I let loose some sort of horrible
creature from the Winterland, and I would have no idea how to stop it? I sat rigid in my
seat, not wanting to move in fear of me doing some small gesture that would summon
something. I felt completely paranoid and panicky for the rest of the school day, and
when the last class was dismissed I raced to my bike and just rode home. I saw the girls
staring at me as I sped away, probably assuming that I was leaving because I was still
upset about Stephen. Which was true, but now I was bigger things to worry about.
When I got home I went straight out to the field where all the alpacas were
wandering around and socializing. I sat down in the grass to watch them. This was
familiar territory, and I always felt safe and normal whenever I was around the alpacas.
Most of them came over to greet me and see what I was doing. The younger ones,
including little Ulysses, were running around and pronking, which is when a little cria run
and jump with all four of their feet in the air. It was so peaceful and relaxing, just
listening to them hum and be happy and so careless. If only my life were so simple...
It had been, I realized. I remembered when I was longing for some excitement
and adventure. That I was bored of the every day ho-hum Knightsen life I've always had.
For a second, for a fleeting moment, I nearly got to live out my fantasy. And now here I
was, paying the price: broken hearted, confused, and possibly carrying around some
mysterious power I had no idea how to use. Shade had been right, all I had to do was
stay away from Stephen and none of this would have happened. I brought this upon
myself, and now I would have to sit down and figure out how to deal with it. If I could, I
would just stay with the alpacas for the rest of my life and live simply, but the world
doesn't work like that. I would have to take on my own responsibility, and find out what
the next step would be in my adventure.
But, just for a little longer, I stayed with the herd. And I desperately wished my
parents were home.
-
If I really was a necromancer, then there was at least one thing I knew how to do,
but of course I would have to wait for the sun to set. I distracted myself with homework
on the porch and texting Clem. When she said she was going off to work on some dance
stuff and wouldn't be able to talk for the rest of the night, I just stared at my phone. I
knew most likely that it would stay silent; nobody would call me.
I went with my gut and texted Stephen, 'I need to talk to you.' I felt a knot in my
stomach when I hit send, not knowing how he would reply to that. I waited ten minutes,
and my phone still sat there, quiet. I texted again, 'Are you ever going to speak to me
again?'. And I waited, and I had no reply. I didn't know what else to say to him, since I
did not want to have a one-sided conversation. I was not going to tell him all of my
troubles the day that he broke up with me, especially when he had no intention of
answering me back.
I sighed, heading to my room with my finished schoolwork, wanting to lie down
on the bed before it was time to do the deed. All I wanted was to gather my thoughts
together, calm down, stop thinking about Stephen, and get to the task at hand.
Everything I was holding in my hands fell to the floor before I walked into my
bedroom. Stephen had been right, almost everything was covered in some sort of dusty
black mess. There were definitely hand prints in some places, and the bed had been
dusted off. I could see my fingerprints in the dust where I touched the curtain on my
window that morning to open it. There was dust on my closet door, all of the handles on
my dresser, and even on the keyboard on my computer, not to mention all over the screen.
When I looked closer I saw that Shade had only touched a few letters on the keyboard: A,
S, J, I, O, and L. It didn't take long for me to figure out that he had only touched the
letters in my name. Upon further inspection of my room I noticed that he had written
some sort of symbols on top of my dresser, as if he had just traced his finger, writing
something. I assumed it was Japanese, so naturally I had no idea what he wrote. I went to
the kitchen to get the feather duster, and was surprised to find just how easy it was to
remove the shade dust. All you had to do was blow on it and it would disperse into the
air. After my room was clean, except for the Japanese characters, it didn't smell dusty at
all. It was like he had never been in my room in the first place.
By now the sun was down, and the sky was changing from the golden colors of
sunset to the subdued hues of twilight. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and said, “I
summon the shade nearest to me.” When I opened my eyes, Shade himself was standing
in front of me.
“You summoned me,” he said, surprised.
“Yeah,” I felt myself trembling, “I did...”
“Then it's true,” he sat on my bed, resting his head in his hands, “You're one of
them now.”
“Am I really a necromancer?” I whispered.
“Well obviously. You summoned me. Only necromancers can do that. How did
this happen?”
I sat next to Shade, “We were fighting the vampire. It bit Stephen, and I had to
use the Necronomicon to get it away, and to heal the bite. I had to do it, Shade. There
was no option.”
Shade just nodded quietly, “What did Stephen say? I'm sure he was furious you
read out of the book.”
“He dumped me,” I plainly stated.
“He did WHAT?” Shade yelled as he jumped off the bed, “He dumped you?
Because you saved his life?”
I nodded.
Shade continued, “Even though he feels so strongly for you, and he told me
before that he would do anything for you? And he just leaves you like that? That can't be
right, something is up, maybe his brain was still addled from the vampire venom.”
“He wouldn't talk to me,” I said miserably.
“Then I will,” Shade headed for the door.
“No, don't!” now I leaped off the bed, grabbing Shade's hand, “I don't want you
to.”
“Then what do you want me to do?”
“I don't know, Shade!” I felt the tears welling up into my eyes again. Shade
quickly pulled me into a comforting embrace, and I cried against his shoulder, “I don't
know what to do. I'm so scared.”
“You don't have to be scared,” he said assuringly, “What's there to be scared of?”
“I don't know how to be a necromancer,” I wailed, “And I can't talk to Stephen if
he's not going to talk to me.”
“Okay,” Shade stroked my hair, “Let's get you calmed down first. You must be
feeling rotten. Sit down,” he guided me to my computer chair, and he sat at my feet,
“What's going on with you, exactly? How did you figure out you're a necromancer?”
“I heard these voices,” I fought my tears so I could speak as clearly as possible,
“They were talking about me. I heard your voice too.”
“Damn,” Shade stood and leaned against my desk, “I always thought that would
be, if you became a necromancer.”
“What?” I asked curiously.
“Stephen is a general necromancer, which means he doesn't specify in anything in
the Winterland. You're a shade necromancer, which means you specialize in shades. You
can do anything, just like Stephen, except you'll be better at handling shades. You can
hear us easier past the veil, if you're not concentrating.”
“Slow down, back up,” I had finally stopped crying so I could understand what he
was saying, “Explain that again.”
 Shade smiled, “That light that I see around you, it's still there. And it's brighter
than ever. It's beautiful, like a halo. I was always afraid that if you turned into a
necromancer, that light you have would go out... but anyway, this is what I mean. We
shades have excellent vision, which is how I see your light. All the other shades can see
it too, and if you take one step into the Winterland, right now, you're going to be accosted
by shades. We are drawn toward necromancers like you, we can't help it. And you can
hear us, and we can see you easier when the veil is up. The veil is the only thing
separating this world from the Winterland.”
“There's a veil?” I inquired.
“Look, the Winterland is like a parallel universe to this world. It's exactly the
same, except of course it's much darker and drearier, and doesn't have nearly enough
stuff. My Shadetown is over that away,” he pointed west, “So I'm sort of a local around
here, just in another aspect. Do you get that?”
I nodded. It was interesting. I could hear the shades in class because on some
other level of existence, there were shades there too, watching me, now able to see me,
“Are there any shades here now, watching me?”
“Yep,” he smiled again, “You summoned him.”
“Great,” I stood, “So what do I do now?”
“You don't have to do anything,” Shade said, “Except that there will be some
shades who will want you to do something. Like Alex Shade, who is from my
Shadetown, who finds you really interesting and wants to visit with you. And Shade
O'Ireland, who has been looking for a friend and has been asking me all day what you're
like. There are some people who desperately want to meet you.”
“Interesting. What are they like?”
He shrugged, “It's hard to describe shades. Like, how would you describe me?”
he pointed at himself, looking very pleased.
“You're right,” I agreed, “Then how do I meet them?”
“You open a Door, of course.”
“And how do I do that?”
“You need the Necronomicon.”
I sank back down into my seat, “Which Stephen has. And there's no way I could
go over and look at it. Absolutely no way.”
“Unless,” Shade grinned wickedly, “You ask politely.”
-
I couldn't stay still. At first I paced around the house. Then I fed the alpacas. I
sat on the front porch. I braided and unbraided my hair. Then I started pacing again.
Finally Shade materialized into my kitchen, where I was rummaging around for dinner,
carrying the Necronomicon and, to my surprise, one of Stephen's swords.
“I had to wait until he got out of bed. He was just lying there. But Wednesday
night is the Morrison's movie night, so eventually he left to be with his parents in the
living room.”
“Thank you so much Shade!” I took the book from him, “Now what do I do?”
“Movie nights are so fun at their house,” he didn't seem to hear me, “Whenever
they invited me over they watched the best stuff. Memoirs of A Geisha, The Last
Samurai, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo... the best movie ever made has to be My Neighbor
Totoro, it's so legit.”
 Ignoring Shade, I sat at the kitchen table, just holding the large book. It felt
different now, almost heavier, and somehow warmer. I felt that this book really belonged
to me, that this book was meant to be in my hands right now. I ran my hands over the
cover, made of brown leather that was very worn out, almost turning into a blackish
color. I opened up to the first yellowing page, where there was just a list of about twenty
names. I noticed Stephen J. Morrison at the very bottom, and I read the next few names
above him: Charles P. Lindsay, Rudolf C. Rogers, Howard P. Lovecraft, Augustus W.
Wagoner III, Emma A. S. Bingham, Bartholomew S. Warner... After that the names were
faded, making them much harder to read. I wondered just how old this book was, and
how many hands it passed through.
“It was a bus and a cat! Pure genius!” Shade was babbling to himself, so I
interrupted him by asking if he would do me a favor.
“Anything,” he sat at the chair opposite me.
“If I figure out how to open a Door, and I go through it, would you stay on this
side and watch it for me? Because if anything gets out, I'm not going to know how to
deal with it.”
Shade looked down at the table, thinking in silence, just for a minute when his
head sprang back up, “I'll do it, for a price.”
“Name it.”
“The biggest pizza money can buy.”
I laughed, “Well, I can arrange that. But nobody is going to deliver out to
Knightsen.”
“Then you drive. I call shotgun!”
“I don't have a license! Much less a car to drive. My parents are gone,
remember?”
Shade looked crestfallen, and whined “Then how are we going to get the pizza?”
“I will owe you one. Okay? How about tomorrow?”
“Fine. It's a deal. Pizza dinner tomorrow, Chez Verne. It had better be big.”
“Yeah, sure. Now to work,” I closed the Necronomicon, heading outside so I
could find a place to draw my circle. As I was opening the front door I heard a jingle
around my wrist, and was surprised to find that I had been wearing Stephen's bracelet all
this time. His face was even smiling up at me. I unclasped it and tossed it into the arm
chair.
“Wait,” said Shade, stopping me before I went outside, “You're not going to go to
the Winterland alone dressed like that, are you?”
I looked down at myself. I was wearing a very nice green T-shirt with my jeans
and sneakers, like I would usually wear to school. Then I remembered what Helena had
told me, about how I have to look like I mean business when I go to the Winterland.
“What should I wear then?” I asked him.
“Something important. Something bossy looking. You know how Stephen
always dresses so nicely? That's because he never knows when he's going into the
Winterland, and can always look professional. You have to appear intimidating or else
nothing will take you seriously.”
“Let me see what I can do,” I went to my room, shut the door and thought. I
didn't have any clothes that made me look bossy. I mean, I live on a farm, I don't need
clothes like that. That was when my eyes fell on two shopping bags that I still hadn't
unloaded, and I grinned.
-
Even though it was cold outside, I wasn't shivering. I felt very confident in my
new black tank and high heeled boots, especially with the katana on my hip. I was
thanking Charlie a million times in my head that she made me buy the shoes. Even
Shade blushed a little when he saw me.
I made sure all the alpacas went inside the barn for the night, and then I chose a
spot out in the open, where nothing could hide if they came crawling out.
“What am I supposed to do?” Shade asked, “Just say very nicely that, sorry, you
have to go back to your miserable home?”
“Yes,” I said, checking the ground to see if it was big enough space for me to
draw.
“What if its something that I don't want to meet?”
“I'll try not to stray too far from the Door. Just think of the pizza.”
“Are you sure you really want to do this?”
I stopped. No, I wasn't sure. I still didn't really know what I was doing. But it
was my fault that I got myself into this mess. And if I was a necromancer I had to take
my responsibility.
“This is what I'm supposed to do now. I have this power, I'm going to use it like
I'm supposed to. I just want to figure out how its done. I'm not going to do this all the
time.”
“Sure,” Shade rolled his eyes, “Stephen said that, once upon a time. Then he
didn't go to school for four months.”
“I'm still not going to let this interfere with my life. I told Stephen that, and I still
mean it, even though the circumstances have changed a little. I'm still Jolisa Verne, I still
work on an alpaca ranch, I still go to Knightsen School, I'm still me.”
“Okay then, Jolisa Verne,” Shade said agreeably, “Go to the Winterland then. See
just what little change you've done.”
I took a deep breath, “Necronomicon, show me how to open a Door,” the book
whipped open, and turned about ten pages or so until I reached the directions. I read it
over a few times, remembering everything Stephen had done and matching up the
instructions with his movements. It explained what each movement and chant meant, but
I skimmed over that for now; it wasn't necessary and I could read it later. Now I just had
to get this Door open. I drew a circle in the damp soil, reciting the chant, and then I don't
remember much from there. It was like the chant took over me, and my movements were
mechanical. I also didn't feel like I was standing on the ground sometimes, almost like I
was walking down a huge flight of stairs, and each step was a five foot drop to the next. I
opened my eyes, not realizing that I had closed them, and everything had been drawn for
me, the mist was already thick around me. Then I just laid down on the ground, just as
Stephen had showed me.
“Finally,” said a very feminine voice that I recognized from school that day. I
stood, and sitting on a stone slab in the middle of a bleak field in the Winterland was a
shade. She was arguably one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen. Her long,
black locks tumbled down her back like a waterfall. Her olive skin glowed with an
iridescent aura. Her features were incredibly exotic, and I couldn't tell just where she
would have came from. Her green eyes reminded me of a cat, and they almost seemed to
smile. She was dressed in a flowing black toga. Her bat wings were extended, and she
held them behind her like a cape.
“Who are you?” I asked, my mouth dry.
“Shade. Alexandria Shade, mostly,” she replied. Her accent was strange, like
some form of Greek mixed with something feminine and sexy; if a leopard could talk, it
would sound like her, “But everyone calls me Alex.”
“Pleased to meet you Alex, I'm Jolisa,” I held out my hand to greet her.
Alex laughed a light, “Tee hee,” that sounded like a music box, or a small wind
chime, “Such a friendly necromancer. You are very green, they would say.”
“I suppose,” I let my hand fall to my side, “This is my first time here alone.”
“Clearly. You're much too friendly for a necromancer. The Shining Prince must
walk all over you,” she snickered.
“How do you know him?”
“Dear, he's a very popular shade. I'm surprised that you haven't heard of me. I
have been around much, much longer than he has. And I don't have any kind of
reputation following me around. You must see the way he is with women.”
“Yeah, I've noticed,” I said, “Mind if I join you?”
“Please,” she moved over on the stone, which was large enough to fit the two of
us. She folded her wings into her back, which somehow vanished behind her toga, “He
just hasn't been the same since Hime no Shade moved on. Poor thing.”
“Hime no Shade?” I let the strange words dance on my lips, “Was that his...
girlfriend?”
“Wife, more like. She called herself that, it means Shade Princess, since she was
married to the Shining Prince. They were always together. They built their house
together, in the Shadetown nearby. Darling, he was enraptured with her. And when she
was gone, he stayed in his house for a long time, and when he emerged he was ready to
seduce any female that walked by.”
I stared at my boots as she told the story. I felt strange every time I heard about
Shade's past love, almost guilty. Shade has definitely hit on me many times, but was it
because he was just desperate, or lonely? Or does he really mean all the things he said to
me, about how beautiful and special I am?
“But of course,” Alex continued, “As I said, he's more infamous than anything. I,
on the other hand, am noted in the shade community for my good looks and my
intelligence. I have yet to see a shade more beautiful than I,” she tossed her hair as she
spoke.
“Oh, really?” I sounded as sincere as possible, “Tell me about yourself then, I'd
like to hear more.”
She smiled a perfect row of teeth at me, “Such a charming girl, the shades here
will adore you. I call myself Alexandria because that is precisely where I came from,
during my Earth Life.”
“Really?” I was surprised, “Alexandria in Egypt?”
“The one and only,” she boasted, “In fact, I was the only female librarian.”
“You're kidding,” now I really was impressed, “The Library of Alexandria? The
ancient one that was destroyed?”
She sighed, “Of course, I knew it would be only a matter of time before Caesar
would grow bored and destroy it to expand his Empire. But yes, I was constantly
surrounded by some of the most brilliant minds in the entire world. I helped translate
some of the most glorious stories of my time. It was a very exciting life, I'm sorry that I
can't remember any more of it. Female shades have a much better memory of their Earth
Life than the men, you see.”
“You must remember something,” I goaded her along, knowing full well that my
job as a shade necromancer was to help people like Alex finally pass on, and all I had to
get her to do was realize she was dead, “Like, what were you doing on your last day in
Alexandria?”
“I recall...” she stared off into the distance for a while, “Taking a bath. And then
breakfasting with some of the librarians. Cyriacus and I drank a new bottle of delicious
pomegranate wine, I had never tasted it before. Somebody... I cannot recall who... was
going on about the new order for Ptolemy, something about the Pharaoh's son... it gets so
hazy from there.”
“Who was Cyriacus?” I kept quizzing her.
“Just one of the lowly librarians. He worked his way up, although he wasn't the
best. We all suspected that he poisoned the person in front of him for the job. He wanted
to become an editor but we all knew he wouldn't make it that far. He would have had to
surpass me, for one thing. He didn't have a chance.”
“Wait,” I sat up a little straighter, “What was that about poison?”
“It was just a rumor,” she laughed, “He... what was his name, the successor?
Anyway, he died so mysteriously, so suddenly, that we couldn't help but think that...” then
her grin very slowly fell. Her hands went up to her head, grabbing both sides of her face
and she closed her eyes. I knew what was happening, thanks to Shade in the school
bathroom. She was remembering.
“Cyriacus...” she muttered, and then howled, “That bastard! That bastard! He did
poison me! That wine! I knew it tasted strange but he insisted... and he offered to nobody
else... that bastard! How dare he, how...” she turned to me, “How did you do this? I died.
I didn't even know it... the necromancers were right the whole time, and I never believed
them, you're just starting off and you made me remember? How...”
Her glowing skin was shining brighter and brighter, and before she was enveloped
in light she smiled what was probably her first, and last, genuine smile, “Thank you,” she
mouthed until she had vanished in the light of the Summerland.
I was very suddenly alone in the Winterland. There was a breeze tonight, I felt it
play with my hair. The long grass whistled faintly. If I strained my eyes I could just
make out something light in the distance, most likely the Shadetown.
“Well that wasn't so bad,” I said to nobody.
-
When I returned, closing the Door behind me, Shade was lying on the ground on
his back.
“Shade?” I asked curiously, and when he didn't answer I felt fear start to sink into
me. What if something attacked him through the Door? What if it was the incubus?
I knelt over him, “Shade! C'mon, wake up,” I said almost too frantically.
He smiled, “Oh nurse, I need the mouth to mouth!”
I could have hit him, “That's not funny Shade! I thought something happened to
you.”
He sat up as I rocked back, sitting with my boots tucked underneath me. He
grinned his usual grin and said, “So what happened? Meet anyone interesting?”
“I met Alex. And I sent her to the Summerland! It wasn't hard at all, just with a
little coaching...”
“Woah,” Shade interrupted me, “Alexandria Shade? She's been there for ages!
Just what did you do?”
I shrugged, “I'm not so sure myself, but I got her to remember how she died. It
was easy, actually...” I stopped, as Shade had begun to slowly back away from me, “Hey!
I'm not going to do it to you, okay? I owe you a pizza still, remember?”
“Oh, right! We're getting that tonight, by the way,” he stood, and from a pocket
he took out the one hundred dollar bill my Dad had given me.
I shot up, “Where did you get that?”
“It was in your purse,” he said innocently, as if going through someone's purse
was a perfectly normal thing to do, “And it will buy us a lot of pizza.”
“And just how are we...” was all I could say before Shade unfolded his wings,
scooped me up, and flew away with me.
-
We flew east, where the lights got brighter and the buildings grew taller.
Thankfully there were still clouds, and Shade soared around them. Occasionally I would
get hit in the face with a burst of freezing water, and I was eternally wiping wet hair out
of my eyes. About the twentieth time I did this I gasped at what I saw: below us was a
beautifully lit up, sparkling, Golden Gate Bridge.
“We're in San Francisco!” I stated, purely out of shock. I couldn't believe that we
went that far, that fast.
“Is that good or bad?” Shade called down to me.
“Amazing!” I cried out.
He swooped around toward the city, and we landed on the roof of a tall building,
and we both admired the beautiful bridge as I wrung water out of my hair.
“I've heard of this bridge,” Shade said, “But I didn't know that you guys lived so
close to it.”
“Yeah,” I shrugged, “I mean, San Francisco, Golden Gate Bridge, they go hand in
hand.”
“It looks like you,” Shade said dreamily.
“Excuse me? I look like a bridge?”
Shade laughed, “That's not what I meant. It's glow, I mean, it's your glow too.
The same.”
I looked down at the bridge, watching the cars zoom over it, “So, my light you're
always talking about is golden?”
“Exactly,” I looked up at him, and he was staring down at me with a look that I
recognized. It was a very wistful, longing look. And it reminded me so much of the way
Stephen used to look at me that it actually hurt.
“There must be good pizza here in the city,” I turned away from him, “I have no
idea where we are.”
“There's something below us that smells amazing. Race you down the fire
escape!” he shoved me as I ran past, giving him a head start. I was about to chase him,
running as best as I could in heels, when the sword clanged on the metal steps. I quickly
took it off, tucked it in a dark corner on the roof to get later, and chased after Shade.
 It was indeed an Italian restaurant, and after we were seated Shade looked like a
kitten in a catnip factory, “I'm so hungry! I could eat everything on this menu.”
The waiter heard this as he walked up, and looked as though he was about to write
everything on the menu down on his pad, when I quickly said, “We're just going to have
two waters, and your largest pepperoni pizza,” letting the waiter walk away a little
disappointed.
“You're no fun,” Shade grumbled.
“And you are not allowed to spend all of my money on one meal. This place is
nice, we have to tip big,” I sighed, “That's one of the downsides of going to a fancy place
in the city.”
“But pizza,” was Shade's argument.
“Yes, Shade, pizza,” I agreed.
“So how was the Winterland?” he asked.
“It was good. It felt strange to actually do the job of a necromancer. I feel a little
bad about Alex, but it's what I'm supposed to do, right? I'm not going out to do it every
night, but still.”
“Necromancers,” Shade explained, “are supposed to be going in on an average
basis, and cleaning out the place. Haven't you noticed how empty it is there?”
“Yeah, but I just assumed...”
“That's because, if we didn't have necromancers, you wouldn't be able to move for
all the dead people hanging out. Which is why shades can be very grateful to
necromancers. They keep our home nice.”
“Alex mentioned you,” I recalled.
“Of course she did, she secretly wanted me, but turned me down every time.”
“I think she thought you were a loser for being with so many women.”
“She thought everyone was a loser, and that she was the most amazing thing that
ever existed. It's going to be nice with her gone, I suppose. Although she got along well
with...” he paused, “the other shades.” For a second he had a very faraway expression on
his face, as if he were looking at me but not seeing me. I knew exactly who he was
thinking about.
“She told me about... your wife,” I also hesitated to mention her, “Alex mentioned
her too.”
“She did?” Shade was surprised, “I thought Alex had forgotten about her.”
“I'm really sorry,” I spoke sincerely, “About how you lost her. It must have hurt
so much.”
He looked down at the tablecloth, “Don't know what you have until it's gone, I
suppose.”
My mind went immediately to Stephen. Whatever crushing feeling I've felt for
Stephen today must have been a million times worse for Shade when he lost Hime no
Shade. The Shining Prince didn't get to have a choice when he lost his princess, she was
gone forever. But Stephen was still there, he was still in Knightsen, he still lived and
breathed. And I knew, that even though he just threw me away so easily, that I wasn't
ready to let him go. I didn't want to be apart from him unless there was absolutely no
choice.
“How did you cope?” I asked him, “When you lost her, I mean?”
He took a deep breath, still staring at the table, “Hime-chan was incredible. We
had known each other since we were little kids. We were always together. I couldn't
believe that she was gone. So since we were always with each other when she was alive,
I figure she's still with me, all the time,” then he finally saw me, “And that's how I cope.”
It was a very sweet thing for him to say, and then I realized, “So when you're
sleeping around with all of these women, she's still with you?”
He grinned bashfully, “That's so I don't have to think about her. Works really
well, and I have a fun time. It's become more like a sport than a form of grief now.”
“So when you do things for me,” I spoke carefully, “And you say sweet things to
me, do you really mean it? Or is it just your sport?”
“I've told you, many times,” he said just as cautiously, “You're different. I've
never wanted a human girl like this. You're not like any other girl I've known. So, no
Jolisa, you're not part of the game. You make me want to just give it up and start right.”
Now it was my turn to stare at the table. My mind scrambled to try to think of
something to say. Could I ever, truly, have a relationship with Shade? Did I even want
to? And what about Stephen...
Thankfully the pizza arrived, and it looked so delicious that Shade actually stood
and bowed to the waiter, saying cheerfully, “Arigatou!” to the waiter before we ate.
-
We arrived back home without any incident. I dusted off the Necronomicon,
which we had left out in the field by my circle. I had been worried that somehow I would
come back and it would be gone.
“Kiite, Jo, I'm going to leave,” Shade said bashfully.
“Do you have to?” I said, not wanting to be alone yet.
“Yeah, I really should. Stephen has been trying to summon me for an hour now.
And if he goes driving around with his compass he will find me and yell at me, probably
because he noticed I took his stuff. But I'm sure he won't bother you, he still has his
pride. So you should go inside and get some rest.”
“I guess,” I clutched the book to my chest. I could just barely whiff the scent of
Stephen's cologne that he wore to our date on Monday.
“Hey,” Shade held out his arms, “Come here.”
I let him hug me, and he whispered in my ear, “It's going to be okay, between you
and Stephen. If it's meant to be, it will work out. If it's not,” Shade gently ran a finger
from behind my ear to my collar bone, which sent a pleasuring chill down my spine, “I'll
always be there.” He let me go and vanished.
I was still holding the Necronomicon as close to me as possible as I went inside
my house, which by now had black dust marks everywhere Shade had been that evening.
As I was dusting off the dining room table I noticed my reflection in a mirror hanging by
the kitchen. Shade had left a dark line down my neck, from where he caressed me. I just
stared at myself, wondering, before brushing it off.
I still had that wondering feeling as I was lying down in my bed, ready to go to
sleep. How many more dark trails would he leave on me? And why was it that I wanted
so badly to have Stephen do that to me? It was, I had to admit, sexy what Shade had
done. I knew Stephen couldn't physically do that, but he could have done something like
that. But Stephen wasn't sexy, he was romantic. Shade had done his best to be romantic
tonight, but it only reminded me even more of Stephen.
“He did!” I realized so suddenly that I couldn't help but saying it out loud. He
really did, in his own way! He left he his scarf, and hadn't be bought me a bracelet too?
That was what normal, human boys did for girls to leave their mark. Shade had just
bought me underwear and left that very sexy streak down my neck.
The scarf was gone from my nightstand, where I had left it last night. He must
have taken it, put it in his backpack before he left. I didn't have anything of his, other
than the bracelet.
I went back to the living room to fetch it. It was right where I left it. I couldn't
help but notice that somehow I had placed Stephen's and Shade's picture next to each
other. I stared at the both of them, just wondering how my fate got mixed up with those
two. I ended up putting the bracelet back on, because even though Stephen had dumped
me, he had still meant so much to me.
I found myself tracing his name in the Necronomicon with my finger without
realizing it. It was strange how I felt myself constantly drawn to the book, and at the
moment I only wanted the part that he had touched. I snapped out of the reverie the book
had me in, and checked my phone. Still nothing. I texted him, 'I'm sorry, good night', and
tried to sit up for his response. The next thing I knew it was morning, and my phone had
no new messages.
-
It made sense now why Stephen kept the Necronomicon under his bed. As I was
getting ready for school, I was so torn over leaving it behind. I wanted desperately to
take it with me, but knew that it would be much safer if I kept it at home. The book had
stayed in my bed during the night, and was by my side during breakfast, and tucked under
my arm as I fed the alpacas. When it was time to leave I reluctantly left it on the top of
my bookshelf, along with the katana, and guiltily biked away from my house, from my
book.
My heart jumped into my throat when I saw Stephen's car in the parking lot. I
don't know why I expected him to not be there. I should have known that he would come
back eventually. I just didn't think I was prepared for it, not yet. Especially when I had
arranged to have some of his most prized possessions stolen. The walk to the classroom
seemed to last forever, and my eyes went straight to him as I entered the room. He was
sitting in his usual desk, one seat away from mine, reading through a textbook. As I
passed by, his eyes looked up at me in the most angry death glare I have ever seen. I
looked away from him immediately, but felt his gaze until I sat down in my seat. I knew
he was still staring at me even when I was getting my books and notes ready for class.
When I looked over at him he quickly turned back to whatever he was reading.
I had never felt so uncomfortable. And it didn't help when Angie came up to my
desk, and said in what must be the loudest whisper ever, “Jo! Stephen is back!”
“Yes,” I said nicely, “Thank you for that.”
“Well what are you gonna do?” she asked frantically.
“Well, seeing as how he is right there, and he can hear you, I am probably just
going to study as usual. Thanks again, Angelina.”
Angie walked back to her desk, looking miffed. I could tell Stephen was fighting
a grin. I wanted to catch his eye to let him know that I was smiling too, but he never
looked toward me. I sank back into my chair, not looking forward to school at all.
-
Right off the bat, Mr. Martinez announced that there was a pop quiz on Lord of
the Flies today, and everybody in the class groaned. I wasn't too worried, but I quickly
mulled over every possible character and theme and symbol that we could be quizzed
about. I dove in the second I was handed the quiz, and the very first question was:
Describe an example of leadership from the book, and how it did or did not work.
My thoughts immediately went to the character of Ralph. When the boys in the
book land on the island, Ralph immediately resumes the role of a leader, which led to
some tragic results. I sat and thought about how to word the paragraph I was about to
write, thinking of just what to say. I could hear Stephen's pen, scribbling away. It was so
like Stephen to jump in to something without realizing the outcome, wasn't it? He
probably didn't even know what sentence he would write next, he just did everything on
the fly.
I tried concentrating on my quiz, and suddenly remembered Stephen's first day in
class, when he answered my question. What was it he said... something about how rules
were there to be broken, and if he were given a set of rules, he would disobey them. And
also something about how society gives us rules, but it's up to our instinct to guide our
actions...
He was talking about necromancy! That thought came into my head so fast I
nearly gasped. The Necronomicon is practically a symbol of leadership in itself, as the
necromancers rule book. But of course in the Winterland you never know what you'll be
up against, and you'd have to break those rules. Didn't I break a pretty big rule while
fighting that vampire? Didn't I do what I had to, even though it was against Stephen's
rules?
Then what was he so upset about?
I caught myself staring at him when Mr. Martinez announced, “Five minutes left,”
so I scrambled down some answers as quickly as possible and finished the quiz in the
nick of time.
-
I went to the bathroom after English, and when I came back I found that Stephen
had taken that opportunity to move to the desk next to me. I stopped in my tracks in the
doorway. He was looking down at his Bio textbook, not noticing me in the least. I tried
to think for a second how I could move my stuff to another seat where he couldn't be next
to me, when Ms. Palmer cleared her throat behind me, and I had to sit at my own desk, a
few feet closer to Stephen.
I kept my head facing the front as best as I could, not wanting to look anywhere to
my right, where Stephen was. It almost hurt to keep my head in the same position. Out of
the corner of my eye I saw Stephen turn himself toward me, but I kept ignoring him.
He tossed me a note when Ms. Palmer had her back turned. My heart pounded,
wondering if I should just keep ignoring him. But eventually my curiosity got the best of
me, and I unfolded his note.
I know Shade took it, and I want it back.
Clearly he was referring to the Necronomicon. I didn't know how to answer, and
actually, I didn't even want to answer him. I crumpled up the note as quietly as possible
and tossed it on the floor. He quickly scribbled another note and tossed it to me again.
Look, I'm really sorry too. But hiring Shade to do your dirty work is uncalled for.
Why did you take it?
I was stunned when I read the first sentence. He was sorry too. He must have
been referring to my text last night.
I pursed my lips together as I wrote, If you thought hard enough, you would know
why I took it. I let him wait a few minutes, wasting a few prime note passing minutes
until I finally gave it to him.
He sighed very heavily, wrote and passed back, The only reason I could think of is
if you became a necromancer. You didn't, did you?
I just nodded my head. He ran his fingers through his hair, looking away from
me.
I ended up passing him the note back, which now read, If you actually answered
any of my texts yesterday, you would have known that.
I didn't want to talk to anyone, including you. I've never felt so terrible in my life.
And now I feel even worse. It feels like I gave you an infectious disease or something.
Are you ever going to talk to me again? My heart felt heavy as I wrote it, and
Stephen finally looked at me after he read it. He wrote quickly, and when he passed it he
rested his hand on top of mine for a second. I looked up at him, and my eyes met his
bright, blue ones. Then he hastily slunk back into his seat.
I looked down at the note, This is all my fault, and I'm very sorry. I'll never be
able to stop apologizing. But I'm not going to say anything else until I get my book back.
Ms. Palmer had asked a question, and Stephen actually raised his hand and
answered it. Somehow he had been paying attention this entire time. He even got the
question right.
I was finally starting to feel angry with him.
The second class was dismissed he gathered his things, got up and walked out the
door.
“Stephen, wait!” I called after him, but he didn't turn around. I left everything I
had to chase after him, “Stephen!” He wasn't running, so I grabbed his wrist and turned
him to me, “Stephen, this isn't fair. You're not going to listen to me, are you?”
He looked down at my arm, “You're still wearing the bracelet.”
“That... that's not important. Stephen, I'm sorry too. We're both very sorry. I get
it. Just talk to me, okay? I've been dying to have someone to talk to about this, and you
can only say so much with Shade. Yes, I had him take your book. I even opened a Door
last night. I sent Alexandria Shade to the Summerland, all on my own. Thanks to the
book. I'm a shade necro-”
“Stop,” he silenced me very quickly, “Don't say that word here. Jolisa, why did
you think I broke up with you?”
“I...” this had been the big question rolling around my brain, “Because you were
upset about... Tuesday night.”
“Because, Jo, what I do is horrible, and taxing, and it ruins your life. It's destroyed
mine in so many ways. And you are the most marvelous person I have ever met. And I
don't want you to become like me. I don't want you to change.”
“But I haven't Stephen. You can ask Shade, he was scared of that too. But I'm
still me. I'm not any different. I swear,” I could feel the tears coming back again, and I
fought them down as hard as I could.
He yanked his wrist out of my grip, “You don't understand. Nobody could. My
life is meant to be lonely, this is the life I chose.”
“You would have done the same for me, no matter how many times I would say
not to. You would have done the same thing.”
“I'm going home to eat,” he announced, turning his back to me, “Because I don't
have any friends to eat with here anymore,” he left me standing in the hall, and I watched
him walk through the front doors to his car. I just stood there, numb, not knowing what
to feel. When I finally figured that I should go meet the girls, I turned around and found
Lia leaning against a wall. My heart practically stopped, had she heard any of that?
“What is going on between you two?” she asked, confused.
“Nothing,” I walked past her, “I'll see you at lunch.”
-
Lia and Stephen didn't say a word to me for the rest of the school day. Stephen
continued to ignore me for the rest of class, sitting back in his usual spot. He was
participating in class even more than usual, raising his hand and asking a lot of questions,
probably making up for the two days he missed. My teachers for the rest of the day kept
looking at me, waiting to see if I would challenge him or try to upstage him, like I had
been since Stephen started coming here. But I didn't. I just sat back and let Stephen have
his spotlight. I was too upset and sad to do anything involving him.
I didn't want there to be a divide between us. Even though he was sitting right
there, I missed him. As each minute passed I wanted more and more to just go up to him
and kiss him, or hug him, or do something. I was longing for him, desperately wanting
some form of contact that wasn't angry or upset.
The logical solution would be to give back the Necronomicon. But what if I did,
and then he had no excuse to ever talk to me again? And I would be left all alone...
Is that the necromancer who expelled Lady Alexandria? Great, I had distracted
myself to the point where I could hear the shades talking. This one sounded like an old,
British man, like someone you would hear in a King Arthur movie.
Yep, that's her, I sat up straight, it was Shade's voice. Out of the corner of my eye
I noticed that Stephen sat up too.
But she's so new, said the old man, she must have great talent, Stephen turned his
head slightly toward me, listening.
She is pretty extraordinary, Shade complimented, which made me smile, I'm just
worried about her. She's not handling her breakup with Sir Necromancer Stephen very
well. She's hiding her pain, which is even worse than her carrying on and crying.
I sighed. Was that what Shade saw in me? Was it true? I suppose it was, since I
hadn't really told anyone about it. Stephen had put his elbow on his desk so he could rest
his head in his hand.
Good Lord, Prince. Isn't that Sir Necromancer right there? Do you think he
could hear us?
Doubt it, he's in school, see?Besides, he's not a shade necromancer, he would
have to really not be concentrating on anything to hear us.
And just how do you know what Madam Necromancer is feeling? You still have
access through a Door?
I do. And believe me, Gray, I know what she's going through. I went through
worse, obviously, but I know how she feels. It's terrible, like a part of you has been
ripped off.
My eyes were filling with tears, so I looked up at the ceiling to try to make them
stop. I couldn't bare to see what Stephen was doing now, but I was hoping he was
listening.
Understandable, Gray answered, and yet remarkable that she could send away
Alexandria. Blimey, she's been here longer than I 'ave!
Yeah, she really did. Thank God, I was getting tired of her arrogance. I mean, she
was hot, but she was always going on about how great she is, compared to everyone
else...
You only feel that way because she spurned your advances, Shining Prince.
That is beside the point! She wasn't that pretty anyway , a small laugh
accidentally escaped my lips, and Stephen did the same. The class turned to look at us,
and I quickly pursed my lips and looked down at the desk, trying to be inconspicuous.
The math teacher, Miss Martin, just shook her head and continued with the lesson, not
addressing mine and Stephen's sudden, small outburst. Stephen finally caught my eye,
and I looked into his for just a moment before looking away. How much had he heard?
I tried to listen to Shade again, but obviously they had left. There was silence in
the Winterland.
-
I don't know why I expected Stephen to say something to me after class. If he
really had heard what Shade said, then he must have felt some sort of guilt and wanted to
say something. But he didn't, instead he shot out of his seat the second that school was
over, and went straight for his car. I didn't try to catch him, I hung out with the girls for a
bit. They were going to do measurements of the cafeteria and figure out where to hang
decorations. Clem seriously looked like she hadn't slept for a few days. I stayed to help
for a little bit, but I couldn't stop thinking about Stephen. I excused myself after half an
hour, and went home.
I sat out in the field again, surrounded by happy alpacas. Was this what I would
do every day now? Did I feel closer to the alpacas than I did to anyone else? I laid down
in the grass and let my mind wander. I thought about Stephen, and how much I wanted
him back. I thought about Shade, someone who said he would always be there for me,
but at the same time I could never be with him because he was dead. My mind went back
and forth between the two, comparing them. Shade did so much for me, and obviously
cared about me a lot. But Stephen... he was the one I fell in love with. He was the one
who had been perfect, and brave, and strong, and understanding, and kind, and loving.
Shade could only do so much, only half of what Stephen could ever do. I sat up again,
hugging my knees, wishing desperately that Stephen would change his mind.
And that was when I saw it. A very small head sticking out of Letitia's bottom.
My heart sank- she was giving birth a month early! I jumped to my feet, wanting to run
to Letitia and call the vet at the same time. The vet wouldn't get here in time, I realized,
since he lived half an hour away. The cria would probably be born by then. I had
witnessed way too many births to count, but I had never had to deal with one that came
this prematurely. And with my parents gone, I could feel myself starting to panic.
Somehow I had my phone in my hand, and I called the first person on my mind,
the only person who could get here fast enough to help me.
“Hello? Jo, is that you?”
“Oh God, Stephen, I need your help,” I could hear my heart beating louder than I
could hear my own voice.
“Hey, slow down, take a breath. What's going on?”
 “Letitia is giving birth. Right now. And she's really early and my parents are
gone and the vet won't get here in time and I know what to do but not when it's this early
and I need help and I'm scared and...”
“Barack?” Stephen's statement threw me off.
“What?” I asked breathless and confused.
“It's Barack. She's giving birth to Barack.”
“Yes, okay, that's right, yeah, she is.”
“I'll be right there,” and he hung up.
Two minutes hadn't gone by until Stephen's car pulled into the driveway. I was in
the house grabbing as many towels as I could. When he found me he just asked, “Where
is she?”
“Out with the others. Thank you so much for coming, I'd don't know what I'd do
if...”
“She's just out there in the field? Just walking around?” Stephen was stunned.
“Yeah,” I explained, “Alpacas are so social, I told you they do everything
together. Even give birth.”
“That's sick,” he said, “But what do you want me to do?”
“Carry these,” I thrust a pile of towels into his hands.
-
We stood next to Letitia, keeping the other alpacas away while we kept our eyes
on Barack. His two front feet were sticking out above his head, and now the rest of his
body was starting to slide out.
“This is so nasty,” Stephen commented, “Is this normal? This is what's supposed
to happen?”
“Yeah,” I said, “So far, so good. I just think he's going to be smaller than usual,
but we won't know until he's born.”
Letitia was now finally feeling that something different was happening to her, and
kept trying to look behind her to see what was going on. Even though the herd has seen
one of their own being born, they still crowded around, excited for the show. Ulysses was
doubly excited, pushing his way through the crowd so he could see. I kept my fingers
crossed, praying that the little cria would be alright.
Finally this lower half was starting to emerge. I instructed Stephen to place some
towels here he would fall, and he obeyed. Stephen looked revolted at the thought that he
might have to touch a slimy newborn, but he still did everything I asked. We put on some
surgical gloves and assisted the rest of the birth, gently helping him out of his mother.
Then it all happened quickly, as it always does. One second there's a humming, gooey
cria being born, and the next second it's on the ground, looking around at the world and
wondering why his mother is sniffing him so much. Now Stephen was smiling, “It's so
cute!”
It was smaller than usual, but everything else seemed to be normal. It's eyes were
open, it was breathing normally, it was even a decent weight. It wasn't until I was
checking the feet until I noticed the one difference I wasn't expecting, “It's a girl!”
“A girl?” Stephen crouched next to me, “Michelle?”
I smiled up at him, “Definitely a Michelle.”
-
Letitia and Ulysses trotted next to me as I followed Stephen and Michelle, the
latter was being carried off to the barn, draped in towels and humming pleasantly.
Stephen put her in Ulysses' stall, and the two cria got to sniff each other. Ulysses stood
back as Michelle had her first drink from her mother, watching just as curious as always.
Stephen and I watched, standing next to each other awkwardly. I didn't know what to
say, or how to act. We had been standing in an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes
now, not looking at each other. I wondered if he was waiting for me to strike up the
conversation first, instead of him. But he slowly took a deep breath, and I looked up at
him.
“Did you really send away Alexandria Shade?” he asked, staring straight ahead.
“Yeah,” I said, “It wasn't hard at all. It only took a few minutes.”
Stephen bowed his head, “I guess you really are a shade necromancer then. They
will be your forte,” then, at long last, he looked at me, “I suppose she might have been
easy, since she always boasted about working in the library. How did she die?”
“Someone poisoned her.”
Stephen grinned, “I suppose that's how nearly everyone was murdered back in
ancient Egypt. How did it feel to send someone off?”
“Good. I mean, in the way that I did my job right. But there's still so much that I
don't know. I could sit down and read the Necronomicon front to back, and still not know
everything that I would need to do this. At least, I feel that way. This job, you could call
it, seems more like a hands-on learning experience. You need to be in the field, in the
Winterland, to really understand everything. You can't learn everything from textbooks.
Stephen...” I was about to ask him what I should do, when he cleared his throat.
“Jolisa. Look. I really need to explain myself. I feel like this is all my fault. I
should have never got you involved in this. That day, when you said you would never
speak to me again if I didn't tell you what I did, I should have just never told you. We
would both be better if we never spoke, never interacted...”
“And you need to listen to me, Stephen Morrison,” I grabbed his shoulder, so
there was no way he could turn away from me, “You're kidding yourself. Of course I
wouldn't be better if you never spoke to me again, you're the best thing that's ever
happened to me. If I didn't have you then...”
“Stop, let me finish. Really, if we never got into a relationship, you would have
lived a long and happy life. You would be with the alpacas and you would never have to
worry about dead people speaking to you, or horrible creatures coming to get you. And
that's my fault, and I should have never, ever even spoken to you that first day of school.
You asked me, at the restaurant, why I did. And... I still don't know. I was drawn to you.
You looked like the only person here with a head on their shoulders. And you were so
smart, so receptive, you reminded me so much of myself before I became a necromancer.
I wanted to know everything about you. I couldn't stop thinking about you. I fell in love
with you that day, and I've never stopped falling.”
My hand fell off his shoulder. Did he really just tell me he loved me? After all
he's put me through in the past day or so? I had no idea what to say.
He continued, “So, yeah, we would have been better without each other. But I
can't do it. I can't let you go. Jo, I would die without you. After that morning I couldn't
eat, I couldn't think, I couldn't do anything at all. When you texted me I didn't answer
because I couldn't even get the strength to pick up my phone. It felt like the world ended.
The only thought in my mind was what a huge idiot I was. Not just for ending things
with you, but for everything in my life, especially becoming a necromancer. I've always
thought that it was a big mistake, and it ruined my life. I always end up sabotaging
myself... after things go wrong in my life, I just expect them to continue being that way.
When something goes right, I find myself destroying it, just so things can be normal
again. I can't help it. I don't know how to stop. I've never told anyone this... I mean, I
convinced my family to move out here, to the middle of nowhere, so I could start over
fresh. And my past still followed me. And now I'm rambling, I'm sorry, I just...”
“Stephen,” I interrupted, “I have something to say. Something that I never told
anyone. I used to have this dream when I was a little girl, that something would happen.
Like, one night my closet would become a doorway to a fantasy world. Or that someone
would show up one day in town, saying that I was the long lost princess of his land. I
dreamed about adventure, which is the only thing that keeps a kid sane in a town like this.
But I started growing up, and I realized that these things would never, ever happen. I
started facing reality.”
“I get it,” Stephen sighed, “Then a necromancer comes along...”
“No. Not just a necromancer. You. You were the one I was waiting for. It doesn't
matter that you have this power, and you can go in the land of the dead and fight evil
creatures. It's just you that I want. You were the adventure I was waiting for as a little
girl. I just had a feeling, that if I stayed in this town, in Knightsen, my dream would
come true. And all the teens in town leave to find there, but I just knew in my heart that
if I waited right here, it would come to me. And here you are.”
Stephen just smiled meekly at me, “What am I supposed to say to that?”
“I don't know,” I shrugged, “I think you don't have to say anything.”
He took another deep breath before saying “Listen, about this breakup...”
“No,” I interrupted him again, “I get it. I really do. You thought you were
making the best decision for the both of us, and I understand it. But it wasn't, was it? On
paper it seemed the right thing to do, but in real life?”
Stephen just smiled at me, “I'm really sorry that I did that. It was a jerk thing to
do, I know. But yeah, it seemed right at the time.”
“Did you really say you would die without me?”
“I can't live in a world that doesn't have you in it,” then he knelt forward and
kissed me. I sighed, returning his kiss and wrapping my arms around him. His hands
rested on both sides of my neck, and he gently pushed me away from him, “Could you
ever forgive me?”
I just nodded, not able to speak, and I kissed his lips as hard as I could. His arms
went around me so tightly that he lifted my feet of the ground.
“Well,” I said when I broke off the kiss, “You will have to suffer the
consequences.”
“Oh?” he looked amused, “And what will that be?”
I let him go and ran with all my might of the barn and back to the house. I heard
him chasing me, so I ran even faster, laughing more and more with each step. I raced into
the front of the house, where he have the store, and grabbed a bumper sticker. When I
turned to go outside again, Stephen was blocking the exit, panting. I tried to sprint past
him, but he grabbed me again and tickled me. I howled with laughter, eventually
wrestling my way of his grip and ran with all my might for his car. Before he could stop
me I slapped the sticker onto his bumper.
 “Great,” he bent over to catch his breath, and read, “'I brake for alpacas'. Nice.”
I was laughing so hard that I had to sit down. He joined me, and we laughed as if
nothing horrible had happened between us, as if we weren't two necromancers, as if we
were just two teenagers in love.
-
We were lying on the living room couch in each others arms, watching the sun set
through the window.
“Now you say it,” he whispered.
“Again?” my jaw was sore from making out.
“Mm-hm,” he nuzzled his head against my neck.
“I love you,” I said, “So much. I've only known you for over a week. It feels like
years already.”
“Doesn't it?” he turned my head so I was looking into his eyes, which were just
inches away from mine, “I feel like we've been together through so much already. And
this is only the beginning.”
“Right,” I gently kissed his lips, “We still have a lot more to look forward to, Sir
Necromancer.”
“That we do, Madam Necromancer. Speaking of which, where is my book?”
“You mean our book? It's in my bedroom.”
He untangled himself from me and rushed to my room. I followed him, and
discovered Stephen hugging the Necronomicon tightly to his chest, just as I had
whenever I handled it, “I missed you, poor thing,” he whispered to it. Then he opened to
the first page, where the list of names was, “You didn't write your name inside,” he said
to me.
“Was I supposed to?” I asked.
“Well, yeah. All the necromancers who have used it write their name in the front.
It's a tradition with each copy.”
I took a pen from my desk and signed my signature, Jolisa M. Verne, underneath
Stephen's name, “Do you know any of these people?” I asked him.
“A few. Dr. Lindsay was my mentor. I lived next door to him in Stockton, and he
gave me money to do chores around his house, since he was getting so old. That was
how I found the Necronomicon, and when I asked him about it he told me truthfully. Of
course I was excited, and he knew he had to pass the book down soon anyway, so he
trained me. He died when I was fifteen, and I've had the book ever since. And he got the
book from this guy, Rudy Rogers, who was from Rhode Island. He spent his life
traveling all over the US. But he broke his leg fighting an Old One in the Winterland,
and when the nearest doctor was, naturally, Dr. Lindsay, who asked him how exactly his
leg was split in five places. And of course, Rudy got the book from his mentor, H. P.
Lovecraft.”
“I know that name,” I wondered out loud, “I think I read it on your bookshelf.”
Stephen nodded, “He was the only necromancer in history who made a living off
of his job. He was an Old Ones necromancer, which is the hardest job anyone could ever
do. He wrote down all of his adventures in the Winterland and got them published.”
“What's an Old One?”
Stephen sighed, “You really don't want to know. Remember that word you said in
the barn, when I was fighting the vampire?”
 I nodded.
“That was an Old One. One of the more famous ones, too. This book was written
with the objective to summon them from the Winterland into this world, where they will
destroy everything. The rest of the book is just petty stuff compared to that, like a book
full of footnotes of things that can come out of the Winterland, but won't bring about the
Apocalypse.”
“That's horrible,” I said, “So the whole point of being a necromancer is to destroy
the world?”
“It used to be, but apparently none of the past necromancers had the guts to do it,
since we're still here. But the Old Ones were revered as gods, and still are in some
corners of the globe. They would do anything to get their hands on this book and
summon one of them.”
“Why would anyone want to destroy the world?”
“Because it will happen one day. And the people who worship them get to die
first, very painlessly and quickly. The rest of the world will suffer slowly. So they figure
that they may as well get it over with sooner than later.”
I shuddered. I knew that this job would be dangerous, but not that dangerous. No
wonder Shade never wanted me involved.
“But you see,” Stephen went on, “That's why Howard Phillips Lovecraft wrote
what he did. It was to make the world aware of what was happening in a parallel
universe, and to keep necromancers from ever using their power for evil. Every time I
see his name in this book, I thank God that I'm just a general necromancer, and I don't
have to deal with the Old Ones.”
There was a loud banging at the front door, which made both of us jump. I looked
at Stephen, a little scared and freaked out after hearing the story. He jerked his head
toward the door, wordlessly telling me to open it. I tiptoed back to the living room, and
looked through the peephole. An eye that looked a lot like Shade's peered back at me.
I opened the door, and Shade was standing there, looking exasperated, “Jolisa!
Stephen-san no kuruma... I mean, Stephen's car is here! Did you two...” he looked
behind me, where a pleased Stephen was standing, smiling.
Shade threw his hands in the air, cheering, and then rushed in so he could put his
arms around me and Stephen, “I did it! All on my own! I got you two back together!”
“Woah, wait,” said Stephen, “You didn't do anything.”
“Yes I did!” he grinned, “You both heard me when you were in school. Jo
couldn't communicate her feelings, and Stephen wouldn't talk to Jo, so I did all the
talking! And now here you are! Wait,” he suddenly let us go, “I wasn't interrupting
anything, was I? I mean, you still have your clothes on, so I assumed...”
“Shade,” I put my hand out to calm him down, “Thank you, for what you did. I
guess in a way it did bring us back together.”
“Fantastic,” Shade cheered, “I couldn't stand having you two being apart. You
were both so sad. But anyway, I assume that you've formed some sort of sexy
necromancer team?”
Stephen and I looked at each other, not sure how to answer that.
“Well,” Shade didn't wait for an answer, “I believe I have your first assignment,”
out of his pocket he pulled out a small envelope, which he handed to Stephen. As
Stephen opened it Shade explained, “There's a bunch of succubi coming to the
Shadetown, and they're setting up something. One of them handed me this, and told me
to bring it to you guys.”
“What does it say?” I asked Stephen. He showed me the paper, and written in
scraggly handwriting was:
You are invited
To a succubi soirée
courtesy of Jolisa's incubus

“My incubus?” I said out loud, in shock.

Stephen looked at me gravely, “It seems that someone has a huge grudge against
you.”
“But wait,” I was confused, “What does it mean, Jolisa's incubus?”
“He's targeted you now,” Shade explained, “Like how he tried to get Stephen
before, with the drudes and the vampire? Now he's after you, probably because of what
you did to said vampire. All of the Winterland is buzzing about you, after that and
because of Alexandria Shade. You're pretty popular there now.”
“That's great,” I took the paper from Stephen, reading it again. I was getting
really sick of this incubus. It was really his fault that I was a necromancer.
“From the looks of things,” Shade said, “you're going to be jumped by succubi the
next time you enter the Winterland. I would be prepared if I were you.”
“Then what do I do?” I looked back and forth from Stephen to Shade.
Stephen grinned, “Then I guess we get you prepared.”
“Shotgun!” Shade called out. The two of us looked at him as he said, “What?
We're going to Stephen's right?”
-
The first sign that told me something was wrong with Shade happened during
dinner that night. We did end up going to Stephen's, where Mrs. Morrison practically
crushed me in a hug when she saw me walk through her front door, “Oh thank heavens!
You know, I told Stevie that it was a bad idea to end things with you. You're the best
thing that's happened to him, besides moving here, you know that?” I caught her glare at
her son in an I-told-you-so manner, Stephen just shrugged.
Dinner that night was lasagna, which was amazing, and I was expecting Shade to
eat more than one helping. But he never did, and actually, he only ate half of his serving,
and just picked at it with his fork.
“What's wrong?” I asked, “Is Italian not for you?”
“Oh no, the food is great! I'm just not very hungry...”
Stephen practically choked on his food, and the Morrisons looked flabbergasted.
Stephen was clearing his throat as he said, “Shade, for as long as I've known you, you've
never been not hungry. What is wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong, can I just not be that hungry once in a while? Here,” he
forced himself to eat a bite, “Happy?”
Stephen and I looked at each other. There was definitely something wrong.
The next sign that something was wrong with Shade happened in the next hour.
The three of us went outside so Stephen could teach me how to fight with the sword. The
blades shone in the moonlight whenever we swung them, it was actually really beautiful.
I picked up the techniques very quickly, to my surprise, so Stephen offered to show me
how to fight with my hands.
“Shade,” said Stephen, after he showed me the basics of hand-to-hand combat,
“You've been awfully quiet. Do you want to par off with Jolisa? See if she's got what it
takes?
“What?” Shade was clearly not paying attention to us until Stephen said his name.
“Par against Jolisa,” he said, backing up to give me and Shade space to fight.
Shade laughed, “Yeah right, you actually want me to fight the girl I... I mean, my
necromancer?”
Stephen shook his head, “We used to do this all the time together, remember?
You have the best technique.”
“One,” Shade held up a finger, “It's fun to punch you. And two,” there was his
second finger, “It's not fun to punch Jo.”
“What, are you scared?” I tried to provoke him, sheathing the sword on my hip
and getting into a stance that Stephen had shown me. I kept my fits in front of my face
and bent my legs so I was ready to spring. And then I gave him a wink, just to let him
know that I was being playful.
“Oh, so it's going to be that way, is it?” Shade cracked his knuckles and mimicked
my fighting pose.
“Alright,” said Stephen, “If you ever encounter someone who wants to fight you,
that means they usually have a trick up their sleeve, so you have to be ready for anything.
Shades fight the fairest, but they can be very impatie-”
“Yeah yeah, Steve, let's get on with the fight,” Shade interrupted, and he rushed
toward me and swung his leg toward my face. I ducked right before he was about to kick
me in the head.
“Block him!” Stephen called out, “Don't let him have the upper hand.”
While I was on the ground I tried to sweep his legs, but Shade jumped up just in
time. Then he landed funny and ended up falling on the ground. As he struggled to get
up I unsheathed the sword, pointing it toward his neck before he could stand. Shade
froze, then looked up at me and grinned, “Cheater.”
“Hey, that's how it's done,” I said as I moved the blade aside so I could help him
up.
“Why can't you fight her, Stephen?” Shade asked.
Stephen held up his hands, “I'm not about to punch my girlfriend, even if it is for
practice.”
I grinned, “So what about fighting succubi? I think I had handle shades.”
“You've got it easy,” Shade explained for me, “All you have to do is touch them,
and you've got them, since you're a human girl. That's their only weakness, a woman's
touch.”
“That's why you're going to take them on,” Stephen continued, “I will try to get
the incubus again, and get him into the Summerland as soon as possible. I'm sick of this
guy.”
“Wait, just how many succubi will be there?” I asked Shade. He shrugged and
answered, “About ten or twenty.”
“You want me to fight twenty succubi alone?” I was shocked.
“Who said you would be alone?” Stephen wrapped his arm around my shoulders,
“All you have to do is touch them, and then we can fight them together. We should read
through the Necronomicon, I'll show you the spells you need to memorize to send them
away.”
“Sounds great,” I smiled up at him. I was so happy to be close to him again. He
smelled wonderful too, the mix of his cologne and the sweat he built up from teaching me
was quite tantalizing. I rested my head against his arm, “Thank you. For coming back to
me, I mean. I don't know what I'd do without you.”
“Neither would I. That was just a big mistake. You really do forgive me for
that?” he smiled a little, his glasses reflecting the moonlight.
I hugged him around his waist, “Of course I do. I understand. As long as you
don't leave me ever again. Promise?”
He kissed my forehead, “I promise. Never again.”
“Perfect,” I closed my eyes and let myself inhale his scent again until I turned
toward Shade, “Now, how about round two?” except, to my surprise, Shade was gone.
“Shade?” Stephen called out. There was no answer.
I concentrated, using my newfound powers, “I summon the shade nearest to me,”
but he still didn't appear.
“He must have left then,” Stephen shrugged, “Especially if he's not near
anymore.”
“Why would he leave?”
“The question is, why did he hardly eat anything during dinner? There's
something wrong with him.”
“Definitely,” I agreed, “Ever since we got to your house, he's not been himself.
What could have happened?”
“No idea. Let's get inside, it's actually pretty cold out here when we're not
moving around,” he put his hand on the small of my back, leading me into his house and
inside his room.
“So the symbols?” I pointed to the markings that covered his wall.
“Protection. You should draw some on your room too, just in case. You never
know what can crawl out of a Door. There aren't any symbols for shades, though,” he sat
at his desk, where the Necronomicon was sitting, and flipped open a few pages, “So,
spells for succubi...” the book passed through a few pages on its own, until it reached the
right section.
Stephen held the ancient book up for me, “So, it's pretty simple...” he started
explaining, but the strange words went in one ear and out the other. I couldn't stop
thinking about Shade. It wasn't like him to just go away like that.
“What is it?” Stephen finally asked.
“Shade,” I answered honestly.
“Right,” Stephen closed the book, “The mysterious case of the Shining Prince.
Did anything happen between you two yesterday? Besides him breaking into my room to
get this book for you?”
“No,” I said automatically, and then corrected myself, “Actually, we did go out to
dinner. In San Francisco.”
Stephen stood straight up, “You went on a date with him?” he asked, in shock.
“No!” I said, “It wasn't like that! It was... just dinner. Like a friend thing.”
“Right. In San Francisco. Where did you go?”
“Just pizza. It was a nice restaurant, I guess, but it was just pizza. He didn't try to
pull any tricks on me or anything,” which was a lie, and I didn't even realize it was until I
said it. All Shade had to do was drag a finger down my neck and it made me hot and
bothered the whole night. What were his intentions anyway?
I continued, “I guess he can be very confusing. I'm not sure what he wants with
me.”
“Whenever I'm alone with him, he always says something about stealing you
away from me. But then he always insists that he's joking. And then you go out to dinner
with him? That's just not right, Jo.”
“For the record, you did break up with me that morning. He was just helping
me.”
Stephen sat back down, looking defeated, “You're right. I guess I am screwing
everything up. As usual.”
“Hey,” I said gently, wrapping my arms around his shoulders, “Listen. You're not
screwing anything up. Not anymore,” I leaned forward and kissed his lips, which felt a
little odd since I was upside down, but it made him smile.
“You're right,” he replied, and he stood up again and grasped me in his arms,
holding me tight against him, “Not anymore,” and he kissed me so passionately that I
forgot to breathe. I felt myself melt against him, feeling protected and safe in his strong
embrace.
“You've been kissing me all afternoon,” I said when I could finally get a word in,
“Haven't you had enough?”
“No way,” he mumbled before kissing me again.
Needless to say, I never did learn the spells to send a succubus away to the
Summerland that night. We were too busy kissing and embracing and giggling and
gazing longingly into each others eyes. It seemed only a few minutes had gone by until
Stephen's Mom knocked on his door, saying that it was nearly eleven and that we
shouldn't be up so late. We held hands on the way to his car, and once we were inside he
held my face in both of his hands and kissed me again.
“I don't want you to go,” he spoke in a low voice.
“Neither do I,” my hands snaked around his neck, “But your Mom is right. We
should sleep. Big day tomorrow.”
“I suppose. But I will see you at school. That's only a few hours away, isn't it?”
“It isn't soon enough,” I said as I leaned forward and kissed him.
“We're going to be doing this all night if we don't stop now,” he spoke with our
lips inches away from each others; I could feel them brush against mine as he spoke.
After a moment of hesitation, he let me go, and started the car, driving off to my house.
He insisted on walking me to my door, “It's what gentlemen do,” he argued.
“Fine,” I said as he helped me out of his car, “But since it is getting late, you can
only give me one hug and one kiss.”
He frowned, “Just one?”
“Yes.”
“Does it have to last a certain amount of time?”
I grinned, “No.”
“Perfect,” the next thing I knew he had picked me up and was carrying me to my
door, “Your hug,” he explained.
“Not exactly a hug, but it will do,” I said as he put me down at my door step.
 “And one kiss,” his hand combed through my hair as he pulled me close, and his
kiss was so soft and delicate that I could barely feel his lips touch mine. It left me
breathless.
“Good night, Jo,” he whispered.
“Fine, two kisses then,” I gave in.
“That's my girl,” he laughed as he embraced me one more time. I could have
sworn there were fireworks above us.
-
I couldn't sleep. Even though Shade had left me gasping for more after his night
with me, Stephen made me feel whole. I felt loved and truly treasured for the first time.
It was such an ecstatic feeling, almost like I wanted to burst into song at the very thought
of my boyfriend.
Eventually I realized that there was no way I would be falling asleep any time
soon, so I wrapped my blanket around me and grabbed the flashlight so I could go check
on Michelle. I shivered as I crossed the field, heading toward the barn. Clouds were now
passing over the moon, and the air was beginning to smell damp. It would definitely be
raining again by this time tomorrow.
The pleasant sounds of dreaming alpacas filled the barn. They all sleep together,
lying together in a big pile, which is called “cushing”. It usually reminded me of when
Clem, Charlie and I were younger and had sleepovers, and would all eventually end up
crashing on one of our living room floors. Some of the alpacas poked their heads up
when I entered, most likely expecting food, but I kept as quiet as I could as I tip-toed
toward Ulysses' and Michelle's corner.
I nearly dropped my flashlight when I saw who was siting there, “Shade?”
He turned around, cracking a weak grin when he saw me, “Hey.”
“What are you doing here?” I asked, completely surprised.
He shrugged, “There's a new one. A little one.”
“Yeah, a cria” I said, taking a spot next to him, “She was just born this afternoon.”
Michelle was draped in her cria coat to keep her warm. She was snuggled next to
her mother, and Ulysses had cushed next to her. Shade was just staring at her, with a
blank expression of awe. I thought it was interesting how a dead person was so transfixed
on new life.
“Her name is Michelle,” I said to fill the silence between us, “After Michelle
Obama.”
Shade nodded, “Mm. That's an okay name, I guess.”
“Well, what would you call her then?”
“Chibi-chan,” he answered quickly, as if he had picked out a name for her long
ago.
“What does that mean?”
“Little. Tiny. A runt.”
I grinned, “She was born really early. But she's just fine, completely healthy.
Isn't it amazing?”
“Un,” was all Shade said, with a small nod. I assumed it was some kind of
Japanese expression, or slang.
“What's wrong, Shade?” I finally asked him, “You haven't been yourself all
night.”
 Shade turned his head to look into my eyes, “As if you didn't know,” he said,
miserably.
“No, I don't. Please tell me,” I put my arm around him, to comfort him.
“It's you,” he said in a small voice, “And there's nothing I can do about it.”
“What do you mean? Is this about me becoming a necromancer? You said before
that...”
“No!” Shade yelled, standing up abruptly. A few alpacas grunted awake, startled
by the activity, “It isn't! I can't believe you don't even know.”
“Shade, keep it down!” I whispered harshly, “Don't wake them. Now what the
heck is going on?”
“You,” he panted, trying to control his rage, “and Stephen.”
I didn't know how to respond. Was he jealous? But how could he when... “You
said you brought us back together. We both heard you, when we were at school. And
you came to my house and you were so happy.”
“Yeah, well,” Shade stared at his feet, “I'm not. I'm pretty good at acting,
remember when I had to be mysterious and spooky when I first met you? I can pull off
any emotion. How was I supposed to act when I saw Stephen standing there? I wanted to
just leave crying. But I couldn't, could I? I had to put on a happy face for you guys. I
don't know how else I'm supposed to behave when you two are together. And now I'm
sure you're even more in love, after he tried to end things with you. And this is all my
fault, and there's nothing I can do about it now.”
“Shade,” I said as calmly as I could, “Why did you say those things about me
then? With that other shade, when Stephen and I were at school? You were trying to get
us back together, weren't you?”
“In a way,” Shade sat down again, “It was Helena's idea. I went to see her. I
was... just a little frustrated, you know, and she can usually calm me down. But I just
ended up ranting about you, and how much I wanted to be with you when Stephen is the
one thing keeping us apart. I enjoy being around you, Jo, but it's not right when I know
you're thinking about Stephen in the back of your mind. Helena said that the best thing
for you is to get back with Stephen. She's right, your light is more radiant than ever now
that you have him. But...” Shade just stopped, pursing his lips together.
“But what?” I asked, “Shade? What are you trying to tell me?”
“I got you two back together to make you happy. And to make Stephen happy
too, the poor guy has had nothing go right in his life until you came along. But when I
saw you, and him, together... I wanted to die. I just couldn't handle being around you
both. I couldn't stand watching you give him a smile, or him touching you, or anything.
I can't do it. It hurts, Jo,” he finally met my gaze again, and his eyes were wet with tears.
“Oh Shade,” I sighed, draping my blanket around him and holding him tight. He
rested his head against my shoulder, “I'm really sorry you feel that way. But I don't know
what to say.”
“I know,” Shade murmured, his face buried against me, “You can tell me to stop
being an idiot. You can tell me that a shade can never be with a human. We're different
beings. You should be with Stephen. You love each other. And you could never give
that amount of love to me.”
My heart was pounding. I felt terrible for him. I just clutched him, not sure of
what I should do. Because he was right, I did love Stephen very much. And even though
I have fun with Shade, and there are even a few moments where I feel that maybe I could
have a place for him in my heart, it wasn't meant to be. Shade was dead, and there was
no point in falling for a guy who died who knows when.
“Why me, Shade?” I asked him quietly. He lifted his eyes, his tears were gone. I
continued, “You've been with so many women in the Winterland. You're like Casanova
or something. Why are you acting this way with me?”
“I,” he spoke slowly, “would give up every woman in the Winterland for you. It's
worth it. If I could I would take back every fling, every one night stand, every moment
I've spent with the girls I've been with, if I could just have you. You're like nothing I've
ever seen. And...” he stopped again, slipping the blanket off of me, “No, I shouldn't.”
“What?”I followed him as he stood again, making his way for the door.
“I had you first,” he said as he walked, “I saw you before Stephen did. Right
outside here. At this very spot,” we made our way outside, and he had stopped in the
same place where he had scared me, just over a week ago, “I couldn't say anything. What
could I say? But I was watching you, waiting for the right moment. I wanted you, even
from the moment I first saw you. But not in the usual way, not in the way that I think
whenever I see a pretty girl. I wanted you, exclusively. I wanted you in a way that I've
never felt before. But that's not the way the universe works, does it? As much as I'd give
my all for you, we will never be together.”
I shook my head, my mind was in a whirlwind. Was Shade trying to tell me that
he loved me? He had said things like this before to me, but the more he spoke like this,
the more personal it became. And the louder my heart beat.
“What do you want me to do, Shade?” I asked timidly, “You know you're right. I
have Stephen. I love him. And you are very special to me, Shade, you really are...”
“Don't say anything else,” he closed his eyes, turning his back on me, “I'm
leaving.”
“Don't go!” I reached out to him, grabbing his shirt sleeve. He still kept his gaze
away from mine, “You can't just leave me. I mean, I like being around you. I still want
you around. And what about the incubus? We're going to need all the help we can get.”
“You'll see me again, Jolisa. I don't know when, but you will. I need some space
for a while,” he spoke in a dead pan voice, void of emotion, “Sayonara.” And he was
gone, like the flame of a candle being blown out.
I shivered in the cold night air. Why did people always seem to be leaving me,
because they loved me too much?
“Men!” I just shook my head in frustration, and started walking back toward my
bed.
-
A car honked outside just as I was finishing up my morning routine. To my
surprise Stephen was outside my house, looking awake and chipper. I quickly grabbed
my backpack and ran out the house to my boyfriend.
“Wow, you're actually awake at 7:30 in the morning! I thought for sure you
would be in bed still,” I said as I hopped into his car, leaning over to give him a peck on
his lips.
“I couldn't wait to see you again. I slept great. I even dreamed about you,” he
winked at me as he turned the car down my driveway and headed down Eden Plains Road
toward school.
 “What did you dream?” I asked.
“I took you to Santa Cruz. To the beach. The weather was beautiful, and so were
you.”
I blushed, “I've never been there. Is it nice?”
Stephen laughed, “Are you kidding me? It's paradise. When summer rolls
around, we are definitely going.”
I looked up at the sky through the car window, which was quickly filling with
dark rain clouds, “I can't wait for summer.”
-
“Can you hear that?” Stephen asked me as we pulled into the school parking lot.
It was almost like a tea pot sound, very high pitched and shrill.
“You get used to it after a while,” I sighed, “That's just Clementine.”
Sure enough, Clem was standing in the front of the school, shrieking her head off
at the sight of us. She ambushed me when I got out of the car, tackling me with a
massive hug, “WHY didn't you TELL me that YOU TWO got BACK TOGETHER?”
“Calm down, Clem!” I yelled over her screaming, “It was... kinda sudden.”
“Clementine,” Stephen's passive voice was what actually made Clem quiet down,
“It was all just a misunderstanding. It was entirely my fault, and yeah, we got back
together. If I sparked any kind of hatred from you and all your friends, I sincerely
apologize.”
Clem just stared at my boyfriend, analyzing him, and then suddenly perked back
up to her usual state of happiness, “Great! That means you're still on for the dance!
Which reminds me, Bella's cousin's boyfriend is going to be our DJ, and there's a song
request sheet tacked on the message board. Put some good tunes on there, okay!” She
gave me one last hug before skipping into the building.
“So did you take a lesson from the Shade School of Formal Speeches or
something?” I smirked at Stephen.
“No,” he sighed, “I just figured that your friends spent the entire day yesterday
bad-mouthing me, and I had been trying to think of what to say when I met them again. I
guess its easy to win her over.”
Winning over most of the girls again did seem way too easy. It appeared that they
were much more concerned over the dance tomorrow than my relationship status. Lia,
however, was a different story.
“What is going on with you two?” she asked me before English started.
“We just disagreed,” I explained, “We figured out what happened and got back
together, that's all.”
She leaned over my desk, whispering inches away from my face, “But there's
something else going on between you two, isn't there? Some kind of secret, perhaps?”
I didn't know what to say, and thankfully Stephen overheard, “Excuse me? Do
you have something you would like to say to me?”
Lia just narrowed her eyes at him, and then turned on her heel, heading toward the
back of the class to sit with the other girls. She instantly turned into one of them, gabbing
about what they were going to wear to the dance. I gave Stephen a knowing look, and he
just nodded. The both of us would have to keep an extra eye on her, and make sure she
doesn't meddle in something she doesn't belong in.
Mr. Martinez entered the classroom, carrying many white bags which, from the
smell that emitted from them, contained bagels, “Hey everyone, can someone help me get
all the orange and apple juice out of my car? And the rest of you arrange your desks in a
circle. We are having a Socratic Lord of the Flies breakfast chat today.” It was like the
whole class woke up, excited about having an impromptu party. Stephen smiled at me as
I sidled my seat next to his, and he reached his hand beneath his desk and held mine,
giving it a secret squeeze.
It was a fun class, as it was the first time that we were just allowed to talk
throughout the class. Not to mention the bagels were delicious. Even though he was
holding my hand for most of the time, Stephen and I continued our friendly academic
rivalry. We were debating between the differences of morality between two of the
characters, Simon and Piggy, when Lia suddenly jumped in.
“What about Jack?” she asked, “He represents total evil, right? Wouldn't he be
the opposite of, like, Simon?”
Mr. Martinez and I exchanged a surprised look; Lia was never one to speak up in
class, ever. Especially with something that was actually relevant. Stephen answered her,
“Well, Jack is more the opposite of Ralph, if you look at their leadership positions on the
island.”
“Right,” I agreed, “Ralph was the original leader, who tried to create order, and
Jack ended up taking control and creating chaos.”
“Well,” Lia flicked her blond hair over her shoulder, “I don't see what the big deal
is about Jack. I mean, yeah he ended up being responsible for murder, right? But they
were on an island. They thought there was a monster. You have to do whatever you can
to survive.”
Stephen let go of my hand under his desk so he could talk with his hands, to make
his point, “But if they just followed Ralph all along, they would have been just fine.”
“So Ralph versus Jack, right,” Lia continued, clearly taking my place in the
impromptu debate, “One is the seemingly perfect leader who can't hold anything together.
And the other is the rogue, animalistic and power hungry leader who ends up uniting the
whole island. I mean, who would you choose?”
I couldn't help but think of my personal life when I heard that statement. It was
almost like hearing a conversation about Stephen versus Shade.
“Ralph,” Stephen said, “Represents human good. He did what he could to help all
the boys on that island. He's moral, he makes the right decisions.”
“But that didn't matter,” Lia argued, “once Jack took over. He may represent
chaos, but in the long run those boys would have had a better chance of survival if they
had never been rescued. He's the wild one.”
I had to interrupt, “So wait, you would pick the murdering, cruel leader over the
one that tried to get them rescued?”
Lia shrugged, “It wouldn't have worked, to just choose the safe option. Everyone
needs a little danger in their life, right? They need that thrill or else they would have
grown bored and ended up going down the dark path that Jack took anyway.”
“Jack doesn't know anything,” Stephen continued, “He only wanted what was best
for him and nobody else. It didn't matter what happened to anyone else, as long as he got
his way.”
“Whatev,” Lia gave up, picking up her bagel again, and before taking a bite she
stated, “I would just follow Jack, that's all. Besides, Lost is way better than this book any
day.”
“Alright class,” Mr. Martinez stood, “Let's take a break for a minute. Don't forget
that your essays are due on Monday.”
“Who would you pick, Jo?” Stephen suddenly whispered to me.
“You... I mean, Ralph. Right, Ralph. Lord of the Flies, right?” I felt butterflies in
my stomach.
Stephen grinned, “Me? You confused me with Ralph?”
“Shade said he's not coming back,” I heard myself say quietly.
My boyfriend just pursed his lips together, looking down for a second before
saying, “Let's step outside,” he got up from his seat and I followed, taking advantage of
everyone paying attention to filling their cups with orange juice and spreading cream
cheese on their bagels.
“I saw him last night,” I said as soon as we were safely in the hall, “He came to
the barn. He was really upset, and said that he was faking his excitement about us getting
back together.”
Stephen ran both of his hands through his hair, “Please, back up. Why did he
come to see you?”
I shrugged, “I'm the shade necromancer, right? He likes me better automatically.”
“I've known him for years. Whenever he has a problem, he comes to me.”
“I guess things are different now.”
Stephen rested his hands on my shoulders, “Tell me, now. Everything. What's
going on between you two? Is there anything I should know about?”
“Stephen,” I pulled in toward him, turning his grasp into an embrace, “There is
nothing going on between me and Shade. But for Shade, there is something going on
between him and me. I guess that's the best way to put it.”
“You mean he likes you?” his arms hugged me tight, as if he would lose me if he
let me go, “In that way? Not just in his usual, lustful way?”
“Most likely,” I said as I rested my head against his chest, “He's never really
voiced it, but he's implied it, whenever we're alone. But it's okay,” I looked up into
Stephen's eyes, “I'm not going to choose the rogue, wild, egotistical prince of the
Winterland. I'm choosing the logical, smart, natural leader necromancer.”
He smiled, giving me a quick kiss on my forehead, “Good. I'm really glad. But
anyway, he's not coming back? Not even to help with the succubi?”
“It seems that way.”
Stephen gave me a squeeze before releasing me, “We're going to have an
interesting day, I think.”
-
The school day went by too fast. Normally Fridays would just drag along, and I
would be left hoping that time would go by quicker so everyone could be free for the
weekend. But the closer it got to three o'clock, the more I realized that I would end up in
a battle with the undead tonight. I started feeling nervous, glancing over at Stephen every
time I got the chance, who would just smile back at me. I couldn't help but remember the
last battle that Stephen and I faced together without any help, which ended with me
sucking venom out of my nearly dead boyfriend. I didn't even want to think about what
would happen tonight.
Charlie grabbed me right when school was dismissed, “Hey Jo! Can I come over
today with the dress, so we can do some fittings?”
“Um,” I quickly looked over at Stephen, then back to Charlie, “Actually, Char,
I'm busy this afternoon.”
She rolled her eyes, “Boyfriend time, right? Whatever. When I can drop off the
dress?”
“I guess...” I tried to think what time I could possibly be back from fighting in the
Winterland, if I was coming back at all, “You know what? I think tomorrow morning
will be better.”
“Oh?” Charlie leaned in close to my face and whispered, “And just what will you
be up to all night, huh Jolisa?”
“Nothing,” I shoved her out of the way, “For your information, I have a newborn
cria that I have to take care of all by myself. She needs a lot of attention. It had nothing
to do with Stephen.”
“You liar,” Charlie winked at my playfully, “You know, Lia thinks Steve got you
into some kind of cult or something, since you're always mysteriously running off with
him.”
I laughed and said loudly, so anybody nearby, including Lia, could hear me,
“There is no way that I am in a cult!”
“Agreed,” Stephen was at my side, gathering up my books into my backpack for
me and hoisting it on his back, “Now if you would excuse us, Charlie, Jo and I have to
perform a virgin sacrifice tonight. Know any place where we can get good goat's blood
for cheap?”
“Ha ha, very funny,” Charlie grinned, “Fine, take her away for the night, man of
mystery. Try to swing by here tonight to help decorate for the dance tomorrow, if you
can.”
“Will do,” Stephen said as he linked his arm around mine and led me out of the
classroom. He was smiling to himself, “Yeah, sure, a cult. More like the occult.”
I giggled, “So what's step one for the agenda tonight?”
“Well first, I'm going to drive you home. Then we're going to check on Michelle.
And then we're going to make out, probably a lot. Then we're going to pay a visit to the
friendly neighborhood Shadetown and send away a bunch of succubi and one, mean
incubus to where they belong. Then more making out, and then hopefully there will be
time to put up decorations.”
“Sounds like a plan to me.”
When we got outside, rain was pouring down in buckets. We made a mad dash
for his car, and for once I was grateful that he drove to school every day. As he pulled the
car out of the parking lot and onto Delta Road, Stephen sighed, “Well, now our plans
have changed a bit.”
“Oh?” I asked, “How so?”
“We're going to have to find a dry place to make the circle. If we draw it in the
rain, most likely it will wash away. If that happens when we're in the Winterland, we're
stuck there.”
“Well that's fantastic,” I grumbled, “I suppose if we could use the lean-to by the
side of the barn. We could pin up the tarp in case the wind changes. I'm just worried
about anything that might get out of it.”
“Right,” he agreed, “It's always dangerous. With the rain they would probably be
harder to find.”
I smiled, “I didn't mean that. I was worried about the alpacas. They should all be
hiding in the barn, and if anything got in there...”
Stephen laughed, driving down the small, unpaved road that led to my house,
“That figures. Jolisa, nothing in the Winterland will be interested in the alpacas. I
promise. And our circle isn't the only change in plans.”
“What else?” I asked curiously, and became confused when Stephen pulled up to
my house, jumped out of the car, and ran toward my passenger door. He yanked it open
and pulled me out, instantly soaking me in the cold weather, “Now I get to kiss you in the
rain.”
After a few minutes, the rain didn't feel cold at all. I was surprised it wasn't
sizzling when it touched us.
-
I hung up my clothes for the day over the bathtub to let them dry, and I changed
into my necromancer outfit: blank tank top, blue jeans and high black boots. When I
emerged, I noticed Stephen had changed into a pin-striped suit that he had kept in the
backseat of his car. He gasped when he saw me, and I remembered that Stephen had
never seen me with the boots on before.
“Hey,” was all he said.
“Hey there,” I smiled back.
“Are you really mine?”
I slowly spun around, letting him admire my outfit from all the angles, “All
yours.”
He approached me, resting his hands on my hips, “If I had my way, we would
never have time to draw a circle today.”
I cupped both sides of his face in my palms, “Tell me about it. You look so
handsome.”
He frowned, looking down at his outfit, “I just don't know how I'm going to walk
across the muddy field through the rain, and not ruin it.”
“Don't worry, I have umbrellas. Here,” I dashed to the closet in the front room,
and noticed on the way that the light on the answering machine was blinking. I pushed
the button and heard my mothers voice, “Hey Joli, it's Mom! Dad and I are having a nice
time up in Portland. The Jenkins family have been so kind to us, and we've been helping
out where we can. And he left us five alpacas in his will! So we will be bringing home
some new family members. We're going to leave tomorrow morning, so we will be home
on Saturday night. Hope everything is going okay at home. See you soon, honey!”
I couldn't stop smiling. Five new alpacas! Sure it would be that much more work
for me, but it would help out the business so much. Since South America stopped
exporting alpacas, the only way to get some new DNA in the herd is to buy or trade with
other farmers in the states. Five new alpacas meant dozens of beautiful, new crias.
“I heard,” Stephen said as I handed him the umbrella, “They will be back
tomorrow, huh?”
“Yep!” I said, “I can't wait to see the new alpacas!”
“I'm sure,” he said a little seriously, “But that means that we have to do this today.
We're not going to get another chance. The dance is Saturday, and now I'm sure you'll be
taking care of the new additions all day Sunday. We have to go today, or else it will be
too late.”
“Then let's do this,” I grabbed his hand, and we both went outside in the storm,
sheltered by the umbrella, and ready to fight.
-
As I was setting up the tarp, I made a mental check list of things that we needed.
The Necronomicon was safe at Stephen's house; we didn't need it to open the Door, since
Stephen has that down. And since he is the general necromancer, we decided that he
would do all the spell work. I still had a note in my pocket with a few succubus chants
on it, just in case. I crossed off spells on my check list, as well as katanas, since they
were safely secured to our waists. I hoped that that was all that we needed to fight, and
that Stephen didn't realize halfway through that we needed compasses or anything.
“All ready?” Stephen asked. I nodded, even though I was finally starting to feel
scared and nervous. He held my hand, and I closed my eyes. I could practically see the
words on the weathered old pages of the Necronomicon, as if the book was right in front
of me. I chanted the spell for opening the Door, and I could hear Stephen drawing. When
I was done, a Door was waiting for us, fog billowing at our feet.
“I love you,” I blurted out.
“I love you too, Jo,” he answered as we laid down in the dirt together.
-
“JoJo?” asked a young voice. I could tell that it belonged to a little boy, even
though it had a deep sound to it. When I sat up I found a small boy looking at me, his
aura glowing pale around his dark, black skin.
“Excuse me?” I asked.
“You are JoJo!” the boy grinned. He had a thick accent, from some region of
Africa, I was sure.
Stephen turned to me, “Are you JoJo?”
“I...” I looked from Stephen to the boy, “Yes, I am JoJo. Who are you?”
The boy ran forward and hugged me, “Shade. But they call me Big Boy. Shining
Prince told me about you. He told everyone. He says there is a new necromancer. We
are so happy. Come!” he took my hand, yanking me forward, so I had no choice but to
stand and follow him. He was so short that I had to stoop forward to keep holding his
hand. I looked behind me toward Stephen, who was following us with a grin on his face.
We headed toward a large Shadetown, which I presumed was the local town that
Shining Prince Shade lived in. There was a crowd of shades bustling around the
makeshift homes and businesses, but they all stopped when they saw me and Big Boy
approaching, and made their way toward us. They were all whispering to each other
while glancing at me.
“Look! Look!” Big Boy cried out, “I found the necromancer!”
“Are you?” an old shade addressed me, who was dressed in battered knight armor,
without the helmet. He had a neatly trimmed beard and mustache, and I recognized his
voice as Gray.
“Yes. Um, hello,” I announced, and all the whispering stopped, “Yes, I am a
shade necromancer. My name is Jolisa.”
Stephen cleared his throat, “Madam Necromancer Jolisa. That's the proper title
they should address you by.”
“Right. So, yeah, Madam Necromancer Jolisa. I look forward to meeting you
all.”
“He was right,” one man whispered to another, “She does have a golden glow
around her.”
“Is it true,” a young girl asked me, with a distinct Irish accent, “that you raise
great beasts?”
I looked at Stephen confusedly. He shrugged, and suggested, “Alpacas?”
The girl stepped up to me. The black dress she was wearing was very tattered and
patched, and from her looks she was around eleven or twelve years old, “Shining Prince
said that you live among great, hairy beasts.”
“Mama JoJo,” Big Boy Shade tugged at my arm, “Come and meet my friends and
brothers! They want to meet you too!”
“Madam Necromancer,” suddenly all the shades were talking at once and asking
me questions or stating complaints, “I'm having a dispute with another shade. Could you
settle it?”, “I think I may have angered some imps,”, “Madam, I think my home is
infested with ghouls,” “Are you going to do anything about the succubi?”
“Yes!” I answered the question loud enough, “That's why I'm here. The succubi
have a vendetta against me, and my fellow necromancer and I are going to get them out
of here.”
A small cheer erupted from the crowd, but Big Boy just nuzzled his face into my
hand, moaning, “I don't want those mean succubi to eat Mama JoJo!”
I smiled, and scooped up Big Boy and set him on my hip, “I'm not going to let
them, don't worry,” I turned to Stephen, who had been standing behind me with an
amused grin on his face, “Let's go.”
Stephen, Big Boy and I walked straight down the main road of the Shadetown,
while the shades followed a few feet behind us, still whispering and muttering among
themselves, most likely about me. It reminded me of the alpacas, and how they would
follow me whenever there was something new or different, or if I had food. Toward the
end of the road, outside of the Shadetown, I spotted some kind of huge, white tent, as if
the undead circus had come to town.
My boyfriend sighed as he walked, “Oh, great.”
“Why? What is that?”
Stephen explained, “There must a pretty big gathering of succubi. The more that
get together, the more powerful they can get. There's enough over there that they can
create illusions.”
“Illusions?” I squinted at the tent, “So that's not real?”
He nodded, “And the only way to get rid of it is to kill the succubus that's
projecting it.”
“Do you think it's the one that mated with the incubus that's out to get me?”
“I wouldn't be surprised,” Stephen reached out and held the hand that wasn't
supporting Big Boy, and we walked silently for the rest of the way.
Big Boy planted a kiss on my cheek, “Mama JoJo, I should be going now,” he
squirmed out of my arms, and ran back down the road, calling over his shoulder, “I'll be
with the other boys. Bye bye!”
Stephen gave my hand a squeeze, “You have no idea.”
“What was that?”
He smiled, “You have no idea how jealous I'm going to get. With you being a
shade necromancer, they will all fall in love with you. I'm going to end up competing for
your attention, I know it.”
I kissed his lips, “Never. Now, are you ready to fight?”
“Always,” we walked hand in hand through the opening flap of the tent, and we
were surrounded by darkness. I couldn't see my hand if I put it in front of my face. I was
about to ask Stephen to take out the lighter I knew he carried on him in the Winterland
when a huge spotlight flashed on, illuminating a spot in front of us. A girl stepped into
the circle of light.
“Howdy, y'all!” she cried out to us, even though we were only a few feet in front
of her. She was wearing Daisy Duke shorts, a striped shirt that was tied up in a knot
under her chest, so it revealed her stomach. Her thick, red hair was done in pigtail braids.
She looked exactly like the perfect Southern stereotype, “Welcome to mah party tent!”
Stephen let go of my hand and withdrew his sword, “Enough. I know the are
more of you. Where are they?”
She actually guffawed with laughter, “I didn't know you really wanted to meet all
mah girls. But if y'all insist...” the tent lit up, and she was gone. Now that we could see
around us, I noticed that we were facing an opening between two white walls, that
appeared to lead down a corridor.
“It's a maze,” said Stephen, looking around in all directions while still keeping his
sword and his guard up, “They're going to try to separate us.”
“What do we-” I was interrupted by a light, laughing sound. It was pretty, almost
like a bird chirping, or some kind of high pitched song.
“Get ready,” Stephen said through gritted teeth, and I drew my sword. The tent
flap moved, and we both spun around. A leg appeared, curving around the flap and
balancing on tiptoes, like a dancer. Then the rest of her body emerged through the door,
and I gasped at how beautiful she was. She was dressed as a belly dancer; she wore a
long, green and gold flowing skirt, a matching bodice covered in bangles, and gold
jewelry covering her ankles and wrists. Her skin was almond, her straight, long hair was
black, and her eyes were the darkest color of green I have ever seen.
“Hello,” she crooned, her voice was high, and she sounded like she was singing
whenever she spoke, “Nice to meet you both, Sir Necromancer, Madam Necromancer.
They call me Mara.”
“And?” Stephen challenged.
Mara pouted, “You don't want to play, Sir Necromancer? You want to go straight
to the game?”
Now I was really scared. I gripped the hilt of the sword as hard as I could,
preparing myself for anything.
“Very well then,” Mara purred, “I suppose I'll just have to kill you both now,”
seemingly out of nowhere, two small blades flashed into her hands, and she charged right
for us.
“GO!” Stephen yelled. He went right while I went left. The succubus, knowing
that she had an easier chance of killing Stephen, went after him. My mind raced, trying
to think of what I could do to stop her. Then I remembered, of course, all I have to do is
touch her. Stephen and Mara were clashing blades, ducking and weaving and swiping at
each other. Mara kept her body positioned so she was always facing me, never putting
her back to me.
 “Shh,” hushed a voice behind me. I whipped around, and standing inches behind
me was a short girl with bright blue eyes and long blond hair, “Don't stop the battle, this
is fun.”
“Who are you?” I asked.
She also pouted, “They call me Angel. Because I'm so sweet. Here, do you want
to want to watch me kill this necromancer?”
“Hell no,” I growled as I reached out and grabbed her around her neck. She
screamed, collapsing to the ground. Stephen and Mara stopped their battle, looking over
at us. I glared at Mara, “You're next.”
Her laughter chimed through the room, and she danced into the opening of the
maze. Stephen ran over to me and Angel, already starting the chant to send away a
succubus, and I joined him. Angel screamed before being consumed by the bright, white
light of the Summerland.
We were alone. I turned to Stephen, “We have to go in that labyrinth, don't we?”
“It would seem so. Let's do our best to stick together,” he linked his arm around
mine, and we both followed after Mara, into the maze.
-
“There's a shade in here,” I heard myself say. We had been weaving through the
labyrinth together, occasionally hitting dead ends and wondering what exactly this was all
leading to.
“There can't be,” Stephen said, “No shade would be dumb enough to come in
here. They don't want anything to do with succubi.”
“Yeah, but...” I looked around me, only seeing the high white walls rising around
us, “I can just feel it. I mean, it's something. Don't you get the feeling like we're being
watched?”
“I always get that when I'm in the Winterland. Hey, do you hear that?” right when
he said that, I did. Someone was crying nearby.
We raced around a corner, still arm in arm, and found a small girl, crouched in a
corner with her hands over her face.
“Succubus!” Stephen addressed her, “Name one good reason why I shouldn't send
you away right now.”
She peeked through her fingers, her eyes were red from crying, “Please don't hurt
me. I don't want to attack anyone. That mean succubus, Wendi-Ann, she's the reason
we're all here. She mated with that incubus, and now she's so powerful, we have to do
everything she says.”
“Is Wendi-Ann the redhead in the shorts?” I asked her.
The girl nodded, the curls in her brown hair bobbed with her, “I've only been a
succubus for a few days. My name is Poppy. I'm not very powerful. I'm still trying to
understand the concept of being dead. It's hard,” fresh tears rose up in her eyes, and she
continued weeping.
Stephen and I looked at each other, not sure how we should treat her. He leaned
in and whispered to me, “Either she's telling the truth, or she's lying up a storm.”
“How do we find out?” I whispered back.
“Just touch her,” he answered.
I let go to Stephen, walked up to her and knelt down in front of her, “You can help
us, you know. You don't have to do everything Wendi-Ann says. Just tell us how to get
to her, and we'll get you out of here,” I spoke in the nicest voice I could muster. That way
I could possibly trick her if she was bad, or help her if she turned out to be on our side,
“Here, let me help you up,” I stood, holding out my hand.
That was when she smiled the cruelest grin I have ever seen on anybody, and I
knew then that she was lying, and that I had probably made a very grave error. I heard
Stephen cry out behind me. I whipped around to find that he had been grabbed around
the middle by a dark skinned succubus. She threw him against a wall. His glasses fell
off as his body impacted with the wall, making a loud thud.
“NO!” I screamed, rushing toward him. The succubus just grabbed his body
again and the both of them were gone.
Poppy, meanwhile, had stood. She was cackling, “The oldest trick in the book.
And you fell for it. I suppose that's what you get for being a new necromancer.”
I was so mad and scared that I found that I had to control my breathing, “Where is
he?”
“I dunno,” she innocently shrugged.
“WHERE IS HE?” I shrieked as I whipped out my sword and slashed it at her.
She had ducked the blow, but I still managed to leave a huge gash in her arm. She
hollered in pain, writhing to the ground. I stood over her, pointing the blade to her neck
and asked her again, “Where is he?”
“The center,” she struggled to say, “I don't know how to get there, this isn't my
illusion. Oh God, blood,” she and I were equally shocked as think, syrupy black blood
poured out from her wound. I suppose neither of us had seen a succubus bleed before.
She clenched her eyes shut, grimacing in pain, “Please, just send me away. I can't
live like this.”
Before I began the chant, I came to a realization. I sheathed the sword and said,
“No. I'm not going to send you back. You don't deserve it. You need to suffer, so you can
understand what you did,” and I turned my back to her. She started sobbing for real, and
I ignored her.
I picked up Stephen's glasses, which were still perfectly intact. Wondering just
how bad my boyfriends vision was, I held them over my eyes, only to quickly remove
them when the world became a blurry, dizzying mess. Most likely he couldn't see
without them. I slipped one of the temples of the glasses into my shirt, and continued
down the path of the maze, stepping over the bleeding succubus.
It took five more minutes of wandering until I came across the next succubus.
She was oddly familiar, with curling blond hair framing her face and large red lips. She
was looking at something above me, with a longing look upon her face. She was dressed
head to toe in black.
“Hello,” I greeted, “What's your name?”
In a voice that I immediately recognized, she said, “Well, my mother called me
Norma Jean. What's yours?”
“Great,” I muttered to myself, “There's no way I'm going to fight Marilyn
Monroe.”
She gasped, putting a manicured hand up to her lips in surprise, “You've heard of
me?”
“Well obviously,” I shrugged, “Figures that you're here as a succubus.”
She laughed joyfully, “Well isn't that wonderful! Come here!” she rushed over to
me, giving me a huge, friendly hug. I was about to hug her back, thinking that it was way
too easy to touch her, when she pulled away from me. And to my horror, her face had
completely changed. She now had tan skin and short, black hair, with a mole above her
lip. I had been tricked by a succubus illusion.
She grabbed my wrists before I could react, “Stupid girl,” she practically spat in
my face, “Did you think I would let you touch me with your filthy hands so easily? The
incubus will be so pleased when I present you to him. I suppose that it won't hurt to have
just a little taste of you first.”
I screamed as she pressed her lips against my arm. I very clearly remembered the
last time I had been bitten, and I knew that the second her teeth sank into my skin that I
would be completely helpless. I braced myself, squeezing my eyes closed.
She suddenly released me. I opened my eyes in shock to see that someone had
interrupted us. Someone had grabbed her by the neck and was holding her up against a
wall. I sank to the floor with relief as Shining Prince Shade smiled at me, “Really Jo?
You couldn't even handle this pathetic succubus?”
“Unhand me!” the succubus cried out. Apparently Shade was much stronger than
her.
“No way,” he addressed her, “I know you. Madrigal, right? You've come to this
Shadetown before, harassing people. One of my friends got sick from your bite.”
She chuckled, “Shades hardly taste like anything. It's almost not worth it. Who
wants to drink the libido of a dead person anyway?”
Shade's smile faded, and he threw her onto the ground. Before she could recover
he pressed his foot against her neck. She tried clawing at his leg, but he wouldn't budge.
“Madam Necromancer,” he gestured to the succubus, “If you will.”
Shaking, I made my way to my feet, and started reciting the chant. When she
realized what was happening, Madrigal the succubus stopped struggling and started
weeping instead. When the light gathered around her, Shade jumped off of her, and in no
time at all she was gone.
I weakly smiled at Shade, “Thank you.”
“Well, you know,” he stared at his fingernails, “It's not hard, I mean...”
I couldn't control myself. I rushed to him, throwing my arms around him and
hugged him as strongly as I could. He returned it, and I sank into his body, “You said you
were never coming back for me.”
He rested his head on my shoulder, since I was now taller than him with my boots
on, “Hey, you know I can't resist you. And you need help, anyways. I couldn't just leave
you,” he pulled me off of him, holding on to my shoulders, “Besides, Helena said she
wouldn't have sex with me until I apologized to you. So I'm sorry.”
I rolled my eyes, “I should have known. But your apology is accepted. Just don't
leave me like that, okay?”
“Fine, whatever. Hey, are those Stephen's glasses?” he pointed at my chest.
“Yeah, they..” I paused, “You only saw them because you were checking out my
boobs, weren't you?”
“Huh?” Shade grunted as he blatantly stared down at my top.
I pulled up my shirt, “For your information, pervert, Stephen was taken by a
succubus, and he's with the one that mated with the incubus.”
“Ah,” he met my eyes, “Bait. Mind if I join you?”
 I wrapped my arm around Shade's and we progressed down the path.
-
“Next left. Then I think a right. We're getting close,” Shade was leading, since he
could sense a large gathering of succubi nearby, “Are you okay, Jo?”
“What?” he had snapped me out of my thoughts. We had been walking for about
twenty minutes. All I could think about was that the longer we took to get through the
labyrinth, the more danger Stephen was in, “Oh, it's nothing,” I answered.
Shade just rolled his eyes, “Fine, keep your worries to yourself. I'm still your
friend, you know.”
“I know, of course you are. It's just... you probably don't want to hear it.”
“Oh,” Shade sighed, “Stephen, right?”
“Do you think he's okay?” I hesitantly asked.
“Stephen is one of the best necromancers I've ever known. I'm sure he's fine,”
Shade grinned, but quickly added, “Unless they've already sucked him dry, and in that
case, bye bye boyfriend.”
I elbowed him in his ribs, “Not funny.”
“Itai!” Shade rubbed the spot where I had hurt him, “When did you get so
strong?”
“Hey, I raise great beasts, remember? I have to be strong.”
“I take it you've met some of the shades in town, then?” he asked. I nodded, and
he continued, “It's pretty much impossible to describe an alpaca. I'm still not sure what
they are.”
“Geez, Shade. You've know me for how many days, and you still don't know
what...” my voice trailed away, as we had made our way to the center of the labyrinth. We
were directly underneath the center of the big top, and four ourselves in a giant, circular
space.
“Is there anyone in here?” I called out. A voice replied behind me, “Right here!” I
had jumped at the unexpected sound. Shade didn't.
We turned around to find the same succubus we had first met, who I presumed
was Wendi-Ann. She still had that smug, confident look on her face. She crossed her
arms over her large chest as she said, “I didn't expect you to get this far. I'm mighty
impressed.”
“Where is Stephen?” it was a demand more than a question.
“Oh, your little friend? Hell if I know. I'm just here to kill you, little miss,” she
started circling around me. I kept my distance from her, drawing my sword. Shade
stayed by my side.
“Do you really think you're going to kill me?” I tried to sound intimidating, like
Stephen, “I'm a necromancer. You're a succubus. How do you think this is going to turn
out?”
She chuckled, “You have no idea who you're dealing with, do ya? Honey, you
ain't never going to find another girl as powerful as me.”
“Jo?” Shade piped up.
“Not now, Shade. And you, really? Is that all you come back with? All I have to
do is touch you, and you become powerless.”
“Not unless I chew your hands off first,” she licked her lips.
“Hey, Jo,” Shade said again.
 “Stop it, Shade. I'm busy.”
“Yeah, Shade,” smirked the succubus, “We're pretty darn busy.”
The succubus and I had made a complete circle, keeping our battle stances the
entire time. Shade, however stood between us.
“Jo, seriously,” he said, “There's something you should know.”
I dropped my guard a little, and said with annoyance, “What.”
He pointed at the succubus, “She hasn't mated with anyone. She's not the
succubus that is in league with your incubus.”
I slumped, the blade of my sword hitting the ground. The succubus put her hand
up to her face, embarrassed.
“Then who are you?” I asked her.
“Darla-Belle,” he answer, “Wendi-Ann's identical twin sister.”
Shade pumped his fist, “Yessss. I love twins.”
I ignored Shade, “Where is your twin, Darla-Belle?”
She smiled again, “Draining the necromancer while I distract you.”
I felt myself start to panic. Right now, Stephen could be in terrible danger, and
there was nothing I could do about it, “If he is, I swear to God...”
She held her arms out, “Bring it, bitch. I bet you can't even hit me.”
Before I could threaten her again, Shade took two giant strides over to her and
punched her square in the face. She fell to the ground, clutching her nose and crying in
pain. I just gaped at Shade.
“I'm sick of this,” Shade said, “I don't want succubi in my town. And I don't want
anyone hurting and insulting my friends. Let's find him, Jolisa.”
“Got it,” I put my sword back in its sheath, and stepped over a wounded succubus
for the second time that day.
The white walls of the labyrinth were starting to fade, becoming almost
transparent. And suddenly, like a fog lifting, there were people in the center of the circle.
At first I thought it was just a gathering of succubi, until I heard Stephen's voice, chanting
rhythmically.
“STEPHEN!” I cried out, running full speed toward him. Shade was right behind
me, telling me, “I know that chant. It's protection. They can't touch him if he's saying it.
If you make him stop, he's dead!” Shade's words didn't comprehend to me at the
moment, all I could think about was getting to my boyfriend and making sure he's safe.
I recognized most of the succubi: Wendi-Ann, Mara, the dark shade that had taken
Stephen in the first place. There were a handful of others, all forming a ring around
Stephen. He sat in the middle, hands behind his back, chanting with his eyes closed.
Most of them were so intent on him that they didn't even notice me. One girl pointed at
me and stammered, “U-um,” as a warning, but before she could say anything else I
reached out and grabbed the nearest succubus I could, forcing her onto the ground and
eliminating her powers in one swift movement. The girls all screamed, and Stephen
opened his eyes, squinting at me, and asked with a raspy voice, “Jolisa?”
“He stopped!” Wendi-Ann, who had been among the succubi in the circle, “Git
him!”
“Don't you dare!” I held my palms out, and the succubi reacted as if I were
holding two guns. They backed away. Stephen carefully stood and asked, “Jo, is that
you? I can hardly see a thing.”
 “Oh yeah,” keeping one hand out, I used the other to hand him his glasses. He
blinked while he put them back on, and smiled at me, “Much better.”
“Ladies!” Wendi-Ann tried frantically to get her gang back in shape, “We can take
them on! There's more of us.”
“Yeah ladies,” Stephen withdrew his sword, “Let's fight, and see who wins.”
I could hear Darla-Belle running toward us, and there were blood and tears
streaming down her face, “Sister!” she moaned, “That mean shade hurt me!”
Stephen took a step back in surprise, “Shade? What are you doing here? Jo said
you weren't going to help us.”
Shade cleared his throat, “As a wise poet once said: Now that it's raining more
than ever, know that we'll still have each other, you can stand under my umbrella.”
“That's Rihanna,” I stated.
“Yeah, like a said, a wise poet.”
Mara stepped forward from the group, “Shade... you wouldn't happen to be the
Shining Prince, would you?”
Shade ran his fingers through his hair, striking an alluring pose, “The one and
only.”
Mara grinned. Her teeth were gold, “I've heard of you. Your reputation is widely
known.”
“I know, right?” he mimicked brushing dirt off of his shoulders, “The weird thing
is though, it's all true.”
She took a few steps closer to him, “Then you must have the most libido out of
any shade in the Winterland, if that is so.”
Shade's debonair facade quickly went away, and he looked very worried, “Eh,”
was all he said.
Mara snapped her blades up into her fists again, “Girls, tonight we feast.”
I was finally sick of this. I held my blade above my head and announced, “Not if
I have anything to say about it.”
Mara charged at me instantly, pushing her knives straight toward me. I swung the
sword down and blocked her, pushing her back. The clang from our blades touching
echoed. For a second I couldn't believe that I had did that, all on my own, but then had to
bring my guard back up when Wendi-Ann shrieked, “GIT THEM!”
They charged. Stephen swung his sword, being as intimidating as possible.
Shade spread his wings out and hovered just above them, swinging his legs to kick them
if they tried to grab him. One girl lunged for me, I ducked and shoved her out of the way.
She screamed, as if I had thrown acid on her. A heartbeat later Mara dove for me again
and swiped at me. I barely had time to block her blows, she moved as quick as lightning.
“You are a brave girl, you know,” she grunted as we battled, “If you were one of
us, you would be so powerful.”
“Yeah right,” I said through gritted teeth, “Like that's ever going to happen.”
She took a step back, giving us a break, “Wouldn't you want this power, this
strength, the epitome of youth and beauty?”
“There is nothing beautiful about you,” I said as I swung my blade at her. She
dodged it by performing a backwards cartwheel. Her jade green eyes met mine as she
said, “For that, I will kill you.”
Her face changed from angry to surprised as she was suddenly lifted up in the air
and tossed a few feet away, landing on her face. I looked up at the hovering Shade and
said, “You don't have to keep doing that for me, you know.”
“Of course I do,” he said as he landed on his feet next to me. He called out, “Yo,
Stephen!”
Stephen was battling Wendi-Ann and the dark-skinned girl at the same time, using
some kind of karate moves I had never seen him do before. He was completely involved
in the battle, and hadn't heard Shade at all. As Wendi-Ann blocked a punch from him, I
noticed her wink at her partner. That's when I noticed the knife that the other succubus
had on her hip. Wendi-Ann circled around Stephen, so he turned his back to the other
girl, and she withdrew the knife.
“Stephen!” I cried out, knowing full well that that boyfriend was about to be
stabbed if I didn't interfere. But he still didn't hear me. Thinking fast, I raised my wrist
and shook it, making the bracelet he gave me jingle. The noise was a lot louder that I
thought it would be, ringing out so everyone stopped and turned to me, including
Stephen.
“She has a knife! Behind you!” I yelled, and Stephen reacted instantly. He spun
around and kicked the girl in the stomach, sending the knife flying off. She fell to her
feet, and since she was not badly injured she slowly stood back up.
With one flap of his wings, Shade soared up a few feet, landing next to the fallen
succubus and shoved her back down, “Steve, you gotta start getting rid of these girls.”
“What is that, Shade?” he yelled as he tried to round house kick Wendi-Ann, who
ducked just in time.
“Start chanting! Give me your sword! I'll fight in your place.”
Wendi-Ann laughed, “Yvonne,” she addressed her fellow succubus, “Take care of
that shade.”
Stephen unhooked the sheath from his belt, tossing it into the air, which Shade
caught gracefully. As Stephen chanted at one of the girls I had already touched, Shade
and I stood around him, protecting him.
“You can fight with a sword?” I asked Shade as I kept my eyes on Yvonne, hoping
she didn't have any more weapons up her sleeve.
“I think so,” he answered, “I mean, I think I remember.”
Yvonne charged toward him. He let out a loud, “HYAH!” as he spun on one foot,
the blade twirling around with him like a hurricane. When he stopped, he landed in a
lunge, the sword above his head, and his free hand beckoned the succubus to attack.
She tried to leap on him, but in the blink of an eye he spun around again and cut
her stomach open. The think, tar like blood poured out of her, and she screamed at the
sight of it. Shade didn't stop, he continued swinging his blade and attacking other
succubus, taking out three of them at once in a matter of seconds. The sword whooshed
as he swung it in the air, striking one last pose amidst the writhing succubi on the
ground. Then he looked around, stunned and said, “Did I do that?”
I saw Darla-Belle wipe one last spot of black blood from her face as she
approached me, “Like I said, you are gonna fight me. Not that shade guy.”
“Why, are you scared?” I clutched the sword as tightly as I could.
She shook her head, “It's mah job. I do what mah sis tells me to do. We git away
with a lot, her and I.”
“You don't have to do everything she says, you know,” I tried appealing to her, so
it would be one less succubus to fight, “I mean, you two are probably always up to no
good. Always tricking people, since you're identical.”
Darla-Belle cracked her knuckled, “You're jealous, ain't ya?”
“No. I feel sorry for you. It's Wendi-Ann that gets all the glory, right? What
about you?”
“What about...” she thought for a moment, “You're right. She even got that
incubus. I ain't got nothin'.”
“Darla-Belle!” Wendi-Ann called out, who was side by side with a battered
looking Mara, “Are you outta your damn mind? Git her!”
“You don't have to,” I countered.
“I'll keel you if ya don't,” Wendi-Ann threatened.
“You know she can't,” I continued, “You could get out of here scott free. You
wouldn't work for her anymore. You would get out of her shadow, be your own you.”
Darla-Belle looked from her sister to me, before saying, “Wendi-Ann, you've been
mah sister mah whole life. But not anymore. I'm gonna be the one in charge now. All
the boys are gonna want me, not just cause my twin sister is so bossy. I'm leavin',” she
turned on her heel and headed back into the labyrinth.
“Mara,” Wendi-Ann angrily crossed her arms, “Keel that necromancer bitch.”
“With pleasure,” Mara said as she once again flashed her switch blades, striding
toward me. Before she could get close, however, Stephen stepped between us. He had
been working hard, as all of the previously stricken down succubi were gone.
“Out of my way, necromancer,” Mara swiped one of her blades at him. He
blocked her with his arm, and I heard the fabric of his suit rip open.
Stephen stared in shock at his clothes, “Do you know what you've done?” he said
darkly.
Mara just smiled.
He looked up at the succubus furious, “This. Is. Tommy. Hilfiger,” he stressed
each word, trying to make her understand the significance of what she did, “You're going
to regret this.”
“Prove it,” she said before licking one of her blades suggestively.
“No knives,” Stephen rolled up his sleeves and balled his hands into fists, “Fight
me for real.”
The blades in Mara's wrist bangles slipped back into place, and she curled her
fingers as if they were claws. She charged at him, trying to swipe his face with her nails,
but he grabbed her arm, using his other hand to punch her in the gut. As she cringed, he
turned her around, twisting her arm. She kicked her bare heel into his thigh, and his leg
gave in, bending, and making him fall to the ground. He pulled her down with her, and
she once again landed face first into the ground. We could all hear the crack of her nose
breaking.
“Jo!” Stephen cried out before slamming himself onto her back, knocking the air
out of her. I rushed over, and just before I could touch her she said in a very calm voice,
“Stop.”
I hesitated. Mara looked up at me. Her dark blood was pooling out of her nose,
“You win. I will retreat. But do not touch me.”
Stephen stood, and Mara gingerly made her way to her feet. She held her hands
over her face and spoke again, “You three are much more formidable that I imagined. I
will leave you for now. But I shall meet you again,” and then she was gone, vanishing
where she stood.
All that was left was Wendi-Ann. She just looked at us, and quietly laughed to
herself. The tent was starting to fade; I could see the stars of the Winterland through the
ceiling.
“Funny, ain't it?” she spoke, “When you promise girls some power, and maybe a
taste of libido, they say that they'll do anything to help you. And then they run away,
when they think that their pretty faces will get beat up.”
“Yeah,” said Stephen, “And now you're all alone, with nobody to defend you.
You might be mated, but you're not going to be able to survive an attack from us. This
ends now.”
A voice that was all too familiar said, “Jolisa,” behind us. I froze, and, petrified
with fear, I turned around. The incubus was standing a few feet away from me, pointing
at me.
“You might be right,” Wendi-Ann replied to Stephen, “But there's no way in Hell
that you can fight the two of us.”
“Jolisa,” the incubus repeated, “I want to taste you again. You are delicious. And
you are mine. I am your incubus, and I have come to kill you.”
“Well guess what?” Shade stepped between me and the incubus, “I'm her shade.
And I've been dying to have a rematch with you.”
“Ah, yes,” the incubus smiled, “I remember you. I swatted you away like a fly.”
Stephen grabbed my arm while they were talking, and he pulled me close to him,
“Let's have Shade fight him, and we take on the succubus,” he whispered to me.
“What if Shade gets hurt?” I asked quietly.
“We can't let him get to you. Shade can fight him off for now. You tackle the
succubus, try to hurt her, and I'll try to send her away. If we get her out of the picture, the
incubus will lose the powers he got from mating with her.”
“Fine,” I nodded, grabbing the hilt of the sword.
“Ready,” I could feel his body tensing up, and when he cried out, “NOW!” we
both jumped on Wendi-Ann. She fell over, completely shocked. I grabbed her around
her neck, nullifying her powers. What was left of the tent disappeared instantly. I saw
her reach a hand toward Stephen's neck, and I responded by stabbing her other hand,
sticking it to the ground. She hollered in pain. As I tugged it out and slid it back at my
waist, Stephen started chanting, and Wendi-Ann started crying.
I was about to yell, “Yes!” when I felt myself being picked up around my waist. I
looked at Stephen, who was staring at me in horror. I heard the incubus' voice in my ear,
“You shouldn't have done that.”
“Help!” I screamed as he tossed me to the ground. I landed on my arms and
knees, grunting at the impact. I spotted Shade out of the corner of my eye. He was
sprawled on the ground, his wings extended. He looked more like a rag doll than a
person.
I felt my hair being pulled, and I screamed once again as the incubus pulled me to
my feet with my hair, “Do you know that Sir Necromancer is doing?”
Before I could answer, he said, “He's sending away my girl. And do you know
what that means?”
I felt a tear roll down my cheek, and the incubus whispered, “That means I have
to kill you before he finishes,” he bared his teeth, and before he could chomp down on
my neck I grabbed my sword and shoved the blade as hard as I could into his stomach.
His wide, red eyes stared down at the blade. He dropped me, and I fell on my
knees, already feeling the bruises that were most likely blossoming on them. As I held
my scalp, massaging it, Stephen rushed to my side, “Jo, I'm sorry, I didn't know what to
do, but I sent her away, I...”
I smiled up at him, “Don't worry,” I interrupted his apology, “We're done here.”
The incubus was just staring at the blade that was impaling him, in shock. I
thought that he would try to pull it out, or continue his attack, but he just stood there. I
figured that he most likely spent his life trying to look young and fit, and the abs that he
spent a lifetime sculpting were now ruined. He must have been more concerned about
that than anything.
I strode over to him and yanked the sword out of him, and he fell on his back.
Imitating Shade from before, I stepped on his neck, letting the heel of my book push into
his skin.
“I hope you learned your lesson,” I said to him. He just stared up at me, and
nodded.
“Don't ever,” I spoke clearly and loud, “ever, underestimate girls like me,” and
then I began chanting. In no time at all, the incubus was enveloped in a pool of light, and
he was gone.
I looked over at Stephen, who was smiling at me. And then I remembered.
“Shade!” I called out, rushing over to the fallen shade. The whole right side of his
face had bruised. His eyes were closed.
“Stephen, what happened to him?” I asked frantically.
“Didn't you see?” he said, “When you stabbed Wendi-Ann, he stopped threatening
Shade and just tackled him. He bit his face, just for a second, before heading toward
you.”
I put a hand behind Shade's head, trying to hold him up. There was a flicker of
movement behind his eyelids.
“Shade,” I said soothingly, “Wake up. It's okay now. We're safe.”
He groaned, and nuzzled his head into the crook of my arm. I hugged him tight,
cradling him gently.
“I do not approve of this,” Stephen said.
“Jo...” Shade faintly mumbled.
“I know what you're doing, Shade,” Stephen spoke again.
“Jo,” Shade lifted his face close to mine, “He bit me. I need help. I need... some
of your sweet, sweet sugar.”
“You've got to be kidding me,” I said as I dropped Shade and stood up. He just
opened his eyes and started laughing.
Stephen just crossed his arms and sighed, “Shade, you are most likely the least
mature person in all existence.”
“Hey,” Shade grinned as he got to his feet, “It worked for you, when Jolisa was
bitten. How come I don't get a smooch, huh?”
“C'mon now,” I said, “That isn't funny. I thought you were really hurt. What's with
your face?”
“Oh,” he gingerly touched the big bruise, “Well, he really did bite me. The mark
should be gone in a few hours. He barely sucked anything out of me, but I think I really
was out of it for a while there. Are they gone?” he looked around for our opponents.
“All gone,” I smiled, “We did it.”
“Excellent!” Shade clapped his hands together, “You know what that means?” he
looked at us as though we would answer him right away, but since the both of us didn't
know he exclaimed, “Pizza party!”
“Sounds good to me,” Stephen said cheerfully, “Where should we go? I'll pay.”
“Hold on,” I said, “Sorry to ruin the party mood, but I have a lot of work to do at
home. There are a bunch of hungry alpacas waiting for me, not to mention all the chores
I have to do.”
I watched both of the boys practically deflate in front of me. Stephen just said,
“Do we have to?” while Shade swore under his breath.
“Geez guys, it won't be that bad. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can have a
party, okay?”
“Deal!” Shade smiled, and ran off toward the Door. Stephen and I just grinned at
each other, held hands, and followed him.
“So that was quite the initiation for you, as a necromancer,” Stephen said as we
walked.
“I suppose,” I replied.
“You did great,” he squeezed my hand, “Better than I ever thought you would be.”
I looked up at him incredulously, “You doubted me, didn't you?
“I honestly think that there will never be a reason to doubt you.”
We were approaching the Shadetown, and I could hear Big Boy's jubilant cries of
“Mama JoJo!” approaching me. When I caught sight of him, a small army of shade
children were running behind him, all with huge grins on their faces.
Stephen let go of my hand, “I guess you get your own small victory celebration,
whether you like it or not.”
Before I could say anything else I was tackled by Big Boy and his friends, all of
them vigorously trying to hug my legs. I knelt down to their level, and Big Boy circled
his arms around my neck, holding himself tightly against me, “You did it!” he cried out,
“You stopped them! You're the best necromancer ever!”
“Okay kids,” Stephen spoke with a slightly authoritative voice, “Madam
Necromancer has to leave now. Let her go.”
They didn't seem to hear him, they all started talking at once, telling me their
nicknames and where they live and who their friends are. I just smiled up at Stephen, “I
think I can stay here a bit longer.”
He shook his head, “So, so jealous.”
-
When I had managed to detach myself from my new shade fan club and got home
to Knightsen, the rain had stopped. The sky was starting to fill up with stars. It was
quiet, the only sounds were the crickets and the wind blowing through the trees... and
Shade singing.
Inside the barn, we caught Shade singing a song to Michelle, “Zou-san, zou-san,
o-hana ga nagai no ne.”
“That's not an elephant, it's an alpaca,” Stephen interrupted.
“Well, duh,” said Shade, “It's just appropriate. Look, I sang her to sleep,” and
sure enough, Michelle was curled up in her hay, asleep. She looked adorable.
“Do we have to work?” Shade asked, “We just fought a bunch of succubi. And I'd
much rather play Xbox and eat pizza.”
“Video games after work, I promise,” I said as I went over to the tools to get a
shovel, “I'll get the poop, since I know you two will be too squeamish to do that, right?”
Stephen cleared his throat, “Jolisa, I will be the gentleman and clean up the poop
pile for you.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, “You're wearing Tommy Hilfiger, remember?”
Stephen frowned at the cut on his sleeve, “I'm going to have to take it in to be
mended. It will be cleaned there anyways, it can't hurt to get it a little dirty.”
“What if,” Shade grinned wickedly, “something terrible happened and you were
accidentally pushed into the poop pile?”
“Then there will be a shade who will be in a lot of pain. And he won't get any
pizza.”
Needless to say, Shade was an excellent helper in getting everything cleaned and
making room for the new additions. And Stephen completed his chore and stayed
moderately clean. After an hour of labor, we went over to Stephen's (“Shotgun!”), had
pizza, and I got to observe exactly how well Shade could repeatedly kill Stephen on Call
of Duty. After the fight and, with a stomach full of pizza and my aching muscles finally
relaxed, I was starting to feel drowsy. I lounged on the couch, and after seeing my
boyfriend's avatar being shot in the head, exploded by grenades, fire bombed, sniped by
helicopter, an even mauled by dogs, I lulled off to sleep. Stephen gently woke me up an
hour later to drive me home.
-
I hesitated to check my phone all morning, knowing full well that there were
probably tons of messages from Clem or Charlie about the dance tonight. After breakfast
I accepted the inevitable, and invited them over.
Charlie just seemed excited to see me in this dress, “I knew it was meant for you.
You're going to look fabulous. Here, let's get changed.”
The three of us started stripping in my room, which we were none too bashful
about, since we had seen each other naked since we were five. But the girls gasped when
they saw me, “Jo, what happened?” they said in unison.
I looked down at myself, and noticed for the first time the bruises I received from
the battle last night, especially on my knees, “Oh,” I quickly thought of a lie, “I fell last
night, in the barn. When Stephen and I were cleaning.”
“Oh my gosh,” Clem looked like she was about to have a full blown panic attack,
“We can't have this. Doesn't the dress go above the knees?”
“Here,” Charlie reached for her makeup bag, “We need to get started right away.”
They spent the next hour rubbing concealer on the bruises, which after a while
weren't nearly as noticeable. While Clem tried to figure out how to get the dress on me
without ruining the makeup, Charlie opened up my underwear drawer to find something
that would work with the dress. Clem and I both jumped when she screamed. I felt my
face turn red as Charlie removed the bra that Shade had bought me and exclaimed,
“Where did you get this?”
I had nearly forgotten about that. I knew I couldn't explain where it really came
from, so I just sighed and said, “Believe me, it's a long story.”
 “Well you have to wear it!” Charlie grinned, “It will go perfect.”
I cringed a little. How could I go to a dance with my boyfriend while wearing the
lingerie that my... friend... bought me? But I couldn't object, because Charlie was right.
Once I had the dress on, my body looked amazing.
Stephen clearly noticed how curvaceous I looked as well. He gasped when he
came to my house to pick me up, and saw me in it for the first time. I have to admit, it
was a very nice dress. Even though it was sleeveless, backless, and very short, it still
flowed around me. The neckline was jeweled, and the light blue silk tumbled down like a
waterfall, accentuating every curve I had. I wore some of Charlie's blue and black
pumps, which were a bit big yet comfortable enough for dancing in.
“Donna Karan?” were Stephen's first words after recovering from shock.
“What?” I felt a little outraged, “No, Jolisa Verne, remember? Your girlfriend?”
“Um, no,” he stammered, “I mean, that, it's, her spring collection, I mean, never
mind. Shall we?” he gestured to the door, and soon we were off at the dance.
I have to admit, Clem did an amazing job pulling this all together. There was a
place to have professional pictures taken, bowls full of punch, lights and a smoke
machine, and not to mention a great DJ. I gave her the biggest hug, since I was so
absolutely proud of her, and she was practically glowing with happiness. I ended up
having a lot of fun, taking turns dancing with the girls and Stephen, until I saw a familiar
figure walk through the doorway.
“Excuse me, girls,” I said as I left the circle I was dancing in, and walked over to
the door. When I approached him I asked, “Just what do you think you're doing here?”
Shade smiled, “Aren't I invited?”
“Um, well,” I didn't really have an answer for him, since technically there were no
invitation, “This is only for the high school students.”
“Perfect,” he took my hand and led me to the dance floor. Like clockwork, a
Rihanna song came on, and Shade's smile was huge, “Dance with me.”
“Oh what the heck, why not?” I gave in, and started dancing with Shade. His
version of dancing was more of jumping and spinning around with his hands in the air,
and it looked so fun that I joined in. A few people dancing next to us copied us, and in a
few seconds our whole side of the cafeteria was doing Shade's dance.
I watched Stephen walk up behind Shade and tap him on the shoulder, “Excuse
me, but I believe you have my girlfriend.”
“Steve!” Shade embraced him briefly, “Nice suit.”
Stephen was wearing a dark blue suit and tie, so dark that it appeared black. I
watched Stephen brush off where Shade had touched him, dispersing any shade dust that
might appear later, “What are you doing here?” he asked.
“Wherever there is a party,” Shade said solemnly, “I'll be there. Wherever there is
celebration, I'll be there. Wherever there are hot chicks in tiny dresses, you know I'll be
there.”
Before I could laugh, none other than Lia Lackey appeared, stepping up to Shade
and slapping him hard across the face. Shade flinched, “Ack! Why is it always with the
face, and the hurting?”
“Shade,” Lia said angrily, “How dare you show up here? How could you show
your face around here, after what you did to me?”
“Did to... oh, that? You're upset about me making out with you? What, did I
mess it up?” Shade asked cluelessly as he rubbed the right side of his face once again.
“You don't call, you don't come to school... it's like you never existed! Poof,
vanished! And then you get the nerve to come to my school dance? Just who do you
think you are, anyway?”
He flashed his million dollar grin at her, “Shining Prince Shade, of course.”
“Shining Prince my ass. Come on Mike, let's dance,” she turned her back to us,
grabbed her boyfriend's hand, and left us. I tried to suppress a grin, but was failing.
“Hey,” Shade noticed me smiling, “You're the one that made me try to get her in
the first place.”
“Right,” I answered, “But you didn't have to be a jerk to her.”
“Explain to me how making out with a girl is a jerk move,” he asked Stephen.
“Unfortunately for you, I am not an expert on being a jerk,” he turned to me,
“Which is fortunate for you, Jo. Do you want anything to drink?”
I nodded, “As long as none of the senior boys have spiked the punch yet.”
“Actually,” Shade put a hand on my shoulder, and said in a serious tone, “I'd like
to talk to you. Privately.”
“No,” Stephen answered for me, “Absolutely not.”
Shade frowned at him, “Can't I just have a real discussion with my necroman-”
“Sure,” Stephen interrupted, “If you have it with me first, so I can approve it.”
Shade rolled his eyes, “Fine. I'm ready to be sent back to the Winterland.”
That statement caught the both of us off guard, “Why?” I asked.
He shrugged, “I'm just ready to be back home. And be by myself. If you sent me
away, it would ruin the temptation of me spending all my time here, and not where I
belong. Will you do it, Jo? I mean, you're the best with shades.”
“Do you know the spell?” Stephen asked me. When I shook my head, he said,
“Britlar hugris. You say it five times, and you have to keep in physical contact with the
shade while you're saying it.”
“Okay,” I said, committing the words to memory, “Shall we go somewhere
outside, Shade?”
He nodded, “Sounds great. Well Stevie, I'll see you around.”
Stephen gave him a fist bump, “See ya. Don't be a stranger.”
-
The air outside was cool and crisp. I shivered a little, regretting that I hadn't
brought a sweater, not that I had anything that would match the dress. Shade wrapped his
arm around me and I instantly felt his warmth.
“How about over there?” Shade pointed across the street, where a gigantic
eucalyptus tree grew, “It should be inconspicuous there.”
“Alright,” I said, and we dashed across the street and hid behind the huge trunk.
I took a deep breath before saying, “So, I guess this is it for now. When am I
going to see you again?”
“When you will least expect it,” he smiled, “Hey, before I go...” he hesitated.
“What?”
“There's something I want to do, before I'm gone.”
“What is it?”
Shade held my waist, pulled me close, and kissed me on my lips.
It felt like a shock of electricity went through my body. Almost like a wildfire
surging through my veins. It felt amazing, and exciting, and wonderful. I couldn't
control myself, my hands went around him, tangling through his hair. He held me even
tighter as the kiss intensified. I was lost in him... all I knew was how much I was
enjoying him. I forgot where I was, who I was... Shade's kiss was the only thing in my
mind.
When he broke it off, I kept my eyes closed. I felt my heart beating faster than it
ever had before. I had to force myself to remember how to breathe. When I finally
opened my eyes, I found myself looking right into Shade's. He appeared just as stunned
and breathless as I was. We just stood with our arms around each other, panting and
trying to get our senses back.
When I finally remembered how to talk all I could say was, “Well, don't let
Stephen catch you doing that.”
“Don't worry,” he said, still trying to regain his breathing, “He won't.” Then
Shade held his breath, thinking fast, and said, “That's why I'm going to do it again.”
When we kissed for the second time I experienced the same exact rush of fire and
passion explode throughout me. I wrapped my leg around him and he held it up against
his hip I felt Shade smile against my lips as his free hand danced across my chest, feeling
the bra he had bought me underneath my dress. There was absolutely nothing more that I
wanted right then. All I wanted, all I needed, was Shade. I couldn't even recall what
Stephen smelled like anymore.
I was more in control of myself the second time when we ended it. I felt my hair,
which I knew would be a mess, if it looked anything like what I had done to Shade's. I
wiped my mouth, slightly embarrassed, hoping that my lipstick wasn't too badly
smudged.
Shade drew a finger along my cheek, down along my jaw, and then rested his
hand on my chin, holding up my face so I could look into his. He whispered, “I never
thought I would experience anything like this ever again. I thought I was done, it was
over. But here you are. You are amazing, Jo. My angel. My savior. I love you. I thought
I could never love again, and you proved me wrong. I never knew lightning could strike
twice.”
“Shade,” I struggled to speak, “I...” no more words came out of my mouth. I had
no idea what to say.
“Don't say anything,” he whispered even quieter, his voice was as silent as the
breeze, “Don't ruin this. It's our night tonight, just the two of us. Let's not forget this.
Promise?”
I nodded.
“Good, that's wonderful,” Shade finally let me go and took a step back, “Now, I'm
ready to go home.”
I hugged myself, starting to feel very confused and frightened. I didn't know what
to feel. I just gulped down any doubt I had at that moment, and rested my head against his
shoulder, beginning the chant. After five recitations, the weight I was leaning on was
gone, and I nearly stumbled over. Shade was nowhere to be seen.
My eyes brimmed with tears, and I hugged myself even tighter. What was I going
to do? What had just happened? I didn't love Shade, I loved Stephen. But when I kissed
Stephen, I had never felt that way. It was exhilarating, I wanted to feel it again and again,
but I knew I couldn't. All I had was a taste of what Shade felt for me, and it was enough
to shatter my whole world.
“Jo?” I heard Stephen calling out across the street. Upon hearing his voice I
quickly rubbed my skin wherever Shade had touched me to remove any dust that might
be gathering. Then I ran right toward Stephen's voice, and my heart nearly broke when I
saw him smiling at me, completely ignorant to what just happened. I rushed to him,
throwing my arms around him and devouring his scent. My true emotions came rushing
back to me; Stephen was the one I truly loved, who I wanted to be with, who was right
for me. I couldn't be with Shade, no matter how I felt about it. Stephen was mine.
“What's...” before Stephen could say anything else I kissed him, just as hard and
as passionately as I had kissed Shade. Even though Stephen returned the kiss, I felt
nothing like the electricity I had with Shade. Stephen made me feel safe and warm, it
was not nearly as passionate as Shade's.
“I love you,” I said to Stephen, “I really do. So much. I want to be with you
always. No matter what. Do you love me too?”
“Of course I do,” he smiled at me, “What happened? Is Shade okay?”
“He's gone,” I felt the tears coming back, “He's in the Winterland. He's home.”
“Then that's great. You did your job. Don't cry,” he comforted me, giving me a
big hug while I composed myself. I looked up, trying to force the tears back into my eyes,
and noticed the ocean of stars above me.
“You don't get stars like that anywhere else,” I thought out loud.
“Nowhere,” said Stephen, “ This is a magical place.” We stood like that for a
moment, enjoying the view above.
The pumping beat from the dance inside the school quieted, and a slow song came
on. Stephen tucked a strand of my hair around my ear, “Will you dance with me?”
“Yes.”
We held each other and swayed to the music, under the skies of Knightsen. I
gazed into his blue-green eyes, and I longed to tell him how much I really loved him, but
there just aren't any words for the way I felt. I hoped he was thinking the same.
“Do you want to go back inside?” he asked, “It's getting pretty chilly out here.”
I nodded, and holding his hand, I followed him into the darkness.