Hourglass (Book 1- Tractatori Series) | Wattys2016

::Chapter One::

The sky was overcast, the clouds an ominous gray. Raindrops fell from the clouds, shattering into a million pieces once they hit pavement.

"Cole! Hurry up!"

A dark haired girl dashed down main street. Carmel arms, long and smooth, held a bag over her slick hair in an attempt to shield it from the rain. Behind her, a girl followed, a troubled look on her face.

"Colette!" Irritation laced the dark-haired girl's voice. She stood under the shelter of a store overhang. Hourglass' wooden sign hung from thick metal chains, creaking in the summer storm.

Colette hoisted her bag over her shoulder, gaze turned upwards. A raindrop tumbled downwards, tripping and stumbling its way between the narrow main street buildings. Wetness splashed on her pale cheek. Cole dabbed the wet spot with her finger, narrow eyebrows scrunched together.

"Coming," she called, blue eyes on her fingertip. Her stomach churned and pulled on itself, causing a sense of uneasiness to spread through her.

Thunder cracked through the sky and reverberated off the mountain sides. Colette jumped out of her trance. Shaking her head to clear her mind, she dashed after her friend.

The steady patter of the rain picked up. Across the street, a trio of girls squealed and ran for shelter.

Ding!

Cole's friend pushed open the shop door. Vanilla, dust and the spice of herbs wafted out the door. A pleasant yellow glow illuminated a square patch of light on the cracked sidewalk.

Colette ducked under the cloth overhang, the rain soaking the dark red fabric. Drops of water dripped off the scalloped edges.

A hand grasped the collar of Colette's leather jacket and tugged her into the store. The door shut behind her with a soft click.

Colette pulled her blonde hair into a loose ponytail, her hands wrapping around the soaking mess. She squeezed. Thin ribbons of water trickled to the floor, landing with a dull patter on the worn welcome mat.

Outside, unlucky pedestrians rushed into nearby stores. A young family ushered their daughter past Hourglass, completely ignoring the place. Again, the strange pulling sensation on her stomach returned.

"Welcome ladies," an older woman greeted from the back of the store.

Colette squirmed. She was tempted to ask Brooke to go to another store, but even to her, the thought was absurd. A headache thrummed behind her temples from the heavy scent of herbs, and the dull light made her eyes strain.

Black shelves lined every wall in the store. Dusty leather bound books and velvet drawstring bags were set on display. Must was thick in the air. Thick gray curtains covered up what Colette assumed was the back entrance to the store.

"Brooke." Colette tugged on her sleeve. "I don't think we should be here. This kind of looks like some kind of drugie..." A beam of light shattered into red shards of light and caught her attention.

"Don't be ridiculous," Brooke said. She rolled her eyes. "There's nothing wrong with this place. In fact, it's kind of cool."

Colette had abandoned her friend.

Delicate red metal twisted into elegant folds, holding up a hourglass of dark sand. She walked over to it and ran a finger over the cool metal. It was tall, up to her hip in height.

"Hey, Brooke. Check this out."

She crouched in front of it, peering inside. Not a single grain of sand traveled down to the bottom half of the hourglass. She frowned, tapping slightly on the glass.