I was distantly aware of someone calling my name. Over and over. It was like an annoying buzz that you think you hear but you really don't. Maybe this is what being dead felt like. Was I dead? I didn't think so, but I couldn't be sure. Everything was so dark. I felt like I was drowning, choking on the darkness...
A cold splash of liquid in my face snapped me into consciousness. Great. I blinked and my little sister's face came into view. She looked panicked. Her eyes were all watery like she was on the verge of bursting into tears. Her short copper hair framed her face in messy curls and she was still in her pjs. She was holding a glass half full of water.
"Was that really necessary?" I asked, anger leaking into my voice. I was soaked in a mix of drool and water and my hair lay in tangles around my head. It would take weeks to untangle them.
"You were screaming like a banshee and refused to snap out of it so I told Hannah to dump water on you." My eyes shifted from my sister to a figure silhouetted in the doorway.
Ash.
Where did he come from? I swear, sometimes he materialized out of nowhere.
I struggled to keep from rolling my eyes at my twin brother. He was leaning casually against the wall as if he'd been there the whole time.
"Ash, go choke on an apple." I muttered trying, but failing entirely, to sit up. Hannah came to my rescue and helped untangle me from the drenched blankets. She didn't say anything and kept her eyes down. When I was free of the mess, she slowly backed into a corner. She was still frightened. Poor thing.
"How tragic, we're all out of apples." Ash said, smiling. He came to sit beside me on the bed. Hannah ran over and cringed against him. He chuckled and kissed her forehead.
Ash's middle name was "arrogant, rude, and sarcastic". He was completely self-centered and cocky. I was surprised that he even bothered to care for me just this once. The only other person he cared about, besides himself, was Hannah. He loved her. A lot. And that was something everyone knew. The rest of us didn't matter to him. Don't be an idiot; a voice in my head screamed at me, He loves you too. He just has a weird way of showing it. I scoffed at the stupidity of my own mind. Please. The last thing I needed was Ash caring for me.
"Are you okay? You sounded like you were dying or something. The only other time I ever heard you scream like that was when you found out that you missed that "50 percent off all merchandise" sale at Macy's." He said, clearly amused. Trust Ash to be the one who laughed at your pain.
"Please Ash. Stop pretending. You and I both know that you really don't care whether I'm okay or not." Why was I even telling him this? It was so plain.
Something flashed in his eyes. "Jez, I -"
The sound of the door opening cut him off.
Jasper barged in with Seth behind him. He looked annoyed. Oh great. Had I woken up the entire house? At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if Mom and Dad poured in too.
"What's with all the screaming?" Jasper asked irritably. He kept looking back and forth between the three of us. "Ash?"
Seth ran over to me and crawled on my lap. I cradled him against my chest. Jaz still looked pissed but his expression softened a little as Ash told him about my episode. He added a whole bunch of unnecessary and ultra-dramatic details. I turned bright red. I was supposed to be setting an example for them. And this was where I ended up. How sad.
Ash was older than me, by about 20 minutes. We were both nearly 16 (Our birthday was the day after tomorrow). Jasper came after me. He was 13 with dark brown hair and green eyes. Next in line was Hannah, who was six and had silvery blue eyes and copper colored hair. Seth had been the youngest at the age of three until about two months ago when my baby sister Iris was born. Both Seth and Iris had black hair and vibrant blue eyes. Ash had messy jet black hair, pale, sharp features, and cobalt blue eyes. He had already dated half the girls at school. The other half was just waiting in the shadows for an opportunity. Not that I could blame them. My brother was Hollywood handsome, to the point where he might even be a competition to Johnny Depp or Orlando Bloom-my two dream guys. Either way, arrogance plus good looks made Ash irresistible to some people.
I sighed. "Ok guys, party's over. Everybody out." I seriously needed some alone time so I could un-freak myself and get cleaned up. Besides, there was my impending cruise to consider.
Mom and Dad had planned a surprise get away to Latin America on board Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas for my birthday. But of course, Ash, being the spy he was, found out yesterday and spread the word. Now, here I was just twenty-four hours before departure with absolutely no packing done whatsoever. Add a whole head of messy, untamed, tangled hair to that and you have yourself a major disaster. All thanks to Ash.
Seth leaned up and gave me a kiss on the cheek. His blue eyes sparkled with adoration and a cute little grin lit his features. I pecked him on the cheek and let Jasper take him from me. He and Hannah filed out.
Only Ash remained. He sighed and walked over to me, suddenly serious. His face looked like he was wrestling with some sort of dilemma. Strange. I didn't know Ash had feelings. He brushed the damp hair back from my face.
"Don't you know that I love you?" he asked.
Ok. SURE. He was probably just saying that because he felt bad for me or something.
"I only know that I hate you, Ash." I retorted.
Hurt spread over his features, but he concealed it quickly with his cocky smile.
"Ouch. Your words break my heart Jezebel." He said grinning and putting a hand over his heart. Why did he have to be so over dramatic? He was such a drama queen.
I was losing my patience. I'd had enough.
"Ash, just because you don't have anything productive to do doesn't mean you can just waltz in here any time you wish and annoy the hell out of me. Some people actually have something to do and you being a hindrance doesn't help the fact that I'm way behind in my morning shower and even further behind in my packing. Now, if you would please vanish, preferably without a trace, and leave me to try and get back on schedule, then I'd really appreciate it! Otherwise, you're going to have to deal with Mom after I tell her how you broke into her safe two days ago and 'borrowed' a hundred dollars. Trust me Ash you don't want me tattling on you because if I do then you know you're dead. I'll make it sound so bad that Mom won't ever trust you again. So I suggest you don't go there and opt the easy way out, which means getting out of my room before I kill you!" This was by far the longest speech I'd ever made. By the time I finished I was gasping for breath. I usually kept my responses to a limit of two sentences, but when you had a menace like Ash in your life, it was only natural to make exceptions.
Ash's mouth dropped open with an audible snap.
"You wouldn't." He said shaking his head, staring at me wide-eyed.
"I would."
He seemed lost for a second, pondering my response. Then he smiled and nodded.
"Well then..." He chuckled and bowed. His midnight hair fell down around his face and his cobalt-blue eyes sparkled with amusement.
"Your wish is my command, your highness." He winked and, with a final tousle to my hair, gracefully slipped out. It took him less than a second to make his escape.
Huh. I guess he did vanish. Cool. If only he'd do that more often...
Chapter 1- Bad Dream
Start from the beginning
