The Dark Witch: The Nox Haven Series

The Others: Update

**So I will be giving another sneak peak of my new book The Others which will not be released until I have finished it entirely. The novel is based in a near-future scenario in which after an apocalyptic war, between humans and supernatural creatures the world has managed to recuperate and find a fragile balance of peace. Supernatural creatures, now referred to as 'others' (meaning other than human), now live in sanctuary cities segregated from the rest of the human world. In order to maintain such a balance and prevent a panic the United States government has undergone changes and society has shifted towards extreme conservatism. At the age of sixteen it is now mandated that each teenager much take a blood test to ensure that their blood is pure and untainted by the 'other' gene. This is where our excerpt begins...**

When I was a kid, no older than seven years old, I would rummage through the cardboard boxes in my grandmother's attic. She would sit across from me, in an old rocking chair with floral decals painted on the armrests. I remembered the cream colored shawl she wore draped over her shoulders with a small phoenix pin attached above her heart and golden chopsticks threaded through her silver bun. My grandmother was a lot like my father, they both shared the same apple cheeks and sparkling blue eyes but more so, they both had a tendency to never say more than what was needed. It was for that particular reason, I found myself amused at my grandmother's stories as I uncovered her most precious memories of the past.

The first item I uncovered was a wedding photo. It was rather shocking to not only see my grandmother at the golden age of 25 but to see she was smiling while being in the same room as my grandfather. She had waved her hand dismissively at the photo and claimed it was the biggest mistake of her life. She said she would never smile so brightly while standing so close to him again. I believed that to be true until I was twelve years old and my grandfather had passed away. The day of his funeral she stood over his casket, cursed him to hell and then smiled.

The second item, a golden trophy, earned a more positive response. Upon seeing it, she plucked it from my hands and cradled it close to her chest as if it were a baby. A gold painted girl stood, on top of the black platform, with her one leg bent like a flamingo and her arms positioned above her head, carrying two shiny pom poms. There was a bronze plaque beneath her feet, drilled into the base of the trophy, listing an award for best school spirit. At the age of seven I had no true understanding of school spirit or cheerleaders, so I just shrugged my shoulders and continued to dig through the box.

A beaded rosary, and small leather bound bible was quickly assessed before I threw both to the side. I knew what those were. My attention, however, was captivated by a bedazzled bodice and a shimmering tulle skirt. The dress was folded neatly, in the bottom of the box, acting as a cushion for all other items. With shaking hands, I reached out and traced the sparkling stones with the tips of my fingers. Behind me, the rocking chair groaned in protest as my Grandmother leaned forward.

"Ah yes," she leaned back and the chair cried once more. "My sweet sixteen."

Never before had I heard that phrase. Sweet sixteen. It sounded foreign and a little confusing, like hanukkah. I had enough sense at the age of seven to realize she was referring to her sixteenth birthday but nobody, not in the United States, at least, would call it sweet. My sister Christine, was my source for the older and more complex world, like a walking, talking and bitching encyclopedia. And when she talked about turning sixteen, she used words like awful, nightmare and 'quite possibly the worst day of her existence'. Not sweet. Not even close.

"Before all of this happened," Grams looked out of the small, ovular window on the far attic wall. It was just large enough to catch a glimpse of the fading sun, the sherbert and bubblegum striped sky looked like a carnival treat, like cotton candy or maybe ice cream. "The world was a different place. Less afraid, and good. Phe, you must understand that we have given a lot dangerous people too much control because of our fear. And now, things that were once so innocent, like sweet sixteens, are filled with hatred and despair."