Chapter 2
Nova stood in the Sistine chapel gazing up at the battle between angels and demons. The artwork had her speechless as she tried to take in all of Michelangelo's piece.
"Beautiful" a voice broke the silence of the empty mausoleum.
Nova jerked her gaze to the owner of the voice. The voice had startled her, she thought she was alone in her dream, no one else was around, or so she thought. So much for a peaceful dream she thought. But when her gaze focused in on her intruder all her thoughts on Michelangelo's artwork scattered.
He was gorgeous. Simply beautiful. Extremely tall, at least a couple inches past six feet with dark unruly hair that fell in his eyes. But even his hair couldn't hide the intensity of those eyes. So dark almost black they seemed to cut right through her. As if he were memorizing every secret and finding her deepest desires.
"Who are you?" she asked.
This seemed to take the intense look off his face and he visibly relaxed.
"Many people have asked the same question. I don't think one such as yourself could even fathom what I am" he replied with a dark look.
"Why are you here?" she continued, she wanted her dream back now, and this guy was starting to give her the creeps.
"I'm here for you.." he whispered.
"For me?" she gulped. Ok, this was worse than him staring at her. She needed to wake up now. She tried to will herself awake but it wasn't working. Oh God she thought, I am stuck in a dream with a scary, hot stalker. I've seen these movies. The unsuspecting girl always died.
He laughed aloud as she ranted in her head. Then she knew, he was reading her mind. This got her past freaked and into pissed. Fast.
"Go to hell" she cursed as she started pinching herself to wake. As she felt herself fade out from her dream into consciousness she heard his last parting words.
"I just left.."
*~*
Nova opened her eyes and felt herself shudder with remembrance of her dream. I need to stop watching late night horror movies with Sarina. She opened her eyes and looked at her clock. Oh No she panicked, I'm late. She jumped up and started throwing on her clothes. I have fifteen minutes to be at school! She ran to her sister's room and threw open the door.
"Sarina! Wake up were late!" She exclaimed as she shook her sister repeatedly.
"No, Mark I don't want to pee on the flowers" Sarina spoke sleepily.
Nova giggled. What is she dreaming about? Sarina had talked her sleep for as long as Nova could remember. It was always random, never really making any sense. But at least Sarina was free of nightmares Nova gripped. That made her look back at the clock with a grimace.
"Sarina get up" She shook Sarina with more force.
"Not Mom's roses" Sarina exclaimed as she jerked upright. Proceeding to collide with Nova's lowered head.
"Oww.." Nova screeched as she fall back on the bed rubbing her head.
"Oh, hey Nova" Sarina smiled as if she didn't notice Nova's presence.
"Sarina one day I am going to learn to wake you up with a taser I swear.." Nova grumbled rolling off the bed to go call Ryan.
"You are so grouchy in the mornings." Sarina complained.
Nova narrowed her eyes but didn't choose to go there, they have had these conversations many times and Sarina always denied that she was in the wrong. Sarina had an
excuse for everything. To Sarina if she overslept it was because fairies messed with her alarm clock or the elves had stolen her watch. Yeah.. how was Nova supposed to argue with that? It wasn't that Sarina was weird.. ok, Nova couldn't lie to herself. Sarina was very weird.
"We have eight minutes to be there" She warned as she left the room to go downstairs.
When she reached the kitchen she spotted Ryan's backside as he rummaged through their refrigerator. Good she thought, he's already here.
"Hey Rye" she said as she grabbed a cereal bar out of the cabinet.
"Hey, your up. I thought I was going to have to wait forever" he responded as he closed the fridge. He went to the table with last night's pizza. She had met Ryan when they were five. He had spied on the two girls at the pond, making a spell to bring there true loves. They had closed there eyes and started to chant the words when they heard a groan come from a nearby bush. They found Ryan slumped over a log gagging. When they asked him what was wrong he pointed to something on the ground. It was a eaten piece of chocolate. In fact it was a piece from there pot of magic potion.
It turned out Ryan hadn't known that they had added dirt, squashed up bugs and olive oil. Needless to say that after he stopped throwing up, they laughed and became fast friends. Still to this day he questioned the ingredients of food he couldn't recognize at there house before he ate it.
Some habits died hard.
"Sarina!" Nova hollered. Their grandfather had left early this morning as he usually did on Friday's to go fishing. He often said that you had to wake up early to catch the fish by surprise.
There was a muffled curse as Sarina stumbled down the stairs. "Nova, stop dallying were late" Sarina chastised as she went out the door.
"She is perky this morning" Ryan commented sarcastically before he shoved a large pizza into his mouth and followed behind.
They barely even paused as Mark clamored into Ryan's car. Every since Ryan had gotten his license they carpooled to school, seeing as how his parents were the only ones who could afford to present their child with a car on his sixteenth birthday.
"Sarina, will you.." Nova looked back at Sarina who was jamming to her music she was listening to though her Ipod. "Never mind.. " She replied. Sarina was now in her zone and Nova knew when she asked Sarina to help her with the churches camping trip it was going to be a battle, but she
would wait. She would catch her alone, Sarina used to help regularly until the accident that stole both of their parents. But after they died, Sarina refused to believe in God anymore. She wouldn't go near their church anymore. Even though their grandfather was the preacher at the little baptist church and he had attempted many times to talk to Sarina, she wouldn't budge in her convictions that God should have saved their parents.
Nova shared her pain but, she viewed the whole tragedy differently. Yes, at first she was hurt and blamed the world. But here grief turned into sorrow. And when she went to church she felt connected to them still. She knew her parents had went to heaven. She knew that with every instinct in her body. So, she followed in her mother's footsteps and helped whenever she could with the youth group.
"Nova do you wanna go the movies this weekend?" Ryan
asked while they walked to their chemistry class.
"Yeah I guess. What's playing?" she asked as they settled into their separate lab tables.
"There playing a bunch of old movies this weekend. There's the Blob, Gremlins and my personal favorite, Nightmare on Elm's street." he answered walking over to her.
"Death, goo and freaky little munchkins... Umm, what a choice" she mused, "We're on!" she smiled scrunching up her nose.
Ryan stood there staring at Nova like he was dumbstruck. "What?" she asked.
"Oh, sorry I was thinking about something.." He stammered realizing he had gotten caught. He swiftly returned to his seat as the teacher walked in.
*~*
Sarina entered the cafeteria with her coffin lunch box in tow. As she made her way to their table a voice raised her attention.
"What is she suppose to be a vampire?" the voice mocked, "She is such a freak."
Sarina stopped in her tracks. She turned to face the biggest bitch on the planet. Alyson Morgan, the most popular girl in Saint Mary's and their worst enemy. The war started when the twins had witnessed Alyson making out with her best friend Erica's boyfriend. Caught in her betrayal, Alyson took refuge in the only way she knew how. She made their school days a living hell, making fun of them at every chance she got. And when Erica's boyfriend broke up with Erica for Alyson, Alyson laughed at him and told him he was a loser. Apparently she kissed him only to prove herself more desirable than Erica. Alyson's vanity ruled her. She was the social queen at Saint Mary's and she took
her role of top dog seriously.
Not that any of this stopped the twins retaliation. They gave it back just as good as the got. They pulled all sorts of pranks on Alyson. Once they even broke into Alyson's locker and hid a small water snake inside Alyson's hoodie. It was entertaining to watch as Alyson screamed bloody murder and scrambled to throw off her jacket. When the little snake slithered out of the jacket onto the floor Alyson screeched. Unfortunately, the principal had just happened to hear the commotion and came running. He
saw the girls hiding behind the corner watching and they were suspended. But that was a while ago. Nova chose to ignore Alyson now. Sarina never surrendered. This was war.
And she enjoyed every minute of it.
"You know Alyson.." She sauntered over to stand right behind her, "I have visited the voodoo priestess in the swamp. And she has told me many of her secrets..." she whispered wickedly over the now silenced group. "You couldn't even imagine the little spells she has taught me. Spell's that cast warts, spells to entice lice and some spells that even cripple a person's limbs." She waved her
hands like she was already casting a spell. "But most importantly, she has taught me a spell that would make someone loose their hair.." She smirked as she pulled back with a handful of Alyson's hair. Sarina laughed outrageously as she threw the hair on the table before them and sauntered off to join her friends.
"What did you do?" Nova laughed at the faces at the other table. They looked horrified.
"I broke into Alyson's locker and stole some of her hair from her brush. Did you know if you brush it out it looks like a cut piece of her hair?" Sarina remarked unashamed as she began eating her lunch. Nova shook her head. Personally, she chose to ignore Alyson and her minions. They didn't bother her anymore. She hadn't cared about anyone's opinion in a long time. But that didn't mean
she didn't enjoy watching Sarina best them. Sarina was a formidable opponent.
Mark elbowed Sarina as he watched Ryan and Nova. They always seemed to be comfortable around each other, completely at ease with each other. They eat around each other as they ate from each others lunch. Nova always made sure to get extra of what Ryan liked to eat. As Ryan threw his unwanted food onto Novas plate. How wonderful that would be Sarina thought, to be so in tune to each other. And there actions were so normal to them that they never realized what they were doing.
Sarina watched them quietly. Her and Mark had been noticing that Ryan had started acting differently around Nova. At first it was small. He dressed a little nicer, let his hair grow out a little, just the way Nova seemed to like. Then they noticed him watching Nova with a strange expression on his face. Like he just realized she was a girl and a pretty one at that. Sarina had known that he had had a crush on Nova since they were little, but back then Nova would just shove him if he tried to kiss her. Now Nova was just as oblivious to his feelings. Ryan always kept his feelings hidden from her, afraid that if he spoke them she would reject them and it would ruin their friendship.
Sarina rolled her eyes. He was becoming more and more obvious with it though. It wasn't as if anyone could miss him staring at her all the time. Just tell her already she chastised.
Nova sat in silence as her friends planned the weekend. Sarina was planning a big party at their house since there grandfather was going to be away visiting his long time friend in another town. Ryan and Mark animatedly joined in. Her thoughts drifted off to last night's dream. Something about it stayed with her. This wasn't her first dream of this man. A couple of days ago she had another dream about him. That dream was different though. In that dream, she was in her art studio joking around with Sarina and all the sudden she heard him. She turned around and there he was. But his face wasn't as intense as it was in this past dream. He seemed to curiously look her over and when he looked into her eyes she saw his vulnerability. Then he seemed to mentally shake himself and he faded out of her dream.
Why was she dreaming of him? But Nova was left to wonder as the bell rang for her next class.
*~*
Seth walked the surrounding woods slowly, willing his feet to continue. This was hell began he remembered.
The woods had grown profusely in the last ninety years. Where there were once groves of flowers, now were grown up with weeds that were three feet tall. He waded through their masses to stand in the spot that his house had once stood. Now the building had crumbled to the ground. He could see left over remembrance of the fire the town's people had created so long ago.
He closed his eyes, lost in his memories. He was standing in what was his mother's room. Or her torture chamber he corrected with a long adulated anger. He could still remember the scent of her perfume. The warmth of her eyes when she looked at him.
His vision recounted the last night her saw her. Images flooded his unwilling mind like a sick joke. He saw her tied to the bed, screaming in pain. Her pregnant belly writhing with every contraction. At first she didn't notice her son was in the room with her, she was in too much pain. As the echoes of her screams faded in the air she glanced around her, at first her eyes were caught up in so much
misery his heart felt like it was being ripped from his chest.
"Mama.." he cried, walking the short distance between them.
"Samuel, my Samuel.." she gasped as another wave of pain hit her. He grabbed her hand trying to take away some of the pain she was in. But he couldn't take away her pain, not now, not once in all the beatings his father had handed her. How could he save her? He had tried to get her to escape before, but she would deny leaving. She said then that her husband would catch her and surely kill her for her abandonment. God will save me she stated with all her conviction.
But God didn't save her, he didn't save any of the victims his father had killed. The basement was full of the remnants of the victims that God was suppose to save. Seth had watched his father torture, mutilate and commit so many vile acts that Samuel was numb to any but his mother's pain.
His mother's cries turned into determination. A cry filled the air. He sat stunned as his mother slowly reached down and gathered the newborn in her hands. Tears were flowing down her face as she looked down at his baby sister. Samuel had never seen his mother give such a look, she was completely caught up in the moment.
As he watched his mother feed his sister, he felt something shift inside of him. It was time he thought fiercely. He was going to put a stop to their misery. His mother was too weak to fight his father off any more and the baby, his own eyes grew moist as he touched her head. She was going to have a real childhood. She deserved a life free of nightmares, she wouldn't grow in fear like he had.
Seth shook his head as he pulled out of the long forgotten memory. How naive he chastised his former self. Samuel didn't know his father would be coming home that moment in a rage over losing a chosen victim. The victim had escaped him and told the authorities the truth. Now Samuel's father felt the walls coming down, and he wasn't going to let any of them make it out alive.
Seth walked around for hours feeling every memory of his mortal life. He held his anger, his grief by a thin thread. This was the past he tried to ease his mind away from the pain. I have a purpose for being here he reminded himself. I am not some weak boy anymore! I am a demon. I can create more destruction than his father was capable of.
He wished he could go back and kill his father all over again, but he knew that it would do no good. Killing that monster a hundred times wouldn't erase the past. If he was going to begin this bargain he was going to have to bury his past. Bury it down deep, where no one would see it.
As he slowly walked away from the place where his mortal life had be ruined, he looked back. He asked the question that had seared his soul from the moment he lost his life and became the undead, Why didn't I save them? He asked himself.