Aventurine Heart

By Carole Wood

ALEXA Mayfair is about to be just another high-school graduate when a tornado strikes her hometown of Fortraven, almost killing her.

During the course of the following months she learns of a darker side to reality, a dangerous secret that once uncovered can never be reburied.

Along the way she falls in love with ELI, taking her down a road of torment and self-sacrifice that pushes her to the very limits of her sanity...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Carole Wood
• Release date: Apr 29, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476129082

Carole Wood

Carole Wood was born in Co. Wexford, Ireland in 1986. She became a musician and played with her band Disaster Cast, formerly known as The Tripps around Ireland for a few years before settling down to write.AVENTURINE HEART is her debut novel. It is a fantasy/ supernatural romance for Young Adults and anyone who is young at heart.WARD 3, a novella set in a psychiatric hospital is now available to purchase on Amazon in Kindle and Print formats.Carole is currently working on a collection of short stories, due to be released by the end of the year.

Book preview

PROLOGUE

It was only now that I could clearly see it was my own choices that had led me to this point. Mine alone. I had made some bad decisions but at the time it seemed like I had little choice. Evidently the right thing wasn’t always the best. I had learned that the hard way.

Staring upwards into the sheeting rain, I let the ice-cold water drench my face and hair. I was kneeling in a deep puddle that was fast turning to mud on the Cole’s front lawn. Zach’s voice drifted in and out of my right ear from nearby but I wasn’t concentrating on him.

One word screamed through my brain over and over again, blocking out any other thought. It was agony to my senses; in response to it every nerve in my body smarted as if attacked by the stingers of a thousand bees. Still, I could not stop its destruction as it ricocheted around my heart with deadly force. My every effort had been rendered futile in that one sudden flare of light, all hope vanished before my eyes.

And then the rain stopped, just as unexpectedly as it had begun. The sun broke through the clouds and appeared to burn them away in a matter of seconds. Warmth returned to the chilled air but my body still felt cold and numb. Droplets turned to diamonds on each blade of grass. I closed my eyes in an effort to change what was in front of me but when I opened them again the scene remained the same – an empty space where he had stood.

PART I

CHAPTER ONE

I was down by the river, watching the trout jump in silvery arcs of April sunlight when the sky grew dark above me. I hadn’t noticed the breeze pick up in the forest behind me and I was surprised to feel the first fat drops of rain on my face. It had been a reasonably warm day up until then but my arms quickly broke out in goose bumps where the raindrops fell. It was the fifth anniversary of my father’s death. I always came to this place when I wanted to be alone to think. The rain became heavier and I decided it was time to make my way home. The forest had become quiet except for the sound of the wind whistling through the pines. I could no longer hear the birds chattering. The smell of the damp undergrowth filled my nose but there was shelter from the rain. It was about a fifteen minute walk through the forest to the road and I hoped the shower would have passed by the time I reached it. My mother often worried about my trips out here, warning of bears and serial killers but I had never seen either and this was usually one of the places I felt most safe. But hurrying along now I felt a chill go up my spine, a feeling of foreboding I couldn’t attach to a source. Then up ahead I heard a noise. I paused for a second to peer through the branches of a large pine and saw a deer standing only a few feet away. It was seldom I came across any deer because they were such private, elusive creatures. Then, as I watched in awe, another three deer appeared and stood beside the first. One of them was a magnificent stag, his antlers battle-scarred and beautiful. They seemed not to notice me as I watched them, my breath held so as not to scare them away. Just as I felt my lungs couldn’t hold out any longer the stag sniffed the air and they all turned and fled as one deeper into the forest. I wondered what had spooked them. I couldn’t help feeling it had something to do with my own bad vibe.

I started moving again, walking a little faster than before. I had gotten another fifty or so paces when I heard rustling alongside me, it grew louder by the second and I was about to break into a run when five foxes broke out from the undergrowth and ran right past me in the same direction the deer had gone. I was so stunned I let out a little gasp and before I had a chance to recover a pair of skunks emerged and casually jumped over my foot as if I were nothing more than a tree root. All the animals had gone south. I was travelling east back to the road. Above me the wind intensified and the boughs swayed and creaked with the force of it. To hell with it, I picked up my pace and made a run for the road. I couldn’t understand what was happening, maybe there was a fire somewhere and the animals were fleeing to safety but I couldn’t smell smoke. What else made animals run like that? Fires, floods….storms? I was nearing the edge of the trees now, and I could see the road ahead. I heard more animals close by and caught a glimpse of a white rabbit tail disappearing through a bank of ferns to my right.

I broke through the treeline panting, and stumbled on to the blacktop. I still had half a mile to cover before I reached my house. The rain was pelting down now and I was soaked in seconds. There was a strong smell of ozone in the air and I could hear thunder in the distance. It had been pretty dark in the forest but at least there was cover. Here I was completely exposed to the storm. The wind whipped my hair into my eyes. It was forcing clouds of dirt up off the road and the grit stung my face and arms. I was beginning to hope someone I knew would drive by so I could catch a ride home but only one car had passed since I got on to the road. I had my head down against the gale but when I heard a huge clap of thunder almost directly overhead I sneaked a glance up. A bolt of lightning split the sky in two and momentarily blinded me with its brilliance. I seemed to be heading into the storm by the look of things but there was no other way back. The peaceful sunny afternoon by the river was a distant memory; the storm had literally come out of nowhere.

I was reminded of a time a good few years back, I had been playing out in the back yard when a storm something like this had struck up with deadly force. My father had come out the sliding door, scooped me up and ran back into the house. I couldn’t understand his urgency at the time, after all it was only a storm but later that day on the evening news it was reported that a tornado had ripped through Fortraven, missing our house by about a mile. My mother had paled as they showed pictures of ruined buildings and parts of forest. I never forgot the fear it instilled but also the respect it had given me for Mother Nature.

As I hurried down the road a connection formed in my mind. It was spring now, April – peak tornado season in Missouri in fact. There hadn’t been a serious one in years in Fortraven and I’d all but forgotten the threat but now it loomed in my brain and I wondered how I hadn’t thought of it sooner. At that moment I noticed the trees to my left blowing more fiercely than the woodland around it. They seemed to swirl unnaturally….impossibly. As I looked on the trees rose and I realized with horror that they were airborne, engulfed by the wind, no…by the Tornado, I muttered, my voice whipped away before it reached my ears.

I ran. It burst out of the forest and onto the road almost parallel with my panicked form. It looked to be coming straight for me. As it advanced it spat out bits of branches in every direction and when I risked a peek I was almost convinced I saw an animal in there, it looked like a deer. Holy Jesus, how was I going to survive this? Can’t outrun a tornado sweetie, my dad warned inside my head. Tears welled up in my eyes from the sheer fright which wasn’t helping visibility any. Nowhere to run, but I ran anyway. It had changed direction when it broke through the forest and it was now behind me, cutting off any chance of going back that way. The tears ran down my face, mixing with the rain. My legs ached with exhaustion and my lungs burned from the effort but it was a distant feeling, held back by the adrenaline pumping around my system, allowing me to keep going. I thought of my mother and how heartbroken she would be if I died, how alone. Could she get over losing two people in her life? I hoped so. My father’s face drifted into my mind and I wondered if we would be together again. I felt the force of the tornado behind me now and I doubled over with the pressure. I fell to the ground, cutting my arms and ripping my jeans. This was it then, nowhere to run, can’t outrun a tornado. I curled up into a ball where I lay and waited for the end.

CHAPTER TWO

Death must have come swiftly and painlessly because when I opened my eyes there was an angel standing over me. He had a human body clothed in some kind of fabric I couldn’t place and his wings stretched for what seemed like miles in feathery whiteness. I couldn’t see what was around me because the light he radiated was so blindingly intense. I squinted up, terrified and disoriented.

Alexa, he boomed.

Who are you? I whispered.

My name is Nathaniel.

Am I…dead?

It is not your time yet child. There are many more challenges for you to face before He embraces you into the arms of Heaven.

He disappeared then, fading from sight like a mirage in the desert melts maddeningly before the eyes of a thirsty wanderer. I felt myself falling into nothingness after him. The dark swallowed me and I thought he must be wrong, I was dead but then I felt a torrent of pain travel through my whole body. Death could not sustain such agony. My eyes opened on a bright room.

Alexa! a voice exclaimed. I looked around and realised I was in a hospital bed. My mother’s anxious face hovered over me. A nurse materialised beside me and immediately took my blood pressure and asked me how I felt.

Ok, I croaked. Can I have some water?

Let me go ask the doctor, you have an I.V in, the nurse replied. I only noticed the needle in my hand then.

What happened? I asked my mother when the nurse was gone.

We found you by the side of the road, cut up and unconscious. I went looking for you when the storm started and you hadn’t come home. There were trees lying all over the road around you, I almost collapsed with fright. The tornado must have come so close…. she trailed off.

The last thing I remember was falling down, it was right behind me, I thought that was it. She began to stroke my hair, her eyes were watery.

How am I not dead?

She shook her head. It must have changed direction at the last minute…a miracle thank God.

Her words shook loose a memory, something I must have been dreaming while I was unconscious – a bright figure looming over me, a booming voice. The image was hazy and untrustworthy and I quickly forgot it.

The nurse came back in with a jug of water and removed my I.V. She told my mother I was to be kept in overnight for observation but should be fine to go home in the morning. I was left alone then and I drifted back to sleep at some stage. My dreams were fitful. I was back in the middle of the storm and something I couldn’t see watched me from the forest, I ran and ran but I couldn’t outrun the tornado and around me on the road deer lay bleeding and torn. Their eyes pleaded with me to do something but all I could do was run.

I was glad to get out of the hospital the next morning. My mom picked me up and I had to force her to go to work for the day, promising that I’d rest and call her every couple of hours. I had a few cuts and bruises but they didn’t bother me as much as my hazy memory of what happened the day of the tornado.

I spent the day lying on the sofa, watching T.V. My best friend Sasha came over after school, wanting to know all the details. I was watching some of the news footage covering the storm when she arrived.

Lex, it’s good to see you in one piece! She gave me a hug. I was so worried. She noticed what I was looking at on the T.V and she shook her head in disbelief. Her blonde curls bounced with the movement. I can’t believe you came that close to that thing. What was it like?

Honestly, I don’t remember much. I was at the river when it started to rain so I started back through the forest. I came across some animals, they were all running in the one direction but I didn’t know what to make of it. By the time I got back to the road it had turned into a storm but when I realised what was happening I was halfway down the road and it was too late. It just came out of the trees from nowhere and I ran, I think I fell. After that…nothing.

Well I’m glad you’re ok, you had a lucky escape, she said, giving me another hug.

I sighed. Yeah I guess I did. Something felt wrong about the term lucky but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

So when are you coming back to school? It was strange without you there today.

Tomorrow I guess, are people talking about it?

Sort of, you know what school is like. They’ll probably want the whole story.

Well like I said, there’s not much to tell. Anyway enough about that, how did your date with Danny go the other night?

She smiled coyly. We went to see a movie. It was fun.

That’s it? I asked, incredulous. Sasha wasn’t usually one for keeping details to herself.

I like him I think. He’s pretty cute and we like a lot of the same things. The last guy I went out with -

Mark, wasn’t it?

—yeah, well he wasn’t even into music so that was a definite deal-breaker. Danny wants to manage bands when he’s finished school. He already does some work getting gigs and stuff for some of his friends.

Definitely more your type.

She didn’t elaborate any further and I didn’t push her. I figured maybe she really was into him and wanted to see how things would pan out before she went raving on about it.

So how about you Lex? she prompted. You haven’t been out with anyone in ages.

I ignored the bait. Yeah that’s not really a priority right now.

Why not? There are always guys asking about you.

I’m just not interested in anyone at the moment. I like being single, besides I have you, don’t I?

She nodded, hopefully accepting that she wasn’t getting any further on the subject. OK, so how about Friday night we order pizza and watch movies in my house?

Sure, sounds good.

Oh by the way, Zach called the other day to say he was coming home for a weekend soon, she said, referring to her older brother who was away at university. He didn’t come home very often because he went to UCLA which was a long trip back. The two of us used to be pretty close when he still lived in Fortraven. I hadn’t seen him in months and Sasha’s news came as a welcome surprise.

Great, we have lots to catch up on. He must really like California.

She bit her lip. I guess so, we hardly ever see him. Sasha had a good relationship with her brother and she clearly missed having him around. He was adopted by her parents when he was four but he might as well have been born into the family, they were alike in so many ways. I gave her hand a little squeeze and she stood up to leave.

I’ve got to go now but I’ll see you in the morning to walk to school?

Count on it, I said. We both lived within walking distance of the school. Sasha’s house was on the way. Neither of us had cars but Fortraven was a pretty small place which made it easy to get around. All the same Sasha had her heart set on getting a car by the summer.

Mom got home from work a few minutes after Sasha left. She asked about my day and how I was feeling. She seemed satisfied with my replies and went to start dinner.

I switched off the television and went upstairs to lie down for awhile. I didn’t think I was tired enough to sleep but when I was called for dinner it was dark outside so I must have dozed off for a bit. I looked around blearily and was reminded of the dream I’d had in hospital of falling into dark nothingness. I remembered how I had felt a presence just before the darkness and the feeling bothered me as I went downstairs to eat. I couldn’t shake it all through dinner and my mother seemed worried about my silent behaviour but all I could do was smile reassuringly when she asked if I was OK.

CHAPTER THREE

The next day was sunny and warm and when I met Sasha on the way to school she was in a good mood. Her hair was tied in a ponytail and her dainty figure was clad in tight jeans tucked into studded black boots with a loose cardigan on top. Her style was tough and a little masculine which contrasted greatly with her petite frame which I thought was probably the point. Sasha always looked casual and well put together, she made cool look easy.

I glanced disapprovingly down at my own outfit: jeans, patterned blouse and a corduroy jacket – not exactly style central but I was comfortable.

Hey Lex, you still look a little shook up, she said, looking concerned.

Yeah well we can’t all look as perfect as you Sash, I teased.

I don’t know what you mean, you’re the one with the long limbs and to-die-for hair, she shot back, referring to my obvious advantage in the height department. I was four inches taller than her and she was always saying how jealous she was of my hair which was dark red and straight.

No really though, are you ok? Her expression had grown serious again.

Just didn’t get a lot of sleep, I mumbled, thinking of the dreams. I could see the school gates ahead and I was glad I wouldn’t have to say any more about it.

Fortraven High was an old-fashioned red brick building that stood on half a block in the east side of town. Large elms dominated the perimeter of the school, planted inside an old, low wall that surrounded the grounds. The gates were wrought iron black, gothic-style and the whole effect was one of quiet grandeur. I had always liked the building. It had an air of confidence without being overbearing, as if it would be there for a long time to come. Far longer than the lives of those who passed through it.

I braced myself for the inevitable interrogation from the other students but as I made my way to my locker all I got was a few enquiries about how I was doing. Relieved, I said goodbye to Sasha and hurried to English class so I could get a seat in the back. I just wanted to get through the day relatively unnoticed. It was right about then that I noticed him…

I looked up from my book just as he walked down the room to sit at the desk directly in front of me. I couldn’t remember seeing him before. Surely that was a face you couldn’t forget? The first thing that grabbed my attention was his eyes. They were a brilliant green and I couldn’t help staring at them. He seemed not to notice my bad manners and settled into his seat so I could only see the back of his head. His hair was dark brown, almost black and fell in waves nearly to the nape of his neck.

I couldn’t concentrate on anything my teacher, Mr Thomas said. The whole way through class I was waiting for the bell to go so I could see his face again. When the bell finally rang in what seemed like an eternity later I gathered up my books quickly, hoping to catch a better look but on the way out the door Mr Thomas called me back. I was torn between pretending I hadn’t heard him and turning around to see what he wanted. I chose the latter.

Alexa. Good to see you back. I heard you had a fright the other day, he said.

I’m fine now; have to go, late for History, I mumbled.

Sure, sure, he said. I just wanted to ask. You’re very brave.

Thanks, I replied trying to get away. I liked Mr Thomas, he was a good teacher and English was one of my favourite subjects but I just didn’t have the patience then.

You can go, he said, dismissing me with a smile.

When I got out into the corridor there was no sign of mystery boy anywhere. After morning classes I met Sasha for lunch outside. I was dying to ask her about the guy in my class, she knew practically everyone in school, but I didn’t know how to broach the subject without her starting into a game of who likes who.

Sasha…

Uh-oh I know that tone, what do you want? she asked me.

Nothing that will cost you, don’t worry, I promised. There’s this guy in English, don’t think I’ve ever seen him before- brown wavy hair, green eyes, tall, well-toned…

Crap.

She shot me a look.

Too much information, now she was on to me. Best to bulldoze through. Anyway, he could be new here, ring any bells? I finished.

Actually yeah but if it’s who I’m thinking of he’s not exactly new. His name is Eli, Eli Carter I think, moved here a year ago.

That’s weird, he kind of sticks out. If he’s been going here since then how could I not have noticed him before? I was thoroughly confused.

That’s because you’ve been going around with your head in the sand for awhile now, she stated softly.

I have? How come you haven’t mentioned this before?

I didn’t want to make you paranoid or anything but you used to be a lot more talkative you know, you hardly go anywhere anymore only my house and walking in those creepy woods, she said.

They’re not creepy, but that’s beside the point. Honestly I don’t think I’ve been any different but I believe you if you say so. I’m sorry if I’ve been self-involved. Let me make it up to you. Starting Friday night, let’s go out for food instead of staying in your place, I offered. My treat.

OK, that’s a start. Back to this guy though, don’t think you’re getting away with it that easily. Do you like him?

I took a long breath while deciding the best way to answer. If I told her yes she would ask me questions the whole way through lunch, if I said no she probably wouldn’t believe me. I decided to give it a shot anyway. No, I was just curious ‘cause I thought he might be new, that’s all, I said lamely.

She rolled her eyes and tut-tutted. "Like I’m going to fall for that but you’re off the hook. For now…"

I took a sandwich out of my bag and nibbled on it absentmindedly as she talked about her plans with Danny Saturday night. At least he might distract her from my love life or lack of one, I hoped. I didn’t see my mystery guy again in the afternoon either which was strange considering we should have had at least a couple of other classes together if his timetable was similar to mine. I figured he must have left early or something. I made an effort to be more sociable at dinner that evening and my mom seemed happier. As I lay in bed later I thought tomorrow couldn’t come quick enough. I just wanted to skip the freaky, sweaty dreams part of the night and go straight to the morning where there was always light and fresh hope. Of course, seeing him again had nothing to do with it.

CHAPTER FOUR

I made a little extra effort with my appearance the next morning, taking time to blow-dry my hair instead of just combing it through after washing it like I usually did. I had a smile on my face when I left the house and it lasted all the way to school and up until I realised he hadn’t shown up in class. Disappointment clouded my mood for the rest of the day but I told myself there was always tomorrow.

I had kept my hopes low but I walked into French class Friday morning and there he was sitting with his head stuck in a book. It didn’t look like a school book and I wondered what kind of reading he was into. I sat down at the free desk next to his, hoping to strike up a conversation. My heart did a little flip at the thought of speaking to him and I twirled my hair nervously.

Hi, is that a Tyler Staten book? I asked him.

He looked up, clearly surprised.

Sorry my name is Alexa, I love those stories.

It’s his third, yes, he replied, his brilliant green eyes fixing on mine. I couldn’t think of anything else to say but I couldn’t seem to look away either. Luckily he saved me by speaking again.

I’m Eli, he said. He looked puzzled. I hope you don’t mind me saying but I’ve been here almost a year and I’m pretty sure this is the first time we’ve spoken.

It is. I’ve been told I have a habit of going around with my head in the sand, I joked.

I’ve been accused of similar, only with me it’s usually a book, he said. He smiled then and if it was possible it illuminated his eyes even more.

I smiled back.

Aren’t you the girl who came close to the tornado?

That’s me, I said, too close, hence the scratches. I pointed to my arms, embarrassed by his gaze.

Still in one piece though, he commented lightly. The teacher started class then and reluctantly I had to turn my attention away.

When class was over I stood up to leave, unsure whether I should take up the conversation again but he got there first.

There’s a reading in the bookstore tonight, I don’t know if you’re into poetry but I think you’d like it, he said.

I opened my mouth to say yes I’d like that a lot but then I remembered my date with Sasha. She would be pretty pissed off if I cancelled on her over some guy. I would but I already made plans with my friend, I said. I could see the disappointment in his face so I added, But some other time would be great if you wanted to.

He looked relieved. Sure. See you around then.

I walked to my next class feeling slightly dizzy from the encounter. It was typical that the one time a guy I was actually interested in asked me out I had plans with Sasha. I procrastinated about whether I should tell her but the decision was made for me when I met her outside after school to walk home.

She was just saying goodbye to Danny. He had to stoop down considerably to kiss her and she flung her arms around his neck. Talk about over-exuberant- it must be love. She bounded over to me, smiling broadly. So how was your day, did you find out who that guy was?

You were right, his name is Eli and he’s been here for a year and I’m blind for not seeing him before, happy? I blurted.

Only if you’ve actually spoken to him instead of acting like a geek and just admiring him from afar, she answered.

"Well then you will be happy ‘cause I did speak to him and he even asked me out. Well, I think