Tass

By Elle Anor

Lesbian / Paranormal / Suspense

After six years of research and failed attempts, Stacey Kibbler, a Molecular Biologist, clones South Africa's first human. She tampers with the DNA structure and creates an amphibian creature. After giving him a formula to save his life, she unknowingly turns him into a shifter. Tass became a valuable asset and in the wrong hands, he can be used as a weapon.

Scar a.k.a. Lynn, a shape shifter, works for Tony. He gives her orders to kidnapp Tass for her archenemy, Donald McNully, who wants to sell him to the highest bidder.

Word count approx: 30 418

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elle Anor
• Release date: Nov 14, 2014
• ISBN: 9781502257840

Elle Anor

Elsie Meyer is an Afrikaans speaking writer from Pretoria, South Africa. Writing many Afrikaans novellas, she has decided to try her hand at writing English. Using the pen name 'Elle Anor', she has written her first novel, 'Darkness of Her Soul' (rewritten August 2014), followed by a novella, 'Rain McKenzie M.D.'. As a participant and first time winner of NaNoWriMo 2013, she penned her second novel, 'Ylva the She Wolf'. Thereafter a short story 'Konitah' followed and its prequel the novella 'ForbiddeN'. She published her third novella, TASS while taking part in NaNoWriMo 2014. Elsie and her partner, of more than eleven years, share their home with lots of furry and feathery children.    

Book preview

1. Scar the Notorious, a.k.a. Lynn

Scar parked her red Ford Mustang in 4th Avenue across the alley and glanced at the LED numbers on the clock – 23:50. Tony said she had to pick up the package at twelve. She waited another five minutes before she got out and crossed the road towards the alley.

A freezing wind came howling around the corners of the red brick building. It’s July, the middle of winter. Although she wore a long black leather coat, the cold didn’t bother her.

Her head jerked to the side when a sudden thud behind her drew her attention.

She clenched the flip-knife in her coat pocket before she flung around.

A cat paused in the middle of the alley. His eyes shimmered green, glancing at her before scurrying across the road and down the gutter.

Darn cat, she murmured. She turned back and moved on.

When she reached the black iron door, she knocked three times, paused and knocked twice.

The door screeched as a huge, unshaven man opened it. Yah. What do you want?

Tony sent me, she replied.

Wait here, he said before slamming the door shut.

She rolled her eyes while wiping her curly black hair out of her face.

The wind blew stronger, jolting the long coat around her legs.

The door flung opened. What’s your name?

She scoffed at him, took a torch out of her pocket and shined the light on the left side of her face.

The man gasped aloud. Scar. Come in, why didn’t you said so in the first place?

She snorted when she entered.

He led her down a narrow corridor with coarse walls, and dimmed lights here and there.

A musty odour filled her nostrils and a shiver of unease ran down her spine.

They reached the end of the corridor where he knocked on a door before he opened it. He gestured with his hand to enter and shut the door behind her.

Her eyes enlarged while staring at the man sitting behind the desk.

His laugh echoed through her ears. Lynn, we meet again. What a pleasant surprise. He rubbed over his chin. So, you’re the notorious Scar? You built quite a reputation for yourself. With the help of Tony of course.

She swallowed a lump in her throat and glared at him.

He didn’t tell me you worked for him. Otherwise I would’ve set up a reunion a long time ago. His laughter filled the office again. Come sit down.

She shook her head, staring at him without blinking. I’m in a hurry.

Donald locked his fingers in front of his face. You have a reputation for your hastiness, Lynn.

Yes. It saved my life once.

He smiled, gazing at her. It has been a long time hasn’t it? Five, six years?

She glared at the man. Seven. Her hand clenched the knife in her pocket. Donald, stop the chit-chat and give me what I came for.

He burst out with laughter and stood up from behind his desk. Patience, Lynn, patience. He strolled over to a large fridge and took out a medium-sized plastic container before he opened the freezer and took out two ice packs.

Scar gazed at the moving contents in the see-through container – some kind of fluid.

Donald grabbed a box and paced back to his desk. He put the two ice packs inside followed by the container and closed the lids before he sat down.

He moved the box to the middle of the desk. Send my regards to Tony. It’s always a pleasure doing business with him.

Scar walked over to the desk. When she reached for the box to pick it up, Donald grabbed hold of her hand.

You should make time to come and see me. We have a lot of catching up to do. He stared into her sky-blue eyes. The corner of his mouth curled to form a smile before he released her hand. I’ve missed drinking beer with you and talking about the women in our lives.

She shook her head slowly, grimacing. Sorry, but I can’t say the same. She grabbed the box when he let go of her hand and rushed to the door.

Careful with that, he scolded. It’s expensive and difficult to come by.

With her hand still on the door handle, she glanced back at his grinning face. Seven years wasn’t long enough. She jerked the door open and slammed it shut behind her.

The unshaven man stood against the wall waiting for her when she stepped into the corridor.

Scar followed when he walked back the way they came.

She exited the building and drew a huge breath of cold fresh air.

Her hand reached out to the left side of her face. She grimaced when her fingertips traced the roughness of the scar. It stretched from her forehead, down the corner of her eye to where it ended on her cheek. She almost lost her eye that day.

She pulled herself together when movement at the end of the alley caught her eye.

Not difficult to see in the dark, she skimmed her eyes over the alley – there was nothing. Probably that darn cat again.

She tightened her grip on the box. While clenching the knife in her coat pocket, she rushed out of the alley and crossed the road to her car. Tony could’ve at least warned her about Donald, but he gave her only the address. She probably wouldn’t have come if she knew about him.

She reached the Mustang and jumped in. She glanced at the digits of the LED clock – 00:40.

Scar drove through the quiet streets to the beachfront.

It took only a few minutes to reach Tony’s mansion.

The guard on duty opened the security gates.

She drove through and smiled when she noticed the light in the study, on the second floor. He was in a hurry to get this package.

He rushed out of the house as soon as she parked in front of the porch. He jumped in and turned to her. Did you get it?

Scar rolled her eyes, reached over to the backseat and handed him the brown box. Since when are you working for Donald and why didn’t you tell me it’s him?

He glanced at her. Would you’ve done it if I told you?

She sighed. That’s what I thought.

Tony got out of the Mustang and walked over to the driver’s side. I’m not working for him, we are working together. He put his hand on her shoulder. The money is in your account.

He hurried back into the house without waiting for a thank you or a good bye.

Scar headed back to the gate, turned right and drove a few meters away before she pulled up on the pavement.

She took her cellphone out of the glove compartment and logged into her bank account.

She smiled while shaking her head as she logged out of the account. The amount deposited was more than what they agreed on, how generous of him.

She put her phone into her coat pocket before she drove back to her house.

***

Lynn came to Marine Bay after she left Kimberley seven years ago when the working relationship with her former boss, Donald, turned sour.

When she laid her eyes on this small town on the coast, west of South Africa, its surroundings seized her. There was nothing except white desert sands, a few empty weathered houses hundred meters from the beach and the blue-green waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

It was just her, the red Ford Mustang and her memories.

She met Tony when she was in need of work.

He bought the town and turned it into a holiday resort with holiday apartments overlooking the ocean. He built an aquarium with exquisite fish and sea mammals, as well as a research laboratory where his sister-in-law, a molecular biologist, cloned sea creatures already extinct.

The Atlantic was the only aquarium with Baiji White Dolphins, Steller's Sea Cows, Ammonites (small carnivorous shell creatures), Cephalaspis (a fish-like herbivore), and a Basilosaurus (a carnivorous whale lived in the 1800s).

Soon the town thrived and received many overseas visitors.

Lynn became his right hand, collecting money from his debtors and getting rid of them when they didn’t want to pay up, as well as people who annoyed him.

In Marine Bay, she was nicknamed Scar. Soon she became notorious, loved by only a few, but feared by many.

Now, after seven years Donald found her again. This time she was ready for him. She was more experienced. And she had Tony on her side – or so she thought.

2. Stacey and Tass

Stacey stood in front of the glass tank gazing at the creature in the water. The heart monitor connected to him, beeped slower. His pulse was dropping. The oxygen in the water was not enough to keep him alive. He needed something else, a formula. Tony promised it to her a few days ago, but she didn’t receive anything yet.

She sighed when she paced over to the coffee machine, poured a cup and leaned against the cupboard while drinking it. She put the cup down when she