Shimmer: The Perils of Cadence McKale : Book 1

By Bethany M. Wood

A mysterious golden shimmering entity with a scent of rose and magnolia seems to manifest whenever Caden is in imminent danger. Caden knows little about the anomaly, but soon realizes that her aura reading is minuscule and what she and her friends are dealing with as they increasingly gain mutant abilities are somehow connected. The one thing Caden does know for certain is that mysteries and problems have been piling up and she is right in the middle of them all.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Nov 24, 2014
• ISBN: 9781483544649

Book preview

9781483544649

The Breeze

It was Fall and I was sitting under the bridge on a rainy, overcast day, just as I often did, as this was one of my favorite pastimes. I stared transfixed at the water, watching the ripples vibrate from the pebbles I tossed. I felt that familiar breeze ruffle my hair and it sent a shiver down my spine. I never gave it much thought until recently.

The breeze always seemed to come when certain thoughts cropped up in my mind or when certain things happened and I needed calming. Today was no exception. This was one of a very few spots I could sit and be content with the dullness and lack of color in my surroundings.

The steady flow of the water was soothing, with its color remaining the same as it swirled by, only to be diverted from its path by an unsuspected twig or rock that might get in its way. And yet it still continued on its destined course, always flowing on. It has the same repeated journey day in and day out.

I could hear my heart start to beat a little slower as I steadied myself to enjoy these finer, quieter moments in my life. And like the waters, I, unlike many humans my age, could feel the blood course through my veins during these serene times. Steady on its path, as it also kept to the same destined journey, circulating through me. I was always aware of its path, but it was even louder now as I sat here alone.

I had come to realize I was not like other humans in so many ways. Long ago, I had lost count of all the differences, but there were many facets of me that were extremely different. I really feel that I do not entirely fit in amongst them. Sure, I survive with them but they confuse me more than I can tolerate at times.

The girls in my classes are so predictable that I truly know that I am an outcast among them. Sure, most are pleasant to me, but I rarely have any use for them. They bore me on so many levels with their dramas about boys, clothes and shoes that I just look down upon myself and giggle. I must look like a total freak to some of them.

My fashion sense is at best described as sloppy, oversized, and bordering on freakish boy-like. I hear some of them snicker at times. In actuality, I do ‘fit’ into most groups well enough. I just realized I didn’t fit into their ‘world’ well enough. I always knew I was not within the norm and I learned to keep knowledge of this uniqueness to a very small privileged few.

Okay, let’s put it this way, how many people do you know who totally love to be by themselves a great deal of the time? I mean, people who are truly delighted to be alone rather than amongst their peers ? And be super content with the dull colors of a river flowing by on a cold, rainy, Fall day?

As long as I can remember, I have been able to see a brighter assortment of colors surrounding people, animals and even plants. Yeah, I know it sounds like hocus-pocus bull-crap. Whatever… it is what it is and oh lucky me right? Some people call it a sixth sense or aura reading. I just call it my ‘sick’ sense. Because in truth, many times the chaotic emotions of others and the erratic static (I like to call it) makes me nauseous, and yeah, makes me hurl my cookies at times.

You learn quickly to keep your mouth shut though. People do not understand if you’re ‘not’ within the norm. For example, when I was five years old I had colored a picture with people. I had colored all the people with bright swirling colors all around them. This was very different from the pictures of my peers. It was a big mistake!

My teachers had told me then that people were only dark brown, chocolate browns and freaky peachy tans. How boring, but I didn’t want to stand out because of my pictures, so I started coloring all my people with these mundane, boring colors, even though I saw and still see them with much more color.

Seeing people’s ‘auras’, as I have come to learn they are called, is what I suffer from. Yes, suffer from. To me, that describes it better than what I was born with. Who knows when it manifested within me? It seems it has always been part of me.

Damn! There is that breeze again, and wait, a familiar scent of rose and magnolia petals, too. Not the cheap can spray of artificial smells but actual real petals. It is breathtaking!

Yes, I said ‘scent’. You would think that having one freakish anomaly would be enough for one person, right? Well, just my luck, it’s not the only thing that’s weird about me. It seems all of my senses are heightened.

Or, maybe the other humans I go to school with and people around me are just oblivious or inattentive to their ‘abilities’. It’s like they have blinders on.

What was that? I tilted my head slightly toward the left where I heard the noise. There it is again…. a shiver. The air around me makes my skin tingle.

What or who the hell is that? This is not the first time I’ve felt this presence lately. It’s like in those creepy movies, where the spooky guy is watching someone and stalking them. However, this was not creepy at all. It was actually comforting! I turned my head and glanced to the left.

I saw a very quick movement, just as I glanced over my shoulder. Ok, I get it. I really have to ‘act’ more human at this time, or I will be busted for my heightened senses. At present, nobody knows about them.

There was barely a sound, a mere whisper of sound and a movement so fast it was a blur. Had it not been for my heightened senses, I too would not have heard this movement. I would have been as unaware as the humans I go to school with. I know I shouldn’t say humans like it’s a bad thing, considering I am human too.

Calmly, I tossed another pebble into the river. I pretended to not be paying attention. I have learned that most people feel this is a more acceptable behavior. I stared into the river watching the ripples. Kerplunk!! Another pebble was thrown into the water, and the ripples overlapped mine. I took another quick glance over to my left, and realized that suddenly I was not sitting alone anymore!

Not less than ten feet away was a boy almost mimicking my sitting position and posture. He too was staring at the water. Well hell, where did he materialize from? Even for me, this was a surprise!

I let out a small gasp. This was so unlike me to ever be surprised by anyone. Even though it was almost an inaudible sound, the boy turned to meet my eyes with an impish smirk on his face. I scowled a little and turned away. I bit my lip, wondering why he had been able to literally sneak up on me like that. I had heard only the smallest of sounds and seen a movement that seemed more like the wind moving by.

Hmmm….. I wondered how this had happened? I quickly re-assessed my thoughts, using what I shall call ‘my gifts’. Ha-ha. That thought really amused me. I reviewed it in my mind a little more. I had seen the slightest movement to my left, I had smelled the rose and magnolia petals in the breeze, but how had he shown up without any other warnings to my senses?

I shook my head. Now, I saw another movement to my left. I glanced and he was gone. What the..? I quickly scanned the area. I shook my head. Was I losing it? Did I imagine him? Ok, maybe I’m tired and my eyes played a trick on me. I blinked my eyes very slowly and deliberately, and the breeze returned!

I shivered again. I was almost afraid to open my eyes this time. But then I heard a voice say, Hey there! I damn near jumped sideways to the left! What left? That is where ‘he’ had been. Now he was on my right looking at me with a puzzled look on his face and the same smirk he had before.

When I had jumped, I also yelled, what the…? and then landed on my ass! He looked at me with a bemused expression. He opened his mouth to speak again, and as he did so, I was shaking my head back and forth in confusion. I had a scowl on my brow as I looked into his eyes. Hey, I didn’t mean to startle you he said. I stammered for words, You didn’t. How stupid that sounded, it was clearly obvious he had. He grinned a little and said, Ok, but, it looked like I did. This was added with a little bit of a sarcastic tone in his voice. Ok, so he was right. He had surprised me. Before I could say so, as I turned to meet his gaze and say something in my defense, he had stood up and was slowly walking away.

The only thing that came out of my mouth was, well I thought you were just sitting on my left side. This seemed to bemuse him and irritate me even more. You don’t know your left from your right? He questioned with humor in his voice. Man this ‘boy’ was starting to piss me off! I’m not even sure why. Maybe, it was his over confident, smug attitude.

Yes I do I chirped. Blah. That sounded so lame. Where the heck did my brain go? I have never been lost for words. On the contrary, I was usually absolutely prolific! He ran his fingers through his hair as he looked down at me. His smell was familiar. What? How was that possible? Weird. I shook my head and another shiver ran down my spine. Are you cold? he asked in a much gentler tone.

I could only shake my head. He pressed, Are you sure? Why did he keep asking me this? I answered, perhaps a little too gruffly, No! I’m fine.

Clearly, to most mundane humans, this, of course, meant the exact opposite. He was curt and had a look I clearly did not understand as he grumbled, Fine! Then I’ll leave you alone, jeesh!! I felt my cheeks flush in embarrassment. I then felt another warm breeze. As I blinked and went to say something along the lines of an apology, I opened my mouth and eyes and saw that he was no longer there.

What the heck was going on? I was puzzled as I got to my feet. This time I searched around. Ok, this is getting stranger by the minute, I said out loud. I scratched my head. Did I fall? Was I asleep? Did I even recognize this boy? Wait a minute was I imagining him? Man! I guess I must be in need of some mental help. You know, the white coat, long sleeved white jacket kind of help, if I didn’t get a grip soon. I sat back down and tossed a few more pebbles in the river. I replayed the scenario in my head.

He had been on my left and then suddenly appeared on my right. I hadn’t actually seen, heard or smelled his approach like I normally do. He disappeared in literally a blink of an eye. Although I could also do all of these things, I hadn’t met anyone else like me before this, so this really added more confusion to my thoughts.

I got up to begin the short journey home. I had school tomorrow. Yeehaw! Yawn. The night was just beginning to settle into place. It was quieter now that it was late October. Tomorrow is another day, I said out loud and to no one in particular. I had resolved to try to think this through more, later. Unfortunately, while I was walking home the events of the day kept flashing in my head.

Who was this boy? Did I know him? Why was his scent familiar to me? The big question was, why was the breeze that had come to be with me daily, present when he had been there? What did that mean?

A sudden epiphany hit me! The boy hadn’t had an aura!! Raking my brain, I thought back to when he had spoken with me. He must have had one. It must have been there and I just didn’t notice.

My walk home was uneventful. The leaves rustled under foot as I walked along. The Fall here in Guilford, was amazing to witness. The crisp air was enticing.

Fall would soon change to a magnificent, white winter. I would say I was blessed at least in where I was living. I was being raised in a small community. In actuality, I was living on a farm on a military base. I was taking care of the farm while my dad was off saving the world from evil.

He was a Sergeant in the military and a very good one at that. He was gone a lot on training courses and assignments. My dad and I got along for the most part, but just like any teen my age, I wanted my independence. We teens kind of just want to explore our pubescence and adolescence on our own. Well, at least until we became more comfortable in our skin again.

I stay under the wire, and operate well within the acceptable norm, for a teenager. I do my chores, get good grades in school and get home by my set curfew. It seems when I do this, there are less headaches on the home front. I guess for the most part I’m a pretty ‘normal’ teen.

At least I’m outwardly normal, if not inside. You could say I was normal, if you didn’t count the ‘seeing auras’ and ‘heightened senses’ and the most recently discovered, the ‘hand touch’. I’ll get into that a little later.

So… I’m pretty normal, considering everything. I could be so much worse, being an army brat with very little in the way of parental figures. I had the good sense to stay under the radar. I knew how to manipulate any given situation to my advantage, if needed.

I consider myself to be one of the good guys, at least for now. I have seen many peers who are constantly in trouble for their wayward behavior. I shook my head and giggled thinking about a few of my friends and classmates.

Oh, almost home now. I’d better check on the animals before I go in and settle down for the evening. I quietly walked toward the barn as dusk settled upon our little haven. I could hear the soft knickers of the horses, the chickens roosting in their nests in the coop, and the little mice scampering around avoiding Cloverleaf.

Cloverleaf is my cat. She was given this name because she absolutely loves Cloverleaf Tuna. We call her Clover for short. As I opened the door to the barn, all heads turned my way out of curiosity. As I stated earlier, I can, for the most part, see animals’ auras too and they were all a calm, golden yellow. It was very peaceful tonight in the barn. I sighed deeply, feeling their peace and let the comfort of it surround me.

Man, this is the life. It can’t get any better than this. I always felt more at ease here than anywhere. There was a feeling of normalcy and acceptance, with no deceit, treachery, lies or dark colors to engulf me; just the brilliant colors of sunshine, which to me meant happy, content and peaceful.

I walked through the barn to make sure everybody had enough food and water for the night. Clover was now zigzagging through my legs purring loudly, and Buttercup, a Palomino mare, nuzzled me with her nose as I walked by. I stopped to pet her velvety muzzle and scratch under her jaw as she nickered in enjoyment. I finished my rounds and called to Cloverleaf, ready girl? She jumped into my arms and snuggled against my chest purring rhythmically with my heartbeat.

I re-fastened the barn door and headed to the house and upstairs to get my pajamas on. I set Clover on her, well actually my, pillow and she curled up and fell asleep. It was now almost 9:00 pm. I decided to grab my school novel, curl up under the blanket and read for a little bit. It wasn’t long before I felt sleepy. I glanced at the clock before turning off the lamp. It was 10:30. I lay there thinking through the events of my day and at some point fell asleep.

The Walk to School

It was still dark when I awoke five minutes before my alarm, as usual. I always set my alarm, but I couldn’t remember a time I’d ever heard it go off. I shut it off, just as I did every morning, and began my morning routine. My dream journal lay open on the nightstand.

I had no new adventures to write down. I smiled. That was a first in a very long time. It really was a very rare thing, as I was a vivid dreamer in bright colors of course! I often dreamt of things that would then come to pass.

Many times my dreams were merely the day’s events, like any other mundane human would dream. However, I did find out that many people didn’t even remember having dreams. How odd, I used to think; now I think they are the lucky ones. On occasion, I would dream of an event or situation that would then actually happen in a day or two. Like last month when I had dreamt that one of my friends was going to have a car accident. Thankfully, they listened to me and avoided the path they normally took to school. Later, on the news, we had heard that someone had fallen asleep at the wheel and driven through the stop sign. Naturally, it was the one I had told my friends about.

Those dreams always freaked me out, but there was one haunting reoccurring dream that had me scared the most. I wasn’t sure if it was a premonition dream or where it came from. The dream was always the same. A girl I did not know or at least didn’t recognize would call to me. I was running a lot in that dream and there were lots of colors, action, and emotions, and lots of darkness and fear. I just couldn’t straighten out this dream for the life of me. The girl wasn’t anyone I knew, but I felt a compulsion to help.

In the dream, I knew the girl. We were connected somehow. I was called to her to help, so I went to help. I had this dream at least once every two weeks for the past six months. It always creeped me out and when I awoke I was always drenched in sweat with every muscle taut like a piano wire. My head was always pounding so severely that my eyes felt like they were bleeding. I felt like I had lacerations and injuries all over my body, and my heart was always pounding so hard that the blood flowed quickly through my veins. I was always out of breath and felt cold, cold with fear. Fear like I haven’t felt before. Each time I awoke from one of these dreams, I would jump from my bed, scaring the bajeebees out of Clover.

I would then scan my body in the mirror. I literally looked like I had raged a war. My eyes were always bloodshot and dark underneath. My hair was a tangled mess. Ok, that was actually pretty well the norm I guess. Giggle. My body would have red blotches all over it, and they were sore to touch. My hair and eyes felt like they were on fire. I didn’t like that dream.

It was unpredictable and random when I had it as well. But now, Clover was rubbing against my leg snapping me back to the present time. What was I doing? Oh yeah, my morning rituals and getting ready for another exciting day of school. Um, yeah right. Ha ha. I found school pretty boring, as I think most kids do. The social aspects are cool, but please, the actual school lessons? Not so much.

A quick look in the mirror snapped me back quickly into this day though. Yuck!! I looked EVER so beautiful in the mornings! As I laughed out loud, Clover looked at me funny. I swear that cat understands me. Ok let’s face it most people looked less than terrific when they first woke up in the morning. I was no exception to this. With almost waist length, wavy, deep rich brown hair, with shiny auburn highlights, what could I realistically expect it to look like after a night’s sleep? My morning routine consisted of me dampening my hair by splashing water all over it, and hitting my face in the process. I would then grab the Garnier Fructis anti-frizz smoothing cream and rub it through my hair, sometimes slathering it on a little too thick. I would then use my pick to comb through it… not that I spent more than 3-5 minutes on this ritual. Not ever. I often wore my hair up in a ponytail, ball cap, or under my hoodie. I brushed my teeth and then washed my face and neck. I applied moisturizer (my form of make-up one would say) on my face and neck. And voila ~ my morning routine was completed.

Unlike many girls my age, I really didn’t waste my time with straightening my hair or applying clown make-up. Err… bad make-up, that is. I was an all-natural kind of girl. I snickered to myself. Mostly it was because I couldn’t be bothered in the mornings. For what, school and classes? Yeah, right! Like that was going to happen. NOT!! Please. I had no one to impress, and even if I did, I doubted I would act or behave any differently. I am who I am, like it or not. I can’t stand when people act all different and cater to their new found romance, acting all giddy and stupid, dropping their friends and family to gush over an hormonal boy or girl, whichever the case was, and then in three to four weeks repeat this with someone new, because they realized that the first person was not really, truly who they thought they were. Imagine that? At least with me the package you started with would be the same package you ended up with.

Whatever. I threw on another pair of pajama bottoms (yeah, it’s my new improved fashion statement these past couple weeks), a clean t-shirt and an oversized, black hoodie with a deep blue dragon on the front. I looked in the mirror, pulled my hoodie up over my hair, grabbed my sunglasses, and ran downstairs two at a time. I grabbed some peanut butter toast and a juice and headed to the barn. By the time I reached the barn, I was finished with my breakfast. I opened the doors and let the animals out.

Ah, I was envious of their freedom. I quickly did my chores so that I could spend some time with them before the hectic pace of school began. One more year I sighed. In truth, I didn’t mind school, the learning, the teachers, or the courses I had to take. It’s just that for me, school gave me way too many headaches from the depths of colors that I saw in my peers and the staff. I was in a good school that offered the students a broad spectrum of courses. But, for me, it was torture, so I enjoyed this quiet time to breathe in the splendor before I had to endure the melodramas of school.

The sun was just rising and looked like it was going to be an extremely bright day for me. I let out another sigh. Away I go. I headed to the house to wash my hands and change into clean shoes. I kicked off my barn boots at the door.

I walked along on my way to school, kicking a pebble as I went. I heard footsteps. Kaylee was attempting her sneaking up on me again. My heightened sense of hearing picked up her footsteps a couple minutes before this, but I let it play out, continuing to walk along like I hadn’t noticed her. Here it comes. Wait for it I said to myself, and then Argh!!! She screamed. I pretended to be startled. EEK!! You got me that time, I told her. She smiled and set her pace to mine. You’re not a very good liar, she said nonchalantly. I returned her smile as I said, Isn’t that a good thing? She mused, One of these days, girl, one of these days, I’ll witness you actually being startled.

I was going to mention the boy from yesterday but decided against it. Maybe I humored her. Kaylee was a good friend. She has a yellow/orange aura most of the time. This indicated she was easygoing, easy to be around most of the time. So what did you do this weekend? she asked. Just as I started to answer and give her the run down she snapped, and I want the truth, missssy!

She knew as well as I did that I was probably the most truthful person she would ever meet, but I had caught her tone and knew that she had meant not truth in words per se, but rather truth as in emotions. She meant, how were my ‘emotions’ this weekend. Kaylee was an empath, but she truly hadn’t come to fully understand it yet. She gets these ‘feelings’ she calls them. She can tell when others are sad, upset, content, etc. For as long as I’ve known Kaylee , I’ve known she was empathic. She reads and understands people well, and knows when someone is being deceitful.

She used to get a lot of stomachaches when I first met her. I saw her aura; I knew right away that she was absorbing way too much negative energy from the people around her. I had to kind of expose myself to her in order to help her. That is how we began our friendship a couple of years ago. I taught her how to shield herself emotionally, and now, she is learning how to focus her ability. She is now able to be just ‘in-tune’ rather than absorbing other people’s negative energies.

I know about this, and I know that every living thing gives off energetic vibrations. I see it in colors and static. Kaylee ‘feels’ the energies. We both can detect the subtlest changes with people that others cannot even notice. Sooooooo… Kaylee presses, still waaaiiiting here for my answer. She was relentless at times. Well, ummm, let’s see, I was happy and excited all weekend, I began. Liar, liar pants on fire, give it up, Caden. Oh yeah, my name is Cadence. My friends call me Caden, for short. My dad, the Sergeant in the military, named me. Can ya’ tell? I think my dad was born singing cadences. 1, 2, 3,4, drop and give me 10 more, 5, 6, 7,8, let me help you with your skates. One of the many cadences my dad sang when I first started playing hockey years ago. I like my name. It’s different, but not too different.

Ok, ok, I giggled. Man, she was a huge pest at times. Well? She gave me that tap foot impatiently look before she slowly and deliberately said, still w a i t i n g as she spelled it out. Not that there was much to tell. I began my play by play. Friday, I had Martial Arts Class and I was partnered up with Dalton. I knew this would get her attention.

Ohhh? Kaylee chirped. She thinks Dalton has a cute ass, but she also thinks he is an ass. So she quirks her eyebrow and lets me continue. Do tell, she adds with a sinister grin on her face. I continued, Well his attitude was, like all that, but, I laugh his rainbow (my code name for auras) was lacking that same confidence I finished. She giggled. I snickered as I told her more, yup, I got to spar him with full gear and set him on his butt over and over again. He of course was less than impressed with me for that.

Kaylee was almost spitting a lung now, as she laughed so hard. She always loved it when I kicked the boys’ asses in martial arts. I had started to burst out laughing too. At that exact moment, Kaylee’s younger sister, Haven, caught up to us. What’s so funny you losers? she asked.

We looked at each other, turned to her, pointing and shouting at the same time, YOU ARE!!! Hah ha she said with sarcasm in her voice. She added the typical Whatever!! as she rolled her eyes. She deliberately got in my space, which she knew I hated. Back Off!! I sneered. Get the hell outta’ my space! Haven laughed as she flicked her hair back yeah, yeah freaky rainbow seer. All three of us laughed at that.

There was some catch up conversation as we strolled along on our way to school. I stopped abruptly and both Haven and Kaylee looked at me questioningly. I took a huge, deep breath (smelled rose and magnolia petals) and looked around. Kaylee piped up just then, you’re feeling … anxious, no… wait you’re feeling curious, yeah! That’s it! You’re curious! She looked around too.

Stop that I chastised. I frowned at her as I glanced around again. Haven looked at both of us wondering what was going on. Why did you stop? What’s going on? Your face is like, all screwed up. She added. I’ll tell you one thing, Haven never minced her words she said it straight up. It was like her mouth got rude, insulting, word diarrhea, before her brain caught up sometimes. A little too brass, but she was getting better. More tact was definitely needed.

She folded her arms over her chest. Are we going stand here all day? She hadn’t expected an answer so she continued, c’mon were going to be late for school ya’ morons she teased. I looked at Kaylee, she looked at me and we both shrugged. I took one last deep breath to savor that sweet smell of rose and magnolia petals before I began to step forward.

Later I quietly whispered to Kaylee. She held a finger up shaking and pointing at me as she whispered back, you better believe it, missy. I grinned and gave her ‘the who me?’ sign, pointing to my own chest with an innocent look on my face. Haven rolled her eyes and said, yeah right, as if.

We continued along kicking at the leaves. I sighed as we rounded the small corner. We were almost at Alyce and Bryce’s house. They were as predictable as snow melting on a hot day. Today would be no exception, I was sure. I shook my head, dug my hands into my hoodie pouch pocket and retrieved my sunglasses. The world was about to get a whole lot more colorful.

I glanced over at Kaylee and said, shields up? She replied with a nod and replied, yep, roger that. Haven giggled at us. It was our usual routine before we greeted the twins cheerfully. Alyce and Bryce were fraternal twins who both had absolute, to die for, gorgeous, thick, brown, wavy hair that glistened like red coals in a campfire. They had the same intense, dark, hazel, brown eyes that fit beautifully in their olive, perfectly tanned all year round skin. They had killer smiles with bright movie star teeth.

Alyce was 5’7. Bryce 5’10 and both had well proportioned bodies. Some might say Alyce was a little too fit for a girl, but I thought she looked perfect. She and Bryce wore preppy clothes that suited them to a tee, not the rich kids’ designer brand, matching accessory type of clothes, but rather nice, stylish clothing. They had good fashion sense that was not over the top.

As we approached, we could see that they didn’t disappoint. We could hear them and I could ‘see’ them, well before I was in earshot. They were arguing, just