The Darkest Legacy: Betrayal (One)

By Jennifer Lynn Catz

There are whispers of the darkest legacy that span hundreds of years...
Sixteen-year-old Cara Corsi just wants her normal life back. After recently surviving a horrific car accident, her recent life has been anything but ordinary and normal sounds pretty good right now.

Fully recovered and out of the hospital, Cara has returned to school, hoping her life will finally get back on track.

After only being back at her northern California high school a few days, weird and exciting occurrences happen, leaving Cara both perplexed and thrilled. When she is asked out by her longtime crush, Cara is elated that her life is quickly improving and her excitement explodes as she plans to attend the dance of the year.

But then, events quickly go off course and things aren’t as they seem. New problems arise when Cara is abruptly overwhelmed by brain-splitting headaches and her family is targeted by strange people Cara's mother, Maria, seems to know.

Maria has kept a life-altering secret that could destroy any chance of normalcy for Cara. Unbeknownst to Cara and her sister, Maria has taken drastic measures to keep the family hidden for the past fourteen years.

A sinister plan brews when the family is eventually located. But when Cara’s family suddenly disappears, Cara is overtaken by the nosy neighbor who won’t leave her alone–the same neighbor Maria warned her daughters to never go near.

Not knowing whom to trust, Cara must fight to find her family and to stay alive in a deception she knows nothing about.

This book is appropriate for ages 12 and up.
The book is clean and contains mild curse words.
Approximately 300 pages.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jennifer Lynn Catz
• Release date: Dec 13, 2014
• ISBN: 9780990713104

Jennifer Lynn Catz

Jennifer Lynn Catz has always had a fondness for reading. Reading naturally gave way to writing and Jennifer could often be found penning poems and short stories.On a whim, she decided to try her hand at National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in 2012. The Darkest Legacy is the outcome of that NaNoWriMo challenge and it is Jennifer’s debut novel.Although she will always consider herself a native New Yorker, Jennifer currently resides in Southern New England and is the proud owner of her own frisky, acrobatic, mouse-chasing felines who have a penchant for loud vocalizations and paw-tapping behavior.

Book preview

Seventy-seven days had passed since the accident. Today was day seventy-eight and things were finally just getting back to normal. Well, maybe things were not completely normal but at least I was getting back into a regular routine.

It was difficult to fathom that I had been in a coma for almost four weeks and then practically blind for another month. That kaleidoscope vision was so horrendous; I wouldn’t wish it on even the evilest of beings! I was so glad that a miracle came through and my vision was eventually restored. I’d never take my eyesight for granted again.

Today was my first full day back to school and it felt weird to have missed so much. Before my injury, football season had just gotten underway and now Christmas was only twenty-five days away.

On Monday and Tuesday, I only went to school for a few hours and they were both two very long days. I felt like a new student starting an unfamiliar school and wondered if it would be the same today. Students and teachers stared at me like I was either a fragile glass statue or some anomaly that appeared out of nowhere. I had been going to school in this town since I was four years old, so none of those things should have been happening. What happened to my average, carefree teenaged life? Did it die in the crash with me? I would have given anything to have my ordinary life back again.

Cara! It’s time for breakfast!

Coming! I shouted and cringed when I woke up my cat, Ginger, who was sleeping peacefully on the bed. I didn’t see Princess, our other cat, so I assumed she was with my sister. With a soft sigh, I slapped my journal closed, capped the purple pen and put both inside of my desk drawer. Writing facts in my journal on a semi-daily basis always helped me to organize my thoughts and I took my writing time very seriously. Dr. Lindberg, the doctor who operated on me when I was in the hospital, had suggested doing it and said how the activity would be therapeutic. He was quite surprised when I told him that I already kept a journal and that I would just continue writing down my life events.

I reached over to pet Ginger and she gave her own cat sigh before closing her eyes and settling back into a fur ball. She had hung out with me a lot over the past month and was great company, especially when there was a lack of peer interaction.

The smell of cinnamon and baked apples laced the air and I couldn’t tell if it was our housekeeper’s homemade oatmeal or apple waffles. I hoped it was the waffles but it was most likely the oatmeal. She called it comfort food. Wednesday was usually muffin day but Shirley knew how much I loved warm, filling breakfasts and I guessed that she was making them to get me through the first week back to school.

Hey, Ashir! I called through the small hallway that led to the kitchen before sitting down at the dining room table.

Hey yourself, Arac, she said, walking into the room with a smile on her face and my fragrant breakfast in her hands.

I laughed at her. Since when do you do the backwards name calling?

Well, since you and that friend of yours have been doing it for years with no sign of stopping, I figured I might as well jump on the bandwagon and come along for the ride.

We laughed as she placed the steaming plate in front of me. Yes! You made the waffles! You’re the best, Shirley!

Don’t I know it, she said as she jokingly shook her pointer finger in my direction. And you better not forget that, either.

Never in a million years.

She set my glass of orange juice and a bowl of baked apples in front of my plate. Ready for your first full day back to school? she asked.

I think so. People have been acting so strange around me the past few days so I’m hoping that once they start to see me every day, the weird factor will blow over and they’ll notice that I am the same person I was back in September.

Things will die down. You’re just a novelty right now.

A what? I gave her an incredulous look.

You know, something new and shiny…

My mother had just entered the dining room and I swung around to face her. Mom! Did you hear what Shirley said to me? She said that I’m the current novelty!

My mother stopped at the edge of the table, stared at the both of us and started laughing. That’s a good one, Shirley! What a great analogy for Cara’s school predicament.

I thought so, too, Maria, she said and started chuckling. She’s like a new present that’s been gifted to the school. She continued laughing as she went back into the kitchen.

But, Mom! I spluttered. That makes me sound so cheap!

No, not cheap, she tried to explain around the laughter. It just means that you’re something people are interested in right now because of your accident and absence. Don’t forget, you were also the captain of the dance team so a lot of people know who you are or know of you. The novelty status will eventually die down and you’ll be back to your regular life.

That sounds nice, I mumbled around a piece of waffle in my mouth. Normal is what I’m shooting for. They treat me like I’m one of the exotic animals at the zoo. They stop, point and stare and yet they’re too hesitant to approach me.

Today is only the third day; give it more time. I guarantee that everything will be fine by the Christmas break or at the beginning of the new year. Maybe you can have a party with the girls from the dance team. That could help break you out of this gawking phase.

Ooh! my sister, Natalia, said as she sat down at the table. I heard ‘party’ and you can count me in!

Yeah, Mom was thinking that we could throw a party so people would stop treating me like a rare book.

Natalia rolled her eyes at me as she plucked a syrup-drizzled waffle segment off my plate. Oh, please. Most people would kill for that kind of attention. It just ups your status in school and you should ride it out as long as you can. Meanwhile, a party does sound like a fabulous idea. It can be a pre-holiday soirée. Ooh! It can be a pre-birthday celebration!

Now, now, my mother interjected. Let’s not get too crazy over here. Natalia, you only get one birthday event. This could be a welcome back get-together or a small holiday party for just the dance team girls. Nothing too wild and crazy; there’s a lot going on next month.

So, no boys? I asked.

You mean like, Eric Sullivan? Natalia raised her eyebrows up and down in my direction.

Yeah, I wish! But wouldn’t it be magical to have him here for the party? I rested my chin on top of my hands and fluttered my eyelashes at her.

No, no boys, Mom exclaimed, This is not a major holiday shindig.

I guess that leaves out any kissing-under-the-mistletoe scenarios, Natalia jokingly complained.

Mom ignored her comment, went off to grab her purse and consulted her calendar. Why don’t you see about having it on the tenth? That’ll give you a little over a week to plan it out.

A week? That’s not enough time! Natalia exclaimed.

We could have it around the sixteenth, seventeenth or eighteenth but then we’re just getting too close to Christmas and a lot of people go away for the holidays. We could wait and have it after New Year’s…

No! That’s okay, I shot Natalia a meaningful look. We’ll make it work for next week. I was excited about the idea of a party. It was something ordinary and yet, full of fun; two things that I had been missing out on for quite a while.

Alright, I’ll pencil it in for Saturday. You decide on the theme, let me know and then we can go shopping over the weekend for food, decorations and supplies. Perhaps we can drive into San Francisco and make a day of it. Both of you will be in charge of the invitations and handing them out. I want you to keep this party under thirty people.

Natalia’s eyes widened and I kicked her under the table before she could say anything. There were twenty-five girls on the team and that left a few open spaces for anyone extra we wanted to invite. At least both of our best friends were on the dance team with us so we didn’t have to worry about their invitations. We could figure out the other girls later on after school.

Mom checked her watch and said, Girls, I’m leaving in fifteen minutes so you better hurry up.

She started to leave the dining room and Natalia blurted out, Wait, you’re not eating with us?

She paused in the doorway. No, I… I just don’t feel like eating right now. I’ll just grab something later on.

Are you okay? You haven’t been eating breakfast with us in a while. What’s going on? I asked her.

Nothing. Her tone was sharp. I’m just not in the mood to eat right now. Now hurry up and brush your teeth so we’re not late.

She left the room and my sister and I stared at her retreating figure, wondering what had just happened. I could hear her rummaging through crinkly bags that must have been placed in the foyer and both of us just looked at each other and shrugged.

We scarfed down the rest of our food and then rushed off to brush our teeth. I knew it wouldn’t be a good idea to keep Mom waiting, especially since she was becoming very curt with us lately. There was no need to add the wrath of Mom to my stress list.

Both of us got downstairs with a minute to spare and Mom gave us a begrudging smile as she herded us through the garage and into her truck.

As she drove down the street, I saw a darkened figure near the stop sign by the corner. As she slowed the car, I could see it was our neighbor, Fanny Vallone. She had her hand raised, like she was shielding her face from the bright sun, however, it was only seven o’clock in the morning and very hazy. The sun wouldn’t brighten for another hour or so.

Natalia pointed at the window, Hey, what’s the Gossip Queen doing out this early in the morning?

Mom’s face twisted in a grimace. I don’t know but it can’t be anything good. I want you girls to stay away from her. Do you understand? Do not approach her and do not talk to her. If she comes near you, put as much distance between you as you can. I don’t want to bring any of that… entertainment into our lives.

Uh, sure, Mom. I mean, I guess so. I said, giving my mother a strange look.

No, I mean it. Stay away from her! Something bad is in the air; I can feel it and we don’t need Fanny encroaching on our space.

Natalia gave a quick glance in my direction and I shrugged my shoulders.

Yeah, but how is this different from every other time you’ve told us not to go near her? I asked. You’ve always told us that she’s bad news and spreads everyone’s dirty laundry around the town so what’s with the stranger danger speech?

The car had come to a full stop and my mother gave a nervous glance at Fanny and the other three corners before stomping on the gas pedal and zipping down the street. I turned to look at our neighbor as Mom sped by and I could have sworn I saw a confused expression on the woman’s face, her hand held high in the air as if she was waving at us.

Don’t go near her! my mother exclaimed, jabbing a finger in my direction and then in Natalia’s direction. And that’s all I’m going to say about the matter.

Jeez, Mom. Take a chill pill. You’ve already warned us about the dangers of Fanny. Why would we suddenly disobey you now? I rolled my eyes at her.

Enough with the sass, Cara. Just do what I tell you and everything will be fine. Got it?

Natalia shrugged at me this time and both of us said in a chorus, Yes, Mom, as we struggled not to chuckle.

Mom had been acting off kilter ever since I’d gotten out of the hospital and this was just another item to add to the growing list of her oddities. Why she thought we would suddenly join forces with Fanny Vallone was beyond my comprehension but if it appeased her worrying behavior, then it was just best to agree and drop the matter.

The rest of the car ride was silent, as I was afraid of setting off additional Mom peculiarities and I’m sure Natalia felt the same. We pulled into the school parking lot and she turned to face me.

Now, Cara, if you feel like you can’t handle a full day of school yet, go straight to the office and have them call me. I will drop everything to come and get you. Okay?

Oh, Mom, I sighed, reaching for the door handle. I’ll be fine.

Don’t you, ‘Oh, Mom,’ me. You haven’t even had your total eyesight back for a full two weeks yet. It’s a lot to take in and I know how overwhelming it might be. I don’t want you to rush this. I can always hire a tutor for the rest of the year and you can start again after the holidays.

Mom, I have to get back to school some time and it makes sense to go back sooner rather than later. But, I held up my hand to keep her from interrupting, if it makes you feel better, I’ll call you if I think it’s too much to handle. Okay?

She studied my face for a moment before nodding in agreement. Then, she gave me an odd smile before she turned to look at Natalia. Okay girls, have a good day at school and remember to be aware of your surroundings. I’ll meet you at the pickup door after school. She blew us each a kiss as we climbed out of the car and waited for us to get inside the building before driving away.

What the heck was that about? I asked Natalia when we were safely inside the building.

I don’t know. I hope Mom’s not losing it. She asked me this morning… Whatever my sister was about to say got lost in the screams rushing towards us.

Arac! You’re here! I thought I missed you! C’mon, we’ve got lots to chat about before homeroom.

My arm was roughly grabbed before I had a chance to respond. I spun around and came face-to-face with my best friend, Tamara Stanley. Her chestnut hair billowed out behind her and her golden brown eyes were wide with excitement.

Aram, we just talked on the phone last night. What could possibly have happened between the time we went to sleep and now?

Oh, this is good. This is better than good, she said. You’re gonna love me forever when I tell you this huge piece of news!

On that note, it’s time for me to go. Natalia said as she started walking away. Have a good day, Sis. Bye, Aram, she added with a wink.

Bye, Aila, we called after her as she walked towards the sophomore wing of Mesa Tona High School.

So, I asked her. What’s this great news you have for me?

You’ll never believe it. Never in a billion years. It’s better than white cheddar popcorn!

I laughed at her enthusiasm. Okay, okay. Tell me!

Tamara leaned in close and whispered into my ear, The Smokin’ Senior has been asking about you.

My jaw dropped as I leaned back to give her a disbelieving stare. No!

Yes, cookie! Eric Sullivan asked me this morning, and I quote, ‘When is the Blonde Beauty returning to school?’ and I had to pause for a moment, trying to think of which blonde beauty he actually meant.

What?! What did you say?

I must’ve paused too long because then his face turned this humorous shade of pink and he added, ‘Uh, you know… Cara?’

I realized that my jaw was still hanging open but I couldn’t bring myself to close it. This was beyond shocking.

I told him that he was behind on The Daily News because you already came back on Monday, Tamara continued.

Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! I whispered. I’d had a crush on Eric Sullivan for two years now, since I was a freshman and he was a sophomore. To my knowledge, he didn’t even know I existed…except now there was actual proof that he did. Maybe the accident had been a good thing. Maybe this meant that my life was about to bypass normal and head straight towards explosive. I thought I could live with that.

So, be on the lookout for him today. He just might be hunting you down. Wait! You did make sure to use deodorant and body spray today, right? The horrors will befall you if you’re not smelling your absolute best when he does finally track down the Blonde Beauty.

I playfully punched her in the shoulder. Yes, Mom, I made sure to remember the deodorant. No spray, though.

Here, let me see what I have. Tamara unzipped her backpack and rifled through it until she proffered three miniature-sized bottles of body spray. Choose your weapon: I’ve got cucumber melon, raspberry and pink punch.

Ha! You know I love the cucumber melon so of course, that one’s mine, I said, snatching the bottle out of her hand. Thanks, Aram. Always looking out for me.

Tamara wrinkled her nose at me, Well, I’m not really looking out for you, bestie. I’m looking out for the sniffers who come into contact with you.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know I really don’t smell that bad.

No, she conceded, but I take great enjoyment out of teasing you! She swung her arm around my shoulder and propelled me down the hallway towards our homerooms. When she got to her room, she grabbed my shoulders and said, Now remember, if you see him, be cool but not icy. You want to warm him up, not ice him out. I’ll check in with you before our classes together. Okay?

I gave her a nervous chuckle and a knowing smile graced her face. Knock him out, Arac, she told me and sashayed through her homeroom doors.

If going to school for a full day wasn’t nerve wracking enough, I now had to be on top of my game all day in case Eric made an appearance. I headed towards my homeroom wing and my thoughts were in such a jumble that I was just walking on autopilot. Eric knew who I was! Did he know I had been crushing on him for over two years? What had made him decide to ask about me now? Even though spotting Eric in fortuitous moments was such a great highlight of the school day, I was terrified of seeing him now. I had absolutely no clue what I was going to say.

I rounded the corner, staying on the left side of the hall so I could slide my body through the first door, when I ran face first into a stone wall. The jarring impact caused me to bounce off and fall on my rear end as my backpack went skittering down the hall behind me.

Holy crap! Who put a wall in front of my room? I glanced up and my jaw dropped as I stared up at the Smokin’ Senior himself… Eric Sullivan.

Oh man! Cara! Are you okay? the smokin’ god cried out as he peered down at me.

I…uh… I stammered, trying to figure out what just happened. Where did that wall come from? I rubbed the ache on my forehead, hoping it wouldn’t leave a nasty bump or bruise.

I heard stifled laughter and I glanced up to see Eric holding his hand over his mouth. I narrowed my eyes at him and he quickly said, That wasn’t a wall. That was me you ran into.

Heat rushed over my cheeks as I looked down. Oh, jeez. Of course he was the wall.

What a way to make a good impression, Cara.

I knew I should probably get up, as I was sure this appeared to be a very appropriate scenario with him looming over me while I sat on the hallway floor. Not wanting to attract additional attention to myself, I started to push myself up when Eric decided to whip out the Good Samaritan card. He bent over to grab my arms and pulled me up into a standing position. Then, he retrieved my book bag and handed it to me with a smile.

More heat radiated over my face, making it difficult to maintain eye contact with him. I stared at his green tee shirt, hoping that he would kindly step aside so I could make it into my homeroom without further incident. Out of all my daydreams about our first major encounter, this was definitely not one of them.

He cleared his throat and I slowly lifted my head as if there were a ten-pound weight holding it down. An amused grin widened his face as he stared down at me, waiting for me to speak. What was I supposed to say? Thanks for knocking me on my butt? I knew I should probably at least acknowledge the assistance off the ground.

Uh, thanks for helping me up, I mumbled directly at his neck, refusing to look any higher than his smile.

I’m glad I ran into you… Well, I should say I’m glad you ran into me. I’ve been looking for you.

You have? I squeaked and then cringed at my unbelievable mousiness. Was it possible not to look like a dork in front of him?

Yeah, he said, scratching at his neck as if my stare was burning a hole through his skin. I heard about your car wreck and the problems in the hospital so I wanted to see if you were okay.

Oh. Was that all? He’d asked Tamara about me and that’s what he wanted to know? A shaky sigh escaped my lips. Well, that was a letdown. I’m alright. I’m healed, I can see and now I’d like to see myself in my homeroom before the bell rings.

Ooh, that came out a little snarky.

Apparently, he didn’t think so. Eric chuckled and placed a hand on my shoulder. I’m glad you’re feeling better. I was hoping you were ’cause there was something I wanted to ask you.

My eyebrows rose and I willed my mouth not to speak so I didn’t unwittingly say anything ridiculous. I provided a smile of encouragement, wondering if it had anything to do with helping him with academic work.

He cleared his throat again and I glanced up as he raked his left hand through his light brown hair. He opened his mouth to say something when male voices boomed down the hallway. Hey, Sullivan! We need you, man!

I turned and saw Nathan Sylvester leading three beefy football players right in our direction. Nate was Eric’s best friend but he was also Beth’s brother. Beth just happened to be Natalia’s best friend, so I got to see glimpses of Eric on the rare occasion when we all happened to hang out at the Sylvester house at the same time. Most of the time, they hung out at the houses of the guys who had no sisters.

Hey, Cara, Nate said as he nodded at me. It’s good to see you.

Hi, Nate. Thanks. I said and nodded back.

Hey guys, Eric said and raked his hand through his hair again. What’s up?

We’re having a friendly argument about our fantasy hockey teams and you need to settle our disputes, Nate said, giving the friends withering looks.

Can it wait? I’m kinda talking over here.

No man, we need you now, before the bell rings, Nate replied.

Eric sighed and turned back towards me, rubbing his hand along his neck. Sorry, Cara, it looks like I gotta go break up a hockey fight. He gave me a wry smile. "Can I catch up with you