Daughters of Terrafauna

By Tanya Cousins

"Daughters of Terrafauna" follows the exploits of fifteen year old twins Sasha and Lilly. They are shocked to learn about a forgotten past, where their lives are intertwined in an ancient prophesy. A prophesy that, if fulfilled properly, will save not only one, but two worlds!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Whiskey Creek Press
• Release date: Aug 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781611606683

Book preview

DAUGHTERS OF TERRAFAUNA

by

TANYA COUSINS

WHISKEY CREEK PRESS

www.whiskeycreekpress.com

Published by

WHISKEY CREEK PRESS

Whiskey Creek Press

PO Box 51052

Casper, WY 82605-1052

www.whiskeycreekpress.com

Copyright Ó 2013 by Tanya Cousins

Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 (five) years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

Names, characters and incidents depicted in this book are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

ISBN: 978-61160-668-3

Cover Artist: Angela Archer

Editor: Marsha Briscoe

Printed in the United States of America

Prologue

The book lay in the gloom, covered with a thick layer of fine dust, forgotten for years. The cover was made of something resembling leather, but not quite. There was something about it that didn’t look like any other leather bound book. It had curious markings all over the front, back and spine, almost as though it was tattooed.

It lay wedged between the ancient outer wall of the cellar, and a slightly newer one erected on the inside. A small gap existed between the walls, just enough room for the thick book crammed inside. Here and there, small holes could be seen along the length of the inner wall. Only small holes, where the old plaster had crumbled slightly and fallen away. Holes that mice and other small creatures could squeeze through and live between the walls. A lot of the cellar’s animal population made their homes in the darkness between the walls, but none of them went anywhere near that particular section of the wall.

Occasionally a young or sick creature would venture too close. These animals would never return to their nests and families. Within five feet of the book in every direction, small dried up bodies lay. Some were cockroaches, some were mice…all were dead.

Chapter 1

Are we nearly there yet?

I’m hungry.

I feel sick!

Fynn gritted his teeth in annoyance. It wasn’t often that his family got on his nerves, but this was rapidly becoming one of those times! Lilly and Sasha, his daughters, had been alternating between getting at each other and complaining loudly to anyone who would listen, ever since the trip began. Now his wife, Maria, was trying to get in on the act too! Thankfully there were only a few miles left to go.

Fynn was starting to wonder if it was all going to be really worth it. What would his new job be like? Would his family like the house? Would his girls fit in at school? Would Maria fit in with the local housewives? These were some of the things that had been whirling through his mind since he had informed them of their impending move, without prior consultation!

This was something he was rather reluctant to do as everyone knew everyone else in such a small town. Now they were on their way north, 600 miles north, to be precise. Maria was worried that she wouldn’t be able to blend into the new life and the other women in the neighborhood. Lilly and Sasha didn’t want to leave their friends behind.

That had been a long grueling three weeks ago now. Since then his family had hardly said a civil word to him. Fynn knew in his heart, though, that Maria would love the new house he had chosen on sight, and the kids would grow to love it nearly as quickly. It was definitely a child’s idea of Utopia. The three acre section was scattered with enormous oak trees, ideal for climbing and building tree huts in. Fynn’s girls never had been overly girly, far preferring to be outdoors and getting dirty!

The house itself had numerous quaint little rooms, which were bigger from ceiling to floor than they were around the walls. This was a typical trait of its Victorian style.

Maria’s hobby was restoring antiques. Ninety percent of their household furniture was Victorian antique. Fynn could just picture Maria’s face when she saw the house. It was badly in need of more than a little love and attention, but it was sound and didn’t need rebuilding to any great extent. Exactly how Maria liked to start her projects.

Their new neighborhood was on the outskirts of town, virtually rural, so they didn’t need to go through the city to get there. The car slowed as they began passing stately old homes and grandiose new ones. Maria looked longingly at the old ones. Not in her wildest dreams would she imagine her own home would look just as good, if not better, when they had completed the renovations. The girls peered glumly out the windows, fed up with travelling, and fed up with picking at each other. They watched the scenery as it passed by, but didn’t really see it. They were too busy thinking of their lost friends.

Fynn allowed a quick glimmer of a smile to play about his lips as he imagined their facial expressions when he pulled up in front of the house. His wife and daughters had extremely expressive faces. No chance of ever hiding their true feelings. He slowed the car a little more and pulled off onto a side street bordered with lush elm trees and towering oaks. Houses, young and old, sat snobbishly at the ends of long sweeping driveways.

Oak Grove, Fynn read aloud from the sign post indicating the road they were about to turn onto. This is our street.

Maria stared at him wide eyed. It was obvious that she hadn’t expected such a beautiful street, let alone the fabulous houses that lined it.

Wow! breathed Lilly. No way, Dad!

You’re kidding, aren’t you, Fynn? asked Maria. A smile threatened to ruin her steely composure.

He smiled, but stayed silent. He pulled over to the curb and put the car out of gear.

There she is—what do you think? he asked nonchalantly.

There was a long sweeping driveway, just like the other houses in the street. It was potholed, but fixable. The lawn was overgrown, but mow-able. Mountains of leaves and dead branches littered the ground beneath the oaks. What were once symmetrically manicured shrubs, large unruly bushes squatted like fat toads in their places. All this would take a mere week or two to put to rights. Then there was the house itself. A huge three storied Victorian mansion sat regally behind the trees and unkempt grounds, with peeling white walls scattered with ivy. Four large red brick chimneys rose up out of the roof at different parts of the house, only one of which was crumbling slightly. The lead light windows were dark and grimy. A couple needed replacing but the majority were still intact. On the front door was a huge brass knocker, tarnished and dull. Rambling rose bushes tangled their way across the porch in a wild mass of glory.

All in all it was run down and neglected, but not un-rectifiable. Maria had a look of utter awe on her face. It was blatantly clear to Fynn that reality hadn’t quite sunken in yet. He put the car back in gear, and drove slowly up the driveway, avoiding the potholes.

The girls leapt from the car as soon as it came to a stop, and immediately disappeared from view around the corner of the house. Maria and Fynn got out and stood grinning inanely at each other, then turned to the sound of gravel crunching under tires. Their removal truck waddled up the driveway to park in front of their car. Two large sweaty men lumbered out. The driver shuffled over to them while the passenger set to work opening the rear door of the truck.

Mr. …you ready to unpack your furniture?

Yes! they both said in unison.

They were as eager as each other to get on with finding a new home for everything they owned. They hurried to the truck just as the rear door was rolled up. One thing could be said for this removal firm, the employees looked pretty rough around the edges, but they certainly knew their business. Everything was meticulously packed. Fynn handed Maria the keys to the front door, then clambered up into the truck to lend a hand.

Carefully stepping around the thorny vines, she slipped the key into the lock and turned it. It slid a half turn, made a soft click and the massive door swung open, to reveal a vast dust covered foyer. This surprised Maria as she had fully expected the lock to be stiff, maybe even rusted solid.

Dust motes, disturbed by the sudden movement, stirred lazily in the streaming sunlight. The floor was covered with mosaic tiles, some of which had come loose and had been scattered by mice. She gaped at the enormous staircase opposite the door, winding up and around to the second floor. An archway spanned the foyer in front of the staircase, and an immense chandelier hung from the center of it. Cobwebs the size of mosquito nets dangled from every corner and shrouded the chandelier. The whole place was a dream come true for Maria.

At fifteen years of age, Sasha usually viewed herself as hundreds of times more sophisticated than her sister, who was ten minutes her junior. But in their excitement of exploring uncharted territory, they completely forgot their rivalry. They raced from tree to tree, garden to overgrown garden. Leapt into leaf mounds and jumped over bushes and shrubs. Their energy, pent up during the hours spent in the car travelling, knew no bounds. There was far too much to see and do to waste time walking sedately as Lilly usually would.

At the side of the house sat a large round pond. At the center of the pond stood a marble fountain statue. It was cracked and mottled with lichen. The pond had a film of rotting leaf mould and dead twigs sitting on the surface. Frogs basked in the warmth of the sun at the edge, but disappeared into the murky depths when the girls got too near.

Lilly grabbed a handful of muck from the pond and proceeded to chase Sasha around the other corner of the house. Sasha, who had got a pretty substantial head start, rounded the corner first and stopped short of two weathered wooden doors. They were attached to a brick protrusion that rose about three feet out of the ground, obviously an entrance to an underground store room or cellar. She stared at the doors, and as she stared, everything else seemed to recede. It seemed that she and the doors were the only things that existed in the entire universe. She couldn’t tear her eyes from them.

At that moment Lilly came squealing around the corner and almost collided with her sister. She was about to pelt her with the handful of pond sludge, but noticed Sasha’s odd facial expression.

What’s wrong, Sash? Looks like you’ve seen a ghost or something!

She opened he mouth to explain to Lilly what had just happened, but closed it again when she realized her sister would more than likely laugh at her. Lilly was the cynical one.

Umm…n-nothing, Lil. Let’s go see what Maria and Dad are up to.

Okay, she replied hesitantly.

Hey, let’s see if we can get rooms on the top floor!

"You can’t live in the attic, you moron!"

Why not?

"Because that’s where all the bats live!" she hissed, and tickled her fingers through her sister’s hair.

Sasha squealed with mock horror and tore off towards the front of the house. Lilly took up the chase once more, and they rounded the corner of the house as one, only to collide with the side of a couch! It was being carried between the two removal men, towards the front door. Lilly put out her hands to cushion the impact. To her horror, she discovered she still held a handful of greenish-grey pond scum. A large sludgy hand print adorned the cream crushed velvet side of the couch!

The girls did a swift backtrack around the corner of the house again, where they pressed themselves firmly against the wall. They alternated between giggling hysterically and giving each other horrified looks.

"Oh my God, Lilly, you’re in so much trouble," whispered Sasha.

No one saw us, Sash, so if we stay out of sight until they finish the unloading, then perhaps we can blame it on those disgusting movers. Besides, she hissed covertly, Maria and Dad might not even see it; it’s on the back of the couch. Hopefully they’ll just put it against a wall somewhere.

Aren’t you even going to say anything? gasped Sasha.

"No and neither are you. We’ll cross that bridge if and when we get to it. Otherwise, Mum’s the word, right?"

Sasha chuckled and said, "You mean ouch is the word, if Maria finds out!"

Chapter 2

They had been unpacking for at least a good couple of hours. Back and forth from the truck to the house. The foyer was an accumulation of boxes and odd pieces of furniture, rife with an uncountable number of footprints in the dust. Maria pottered about in the kitchen. She had on rubber gloves and carried a large cloth which she continuously dipped into a bucket of hot sudsy water. Half the kitchen was bright and grime free where she had cleaned the scum and crud off the benches. The rest was filthy with years’ worth of dust, cobwebs and all manner of small creature droppings.

Overhead the occasional flurry of dust sprinkled down from the ceiling as another colossal item of antique furniture was maneuvered into place by Fynn. His main aim for the day was to organize the bedrooms, so they could at least have somewhere comfortable to sleep tonight. Tomorrow the bona fide work would begin in earnest. He grunted and put his shoulder against a dark mahogany double door wardrobe to edge it back against the wall of the bedroom he and Maria had chosen as theirs.

It had once been the most spectacular room, and certainly had the fighting chance of being restored to its former glory, especially with Maria on the job! The room was basically a hexagonal shape. A vast bay window overlooked the front of the entire lawns, garden and driveway. It sat directly over the entranceway. The rampant rose bushes below had managed to climb this far up, and a couple of particularly tenacious vines had actually clawed their way through gaps in the window frames and into the room itself. A couple of blood red buds inclined towards the light from the windows. Generally the light was fairly muted, as the window panes were so encrusted with filth; it was truly a miracle any light whatsoever managed to penetrate.

The room on a whole was quite enormous. It even had an annex that had initially been a dressing room, though Fynn had no doubt Maria would turn it into an en suite, complete with huge cast iron bath, claw feet and all!

A wooden bench ran right around the entire outer wall, beneath the windows. Once Maria had organized cushions to sit on, there would be seating to sit in the sun, no matter which direction it was coming from.

On closer inspection of the upper windows, what Fynn had thought were rose blooms behind the glass, turned out to be red stained glass.

Fynn eyed the grime distastefully, and silently thanked himself that general cleaning just happened to be Maria’s forte! Fynn was ever so slightly obsessive about dirt, preferring not to have to deal with it if at all possible. He did, however, consider himself as a master chef, so in his eyes, that made up for his short comings in the cleaning department. In fact, Maria, if left to her own devices in the kitchen, would more than likely find a way to burn water! Chiefly, what one lacked, the other made