Hunted: A Cycle Thirteen Novel, #1

By Jill Kaelin

8
That’s how old I was when I found out I was special. I was given my rose quartz gem and taught about my past.
13
That’s how many times I’ve lived in this world. This is my thirteenth life cycle as a human. 
1
That’s how many seconds it took me to fall in love with Mike. It’s also the amount of time I had to say goodbye to him just before he was killed by Reggie, the hunter that’s been after me for months.

Will Reggie succeed in killing me too, and possibly eradicating the planet of the unicorn race forever?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Inkspell Publishing
• Release date: Aug 13, 2015
• ISBN: 9781939590268

Book preview

Hunted

Cycle 13: Book One

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Jill Kaelin

The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, places, or events is coincidental and not intended by the author.

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If you purchase this book without a cover you should be aware that this book may have been stolen property and reported as unsold and destroyed to the publisher. In such case the author has not received any payment for this stripped book.

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Hunted

Copyright © 2013 Jill Kaelin

All rights reserved.

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ISBN:(ebook) 978-1-939590-18-3

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013912928

Inkspell Publishing

5764 Woodbine Ave.

Pinckney, MI 48169

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Edited By Rie Langdon

Cover art By Najla Qamber

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This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission. The copying, scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions, and do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials.  Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated

DEDICATION

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To my two J’s:

Justyce, you are my best friend and greatest fan. Follow your dreams; they take you to glorious places. I love you more. 

Jenny, you read it first and inspired me to keep writing. Without you, this would still be a work in progress. Thank you.

Having two separate lives is like walking around with a double shadow. You’d think I’d be an expert since this is the thirteenth time I’ve lived, but each life is inimitable from the next. This one, life number thirteen in my cycle, is proving to be quite tumultuous.

Chapter One

Heads up, Skye. Those guys are coming in...look!

Ugh! Not again. When will he get the hint? I quickly gathered up the CDs I was shelving and headed toward the stockroom. Let me know when they leave, Jules.

You’re crazy, girl. He’s totally hot. Jules shouted a little too loudly.

Fearing they'd heard her comment, I set the small collection of Green Day music down on the back counter, admiring the newness of them. There was something special about new things. I guess that’s why I liked working in retail so much, touching the new merchandise all the time. It’s like bringing home a new shirt and you can’t wait until you get to wear it to school. At least that’s how I always felt when I brought home new clothes from work to add to my wardrobe. But in this moment, it was the old things that were crossing my mind, not the new ones. Things from the past. One thing in particular. My necklace.

When will this curse end? I thought to myself as I clutched the stone that hung from my neck. I didn’t understand why my parents continued to preach to me and tell me that this was a gift, especially when all I felt was pressure from this so called gift. No one knew our family secret. I had been sworn to secrecy at the ripe old age of eight and since then my life has been nothing short of peculiar...like a strange dream that just can’t be stopped. No awakening, just reality.

Okay Skye, you can come out of the closet now, Jules shouted, giggling.

Very funny, Jules, I said sarcastically as I left the stockroom and went back to shelving CDs. I’m not gay, I just don’t have any interest in boys right now. With everything going on at school and work, I don’t have the time or the patience to deal with that, too. And there’s nothing wrong with waiting until I am ready, I said firmly so she knew I was serious. And even if I was gay, you’d still be my friend, right? I already knew the answer. Our boss, Jeff, was gay and we adored him. Six feet of femininity wrapped in masculinity. You couldn’t help but love his flair.

Jules smirked. Of course, fruit loop. You’ll always be the cherry to my lime. But I still don’t get why you won’t even talk to that guy. His name’s Mike, you know? He isn’t going to stop coming in here to look for you.

She was right. Where’d you tell him I was?

I said you took the day off because your fish died, Jules replied.

Jules had always been the funny one. We’ve been friends for as long as I can remember, probably even farther back than that, and she has always found a way to make me laugh, no matter what kind of mood I was in. That was just her way and one of the things I loved most about her. Her personality was sparkly and bubbly...she’d definitely have a light-colored stone, if she were one of us.

One of us—I still have trouble wrapping my brain around it all. The Kelley family secret. I often wished I had someone other than my parents to share it with. Teenage girls need to confide their deepest, darkest secrets to someone. That’s when I started writing in a journal. It was my mom’s suggestion, and it has been tolerable, but not the same as talking with a girlfr—

Earth to Skye! Are you even listening to me?

Huh? Oh, yeah. Sorry. I was just thinking. So his name is Mike? I asked, even though I really didn’t want to know.

Mike Evans, and he’s absolutely gorgeous. I mean, really Skye, if you don’t want him, I’d be more than happy to take him off of your hands, Jules said with a dreamy look in her eyes, which proves what a great actress she has become. She looked like one of those love-struck girls from the 50s wearing a poodle skirt and batting her fake eyelashes, all while refolding the very modern vampire T-shirts on display at the front of the store.

Jules, a.k.a. Julie Ann Margret Yeazel, (which is yet another secret I have been sworn to keep), could have any guy she wanted. Her five-foot, nine-inch, perfectly proportioned body with just the right amount of curve to it could stop marathon runners in their tracks just as they were about to reach the finish line. And if that wasn’t enough, her skin was the perfect mix of cocoa and cream. But Jules used her power for good. At sixteen, she and I were both still virgins, and proud of it. She dated much more than I did, especially since I never dated, but she has never been serious with one guy. She says, no one has ever been able to make my stomach flip, like in the movies. I didn’t have the heart to tell her I really don’t think it happens like that. She was a dreamer and I was a realist. I think that’s what makes us such a great pair.

I decided to count down the register since my shift was ending soon. This way I could leave in case Mike decided to return for more questioning.

Leaving early...again? It’s only five-thirty. Jules knew I didn’t get off until six-thirty, but she wouldn’t tell Jeff. She’d cover for me. If he knew half of the stuff we covered for each other on, we’d both be looking for new jobs. It was fortuitous for us that Jeff was more interested in his social life than his managerial duties. To him, Hot Topic made the perfect pick-up spot.

We’ve worked for Hot Topic in the mall for about six months. Jules got us each an application on a whim and within days we were starting to train. Perhaps the fact that I’d been working diligently on my persuasion skills during our retreat just prior to the interview helped, but it was inevitable. We had to stick together.

Yeah. Sorry, Jules. But I have a ton of homework and I still have to learn my lines for rehearsal tomorrow, I said, looking down and tallying the change in the drawer.

I just don’t get it. She leaned over the counter, pushing her wavy, long black hair off to one side.

Get what?

How you can just ignore all of these hunks that come in here and want to talk to you? It’s like every boy on the planet is enamored by you and you couldn’t care less. Are you sure you’re totally female? I mean seriously, Skye, this is not normal teenage behavior. We’re supposed to be in our prime dating time now. How are you ever going to find a jewel if you don’t search the mine?

That was definitely not her talking. I could hear the undertones of a mother-daughter talk all through that speech. "Look Jules, I’ve told you before. I’m just too busy and I’m trying to focus on my future. There’s a lot of pressure on me right now to do well in school so I can get into a decent college...and now, I’ve lost count and have to start over. Thanks." I threw the change in my hand back into the respective slots and began again, determined not to look up at Jules while my eyes flooded.

Sorry, Grumpy. I’m just trying to help my best friend to have a little bit of a life and Mike seemed like a good guy. Usually you at least talk to them and let them down easily. But this one’s different. It’s like you are afraid of him or something, Jules said, overanalyzing as usual. Little did she know she spoke the truth, as if seeing straight into my soul.

That’s not it, I added, holding a handful of change, knowing I would have to begin counting quarters for the third time. I’m just over it. You know how it’s been for me. I’m like a magnet for weirdoes. It gets exhausting. Now stop talking so I can count down my drawer, please. I smirked at her and she stuck out her tongue, playfully. I knew this meant we were okay. I finished counting the till and went back to the safe to deposit the day’s earnings, and then I grabbed my book bag. Relieved, I headed back to say goodnight to Jules.

Night, Jules. I’ll see you first thing in the morning to run our lines before school, ’kay?

Okay. Night, girl, Jules said, without taking the time to look up. She was busy texting on her cell phone, probably with Chris.

He was the latest prospective jewel in her mine, so to speak. I had only seen him once, while switching classes at school, when she pointed him out. I had to admit that he was cute, just the type I would expect Jules to hang out with. He was on the track team, so he was a little on the lanky side, but tall and formidable. She told me his specialty was hurdling. I guess you’d need long legs for something like that. I wouldn’t know. I didn’t have an athletic bone in my body. I specifically entered the IB program—International Baccalaureate—just so I wouldn’t have to take P.E. This was just another one of my crazy ideas. I would rather do hours upon hours of homework each night and all weekend long than have fifty minutes of total teenage mortification while trying to play sports at school every day. Brilliant.

On my way home, I thought about Mike Evans. I’m not sure how my mind got there, but I just kept thinking about what Jules said, how I must be afraid of him or something. It’s true that he was totally gorgeous, but he definitely wasn’t the type of boy that usually came into Hot Topic. The deck shoes he wore were a dead giveaway to that fact. But there was something else, something much more difficult to understand.

After my shower, instead of cracking the algebra book open like I should’ve, I opened my diary, which I’d lovingly named Jenny, so it felt more like talking with a girlfriend than writing to someone nonexistent, and reread the entry from September twenty-fifth. This was the first day I laid eyes on Mike Evans.

September 25

Dear Jenny,

Today was an epic fail. I was working the evening shift and this guy came in to the store with a couple of his friends, laughing and gawking at the type of merchandise we sold. They weren’t our usual clientele. These guys were more what you might call preppies, right down to their Polo sweaters.

Trying to ignore their rude comments, I went about my work, folding the new stock of Hello Kitty merchandise that had just arrived. I heard the taller guy say to his friend that he was a sick puppy and for some reason, I decided to look up from my pile of black T-shirts to see what he was referring to.

Before I could run away, I saw his friend approaching me with that look in his eyes. The one that said RUN to me every time it appeared in another boy’s eyes. Unfortunately, there was nowhere to run to. Jules was on her break and I was all alone. I couldn’t leave and I couldn’t hide in the back, so I had to stay and face this stranger who thought he was in love with me. Again.

There was just one thing wrong; he was totally gorgeous and just the type of guy I’d date, if I could. His light brown hair was tousled just right so you could see the caramel highlights dangle on his forehead. His teeth were perfectly white and perfectly straight, which is a big requirement for me, and his jaw was squared ever so slightly so that he wasn’t too handsome, but just right. As the distance between us narrowed, I realized his eyes were a magnificent shade of green with light black and gold swirls in them, almost like my mother’s amulet. Hazel, but with less brown than normal. His face was flawless, like a male model sent straight from Italy to my little town of Port Orange, just for me.

The next few seconds all seemed to pass in a blur. He reached the counter and I spotted Jules through the display window, heading back from her break. Leaping over the other side of the counter, I shouted something like, someone will be right with you and dashed to the stockroom at the back of the store. I heard his friends laughing as I tried to catch my breath, leaning on a box of hair-coloring products.

Why did I react that way? What was so different about this boy than all of the others that have hounded me for years?

Usually I just act very bizarre or use my persuasions on them and they come to their senses, but for some reason I couldn’t this time. When I looked into his eyes, I could imagine myself walking with him on the beach, hand in hand, collecting seashells and talking until the sun set and the moon shined on the waves as they broke. The breeze would blow slightly and I would smell his enchanting scent, which would force me to lean in closer and take in more of him. It was like a romance novel, and it was totally strange for me to think like that. There was something about this angelic creature that I just did not comprehend. Could he really like me? Or was he just under the spell so many others have fallen victim to? This perfectly GQ sculptured guy...what would he want with a messed-up wannabe Goth chick without the nerve to go totally into the dark side? It must be the spell, which means I can never let myself like him. Please help me, Jenny...oh how I wish you could talk.

Chapter Two

Mike had come into the store every day. He was borderline stalking me, and it was beginning to get a little annoying. But now I knew his name and for some reason, saying his name made me feel warm inside, like sipping hot chocolate on a cold day. Mike, I said out loud once more.

I closed Jenny and spent the next couple of hours trying to finish my algebra and biology homework before learning my lines for the upcoming production of Grease. It was hard to believe that opening night was only a couple of weeks away. During drama camp over the summer, auditions had been held and we went through two full weeks of rehearsal. It was brutal. I had the role of Rizzo, the tough broad who thought she might be pregnant. So not like me. Jules was the lead. Of course. She had the body for the leather pants required for the finale. Not to mention she was undeniably perfect for the part.

Instead of writing in my diary, I decided to go to sleep. I promised myself to write extra tomorrow night.

In what seemed like a blink of the eye, I sat up, wide awake. I checked the clock to make sure I was on time, since I hadn’t heard the alarm. It was four in the morning. I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, but I was not the least bit tired anymore. In fact, I felt energized. Like after walking on the treadmill for an hour energized. What was I dreaming about? I couldn’t remember. I hate it when that happens. I tried to think really hard about what it was, but nothing. I knew I couldn’t fall back asleep and it was too early to get up, I’d wake up mom and dad. I decided now was a good time to write an entry in my diary.

October 2

Dear Jenny,

At work today, that guy came in again...shocker, I know. Anyway, Jules found out his name is Mike. Mike Evans. How bland does that sound? But he’s far from bland, Jenny. He’s really cute. I’ll never forget those eyes. There was something about him that was familiar, yet I have no idea how. I’ve never seen this boy before or heard of anyone with that name, even though it sounded so common. Mike Evans. Each time I say his name I feel like a warm flame flares up inside of me. I don’t know what to do. Maybe I should talk to him...just to see what he really wants. (Even though you and I both already know.) But maybe this boy is different. Maybe he just wanted to say hello. I could handle that. I could handle hello and then goodbye, right? The next time he comes in to the store, I’m not going to run. I’m going to face Mike Evans and make him not like me anymore, as I’ve done with countless other boys. Why should this boy mean any more to me than those?

Thanks, Jenny. You always know how to help me talk things through. I’m going to talk to Mike Evans and make him go away so I can end this turbulence in my head. Once he sees how messed up I am, he’ll be the one running to hide.

I closed my diary and headed to the closet to find the perfect outfit to make Mike Evans disappear. Although this newfound inspiration should make me happy, should make me feel relieved to finally know that I’ll be rid of this added stress, I felt depressed, miserable. Discovering my black and red tutu with red fishnet tights and black heels, an outfit I have only dared to wear on Halloween or special occasions at the store, I relaxed a little, knowing that this would scare off any conventional prep. Now, I just had to do something creative with my hair... Got it. I’ll add some red streaks and put it up into crazy ponytail buns with Oriental hair sticks in them. Sort of a Japanese harajuko-girl look.

I decided to forego the outfit until after school. I mean I’m already a freak enough, why add to the gossip channel. Honestly, if it wasn’t for Jules, I probably would’ve dropped out of school and gone to the hair academy or something like that. I settled for my skinny jeans and T-shirt.

At school, I was an anomaly. Seriously, what girl is going to want to be my friend when their boyfriend is making goo-goo eyes at me every time she turns her head? It wasn’t because of my beauty either. I’m just an average-looking girl, nothing particularly special about me at all. Average height, average weight, just your plain old run-of-the-mill teenager. My hair was even average in length and color, a simple brown. Even my eye color was boring brown. Not like Jules. She was definitely above average in that category, but even though she had everything going for her, she was totally nice. Not just nice to my face, like some others have been through the years. Jules figured they tried to become my friend so they could spy on me and see if I was secretly the school slut or something, which is totally disgusting. I mean, the purity ring on my finger isn’t just for decoration.

***

I pulled up into my usual parking space at school, all the way in the back by the fence, and headed toward Jules’ car. She likes to park right up front, where everyone can see her. Jules was bold like that, not me. I prefer to stay in the shadows, not bring attention to myself.

Hey girl, ready to go over our lines? I asked and when Jules turned around, I saw the person she was talking to and my knees nearly buckled right underneath me. I stopped short and my I stammered, trying to move my mouth to say, What the hell is going on? But instead, all I got out was, Who...what...huh?

Okay. I was no legal brain or anything, but I’d watched my share of Lifetime television. Stalking me at work was one thing, but showing up at school was a completely different level of nuisance. Mike Evans was standing right in front of Jules and they were having a conversation as if they’d been friends for months. What’s wrong with this picture? I sounded like a blubbering maniac. But wait, wasn’t that what I wanted? Hmmm...maybe this is a good thing. So I forced my feet to move, even though they felt as if they were stuck in cinderblocks and I faced him, for the first time, without running.

Hello...Mike, is it? I asked, trying to sound casual. Then I shot Jules an eyeful of what kind of best friend are you? She looked away, but I could tell she was laughing her butt off on the inside. She always found my awkwardness around boys amusing.

Um, yeah. Mike Evans. I’ve wanted to introduce myself, but it seems we keep missing each other, he said all cool and hunky-like. The smile that spread across his face was nothing short of heavenly. Not helping my situation at all.

Oh, well, I’ve had a busy few weeks. You know how it is, right? Making small talk with him was not helping either. Every time I heard his voice, I wanted to melt right there on the asphalt. So, you came to my school. How...thoughtful, I added.

Yeah, well, gosh, this must seem weird to you, but actually it’s my school now, too. I transferred here from Seabreeze. As it turns out, the financial academy is much better suited to my needs and Seabreeze High didn’t offer the classes I wanted.

Gosh...how cute was that?

Well, then...er, welcome. I have to get to class. Maybe I’ll see you around. I grabbed Jules’ arm in mine and dragged her inside the atrium before he could say another word. As soon as we were out of earshot I lost it. I can’t believe this is happening! Why here, of all places? He transferred schools! That’s a bit much, isn’t it? Aren’t you going to say anything? Jules was smirking at me with her this will be good for you look.

What would you like me to say? Yes, it’s a little odd that the boy would go to all this trouble for someone who won’t stay in his presence for more than a second—which, by the way, very impressive back there. You weren’t your usual insane, goofy self.

Trust me, I tried. But it just doesn’t seem to come out of my mouth as easily with him.

"You could do a lot worse, you know? He’s one magnificent hunk of man and you’re totally blowing him off. Do you realize that he could