Shadow Heights: Book One of the Dark Side Trilogy

By E. N. Goeking

Nestled in the heart of America exists a small town laced with forbidden secrets, strange phenomena, and a wickedly cruel history--a place where the shadows come to life and are always watching you. For any stranger passing through Shadow Heights, it would seem like any normal town but beneath this veil of secrecy, a negative energy brews that the founding family, the infamous Laenzars, live off of to survive. The Heights is very selective on their inhabitants and few are ever invited in but for 18-year-old Mina Hunter, it was her destiny to move there and fall in love with their last surviving heir, the darkly mysterious Jaden Laenzar.

As soon as their eyes connect, she is awakened to a strange world of magic where other-worldly beings roam and the closer she gets to Jaden, the darker it grows and no place is safe to hide. She discovers that he is hiding many secrets from her and is carefully living behind a mask that she is dead-set to uncover on her own, no matter the danger it puts her in. As she sets off into adulthood and her first year of college begins, she must choose which path to take--the safer saner choice that she has been crafting since childhood that her family and friends are begging her to take or the treacherous new one that Jaden is drawing her toward but it is dark, unknown, and filled with fear.

Together they must surrender themselves to fate or else. Will their love survive against the tests of mystical forces or will they lose themselves in the madness that lives there before the real initiation begins?

• Language: English
• Publisher: E. N. Goeking
• Release date: Jan 8, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370994786

E. N. Goeking

I have been a writer for all of my life. It is the avenue that I best express myself with. My first novel Shadow Heights is the beginning of a trilogy appropriately named the Dark Side Trilogy and I have spent a good share of my life immersed within this world and story. I am creative in most everything I do. I love creating new food ideas and recipes, painting and drawing from my imagination and even write poetry when the mood strikes. I am an avid lover of music, mostly in the rock vein. I currently live in the rural Midwest with my cat but am known to frequently travel or move from place to place, never liking to stay in the same place for too long. My goal in life is to inspire others to go farther with themselves or to expand their minds and heal; I hope that my writing can inspire them to do so or that I can help someone out by doing a good deed.

Book preview

Chapter One

Dusk descended upon the night sky like someone turning down the blinds though the clouds continued to swirl amidst the moon's reflection. The wind shook the leaves at my feet as the chill of its presence danced with me. I paraded through the collection of trees with my eyes alert like a predator, looking for any sign of him in the muck though I didn't know his name. Every noise that crept by me put the fear of death into my heart and I felt my feet moving faster as the rhythm of tiny droplets of rain began to fall from above.

I could feel the panic swelling inside of me as I searched for what seemed like miles of trees with not one sign of life or possible exit. I was forever trapped within this maze, this catacomb of nature at its worst. I was worried I would never find him, this faceless stranger, or that I would lose myself in this dark forest that no one dares enter after sunset but I pressed on. I knew in my heart I had to save him, he was counting on me. But who was he anyway?

A chorus of birds called out to me from a nearby tree, screeching loudly as if beckoning me to follow. Their bustling of feathers filled the hollow of woods as they flew farther away, hopping from branch to branch as I tried to catch up. The glowing haze of the moon shone down upon them and a murder of crows were perched upon a tall pine in front of me, their dark yet vacant eyes penetrating into my very soul. I feared at any moment they would attack or worse, I had fallen for some sinister trick where I'd be forever doomed to roam these woods.

The leader of these birds was larger than the rest, almost resembling a raven he was so large, almost commanding in his presence. He cawed out in three long squalls. Koww...koww...koww. He leapt from his perch and its wingspan smacked hard against the wet leaves as I ducked for cover.

It hopped to the ground in front of me, ever curious with its dark eyes harkening me to listen, to follow him, to pay attention. I knew this was a sign, it just had to be. I followed it in graceful steps of two by two, always keeping a safe distance. My mood shifted from being in an uncontrollable panic to a feeling of complete safety in this strange bird's company.

It led me to an open clearing, a completely barren piece of land in the center of the forest with not one tree planted in it. It was as if the ground was spoiled and nothing could ever grow here.

A brief flicker of orange light skipped across the grass in front of me and I hurried to hide myself behind a nearby tree. I peered my head around its sturdy trunk and my eyes fell upon an amazing sight that not only intrigued but horrified me.

A strange man stood there naked in the moonlight, long black strings of hair cascaded down his luminescent back. I could not see his face nor could I move an inch closer to look. I was afraid. Afraid to face him, afraid to see who he really was.

Fearful of being found out, I found myself holding in my breath to keep silent.

Though he was a stranger to me, I knew this was him—the one I had come for. I felt a strong pull toward him like a magnet to steel, and I kept myself grounded by holding on for dear life to the fragile bark of my protector. My eyes opened wider as they followed his movements. His body slowly began to rise up from the ground, soaring to ever increasing heights. He lingered loosely in the air, hovering like a ghost above a sea of murky water. How is he able to do that? He raised his hands upward toward the sky as if welcoming the encircling storm into his body, taunting it to openly possess his soul.

What are you? I thought privately, hoping I wasn't in any danger by coming here.

He floated there in suspension, without an article of clothing to cover him, while streams of darkened blood flowed from his limbs down the toned muscles of his torso.

I swallowed but nearly choked as my mouth felt exceedingly dry and I don't think I had breathed an ounce of air since my eyes fell upon him.

A bellow of thunder rattled above like the roar of a lion, quickly falling to the earth and shaking the ground under my feet. I shivered in the cold rain while my thoughts stood at a standstill. His body glowed like a raging fire as the storm drew its power within him, spewing lighting from his hands out into the world. A streak of blinding light flew past my head and I groveled to my knees like a frightened child longing for their mother. I embraced the tree in front of me, fearful that at any moment the ground below would open into a fiery abyss that would swallow us whole.

I was afraid to gaze upon him any longer, to see what he was becoming, as his voice screamed out in violent cries that made my skin crawl. I thought about leaving, switching paths before it was too late, before he saw me, before I got caught. I had to get out of here. I knew it wasn't safe. I didn't want this. I didn't really want to meet this stranger, did I? Why was I brought here? Was any of this even real? My heart raced in trepidation while I dug my nails further into my skin, waiting for the right moment to flee.

Screw it. I couldn't save him, I wasn't that brave. And he sure didn't seem to be in any sort of trouble. But I was. I needed to get out of here while I had the chance.

I turned in a rushed movement, nearly tripping over my own feet, and collided into a sturdy yet soft wall that propelled me backward into a tree. I was afraid to look up and see what I had run into, but an unexplainable force commanded my eyes.

As my vision focused in the pale light, my knees gave out from under me when our eyes connected. This tall naked stranger stood like a statue in front of me, dripping wet with rain and blood. He was very composed without a hint of embarrassment or shame. I didn’t know how he had managed to make it over to me in such a short period of time and without me even noticing. Had he known I was here the whole time?

The scream I expected to escape from my mouth never came and I wondered where it had lost its way up the passageway of my throat because I could've sworn I felt my lips move.

There was something about him that calmed me, like the crow that led me here, even though my heart was thumping against my ribs. Maybe it was his beauty that halted my fear or maybe it was the soul hiding behind those hazy eyes. They were dark as charred coal and seemed to swirl unnaturally like the clouds above us. He was uncommonly tall with long feathery hair that rested on his broad shoulders. His pale skin seemed to glow while the pitter-patter of rain bounced from his skin.

I felt myself sinking lower into the muddy earth at my feet as his hand reached forward to touch me. I trembled while his fingers glided loosely down my icy cheek, feeling like delicate silk that barely touched me, to meet with the upper ridge of my lips.

Shh, he whispered. They will hear you.

Who? I thought privately. We were all alone in this place. His full lips quivered into a smile and I suddenly took notice of his scent that was so intimidating to my senses, an attraction that seemed beyond all sensations that penetrated the deepest chasms of my heart. It was strangely familiar, triggering an awakening of a past that I was in no way ready for.

His dark eyes departed from mine and they danced around the forest, following the trail of something I could not see.

My body shivered from the cold as the rain continued to tumble upon us. It flowed down his naked form and mixed with the blood of his wounds, pooling a river of red water that gathered at our feet. I wiped away the droplets dripping from my nose and he returned to me, nearly stealing my breath away.

I have been waiting centuries for you, he whispered. I have missed you at every passage of time but finally, at last, I have found you. He caressed my cheek with delicacy, displaying an affection for me that no stranger ever would to another. You have forgotten me, my love, but in time the memory of me will flow into you like a river. And soon, this will all make sense.

Though I couldn't consciously remember who this young spirit was, there was a sensation filling my insides that was growing in intensity by each passing second and it was a warmth that could only be conjured from the sun. Who are you?

He smiled pleasantly once more. His near translucent hands etched the apple of my cheek and he said, You will find out soon enough. I will be waiting for you. Please don't be late.

Be late for what? Where am I going? How are you reading my mind?

Wake up, he whispered gently into my ear.

The colored images before me seemed to vanish into the air and I felt myself flying far away into the sky, the darkness of night surrounding me like a warm blanket.

I started hearing my name being called, repeatedly. Over and over, with each utterance louder than the last. Who is talking to me? Was it him? Is he still here with me?

Mina? Wake up. Come on.

I felt a warm hand shaking my shoulder and I jostled back into my body. As I awoke to the bright light of the day, I found myself staring back at my younger sister Caylie who seemed irritated that it took so long to wake me. I sat up quickly and looked all around. It was only a dream. I felt slightly relieved with that realization. What’s wrong with you?

Nothing. I just had the strangest dream...but I can’t even remember it now. Weird, I thought. It had all felt so real but now I couldn’t remember a detail about it except for maybe the rain. It was so cold. I felt my body and it was completely dry. Not even a droplet of sweat could be felt.

Why did you wake me? I groaned, my voice groggy from sleep. I wanted to be back there in my dream. To wherever I was. There was a sense of home to where I had just been.

We're here. She slumped back in her seat and threw her long hair up into a ponytail.

Oh. I sat up in my seat and rubbed the sand away from my eyes. I could hardly focus on anything as each image blurred into the next but then I saw it. The welcome sign to my new life. A life that I wasn't quite ready for. A life that was so unlike the one before it.

Welcome to Shadow Heights, Gateway to the Black Pines. How strange? I thought privately about their name. I wonder who came up with that one. Flashes of images coursed through my mind. A forest. Pine trees. Crows. Lightning. Him. I gasped as it all rushed back. The sweet smell of him intermingled in my senses. The earthy scent of trees all around us and the metallic hint of fresh rain.

What had been taken from me was suddenly recalled with vivid detail, like it was a personal memory of my own life. While we turned down Main Street, I couldn't help but wonder. Who was he? Was any of it real? Would I ever see him again or was it all a silly dream? I couldn't recall a single dream in my life that had felt so vivid, so real. I knew it had to be important but I could not explain why. Dreams are meaningless anyway, right? I mean, that's at least what the experts tell us. It's just an activity that keeps our minds busy while we're asleep. To be honest, I never quite believed that and still don't to this day.

But even so, as I sat there in the back seat, trying to drown out the oldies song blasting from the car stereo, I wondered if there was deeper truth in dreams—a hidden message that was truly meant for us. We just had to have the brains to figure it out or care enough to want to.

I sighed in disappointment, however right I wanted to be in that moment. To stare once again into those dark eyes that infected me so. I could feel our car lessening its speed and my attention returned to reality.

Our new house sprang into view. It sat alone a couple blocks ahead towering over the township, watching over it like a soldier.

It was in that moment that I knew my change was coming. No, correction. It was already here. I was beginning a new chapter in my life and there was no going back. The life I once knew was never to return. What had I gotten myself into? I hated change and I was frightened of the future so what was I doing here, in this place. Shut up Mina. I had no time to dwell in regret.

The fact was, I did make the decision to move here when I had the option to stay back home. There was something about the name Shadow Heights that called to me and there was no way I was going to leave my sister alone with my parents. Within a week, she'd be calling me begging me to move. So why prolong what was destined to be? Yes, it was destiny but in that moment I didn't believe it was part of some higher plan. I didn't even believe in the idea of destiny. That is why I must start at the beginning for you to understand. Back to when it all began.

Chapter Two

It was a scorching day, in the prime of summer, and my family was packed into our car like sardines with overflowing boxes of priceless trinkets all around us. The air conditioning struggled to weave through the clutter but it was of little comfort while the sun’s rays beamed in through my window. My skin had already turned pink and tiny brown freckles were popping out all over my arms. I loathed the heat and secretly dreamed of living some place cold like Alaska.

Shadow Heights was a small farm town conveniently located in the middle of nowhere with a population of around 2,000 but somehow, it didn’t live up to my expectations. From first glance, it seemed perfect, in fact it was almost too perfect but nothing had any real character. There was no wear and tear, or decrepit old houses like I was expecting—but brand new everything. The town was completely modern. It had a busy business district with even a few shops I could see myself shopping in. From the newly remodeled buildings to the carefully crafted patterns of walkways, this town hadn’t lost a step since the technological revolution took over. It seemed to be running on a life force of its own, with a continuous stream of cars flocking in and out of town.

There was a great sense of community here, where everyone knew each other and was willing to help their fellow man, even if that meant hiding each other’s secrets. Needless to say, I knew I would have a hard time fitting in here. I had a hard time fitting in anywhere. I always felt alien to the outside world, like I didn't quite belong.

My parents made the decision to uproot us all to this small town when my dad accepted the position of Shadow Height’s chief fiscal officer, whatever that was. I knew it had to do with money but I didn’t know what his daily duties were exactly. I do know that this new job had plenty of perks, including a house donated by the city and plenty of bonuses to entice us in. How could my parents ever resist such an offer?

I had just graduated high school a few weeks before and was unsure about my plans for the future. I felt like the only person in my class who didn't have it all figured out. Most were going to continue on their path like a formula—go to college, obtain a degree, make money, meet someone, fall in love, get married, buy a house, have children and let them repeat the same vicious cycle you just completed. But that kind of life wasn't for me. Maybe it was my rebellious nature but I didn't want to follow along with the rest of society and prescribe to the American Dream as our great rulers expect us to do. As soon as you graduate, you're expected to know your path in life but for me, I was still questioning things.

I wasn't even sure college was for me but I fell in line like most people my age, bowing down to my parents' authority but inside I was screaming. I hated myself for doing it, for agreeing to a life that I did not desire for myself. So here I was, following along like a lost sheep trying to keep up with the herd. I wish I had the confidence to say what I wanted but I chose my parents' dream instead, trying to be the perfect daughter they needed me to be.

In reality, I had just spent the last eighteen years of my life having others tell me what life was all about and what kind of person I should be but I wanted to be my own person and figure out the world for myself. So when the opportunity came to move to a town called Shadow Heights, I had to take a chance. Call it intuition or call it coincidence, something inside of me told me not to say no and move there. It was as if something was calling for me to enter. I had never been a person for change so you could imagine the shock I was feeling when everything actually started happening. When that last box was placed in the moving truck and the door slammed shut, I knew that nothing would ever be the same. Now hours later, my legs were still shaking against the floor of the car.

Trying to distract myself from panicked thoughts, I looked out the window at my surroundings, trying to get a sense of the place and hoping for any sign that I had made the right decision. It was kept up nicely; professional landscaping could be seen all around from the neatly-trimmed lawns to the countless trees. It was hard to find a spot of land without something colorful planted in it. The trees were in glistening shades of green and the flowers were blossoming in such vibrancy that it sent my eyes into a frenzy.

As much as I had hoped the town would live up to its title and all of its mystery, I found myself deceived by the utter normalness that could be seen everywhere. Middle-aged men were out mowing their lawns and children were playing in sprinklers trying to cool off from the stifling heat. Young boys were helping frail old ladies cross the street and politely waving away traffic but there was not one sign of danger or disarray in this cramped little town.

Would I ever get used to this change, this strangely average place, or would I die from boredom before the first week had passed? Sure I could have stayed back home in Cherry Ridge with my friends and gone to college with them, continued doing the same things day in and day out, but I was craving a change—whatever it might be—despite the distance it would put on our friendships. As they say, college is the time when high school friendships come to a close and I had to face that that part of my life was over even if I didn't want it to be. In my heart, I knew this was my only chance of getting out of the city, to start over, to try something new and if I didn't take this opportunity, I'd never get that second chance.

Even though I was excited about this new adventure and ready to pack up and leave, my sister Caylie felt very differently about this change. Unlike me, she wasn't given the option to choose. She had made it perfectly clear from the beginning that she never wanted to leave Cherry Ridge and had been holding a grudge against my dad ever since. He was the reason we were moving after all. Back home she was a head cheerleader and girlfriend of the prom king, adored by all in her social circle but here, in a town without all the perks, she was nothing and that frightened her more than death. She was just another nameless blonde in a sea of pretty girls and she despised the idea of being ordinary. The last thing she wanted was to start over.

I suppose there was one other thing that tempted me to move here. Our new house. Actually, it was the clincher that brought it all together. It was an elegant Victorian home, three stories high if including the attic, with a wrap-around porch in the front and a long private driveway that was gated from the rest of the neighborhood. It was three times the size of our old house, which was your basic home with two stories and a small front porch—a detached garage alongside it, but this house was truly majestic.

When we pulled into the driveway a week before, I still couldn’t believe this place was real. I knew we couldn’t afford it, not on my parents’ salaries, and secretly wondered what strings my dad had to pull to get us in here. He insisted that it was all taken care of by the city but I knew there had to be something he wasn't telling me. Nothing is ever free in this country. I knew my dad was brilliant with numbers but still, I wondered why they would sell this historical property to a no-name family like the Hunters. We weren’t rich and definitely didn’t come from noble blood.

The house originally belonged to the Laenzar family, who were the founders of Shadow Heights and were involved in the design plans of the township every step of the way. I found it slightly arrogant and unnecessary that every major building or park in the town was named after a Laenzar. Where did they get the egos? No one was that important.

According to the realtor, only those of the Laenzar bloodline had ever lived here and the house had been vacant for the last ten years. While everyone brushed off this tid-bit of information as insignificant, I couldn’t help but wonder why no one had lived here in so long and why we were being allowed to shack up inside for free. There had to be a catch.

When I had a moment alone with her, I inquired why the house had been left vacant for so long and she privately admitted that some awful things happened in the manor but before she could go into the details, my parents were ready to sign. So in the meantime, I had to fill in the gaps with my own imagination—however far it took me.

While our parents were busy signing their lives away, Caylie and I checked out the upstairs to find which bedrooms we wanted. She chose the largest bedroom of all four and I took the smallest, which was near the end of the hallway secluded from all the others. It had dark green walls and speckles of gray in the carpeting and I chose it since green had always been my favorite color. She announced her choice at the top of her lungs, leaning over the banister and nearly falling over it. I laughed privately to myself but then my attention was suddenly drawn to the door in front of me, and I wondered why I hadn't noticed it before.

It was different than all the others. It was clearly crafted by hand, appearing worn and faded unlike the rest which all had been fully restored. I ran my hand over the frame, feeling a multitude of engravings within the wood and I wondered why of all the things in the house, they neglected to finish this door. I looked closer, inspecting the details and saw that they were symbols of an ancient text I had never seen before.

I took a step back and the whole image came into view. There wasn’t a single spot that didn’t have an engraving, an etched line, or swirled shape; none of which were random and it looked to be coded. This door must have meant something to someone at one time, why else would they have spent so much time creating it? I reached for the knob and my parents called me from down below. I swallowed hard and my hand dropped to my side.

The hallway grew cold and dark as the light from the sun hid itself behind the clouds. A stream of wind blew past my ear and I yelped, turning around with frantic eyes. I swallowed hard and hurried to join them downstairs, ignoring my uneasy tension.

When we arrived at the house on moving day and stepped out of the car, the heat hit me like an explosive blast. I could already feel the sweat rising to the surface of all my pores and I thought about jumping back inside for one last moment of cool air. I was still feeling uncomfortable being in this house as we ascended the long stone staircase leading to the front doors. It was as if this house was alive and its windows were the eyes to its soul and they were watching me.

Before going inside, my dad stopped us all. I could tell he was getting emotional by this whole experience and in proper Hunter fashion, he gave a little speech.

Well...this is it girls. Now I know this has all happened so fast but I appreciate how accommodating you've all been, I shot my sister a glance and thought, what a joke, this is a place where we can really make it this time and give you girls the life we've always wanted for you. A place to start over and make new friends. He turned and fumbled with the keys, trying to unlock the front door. Is there anything you two want to say before we go inside?

My sister stepped forward, Yeah. There's plenty I want to say. I grabbed hold of her arm and held her back. Our eyes met and I shook my head at her. I didn't want her ruining this moment for our dad. It wasn't the right time to be selfish. Much to my surprise, she kept her mouth shut. He turned to look and waited for her to finish. I decided to finish for her.

So what's this place's real story? I don't quite buy what the realtor said. I knew there had to be some reason why it was vacant.

Well..., my dad started but was interrupted by a loud yawn coming from my sister's mouth. We all turned to look at her and she pretended that she didn’t notice. I groveled privately with a heavy sigh and he continued. All I know honey is that this house was built in the late 1800's by the very founder of this town. I believe his name was Aleister. His family has lived here for generations but apparently they turned it over to the city a little over a decade ago. They no longer wanted it so it’s been uninhabited for quite some time. I raised my eyebrows in disbelief. I knew he was hiding something. I could read it off him.

His face was flush and overheated, more-so than the rest of us, tiny droplets of sweat dripping down his cheeks like water on an icicle, all meeting at the bottom of his chin. The enormous drop of water was bobbing up and down with every movement he made and I kept hoping he would reach up and wipe it off before it made a big splash on someone.

His short blonde hair twisted around his ears as a lively breeze ventured in from off the lake that chilled me to the bone. Now listen, he braced his hands on my shoulders, there's nothing to worry about. Sure it's an old house but everyone I've met so far assures me that this house is in tip-top shape and the Laenzar family has approved us to occupy their home. Like that makes a difference. Granted I haven't met any of them yet but I'm sure they're good people if they've done so many things for this town. I mean just look at the community they've built. It's astounding.

Okay, Dad. We get it. You're blown away. I'm just not buying it, I scoffed.

Well, I tell you what. I’m supposed to be meeting with a Mr. J. Laenzar later this week to wrap up the closure. If the right moment comes up, I'll be sure to ask him about the house to set your mind at ease. In fact, he’s around your age Mina. Maybe I’ll have to introduce the two of you. It would be good for you to make a new friend here.

I politely nodded with a smile to please him though I doubted he would be someone I wanted to meet. I’m sure he was just another stuck up rich kid that I would have nothing in common with.

I gazed across our lawn, staring farther ahead in the distance at the walls of blackened stone that enclosed this small town. I suddenly realized why they named it Shadow Heights. Like a giant mountain range, it blocked out all other possible entryways into town and its towering stature cast a great shadow upon all of the Heights. A forest of green sat in front of it, surrounding an expansive lake that flowed for miles. The sun was settling overhead, shining down at just the right angle that it shined reflectively off the trees, brightening everything to a fluorescent shade, painting its colorful reflection upon the water’s surface.

We better get a move on. We're wasting day light, he shouted. We stepped inside and the door clanged shut behind us like an iron dungeon. It shook me to the core, feeling more like a prisoner in this place without ever a chance for escaping.

This house was more like an antique museum rather than a home. It was bold, stylish, and built for royalty. Each room was even bigger than the next and I thought the whole place was a little pretentious. The floors were dark red like merlot and were polished to a shiny finish. I was afraid to move freely in this place, that I would slip or leave a scratch on the surface.

The hallway echoed with the sound of our voices, which seemed to carry all the way up to the cathedral ceilings soaring overhead. There was an outpouring of light seeping through the windows that laid warmth upon my skin and highlighted every detail in the room.

All of the rooms had been newly remodeled to seem more modern and though the walls and rooms were bare, I knew this house would be screaming Diane soon enough so I tried not to worry. A truck blasting its horn outside alerted us that the moving men were here with our things and while my parents hurried out to greet them, Caylie and I stayed inside for a moment. She sauntered over to the window and peeped out. I looked her over, always hating how she chose to dress.

She was wearing the usual short, slightly torn, jean shorts and a spaghetti strap top which did little to cover her. I wouldn’t be caught dead in such an outfit and rarely stepped out of the house with any of my skin showing. Caylie had always been the typical girl you’d see emulated on TV as the girl of choice but I, on the other hand, considered myself an individual, however strange I might appear to the normal ones. She had shoulder-length blonde hair with highlights scattered throughout while mine was longer and in the shade of golden brown. Standing at 5’7", she towered over me like a sprouting tree and I could never quite catch up. I didn’t even make it to the five foot mark and was always hiding in her shadow even though I was older than her by two years. My parents would always tell me I would get a growth spurt but they were wrong. I don’t imagine a lot of people shoot up in inches after adulthood.

I figured what Caylie took up in height, I made up with intelligence. Plus, as an added bonus, she weighed 110 pounds. I weighed 160, which isn’t obese but I wasn’t considered thin in today’s popular definition of the word. I tried not to worry about the way I looked as hard as that is to do sometimes but it still ate at me whenever I'd catch a guy looking at her without giving me a second glance. But I did have daunting curves that seemed to attract enough guys to satisfy.

Chapter Three

A few hours and six strained muscles later we finally had everything moved in. My dad tipped the moving men a generous amount and sent them on their way. I had just plopped myself down on the couch to relax my feet when he came in asking for a favor. Before I could refuse, he tricked me into picking up some pizzas downtown and insisted that I take Caylie with me. Instead of listening to me complain about it for fifteen minutes, he slipped me an extra ten and I rushed to my feet. I could never turn down free money. He pulled me into a hug and I took notice of the expansion of gray along the edges of his hair and the forming lines around his eyes. When did he start getting so old? He had always looked so young, younger than most of the other dads his age. It made me wonder about my own condition. How long would it be before I had those laugh lines and indents on my forehead?

I lit a cigarette on the way to the pizza place, rolling all of the windows down so my parents wouldn’t suspect a thing. They both knew I smoked of course but made it perfectly clear that they didn't approve. My dad didn’t mind so much, insisting that it was a normal adolescent thing to do that he even did at my age but he was convinced I’d grow out of it like he did. Not yet I hadn't and I didn't see myself quitting anytime soon. There was too much stress on girls my age to be a certain way and this was my only outlet I had to release my frustrations.

The downtown of Shadow Heights was built on a one-way system, like most cities, so it took a few extra minutes to find a parking spot and it was nowhere near the entrance to Luigi's Pizzeria. I pulled into an empty space near the end of the block and we both stepped out.

We received quite a few looks from the locals who could spot an outsider ten feet away, and I stared at the ground like a coward, hoping they would all go away. Caylie walked ahead of me, her nose pointed toward the sky like she was strutting the catwalk but I knew she didn't have enough grace to be a model. I hid myself in her shadow, hoping to go unnoticed, when a wandering breeze shook the hair from my eyes. The warmness of the sun was stolen with its movement and I enjoyed the temporary break from its heat. But then an eerie calm sauntered in and I realized in that sudden stillness that someone was watching me.

My eyes drifted upward toward a peculiar stranger who didn't seem to fit in with the culture of people moving around him and his interest in me suddenly fell away.

He had a unique yet peculiar beauty with long flowing dark hair and pale milky white skin. He was out of my league for sure, but I couldn’t help staring at him. His hair was the color of the night sky and he cloaked himself in all black attire. We both stuck out like sore thumbs in the sea of pastels. Enshrouded in so much black, I wondered if he was even real or just a mirage from the sun because no one else even seemed to notice him.

To me, however, he was captivating in every sense of the word and gazing upon his beauty made my world stand still like my mind was drifting on a cloud. He was the type of guy I had long dreamed of finding but never imagined existed. His fair skin was a great contrast to his dark hair and clothing that I could make out the details of his form like a past memory.

I watched as the people surrounding him kept their distance, stepping out of his way like servants would to royalty, or avoided him altogether—scurrying away like ants. I, on the other hand, found myself gazing upon this mystery, unable to look away and unwilling to veer from our crossing paths.

As if sensing my unwavering attention, his bright blue eyes found their way to mine once again and silence fell upon me. The hammering beat of my heart was all my mind could hear while the blur of objects shuffled past me. Buh buh...buh buh. An incredible tingle swelled in the center of my chest that tickled my insides. Its heated bliss thrilled the rest of me as it drifted further down my body, inch by inch, and I nearly lost my breath as he drew nearer.

Everything disappeared in a quick blaze of light, and all of my senses ceased to function. I could no longer smell the food coming from restaurant kitchens or the exhaust from nearby cars, nor could I hear the laughter of children that had just run by me. It was just me and this stranger in a very surreal world where nothing else existed except for our awareness of each other. A nothingness that was like being swept up into a dream, though there was no real sense to describe it. Where did everything go? What is this place? Had we met before?

Then suddenly as if he heard the thoughts of my mind, his eyes broke from mine and the noises of traffic and footsteps returned. The hordes of people walking nearby had materialized again and I was wondering where I had just been. I quickly lost him in the bustle of the group but I couldn’t help but wonder who he was.

I peered behind my shoulder to catch another glimpse of this mystery but he was walking too far ahead of the herd to be seen—misplaced in the crowd. Where did he go so quickly? Was he