Emerald Butterfly

By A. P. Nuri

A.P. Nuri's first book as a 12-year-old was a project taking five years of her teenage life. Emerald Butterfly is what one would consider a rough EP. Enjoy the novel she was first inspired to write at such a young age, for free.

For Samantha Clearwater, starting new is nothing novel.

Another high school for her senior year is nothing novel, except this time around she's on her own. School life seems mundane until she meets Nathan. In one night, her life crumbles away to reveal the spiritual warfare that undermines humanity and Nathan swears to protect her. Or so she thinks. Chaos unfolds as the forces of good and evil fight to possess her and her powers. The Dark will stop at nothing to see they have consumed all of her, and all those she has grown to hold dear.

• Language: English
• Publisher: A. P. Nuri
• Release date: Apr 9, 2013
• ISBN: 9780463756065

A. P. Nuri

A 12-year-old girl was told her short story had the potential to be a novel. Ever since then, she never stopped writing. Even when she was told she was too young. Even when she doubted herself. She never gave up on stories: on acting them out, on painting their plots, on writing their life. She had something to say.A. P. Nuri loves to support other artists through collaboration and yearns even more to tell stories that entertain and inspire readers everywhere. When she's not scribbling story ideas, acting on stage, or brushing out blobs of watercolor, she's likely drinking a latte at a local coffee shop, doing yoga, or walking around a farmer's market for goods.

Book preview

Part I: Violet Caterpillar

Part I Preface:

You know that queasiness you get in your gut when you move to new places—that twist just below your rib cage when you walk into a classroom full of people you’ve never met? Well I’ve done it so many times I’ve lost count. And until now, it was never as horrible as it sounded.

Even still, if moving to start a new life, risks your life, it might be time to pack your bags and leave. But, that was just the problem. I couldn’t. If my life were at risk, things would be worse if I moved away. Or so I was told.

Chapter 1

It was a quiet evening in Del Mar. Nothing but the distant sound of ocean waves accompanied us as we stood outside locked in deep thought. Finally Charilyn spoke up, I can’t believe you’re doing this.

Her eyes were dry but the emotion was loud and clear in her words. I blinked back my own tears and, to her surprise, caught her in a tight hug.

I’ll miss you.

When I pulled away, she brushed back my curls and scrutinized the front of my new home. Are you sure you’ll be okay, I mean, do you need anything? I can go by the store and…

Charilyn, I said with a soft smile, "I’ll be fine. The house is amazing and gigantic. It’ll feel a little empty for a while but I’ll be okay."

All right, Sam, just let me know if you need anything else, She replied, triggering a concern. I thought to myself, I’m doing this again: moving to another town in the middle of the school year. Am I ready to live in my own house, even though I was seventeen? No roommates. No pets. It would be nothing but the high-tech security system and me.

My trust fund had been arranged carefully for this day, set up by my parents when they adopted me as a toddler. For the fourteen years since then, they’ve been there behind me with every step I’d taken. Though they were busier than most parents, they still managed to feel like complete helicopter-parents and if I messed up they were the first to mend it back to the way it was. But the one deed that I appreciated the most by my parents, was hiring me a nanny. Charilyn had been with me for a long time. She’s the only real mom I’ve known. But now, I would no longer have to rely on her to buy groceries, or to pay the bills; that was all up to me now. And I was ready for it.

I’d finish my last year of high school alone, and my parents would be on the other side of the world, moving again as they had every year as far back as I could remember. We’ve lived in fifteen cities across the continents with Del Mar, California being the final place I wanted to settle. By the time I was 13, we had traveled from Berlin to Seattle to Madrid and then to Chicago. The last four years of my life were spent moving between Los Angeles, Denver, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City.

I never understood the moves or the explanations why. They would fabricate reasons about job transfers or, in my mother’s words, That’s the life of the wealthy and adventurous! My dad ran a major car company and my mom always worked and traveled with him. She still managed to make me feel somewhat loved though, but most of the credit went to Charilyn. When I told her I wanted to stay in Del Mar, she understood that I no longer wanted to keep up with the fast, spontaneous lives of my parents. I wanted my own life. My own place. My own identity.

Charilyn’s brown eyes were moving toward the edge of exhaustion, her pale face more somber than I’d seen it in some time. Her light brown hair was crammed up into a messy bun on the top of her head. She was bundled in something that looked more like a blanket than a sweater, and in a pair of black yoga pants and worn Converse. The brand had grown on me to the point of owning a good six pairs and following in her footsteps toward Chuck obsession.

Reading my mind, like always, she saw me studying her and quickly assured me, I’ll be okay, Sam. You’re going to do so well here. With that pretty face, I promise you’ll make plenty of friends.

I laughed and rolled my green eyes. Charilyn told all her friends that I was gorgeous but I refused to believe her; she tended to exaggerate my looks with wild descriptions.

She squeezed my arm and then mindlessly stepped back to tuck my unruly curls behind my ear—tears were welling up in her eyes yet again.

I should get going, you know how I hate driving late at night, she told me, pulling away reluctantly. Her plane was departing in an hour for Cedar City, her hometown.

Yeah I know. Can you call me later?

Of course, she smiled genuinely.

Slowly, as if with every step the fact that I was moving sunk into her heart, she walked back to her dark blue Jeep. She paused and turned as if remembering something.

Oh! Anna—she’s a friend of mine—she’s going to stop by and drop off a little sur…something.

I laughed and told her earnestly, Okay. Thank you for everything.

You’re welcome, sweetheart. I’ll call you later, promise! She replied as she got into the Jeep.

Bye, I said as I watched her drive off. I turned and stepped into the new house that smelled of nothing but fresh paint and new life.

Later I walked out to meet an old and rusted, red pick-up truck outside. Anna jumped out of the driver’s side and gave me a grin and a hug that left me breathless. She had gentle brown eyes and a smile that could warm even the hardest of hearts. Careless in her gait, she, herself, was a ball of energy just waiting to be poured out.

You must be Sam! She exclaimed in a singsong voice, Oh my goodness, you’re just as beautiful as Cherry said you were!

Without letting me tell her that Charilyn stretches my looks, she immediately went to the back of her pick-up truck and gave the latch a rough yank. A German Shepard jumped out and sprinted across the front yard, rubbing himself all over the grass.

A gasp came from my mouth and there was a little tug on my heart. Max!

He had been my buddy since I my thirteenth birthday. That was about the time I got him as a 3-week old puppy in Germany.

Where did you find him? I asked her, stroking Max’s tummy as he rolled around in front of me.

One of those signs you posted paid off, she replied, Cherry got a call from the pound saying they had a dog that fit the description in your flyer; he was there for a few days.

Anna said she needed to take off and I thanked her for stopping by. Later, I called Charilyn and thanked her repeatedly. We talked for a little while more and I finally decided I should get some rest.

***

I woke up too early, thanks to Max’s aggravating barks; he seemed to enjoy being my alarm clock. I lay in bed for moment and stared at the ceiling, hoping it would keep my thoughts away from the fact that I had a big day ahead of me. Sure, it was my first day at a new school, but it was definitely not the first time I’d done this.

My mom suggested for me to attend Del Mar High School, home of the Bears. Why the bears? The high school was barely a few miles from the ocean; couldn’t they have chosen the Seagulls or the Sharks? Even so, I was an official Bear as soon as I walked onto that campus today.

It was the mid-January, which meant fitting in could be a bit of a challenge. But I’d been through this so many times I was accustomed to settling in new places and making new friends, though that never took the nerves away.

Heaving myself out of bed, I stumbled to the bathroom to take a shower. Once I was dressed, I came into my new, bare kitchen that smelled of the freshly painted walls and lilies, which sat in a vase on the table. Charilyn bought them to celebrate my move. Among the full pantry from the grocery store splurge we had the day before, I chose the easiest of the breakfast foods. I poured myself a small bowl of Lucky Charms, and ate quick, picking out the marshmallows to savor in my mouth. They really needed to make a cereal with just marshmallows. Then I threw the bowl in the sink and turned toward Max.

Now, what am I going to do with you? I wondered aloud. Max perked up. He was well trained to be indoors and out but this was a new house for us. I decided to chain him to the porch gate outside and I set his bowl outside to keep him company.

He whined.

I love you too, I remarked.

At last, I grabbed my bag and trekked out into the crisp California air.

When I got to the high school, I parked my car in the shade and stepped out only to find a large portion of the student body staring at me. Just standing there staring. Is this what they did every day? Stare at people? Apparently, it was stop-everything-you’re-doing-and-stare-at-the-new-girl day. I bit back humiliation.

I knew I shouldn’t have let my dad buy me this car! The last thing I wanted was to draw attention to myself.

Ian—I’d never really called my adoptive father by Dad—delivered me a pearl-silver, 2011 Aston Martin Rapide for my moving away gift. Growing up with my dad as a European sports car importer, allowed me to know as much as any other car maniac. That fact made my dad proud of me. He’d been overseas for the past few months working in London.

Being in a normal town and a normal high school, knowing I wasn’t going to be moving again until probably ever, was a little terrifying. I was clueless about Del Mar High School; all I knew was just that it was located in a city I loved and it was small enough not to get lost in, but big enough not to get noticed. Pulling out my phone and listening to a fresh voicemail, I rummaged through my bag as Charilyn’s voice began to speak.

"Hey Sam, just wanted to make sure everything was going well. Do not forget about school today! I slipped a map of the school campus in case you might need it…"

The message played, as my hand searched my bag to pull out the map and with it my schedule Charilyn had thrown in. I smiled to myself, loving how much she had my back even when we were apart.

…Your schedule is in there too. Call me!

I threw my phone in my bag and wiped the smile from my face when I realized even more people turned to stare. My green eyes scanned over my schedule and the map as I quickly walked to my first class: Calculus. It was one of my best subjects. Only someone who loved math would be happy with Calculus first thing in the morning.

Butterflies fluttered viciously in my stomach, as I put my hand on the door handle. I took a deep breath and entered. The whole class was like a huge sea of eyes all fixedly looking at me. Was I late? I eyed the clock on the wall and, in fact, I was five minutes early. The teacher stood at the front of the room, scribbling something furiously on the board. I tried to walk past without being noticed.

Samantha Clearwater... She contemplated loudly, like everyone in the whole school needed to know. She searched the messy pile of papers on her desk; obviously she wasn’t an organized teacher.

Yeah, that’s me, I said, trying to be polite. Loved Calculus, never loved the teachers.

I believe you will need these, she handed me the class syllabus and some other school information; You can see me after class if you have any questions.

Disorganized, but prepared.

Thanks, I told her, smiling half-heartedly.

She gestured to the desk by the window, right in the middle of the row. Why couldn’t it have been the back seat? I knew everyone would want to get a glimpse of the ‘new girl’, but I rushed to my seat and sat, trying to be oblivious to the stares and murmurs.

The bell rang with an obnoxious trio of clangs and Mrs. Mackey started class. I tried to listen to her, but found it difficult. Eyes were on my back constantly; I could feel them. I didn’t look back. The eyes would only look away, like they weren’t staring in the first place. At least, partway through the class people moved on and talked amongst themselves, leaving me to try and figure out what in the world we were doing. Fortunately, before I knew it the bell rang again. I grabbed my things and headed out the door. As soon as I turned the corner a sudden force slammed into me.

Oh! I’m so sorry! I exclaimed bending down to pick up the papers I’d caused to fall out of the other person’s hands.

What a great way to start my day: losing my cool! I thought to myself. Every aspect of this morning was already giving me a headache—the smell of the crowded, sweltering hallways, the heavy perfume of the girls shooting me lethal looks as they passed by, and the brightly colored papers that proclaimed upcoming school events. There were even more people looking now that I’d just practically thrown this boy’s things out of his hands.

Don’t worry about it, it was my fault. I didn’t see you, the boy said smiling faintly as he bent down to pick up his papers. Once I got them in a pile, I stood back up with a polite curve of my lips, noticing his black-brown hair and unnaturally dark brown eyes that were apologetic, yet glued to mine. His skin was light but not dark enough to be called brown. All in all, he was subtly attractive.

Here, I said while I handed him his papers once we were both upright. People glanced at us as they passed, either with vague interest or annoyance that we’d stopped the flow of the hallway.

Thanks. You’re Samantha aren’t you?

Uh yeah, I guess word travels fast around here? I replied, startled, I go by Sam.

My first day here, and someone, not in my own class, already knew my name. Great.

I’m Garrett, he said, grinning, as he shook my hand. I spotted under the sleeve of his dark t-shirt, a tattoo. A square-star-like symbol I’d never seen before. I smiled back shyly as we continued walking and he asked, Do you need help finding your next class?

No. I have English with Mr. Alter in room one fourteen, but thanks, I said smiling briefly, as we turned down a hallway.

That’s exactly where I’m headed, Garrett said enthusiastically, turning down the same hall. I smiled meekly—more interested in getting through my first day than making new friends. But Garrett made enough conversation between us that it didn’t feel awkward whatsoever, which I was more than quite happy about; I was never good at keeping conversations with new people. We walked into the classroom and Garrett sat down leaving only one desk for me, a couple seats behind him, and the day continued without pause.

Later, I casually called to Garrett as the bell rang after class. He waved then ran toward the gym as I went my separate way to History.

At the end of the day in the student parking lot, I walked toward my car, stifling a groan. It was sitting in the sun now after the shade of the morning had shifted during the school day. I would make sure to park closer next time.

As I walked, I felt another gaze on me. Not like the others this morning though—where they stared at me not knowing me—somehow this one was diverse, like it had a sense of familiarity and foreign energy, like it knew me. This was nothing like the others.

Through the lot full of departing teenage drivers, I searched across the row of cars and there, at the other end of the lot, my green eyes met the most beautiful boy I’d ever seen staring back at me.

His stunning cobalt eyes studied me as if they’d already studied my features before, and something happened, like the flipping of a switch in a dark room or the rekindling of flames in a fireplace. I felt full, no longer anxious or tired from the long day.

I unwittingly returned him a shy flash of teeth and continued walking toward my car avoiding any further glances at the unfamiliar stranger. I thought that I must’ve seen him somewhere, but knew I would’ve remembered his face. It bothered me that I didn’t know his name nor knew why he seemed to know my face so well. Though I’d never seen him, I felt my heart swell and butterflies veer around in my stomach. He was gorgeous.

Sam! Garrett exclaimed, breaking the stranger’s enchantment on my thoughts. He was leaning against his black Carrera GT, which was parked right next to my car. Whew…that's a nice car.

Thanks, I replied with a smile. As I got a good look at Garrett, I noticed he shared similar features to the tall stranger that was staring at me only moments ago. But Garrett had darker hair, as if it were dyed. But they had the same strong, flat jaw and angled, symmetrical features. Just as my brain was making the connection, the stranger approached both of us.

Hey, Garrett, he acknowledged.

Brothers? I thought to myself. Then the blond boy turned to me and lifted an eyebrow. He murmured in a silky, pleasant voice, Hello.

Hi… I responded weakly. He flashed me a charming smile and I felt my lips curl up without a second thought. Garrett cleared his throat and patted me on the shoulder.

See you tomorrow, Sam.

His brown eyes smiled at me—but they seemed to go straight pass me and to the boy standing behind me.

Fae is going to beat us home, you know, the boy remarked to Garrett as he jumped into a silver Eclipse Coupe. Waving good-bye to me, Garrett peeled out of the parking lot after the blue-eyed boy.

I nearly had to shake my head to shift my attention on get home; I was exhausted.

After I let Max in from the back I threw my bag down and crashed down on the cream-shaded sofa. I scrunched my nose.

Despite the smell, the kitchen walls were painted a beautiful, powder blue; one of my many favorite colors. The adjacent living room was infused with an identical cream color to the sofa, a perfect complement to the kitchen’s marble counters.

My eyes fell on the piano in the far corner of the living room and my fingers itched to play a key or two. I padded quietly across the wood floor in my socks and seated myself on the piano seat. I lifted up the latch on the piano. Then I let my fingers rest on the black and white keys. Closing my eyes I played a single note. And then my fingers did their own thing. They drifted across the piano, mindlessly, and a beautiful melody swept into my ears. It was something I’d played many times before; it was my own creation. When I finished I felt a sense of completion and comfort. This house was going to be the place where I started my new life. In a couple days, it was really going to feel like home.

***

I had to jog to first period so I wasn’t late. I swung into the threshold of first period impeccably just as the late bell rang. I plopped into my seat, cheeks flushed and all, when the handsome blonde boy I’d seen yesterday strolled through the door. He handed Mrs. Mackey a slip, which she barely glanced at and then threw in the trash.

Nathan, take the desk by Samantha and Krystal, Mrs. Mackey said, as she gestured him to occupy the empty seat next to me. He caught my eye and smiled lightly when I tore my eyes away, feeling my cheeks warm. Thank goodness he couldn’t see the blush through my light brown skin. Or maybe he could, because he smoothly cleared his throat to cover a chuckle as he sat down.

Class dragged on as if it were a year instead of an hour. I tried to ignore how distracted Nathan made me, so I took notes to busy myself.

His eyes were on me periodically. I threw him a quick, casual glance and caught him staring. He didn’t look away but instead locked my gaze, shot a half-smile at me, and winked. His enchanting blue eyes caught me off guard and I’m positive I blushed again.

Forcing my focus back to the teacher, she projected her answer key of last night’s homework problems onto the whiteboard. I wrote down the answers on my own homework, comparing my answers to hers. My eyebrows instantly lowered in confusion and I raised my hand.

Yes, Samantha?

Um…on the answer for number fourteen, I think you may have taken the root of the number while it was a negative. Don’t you have to factor it out before you can differentiate? I asked.

She looked back at the board and then down at the textbook in her hand.

I stand corrected, she said, nodding her head in approval. Math and science weren’t the greatest subjects in the world, but somehow I managed to comprehend them faster than most students.

Nathan’s eyebrows went up and he cocked his head to the side, writing something on the page of his notebook. He lifted the paper nonchalantly, so I could read the word ‘Nice!’ scribbled across the side in delicate cursive. I let a smug grin play on my lips.

When the bell rang, I threw my books into my bag and started to walk out of the door, when the teacher called my name. I turned and saw her gesture for me to come to her desk. All the students moved past me and out the door as if their lives depended on it. There was only Ms. Mackey and me and Nathan, who still stood there putting his things together slowly.

Your mother called, she started, pulling a sheet of paper from a file, she said you play piano quite well, and said you might want to join the school’s talent show.

I took the paper from her. Thanks mom…

Elena had done these kinds of things ever since I was little. Tell all my teachers about my talents or skills and then get me caught up in something I didn’t want to be involved in. Thanking Mrs. Mackey, I left, moving quickly to my next class. I tried to push thoughts of Nathan or what I thought of those gorgeous blue eyes, out of my head.

The rest of the day sped by and I continued going to my classes almost mechanically. The last bell rang and I packed my bag and headed to my car.

I had homework to do when I got home, but wanted to take Max for a jog on the beach or just settle down tonight for some quiet time, since the past week was tossed around between unpacking and school and lots of errands. I let Max outside and fed him then did some homework. Honors classes always gave a lot of homework. Luckily it took little time and even less effort. As I put my homework away, I spotted the neon-colored talent show paper Ms. Mackey gave me earlier. I shook my head. I wouldn’t have the stomach to perform piano in front of a new school where I hardly knew anyone. Crumpling the paper and throwing it into the trash, I made my way upstairs to get into my pajamas and plan my wardrobe for the next day. I looked through the clothes in the closet as