The Elementals

By RJ Dale

The new girl in school, and the hot guy that doesn’t have a girlfriend is staring at you and everyone is talking about it. Yeah, that’s how my new life starts out, here in Eagle Springs. The Asher Family and their odd life of adoption, and then of course the fact that the lead footballer decides to take things too far with me one evening...and well, I guess it is a good thing that I am the new girl and that the boy who stares at me all the time, comes to my aid when I need it most. But...it turns out, he’s a vampire, and he want’s me to join his coven.
Do I think about it?
Um, no. I tell them no way do I want to live a ageless life with the need to drink blood. Yuk. Who thinks that’s a way of life?
Oh, right. And I thought I had a choice.

• Language: English
• Publisher: RJ Dale
• Release date: Apr 3, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463862261

RJ Dale

RJ Dale lives in Queensland Australia. With a deep interest in supernatural, magical and all things unexplained.

Book preview

The Elementals

RJ Dale

Copyright © RJ Dale 2019

SMASHWORDS EDITION

Smashwords Edition, Licence Notes

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Thank you for your support.

This book is a work of fiction. All characters and locations in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to any real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

RJ Dale is an Australian author and Australian English and spelling have been used.

Book cover design by RJ Dale 2018 © copyright.

This is a supernatural romance for eighteen years and over.

This book contains mature content, and is intended for adult readers.

There are strong sexual content, and intent to rape, harm and kill, this may cause triggers to those suffering or surprising such situations. Please read with caution and at own risk!

~ ~ ~

In the Passion series:

Awoken By Passion

Edge of Darkness

Born of Light

Blood and Fruit

Kin of the Dundine: Passion series box set

The Kyra Series:

Ever On: Part One

Ever On: Part Two

Ever On: Part Three

The Coven Series:

The Elementals

Where To Find Me:

Got a question that needs answering: email me

Want to keep up to date on my future publishing’s: Facebook Page

Want to check out my profile at Smashwords: Author profile

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The one that got away

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Pandora

Chapter 1

Eagle Springs

It seemed to fall all around me, like a cascading wall, and then it was changing before my eyes. Bright blue to white snow, and it was beyond beautiful; magical is what is was. Liquid air that was mystified and beyond words of beauty.

The nudge on my shoulder startled me awake.

I looked out from the car window and saw nothing but tall fir trees reflecting back, glancing to my left, I saw high cliff tops more trees and my father: Patrick Roland. He nodded to me from the driver’s seat.

All most there, Ora, he said cheerfully, considering he’d been driving for hours.

I pulled myself up into my seat and stared ahead, waking further from my magical dream.

The narrow road that wound on forever had changed little in the four days of travel; though we stopped more then we should have. We’d probably be there if I hadn’t insisted on getting out of the car for at least an hour every time we did stop. The growling and churning of the truck hadn’t changed; it was almost background noise now. Almost.

As we drove over the next hill, there before us spread out like wide wings, was the small town of Eagle Springs.

My new home and my new torture sell.

I now regretted that I stuffed up in the city and wish I hadn’t gotten in to so much trouble. And by trouble, I mean last warning before I was hauled off to custody or some form of girls reform school or jail. As they say. It was done; now I was here.

Patrick and I had fought most of the way; he’d won few of the arguments. Mostly I didn’t feel like talking. He thought this would be great daughter and father bonding experience. Me: not so much. The usual conversations had droned on. You good? Yes thanks. You need anything? No, I’m good. Do you want to talk bout something. Nope. Most times I just looked at him with the hope he’d somehow become telepathic and ninety percent of all my answers were never spoken. Just grunts and growls and shrugs were the sum of my communication level. Okay. I was human. I did deviate from my sulking now and again with the rare comment on something outside or even yelling at traffic when we had to change lanes or they tried to squeeze in front of us. Idiots.

But bonding wasn’t really happening.

Somewhere along the drive we had a mutual agreement. As we both stared out over the ancient town, we sighed simultaneously.

I smiled.

We were relieved, and even though I despised moving here; I was glad the trip was over.

Eagle Springs was like most towns we’d passed. Malls, shops, homes … though these homes had history and with history came large and rich families, lost of hotels for the tourist, and heaps of cabins for the hunters. Surrounding the town was Acers of trees and mountains of wild life reserve. The car passed over the large bridge that separated the town from the world outside. Great. It was clearly the only way in and out of this place. One road in, the same road out. Take out the bridge and I’d be stuck here with every other boring person who lived here.

I cursed myself for making him move here; it was mostly—okay—all my fault that it came to this. I hated myself now. I had successfully become a rebellious teenage just passed my seventeenth, and got myself expelled from my old school, and the two others before that also only to have no other school accept me due to my lack of grades and lack of promise… So Patrick called my grandfather, Graham from my mothers side. I had no memory of him, due to the fact that my mother ran away from Eagle Springs when she was pregnant with me; and according to her, he was a mean person.

Once when I was five, and I was learning about the family tree, she gave me this odd look when I asked Who are my grandparents? It was as though, she hadn’t realised what I’d be to them, and while I was young and innocent she stated their names with know connection and promptly walked away, not continuing with my question. When I was 12, I asked again. I got more from her. Least along the lines of. He was strict, he’s a hunter of animals and stuffs them for the tourist and he wouldn’t let her out after eight at night. Though, I think she missed him, she would have come back if she could. But she died a year ago this month, and not from overran cancer. I saw my grandfather at the funeral, and I was a wreck then. I was in no shape to talk to him, and didn’t bother. But since my rebellious stage kicked in and with no grandparents on his side; Patrick reached out for help; and so Graham offered him a job here as the wild life attendant. Not that Patrick had training in such a thing, he clamed he would be just helping anyone who went missing and organizing hunters and bush walks on trails, though nothing too risky.

I rolled my eyes with that knowledge.

While he gets to go off and look at wild life, I get stuck with a new school, and new class mates. As we passed the welcome sign, I noticed the population of Eagle Springs. 6870.

I realised with frustration, there was less than seven hundred students in this high school alone. I smiled at the school banners that celebrated their football team; the wolves …yay. Go team. Go!

Okay here we are, said Patrick pulling the loaded truck into a wide driveway. Spying a two story large wood house, I hid my wonder and kept a poker face expression. Inside, I was singing with amazement and wow. This place was huge. It was spacious, it was cozy, and it was my mother’s childhood home. A ping of something twisted inside, but I didn’t want to deal with it right now. The windows on the second story had their own balcony. Wow. And would you look at that porch, with the stairs and the… is that a chimney. Seriously. I know I came from the city, where homes where more like towers…and flats were just a leap and you were there. But this. This was so damn amazing and surreal. The front of the porch was wide and well lit by the patio lights; it was just breaking dusk.

I climbed from the cab and heard the shuffling feet of an old man before I saw him. The low light made him appear larger as he stood by the open door. He was rounded, old and crinkled; his grey hair was almost white, as to his beard. I glanced at Patrick; he was tall slender, with thick brown hair and eyes. He was just dad to me. But this grandfather…he was mums blood. And it was now I wondered if I was to call him… pop, or grand…daddy. Ugh. Not going to happen. Mister seems fitting.

Well hello there, Pandora.

Hey, I said, not about to give him a hug, even if he was hoping for one.

Graham. Dad greeted him With a hand shake and a look that men do when they size each other up. Patrick started to unlock the back of the truck.

Graham waved his hand. Oh, come now. We can unload in the morning; I’ll get some lads around to help us. He ushered us inside the large house, as I walked through I saw skins of animals stuck to the walls, animals stuffed, deer’s, bears, lions … there were so many animals all staring with the eyes of death.

Oh, sorry if they scare you there, Pandora. Taxidermy is my trade.

Mum said you were a hunter and that you stuffed animals for the tourist, I said. Eyeing the raccoon with unease.

Did she now. He was suddenly staring off at a distance. Lost in a memory. Maybe. And then, just like that he was back. I moved the ones out of your room so that you didn’t get a fright, that’s why there’s so many in the house. Graham winked, in that old man chuckle way.

It’s fine, I said following them into the house further, from the front door a set of stairs went to the next level, to my left was a large open lounge with comfy sofa chairs and a fire place. Further along was the kitchen, and further back was another hall.

So, how was the drive, Rick? asked Graham.

Long, sometimes pleasant, said Patrick. He winked at me. I narrowed my eyes. Playful was there, but it was true. I had argued most of the first two days. I stepped into the lounge room, and Graham spoke. His body seemed to shuffle rather than walk.

Oh, I made you some dinner, thought you might be starved. And when you’re done, I’ll show you to your rooms … oh, and Rick. I got all the paper work for you too look over, so once you’re moved in, you can start right away.

Sure, thanks, Graham. And what about the school for Ora?

Oh, right. She’ll be fine to start tomorrow. They’ll get her to do some paper work, not as much as yours. He chuckled, trying to find some cheer with us. I time of silence passed, and it was clear, Patrick was tired. Please eat, it’s my favourite, caught it myself; rabbit stew. He scooped out two spoonfuls of odd looking food, all chucks of something, and oddly; it smelt delicious.

Once dinner was over, Graham showed us to our rooms. I was to bunk at the back of the house, surprisingly in the largest of the rooms; I even had my own shower, which I was grateful for. And of course, this happened to be my mum’s old room. So Graham said, he didn’t like the upstairs much, his room was downstairs. Being a pain in his rear end to keep waddling up and down stairs and why bother going up there less it was to find an animal he could sell. Patrick was given the room three doors down from me, since his job would require him to be up at four every morning; Graham didn’t what his alarm disturbing me. I couldn’t get over the size of this place. It was huge and homey with a lot of clutter and cramping of all the taxidermy creatures. I’d not though much about stuffed animals, or even the fact that these things were either road kill or hunted. Thanking him silently that they were not in this room anymore, it was clear that he’d spent a time taking them out. Not a hair, or a dust shaped critter was in here.

I showered and brushed through my streaked black and blond locks. The grunge look I was aiming for was still as effective as when I first had my blond hair dyed. It made my crystal blue eyes intense. I was not one of the obsessed gothic people, the emos or the meth heads, but I did like black because it matched my mood. It was practically my whole wardrobe. Except for my light sweats that I wore to bed, they were grey.

I turned out the light, and climbed into my new double bed. I had never slept in anything but a single; it was strange to have all this extra room. The moon light filled the room and slowly my eyes wandered around the shadows and shapes. I looked to the side table. A digital clock showed ten, and beside it was photo frame of my mother; Maurine Roland. At first glance, it looked like me…before I coloured my hair. She had my blond hair and blue eyes, my smile, and my slim body. This was taken the same age I was, just before she ran away. I knew she would hate that I had become a rebellious teen. I made Patrick’s life hell and stuffed up my education. Everything was fine until she died. She’d been caught in a car crash, on her way back from one of her endless check ups. She’d been diagnosed with overran cancer three months prior and her treatment was soon to start when that truck came out of nowhere. Running her off the road and pinning her between it and a tree. It was clear that God wanted her in heaven, not cured.

At the hospital where she was dying, she got to say goodbye to us. It was surreal, and dream like when ever I remember that night. It was raining all day. And yet I didn’t feel the wet. Or the cold that everyone else kept telling me about. You must be chilled to the bone, child. That’s what they echoed endlessly. And yet, all I saw and felt was mum. Her slow breaths as she fought to say her peace. Her loving eyes, her sad smile, her last breath was with me and dad both beside her, and yet, all anyone cared about was how wet I was. I hated that I promised to be good, and to look after Patrick for her. I had let her down, and I didn’t know how to make it right. To be good. To do the right thing. Nothing was right since she died. I wasn’t sleeping well, my dreams were restless, my apatite was too small, and my grades were none existent. School here was bound to be a hell, at least at my other school, I had friends; there were over five hundred kids just to my junior year, but here; I’d be lucky if there was one hundred. Moving to Eagle Springs was going to be a real test; as soon as I can, I will leave. Just like my mother did; just without the secret pregnancy.

Chapter 2

Stared at

I woke early, dressing in my usual black jeans, t-shirt and black and checked flannel; I made my way to the kitchen. I had to give it to the old guy. He lived here by himself, yet he had bought four different types of cereal. He must have been looking forward to us coming, even if we spoke little since arriving. I just figured I’d stay out of his way; he would stay out of mine. I chose the first box of crunchy oats, and saw that Patrick was already outside unloading the truck. Graham giving him orders, other voices drifted to me. I stepped to the porch, eating my cereal without looking like I was spying on the action… and the new faces that I was able to glance too. Athletic and well toned teens were all helping Patrick. The teens looked like brothers and they varied in age. At a guess, 17 to twenty two.

Oh, good you’re up, said Patrick spotting me at the side. This here is Carl; he is in your year. He will show the way to school. The teen he pointed to, was taller and slimmer; he had a sweet face, boyish to gaze upon with long black hair and warm brown eyes. I nodded and returned to the kitchen without a word said.

Great. Another hell to suffer; my own escort.

So, how you like, Eagle Springs, asked Carl as I walked beside him. I shouldered my duffle bag and nodded.

It’s so’k. I managed. Liar! It was a nightmare, it was colder here, and it was cloudy and looked like rain or was that snow about to fall. Great. More gloom to this place. I was always a mood lower than ice, but to live with it around me was just wrong. How dare the planet share in my gloomy life style.

I can show you to all your classes if you like, his eyes glowed with hope. His warm smile was inviting—oh, not another one. I wasn’t in to dating, and after what I’d been through this year. It was a wonder I didn’t think about it, least with Kyle, my friend back home who was always up for a dare. More problems to add to my list of problems I didn’t want to share with anyone. I just didn’t see the point.

Should be okay, I said. Knowing my luck, I will probably find ten more escorts by the end of the day.

It’s no drama. Oh, and if you want; I can walk you back home.

I’m good. Seems easy enough path.

Yeah, he smiled shyly. Knowing I was brushing him off on helping was easier than I thought possible. And, a bit of guilt was there. He was cute. Least in that, I will grow up strong kind of-way. I just want today to end so I can listen to my music—really loudly.

Entering into the school grounds, I noticed other fellow students drove cars, some walked, and even a yellow bus was pulled up with a group piling out.

So, the office is that way… and if you need me, I’ll be in one of your class’s, said Carl, not as hopeful.

Thanks. I made my way to the office. Greeting a woman with square glasses had her smiling twice as wide when I said my name. Pandora Roland, I answered her.

Oh, yes, Graham’s granddaughter. Well aren’t you a sweet thing. Her nasalized voice wasn’t welcoming. She handed me some papers, pointed out the building that my classes were held, and I sucked in deep breaths. I’m the big girl.

And I headed to my first class: English.

Everyone was throwing stuff and laughing. I told the teacher who I was, sitting towards the back. It was easy, or at least I thought it would be. A surprise to me, the class was pretty much in a confusion and no order at all. Did they even want to learn? Did I want to learn? Well, I did want to do things better… Hmm… I should be more focused.

It was here, amongst the other students laughing and throwing paper airplanes; I noticed someone watching me. He was sitting at the back of the class, on his desk with the chair as his foot stool. His elbows pressed on his knees, his face was perfect. And when I say perfect. It was perfection sculpted from the damn gods. Movie star Hollywood, eat your heart out… perfection. It was almond shape, a squared jaw line, chiselled features, toned with a deep brow. His blue eyes, hidden in shadow by his dark locks that hung wildly around his neck; his eyes locked with mine. And I swear in that moment… something glowed in his eyes. I mean. Not golden. Or red. No. Glowing blue. Just a spark. A flash. It seemed to last a moment, or a flicker… or whatever.

I turned around and tried to ignore the whole thing. Seriously. I must have walked into a spider web or something on my way here, because people’s eyes do not glow. And cute boys with intense staring skills can not possibly be staring at me I