Presenting (The Presenting Saga Book 1)

By Diana Petkovic

To Kaylee Ward, the ticking of a clock was the cruelest sound in the world. Her time with Will was passing too quickly, and the answer to whether she was the next Presenter, was taking forever to come.
As crazy as the idea was, what the Gregorys believed had to be true. Kaylee had to be the next mortal to present powers and make the transition to immortality. The alternative was unthinkable. If Kaylee stayed mortal, the new world she’d discovered would be taken from her memory, and she’d never be anything to Will but something weak he once had to protect.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Diana Petkovic
• Release date: Aug 8, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463294871

Diana Petkovic

Diana Petkovic is a Canadian writer from Toronto, Ontario. A self described 'fangirl', Petkovic writes what she enjoys most, YA paranormal fiction. Of her chosen genre she says: "We get reality every day. The only way we get to 'live' experiences that we don't get by walking out the front door is through books, movies and media. This is the stuff great dreams are made of."

Book preview

The Presenting Saga

Presenting

Diana Petkovic

Copyright © 2013 Diana Petkovic

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-4632948-7-1

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my mother and father for giving me a broader vision of the world, my sister for her humor and undying support, and my niece and nephew for inspiring me to dream.

CONTENTS

1. Shadow in the Sky

2. Private Property

3. The New Neighbors

4. Fragile

5. The Good and the Bad

6. First Lessons

7. The Past

8. Darkness and Light

9. Essence

10. Rides

11. Secret in the Studio

12. The Other Side of the Past

13. News from Outside

14. The Serum

15. Unprotected

16. Gregory House

17. Family Time

18. Thunder

19. In the Dark

20. Henri Descharmes

21. Waking

Chapter 1

Shadow in the sky

No one will ever convince me that time is constant. They can fill a million books, with a thousand formulas each, and I’ll still say the same thing. Time is the cruelest, most erratic thing people have to live with. Good things always pass too quickly, and the hard things, they always linger. I don’t know how many eternities I’ve lived in my seventeen years, but this was definitely one of them. The drone of the bus, and how quickly the scenery changed outside were a deception. This was the same trip I took every summer, and I don’t remember it ever taking this long. It was as if someone had added extra miles to the road, and that wasn’t good. Too many miles meant too many hours to wonder why I couldn’t shake the dread that I woke up with this morning.

Poor Hanna; she seemed like such a nice lady. I’d bet she was regretting her choice in seats today. For three hours she’d put up with my foot tapping, and the way my eyes drifted off toward the window when she tried to make conversation. Once she even asked me if I was alright. Boy, talk about tough questions.

Yes, I’m fine, I told her, just anxious to get there.

It wasn’t really a lie. Hanna glanced sideways at the twisted necklace in my fingers, but she didn’t ask again. It wouldn’t have done her any good anyway. I’m not sure I could explain the tug of war pulling at the knots in my stomach. The worst part was, that how I was feeling didn’t make sense. Today was supposed to be great. I mean, I was getting what I wanted, wasn’t I? This was the escape I’d been waiting for; so why did it feel less like I was running somewhere, and more like I was falling?

Hanna didn’t need to hear any of that, and I knew it wouldn’t help me to say it. The only tiny relief I could find was in taking a deep breath, and leaning my head against the cool of the window. I did both again for about the fiftieth time, and looked outside. Oh! Finally, trees were starting to appear along the highway. It wouldn’t be long now. Once I got off the bus things would start to feel normal again, even if they weren’t.

Over the trees, the sky was clear and blue. My family was up there somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean. By this time next week Dad would be working long days in his new office, and if I knew my mother, all the crates she shipped would be unpacked. I wondered if my brother and sister would like Spain. Would I have? Cobblestone streets and ornate old buildings did sound beautiful, but then moving anywhere always started the same awful way; the staring, the whispering, the trying to disappear until I found at least one decent person to hang around with. No thanks. If I had to change high schools in my last year this was the best way to do it. My cousin’s friends knew me. For once I didn’t have to start over in a crowd completely full of strangers.

The creak of the breaks cut through my daydream, and my heart skipped a beat as I realized we were pulling up to the corner stop. No one stood but me, though Hanna took a curious look at the small, building-less platform that was Jackson’s Point’s bus station. Next to the driver, I was probably the only person on board who knew where we were. I liked that. With a bit of a guilty smile I said good-bye to Hanna, and hoped that she didn’t mistake my silence for being rude. Maybe she could enjoy the rest of her trip now.

The bus doors opened to the familiar smell of fresh water and trees. A wave of it hit me as I stepped on the stairs, and I had to stop and take it in for a moment. That first breath was always the best. It had a way of making me calm, and excited at the same time. Finally, the knots in my stomach were starting to ease.

AAAAAAA! There you are!

The squeal made faces appear in the bus windows. Hanna probably didn’t guess that the person waving frantically as she ran up the sidewalk, was my aunt. She may have thought it was a cousin, but only because my aunt just didn’t look old enough to have two kids in college. Otherwise it would be hard to miss the family resemblance. Constance Reese’s dark brown hair was just like mine, although it wasn’t as long. We had the same brown eyes too; though I thought mine were too big, while hers were warm and pretty. She was a bit taller than my five foot five, but only by a couple of inches, and we both had the same pink skin, as she called it. That just meant we needed a lot of sunscreen.

Hi Aunt Connie, I said as she pulled me into a tight hug.

Let me look at you, she said stepping back, and holding me by my shoulders.

My aunt’s smile always lit up her whole face. I loved that smile. It was one of the main reasons Jackson’s Point felt more like home than any other place I’d ever lived.

How are you? She asked. I mean … all of this change … and so suddenly … Are you alright?

For a second, I thought I saw her eyes tear up. Wow. Strange. My aunt was never the weepy type. A hint of a knot squirmed in my stomach again, but as I looked closer at Aunt Connie, her eyes were clear. Maybe all I saw was a trick of the light. Sunset did tend to make things gleam around here.

I’m fine Aunt Connie, I said. Coming here was my choice. This is exactly where I’m meant to be.

Her mouth dropped open. The special thing about my aunt was that she was kind of, well, unconventional. Unlike me, she loved things like horoscopes, myths, and old legends that you only hear in hushed voices. That’s why I thought she’d appreciate the meant to be line, but I didn’t expect to shock her. Ok, the woman was quirky, but that’s what made her great. I gave her another hug.

You know how much I love it here, I said. I’ve got a lot to think about this year, and I don’t know any better place to do that.

When I pulled back this time, I was sure I saw tears in her smile. What was wrong with her today?

I hope that the life you start here is very special, she said.

Come on Aunt Connie, I said, you’re looking at me like I’m going away. I just got here!

That seemed to snap her out of it. Her eyes were clear again as she shook her head, and pulled my suitcase to the car.

You’re right, she said, you’re here, and your stay is going to be fantastic.

I always have a great time with you, I replied.

You have a great time with Mark and Sandy you mean, she said. I’m so sorry they won’t be here this summer.

My cousin Sandy was travelling across Asia on a student rail pass, while her brother Mark had a summer internship at some law firm in Boston. That was probably the reason why Aunt Connie seemed a little sensitive. She’d never been without both of her kids for so long, and she had to be missing them. As for me, though I loved my cousins, secretly I was glad it would just be the two of us this year. Then again, with my aunt busy at work, it would probably be more like just me, and long sunny days spent however I want. That was exactly what I needed.

As we drove to the house, Aunt Connie chatted on about my stay and her restaurant, but I didn’t really hear much of what she said. It was late in the day, and the shadows of the trees and buildings were stretching down the road in front of us. Store lights were already glowing out onto the sidewalks, and the restaurant signs were lit up like welcome banners. As good as it was to be with my aunt again, this was really what I was waiting to see. Every city I’ve ever lived in was always big, busy, and constantly changing, but Jackson’s Point was like a place that time didn’t touch. With the streets so empty I could almost believe that the town fell asleep every fall when I went away, and was waiting for me to come back to wake up. Well, I was here.

By the time we turned down the forest road, the town had done its usual magic on me. The tension I’d been carrying all day was completely gone. Hanna should see me now. She’d probably be shocked that the girl who tapped her foot for three hours was sitting back calmly, and watching stars appear in the sky.

Whoa, what was that? I said.

Leaning forward against the dashboard, I looked up through the window. Whatever I just saw up there was gone.

What are you talking about honey? asked Aunt Connie.

Something fast just flew over those trees, I said, pointing. It was really big too.

A sudden pain shocked me as the arm I was holding up got knocked against the door. In front of us the road turned into trees as the car swerved right, and then into dirt as it swerved back to the left. Holding in a scream, I grabbed onto the seatbelt, and felt its pull as the tires ground against the pebbles underneath us. The breaks screeched one final time; then we stopped.

Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. My aunt kept repeating.

It took a few seconds to catch my breath and slow down my racing heart. When I turned to Aunt Connie she looked even worse than me.

Are you alright? I asked.

The knuckles were white on the hand that my aunt had clenched to the steering wheel. Her other hand rose and fell on her chest from her quick breaths. Her eyes were darting across the sky.

I’m so sorry, she said. I just took my eyes of the road for a moment. How could I be so stupid? I knew there was a curve there.

The curve leading away from town could still be seen through our back window. Looking at it, and then at my aunt, I decided to say nothing. There was no point in mentioning that we were already far past it when she’d driven us off the road. She was upset enough. Quietly I waited for her to settle down, and eventually the hand fell from her chest back onto the steering wheel.

Don’t worry Aunt Connie, I said. It could have happened to anyone. Anyway we’re both fine.

She nodded but instead of pulling back on to the road she turned to me.

Kaylee, what did you see up there? she asked.

My first answer was a blank stare. After almost getting wrapped around a tree I’d almost forgotten what took my Aunt’s eyes off the road in the first place.

Oh, I don’t know, I said, a shadow. It was gone before I could get a good look at it. I don’t think it was a bird. It was too big.

How big? asked Aunt Connie. What shape was it?

I shrugged.

It was kind of long, I said. You know, it was probably a remote controlled airplane or something. I saw a model in a store that was as big as me. The tourists may have brought one up.

My aunt looked up at the sky again. Her chest rose and fell one more time, and then she smiled.

Yes, of course, she said. That’s probably what it was.

We pulled back onto the road and Aunt Connie started chatting again, but her voice was a little higher pitched than before. Her smile was a little brighter too; even too bright for her. Either she was still shaken by the accident we’d almost had or maybe my coming had her more worried than she wanted me to see. This wasn’t a good start, but then neither one of us ever had a summer like this before. In a way, we’d both been abandoned. Where I was different from my aunt was that I didn’t mind.

I put aside wondering about Aunt Connie as we turned down the driveway with the burnt wood sign that read Reese. Whatever adjusting we had to do would come. We were home now, and I always loved this part of the trip. Just twenty feet away from the road, the driveway curved, and the trees parted to a fantastic view. It always amazed me how a person could drive for miles up here and see nothing but forest. Then, if you took just one short turn, you’d find yourself at the shore of a huge lake. The thing was; if you didn’t know where to turn, you’d never know the water was there. It was like my aunt’s house sat beside some big secret that a person could only find by accident or if someone who knew about it told you. If it was up to me I don’t think I’d tell anyone.

Chapter 2

Private Property

Are you sure you don’t want to come into town? I can’t stand that it’s your first full day here and I’m leaving you alone.

The banister wasn’t as good an ally as my cousin Sandy would have been. Instead of rushing my aunt out the door with a list of a dozen plans it had for me, the big hunk of wood just stood there and let me do all the talking. Well, at least leaning on it might not make me look too eager.

I’ll be fine, I said. I still have a lot of settling in to do.

It was a believable excuse if my aunt didn’t think about it for too long. All I pulled out of my suitcase last night was the big t-shirt I slept in and my toothbrush. With the exception of what I was wearing, all my other things needed to be unpacked. Still, although everything I owned was in that suitcase and the trunk we’d sent ahead, I doubted the job of unloading it all would take more than a half hour.

Well don’t go swimming yet. The lake’s still cold, said Aunt Connie as she fumbled in her purse for her keys. And please don’t take the boat out by yourself. If you want to go out on the lake give one of Sandy or Mark’s friends a call. You’ve got their numbers, yes?

Yes, Sandy left me all of their phone numbers. They’re saved on my phone. Don’t worry, I know who to call if I get bored.

I didn’t really. My cousin’s friends were a bit of a blur. Like most of the kids around here they came and went with summer jobs. It was hard to keep track of who was local, and who was a visitor like me. Anyway, there was no way I was calling anyone today. Now that I was here I wanted at least a day to stop my mind from spinning, and think about nothing. There was only one place I could do that.

Well alright then; if you’re sure.

Aunt Connie hesitated in the doorway, but I pointed at the clock, and she spun and ran out.

Call me if you need anything.

The last words came as she sat in the car. I watched while she pulled out of the driveway, and disappeared down the street. Finally letting go of the breath I’d been holding, I reached into the hall closet. It wasn’t that I wanted to lie to my aunt but I wasn’t sure she’d understand how I felt. There was one thing I needed to do to really feel like I’d arrived. Pulling out my beach bag, I grabbed my newly made set of keys, and after locking the house, stepped out onto the worn grass path.

It was still early but the sun was already strong. Tilting my face up, I let the rays touch my cheeks, and listened to the lake lapping against the shore. What was it about that sound that always made me feel better? I gave the lake a smile but didn’t slow down. The tourists could have it today. The spot I was going was strictly a local secret.

It was strange climbing over the rocks, and stepping onto Miller’s Landing by myself. Normally this walk was made up of a whole group of us; joking, laughing, and carrying different things. We always had at least two coolers. It was my cousin Mark, and his buddies, who usually hauled those over. That was only fair, because they ate and drank most of the stuff inside them anyway. For a moment I wondered who I might run into before this day was over. It didn’t really matter. It was too early for anyone else to be out so, for a while at least, I was going to have the place to myself.

Before long I reached the top of the hill that I could see through my window at Aunt Connie’s. Down and straight ahead was the best view in the world; Miller’s Pond. The bright sunshine hit the pond below in a way that made the edges clear, and the middle look blue-green. I loved it when it looked like this. If coming to Jackson’s Point was like coming home, getting to the pond was like getting to my own room. This spot was the reason I’d come. If there was anyplace I could figure things out, it was here.

The shore of the three hundred foot round pond was a little higher than usual this year. That had to be because of the rainy spring. Great; rain and sun both meant warm water, perfect for swimming. Except for the fifteen foot deep center, the water was pretty shallow in most places. This morning it was going to be my own private pool.

Skipping down the hill much faster than I’d climbed up it, I headed straight for the spot where we always put down our towels. It was right beside the big tree that we’d hung a tire swing on. Right there …

Wait. Where was it? Walking past the tree, all the way into the water, I looked around. The tire swing was gone. Gone? That could only mean that someone took it down but why? Did something happen? Did someone get hurt? I tried to remember the things that Aunt Connie chatted about yesterday. Did she say anything about this? Ghah! Why did I sit there daydreaming instead of listening to her?

Maybe it wouldn’t have mattered to anyone else but, to me, the missing swing was like a dark cloud that had snuck in. The place I’d been waiting to get to for months was incomplete. Change! Changes were something I was used to, and though they weren’t always bad, this was the last place I wanted to find one. It was just wrong. Miller’s Pond didn’t belong to the rest of the world. Nothing here should ever change.

My feet felt heavy as I stepped out of the water. At least it was warm like I expected. After pulling the towel out of my beach bag, I shook it out and placed it on the ground. My plan this morning was to jump in for a swim first, and then flip through some magazines until I was ready for another dip. I didn’t feel like doing that now.

With the swing branch empty, my pond was broken and needed to be fixed. I just had no idea how to do that. It wasn’t like I had another tire to hang, and even if I could do it by myself; I still didn’t know why the old one was gone. Sitting on the towel, I pulled the phone out of my bag. My thumb flew over the controls as I scrolled the numbers looking for Sandy’s friends. It paused for a few seconds when Aunt Connie’s number at the restaurant came up. The easiest thing would be just to call her and ask what happened, but there were two problems with doing that. First, I didn’t want to bother her at work, and second, she might not want me swimming alone here anymore than in the lake. It would be better to put off all my questions until tonight so I went back to scrolling. If there was any way to do it, I’d get another swing up in that tree before the end of the week. For now I’d settle for finding the best people to call when the time came.

Names flew by on the little screen. There were a few possible swing hangers so far but I wanted to be sure I wasn’t forgetting anyone. By the time I’d reached the end of the list I started to hear a faint sound. What was that, a new kind of boat on the lake? Was it someone I knew? I couldn’t help feeling a little thrill. It would have been nice to have the pond to myself but maybe I’d get the answers to my questions sooner than I thought. I listened closer. The rumble was odd but also kind of familiar. There was a soft kind of thumping with it too. Even stranger than that, it seemed to be getting closer. The sound was so out of place that it took a moment for the familiar part to sink in … and then it did. The thrill I was feeling changed to something else. Was that a growl? My head snapped up. Yes, that was definitely a growl … and the sound of paws hitting the ground … very large paws! Nervously I scanned the trees, wondering where it was coming from. The answer came too quickly.

On the far, east side of the pond was a taller hill than the one I’d climbed to get here. That hill, and the trees on it, secluded this place from the rest of Miller’s Landing. That’s where I saw it. It was big, black, and very fast. At first I thought it was a bear but bears didn’t move like that. Then the bark carried over the pond, and sent a cold shiver down my spine. The sight only got worse as the animal got closer. I could see them clearly now, the bared teeth of the biggest Rottweiler I’d ever seen. The monster looked so wild and ferocious, a terrified scream built up in my throat, but somehow it just stayed there, choking me.

In a panic I looked around. There was no way of outrunning it. The closest safe place was the tree beside me, so I jumped up and climbed. As the dog came howling around the pond; I pushed myself out onto the swing branch. My whole body was shaking. To keep myself from falling I laid forward on the branch and wrapped my arms around it. Where did this beast come from, and how was I going to get away from it? I looked down regretfully at the phone I’d dropped in my hurry to get up here.

The dog came barking up to the tree so fast that I thought it was going to jump right in it. Expecting to be pulled down by a set of sharp fangs any minute, I closed my eyes and squeezed the branch tighter. Then … nothing. Silence. Slowly I lifted my head, and opened my eyes. The Rottie was sitting at the foot of the tree just looking up at me.

Shoo, I said shakily.

The dog whined and raised its paw a couple of times. Maybe it was out of surprise, but the strange move made me sit up. Dogs did that when they were asked for their paw. Huh! Ok so it wasn’t likely this miniature grizzly came tearing through the woods looking for a handshake, but at least it wasn’t growling anymore.

Shoo. Go away, I said a little more loudly.

The dog just