Grey Eyes (Book One, The Forever Trilogy)

  Chapter 2

  Nathan

  My mind had shut down; becoming a jumbled mess of random thoughts and half memories, yet my training persisted.  I’d made this trip a hundred times in my year and a half in Pelion, my mother had seen to that, and my legs were now running, moving me through the unyielding black of the woods without my telling them to move. 

  It wasn’t until I reached the clearing that my brain reloaded, focusing long enough to give me control of my own body.  This clearing was my destination, where my mother would be waiting with a stopwatch and a frown.  It was never fast enough, no matter how fast I ran.

  I looked for her, not truly expecting to see her, but hoping just the same. Reality sunk in.  I broke down, crouching in the tall grass as images of my mother flashed in my head.  The pain was agonizing, as if my insides were on fire, my nerves being scorched by the flames, the smoke choking my lungs so that I couldn’t breathe.  I laid out in the grass, ignoring my mother’s screaming voice in my head, the voice telling me to keep going…

  Did I want to?  Did I deserve to?  I blocked out my mother’s voice—I blocked out the thoughts of her altogether.  She was dead because of me; because she was trying to protect me—me, who had hated her for It.  I closed my eyes and wished for the monster’s return.  That it would come to reunite me with her, with my dad…

  Suddenly, the insides of my eyelids became bright red and when I opened my eyes there was light against my face, disappearing for brief moments, but always finding it again.  It was a flashlight, its owner a bushy brown-haired boy no older than ten or eleven.

  “H-hello?  Are you okay?” he asked as he approached.  His eyes were scanning the woods behind me.  He had a first aid kit in his left hand and he sat it down beside me.

  “Who are you?” I asked.

   He smiled.  “Nathan.  Don’t worry, I’m a friend.  Can you walk?”

   I nodded.  The gentleness in his face told me that I could trust him.  Nathan helped me up to my feet and told me to follow him.  It was a short trip as the next bit of woods was shallow, a little wooden cabin being stationed in the very next field. 

   Nathan led me up through the side door and into a small kitchen, taking one more look into the shadowy woods before locking the door behind us.  The kitchen was homely; there was an old iron oven to my right, a wide square metal sink bolted into the opposite wall, and an icebox sitting in the middle of the room.  He paced nervously for a few moments and then stopped abruptly, turning to me and asking, “You wouldn’t have a phone would you?”

   I reached into the pocket of my sweats, pulled out the cell phone from the yellow envelope, and handed it to him.  He took it and smiled at me— his smile faded when it wasn’t returned.  Instead, I moved to the far wall, taking up a seat on the floor.  I closed my eyes and tried to calm myself.  It wasn't working.  I couldn't stop myself from trembling.  I kept hearing the screams, kept seeing that monster’s face...

   From the other side of the room, I could hear the sound of Nathan's fingers dialing a number on the cell phone.  I watched him.  Carefully.

   “It’s me, Nathan…It’s her phone…Her, grey eyes…I know you told me not to leave the cabin for any reason, but…well she was practically right outside the cabin….She looks okay, I guess…”

   He nodded a few more times and then held out the phone.  “My grandpa wants to speak to you.”

   I took the phone nervously from his hand and held it up to my face.  “H-hello?”

   “Anastasia, I need for you to stay where you are.  Can you do that?”

   “I t-think so.”

   “Good.  We are in the process of surveying the area for additional threats.  I’ll return to explain what’s happening as soon as I can.

  “Okay then.”

  “It is an honor to speak to you, despite the unfortunate circumstances surrounding our finally having words.  Allow me to speak to my grandson again.”

  I handed Nathan the phone and he nodded some more, looking slightly annoyed.  “Okay, I promise not to say anything until you get back.”  His voice dropped low. “She already looks spooked if you ask me.”  He rolled his eyes and then hung up the phone.

  “W-who are you p-people?” I asked him as soon as he turned around.

  “Sorry, grandpa said not to say anything,” he replied, turning his head.  “Scared I might spook you into running away.”

  “I won’t run away—I don’t have anywhere to run to.  Please...I just need to know what’s going on.”

  He started to say something but caught himself.  “I really shouldn’t.”

  “Please...I'm really scared.”

  Pity shone out from his blue eyes.  “Okay, well grandpa says we’re kinda like the Secret Service. We protect like, really important people.  We’re your guardians.”

  “Guardians?  Well you failed.”

  I knew that was harsh even before the hurt showed up on his face.  He was just a kid.  “I’m sorry.  It’s not your fault.  I just…”

  “They got my mom too,” he said turning his face from mine.  He wiped his eyes and then put his head down.  “It’s what they do, hurt people.  I hate ‘em all.”

  “Who are they?”

  He looked me square in the eye, unflinching.  “Not who, what…Vampires.”

  A few seconds passed before I was able to speak.  I searched his face, but found nothing to suggest that he was lying, or even kidding.  Still, my mind rejected the possibility of it.  It was absurd; vampires were the stuff of movies, bad Halloween specials…  My heart knew better.  It knew this boy’s pain was real, that our pain was the same.  The wildness in that monster’s voice rang in my ears.

  “Why are they after me?” I said, finally.

  “Because you’re a grey-eyed heir, that’s why.”

  I shook my head.  It was the same thing he’d called me when he’d spoken to his grandfather.  So what my eyes are grey?  “What does that mean?”

  A bit of the boy returned to his face.  “You’re practically royalty!”

  “Me?  Royalty?”  I pictured our beat up old furniture, the empty kitchen cabinets, how big a deal it was for us to finally have a phone and found myself laughing.  It surprised me.  How could I be laughing right now?  My mother was dead, yet I was suddenly at peace with it.  Suddenly relaxed.  Was it this boy?  It had to be, there was warmness in his disposition. 

  He smiled at my puzzled stare.  “You’re the prettiest one too.”

  Through my confusion, I managed a smile.  “You're sweet.  So what am I ruler of?”

  He waved me over to the icebox and I took a seat beside him.  He looked excited.  “I can show you.”

  “Oh, okay…”

  “Put your hand in mine.”  I did as he asked, my palm facing upwards.  He covered it with his other hand, whispering something I couldn’t hear.  When he uncovered it, a small flame burst into existence, taking the shape of a butterfly.  It flew up out of my hand and fluttered around my face.

  “Pick up your jaw,” Nathan laughed.  “You’re a witch!”