Breaking The Darkness (The Light and Dark Trilogy Book 1) Page 2

  My eyes widen and return back to hers.

  Oh no you don't.

  I give her a pleading look.

  Please don't leave me alone with the devil.

  Cole's brow furrows in confusion as he nods. They get up from the table, and Ashley sends a playful wink before walking away.

  Trace smirks and moves closer to me. Unaware of his motives, I slide further down the bench until I'm on the edge. He continues to move towards me and positions himself to where he's straddling the bench.

  His musky cologne surrounds me, making it hard to breathe. He takes his hand, slowly brings it up to my cheek and caresses it.

  I shudder unintentionally, as his smirk brightens.

  We stayed locked in that position for a few moments, looking into each other’s eyes.

  His eyes darken, as he leans in close enough that our lips are almost touching. His lips graze the side of my face and move back towards my ear.

  His playful tone vanishes when he whispers the words, "I know what you are."

  A cold sweat enters my brow, and the color drains from my face.

  He gives me a cold, calculating gaze before he gets up and leaves the room.

  Disappearing from the room, he leaves me in a state of shock.

  I know what you are.

  There's no possible way that he can know what I am.

  Nobody knows my secret except for my parents. They told me that I had to conceal myself so that I could protect others without them knowing my true form.

  It was for my safety and the safety of others to keep it hidden, and the fact that Trace is so easily figuring things out when we just met, scares the crap out of me.

  Drowning in my thoughts, I didn't realize that Ryan, Cole, and Ashley came back to the table. Cole takes one look around and notices his brother left, mumbles a goodbye then leaves to look for him.

  That's odd.

  "Dammit Hart! How did you manage to scare away the two sexiest boys in school?" Ashley's features sadden as her bottom lip puffs out.

  I shrug looking away from her.

  Ryan just rolls his eyes at her and begins munching on his pizza.

  "So there's a party on Friday night at one of the guys' house. You girls want to go?"

  The frown on Ashley's face turns right side up at the mention of a party. "Duh, you know I'm always down for a party!" Her gaze immediately switches to mine, and I sigh knowing what's coming next. "Don't even think about refusing to go Hartley, because you're going. Even if I have to drag your ass the whole way there."

  I hesitate for a moment then give in, "Okay, okay I'll go." Ashley smiles triumphantly at me.

  "Don't worry Hart, I'll make sure nothing happens to my two best ladies while we're there." Ryan winks at me, and I roll my eyes.

  "Oh please, you won't be paying any attention to us, you'll be too busy getting into some girl's pants."

  His smile broadens, "Aw, don't worry Ash, I promise I'll be on my best behavior. Scout’s honor!" He takes his hand and salutes her.

  When the bell rings, we head off to our separate classes. I don't see Trace or Cole the rest of the day, which only lifts my curiosity.

  The day draws to a close, and I leave the last class of the day, heading towards my locker.

  When I reach my locker, a cold breeze sends a chill through me.

  I turn around quickly, but only see students leaving and grabbing their belongings.

  Shaking my head, I turn back around, grab my things and walk out of the school.

  Chapter Four

  I watched her walk towards her car and laughed at her apparent foolishness.

  She thinks she can outrun me. That after three years I would give up.

  She's wrong.

  She will be ruined.

  She'll become my slave.

  She'll be my greatest weapon.

  I killed everyone that cared for her, and protected her.

  This will be no different.

  She will be completely alone with no one to shield her from the fiery depths of Hell.

  I will break her until she has no choice but to turn to the dark side.

  Her parents were stupid enough to defy me and lost their puny little lives because of it. I still remember that day as if it were yesterday.

  Three Years Ago:

  "Is it time boss? I'm itching to cause some damage!" One of my demons looked at me with wide eyes full of excitement and a hidden sense of pleasure at seeing others' pain.

  "Not yet, young one. The time will come." Shaking my head in disgust at how Alexandria was able to convince her husband to go into hiding. It's foolish really, that after all of this time she thinks I would forget what is supposed to be mine.

  We watched as their perfect little family sat around the table for dinner. They were all smiling without a care in the world and no realization of the tragic scene that will occur. I chuckled to myself as I think about taking the life from those pesky little humans. They thought they could love her, protect her, and treat her as if she was normal, but in the end she is only a weapon that will be used for mass destruction.

  The girl excused herself from the table and headed upstairs.

  A small evil smile appeared on my face, "its show time."

  That was by far my best memory. Watching as I instilled the fear in their eyes, and took the last remaining breaths away from them. Taking their lives made me stronger and more hungry for power.

  Although the girl was able to escape, she is still no match for me.

  It will be like taking candy from a baby.

  No one, and I mean no one, will beat me.

  She will fail.

  Her light will fade out.

  And darkness will prevail.

  Chapter Five

  When I reach my house, I see my aunt sitting at the table, sorting through the mail.

  "Hey kiddo, how was your first day?" she asks.

  "It was okay. We had some new kids that Ashley drooled over all day. Other than that, it was just as boring as always." I said, grabbing an apple and taking a seat next to her.

  She arched her eyebrow, "New kids, huh?"

  I sigh and take a bite of my apple, "Yeah, there was a fire at the school down the road, so they had to close it down. The students are supposed to go to our school now for the rest of the year."

  Her brows furrow in confusion. "That's a bit odd. Do you remember what I told you when we first moved here?"

  I scratch my head and think.

  "I know this is hard for you but I need you to listen very carefully. Moving to a new town can be scary. You meet new people, go to a new school, and possibly make new friends." She put a hand on my shoulder, "But, I need you to be careful. Don't trust easily. With your past, you never know what is out there looking for you, and I don't want to lose my niece." Tears fell from her eyes as she engulfed me in a tight hug.

  "You said to be careful, and to not trust easily." She nodded, a smile brimming her features.

  She sighed and ran a hand through her black hair. "There are some things that you don't know. There are some things we've kept hidden from you until the right time. There are people looking for you. While you already know this, there are good people looking for you. People who want to take care of you."

  My eyes widen, "What are you..."

  Her blue eyes gloss over, "Please, listen to me for a minute. I won't always be here. As much as I want to take you away and protect you from all evil, I can't. I'm not strong enough, and I'm getting weaker with each passing day. I want you to continue to be cautious, but if the moment comes and I'm not around, or your life is in danger, trust the unimaginative. Don't think. Act. There will be people coming for you that want to help, trust them. Let them help."

  "Why? Why should I trust these people so easily? They could tell me to trust them, and then in the next second, they hand me over to my death."

  My eyes harden, "What are you not telling me? What did they not tell me?"

  Her eyes wid
en and she shakes her head, "Just leave it be for now."

  I sit in silence for a couple of moments thinking about what she just said.

  I'm getting weaker.

  Trust the unimaginable.

  "You alright?" My aunt snapped me from my thoughts.

  I nod, get up and throw my apple away, losing my appetite. "Yeah, I'm going to change and then go for a run."

  "Okay, well be careful. I won't be here when you get back, I have to do the graveyard shift tonight."

  I sigh, "Alright." I turn and take my things upstairs. "Oh, and Hartley?" I come to a halt and turn back around.

  My aunt gets up and walks over to me handing me a small envelope, "Your parents gave this to me in case anything were to ever happen to them. Since your birthday is in a few days, I figured it would be best to give it to you now. You can read it whenever you would like, but if I were you, I would wait until your birthday."

  With that she turns around and heads back to the table.

  Looking at the small envelope in my hands, a stab of pain rips through my gut at the thought of my parents.

  With my entire body shaking, I turn for the stairs once again and head to my room. I put the small envelope on my nightstand.

  Tearing my gaze away from it, I change, grab my iPod, and head back downstairs.

  Looking around, I notice my aunt has already left the room, leaving the silence to cascade around me.

  Walking to the back door, I open it and begin my descent into the dark forest. A memory once forgotten enters into my thoughts as I run.

  "Mom? Are you afraid of anything?" I asked as I sat at the bar watching her make cookies.

  She stopped stirring the batter and looked at me with curious eyes. "Everyone is afraid of something. Why do you ask?"

  I look at my folded hands, my grip tightening.

  "Lately, I've felt someone has been watching me. I'm afraid of what lies beneath the darkness, Mom." I looked back up only to see tears have fallen from her cheeks.

  "Mom, what's wrong?"

  She shook her head, and wiped her tears away. "Nothing, sweetheart."

  If only I had known then why she looked so afraid.

  She knew something was coming.

  She knew something was coming for me, and she knew that her and my father would lose their lives in the process.

  A small tear escapes my eye as I stop when I get to my destination.

  Ever since my parents died, I have found ways to make myself stronger. I've taken self-defense lessons, and spent many long hours in the gym. I would lift weights, box, and run to keep myself in shape and ready for anything that gets thrown my way.

  When my parents passed away, I was weak and pathetic.

  Now, I'm stronger.

  When I was taking self-defense classes, I would train harder and work harder than anyone else. One of my defense teachers took pity on me and told me that if I ever needed anything to just ask. So one day I got the bright idea to have my own area where I could train in peace without anyone knowing. I asked if I could borrow some equipment, and he obliged.

  He was able to set up a punching bag in the forest, and he gave me some gloves.

  Wiping the tears from my face, I bend over and did some stretching so I can get my body to loosen up.

  Once I'm ready, I pull on my gloves, turn my music up, and start pounding on the bag.

  One minute I'm staring at the bag, the next I'm back in another memory.

  Blood scattered the walls.

  Punch.

  My father's face heavily ingrained into my mind, as his body was twisted into an awkward position, eyes remaining open as he passed.

  Punch.

  My mother's worried and fearful gaze as she took her last breath.

  Punch.

  My vision gets blurry as the memories continue haunting me.

  Red glowing eyes stared at me with malice.

  Punch.

  Razor sharp claws burned my skin.

  Punch.

  Losing control, I take off my gloves and face the nearest tree.

  My hands are shaking with excitement as I lift them up and push every ounce of my magic with force into the tree. I watch as it burns up in flames and then falls to the ground covered in black soot and smoke.

  Taking a deep breath, memories surround me. But this time they are happy memories.

  My mother reading me bedtime stories.

  My father and I curled up on the couch watching Disney movies.

  A small smile emerges as I lift my hands once more, closing my eyes. My fingers tingle with excitement as the magic flows easily from my body. I open my eyes and watch as my hands bring the tree slowly back to life.

  I start at the bottom and lift the tree back to it's original position.

  Then I work on bringing the trunk and the branches back to their natural brown color. Leaves start forming back on the branches and it eventually looks exactly as how it was before.

  Looking at the tree I brought back to life gives me a sense of relief knowing I am not fully made of darkness.

  Lost in my own thoughts, I didn't realize someone had joined me in the forest.

  A hand clamped on my shoulder, catching me off guard.

  I grab the stranger's arm bring it over my chest and put all of my strength into flipping them over.

  When I have them down, I put my foot on their chest and raise my gaze to theirs.

  My eyes widen as I look into the dangerous blue depths.

  Hell has literally just frozen over.

  Chapter Six

  Lifting my foot from his chest, I slowly back away and watch him with caution.

  "What the hell are you doing here?" I ask as Trace slowly picks himself up off the ground.

  Groaning, he puts his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

  "Damn sweetheart, you're a lot stronger than I thought you were." Wiping his hands on his jeans he lifts his intimidating gaze back to mine.

  "Can we get back to the point of why you're here?" I say, crossing my arms over my chest.

  "I'm here because you need to come to my house tomorrow night."

  "And why would I do that?"

  "Because you want answers," pointing to his head he continues, "and I have them."

  I narrow my eyes at him. "What could you know that I don't already?"

  He rolls his eyes, "Why do you have to be so damn difficult?"

  "Because I don't trust you, or your brother." I say, turning away from him and gathering my stuff up once more.

  "That's funny because we are the only ones you can trust." He says cryptically from behind me.

  Groaning in frustration, I raise my hand to my face, to wipe away any remaining sweat from my eyes. "Why can't you just tell me what I need to know here?"

  He looks down at the ground and grabs the back of his neck, contemplating on what to tell me.

  "This isn't the right place to answer. Beyond the trees there's probably someone listening. They might hear something they shouldn't."

  I look around the forest to see if there might be any truth to his statement, but I honestly don't think anyone comes into this forest.

  Well, except for us.

  Narrowing my eyes, "How did you find me?"

  His crystal blue eyes widen, taken off guard. "What?"

  I walk closer to him, crossing my arms over my chest. "You heard me."

  His eyes harden, as he takes an intimidating step towards me, chests almost touching and shoves a small piece of paper into my hands. He continues to glare at me, "You have the address. Come or you'll be sorry." With one last glare, he turns around and leaves.

  Dropping my stuff, I run to catch up to him. Grabbing his arm, I spin him around to face me.

  Those blue eyes grow colder as we stare at each other with a heated passion.

  "What the Hell is your problem?" I grit out, becoming so infuriated with his cold demeanor.

  "You're my problem!" Stunned into silence I take a few steps aw
ay from him.

  "What did I ever do to you?" I try to keep my voice strong and firm, but it comes out as a shaky whisper.

  Taking a deep breath, he steps towards me until we are chest to chest. He slowly raises his hand to my cheek, keeping his gaze locked on mine. "I can't tell you yet. I promise that very soon you will know all of the answers to your questions. As for me, I have my own problems to deal with. Just focus on yourself. Stay strong, and stay guarded." He gives me one last lingering look before he turns around and leaves. But this time, I don't stop him.

  Confused, I head back towards my training area. Grabbing my stuff, I make the long journey back to my house. While I'm slowly walking through the forest, I take my time to admire how beautiful it is.

  This place is always so peaceful; it makes me feel safe and at ease.

  The trees are tall with leaves falling slowly to the ground. Rabbits and squirrels are chasing each other throughout the forest, and birds are chirping away from somewhere in the trees.

  This place is my escape from the dark and cruel world that is my life. Every time I come here I feel like my parents are watching over me, still trying to keep me safe from the dangers that lie within.

  Once I get back to my house, I go upstairs to take a shower. I turn the water on and then strip my clothes before drenching myself in scalding hot beads. The water eases the muscles in my back, letting my worries fade away.

  Once I get out, I quickly get dressed as I hear the doorbell ring. Running downstairs I quickly reach for the door and look through the peephole seeing nothing. I cautiously creek it open and poke my head out before fully going outside. When I realize there is no one here, I turn back and close the door.

  Before I can close the door I see a small package out of the corner of my eye. I slowly bend down to pick it up and notice it's addressed to me. I shut the door and carry the package inside to open it. I pull the tape off the package and slowly open the flaps.

  But when my eyes locked on what was inside, my hands froze and my blood ran cold.

  Chapter Seven

  No.

  This is not happening.

  My throat closes up, and heart constricts.

  I can't breathe; I can't think.