Twilight of the Abyss: Chapter Two
Chapter Two
Chapter Two
I decided that Florida was not where I wanted to spend more time then necessary. The loud buzzing of numerous small insects mixed in with the songs of over a thousand hyper early birds woke me in the morning. The high humidity caused my nightgown to stick to my skin and the bed beneath me was moist with sweat. I lay there, wondering if I even had the energy to move when the tantalizing aroma of bacon wafted up into my room. With a groan, I moved away from the bed and grabbed some clothes before heading into my bathroom.
I took a quick shower and dressed. I was grateful for my own bathroom since I loved my privacy.
Jasmine smiled when she saw me. She looked like some cozy little Suzy Homemaker in her pink frilly apron and flour smudged cheeks. Clive and Laurel sat at the table, food in front of them.
“You’re up early,” she said cheerfully. “We didn’t wake you, did we?”
“Not really,” I said. “Mother Nature’s hot flash did, but the bacon helped.” The second I sat down, she shoved a plate piled high with crisp bacon, hot pancakes and fluffy scrambled eggs in front of me.
“How’d you sleep,” Clive asked, scooping a large spoonful of strawberry preserves over his pancakes.
“All right,” I admitted around a mouthful of bacon. “The water’s a bit cold, though. My shower was luke warm at best.”
Clive nodded. “It is a rather old house. Hot water is on a first come, first serve basis. Or, you can wait the hour or so it takes for it to heat back up again,” he said. “I should have warned you. Sorry about that, Don - uh, Bella.”
“Clive and I have talked about getting a larger heater for the house,” Jasmine explained as she sat down. “I’m sure that with you living with us, he’ll get that fixed faster.”
Clive frowned at her, but Jasmine ignored him. He suddenly reached out and snatched a piece of bacon off her plate, causing her to giggle and playfully grab his hand. They had a small mock fight over the bacon, ending with them kissing each other. Laurel looked over at me and rolled her eyes. She was used to her parents still acting like newlyweds.
“Since today is our first full day as a family,” Clive said suddenly, “and it is Columbus Day, I thought we should all do something special together.”
My stomach dropped at his words. I had predicted this last night, but a part of me had hoped that I was wrong. I couldn’t picture what a ‘fun family day’ with Clive would be. Probably some picnic and walk in the park or other activity that only families in old 1950 sitcoms would do. If it was bowling, I’d be forced to jump out my bedroom window.
“We’re having a barbeque tonight,” he announced. “Nothing fancy. I did think about inviting the Storms over. They have son just about your age, Bella.”
“Oh, that would be nice,” Jasmine gushed. “Brent Storm is a nice young man. Very well liked in the community and such a bright boy.”
A nice young man? Bright boy? This Brent Storm became the very stereotype of a buck-toothed, cross-eyed, King of the Swamp hick complete with banjo and dirty overalls. Anyone that Suzy Homewrecker liked was not a person I wanted anything to do with.
Laurel grinned at me and leaned close. She said in a loud whisper, “Brent Storm is the football star of Spoons High. All the girls are in love with him. He’s so cute!”
“He’s too old for you,” Jasmine said. “He’s a senior and you’re only thirteen.”
Laurel pouted until her mom told her to finish her breakfast. Hearing her age was like a kick to the gut. It was a painful reminder of how long my father had lived with his new family. Clive left Pixie to be with Jasmine while she was pregnant with Laurel. He was there for her when she was born. He was there for her when she lost her baby teeth, sneaking into her room to put dollar bills under her pillow. He taught her how to ride a bike and probably put Band-Aids on her skinned knees. All those things he was never there for me to do. I wondered, briefly, if Clive or Jasmine was the kind of person to dip the feet of Barbie dolls into glitter paint to make it look like the Tooth Fairy had walked from the window to Laurel’s bed the way Pixie had done for me.
“I’ll be upstairs,” I said, pushing away from the table. “I still have some things to put away and I wanted to call some of my friends to let them know I made it here all right.”
I left them and their perfect little family scene as I ran up the stairs. I had lied about calling my friends. There was really no one in New York that I wanted to talk to now that Amber was dead. There was no one but mom who understood the sacrifice I was making. If that stupid doctor hadn’t suggested that I have a change of scenery, I wouldn’t even be here.
I couldn’t do this! I couldn’t sit down there and pretend to be happy while they rubbed their betrayal in my face! I couldn’t stand to watch Clive and Jasmine act like the perfect husband and wife, knowing that they had broken my mom’s heart.
“Don’t be like that, Princess,” a soft male voice said from by my shoulder. There was the sickly-sweet smell of flowers and a slight breeze, heralding the arrival.
I turned to see a small, fat man with nearly transparent dragonfly wings and dark purple robes. Around his neck was the royal crest of the Fairy.
“Who are you?”
“Dillion, royal advisor to the late King Tearlach and Queen Ula, your real parents. I have searched far and wide, high and low, to find you my Princess. When I felt your powers first activate, I knew that you would need me. I am so pleased to have found you.”
I stared at him. He was not what I would have thought a fairy to look like. His robes were stained and ripped, his hair was receding and he looked more like my adopted Uncle Mike then any picture of fairies I had ever seen. He gazed back at me with hopeful eyes, and I felt bad that I could not be the princess he wanted.
“I don’t think I’m going to be much good,” I admitted. “I ran. I left New York and came here. I couldn’t bear the thought of Morgause hurting Pixie. But, by doing that, I have ruined my chance to find Avery.”
“Do not say that, Princess,” Dillion said. “You made the right choice. This place is ripe with magic. You were drawn here for a reason.”
I thought about that. I had not even considered my father for years, and suddenly, I had a desire to live with him. What if I was drawn here by the power of my real people? Was Avery here and not in New York?
“Everything happens for a reason,” Dillion said. “You will do fine, Princess. You’ll see. Your sacrifice is not in vain.”
I nodded and sat down on the bed. Since I had said I was going to call my friends, I made some calls. I had no real desire to speak to them, but I had a feeling that Clive would do the ‘interested father’ thing and ask me about how things are going on in New York.
I called Shannon and Marie and we talked about how crazy it was that some quack doctor wanted me to get out of New York for my health. They listened as I told them all about the no hot water and how forced Jasmine’s happiness seemed. They sympathized when I told them about how Clive wants us to be a real family, despite the fact that he hasn’t talked to me since I was five.
After that, I called mom. She still had her phone off, or not charged. I left her a message on her cell and then called home to remind her to charge her phone. How was she going to survive without me? Her phone will never work if I’m not there to remind her to charge it.
When I went back downstairs, Laurel came bounding up to me with the grocery list. She was beaming, eager to spend time with the older sister she never knew.
We walked to town. Walked! It was at least three miles down the road and another mile that cut through the swampy forest. Laurel told me we had to be careful, that they still got the occasional rogue alligator out here.
“It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes I hear stories in school about this person or that person who saw an alligator. We definitely don’t go swimming in the woods.”
“That’s a little scary,” I said. “Has anyone ever gotten eaten?
Laurel shrugged. “I’ve heard stories, but who knows if they’re true. We’re pretty quiet around here. I think most of the stories are made up to make things interesting.”
“Fantastic.”
“You’re the most exciting thing that’s happened around here a long time. I bet you’ll become really popular. We don’t get a lot of people moving into Spoons.”
I didn’t tell her I didn’t plan on staying. Maybe stay as long as Christmas and then move back to New York. I doubted I could survive the middle of Hicksville for long.
In the town, people called out hello to Laurel every place we went. A few giggling girls walked over and she proudly introduced me as her sister. She was practically busting with pride, as if I were the greatest thing on the planet.
Maybe she wasn’t so bad after all.
“Hey, Laurel! Is this the famous stepsister we’ve heard about?” A boy came running up and my heart stopped. He was so handsome! He was at least my age with pale skin that shined under the hot sun and copper-red hair that flopped over his beautiful brown eyes. His red shirt was pulled tight over his muscular chest and those jeans were just sinful.
“Hey Brent,” Laurel gushed. “How are you?”
“Doing good. Just picking up some steaks for tonight,” he said, holding up a paper bag. So, this was Brent Storm, the ‘nice boy’ that Jasmine mentioned.
Yummy.
“Brent, this is my sister, Bella. She’s visiting from New York, but she might stay and live here,” Laurel said. “Bella, this is Brent Storm.”
“Pleasure,” Brent said, holding out his hand. It was warm and dry and perfect.
“The pleasure’s all mine,” I murmured.
“Hey, I’ll see you at school tomorrow,” Brent said. “I’d stay and chat more, but dad is really anxious to get these steaks on the grill. He has a new recipe that he wants to try.”
“’K, see you later,” Laurel said. She sighed as he ran off and I couldn’t blame her. That boy was perfection.
“Too bad he has a girlfriend,” Laurel commented. “Summer is the luckiest girl ever.”
“Yeah,” I breathed.
We finished our shopping, but my mind was still on Brent. The way his skin sparkled under the sun, the smell of his cologne, the way he smiled…I could endure the swampy life for him.
When we got back, Laurel stayed downstairs to help Clive with the grill while Jasmine made the side dishes. I wasn’t needed, so I went back up to see if I couldn’t find Dillion. Maybe if I spoke to someone who knew my mission, I would be better at it.
“Tell me about Prince Avery,” I said as Dillion fluttered around my head. “What is he like?”
“Oh, very handsome. Just the match for a princess as lovely as yourself,” Dillion said. “Like all elves, his skin shines in the sun with the power within. He is a warrior, strong and proud. He was captured by Morgause before the deaths of your parents, but it was your tearful pleas that saved his life. Morgause trapped the memory of Prince Avery in a human boy.”
“How will I recognize him?”
“Even as a human, he can’t contain all his power. Just look for someone who shines under the sun, and that person is an elf.”
My mind went straight to Brent Storm. Was he Avery? Had I found him already? I told Dillion all about Brent Storm.
“Yes! Yes, Princess, I do believe you are right! This boy, this Brent, must be the vessel for the prince. You must get close to him in order for him to remember.”
“Laurel said that he has a girlfriend,” I mentioned.
Dillion snorted. “That matters not. Surely, Morgause has placed his spies near the boy. You will recognize them by the symbols of Morgause. Trust your instincts, Princess and save the prince. The closer you get to your goal, the fiercer Morgause will become.”
“I will be ready,” I said.
Dinner was a loud affair with Clive and Jasmine telling me all about my new school. They acted as if I were always a member of their family, or like I wanted to be there. I was sure that I could bring Avery’s memories out of Brent before Christmas and then I could leave this place for good.
That night, I dreamed of the good prince and myself, dancing at a royal ball. Avery’s brown eyes never left mine and he smiled only for me. He whispered in my ear that he knew that he loved me the moment he saw me, that even being a human hadn’t changed how he felt. He pleaded with me to free him so that we could be together, forever.
“I promise,’ I said.
Words in chapter: 2330
Words total: 7412