Modern Monsters Ch. 1&2

Chapter One
New Faces

“The people you meet today, you may see again, but no one really knows what’s going to happen in the next few moments. Anything can change your life in an instant.”
         — Words to the Wise

CLAIRYSSAH

THA-THUMP, THA-THUMP, THA-THUMP.

         Tha-thump, tha-thump.

         Tha-thump.

         Tha, thump

         Tha ... thump.

         Thump.

         There it was again! Where was it was coming from? I knew it was the beating of someone’s heart, yet I had no idea where it was. It seemed to resound in the entire room, to echo in my very head. It happened every night at precisely 12:20 AM, then I would be encased in silence once more until twenty-four hours later.

         For some reason, though I had slept in my parents' room when I was younger since I was scared of the beating heart, it only occurred in my room and I was the only one who could hear it. With only two rooms in the house my parents soon got tired of sharing their room so they forced me to sleep in here again. So for the last seventeen years I awoke to the thumping like clockwork if I was unfortunate enough to fall asleep before 12:30. I ceased to be afraid of it as well as stopped telling my parents about it since they always thought it was just the overactive imagination of a young child. So, all in all, I was convinced my room was haunted. What it was, though, was another of the many questions I wanted answers to. Was it the ghost of someone who died? I might never know.


BUZZ!

         With a groan, I opened my eyes and thwacked my alarm clock to make it shut up. I slowly got out of bed, went to my closet, gathered some random clothes, and went to the bathroom to take a shower. Once done with washing, I got out and did my hair. I plaited the dirty-blonde tresses in one long braid and gazed at the finished product, searching for any hairs that weren’t where they should be. That being done, I left the bathroom to head for the kitchen to eat my lonely breakfast for one. At the moment I was the only one home. Both my parents were at work, my Dad working graveyard at the local 24-hour Wal-mart and my Mom as the night custodian for a nearby office complex. Except for a few hours when I got home from school, I never saw them.

         After finishing my cereal, I glanced at the clock. It was 7:30; time to go. I gathered my things and headed out the back door. Meg, my golden retriever, whined a greeting as I passed her with a pat on her head. I was going to be late if I didn’t hurry. Breaking into a jog after I left my backyard, I hurried down the alley behind the swanky houses of the rich district. At the end of the back road, I caught the school bus just in time. Already it was nearly filled with students going to the high school, but it just didn’t really register in my mind any more seeing as how I dealt with it nearly every day.

         With a sigh, I sat in the only empty bench and watched the city flash by in the early morning light. Thoughts of homework and what I was going to do when I got home chased each other around my head as I waited for the half hour ride to get over. Finally, the school came into view. I pulled out of my thoughts with great effort and turned my attention to navigating the throng to the doors.

         Every day was the same. I got to school, listened to teachers telling me things I might never use again, did work I’d forget in a couple of weeks, and was constantly reminded of the different social classes. It all got rather tiresome.
Upon entering the doors, I quickly headed for my locker, got my English books, and then went to the class and waited for the bell to ring.

         “Here again early, Clairyssah?” the voice of Mrs. Roberts asked.

         I glanced up from the book I’d been reading and smiled. Out of all eight teachers I had to see every day Mrs. Roberts was my favorite, and she knew it.

         “You know me,” I stated, getting to my feet and following her into the class.

         “Yes, I do.” Letting the door close, Mrs. Roberts headed for her desk, as did I. The next ten minutes became steadily louder as the rest of the thirty students slowly filed into the room. Finally, the bell rang.

         “Class, I have an announcement to make,” Mrs. Roberts said promptly after the pledge. “Starting today, Nicolas Greymen and Matthew Kelzby shall be joining our class. I expect each of you to treat them with respect and help them,” Mrs. Roberts continued into the excited murmurings of the classroom.

         Concentrating on my book after the pledge, I didn’t look up at the two new students. I was at a really good part and I didn’t want to put it down. But that was before their animated whispers, blaring like sirens, drew me out of my book.

         “Isn’t the black-haired one handsome?”

         “He’s such a looker!”

         “Dibs!”

         “You already have a boyfriend!”

         “So? I can always dump him.”

         “I don’t like the eyes of the brown-haired one. They creep me out.”

         “Think they’re related?”

         “No, they look too different.”

         With an inaudible sigh I shook my head as I peeked at the girls where they leaned together in a close knit group. Sometimes I wondered if I really was a girl. It was then the two new students really caught my attention. The first to draw my gaze was the black-haired one. His hair was cut short and framed his oval face. Dark brown eyes scanned the room with a bored expression. His lips were full and what every girl dreamed of in their future husband. Under the loose fitting t-shirt and miraculously un-baggy jeans, muscles rippled with every movement. He easily stood over six feet, towering over the teacher and the other new student. But his good looks barely registered in my mind. Something about him didn’t feel right. An aura of power emanated from him, yet not a power I liked very much. I was instantly wary of him.

         Compared to the handsome guy, the other was quite plain, though he did have a strangely punk rocker look about him. Maybe it was the long, light brown hair or the long-sleeved black shirt with Led Zeppelin written across the front and the baggy pants. I wasn't really sure. He probably rose only 5’8”, but he looked even shorter standing next to a 6’4” giant. Yet those things didn't catch my attention so much as his eyes. They were a stunning silver which attracted the light in the room.

         Mrs. Roberts cleared her throat and pointed the two new students to their desks before starting into the lesson. The rocker wannabe sat beside me on the left while the handsome one sat behind me making me acutely aware of how plain I was. Throughout the rest of the period I tried to ignore them, but it was growing infinitely more difficult with every moment. What with the rocker wannabe glancing over at me every few seconds, and the intense gaze of the other on the back of my head, it was extremely difficult to pay attention.

         Why do they keep staring at me? I wondered for the fifth time as I caught the eyes of the rocker looking in my direction once again.

         Finally, the hour ended. Without any more ado, I raced out of the classroom, ignoring the curses of my fellow students as I bumped them. I flew to my locker and did the combo in record time. I threw my English things on the bottom shelf and grabbed my Calculus textbook and binder and continued as fast as I could until I was safely in the classroom.

         There was something unnerving about those two. Why was I the only one to feel it? Was everyone else blinded by the beauty of the handsome guy to not actually feel the power hungry aura radiating off him? Was I the only one the rocker stared at?

         I waited with baited breath for the bell to ring. Finally, it did. I heaved a great sigh, my body sagging with relief. Neither had joined this class. I forced myself to concentrate as Mr. Nelson started into his lecture.

         As the end of class came, butterflies swarmed, fluttering in crazed dances within the pit of my stomach. I didn’t want to meet either them again. I hated the feeling of the power-crazed one and the continuous stares of the other. Sooner than I wanted it to come, the bell chimed.

         This time I was the last person out of the classroom. I walked as slow as I dared back to my locker for the third time that day and got my Government books. I followed the stream of people until it took me to my next period. Cutting across the students going the opposite way, I entered Mr. McCann’s room and sighed. Neither of them were in this class either. Hurrying to my seat, I took my book out again and started to read as I waited for the bell to ring and the teacher to start.

         Three minutes later I felt someone watching me. My head jerked up and I met the silver eyes of the rocker wannabe.

         “Class, today we have a new student joining us,” Mr. McCann wheezed. “This is Matthew Kelzby. I expect each of you to become friends with him and help him adjust to this school.”

         Mr. McCann showed Matthew to his seat — which was right next to me! — and waited for him to get settled before he began the lesson.

         I tried my hardest to pay attention, but Matthew kept staring at me, not even bothering to look at the teacher as he continued telling us about something-or-other I would never remember an hour from now. The end of class couldn’t come soon enough.

         Toward the middle of the hour Mr. McCann gave us work that required us to partner up. Everyone rushed to join their friends, leaving Matthew and I alone.

         “Ah, Clairyssah, thank you for volunteering to be Matthew’s partner, make sure you explain anything he doesn’t understand,” Mr. McCann said softly.

         I plastered a fake smile on my face and said, “Sure thing, Mr. McCann.” Keeping my smile as I turned to Matthew, it faltered when I met his gaze. I quickly dropped my face and fake grin and shoved my desk closer to his with my body tensed to run.

         “Do we have to do this together or can you do it by yourself?” I growled not looking up at him.

         I waited for his answer, but it remained silent for nearly a full minute. I looked up and met his eyes. He was still staring at me. I didn't even think he'd heard what I said. He blinked when our eyes made contact and a smile spread across his lips.

         “What?” I snapped in anger as he continued to say nothing. “Why do you keep staring at me? Am I really that interesting?”

         “Yes,” he finally replied, his grin stretching across his face.

         I leaned back from the sound of his voice, startled. I had expected something deep and hoarse, not something that made my head spin with its beauty.

         He waited for me to say something, yet all I could do was gape at him.

         “Now who’s staring?” he mocked, that irritating smile still leering at me. I wanted to take those lips and tear them off so he couldn’t grin at me like that, but then I took a closer look and saw something I hadn’t before. He was actually kind of cute, in an exotic way. With those gleaming silver eyes he appeared otherworldly; they seemed to show more intelligence than most guys had nowadays, they almost sparkled with it. A fake white diamond glimmered on his nose drawing my attention. Another in his right ear shimmered in the false white light of the classroom. Strands of hair covered his face which he slowly brushed away with his left hand as he watched me watching him with a clarity that scared me.

         Why was my heart beating so fast? Was it the fact he kept gazing deep into my eyes as if he knew I couldn’t look away no matter how uncomfortable I became?

         He blinked and the spell was broken. I found myself heaving a deep breath I didn’t know I’d been holding.

         “We’d better get crackin’ on our assignment,” he said taking his eyes off me for the first time.

         I blinked and looked stupidly at the paper and book in front of me. There were words already written on it. I watched in amazement as a fly flew in intricate circles and curves that left me dizzy. Words formed moments after the fly moved on, all of them a perfect copy of my cursive style of writing. The bug migrated to Matthew’s paper and began its dance once more, yet this time there were fewer circles and more straight lines as it imitated how the rocker wannabe wrote; it looked a lot like chicken scratch. When the fly came to the end of the paper, it landed on Matthew’s outstretched index finger before disappearing with a little puff of smoke.

         I drew a breath through my gaping mouth and slowly lifted my eyes to the rocker’s. A small smile played across his lips as the bell rang.

         “Put your desks back the way they were!” Mr. McCann yelled before anyone could hurry out of the room. There was the scurry of thirty-ish people hurrying to put their desks in the right places before they streamed out of the class. With one last grin, Matthew followed everyone out, leaving me staring after him.

         “Do you have question?” Mr. McCann asked, pulling me out of my bewilderment.

         “Huh? Oh, no. I’m fine, thanks,” I replied with another fake smile as I quickly got my things together and ran to my locker. How was I ever going to get through the rest of the day?

         I threw my Government books on the bottom shelf, snatched my Physics binder, and closed the locker with a snap. Then I once again followed the other students going the direction I needed and entered Physics with Matthew’s smiling face still playing across my mind’s eye. I seated myself at the back of the class in my assigned seat and waited for Ms. Kleever to start our lab.

         After telling us what we had to do in order for everything to go right, she sent us to the back of the room to do our lab. I followed my chattering cheerleader partner and waited for her to sit and point me to my place. But, just like every time we had lab, she practically summoned all the other cheerleaders and jocks to her table. There was a scurry to get stools and the things needed before everyone was seated around my partner, yet I wasn’t one of them. Everyday it was the same thing; Ms. Kleever would give us work to do with partners, but I was excluded just because I wasn’t popular. Then Stacie expected me to do all the work and let her copy it so she could get a good grade and stay in cheerleading. Then, since I’d given it to her, everyone who was her friend copied my work as well. I was so tired of it!

         The one time I'd failed to get it done she'd threatened to spread a rumor that I was in love with the star football quarterback and secretly wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. And it was all just because I’d been tired of all their copying the hard work I did every day.

         So, I got everything I needed and began the lab on my own, did the work on my own, and then gave my hard earned points away to the waiting hands of the chattering cheerleader to be devoured by her greedy eyes and the eyes of her "friends."

         As I was in the middle of a really good part in my book, the door opened. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked to see who’d come in. It was the perfectly heart-melting guy I didn’t like.

         “Sorry I’m late, Ms. Kleever, I had to go to the office and make a couple of changes to my schedule,” he said in his light tenor voice that matched his good looks. I heard a couple of love struck idiot girls sighing as he walked deeper into the room and made me feel as if I could hardly breathe as his aura sucked out all the good air.

         “It’s all right, Mr.?” Ms. Kleever began.

         “Nicolas Greymen,” he supplied.

         “Right. Just, next time, bring a note from the office.”

         Nicolas nodded before going into a quiet conversation with the teacher.

         I couldn’t concentrate on my book anymore, not with him in the room. I glanced at the clock; there was still twenty minutes before class ended. Everyone slowly got back to what they were doing while I kept a wary eye on Nicolas with quick glances stolen from my book.

         When fifteen minutes were left of class I felt the power-hungry aura drawing closer. I sensed more than saw Nicolas sitting on the stool across from me.

         “So, you’re the smart one in this class, huh?” he asked leaning toward me.

         I heard angry mutterings from the cheerleaders as they glared at me with envy. It almost made me smile inside, but not quite.

         “Well?” he nudged after a lengthy silence.

         Finally, I looked up and met his brown eyes. He smiled what I assumed would have made other girls forget everything and fall instantly in love with him. Everyone except me.

         “Did you say something?” I asked, pretending I had been absorbed in my book and hadn’t heard him.

         He looked at me as if he knew I was lying. “Yeah,” he finally said, “I was just wondering if you were the smartest person in this class.”

         “Why?” I questioned, feeling uneasy.

         “Just wanting to have a polite conversation with the prettiest girl in class,” he said with a sly smile.

         I blinked in surprise.

         He leaned closer, forcing the last thing I’d read out of my mind. “Can you tell me something?” he whispered.

         “What?” I asked, dazed.

         “What are you doing tomorrow night?”

         “Why do you want to know?”

         He stared deep into my sapphire blue eyes knowing that I knew he knew that he was drop-dead gorgeous. “I want someone to show me around town, show me all of the ... fun things to do here,” he replied in a soft voice as he tilted even closer.

         Something inside me shattered.

         I closed my book with a resounding snap, pushed my stool back, and turned my back on him to the amazement of everyone in class.

         “Do they know each other?” I heard someone mutter to another.

         It just made me all that more angry.

         Suddenly, I found myself swung around until I was facing Nicolas. Before I could say anything he placed his hand on my mouth. I shoved it angrily away.

         “What are you doing?” I yelled.

         He ignored my anger. “The first moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you were the girl for me,” he said loud enough for everyone to hear.

         “What?” I cried in horror. He was making a fool of me, yet he completely believed he was telling the truth.

         He pulled me closer and kissed me, hard, knocking the breath out of me. My vision became fuzzy; a ringing filled my ears and slowly began to grow louder. Darkness swirled in the corners of my eyes and then it completely covered them. The last thing I remembered was the voice of Nicolas whispering in my ear, “Finally, I have found you, Lumena, Controller of the Seven.” And then I fainted.

Chapter Two:
New Facts

“Take what you learn and use it. What you gain today might save your life the next.”
         — Words to the Wise

THA-THUMP, THA-THUMP, THA-THUMP.

         Tha-thump, tha-thump.

         Tha-thump.

         Tha, thump.

         Tha ... thump.

         Thump.

         “Clairyssah.”

         Tha-thump.

         “Run!”

         Tha-thump.

         “Hurry!”

         Tha-thump.

         “You’re in danger!”

         Tha-thump.

         “Don’t let him near you! Don’t let him kill you!”

         Tha-thump.

         “Find me Clairyssah! Look within yourself and find me!”

         Tha-thump.

         “Find me and save us all. Don’t let the world suffer; save her! Let the barrier die and free me; let me help you win this war! It’s the only way to save everyone!”

         Tha-thump.

         “Clairyssah! Find me! Let the barrier fall! Save Terra and become Lumena, become who you were born to be and save us all!”

         Tha-thump.

         “Become Lumena and free the world of Nekarro’s evil! Become one with me and allow me to help you free Terra of this ancient evil once and for all. You are the last of your kind, the last of the Ai’yume, the only one who can set me free and destroy Nekarro and purify the Magyck. Bond with me, join me, become one with me. Accept this gift I am pleading you to take. Take my life, let the barrier die, become Lumena. Save Terra, save Earth and her people, save everything. Just join with me and become who you are meant to be. Become Lumena, become the warrior Ai’yume you were born to be!”

         Thump.

         “Clairyssah! Please, I’m begging you! Seek me, search me, become who you were born to be! Please! Save everyone, purify the Magyck, become Lumena!!”

         And then everything went silent. I could see nothing, hear nothing, and feel nothing but the darkness crushing me. I wanted to escape, to find the light of the sun once again yet I didn’t know where to look. I curled into a fetal position as the sinister blackness pressed harder. Tears fell from my tightly closed eyes. I wanted to cry out to someone, anyone who could save me from this evil. I couldn’t remember anyone’s name, just my own, but it didn’t sound right to my own ears. Was my name really Clairyssah? It just didn’t sound right. I thought harder. I wanted to escape from this prison of darkness. I wanted to see the light once more.

         “Please, someone, anyone! Help me!” I sobbed.

         “Clairyssah,” a female’s voice whispered. “Clairyssah, say my name. Say my name and I will come to you. Just say my name.”

         “But I don’t know what it is!” I shouted, lifting my head against the hardening darkness.

         “Remember Clairyssah, remember who you were born to be. Say my name and I will come. Remember what I told you, remember what you must do.”

         “What? What must I do?”

         “Say my name. Remember your destiny. Think Clairyssah. Remember what you are born to become, remember! It is the only way to save yourself.”

         “What? What is it?” I asked, growing more confused by the second.

         “Become the warrior Ai’yume you are born to be. Promise me you will and I shall save you, but you must say my name even before you do that. Think hard!”

         I focused all my concentration on remembering the vague memory of what had happened, of the memory that was the only way to salvation. And then it clicked. I could finally recall the tha-thumping and the voice which sounded just like hers. At last, I knew who she was.

         “Lumena,” I whispered, feeling the power of her name swell in the air I exhaled. I felt her smile. And then the world became a dizzying mix of the color spectrum. They danced around me filling me with hope. They gathered into a large sphere in front of me, turning slowly to pure white. I straightened from my crouch and gazed into the ball of light. With a gasp I watched as it suddenly shot right toward me like a shooting star. When it made contact with my skin I fell to my knees as power surged through me. Fear pounded in my ears. I wanted to get away from all this power. It made me feel small and insignificant.

         “Clairyssah, relax. I won’t hurt you,” Lumena murmured inside my mind.

         “What’s happening? What’s going on?” I asked, panic filling my voice even though she said not to worry.

         “I can’t tell you here. First you must wake up, then I can answer your questions.”

         “But I am awake, right?” I asked, taking a good look around for the first time. I was sitting on my bed. Moonlight played across the carpet, illuminating the dirty floor.

         “No, you’re not awake. This is just where you feel the safest so your mind conjured this image for you to make you feel better.” As she spoke the picture shimmered, leaving me in total darkness.

         What’s going on? I wondered, Where am I?

         “Inside your consciousness,” Lumena replied.

         Wha —? How did she know what I was thinking?

         “I am a part of you, Clairyssah. I always have been. Ever since you were born I have watched over you. Remember all those nights you heard the beating heart?” She continued before I could say anything. “That was me trying to get your attention. I wished to speak with you, but I was never able to reach you until the Necromancer kissed you.”

         Necromancer? I thought in disbelief.

         “Yes.”

         It was too much. First, some crazy apparition of a woman who tells me all these weird things, and now Necromancers. I began to run, trying to escape her, but, of course I couldn’t since I was trapped within my own mind.

         “Relax Clairyssah,” Lumena sighed. “If you want to get out, then wake up. Just open your eyes and everything will be all right.”

         I stopped dead in my tracks, wondering if I could trust her.

         “Of course you can,” she said reproachfully. “I mean you no harm.”

         I felt the truth in her words and finally I did trust her, but only a little. I closed my eyes and willed myself to wake.


I OPENED MY EYES AND FOUND MYSELF in the nurse’s office, thoughts of Lumena still playing through my mind. I blinked in the bright overhead light, wishing it was off; it was starting to hurt my eyes. I moved my gaze to the digital clock on the wall. Lunch had started but the thought of food made me want to hurl.

         I thought back to what happened while I was unconscious and wondered why it occurred. And who was Nekarro? Lumena had just said he — or she — was someone I had to save the world from. But what did I need to save the world from?

         I sighed, turned my head toward the other wall, and tried to focus my gaze on the poster of all the muscles in the body. Something else caught my attention instead.

         Across the room in the bed, staring at me with his gray eyes, was Matthew. We stared at each other for a few moments before I was finally able to find my tongue.

         “What are you doing in here?” I asked.

         He smiled. “I have a headache,” he answered simply. “What are you in here for? Faint because you’ve never been kissed before?”

         My face turned scarlet. I looked away from him and focused my attention on the ceiling. When I was finally my normal color tone I turned back to him. “As a matter of fact, I did faint, but that’s only because I didn’t eat anything last night or this morning,” I lied as smoothly as I could. I wasn’t very practiced at the lying thing.

         Before he could say anything the nurse came in just as I finished my sentence.

         “That was a very irresponsible thing you did Miss Oaklyn. I thought you of all people would know better than to go without eating.” Mrs. Simthsen bustled into the room clutching a brown clipboard. Her graying hair was held in a long ponytail that ended in the middle of her back. Brown eyes, hidden behind thick glasses that clung to the tip of her beak-like nose, scanned the room. “Anyway, now that I know what happened, I think the best thing is for you to go to lunch ... if you feel up to it that is,” she continued as she checked my pulse.

         I nodded and sat up, trying to ignore Matthew as he watched me. I instantly felt dizzy. All I wanted was to lay back down and go back to sleep. But I couldn’t ruin my record of perfect attendance. Forcing the spinning of my head to the back of my mind I slowly rose to my feet.

         As I left the nurse’s office I heard her address Matthew. “Now Mr. Kelzby, when you’re better feel free to just get up and leave. I need to do some paperwork in the back and I don’t have time to babysit you,” she said her voice growing softer as I made slow progress toward the library. His answer was soon lost to the murmuring of everyone roaming the halls as lunch continued.

         I finally made it to the library five minutes later. Walking through the metal detector, I went to my favored round table at the back of the room which was hidden by a protruding wall of non-fiction books. The instant I got to the plastic chair I slumped forward with my head resting on my arms feeling as if I was coming down with something.

         “Are you all right Clairyssah?” the voice of Lumena inquired. Her words left a somewhat pleasant tingling sensation in my mind; it helped to sooth the headache beginning to form. “What’s bothering you?”

         “What do you think?” I muttered under my breath. “Everything that’s happened today, that’s what.”

         “Well, now’s a good time to ask some of those questions I told you I’d answer.”

         I had so many questions I wanted to ask I had no idea where to start. However, before I could choose one, Matthew walked around the corner and joined me uninvited.

         “Has your headache gone away?” I asked sarcastically, knowing he’d never even had one.

         He nodded. “So, what really happened?” he wondered as he scooted his chair in his elbow almost touching mine even though it was right against my side.

         “What’s it to you?” I snapped, growing tired of all the attention I was getting from the opposite gender.

         He leaned closer though he never touched me, and whispered, “Nicolas broke the barrier between you and Lumena, didn’t he?”

         My head jerked up at the mention of Lumena. “How do you know that name?” I demanded.

         “Everyone knows that name ... well, everyone in the Magyck community that is.”

         “What?” I wondered if all of his screws were still in the right places. But, then again, look who’s talking. I heard voices in my head!

         Matthew heaved a great sigh. “The Magyck community has been around for centuries, but no one that doesn’t have Magyck knows about it unless they learn by accident. If they are unfortunate enough to learn about Magyck, their memory of the time is erased by a Magyck user ranking 20 or higher,” he explained.

         “Wait, wait, wait. Are you saying there is a hidden community full of people with the ability to wave a wand and make something come out of hat?” My waving hands emphasized my unbelievable words.

         “Some actually do that, but only if they like to flaunt their powers.”

         “So, are you trying to tell me that everyone who summons a rabbit out of a hat is really a part of this ‘Magyck community’ and they’re only doing it to show off their powers?” It was becoming more and more apparent there was something wrong with his head.

         “Some of them, yes, but not all,” he replied.

         “He’s right,” Lumena whispered across my mind, making me shudder. “Ever since the Magyck community was first founded in the early 1200’s in England, the Magyck users have been putting all of their efforts into keeping the world safe from the reaching hands of the Mavelle. It is an ancient evil always trying to find ways to get within the hearts of men and seduce them to do wrong to fill Its needs.”

         “Mavelle?” I said aloud.

         Matthew nearly toppled out of his chair. “How do you know that name?” he asked in a strangled voice, clutching his heart.

         Right after Matthew stopped speaking Lumena nearly shouted, “Don’t say Its name aloud!”

         “Why not? You did,” I retorted, ignoring Matthew. He was staring at me as if I was crazy.

         “I only said It because I’m inside your head. If you say It out loud bad things can happen, like that for instance,” she replied, drawing my attention to the other side of the room.

         Sitting as if he owned the world, was Nicolas. Great, just what I needed. I had enough things to deal with already. When our eyes made contact he smiled evilly before getting to his feet and exiting the library. I glared after him. I was still angry about that unwanted kiss.

         “Clairyssah, where did you hear Its name?” Matthew said, drawing me out of my angered musings.

         I turned back to him not knowing what to say.

         “Just tell him the truth,” Lumena answered my unasked question.

         Yeah, and have him laugh at me for telling him someone’s talking to me inside my head? I don’t think so.

         “You have more important things to worry about than someone who’ll laugh at you. Time is growing short. You must master your Magyck as soon as possible. Matthew is the only one you can trust for something like this. You have no idea of what Nicolas is capable of doing. I do. When his lips touched yours I saw a bit of what goes on in that dark mind of his. So just trust Matthew. I know he’s a good person even without looking into his mind.”

         “What are you talking about?” I asked under my breath. I was growing irritated that I hardly understood what she telling me. I mean, she saw what was going on inside Nicolas’s head? How was that even possible?

         Before Lumena had a chance to reply Matthew spoke. “Are you all right? You keep gazing at the same spot on the wall and muttering to yourself.”

         I blinked and moved my eyes until they were on his.

         “Tell him,” the voice inside my head urged.

         “All right!” I snapped loud enough to make Matthew jump.

         “What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, completely confused now.

         “I’m telling Lumena that I will tell you about her being inside my head,” I said, not even sure if I still really believed it myself and wondering if I was finally going mad.

         “Lumena’s inside —?” he began.

         “That’s what I just said.”

         “But how is that possible?” he muttered to himself. “No one’s ever had her inside them before; they were only linked through the Magyck.”

         “Clairyssah, ask if you can touch him so I can answer his questions.”

         He slowly nodded after I did. I reached my hand out to him and placed it on his arm. We both froze.

         I could hear his thoughts! I could see his life playing before my eyes at a rate that was impossible to keep up with. All I saw was flashes of color and sound. It was rather disorientating. And then I was blanketed in a comforting darkness at the very center of Matthew’s mind.

         In front of me a fuzzy image of Matthew floated, yet there was something wrong with his body though I couldn’t say what. Next to me stood Lumena, standing in the glory of perfection that surpassed even Nicolas. Everything about her was white, even her hair and eyes. It made me forget the fuzzy picture of Matthew.

         “I am Lumena,” she said in her strikingly beautiful voice.

         “How —?” he asked, waving his hand in a gesture that took in both me and Lumena.

         “Clairyssah’s different from other people. I guess you could even say she isn’t human.”

         “What?” I nearly screeched, turning to look at her fully.

         She held up one of her pale hands. “Everything will be explained in time, just be patient.” She turned back to Matthew. “Anyway, what I mean is she is an Ai’yume and the last of her kind.”

         “She is?” Matthew said in surprise. “I thought all of them were killed in ancient times when people mistook them for vampires.”

         “They were, but that’s not the whole story. It wasn’t just vampire hunters that killed a great many of them, it was also the Black Death in the 1400’s that reduced them in numbers as well. Some thought it was their fault so many were dying, so a great number of the Ai’yume were killed in what the people thought was an attempt to save themselves. After that the few remaining died just because they had no contact with their own species.”

         “Then how is it possible for her to be here if all of them died?” Matthew asked.

         “It would seem some of the Ai’yume liked the company of humans so much they decided to marry them and have children. The offspring of these two species produced people of extreme beauty that could rival mine. They loved attention and flaunted their perfection for all to see. Yet, though many had human lovers, they found they were happy when they met other half Ai’yumes. In this way the genes of the Ai’yume have been passed down through the generations.”

         “So both my parents are half human?” I asked.

         “No. They aren’t even your parents.”


Next Chapter 3: Unwanted Information, and Chapter 4: Unwanted Intrusion