Chapter Two

We stayed at The Cafe for most of the afternoon. Jadyn and Jaylin took off shortly before dinner time. Nathan hung around till we were ready to leave. Miranda invited me over for dinner, telling me all about her grams.

"She is gonna love you!" Miranda said getting to her feet. "See you tonight Nathan" He went the opposite direction when we exited the coffee shop, waving a goodbye. Miranda gave me a brief tour of the town. Pointing out significant landmarks and old houses of the oldest and wisest people in town.

We came to another corner and began to cross the street. I glanced down the road, only seeing one house. It was big and old. Faded red bricks framed by cracked white pillars. Huge bay windows flanked a solid wood door, framed by smaller windows. I took a step towards it, like it was calling me.

"Ava no!" Miranda yanked hard on my arm, causing me to stumble backwards. "You can't go down there." I tried to ask why but she wouldn't answer me, just kept walking. I stared at the house for a moment and I thought I saw one of the curtains move, like someone was watching us.

Fear raced through me as I ran to catch up with Miranda, who wasn't waiting at all. "Who's house is that?" I asked, breaking the long, drawn out silence.

"Nobody, just forget it okay?" Miranda seemed anxious. I was curious, and a little scared, of that house. A few more blocks and we reached Miranda's home. There was a high stone wall surrounding the property. Through the iron gate, I could see a little stone cottage hiding behind endless rows of beautiful flowers, that stretched from wall to wall.

Miranda eased open the gate, revealing a thin walkway leading to the cottage. "It's just me and grams now" Miranda said "We keep to ourselves mostly. Grams doesn't like to get involved with the town drama, so to say."

"Drama free" I said with a laugh "That's the way I like it."

"Me too" Miranda opened the front door and disappeared. I stepped inside, the atmosphere changing instantly. Outside had been peaceful and lovely. Here it was warm and cozy, a warm fire burning bright in the fireplace across the room. There was a small sitting area, a dining table, and what I figured was the kitchen, all in one tiny room. It seemed bigger on the inside than it had looked. "I'm home" She called dumping her bag in a chair.

There was a short, gray haired lady standing by the stove, pushing meat around in a pan. She looked over at us and smiled.

"Hello my dear, you must be Avery." Her voice didn't seem as fragile as she looked.

"Hello" I waved awkwardly. She shooed my hand out of the way and hugged me, then stepped back and held me at arm's length.

"Friends are family around here, best to remember that. We look out for our own, that's what family's for right?" I nodded in agreement, getting an uneasy feeling.

"Enough grams" Miranda kissed her cheek. "Something smells amazing!" She sniffed the air and did a little happy dance. We ate dinner as Miranda told the story of my encounter with Monica. Grams laughed. Miranda and I did the dishes after dinner. We snuck down the hall as grams dozed off in her rocker. Miranda's room was a reflection of her outfit for the most part. Dark red carpet matched up against black painted walls. There was one window that was covered with a heavy curtain, light peering around the edges.

Miranda rummaged through her closet, looking for a swimsuit. "There it is!" She pulled out a thin red bikini and held it out to me. "Here, this is my old one." I held it up and gave her a look.

"Will this even cover everything?" I giggled and she threw a pillow at me.

"Just go put it on" She shooed me down the hall to the bathroom. When I came back she was already changed into her tasseled black bikini. She grabbed a small duffle bag and stuffed some clothes in it. "Grams we're leaving" Miranda said as we headed through the living room. Grams smiled and waved then went back to her nap.

We headed back in the direction we came, crossing the street with that old house. "So what's the story with that house?" I asked as we stepped off the curb.

"No one really knows" Miranda said, which I could tell was a lie. "We've been warned all our lives to stay away from it. Danger lurks inside." She wiggled her fingers at me and laughed. "I've never seen anyone go in or out. The doors are, uh locked, so no one can get in."

"I don't get it" I said.

"Me neither" She obviously wanted to drop the subject. I glanced back at the house once more, then continued walking. Miranda told me a little about the beach, how this was the best party of the year.

It took a good half hour to walk all the way to the beach, which was on the other side of town. The sun would be going down soon. Miranda said that's when the party would start. There was lots of people already there splashing in the water or sunbathing on towels. We found the twins somewhere near the middle.

Jaylin held out a cup to me. I took it, sniffed it, and handed it back to her. My dad had always warned me about alcohol and I wasn't sure it was a good idea. Jaylin shrugged and took the cup back.

Music started up a ways down the beach. The sun slowly began to sink behind the horizon, but the temperature only rose higher. Lights of all different colors flickered to life all around us in the sand. Jaydin and Jaylin squealed with excitement and jumped to their feet. Miranda pulled me along. A whole crowd of people surged towards the music. I stood there for a moment as everyone around me starting dancing and jumping around like idiots. Miranda was the first to notice. She popped her hand on her waist and stared me down. Caving, I jumped up and down with them. Miranda grabbed my hands and spun me in a circle.

We danced what seemed like hours. The moon was well over head now. The twins were still going strong but I needed something to drink. Squeezing my way through the crowd, I found the refreshment table. No doubt that there was something extra in the punch, I filled a plastic cup anyways. I took a tentative sip and could only taste fruit punch. Then the burning sensation came, all the way down my throat. A warm tingly feeling crawled over my skin making me shiver.

Bring the cup to my lips again, I drained it contents. Closing my eyes, I melted into that warm and fuzzy feeling. I filled two cups and turned to go when I caught a glimpse of someone I knew. He was wearing a tight black shirt with green swim trunks. His silver eyes caught my gaze and starred right back. A smile lit up his face and he waved, but there was still something dark, something I couldn't explain.

I quickly looked down, knees almost giving out, and grabbed the table for support. Did he follow me here? When I looked up again he was gone. I downed another cup and refilled it. Miranda was right where I left her. She accepted the cup and took a long drink.

"You okay?" Miranda yelled even though we were only a foot apart. I nodded not wanting to ruin her night. The crowd was beginning to blur around me. I didn't know if it was because of the alcohol or the memories and fear that came flooding back. My heart was racing, making it harder to breath. I thought I might pass out. Nathan came over to us, draping an arm around both of us.

"You girl ready to go cliff jumping?" He asked, his breath coated in booze.

"Do what?" I asked, thankful for the distranction. At this point it didn't matter what it was.

"We jump off the cliff and land in the bottom of the waterfall." Nathan said.

"Nate I don't think that's a good idea." Miranda said. "She's drunk"

"Who cares?" I yelled and looked at Nathan "Let's do this!"

"Hells yes" He yelled and steered us towards a pontoon boat waiting just offshore. We swam out and climbed aboard. It was a short ride across to the far side of the lake. There was even more people on this side of the lake. I got separated from Miranda and Nathan as people pushed and shoved. My cup fell from my hand.

"My bad" A guy said from beside me. He was a few inches taller than me with short blonde hair and light blue eyes. "Let me make it up to you." He smiled and pull me into the crowd. We dance to a few songs then he lead me over the side where it was less crowded.

"I'm Derek" He said.

"Avery" I said. My mind floating with the music.

"Nice to meet you" He said with a laugh. "Wanna do something crazy? There's this thing called cliff jumping, you should try it."

"That's actually why we came over here." I smiled back at him.

"Let's go then!" He took my hand and led me down a path that was a few feet away. It curved up, wooden logs buried into the surface of the dirt creating a sort of sep, and around the waterfall till we were at the top. There was a few people up there already. I watched as one guy leaped off the edge and disappeared into the water. Derek gave me a little push towards the edge. I stepped up on the stone cliff and looked down.

It was a long way down to the bottom. I felt the world sway from the alcohol and stumbled. One foot managed to stay on the stone but the other just missed the edge. I was falling.The memory and fears of the past coming back to me. There was nothing I could grab, nothing to stop me. The water hit hard. I sank deeper and deeper, caught in an undercurrent. I crashed up against a few rocks, a couple hitting my head, lips parting in a scream that never came. That would hurt in the morning.

There was no light; I didn't know which way was up. Panic settled over me like a constricting blanket. I swam as hard as I could but wasn't going anywhere. It felt like I couldn't move. I gasped for air, inhaling water instead. It burned like hell. Then I saw a face. I didn't recognize who it was. He had shaggy black hair and soft blue eyes. I felt a moment of peace, staring into those blue eyes. Like nothing was going to hurt me. He smiled at me then disappeared and was replaced by another face.

Shane Taylor. I knew I saw him on the beach and now it was confirmed. He was following me, all the way across the country apparently. His arm went around my waist and pulled. I felt the movement but it didn't get any lighter. Darkness overtook as I choked on more water.

My eyes opened. I was still under water, but I could breath. I gasped in precious air, checking my surroundings. There was someone standing over me. She was beautiful, wearing a white flowing dressing that came over only one shoulder. Long golden hair, partially tied back, fell down at her sides. Her eyes were soft, silver blue with golden flecks. A perfect image, almost god like.

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice sounding distant, an echo .

"I am Nyxus." She said in an angelic voice. "You may call me Nyx as many others do."

"Am I dead?" I felt...numb, which didn't feel right. I should feel something right?

"Of course not my dear one. You have merely passed into the Shadowlands. A place between life and death. Every hundred or so years two guardians come to me in the Shadowlands. They are destined to restore peace to our people. You were born to be great my little guardian. Now go, return to your friends."

She floated off into the distance darkness. My peacefulness wavered as the darkness overtook me again.