Bloody Famous

This is chapter 1 of my novelette, Bloody Famous. Enjoy!

Bloody Famous
Part One
A Dream Come True
As I was doing my pirouettes in rehearsal the other night, I noticed a man dressed in a black suit in the back of the concert hall. When I held my glance at him for more than a few seconds he instantly caught me. From then on, he never looked away from me. His name was Jackson Donner. He was one of the largest contributors to the New York Ballet Company and the man about the city. Woman flocked to him, and men wanted to be him. I would say he was somewhat of a celebrity.
Although extremely handsome and debonair, there was something about Jack Donner that frightened me. He was intimidating. His stature was larger than an average man. The look of regality shown through every step he took and every gesture he made. His eyes were not normal. The color of his eyes glistened with a gold hue. I had never seen a man look the way he did. No wonder woman threw themselves at him, including the Company’s Prima Ballerina, Eva Petrov. Eva was a native of Moscow and studied with the best of the best. She was beautiful and an exquisite dancer. Every time I watched her on stage she amazed me. I secretly hoped that one day I could be her.
For a year I had been a member of the Corps, which meant I pretty much danced in the background with no notice or recognition. Waving a rose back and forth in the shadows of dancers like Eva had been my curse. Never in a million years did me think I would get noticed and be blessed with the fame and accreditation that I craved.
The Company’s spring production was Giselle. It had always been my favorite ballet. There is something about love and the supernatural that had always intrigued me. Dancing Giselle’s part would be a dream come true because I identified with her so much.
Ever since I was a little girl, I had always been what some people would call sickly. I had this disease as a little girl, that when I was out in the sunlight, I would get violently ill. Partly why I became a dancer was that it was something done inside and if I did perform, most performances were at night. Instead of playing outside with all of the other children, I stayed inside of my Mother’s dance studio in Soho and dedicated my life to ballet.
For fourteen years I had slept, ate, and danced; nothing else. My Mother, Josephine was raising me alone along with my brother. My father was a fireman that had died on the job and left my Mother a widow with two children. Our dream was for me to be one of New York Ballet Company’s Prima Ballerinas. When I had my audition, I was sure I was a shoe in for a principle; instead they told me I didn’t have that special something they were looking for and that I was mediocre. The Company Director Joseph Liber told me he was being generous giving me a part in the Corps. Needless to say my spirit was broken at the age of sixteen.
As the months past as I danced in the background of Eva in my only scene in Giselle, I became increasingly depressed. This was not the life I had dreamt of. All the sacrificing for my Mother and Father’s dream for me was done for nothing. After a performance on April 5, 1952, the Company went on stage for our final bows then exited back into our dressing room. On my vanity I noticed one single pink rose with a note attached.

Elizabeth,
You were exquisite.
J.D.
It was my first rose from my first fan other than my Mother. It honestly didn’t matter who it was from at first, I was just happy that I got noticed. After a minute of enjoyment, I sat in my chair smelling my rose and instantly knew who J.D. was. It was Jackson Donner. What I couldn’t figure out is why he would send me a rose and for that matter why would a man like him even acknowledge a dancer in the Corps.
For the next few weeks I would receive the same pink rose with the same letter. It gave me a reason to actually give it my all knowing that maybe someone was paying attention to me. The last night of Giselle just happened to be on my birthday. When I peered out the side of the huge red velvet curtain, I noticed the house was packed. I also noticed that J.D. was in attendance sitting in his usual stage left balcony box and as usual he was accompanied by two large men of whom I could only assume were his body guards. Knowing that he was there made me ecstatic to perform that night. When I returned to the dressing room, I noticed a pink rose with yet another note.

Elizabeth,
You are Giselle. The dance belongs to you.
J.D.
I didn’t even have the time to reflect on that note because there was yelling and screaming going on outside the hall.
“Elizabeth! Elizabeth!” My friend Selena yelled. “Did you hear?”
“Hear what?” I asked.
“Eva, she broke her leg. It was an accident while she was warming up. Her leg just fractured.”
“Oh my God!” I exclaimed. “Are they warming up the understudy?” I asked.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but there is a packed house and there is no way they can cancel the show.”
“Elizabeth? Elizabeth Soren?” A yell came from the hallway.
“Yes, I’m Elizabeth.” I answered.
“Mr. Liber would like to see you in his office.” His secretary said.
“Yes, Madam.” I said as I shrugged my shoulders and looked at Selena like I had no clue what was going on.
I hurried into his office both afraid and nervous to find out why he would want to see me.
“Close the door please.” He said. “I’m assuming you heard of Eva’s misfortune.”
“Yes Sir.” I replied.
He stood up and looked out the window at the hundreds of patrons waiting in line to get into the Theater.
“Jackson Donner, one of the best judges of talent that I had ever met, had some extremely good things to say about you. He has been admiring your dancing since you started in the Corps.”
“Mr. Donner is a very generous in his comments, Sir.”
“That is what I thought, but it turns out, he was right. You do have a certain spark about you. I have to admit that you may be one of the most visually pleasing of all the dancers. You are so pure and natural. Beautiful without effort. “
“Thank you, Sir.” I said as I looked to my feet not expecting the praise.
“You are the 3rd understudy for Giselle are you not?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“I wish you to dance as Giselle tonight.”
“Sir, with all due respect, I don’t think that….” He cut me off.
“Mr. Donner strongly wished me to encourage you to take the opportunity. This chance will not come around again, Elizabeth. You know and I know that you know this part better than any Principle in the company.”
When the whole situation registered in my mind, there was no way I could pass up the opportunity to dance the part that I was made for.
“I will warm up now.” I said.
“Excellent.” He said with a smile. “Eva’s dressing room is open and the wardrobe is ready. Lillian will assist you with your make up.”
“Sir, thank you. I won’t let you or Mr. Donner down.”
“Good luck.” He said. “Hurry up we have a half an hour before curtain.”
I ran down to Eva’s dressing room with tears streaming down my face. This was my dream. Even if it was my only time in the spotlight, it was worth it. I rushed to put on the first of two costumes. It was that of which a peasant girl would wear. It had a yellow full skirt with an apron attached to a white and brown leotard. Lillian added curls in my half pulled back hair and enough make up to bring out my most prominent feature, my blue eyes.
“This is a once and a life time opportunity, Elizabeth. I know you are not one to take it for granted. Enjoy.” She said with a smile and left me alone for the 5 minutes I had to myself before curtain. Nervousness had not hit me yet because I was running on pure adrenaline. This was my moment. When my Mother, who was in the audience, would find out it was me as Giselle, her dreams, along with mine would have come true.
I was getting looks of shock left and right from the other dancers and I admit I was feeling a little intimidated and self conscious until Selena stepped in front of me. Her eyes were filled with tears and she threw her arms around me and whispered something in my ear.
“This is your time, Elizabeth. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.” She backed away to look at me. “You look absolutely breathtaking.”
“One minute until curtain.”
I could say nothing but smile at her. I then ran to my marker on the stage, took a deep breath in as I heard them announce the cast.
“Tonight’s Giselle will be danced by Elizabeth Soren.”
The whole crowd started to chatter as if speculating what had happened to Eva and who this unknown girl was. I blocked out the uncertainty of the crowd and took one more deep breath as the curtain drew with me, Elizabeth Soren, a Corps dancer, as Giselle.

More of Miss Dare

Chapter 2
Miss Dare
The Tribe

The next couple of days without Asher were the loneliness of my life. Instead of going outside and being ignored, I chose to stay in and catch up on my reading. At that moment I had realized how much I actually missed the internet and how cut off from the world I actually was. I knew my e-mail would have been full beyond capacity with e-mails from my friends wondering if I were alive or not. I decided to hand write some letters, one to Rez, Abby, and Keely. I didn’t divulge too much information, but I did tell them I was alright. I requested letters in return to let me know how they were doing. It would make my day to get a letter from one of them. Knowing someone outside the reservation, in the real world, cared about me would mean so much right now.
When I was done writing my letters, I went to the store to Bobby to ask him to drop them in the mail. When I arrived at the store, Bobby wasn’t quick to greet me as usual.
“Bobby?” I called out. “Are you here?”
“Yes.” He said. “One minute.”
A few seconds later a man came out from the curtain at the store.
“Good afternoon, Ella.” He said.
Bobby Green, normally a man of no more than the age of thirty, looked as if he aged twenty or more years. I was beyond shocked. His face was thin and very pale. It was the exact repeat of Sam’s condition the other day. I was on the verge of getting extremely nervous and afraid then I remembered what I had promised Asher. My promise to him was to play ignorant no matter what happened, no matter how weird it got for me here.
“Good afternoon Bobby.” I said with the most genuine smile I could fake. “I was wondering if you could mail these letters for me.”
“Of course Ella.” He said as he grabbed for the letters and in the process touched my hand purposely and even held on for a few seconds. I grabbed my hand away as he just stared at me. In my head all I heard was Asher telling me to ignore it, but this was really freaking me out. It was like he needed to touch me and he would have hurt me if I didn’t let him.
“Thank you.” I said as I took my hand back.
Bobby remained silent and still as I exited the store. As I pushed the door open, I looked back at him just standing there. This time, he looked thirty again. Trying not to think about what had happened, I ran back home and into my room only saying a brief hello to Sarah and Sam. I shut the door behind Hyde and went on my bed to hide under my covers to cry. What were these people that they grew old and somehow became young again when I touched them? This ignorance thing was tougher than I had thought. These things could not just be passed off as normal. Things at the reservation were clearly not as they seemed and the worst part was that I had no idea when Asher would return. “A few days” isn’t a definite time frame.
That night I stayed in my room trying not to think. To distract my thoughts, I grabbed some charcoal and my sketch pad and started to sketch and the only thing I could sketch was Asher. It was like every curve of his face was embedded into my mind and I needed to get it out onto paper so I could look at it. Never in my life have I been this hung up on a guy. The only way I could explain it would be that he isn’t a normal guy, he was a miracle.
I must have fallen asleep while I was drawing, because I felt as if Asher was lying beside me, but it was really Hyde. However, in my dream it was Asher holding me in my bed, finally telling me how much he loved me. That night, I slept better than I had in a long time. I felt safe no matter what kind of weird shit was going in this place. It meant nothing because the only thing that actually meant something was that Asher was beside me and did love me.
When Hyde rolled over and started breathing his horrible dog breath in my face. I was awakened completely with the nasty breath of reality in my face and I couldn’t help but smile. Not that I didn’t love Hyde to pieces, but he was not a comparable substitute for Asher.
When I finally dragged myself out of bed it had to be around noon and I was desperate for some of Sarah’s cooking. I walked out to the kitchen and found no one. I then went outside to the porch to see if anybody was outside and there wasn’t. It was like a ghost town. Usually there are people outside working or just walking around, but there was no one. As I walked out further in front of the house, it was as if everyone disappeared off the face of the earth. Hyde wasn’t far behind me in walking out into the eerily serene village and stood by my side as I contemplated whether or not I was awake or dreaming. I knew I was wide awake.
My trance was broke when I heard a howl coming from the woods. Hyde took off running into the woods and I took off right behind him. I probably shouldn’t have followed him but I wasn’t going to be left alone when crazy stuff was happening all around me.
I approached the line where the woods began and began walking on a path and calling out for Hyde. These woods would always scare me because of what happened the day with the bear. The cracking of branches and the feeling of being watched was scaring me to death. My heart started pounding and I began sweating. I felt as if the ground I was standing on was spinning around and I was about to fall over. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a white flash and I knew it was Hyde. The spinning stopped abruptly and I continued on the path and started yelling for Hyde again. A few minutes had past and there been no Hyde. I turned the opposite way to see if there was something coming. I saw a gigantic grey wolf running full speed towards me as if it were chasing me out of the woods. It did not look friendly at all and I wasn’t going to stay and see if it was. Immediately, I ran back the way I came and out of the woods. From exhaustion I fell to the ground to catch my breath. After a few deep breaths and some panting, I was back to normal. I walked to one of the large rocks around the fire pit and sat down. Continuing to look around I started reflecting on my life, which was a huge mistake. It made me realize how much my normal and stable life back in Chester was something I took completely for granted. I had lost my parents and everyone who I loved to this horrible curse that was brought onto me by my ancestors. The sad conclusion that I came to was that maybe I was meant to be alone. Maybe it was better that I was isolated and no one was around me. Whatever it is that I was could have possibly been the reason that everyone left.
Feeling sorry for myself had been a new trend for me lately and just when I think I can take no more, he shows up.
“Hello.” I heard from behind me. I turned around and it was Asher.
“Hey.” I said as I tried to hold back my tears.
He sat down facing opposite of me.
“Are you alright?” He asked.
“No. Actually I’m not.” I said as a single tear ran down my cheek. He looked at me and wiped it away with his finger.
“Ella, I know what you must be thinking, but remember what I made you promise me.”
“I don’t think I can do this. This place is seriously messed up. I mean, who are these people that just disappear and grow old one day and become young the next.” I said in a panic.
“Calm down. Breathe.” He commanded.
I stopped talking and closed my eyes. He grabbed my hands and held them tight. Instantly I felt a calm come over me, it was almost like a calming high. I could compare it to when you hurt yourself and you are in horrible pain and the doctors give you strong pain medication to relief it. Asher was like medicine to my soul, he made all the worry and panic go away. It was the feeling completely opposite from what Jace did to me; both addicting, and possibly dangerous in the long run.
I opened my eyes with a feeling of euphoria from my head to the tips of my toes. A soothing breeze came between me and Asher. His dark hair blew gently across his face. I leaned in to kiss him and he stopped me with a quick peck.
“I’m sorry.” He said and looked off at nothing in front of him.
“It’s fine.” I said. “But I have to say something to you.”
“Go ahead. You can tell me anything.”
“Okay. Here it goes.” I don’t know what came over me but I was about to tell him how I felt about him regardless of what he felt about me. “Asher, I love you. For some reason I need you. Without you I’m lonely and sad. I know you don’t feel the same about me, but I still want you to know how I feel about you. It would hurt worse for me to keep denying it every day than it would to hear that you really didn’t feel the same way. However, I still don’t want to hear it so promise me you won’t say anything after this but that you promise not to say anything. I just want to continue to hang out with you and be your friend, because I know that is all we can be.”
He just stared at me with a blank look on his face for a minute that seemed like hours.
“Can you say something?” I asked.
“All I can say is that I promise.” He answered with a smile.
“True.”
“I keep my promises, Ella.”
“I know.” I paused. “Do you want to do something?”
“Sure!” He said with a huge smile. “I thought you’d never ask.”
“How about a walk to the river?” I suggested.
“That sounds perfect.” He said.
The rest of the day we spent on the bank of the river just looking at the scenery. There was no talking about the Tribe or what was going on, there was just us. It was like nothing could hurt us or effect us when we were together.
“The sun is setting. I better get you home before they get worried.”
“There isn’t anyone there.” I said and he didn’t answer.
When we arrived back at dark, there was a fire in the pit and everything was back to normal. Asher saw my reaction.
“Remember Ella.” He said.
“I remember.”
“Are you free tomorrow?” He asked.
“I’m free every day.” I said with a smile.
“We can hang out again. If you want.”
“I would love that.”
“See you tomorrow then.” He said as he kissed my forehead. “Good night.”
“Good night.”
I paused on the front steps of my house to watch him walk away. I had no desire to rush inside and play the oblivious card with my so-called grandparents. Hesitantly I opened the door and there they both were sitting at the dinner table surrounded by this huge amazing smelling dinner.
“Hello Ella.” Sarah said with a smile. “How was your day?” She said nonchalantly.
“Great. I hung out at the river with Asher.”
“That sounds nice.” Sam said with a smile.
Both Sam and Sarah looked great. Sam looked as he did the other day and Sarah looked as if she had some plastic surgery done. Her face was firm and youthful. There was very little sign of aging. It was like they were two different people.
“Is something wrong?” Sarah asked.
“No, everything is fine.” I smiled.
“Well, what are you waiting for sit down and eat something.” He demanded.
I was severely famished because I didn’t eat all day. Disregarding the two strangers sitting at the table with me, I dug into the pot roast, potatoes, carrots, and homemade bread. After Hyde and I ate ridiculous amount of food, I continued onto cherry pie and homemade ice cream. I then got up the energy to excuse myself and went to take a shower.
That night I slept extremely well. Asher was back home and my feelings were out on the table. I had nothing to hide anymore. The pressure was off and all I wanted to do was enjoy him. It wasn’t a normal occurrence for someone like me to meet someone as special as him.
The next few weeks were amazing. Asher, Hyde, and I were inseparable. We took walks, I drew pictures of my two best friends, and we spent nights sitting and talking in front of a fire. One night was the first time I had opened up about everything that had happened to me. The surprising thing was that Asher was the one that had brought the whole situation to attention.
“Ella, are you okay?” He asked after a long period of comfortable silence.
“What do you mean?” I said as I chewed the marshmallow I was roasting in the fire.
“I mean after everything you have been through with your parents’ death, leaving your life behind, and living completely different has had to take its toll on you.”
“You know, no one hasn’t asked me that in a long time.”
“Are you?” He asked again.
“I can only answer that with saying that I’m numb. I wake up every day disregarding everything that had happened and everything that is going on around me. If I actually opened myself up the tiniest bit to feel, then I probably wouldn’t make it much longer.” I paused and looked into the fire thinking about the next words that were going to come out of my mouth. “My life is surreal. I live in a constant state of both thinking that this is all a dream and knowing this is all real, as twisted as it is. This is my destiny, my life and I can’t change who I am.”
“I know that feeling.” He said.
I laughed.
“What?” He asked.
“It has come to my attention, again, that I know nothing about you and you know every miniscule detail about me.”
“its better you don’t know. It’s safer that way.”
“You always seem to have that excuse. Ignorance is always the answer with you.”
“Because it is. It has kept you safe so far, did it not?”
“Safe from what? Jace or whatever it was inside of Jace?”
“Yes.”
“I thought he couldn’t affect me here. That was the reason for me to be here. Nothing would harm me on the reservation. Why am I all of a sudden in danger?”
“You aren’t in danger as long as you listen to me, Ella.”
“So I just spend the rest of my life ignoring the fact that something more than what you and everyone else is telling me is happening and it is happening because of me.”
“Yes.”
“Maybe I don’t want to live my life lying to myself. Maybe I’d rather just be in danger than looking like a complete moron every day. Asher, I am a pretty intelligent person and this dumbing myself down every day is driving me insane.”
“I know it is frustrating, but I need you to do it. You need to be safe.”
“Why? Who even cares anymore? I honestly feel like an object anymore. Like maybe a lamp that is useful at other times, but just can be shut off and ignored as people continue on living their lives.”
“Ella, you have no idea how important you are.”
“Important to whom? You? You clearly made it known how you felt about me.”
“You don’t understand.”
“Then make me understand.” I said as I stood up and walked away from him feeling extremely agitated.
He stood up and took a few quick strides to retrieve me. He then grabbed onto my shoulder and turned me towards him.
“I need you, Ella. You have awakened something in me that nothing could have prevented or predicted. They fear me loving you and that is why I could never admit it, but keeping it from you when I know you feel the same is worse than anything anyone or anything can do to me. I am hopelessly and unconditionally in love with you.”
It was as if something had been unleashed when he had said that he loved me. A huge gust of wind came upon us. My every dream had just come true. This man or phenomenon that I had wanted more than life itself wanted me in return. There was no turning back for us now. Love had bonded us and there was no way I was going to let anything come between us.
After the words had escaped his mouth, he took me into his chest and embraced me. My emotions ran wild and I couldn’t help but start to cry the happiest tears. We stood there holding each other in our arms while my tears fell and the raindrops began to gently tap on our skin. My tears didn’t stop when he grabbed my face ever so gently and kissed me, and neither did the rain.
As we kissed the cool rain hit our bodies. The love I felt from him radiated throughout my entire body. I knew that we could not hide this from anyone. The Tribe would just have to deal with it. I mean what could they possibly do anyways? After all they needed Asher for some reason.
My tears of joy finally commenced and so did our long and amazing kiss. I was extremely freezing and the fire went out so he built another one.
“Maybe we should get you home.” He suggested.
“No. Please, can’t we stay here a little longer?”
“If that’s what you want.” He said with a smile as he stretched the Navajo blanket out on the ground. I was thankful that we were in a clearing in the middle of the woods and not on the reservation. It felt as if we were alone and no one was watching us.
I laid down in against his warm body and my shivering instantly stopped. This was wanted what I wanted, just for him to hold me. It was like the planet was turning slowly while we were together, and life seemed to stop. I wanted this moment to be frozen and be my forever.
That night we slept under the stars holding each other until the sun made its presence known through the darkness of the cool fall night. When my groggy, unfocused eyes opened, I saw three men standing above us staring down with their hands crossed over their chest in disapproval. One of them faintly looked like Sam. Thinking I was still half dreaming I managed to scare myself into waking up. My abrupt movement must have frightened Asher because he sat up and held his knife up as if to defend us.
“What’s wrong?” He asked.
“Nothing. I just got spooked is all.”
“What happened? What did you see?”
“I think I was dreaming. No worries.” I said with a smile.
“There are worries. You need to tell me everything you dream and experience.” He said in a worried tone.
“There were just three men looking at us. It was blurry but one looked like Sam.”
“I knew this was going to happen.”
“What was going to happen?”
“You need to go home. Now.” He demanded.
“What’s going on Asher?”
“We just need to get you back on the reservation.” He said as he lifted me up by my arm.
“Ouch.” I said. “Okay.”
“We need to go now.”
We ran the almost the entire way of the three miles back to my house. When we arrived Sarah and Sam were standing on the porch as if they had waited up for me all night. They looked extremely angry. It was a shame that I was a 22 year old woman with people that watched me like I was a teenager.
“Get in the house Ella.” Sam exclaimed.
“I will when I say good bye.” I said in the most intimidating tone that I could.
I walked back over to Asher and noticed he didn’t take his eyes off of the many people watching us. Never losing eye contact with Sarah and Sam he pulled me close to him.
“Never ever take off the necklace I gave you. No matter what happens, promise you will never take it off.”
“I promise. Asher what’s happening?”
“Everything is fine. I will see you later.”
“Somehow I don’t believe you.”
“I love you, Ella.” He said as he kissed me for the first time in front of what seemed to be the entire Tuscorora Tribe.
“I love you too.” I said as I back away and entered the house with Hyde following close behind.
When I entered the house, I could sense that Sarah and Sam wanted to talk to me so I stood by the dining room table and waited for the discussion to take place.
“Ella, we need to talk with you.” Sarah said in her sweetest grandmother-like voice only she now barely looked old enough to be my grandmother.
“What about?” I said as if this conversation was a surprise.
“We think that this relationship you and Asher have begun, needs to stop.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Ella, I know you may not believe us, but he is dangerous. He isn’t good for you.” Sam said.
“How is he dangerous? He would never hurt me.”
“You may believe that but we know better. He could go off at any minute and harm you and we could never risk losing our only Grandchild.” Sam said.
“I could never forgive myself if I had ever lost the only connection that I had left to my son.” Sarah said in tears.
“I’m sorry, dangerous or not, seeing Asher is my choice. We love each other and no matter what anyone says or does is going to change that. Now, I’m going to take a shower and then going to see Asher.” I said as I walked with Hyde into my room.
I sat on my bed and couldn’t help but smile thinking about the amazing relationship Asher and I were going to have. All the unfortunate events that took place in my life seemed to have ceased to exist since finding out Asher was in love with me. This could be my happy ever after I had been waiting for.
Sleeping on the hard ground didn’t grant a good night sleep so after a long hot shower I passed out on my bed for a few hours. Knowing that Asher would be waiting for me this evening, I set my alarm for 6 pm. When the alarm went off, I jumped out of bed and instantly became ecstatic. I threw on a pair of jeans, a sweatshirt and a jacket and headed out of the house. Fortunately, my grandparents weren’t anywhere to be found to lecture me about seeing Asher. My exit out of the house was easy. When I got outside, there was no Asher anywhere to be found.
“Hyde.” I said as I knelt down to pet him. “Where’s Asher, Buddy? Take me to him.” I knew if anyone would know where Asher was, Hyde would.
Sure enough I followed Hyde to the large newly constructed barn that doubled as a town hall. Trying to be incognito, I kept a distance as all the adult tribe members seemed to gathering inside. My curiosity got the best of me and I approached what looked like a meeting. One of the windows were cracked ever so slightly for me to hear and see what was going on. In my limited view I saw Asher standing at the front of the room by Sam. What they were saying was muffled and I couldn’t understand, but I knew whatever it was, wasn’t good. Asher then stared at the window where I was and knew I was outside. He then got this horrible look of dread on his face. At that moment my heart felt like it was going to explode if I didn’t find out what was going on. I did however hear the next words to come out of his mouth.
“Just grant me the duty to tell her myself.” He said.
I then ran behind the building and fell to my knees and began having a panic attack. I knew that nothing he had to tell me was going to be conducive to our happily ever after.
I finally got the strength to get up from the ground and start walking back home. The half mile back to my house seemed like 12 miles. When I arrived home, Asher was already there sitting on the porch swing. I stood at the bottom of the steps waiting for him to come down and tell me what he needed to.
“Ella, I have to go away.”
I lost my breath more with every word he said.
“What? Why?”
“We can never be together. I know that now.”
“They did this.” I said. “Why are you letting them do this? What is this power they have over you?”
“Ella, stop. I have to go and never come back.”
“No you can’t do this to me.” I said. “Please don’t do this.” I begged as I latched onto his arm pulling him towards me as he pulled away.
“Don’t do this, Ella. Let me go.” He whispered to me. “Please, for us, let me go.” He said as he took my hand. “Please.” He begged. I loosened my grip as Sarah came behind me and pulled me away. Asher, walked into the woods with Hyde beside him. It looked as if I were losing them both. The only two things in my life that got me through every day were gone. There was no reason for me to be on this earth. In a split second I lost everything.
“Asher, no! Please don’t leave me!” I screamed at the top of my lungs as Sam held me back from running after them. “Please don’t leave me!” I screamed as if I were in excruciating pain.
I stopped pulling out of Sarah and Sam’s grip and fell to the ground unable to contain my tears. Every emotion surged through my body. The thunder began to rumble with a fierceness I had never experiences before. Lightening lit up the sky like 4th of July fireworks. Then came the rain. This was the storm that would never end until Asher returned to me.
“Come on, Ella. Get inside.” Sam said as he picked me up and guided me to my room. He carried me into my room where Sarah started to take the wet clothes off of me.
“Just leave me alone. I want to be alone.” I demanded.
Feeling defeated by an unknown force, again, I fell into the same depression that I had when I was separated from Jace, but this seemed like this was something I could control, but I didn’t have the strength to.
I was unclear to how many minutes, hours, or days had passed for that matter because I broke the clock in my room. All I did for a couple weeks was sleep. I didn’t leave my room at all. I didn’t eat and drank very little. I thought that life wasn’t living if there was nothing or no one to live for. Death couldn’t come quick enough.
At one point I managed to turn myself over to turn on the lamp on my night stand. As I laid on my side staring at the lamp, I noticed that there was no plug or outlet that it was plugged into. Although I was extremely weak, I sat up and grabbed the lamp to start looking for a place for batteries to go. There wasn’t a place for the batteries because there was a plug. The lamp was clearly on and not plugged in. I grabbed the clock I had broken and looked for a place for batteries, and there was none. Sitting on my bed I thought about the reservation and how they said there were generators supply us with power, but to supply a reservation of this size there would have to generators in every house and every building. I had never even seen or heard a generator. Then I thought back to the kitchen appliances and how I never really saw them plugged in. How was it that things worked with no power? I continued to sit on the side of my bed flicking the lamp on and off staring into space. If I couldn’t be with Asher and he said that playing ignorant would keep me safe, there was no reason for me to keep up with the charade. I needed to find out who these people were regardless if it would mean me any harm.
When the sun came up I decided to come out of my room to begin my investigation. I looked at everything in the house that would need to be plugged in to receive power. I found that nothing was plugged in and there were no outlets in the house. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t noticed it before. The only place that there was an outlet was in my bathroom where I plugged in my hair dryer. I rushed back into my bathroom and got my hair dryer from the cabinet and turned it on without plugging it in. To my surprise it turned right on. As I was staring at it, I heard Sarah from behind me and I jumped.
“You scared me.” I said as I hurried to shut the dryer off.
“I’m sorry.” She said. “I heard you up and about and I wanted to make sure you were alright.”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“It’s so wonderful to see you up and about.”
“Yeah, I feel better.” I said still holding the dryer that Sarah was staring at.
“Were you drying your hair?” She asked.
“Yeah, I was just going to jump into the shower and I wanted to have it out and ready.” I said nervously.
“When you are ready come out and I will make you something to eat.”
“Okay. Thanks.” I said.
There was no doubt in my mind that Sarah knew I was catching on. If they wanted me not to know anything, they should have kept Asher around. He was a big distraction.
My purpose on the reservation was no doubt more than just to keep me safe from Jace. I knew and I’m pretty sure the tribe knew I still had my powers, but I only knew that my elemental powers were prevalent and I had never fully tried them.
The key to my other powers lied in Elyoner’s journal, which was taken from me when I had come to the reservation. They told me it needed to be burnt because it held the power to lead Jace to me. When I thought about it, I realized that Jace was a smaller piece of the puzzle than I had thought. His part in this was just a ploy to get me here. He was used to make me believe I had to be here, stuck forever in hiding on the reservation. They needed me for some reason.
After a long shower and hours of thinking, I finally emerged from my room and made my way into the kitchen.
“Can I make you something?” Sarah said.
“I’m just going to make myself a quick sandwich and go for a walk.”
I decided to limit idle chit chat with the people that call themselves my grandparents. As I ate my sandwich and stared at Sarah from across the room and realized that I couldn’t deny that she was my Father’s Mother, but there was something not right. There was no way a Grandmother would let any harm come to their Grandchild. I had suffered entirely too much for her not to step up and help me become happy again. She just didn’t give that grandmother vibe. There was an air of selfishness and manipulation about her. Maybe in flesh she was Grandma Sarah, but not in spirit or soul.
After I gobbled down the sandwich, I grabbed my coat and went outside. It was a late cold fall afternoon. The foliage was absolutely breathtaking. I immediately thought of Asher and how much I missed him and Hyde, but I knew I had to be strong whether or not it killed me.
For some reason, I walked to the edge of the woods where Asher and I spent so much time together. When I got there I started to feel him, as if I was communicating to him. Then I heard him say my name in my mind.
“Ella?”
“Asher, where ever you are if you hear me, something is going on here. I need to find out who these people are. I’m sorry, but I have to break my promise.”
If Asher wasn’t with me then there was no reason for me to be safe. If he had heard me, he would know that I was breaking the promise I had made to him, just as the promise he made to me. Our love wasn’t as strong as I had thought and promises were just words with no meaning or action.
Deciding to return back to the reservation was completely provoked by my ego. This new power I thought I had needed to be tested. It was like a switch had been turned on inside of me and my suppressed powers were working.
Everyone was outside doing some winterizing on their homes. It seemed as if winters here got pretty bad, because they were frantic to get things done. As I walked down the street I was getting more hellos in a few minutes from people than I had in months. When Asher left, everyone somehow liked me again. I desperately wanted to know what these people thought. If I was in fact a telepathic, maybe I could tap into their thoughts. I stopped walking, closed my eyes, and attempted to tune into everyone’s mind. When I opened myself up, it was complete chaos. At first it was like a hundred people talking at the same time. Confusion took over and I didn’t know what was going on. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down and then concentrated. As I walked the talking became clearer.
“Do you feel it?”
“The power, its intoxicated.”
“I need to touch her.”
“Just once I want to feel her inside me.”
Then I walked passed one of the girls my age, Letty Green.
“Hey Letty.” I said and tuned into her thoughts.
“The power she has can make us live for eternity.”
“Hello, Ella.” She then said out loud with a huge smile on her face.
I had heard enough and rushed home. The fact I could read people’s thoughts was definitely a curse here. I feared what else they were going to say. They wanted to use me all along and I had only bits and pieces of why they needed me.
Laying in my bed, I thought of the million possibilities of why Letty would have said that I had the power to give them eternal life. What were they and did I want to read their thoughts any further? On that note, I fell asleep.
Sleeping extremely well, I was awakened by that amazing feeling I got when Asher was around. To make sure I was dreaming, I woke up and there he was standing over me. I hurried and sat up in my bed as he sat down beside me and held his face in his hands.
“Asher, what are you doing here?” I asked. “Please tell me you are back for good.” I said as I put my arms around him.
“What do you think you are doing Ella? This isn’t a joke. You promised me to not explore anything any further here. Now you are reading their thoughts and communicating to me.”
“I had no reason to keep my promise. You left and you are the only reason for me to be alive. Without you I don’t really care if I live or die.”
“I left to save you. You need to be alive. You are the only way that they will be kept happy and under control. The more you use the gifts you were given, the stronger they are going to become. You are like a huge battery that they feed off of.”
“What are they Asher?”
“I can’t tell you. There is still a chance that if you don’t know, everything will go back to normal.”
“Does normal mean living in this hell without you?”
“I can’t be here. I’m risking a lot right now being here with you, but I couldn’t stay away any longer. You are a magnet that has pulled me in and I don’t have the strength to stay away.” He said as I grabbed his face and forced it towards me so I could look into his eyes.
“Ella, I don’t know what I’m doing.” He said with tears in his eyes.
“You don’t have to.” I said and he turned towards me. I put my hands on his chest and moved them down to grab his shirt and lift it over his head. He then climbed onto my bed and kissed me gently as usual. He then pulled off my shirt and just looked at my body for a few seconds then continued to lay me down.
“What if I hurt you?” He asked.
“You won’t hurt me.” I replied as I started to take off my pants. “Touch me.” I said.
Asher obeyed my command and explored every part of my body with his hands and mouth. Every touch was like magic. I knew this was his first time being with a woman, but somehow he knew how to do everything right. It was instinctual to him how to pleasure me.
After his exploration, I helped him inside of me. When he finally relaxed and felt me, his whole body relaxed and he released a quiet and rough moan. It was the kind of moan that could turn a girl on even more.
Asher’s body made me feel like a virgin again. It hurt extremely badly at first until I got used to him. After the initial pain, then every nerve in my body was sensitive to only pleasure. We rolled around and I was on top of him rocking back and forth slow and hard while my hands were feeling his chest. His hands continued to explore my body as much as possible.
He then sat up while I was still on top of him. Feeling him deeper inside me made me hold my hands over my mouth to prevent me from screaming. I could tell Asher was feeling the same unequivocal erotic bliss that I felt. When we both climaxed it was like an eruption of a volcano that had lied dormant for hundreds of years. The sweat was pouring off of us when it was all said and done as we both panted heavily to calm ourselves down. Asher began to shake. He laid me down beside him and laid down still breathing hard. I turned over on my side away from him.
“Are you okay? Did I hurt you?” He asked as he used his finger tips to trace the side of my naked body.
“I’m fine. It was great.” I said as I smiled to myself.
“Then what’s wrong.”
“I don’t want you to leave now.”
“Ella, I could never leave you now.”
“Then stay here and sleep with me.” I said as I turned back to him.
“I’m not going anywhere.” He said with a smile.
That night we made love three times. Each time it got better and more explosive. I never had a sexual experience with any other man like I had with Asher. Not even Jace made me feel as Asher did. He was the addiction that I had been waiting for. The good addiction that would cancel out the bad I had once had.
When morning came and the rays of sun peaked through my windows, I realized that he had not left. He was laying beside me, holding me, and sleeping peacefully. I laid there for ten minutes just watching him sleep.
“Good morning.” I said as he started to wake.
“Good morning my love.” He whispered. All I could do was smile.
“How are you this morning?” I asked.
He let out a small laugh.
“I am absolutely perfect.” He said as he stared into my eyes and brushed a piece of hair away from my face. “You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.”
“Thank you.” I answered.
“And the best part is that you are mine and nothing is going to change that.”
“Is that a promise? Because we don’t have the best track record for promises.”
“It’s not a promise then.” He said as he kissed my forehead.
He paused and held me for awhile.
“Ella, I can’t hide in your room forever. I have to leave.”
“You said.” I said as he cut me off.
“I won’t be far. You know how to contact me now. I can hear you and you can hear me.”
“And if I want to see you?” I asked.
“Try your best to sneak in the woods and never forget to wear your cross.” He said as he stood up.
“How are you going to get out of here?” I asked.
“Don’t be afraid, okay. Open your window.” He asked.
When I opened my window, I turned back around and this eagle flew out my window. Asher was gone. I knew he was special, but that was nothing short of amazing. He was some sort of shape shifter. I immediately looked out the window and watched him fly away.

Making It as a Profesional Writer

Like many people, instant gratification seems to be the only way, and I am no different. The funniest yet most depressing thing happened to me today. I sent out an e-mail query letter to a literary agent that only takes e-mail queries. I had a well thought out yet brief letter and submitted the first five pages of my book Miss Dare. After hitting the send button, not more than an hour later I received a cookie cutter type message in return:

Thank you for your recent e-mail. I regret to say that I don’t feel that I’m the most appropriate agent for your work.
However, opinions vary considerably in this business, and I wish you the best of luck in your search for representation.
Best wishes,

There was no time for him to even read it. Honestly, if the agent had only read a page of the book, there would be no way they would have been informed enough to turn me down that quickly.

I feel better after that vent, but it still erks me that I may never make it as a professional writer after putting my blood, sweat and tears into my work. Some amazing authors spend years of their lives going unnoticed, which makes me think, why even try when these agents aren't even taking the time to consider the possibilities.

I guess for now I will keep plugging along and write my novels, that will most likely never get read. At least I will read them :)

A Little Taste of Miss Dare

As usual I was scanning the crowd for Asher. I knew he would have to be there. I felt so extremely lonely without him. It was like the people of the tribe had distanced themselves from me since Asher, Hyde, and I had started hanging out. I mean they were nice and all, but something was different.
Just as I was starting to feel sorry for myself, I felt two hands come over my eyes and I knew instantly it was Asher.
“Guess who?” He said in his quiet voice.
“Hmmm. I don’t know.”
“Happy Birthday!” He said as he removed his hands from over my eyes.
“Thank you.” I said with little to no enthusiasm.
“What’s wrong?” He asked as he sat down on the boulder beside me.
“I don’t know. It’s like things are getting weird here.”
“What do you mean?”
“Since I’ve had Hyde, everyone has been avoiding me.”
“Ella, some people may be intimidated by a 160 pound wild animal.”
“I guess.”
“Do you want me to take him back?” He asked.
“No!” I yelled. “I’m way too attached and anyway I think it’s more than just Hyde.” I paused and stared off to notice everyone staring at Asher, Hyde, and I.
“It’s like since I’ve been talking to you, people have been treating me differently.”
“How do you mean?”
“Asher, look at them staring at us. No one really even talks to me anymore.”
“Ella, they are staring at me. They watch everything I do.” He added.
“Asher, what’s going on?”
“The only explanation I can give you right now is that I am somewhat an investment of theirs.”
“I wish you weren’t such a mystery. It kind of drives me insane.”
“I’m sorry.” He laughed.
“Just promise me that you won’t leave me here alone.”
“I promise you, you will never be alone.” He said as he brushed the hair away from my face.
I couldn’t help but smile and blush. When I looked into Asher’s eyes, something told me everything was going to be alright. I knew he had a power, something greater than I would ever know. He was more than just the man I had a huge crush on. I wanted to spend every moment with him to find out exactly what he was.
“I need to get going.” He said.
“You always have to leave. You’re breaking your promise already.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m not breaking my promise. You have Hyde so you will never be alone.” He smiled. “Anyway, I have a surprise for you tomorrow. Kind of like a birthday present.”
“I’m not good with surprises.” I smiled.
“Here is a hint. Bring your suit and meet me at the entrance to the woods at sunrise.”
“It’s a date?” I asked.
“It’s a date.” He said with a smile. He then leaned over to kiss my cheek and walked away into the woods.
After Asher left I went to sit by the fire with Hyde. Again, everyone avoided me, even my Grandparents wanted to sit by me. I was forced to sit by myself watching the tribesmen perform a dance. It was actually extremely cool. The percussion was pounding and the dance was somewhat hypnotic. I found the Native American culture to be extremely interesting. Living within this tribe had also made me come to the conclusion of how mysterious these people are. At first they welcomed me with open arms and accepted me as one of their own, now I’m treated like an outsider just because of the company I chose to keep. The odd thing was that Asher was a very important member of the tribe for reasons I didn’t know, but they still seem to keep their distance from him. It was like he was a part of the tribe but not. I wasn’t sure if they feared him or just left him alone to appease him. The more I thought about the situation, the more it drove me crazy trying to understand. At that point I decided to focus on Asher and I and not so much anyone else.
The next morning I woke up bright and early at 5 am and hopped in the shower. I did my hair and make up for the first time since I arrived on the reservation. I put on my pink and white stripped bikini, a green tank top, and cut off shorts. When I looked into the mirror I saw the old Ella for the first time in a long time. I had put on some weight and I actually looked pretty. Maybe the way I looked today would spark some interest in Asher.
I tried to sneak out of the house, but Sarah and Sam were extremely early risers.
“Good morning, Ella.” Sam said from the living room and startled me.
“Oh. Good morning Sam.” I said. He sat up and walked over to me. He looked really odd. Usually Sam was a pretty healthy looking older man, but today he looked sick. His face was pale and extremely thin.
“You are in a hurry. Where are you going?” He asked.
“Well, I’m not sure. It’s a surprise.”
“A surprise?”
“Yeah, Asher is taking me somewhere. Kind of like a birthday outing.” I smiled.
“You and Asher have been hanging out a lot lately.” Sam pointed out.
“He is a nice person and hanging out with him makes everything suck a little less.”
“I’m glad you are making friends and all, but I don’t think Asher is someone you want to become close to.”
“What do you mean?”
“Ella, I know Asher is probably very attractive to you, but you have to know that you will never be able to have a relationship with him. He’s not for you.”
“What do you mean not for me?”
“It’s inconsequential. There are a lot of nice young men on the reservation that would be happy to court you.”
“I know that you are watching out for me, but Asher and I are just friends right now. If something happens between us then it happens. He makes me happy and that is exactly what I need.” I stopped to look at him right in the eyes. As I tried to maintain my anger, I heard the gurgling sound and almost immediately the coffee pot caught on fire. There was no doubt in my mind that I did it. After we both looked at the fire, we locked stares again. Sam looked worse that before. It was like he aged 10 years in seconds.
“I’ll get it!” He yelled as he ran to the fire extinguisher and put out the fire. As furious as I was I still felt bad for getting upset, but I did have a huge thing for Asher. It was like he was a magnet and I was a piece of metal being drawn to him. This wasn’t like it was between Jace and I, this felt right.
“I’m sorry Sam.” I said as I went over to him and touched his shoulder. He didn’t answer me and just stood there motionless. “Sam?” I asked with no response. “Are you okay? You don’t seem well.”
Suddenly, he perked up. I moved my hand from his shoulder as he turned around.
“I’m perfect. Go have fun.” He said with absolutely no emotion. The even more disturbing thing was that he looked completely different. His face that not even 2 minutes ago looked pallid and emaciated. Now his face was plumb and youthful. It was as if somehow something had granted him more life.
As I walked out of the house and towards the woods, I couldn’t help but relive the moments I had in the kitchen with Sam this morning. He clearly looked almost dead, like a zombie and he didn’t want me to associate with Asher. Then out of nowhere my powers, that I thought were gone, came back again. The fact that they were emotionally linked answered a lot of questions that I had in the past. But how Sam went from looking as he did to looking younger that I had ever seen him still makes me think. Did I have something to do with it?
When I got to the lining of where the reservation met the woods, I turned to look at the reservation. I had often wondered where all the generators and sources of power were that gave us light and heat. This place was such a mystery.
Just as I was going to overanalyze the situation, I knew that Asher was near because Hyde perked right up. Before I knew it he had his hands over my eyes again.
“I know it’s you. It’s getting old.” I laughed.
“I’m sorry. Just for once wanted to surprise you.”
I turned to look at him.
“Asher, I hate to tell you, but I can feel you before you are even near me. Whatever it is that you are gives me a feeling.”
“A good feeling I hope.” He smiled.
“An amazing feeling.”
He grabbed my hand and we started walking.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“Come on just let me surprise you.”
“Okay.”
I stopped talking and began to think about everything that was going on in the Tribe. It was driving me insane not knowing why things were as they were.
“What’s wrong?” He asked as he was cutting a path out of brush that was in the way of our path.
“Nothing.”
“Ella, you are very quiet. I’m the only one that can play that game.”
“That’s not fair.”
“You can tell me anything.” He said.
“I know. I just don’t want to spoil the day with my stupid paranoia.”
He stopped and turned to grab my shoulders.
“Did something happen to you? Did they do something to hurt you?”
“What? No.” I said.
“Then what’s wrong?”
“I know you know about me and what I am. Right?”
“Yes.” He answered.
“This morning, Sam confronted me about spending time with you.”
“What did he say?”
“He said that we just should hang out and it made me mad. So mad in fact I accidentally set the coffee pot on fire.”
“Ella, you need to tell me exactly what happened to you? Every interaction you had with Sam today.” Asher said with a look of extreme worry on his face.
“When I walked out of my room this morning he kind of snuck up on me. He looked very sick and like a lot older. He asked me where I was going and that’s when I got upset and the whole coffee pot thing happened. Then he ran and put out the fire. I started to feel bad so I went over to him and put my hand on his shoulder.”
“You touched him after you set the coffee pot on fire?”
“Yes. He said nothing for what seemed like awhile, then he turned around and he looked completely fine. He looked younger than he did before.”
“Did he do or say anything after that?”
“Just to go and have fun. What is going on Asher?”
“Look at me.” He said seriously. “Promise me you will do exactly what I say and not question me from now on. Okay?”
“Yes, I will.”
“I’m not joking, Ella. You must go on being ignorant to this stuff. Act as normal as possible and do not ask any more questions.”
“Now I’m scared.” I said as I felt the tears well up.
“Trust me, I will never let anything hurt you, but you need to forget about this stuff. Forget about your powers. Try to control them and never ever use them around the Tribe.”
“Okay.” I said as I felt the tears rolling down my cheeks.
“I don’t want this day to be ruined. Don’t cry.” He said as he wiped my tears away. “Come on. It’s only a few more miles.”
The rest of the walk I distracted myself from the disturbing discussion that we just had, and concentrated on Asher. Walking behind him I had a perfect view of his back in his tight gray tank top. He looked like he was chiseled from granite. His body was something that if you saw it, you couldn’t believe it was real. I found myself hypnotized once again and wanted more than anything to touch him.
“Now, can you please humor me and let me cover your eyes? I really want this to be a surprise.”
“Okay.” I said as he put his hands snuggly over my eyes.
“Can you see anything?” He said. “Be truthful.”
“No. I can see absolutely nothing.”
We went on to walk a few hundred feet and I immediately heard the waves crashing and smelled the air.
“Surprise!” He said as he removed his hands from my eyes.
It was the most beautiful beach I had ever seen. The sand was surprisingly white and the water blue for the area we were in.
“Oh my God! It’s perfect.” I said.
“I’m glad you like it.” He said as he walked ahead of me. “I come here a lot to be alone and think.”
“Is this where you are always running off to?” I asked. He just laughed and didn’t answer.
“I don’t always run off.”
“You are always taking off on me.”
“Just because I’m out of site, doesn’t mean I’m not with you.”
“Enough of the little riddles of your existence.”
He smiled.
“How about we set up shop here?” He said pointing at a spot near a large rock.
As we put down the picnic basket and blanket that I had brought, both of us couldn’t look away from one another. I sat down on the blanket and he followed and lay on his side beside me holding his head with his hand. We both gazed into the ocean.
“I love the ocean. It makes me feel so small. Like not so much rests on my shoulders and there is so much more out there than just me and what I have been given.” He said.
“Yet another riddle.”
“Sorry.” He said as he looked up to me with those amazing eyes.
“Hyde seems to enjoy just chilling on the beach as much as you do.”
“Yeah. He feels the same way I do.”
“It reminds me how big the world is and how much there is to do and see. It’s kind of bittersweet for me.”
“Why is that?” He asked.
“I know I can’t leave here.”
“You want to leave?” He asked.
“When I’m not with you.” I said as I shyly looked away from him. “Anyway.” I said trying to ignore any unfavorable reaction from him.
“Let’s go swimming.” He said as he stood up and took off his shirt. As soon as the shirt dropped onto the sand, my heart started pounding and I felt my whole body increase like twenty degrees. I literally felt like someone could fry and egg on me. This happened to me before when Jace got me hot and bothered. I remember the smoke that started to come off my body. I knew that if it happened it would be a dead giveaway of how much I wanted Asher if it were to happen again. Thank God there was a large body of water not more than 7 feet from me to put me out. I pulled off my shirt and shorts and ran in the water after Asher. We both were like kids diving into each wave as if we were trying to conquer them. Hyde was right beside us joining in the fun. It was like I was taking all of my anger, lust, and frustration out on the most powerful body of water in existence.
When we all became tired from playing with the ocean, we walked up to the edge of the surf. As we were walking, I looked back at Asher, and saw him checking me out. For the first time in a long time, I turned on the sex appeal and used everything I had to make him feel as I felt for him. I tossed my wet hair and turned around to bend over as if I were washing the sand off my hands. A strong wave came up and knocked me over. Asher rushed over to try to pull me up; instead I pulled him down on top of me.
“I’m sorry.” He said as our faces were inches from each other. He instantly got off of me and sat next to me. Disappointed in my efforts, I got up and walked back to the blanket where Hyde was passed out. I grabbed my towel and started dabbing off my face, when I felt his hands on my waist.
“I do want you, Ella.” He whispered into my ear which made my stomach flip and goose bumps to form everywhere on my body. He then kissed the back of my head.
“Then what’s wrong?” I asked still too afraid to look at his face for the fact that I knew I couldn’t control myself.
“Look at me.” He said as he turned me to face him. I still didn’t look at him. “Ella, look at me.” He demanded.
“I can’t look at you. I can’t keep denying these feelings. It hurts entirely too much to hold back. I need to know if you feel the same way or if I am just being a little girl with a crush.”
“You have no clue how strongly I feel about you, but there is so much more here than just us.”
“I don’t care about anything else. I just want us.” I said as I ran my fingers through his wet hair. “Forget about all the other stuff, and let there just be us.”
His head didn’t hesitate from the grasp my hand had on it moving his head closer towards mine. The heat from our breath was intoxicating. Breathing Asher in was like heaven right here on earth. Our lips met. His were trembling in nervousness like we were two adolescents giving our first kiss. His mouth followed my lead. Our tongues intertwined very gently. His hands finally moved onto my upper back and slowly moved down to the top of the bottoms of my suit. His hands were now moving down lower and caressing my back side. They started to wildly move with the emotion of our kiss. I wanted more. I pulled him back down to the sand. The water rushed over us as we continued to kiss each other. My hands found their way around his perfect chest and arms. This was the moment I had longed for since I first laid eyes on him. My lips moved to his ear then to his neck. I wanted nothing more in the world than to make love to him, but it all ended abruptly.
He pushed me gently away from him.
“Ella, I’m sorry, but I think this is moving too fast.”
I backed off. The fact that he stopped me was a huge blow to the ego. Thoughts ran through my head if he even wanted this. It was possible I forced him into it without even knowing. My over analysis of things took over my mind.
“Maybe.” I said.
“I better get you home.” He said.
The walk home from the beach was a quiet one. My ego had a huge gash in it. Why didn’t he want me? It occurred to me that maybe he wasn’t like the way I was used to. I knew for a fact that Asher didn’t have a lot of experience with women. The reassurance was working. I felt how much he wanted me in the kiss. You just can’t fake that connection.
Asher walked me and Hyde to the edge of the woods. Without saying another word, he pulled me towards him and gently kissed my forehead and placed a necklace around my neck.
“What is this?”
“It is so you will never be without me again.”
The necklace was a silver chain with a cross on it. It was a familiar cross to me because it was the cross that was on the front of Elyoner’s journal. It was the Maltese Cross. In the middle of the cross was a beautiful blue stone.
“Asher, it’s beautiful.”
“If you are ever afraid or in danger, I will know and I will be here for you.” He smiled. “I will see you in a few days.”
“A few days?” I said as if a few days without him would kill me.
“I have to take care of some things. Just remember your promises.” He said as he grabbed my hand.
“Yes. I know.” I said.
He then gently kissed my lips and walked off into the woods.
Asher was something special to this world as was I. Our paths were meant to cross and no one could keep me from him. If that meant playing stupid to the weird things going on around me than be that as it must. Nothing is going to make me stay away from him.

J.L. Gregg- Writer's Blog

Welcome to my Blog. I don't really like the word Blog because it sounds so Blah.

I am going to use this page to post my writing and keep everyone up to date with me and my awesome writing buddies.

About Me

I am a 28 year old SAHM from Pittsburgh, PA. I started writing after I was laid off from my job in October 2008. I have had published articles in a small Pittsburgh magazine that were far from the genre I chose to write now.

My poison is Historical Fiction, Sci Fi, Horror, and a little Romance. I have three specific novels in the works, one is 1/3 of a series entitled Mortal Legacy. Other books I am writing are: Miss Dare, To the Wolves, and Abandoned. I have an infinite amount of ideas for novels, but very little time to write. With these ideas, I should be busy for the next 5 or 6 years.

If you want to know more check out my website.... www.jamileighgregg.com