Daeva: Black Diamond Chrysalis - Danielle Bolger (essential reading txt) 📗

piercing eyes. "You're recovering quicker than I would have given you credit for after all those shades sapped your aura, maybe..." she stated thoughtfully, "you have a bit of potential too."

I was too dumbfounded to respond however and with that lost moment the girl redirected her attention to Bethanie. "Just remember what I said." She winked. "See you around!" She waved before running away up the forest's path.

This is too detailed, this is memory.

"Bethanie?" I asked as my dream travelled to the outside of my house. "That singing, what do you think it was about?"

My friend gazed away, her expression stern. "I don't think it was anything. Just some girl who lived close by, that's all."

"Oh, I see." I stated even though I felt I saw nothing.

"Just forget it, all of it. Unexplained events happen all the time, once or twice someone always experiences it. But really it's nothing, we're just a couple of teenagers with overactive imaginations in response to things we don't understand."

"Oh, um... I guess that makes sense." My response lacked full conviction but my friend accepted it regardless and she simply walked on in the direction of her own home just the next street on.

"Wake... up, sleepy head!" A high-pitched shrill caused my eyes to snap open just in time to view the girl flying over the top of me and then land right onto my sternum. "It's time for school!"

Air escaped my lungs and when I tried to draw in a wheezing noise ensued.

The girl who was belly to belly with me staring into my eyes with raised eyebrows. "Why are you making such a silly noise, Abigail?"

"Because..." I struggled. "I'm... suffocating!"

"You are so not!" She refuted. "That's just plain ridiculous!"

"I... can't... breathe!" A free hand reached to my throat and pulled downward as if to tear away some invisible choking hand.

"I mean..." She stated with growing concern. "You can't suffocate. You need to breathe!" She declared suddenly becoming serious. "Oh, no, Abigail, did I do this to you, did I kill you? I'm so sorry!" She sputtered, her eyes welling and lower lip trembling uncontrollably.

I couldn't hold it back any longer, I burst out laughing.

The look on her face was of hot betrayal. "You lied! I thought you were dying because of me!"

When I finally quietened myself to mere giggles I responded, "Well you deserve it, I am in pain because of you!"

"But you're a big girl, you can handle it!"

"Regardless of size, it's still nasty to jump on top of people while they're sleeping."

"But I was just waking you up!"

Then a voice from the doorway spoke wisdom. "I told you not to do it, told you that sis would be angry."

My sister on top of me shouted across the room. "It was your idea!"

"I said it as a joke!" My brother rolled his eyes. "That's why when you said that you would do it I told you not to!"

"And of course," my mother reached the doorway and placed a hand on top of her son's brunette head. "When you implanted that idea into your twin sister's head and told her not to do it, she just went right ahead and did it. I know how you manipulated her, I saw the whole thing."

My brother blushed as his evil plan was discovered.

"You saw, Mum?!" I shouted. "Then why didn't you stop it from happening?"

My mother barely stifled her giggles. "Because I thought it would be funny."

"Right." I breathed feeling dismally. "The destruction of your eldest child is funny to you."

Then a small giggle did escape my mother's lips. "That's right! But come on now, darling, you're hardly destroyed, you're a big teenager in high school and these two are barely more than toddlers, surely you can handle whatever they dish out."

Pushing off the top of me Cathy erected her torso high. "I am not a toddler! I am five years old, that's literally grown up!"

"That's not how you use the word, literal, sweetie." My mother corrected.

"Hey, Cathy." I smiled up at the sister on top of me before throwing her aside. "Get off!"

"Ouch!" She whined.

"Now, now, Cathy." My mother rationalised. "You landed on the mattress, you're hardly hurt. And really, you shouldn't start a fight if you're not prepared for the consequences."

As my brother giggled I responded flatly. "As always, Mum, your words are sage."

As we sat around the breakfast bar eating our porridge with extra honey and bananas my brother exclaimed. "I can't believe you're getting such a pretty new student at your school! Can you introduce me to her and make her be my girlfriend?"

I blinked about ten times. "Bradley, how do you know about the new girl in my grade and what on earth made you so sure that she's pretty and finally, but most importantly, what makes you think that a teenager will go out with a five year old?!"

"Well," My brother stated pompously. "My friend Mickie told me."

My mouth dropped open. "You mean that girl in your class?"

"Yep!" He nodded proudly. "She said she saw her, a beautiful girl with silver featies..."

"Features." My mother corrected as she packed the two younger one's lunches.

"Features." He stated this as if repeating a very valid point.

Cathy groaned. "You're so lame! Not only are you friends with a weird girl like that but you actually want to date someone - ew!"

My brother didn't even bother to look at her. "I'm just very mature for my age which is why I need a grown up girl as a girlfriend."

"Urgh!" Cathy shouted. "I'm going to be sick!" But despite her tongue thrusting from her mouth and that strained noise she didn't really look too ill.

"Oh, my..." My mother exclaimed as she spread peanut butter to a slice of bread. "That is so sweet."

After I swallowed a gulp of porridge I raised an eyebrow at my parent. "Um... Mum shouldn't you be worried that Bradley is not only already wanting to date girls but also girls triple his age?!"

My mother only gave a knowing smile. "What he is saying is not important, sweetie, but what it means."

"Hey!" My brother refuted. "What I say is important and super true too!"

"Don't you see what this all means yet, Abigail? It means that your little brother idolises you. That's why he wants to date a pretty girl in your year."

"Um..." I responded, "that sounds really gross."

"It's not though, because that pretty girl is really you."

"Yeah... like I said, gross but now that you put it into words seriously-mentally-damaged."

"Bradley wants to date Abby!" Cathy sung.

"Oh, Mum..." Bradley gulped, actually looking like he was about to be sick. "Why do you say such weird things...?"

My mother giggled some more. "It's called psychology, children. It's hard to explain it now but when you grow up you'll understand it then."

"Maybe..." Bradley murmured. "But until then you're traumatising us."

"Bradley!" My mother gasped. "My, how your vocabulary has developed! When did you learn such a big word as traumatising?"

"From the moment I was your son." He answered.

After breakfast we jumped into the car where my sister exclaimed excitedly. "Yes, finally I get to see Bethanie, someone who's not crazy!"

"Like jumping on top of people makes you sane, but actually," I corrected, "We won't be seeing Bethanie. She texted me earlier and said that she was making her own way to school today and that she doesn't need a lift."

"What?!" Cathy whined. "Are you sure that wasn't from someone else?!"

"Oh, alright then." My mother replied as she started the engine. "I suppose her brother has some spare time to take her himself then. That'll be nice for them."

"No!" Cathy protested behind me in the backseat. "That's not nice. Bethanie's meant to go to school with us!"

"Quit being so moody, Cathy." My brother chided. "Her brother is taking her. I think that's good, they get to have more brother and sister time."

Cathy trilled her lips. "It's over-rated."

When I arrived at school I greeted my friends by the same tree as usual. There the girls began to talk about the amazing clothes they saw in a magazine which sounded very expensive, but as the boys arrived the conversation topic suddenly shifted.

"They sound like pretty lame games though!" Eric scoffed. "I mean, Sonic the Hedgehog is so old now! The only games he has are kiddie ones! Nah, give me Doom or Resident Evil any day!"

I gasped as I remembered the horrid details my friend once described about those games. "Those ones are scary, Eric! I mean, you said they're all full of blood and violence and horrible creatures that jump at you from the dark. How can anyone like those games?!"

Bart rolled his eyes as he stepped into the conversation. "They're just games, Abby, it's not like they're real."

"Oh, I like the Pokémon-game!" Amy piped in. "I mean, I never played it but I watched the shows and I know that they're based off a game, right? I think those animals are super-cute!"

"They might be super cute, but they're not animals, they're monsters!" Kieran interred.

"They are not monsters!" Amy refuted.

"Sure they are." Kieran replied waving his hand in the air loftily. "Pokémon, you see," he continued, "is actually short for pocket...monsters, who do moves likes fire, water, wind, earth spells that to a non-monster would be so horrible it would kill them on the spot. Only these look like bunny rabbits and turtles, but imagine, if they used their powers on their trainers how violent it would get!?" His eyes glistened.

"They're not violent at all. That game is actually really kid friendly." Eric amended, smiling profusely beneath dark brown hair and mildly tanned skin. "But if you're concerned there are other PG games you can play. And then, of course, there's all the dancing and singing games that win over any girl." I noticed here that those dark eyes were locked deeply within my own.

"Oh. My. God!" Louise stated tensely right before exploding. "I love those games - do you have them? You must invite me over to play!"

"Me too!" Amy cut in. "I like to sing and dance! I never did it with a video game before but if Louise thinks it's cool it must be... semi-cool!"

"Chick games..." Bart murmured.

"Um... yeah, sure you can all come over. More than happy to oblige." Eric answered with a smirk.

"Actually," I interred, "if it's not too much of an inconvenience, I would like to come too. I think that sounds really fun!"

It may have been my imagination but it seemed that Eric's grin suddenly widened so much that lines almost started around his eyes. "And you know what, it won't just be fun, it'll be epic!"

I smiled too, excited with the thought of all us friends together singing and dancing but that also made me turn my head aside towards the school entrance. Just then the bell rang to usher us into our classes and yet my gaze lingered there a little longer.

"Hey, Abby." Eric prodded. We better get to class, we have drama first up and you know how eccentric Mr. Greer can get if you arrive after him."

I turned back to my friend and smiled. "Yeah, we don't want to be caught up in that cyclone!"

We all walked up the hill to our classrooms but as I turned my gaze back one last time I noticed that Kieran was still standing there, looking in just the same direction that I was and no doubt searching for the same person.

Bethanie, you declined a ride with my mother today and then are late to arrive to school so what, I wonder, is keeping you away right now?