THE MONSTER INSIDE ME: The Immortal Chronicles: Book One Read online

  “You mean, like you enough to knock you up with his angel babies?” she asks.

  “Van. Cut it out with that. I’m serious.” I can feel myself growing frustrated. Van always spoke what was on her mind and I admired her honesty, but sometimes it drove me mad.

  “Lighten up virgin girl. Maybe you should take your pent-up sexual frustrations out on Mr. bad boy. I’m sure he can relax your winded, tight ass.” Yeah. That’s where I draw the line.

  “Oh my God! Geeze you are crude. I’m not talking about my sex life with you. Best friend or not, you know I don’t talk about that kind of stuff.”

  “One, you have no sex life and two, watch you turn out to be the freakiest, kinky bitch of us all. I’ve heard it’s the goodie good girls that turn out to become the craziest freaks in the sheets.” I give Van a deep warning glare. “Fine but remember my words when it turns true,” she adds. I roll my eyes.

  “I’m going to class,” I tell her. I am beyond finished with this conversation.

  “Right behind ya hot stuff,” she mocks.

  Van and I make our way to class. It’s a small school. Our senior class consists of about fifty-two kids. Well fifty-three now. Van and I have almost every class together, which is great, but also annoying at the same time. I can never get away from—" I stop abruptly between the doorway, when I see him sitting, and gasp.

  CHAPTER 2 - WHAT THE HELL?

  Van bumps into me from behind. I lose my balance and fall to my knees, my palms catching my fall before my face hits the hard, cold tiles. To my right, two arms swoops around my waist and pull me to my feet. I turn to see who had helped me up and freeze. It’s him... He’s holding me and staring deeply into my eyes and as I gaze into those bright blue eyes of his, I notice that they are full of worry, and anger?

  Wait. How did he get to me so quickly?

  “Are you alright?” he asks.

  “Yeah. I’m fine.” I see his eyes lock on someone behind me. They move following whoever has his attention. My neck turns to glimpse who holds his angry glare. Van. She smiles apologetically and walks away, heading towards her seat. Warm fingers grace my chin and turn my head to face him.

  “She didn’t hurt you?” he asks. Those fingers, his touch. It’s so... electrifying. Stimulating.

  “No. I’m fine. Really. Thank you— thank you for uh— helping me up.” He says nothing, just gazes at me intently. He is breathing hard, his nostrils are flared and his eyes, those baby blue eyes appear as if they had grown a few shades darker, almost navy.

  I notice other kids walking in, staring at us. He notices too and gently pulls his arms away from around me. Nooo. Don’t let me go, I internally cry. What I’d do to have those arms around me again.

  “We should take our seats,” I say. He nods and I see him take a deep breath and relax.

  He follows close behind. I take the seat by the window, behind Van, while Austin takes a seat in the row to my right, behind me. I turn back and give him a shy smile, and what do you know?

  He’s still staring.

  I turn away, smiling.

  I’m not quite sure why, but just knowing that it is me, his heavy gaze is fixated on, makes me happy. My smile suddenly grows even wider and I find myself blushing. I can feel the heat, from under my cheeks burn and I suddenly feel, giddy. God… I’m pathetic. Here I am blushing like a— well, I suppose I am a schoolgirl. Yeah. I’m blushing like a schoolgirl.

  The urge to turn around, and see his face, is all I can think about.

  Just one look. That’s all I want. One look.

  Out of curiosity, I turn.

  His head is bowed, and he gazes up at me under those thick eyebrows and lashes. The corner of his lips is risen, revealing one unnerving, wicked smirk. It then grows wider, stretching across his face, blossoming into a malicious, but beautiful grin. My smile drops and I quickly turn around, facing Van’s back. My heart races and my breathing turns heavy, but the thing that surprises me the most, is my smile. It’s back, and so is his burning gaze. In fact, I don’t think I feel it ever leave me.

  Not for one second.

  The bell rings. I jump out of my chair, ready to move out. I don’t know why my heart is racing to get out of here, but that’s all I want. I couldn’t concentrate on anything going on in class, but him and his burning gaze from behind.

  Van turns around to face me.

  “Hey, so did you hear? Supposedly a hunter found the bodies. Apparently, they were missing their heads—" she begins to say, but I’ve already heard it.

  “I know Van. I watched the same news as you. I wonder where their heads are?” I don’t really care. More just curious.

  “Beats me. Maybe whatever attacked them, ate them,” she states. She’s right. Why waste a perfectly good meal? Still… the thought of consuming brains is beyond my level of gore. Ugh!

  “I don’t know. The animal probably has their heads displayed on a mantle, as it’s trophies,” I joke.

  Humor was always my go-to form of therapy during the darkest of times. I’m picturing a cartoon version of a bear in his forest home, with the two heads displayed on his fireplace mantle. I know… I’m messed up. Something might be disturbingly wrong with me.

  “Eww. Now that’s morbid,” she grimaces. “So anyway, Cole asked if we’re going to the party after the game on Friday. He said to tell you you’re lame for leaving so early last time and that you should stay later next time...”

  I can hear Vans voice become a distant murmur within the background. I had tuned her out. My sole focus was on those eyes. Those beautiful, alluring baby blue eyes.

  He has me pinned where I am, as he stalks by ever so slowly. Neither one of us can look away. It’s as if I am locked in some sort of magical imprisonment that held me hostage, but that is okay. I’d be willing to be held hostage by him any day.

  “Hello? Earth to Emilia!” I blink, snapping out of my trance. A devilish smirk plays across his angelic face. He turns forward, continuing, out the door. I turn to Van.

  “What?” I irritatingly ask.

  “Really? You really going to get all pissy, because I just interrupted you two eye-fucking the Hell out of each other just now?”

  “Van! Whoa. It wasn’t even like that?” I defend. She stands and I follow, as we collect our things and then head for the door. She glances back as we both walk.

  “You two have some deep sexual chemistry. Not only do I see it, but damn I feel it. Everyone in a fifty-yard radius feels it. It’s fucking hot! You need to lock that pretty boy down before someone else does and let me tell you, it won’t be long. Look at them thirsty vultures.” She points ahead of us, towards Austin. He is leaned back against the lockers, his head resting up against the cold metal.

  I make eye contact, but of course, his intense gaze is already fixed on me.

  Van and I walk on by, as he stands there, following me with his eyes, even while he is surrounded by others. The fact that it is I who holds his attention and not the pretty girls around him, makes me feel things. Unfamiliar things. I can feel the heat beneath my cheeks burn. I suddenly feel flushed and not just in my cheeks, but all over. Especially down—

  “Emilia! Seriously, what’s a girl got to do to get your attention?” Van shouts. I break the intense staring contest between Austin and I and turn to face Van.

  “I’m sorry. It’s just that—"

  “You can’t stop ogling over new boy. I know. He’s hot, but damn girl. Ease up on the staring, or he’s going to think you’re a stalker.” Was I acting like a stalker?

  “He’s been staring too. It’s not just me,” I defend.

  “Yeah, but boys are dumb like that. The double standards are ridiculous. He can stare and it’s no big deal, but you stare, and you’re labeled as a stage five clinger.” Out of curiosity, I glance back at the boy with the baby blue eyes.

  He is still staring.

  A happy, shy smile begins to form on my lips and so does one on his. I turn back around and am full on grinni
ng like a goon.

  Van and I go to our next class together and take our seats. As the classroom begin to fill, my eyes keep locked on the door, waiting for him to enter, but unfortunately, he never does.

  “There’s my two favorite babes,” says the guy I did not care to see. I try to avoid him by pretending to read a passage from my textbook. Suddenly, history never seemed more interesting than it did now.

  “Hey Cole!” Van happily greets. I jump, when I feel his uninvited arms wrap around me in one long, big hug. He then gives me a quick peck on the cheek, and I immediately shrug him off.

  “Some ones jumpy today,” he playfully teases. “I missed you,” he whispers into my ear. I pull out of his hold, turning my attention towards outside the window.

  He sits on the edge of my desk, facing Van and twirls a lock of my hair, wrapping it around his finger.

  “Stop,” I meekly say, while pushing his hand away.

  “Don’t mind her. She’s been in a weird mood, ever since new guy showed up,” Van tells him.

  “Oh yeah! I saw him! Tried to talk to him, but he just gave me a weird look. I got a weird vibe from him. I don’t like him,” he says. Good. Stay away from him. Austin is far too good to be mixed in with the likes of you.

  “Yeah, I don’t know, but they seem to have some weird, vibing thing going on. It’s kind of freaky if you ask me...”

  Again, Vans voice had become a distant murmur. I had tuned out of the conversation, as I continued staring out into the open field that met the deep tree lines off in the distance…

  I silently gasp and sit upright in my seat. I glance behind, to see if anyone else sees, but they are oblivious. I turn my attention back to the outside.

  There he stands, tall, brooding and gazing directly at me. Where did he come from just now? Was he watching me? If so, the thought brought a warmth of happiness to my darkened soul.

  I stand and move towards the window, never breaking our gaze. I raise my hand, resting it flat against the glass.

  It yearns to touch him. To caress him, to feel him.

  A wide wicked grin begins to pull at the corner of those pouty, plump rose colored lips of his and it makes me blush. I glance back at Van, who is still conversing with Cole, to see if she sees, but she hasn’t noticed. When I turn back to the boy before me, he is, gone... but how did he— he was just— weird.

  I move away from the window and plop back down in my seat. I sit there, dazed and utterly confused. I knew my mind was playing tricks, toying with my already clouded head, yet I still wondered… no. No, I say, smiling while shaking my head. There was no other possible explanation for his disappearance. There couldn’t be. Right?

  The entire class, I could not stop thinking about him. The new boy with those big, baby blue eyes. He had infested my mind. Possessed it. I couldn’t escape him. I couldn’t rid him. He was inside me and strangely, I never wanted him to leave.

  During lunch, I searched for him. I was going to offer him to sit with Van and me. I didn’t know if he had made any new friends and the thought of him sitting alone really bummed me, but he had vanished. Just like he had vanished outside the window, last I saw him. I know I’m crazy for even admitting it, but if I hadn’t had known any better, I would have said new boy, is a ghost.

  I laugh internally. There were no such things as ghosts. I was quite the fan of the horror and paranormal genre, but did I believe any of it? Of course not! I mean— well now... now, I don’t know. I think back to Austin’s strange disappearance and I only have one solid explanation. Either he’s an incredibly fast runner or maybe, just maybe he is— who am I kidding! I shake my head. There are no such things as ghosts.

  God I’m such an idiot.

  At the end of the day, I walk out of school, and head straight home. I was really hoping to catch a glimpse of the blue eye beauty before I left, but luck was not on my side. I wonder where he went. My school is small. There was no way I missed him through passing.

  How was he not in any of my other classes? Maybe he had to leave for some reason. I guess I can ask him where he went some other time. The real question though, was why am I so worried about where he is? Maybe I am a stalker…

  My home is close. Barely three miles past Main Street, local shops and through suburban neighborhoods. The walk to and from school is something I look forward to. It’s my alone time. A time of peace and quiet where I can think or not, depending on my mood. My walks relaxed me, and they gave me the opportunity to silence it all—

  The hairs on my arms instantly stand, causing goosebumps to form over my skin. My chest tightens. My neck stiffens. An eerily chill, runs down my spine. I swallow a large gulp and realize…

  Someone is following me.

  With wide, panicked eyes, I slowly find the courage to turn around.

  I instantly sigh in relief. Nothing. I glance around. Nothing. No one. I am all alone, but then why does it feel as though I am being followed? I could have sworn I felt a presence.

  I continue walking. I cover a few feet ahead of me, when the feeling returns. Someone is behind me. I know it. I can feel their presence. It’s dark. Sinister. My chest rises and falls rapidly. My breathing is quick. Anxiety consumes me like a plague.

  Scared. No terrified. The urge to cry is at the forefront of my being. “Don’t turn around, Emilia,” whispers the little voice in my head. I pick up my pace. Moving faster than normal, but not fast enough to chase.

  “Emilia,” whispers a deep, seductive voice, that carries through the wind.

  I freeze in my tracks.

  “Austin,” I whisper. I quickly turn and see no one.

  I’m losing my mind. I really am losing my gosh dang mind. I shake my head. I heard him. I swear I did. It was him. I felt him. He was here...

  I blink and then a tall, familiar figure, across the street, catches my attention. There. Standing, is the blue eye beauty and he is grinning. I immediately freeze. Is it in fear? Shock or because of something else?

  This boy scares the shit out of me in ways I do not understand, yet he also makes me feel inexplicably drawn to him. It’s textbook calculation: toxic. His presence is toxic, and I can’t get enough of it.

  My hand raises and I wave my fingers, one by one. His grin grows wider and he gives me slow wave. I decide to move towards him. He watches me, as I cross the street. It’s like a pull. An unexplainable pull that reels me towards him. My mind feels zombified. I can’t think straight, see straight. All I know, is that I must to go to him. I need to be near him.

  Something in me urges me to turn around. “Go back,” it warns. “Run!” It begs, but here I am, ignoring my inner conscious and walking towards the boy with the blu—

  “HUHHH!” I instantly gasp.

  Like an invisible punch to the gut, I go flying back, landing hard on my ass.

  I’m sitting on the road, eyeing the bright blue truck that speeds on by, knowing that if I had taken just one more step towards the boy, I would be dead. The truck would have hit me.

  My heart is pounding against my chest. My head is spinning. I’m dizzy. I’m in shock.

  I glance up at the boy and am yet again, thrown into the same state of confusion as before.

  Pretty boy is gone...

  What the Hell is happening? He was literally just standing there! Across the street. Smiling at me and now he’s— he’s just gone? I glance around in both directions. Not even a back view from him running.

  I take a deep, shaky breath.

  “What the Hell is going on?” I whisper out loud.

  This is not how I expected my day to go, and to think that I almost skipped today. Maybe I should have just skipped. Maybe then, I wouldn’t have put myself in this predicament, but then again, I can’t deny that maybe, just maybe, this is exactly where I am supposed to be.

  The little voice inside my head that urges me to run, but it’s the little devil on my shoulder that whispers differently. For once, it is him who I agree with. It is that dark, hypnotic voice
that I can’t refuse. “Stay,” it whispers. “Stay.”

  “Stay,” I hypnotically repeat.

  I don’t care what is going on. I am in this and I’m not going anywhere. I can’t. I really can’t. I am pinned and it is blue eyes who holds the needle.

  This boy had some explaining to do. He had secrets. Secrets that deep down my conscious mind told me not to poke, but I am only human, and what is it to be human, then to not be curious?

  Idiot. I’m an idiot. Curiosity did kill the cat, dumbass.

  I really am a dumbass...

  I stand and sigh heavily. I brush the dirt off my ass and take a glance each way, staring down the long, lonely road.

  “What the Hell, blue eyes… what the Hell.”

  I turn, to head home, but somehow, I know I am not alone. The thought should scare me, yet it only excites me. I continue walking, while smiling, because I know, Austin is near. His presence is close. I can feel him. I don’t understand how, but I can feel him and that brings me so much hope.

  He wants me… I realize.

  The blue-eyed boy wants me.

  CHAPTER 3 - JESUS SAVE US ALL

  “Hey mom! I’m home!” I holler out. I head to the kitchen, drop my bag on the counter and open the fridge.

  “Hey honey. How was school?” mom asks from behind. I pull out a soda, close the fridge and turn around. Taking a sip, I swallow and then answer,

  “It was... interesting,” I say. My mom is smiling. She’s such a happy and positive person, much like Van, only Van is crude and vulgar, and my mom’s a brown hair, blue eyed bombshell saint. I may have inherited my mother’s dominant genes, but she will always be the prettiest of us two.

  “Oh yeah? How so?” she curiously asks. Her eyes are lit up. She’s adorable. I love my mom and I guess you can say we’re close. I’m close to both my parents. Well was. Was close.