Amara
For the next couple of days, Kell slips into my room and holds me close while I sleep. I’ve never felt so safe and warm in my life. Mathias called us the day after our talk and told me that he found someone who can help me with my newfound gifts. Kell and I are going to meet her Saturday night.
Everything seems to be going great between Kell and me. I just hope that the person Mathias spoke to can help me control my powers. Unfortunately, our relationship hasn’t gone past touching, kissing, and sleeping. There just isn’t a good time for us. Not with all the drama of my visions. Poor Kell is running ragged as he rushes back home every morning to change clothing, then comes back to give me a ride to school.
This morning, as I rush out of my house and slip into his car, he pulls me close and whispers. “Hey, beauty queen.”
Unable to contain my excitement, I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him hello. I’m ge
KellI’m glad everything is more settled between us. Tiffany avoids us now. Every time I see her, she runs in the opposite direction. People still treat her like crap. It would be almost sad if it wasn’t for the fact that she tried to get between my beauty queen and me. Unfortunately for her, that’s not something I can take lightly.Right now, I’m waiting for my beauty queen to finish practicing for her pageant. Her mother gives me a sideways look every time she sees me, but she doesn’t make any comments. That doesn’t mean that I won’t tread carefully around her.I worry about Amara now more than ever. She’s not sleeping well because she’s worried about her visions. On the one hand, she’s scared of getting a vision, and on the other, she worries that someone might be dying because she’s not having any. Fortunately, Mathias contacted us and told us of a woman who can help Amara control her visions.
Amara“Hey Bree, can I stay at your place this weekend?” I look up towards the dark sky as my friend Zoe pleads with me through the other end of the phone. The campus is really quiet at this time of night. I just got out of class, and I know that my sister Lana is waiting for me to give her a ride home from work. I try to balance my bag and cell-phone as I walk towards my car. “Sure, girl. Is something going on at home?” She clucks her tongue. “Just the usual. Mom’s pretending that everything is alright, while John’s wife makes every effort to make our lives hell. I wish I’d never moved back here. I freaking hate it!” Her voice rises with derision. I can’t help but feel pity for her. Zoe’s life hasn’t been easy. Her mother is the maid of this really rich tycoon whom she had an affair with before Zoe was born. The sad part is that everyone knows that John’s her dad, but they pret
KellI’m late for school today. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay and kiss my girl properly because Rowan called me to run an errand for him early this morning. He sounded pretty desperate when he asked me to take him a few bags of blood. Apparently, Mikhail and Nevaeh were not available, and he needed it pretty bad.Rowan answers the door as soon as I show up at the apartment. He used to live with Mikhail and Nevaeh at the beginning of their freshman year. But things became a little awkward when he had to deal with Nevaeh and Mikhail’s “nighttime activities,” so he moved to the apartment across the hall.Fortunately, Mathias owns the building, so he lets Rowan stay in the studio for free. It’s a pretty nice apartment. It’s small with an open concept kitchen slash dining room, living room, and bedroom. The bathroom with its large glass shower, single sink, and toilet is the only separate area. The layout is simple; when you
AmaraIt didn’t take long for me to pack a bag. Thankfully my parents are out of town again. This time it’s my mom who has some charity ball at Martha’s Vineyard. My mom likes to pretend that she cares about something other than herself every once in a while. But don’t be fooled by her charitable endeavors; she mostly does it to impress her friends. God forbid if she is doing it for a good cause.We make it to Mikhail and Nevaeh’s in record time. Nevaeh and I hug happily, having put our previous unpleasant encounter behind us. It gladdens me that we were able to make a lasting friendship. We go out to eat and hang out like a regular couple.Every once in a while, I look at Kell and give him a heated smile. I blush when I think about our earlier sexual encounter. I can’t believe that I was so bold with Kell. It was the most incredible experience of my life.Right now, we’re both in Rowan’s old room, getting r
KellAzazel, Creighton, and I gaze at each other helplessly as Amara lays in my arms unconscious.Azazel looks at Creighton. “What the hell just happened. Creighton?” Creighton simply shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t know, mate. This is the first time this has ever happened.”Feeling terror choke me, I shake Amara’s shoulder. “Amara…wake up, babe. Please wake up.” I say desperately.Azazel touches her face then looks at Creighton. “Bloody hell, Creighton, there has to be something you can do.”Creighton swallows deeply and moves to the table, rifling through a few papers with desperation. “Let’s see, let’s see. There has to be something here that can help.” He shuffles a few more papers and looks through them.Amara’s body shudders again, making me look back up at Azazel with desperation. “Fuck, Azazel, help her.”
AmaraThe campus is quiet and solemn by the time Kell and I get there. While we wait, we take a seat at a nearby bench and wait for Azazel, who’s running late. I guess we can’t complain, considering we made him wait earlier. We don’t mind the wait, though. We simply sit comfortably in each other’s arms and kiss. His lips feel so soft and pliant against mine. Wrapping my arms around him, I nip at his bottom lip, then soothe it with my tongue as Kell groans and pulls me closer to deepen the kiss.It’s so still and quiet at this time, and it feels like we’re in our own world. There are no students lounging on the grass, studying, or playing football at this time of night. It's eight o’clock, and there are very few students rushing to get to their classes. It’s just like the vision I had. The breeze is blowing gently through the trees, and the leaves sway lazily, making the bushes shuffle. The moon is out, and the sky is cove
KellThinking that this is the craziest night of my life doesn’t even remotely cover how I feel. As Amara and I follow Azazel and Fallon, I can’t help but think about how much my life has changed. I’m doing great in school; I have a mate and a great family. Life is great.As we glide through the air, I take joy in having Amara in my arms. However, I can’t help but worry for her and where her visions are leading her.Thankfully, we finally land on a rooftop high up in the hills. The house is hidden deep in the California forest. There are no other houses around it, and I imagine that the nearest house is miles away. It’s a pretty modern-looking white mansion-lined by trees. The top of the house is flat, spherical concrete. It kind of reminds me of a spaceship. When I look down, I can see a giant waterfall pool set by the side of a hill, glowing like a luminescent beacon in the darkness. The walls are mostly made up of glass. It looks
AmaraThe day of the pageant dance is here, and I’ve been so busy that I’ve barely seen Kell. Nevertheless, Kell doesn’t let it get in the way of sneaking a few kisses here and there and giving me smoldering hot looks. I have to fan myself at the thought of expelling a little energy with my sexy, angelic boyfriend soon. Regrettably, I have to settle with light petting. The upside of being busy is that I haven’t been able to fret about the visions.Right now, Haley, Juliet, and a few other students are working on the finishing touches of the dance hall. Come to think about it, most of the school is here. Pageant day is like a holiday around Arcata. Everyone gets the day off to prepare, and a few of the school clubs contribute their skills.Mr. Avila chose several of the best photography students to take pictures. Unfortunately, I couldn’t be one of the photographers for the obvious reason that I’m part of the pageant. The newsp
Chapter 44: EpilogueKell“Ready, beauty queen?” I ask Amara as I heft her heavy luggage cart towards our rental SUV. Amara, Haley, Carrick, Juliet, and I decided to take a road trip after graduation. Traeger and Jelena invited us to a cabin her parents purchased in one of the state parks located in upstate California. I could tell that Amara wanted to get away from home. Her parents are still trying to convince her to quit school and become a model. I can tell that she’s ready to snap. Unfortunately, it will be months before we start school at Cal State, so I suggested a road trip. Everyone jumped on the chance.Carrick told me the other day that he finally revealed what he was to Haley. She freaked out at first, but Amara spoke to her, and she seems fine now. Azazel made sure that Juliet’s memory of that night with Taylor was erased. According to Azazel, all she remembers is her car stalling on prom night and her falling after stumbling
AmaraThink about Juliet…Think about Juliet… I keep repeating in my head as I gaze into the mirror. At first, my vision swirls, and everything is hazy. I blink my eyes, trying to focus, but everything is too blurry. After a moment, I think I’m going to get stuck like this, but then as if someone turned a television on, my vision sharpens.I’m surprised to find myself in the school greenhouse. This time I’m not in someone’s mind. I’m definitely me. I look down for reassurance and see my beautiful prom dress and sigh in relief. Hopefully, this will stop the dreadful cold that debilitates me when I snap out of my vision.I can see all the beautiful flowers and the stars gleaming from beyond the glass ceiling and the ivy vines wrapped around the greenhouse walls. I walk around for a moment, confused. It feels so real. I can smell the scent of roses and other plants. I move closer and run my fingers over a soft ros
KellPROM NIGHTI move my head to the music as I make my way to Amara’s house. My fingers pull at the bow-tie that hangs snuggly around my neck. I’m wearing a traditional black and white tux with a black bowtie─James Bond style. Or so Amara told me. I smile at the memory of the really bad things we did after I got the tux.It doesn’t take me long to get to Amara’s house. We decided to forego the traditional limo. Especially since my Barracuda is so badass. Amara loves this car. We’ve had some really hot make-out sessions in the front and back seat.Stepping out of the car, I adjust my jacket, grab Amara’s corsage, and make my way to the front steps. Mimi answers the door with a delighted grin. Mimi has warmed up a lot to me over the past few months. At first, she was very formal, but I wore her down with a few flirtatious comments and compliments on her outstanding cooking.  
Chapter 41: Thank goodness that’s overAmara “…And the winner of the 2015 Ms. Arcata High Pageant, and recipient of the Fallen Scholarship is…Ms. Amara Vega!”I roll my eyes as my boyfriend cups his hands over his mouth and pretends to be a cheering crowd. Juliet, Carrick, and Haley join in and hoot and holler along with Kell. Removing the crown from my head, I lay it over my lap and blow out a strand of hair from my face. “Okay, guys, enough.”Kell takes my hand and chuckles exuberantly. “Aww, come on, beauty queen, we’re just excited that you won.”I smile shyly and rest my head on his shoulder. “Thank you for being there,” I lay a kiss on his cheek, then turn to my friends. “Thank you all. It was really fun.”Carrick whoops from the driver’s seat of the car and winks at me from the rearview mirror
KellShe looks so small lying in my bed. Caressing my hand down her smooth jaw, I move a stray strand of hair behind her cheek. Amara fell asleep as soon as we got into Mathias’ car. I had to carry her exhausted body into my house. Thankfully, her candidacy for the Ms. Arcata High pageant didn’t suffer. I called Carrick on the way to the house, and he told me that people were intrigued by her mysterious exit from the ball. I will admit that Jordana intimidates me. So, I texted her and told her that Amara was not coming home because she was attending an after-party for her pageant celebration. She seemed fine with it.Amara didn’t make a sound when I took her into my shower and washed all traces of that world from our bodies. Once I was done, I placed her on the bed, undressed her, and slipped one of my t-shirts over her bare body. I know she’ll become very upset when she wakes up with makeup residue on her face, but I just don’t have the h
AmaraI feel like a statue made of bone and mass. All I can do is stand there and watch as the man I love and his friends fight the evil that Marael and Taylor have wrought upon us. I try to fight the spell that keeps me from moving, but it’s impossible. So, I simply gaze into my boyfriend’s eyes and try to broadcast all the love I feel for him. He looks so desperate to save me. It’s almost heartbreaking to see the hope in his eyes.If only I could break loose from this spell, but all I can do is scream inside. I feel like a soul trapped inside a dead shell. My body jostles painfully when Taylor pulls me over his shoulder and carries me away. I can hear Kell’s footsteps following close behind us. Suddenly, a loud crack resounds in the room, and Taylor and I are weightless. My stomach flips as our bodies descend rapidly through a black abyss. I close my eyes as my body plummets to its death. The breeze stirs my hair, and my body is
Kell“It’s over here,” I say, pointing to an old church hidden by a cove of trees. After I tracked Amara’s phone, Azazel and I drove until we were in the deeply wooded area a few miles from Arcata. The area is deathly dark and unnervingly quiet. You can’t even hear the song of crickets. Which is odd in this part of California. It seems that every animal has left the area. In the center of the wooded area, there’s an ominous-looking church that has seen better days.The church is old and unkempt with crumbling cement and brick walls painted in garish mud colors. There’s a bell tower centered on the top, and most of the stained glass windows are cracked or boarded up. The wooden front door looks like it is falling off its hinges. As we near the church, I remove my jacket and tie. The air is almost oppressive the closer we get. An ominous feeling seizes me as I step out of the car and take a few heavy steps.Azazel follows
AmaraI can’t believe this is happening right now. It never occurred to me that Taylor might have been involved in all these deaths. But here I am, waking up to find myself tied to a column in the middle of some church. I look around in hopes of figuring out where I am. There are stained glass windows depicting an army of angels coming down from the heavens and wooden pews, just like the other ones in my visions. Used candles create a sinister décor as they lie strewn around the room. My eyes land on the large stone altar with dried blood in the center of the floor. Hysteria rises in my throat at the thought of what might happen to me. Taylor is going to kill me the same way he killed those other girls.My arms ache as I strain to release them from their bonds. All I need to do is get to the private pocket in my thigh to reach for my cell phone. Hopelessness overwhelms me at the realization that my hands are tied too tightly to reach the pocket. I can&rsqu
KellI make my way to the table and almost faint in shock when I see who’s there. Rowan is sitting at the table with Carrick and Haley. He’s wearing the black suit jacket I told him to wear, which is not exactly appropriate for the occasion.As I stroll casually toward the table, I search around for some answers. “Hey, bro. So you decided to come after all.”He nods his head and smiles cynically. “I was bored. And since you invited me, I figured I’d come around and see what all the flash was about.”He looks around the room, then back at me. “Where’s Amara?”I point to the balcony. “She’s in the ladies’ room.”Rowan moves his head to the music but quickly stiffens when Juliet walks up to the table and stops as if pulled by an invisible rope. Her smile fades instantly. You can almost feel the tension in the air. However, they don’t acknowledge each other