Unbound (The Sight: Book 1) A Paranormal Romance

Chapter 1

Mist and chill coated the late September night in Blueseed Valley. My footsteps fell soft but steady on the pavement as I walked in the general direction of my house. It was about two hours to midnight, and the night seemed to be getting drastically colder every second.

I shivered and hugged my torso to feel warmer. At the next bend in the alley, the familiar smells of pumpkin and chocolate wafted up to me as I passed the bakery where I worked, bringing a faint smile despite my sour mood.

It had been a long day at college, classes had not ended till late in the evening. I had spent the remaining time walking around the town, and delaying my time to get home as much as I could. My aunt Meredith would hardly notice my late return, she would most probably be dozing on the couch after several drinks, or out herself with her friends depending on her ever frivolous mood.

I kicked a pebble out of my way, the omnipresent churning of my feelings needing an outlet. The pebble hit a distant metal pipe, generating a sharp clang that reverberated through the soundless street.

I was almost near my apartment in the poorer part of town, a fifty minute walk to my college. I slung my backpack further up my shoulder plugging my nose as the smell here tended to change from my favourite sweets to that of blood, grime and piss.

Blueseed was a quaint town; at least the main part of town was pretty and busy. I lived on the outskirts, in a dingy, old area without activity and noise even on a Friday night. This part of town had the most crimes, not that I was new to the sign of the occasional mad man.

I sighed as I thought wistfully about where I could have been that night. Rory, one of my closest friends, had invited me to her family's cruise for the weekend but I had declined her offer once again.

Now, my heart ached when I thought of her enjoying the sea breeze under a blanket of stars. If she got cold, all she would have to do was enter the indoor part of her majestic ship which would not only be warm and inviting but also lined with ostentatious silverware and a fine-dining area with cooks ready to prepare meals at her whim...

Yes, I was jealous and I was spiteful and the sight of my shabby one-room apartment did not help when I used my key to open the front door. The lock itself was on the verge of collapsing; a good shake would allow anyone to enter even without the key. My aunt was not at home and the state of the house had me rooted to my spot in the doorway.

The kitchen was covered in food stains and a pile of used dishes overtook half of it. The carpet was covered with hair and food, the laundry pile was a mess, bottles of alcohol littered the floor and clothes were scattered all over the house. Anger immediately flooded my senses. My breaths were suddenly laboured and to my horror my vision was blurring as tears welled in my eyes. But I did not let them spill, simply hanging my coat and getting ready to clean everything.

...

I closed the room to my bedroom softly, and changed into some comfortable clothes. Grabbing my textbook from my bag I settled on my bed, clasping a sandwich in my other hand. My room was my only kernel of peace and privacy that I had bartered from my aunt while promising in return to pay all the bills and manage the maintenance of the apartment. Shaking my head slightly, I decided to clear my head of all painful thoughts and focus on my reading assignment.

It was now a little past midnight and I snuggled in my heap of blankets. From the corner of my eye I saw a flash of green light in the window. Is that lightning? I thought as I walked to my window and peered out, straining to see in the dark.

The only thing visible was an empty street and a clear sky. I was about to walk back when another flash of bright green light emanated from the middle of the street. My eyes widened as I quickly opened my bedroom door and grabbed my keys and coat, rushing out into the street. From the distance, I could make out three figures disguised into the night. I hid behind a tree in the corner of the street and hastened to listen as the figures seemed to be talking in low voices among themselves.