Lyncantherope

Chapter One

                  I see ghosts; I always have since then. I mean sure, I don’t see them that often, but I still see them. That has to count for something, right? I have my beliefs about how it happened. It was a freak car accident. There was no reason for it, the car accident. The sun was shining and the temperature was nice. It wasn’t too cold or warm. Basically, it was the perfect day for a day trip. My family and I were driving back from Gettysburg. It was my present for my birthday. The car turned on its own and went into a river. Frigid and murky, the water creeped into the car as it sank.

                Terrified, I stood up on the seat, fending off rough waves of water that longed to drag me under. Too soon it swallowed us up to our necks. Wide with fear, my eyes locked onto my parents. They were just as scared as me. Forcing myself to close my eyes and hold my breath, the water reached the ceiling of the car. I opened my eyes and intently searched for my parents faces. My lungs burned with the need for air as I found them. They both mouthed ‘I love you’ at the same time as my lungs gave out, and I slipped into the world of darkness.

                A loud beeping soon disturbed my sleep. Movement of my arm awaked sharp pain. My eyes flew open as my heart beat started thumping out of my chest. I looked around only to realize I was in a hospital. The sharp pain was due to an IV being in my arm. The movement of the door caught my eye. A nurse came in, holding a cup with pills and a glass of water.

                “I see you’re awake. That’s good,” she said, looking at me. The nurse handed me the pills and glass of water to take; she then left. I was swallowing the pills when the doctor came in.

                “Hello Angel, how are you feeling?” he asked. I nodded my head. It was weird. For some reason, I didn’t want to talk. “Does your throat hurt?” he asked. I lied and nodded my head. He then left and came back with a dry erase board and a marker. I quickly wrote down my question I had since I woke up.

                “What happened?” I wrote.

                “Oh, Angel, I’m so sorry. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to tell you.” My eyes got wide. He looked away then continued, “You were in an automobile accident with your parents. The car went in a river. You nearly drowned,” The doctor said sadly. The horrific scene replayed in my head.

                “What about my parents?” I quickly wrote.

                “I’m terribly sorry to tell you this, but your parents are dead. We could only save you. I’m sorry,” he said. A lone tear slid down my face. He left the room.

                By the time he left, I was full out bawling. The next five days were vacant and gruesome. I was told I was going to live with my aunt, who I’ve never met. It was the fifth day. I was finally going to leave. I changed into a pair of jeans, tennis shoes, and a t-shirt. My curly blonde hair was a mess. I didn’t care.

                A few moments later, my aunt walked in the door. She had curly brown hair styled to perfection. The way she was dressed told me she was very proper and had a lot of money. She wore high-heels, black dress pants, and an expensive looking top. She signed the papers then walked out with me. She went and got into the driver’s side of a black corvette. I got in the passenger side of the car. I felt awkwardly out of place. As we drove down the road, she made conversation.

                “I’m Anne. You can call me Annie or Anne. You’re Angel right?” she asked.

                “Yes, it’s nice to meet you,” I wrote.

                “Is there anything you’d like to be called by?” she asked. I thought for a moment. I could make a new start. If I name myself, I own myself. No one will be able to control me.

                Quickly, I wrote, “Max.” We turned into this long driveway. Lush green grass covered the front yard. A few trees were scattered amongst it. In the middle was a large old style three or four story house. She pulled up next to the house and got out along with me. We went in the front door. The older style of the house continued on into the inside. The hardwood floor had a long carper going down the middle of the hall. At the end of the hall was a spiral staircase. I was told my room was on the top floor.

On the first floor, there was the living room, kitchen, and the dining room. All of these rooms were either to the left or right of the main hallway. I climbed the metal staircase to the second floor. It had a lot of rooms to the left and right and at the end of the hall was another spiral staircase. The third floor was the same but the color scheme was different from the first and second floors. The first and second floors were red; so far the third was a dark blue.

As I climbed up to the last and fourth floor, I saw that it was only a room. The stairs ended at the floor. A hatch with a doorknob with a lock was swung open. From perspective of the hole from the stairs, you were facing the outside wall of the house. The wall opposite of that would be facing the hall if this was the third floor. To the right was a four-post canopy bed against the wall. On the inner wall away from the hole, a work desk with a mirror sat in the corner. Straight across from the bed was a fireplace and next to it was a tall bookshelf filled with books. Around the hole was a small railing, so you wouldn’t fall. The color scheme was a crimson red. I walked over to the window and looked out. I could see a large willow tree and a river running behind it in the distance. The scene was beautiful.

So, this was my new home. I heard my name being called, so I headed downstairs. I found my aunt in the living room.

“If you’re ready to go, I’ll take you shopping now. I’m sure you’ll need a few things,” she said.

I nodded my head in response. We hopped in her car and drove to the closest mall; it was kind of far from the house. I noticed there were a lot of local shops in walking distance though. A large school sat on top of a hill a few miles away. Until then, I had completely forgotten about school, and a part of me wondered if I was going to go to that school. We picked up some clothes and other stuff. I made sure to grab some art and school supplies. I also got the basics of what I’d need.

When we got home, I went up to my room. I opened the wardrobe in the corner and noticed what seemed to be a school uniform. It was white with black accenting the edges. It was long sleeved and had a matching skirt for the bottom. I guessed it would come slightly above my knees. Quickly, I hung up my new clothes and put away the clothes I had to fold below in drawers. I then set up my art stuff.

After I finished I looked at the clock. It read six. My aunt said dinner was at six, so I went downstairs. At the long dining room table, I saw a boy around my age, maybe a few years older, sitting in one seat. I sat down across from him. He was pretty hot, even up close. His longish black hair barely covered his electric green eyes. I looked away before he caught me staring at him.

A few moments later, Anne came in.

“I see you’ve met Xander. Don’t worry about him. It takes a while for him to get used to you. He’ll warm up to you soon enough,” she said.

“I nodded my head as Xander looked up at me.

“And you are?” he questioned, looking at me. I picked up my dry erase board.

“Max,” It wrote.

“You won’t talk?” he asked. I said nothing. “Well at least I won’t have to worry about you making too much noise,” he said uncaringly. I glared at him. “Nice daggers,” he commented.

After that it was silent. We all ate the food my aunt made. We had steak, mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables. I excused myself from the table and put my dish in the dishwasher. As I left, I heard my aunt tell me that I’d be going to the school on the hill. I was told that I had to walk to and from school with Xander. When I got up onto the second floor, I saw Xander walking down the hall to the spiral staircase. I continued up to my room. I changed into some pajamas then went ahead and climbed into bed. It was quite comfortable, and I fell asleep almost instantly. I guess not sleeping since the accident finally caught up to me.