Mason - Archaic #4 (Sample of Published Book)

Chapter 3 - Part 1

The next morning I woke up sweating and tangled in the bed sheets. I rolled over onto my back and looked up my ceiling, trying to ease my rapid breathing. Dreams were another side effect of the emotions I was experiencing. As a Hue, I had never dreamed at all; but since the feelings in me had been freed, I'd dreamed every night.

The dreams were so vivid and intense it was hard to get used to them. Especially when the intensity of the emotions was stronger than when I was awake.

Last night I'd dreamed of Neve. It was probably because thoughts of her and what had happened with Mr. Moron had plagued me as I'd drifted off to sleep.

I rubbed my eyes as I sat up in bed. My chest was tight with the emotions leftover from the dream. Putting a hand to my chest I took a few deep breaths and tried to clear my mind from the afterthoughts of the dream. My constricted chest began to ease.

How did humans and Archaic deal with the emotions so easily? They seemed to be able to handle their emotions effortlessly whereas for me it was daily struggle and at times debilitating. I hoped with time it would become easier for me. Sometimes I wished I could feel nothing just to have some peace.

My mind was clear as I got up and went to shower. Like all rooms in the house, they all had their own adjoining bathrooms so I didn't have to share with anyone. It was a good thing because I wasn't the sharing type.

Ever since I'd gotten my car I'd stopped getting a lift with Jared and I started driving myself to school. Driving in the car alone allowed me to have quiet time before I had to be surrounded by other students at school. It was sometimes claustrophobic to be around so many strangers. My world had been turned upside down and things that had been simple before weren't anymore.

The Hue believed knowledge was power so our education was excellent. Attending school or being around lots of people wasn't a problem. It was the emotions I felt when I was around so many people that was the problem.

It hadn't helped that the first few days at school I'd been the center of attention and all eyes had been fixed on me. It had been overwhelming. I preferred to be on my own, a loner. I didn't interact with any of the other students in my classes. I joined Jared and Ava and the rest of the group at lunch but other than that I kept to myself.

There hadn't been a shortage of female attention. I was attractive, and even before the emotions, I had no problems getting what I wanted from them. And that's all it had been, a need. I'd used the willing girl, human or Hue, to ease it and then I discarded them. With limited emotions I was unable to form any kind of bond.

That way of life had suited me fine. But things were different now. I could feel so many emotions. I'd seen what Jared and Ava had together. There was a part of me that wondered if it was possible for me. It was something I wanted but not something I was sure I was capable of.

Half dressed in a pair of jeans, I browsed through my shirts in my closet. I passed on a blue, yellow and gray. Finally I settled for a dark purple. It was strange that I put so much thought into selecting a T-shirt. It was such a new experience for me.

Once I pulled the shirt on and stepped into my boots, I picked up my schoolbag and followed the smell of scrambled eggs into the kitchen.

Ava was the first to look up and greet me.

"Hi," I replied as I sat down in the spare seat next to her. I acknowledged the brief nod in my direction from my brother. Another look at Ava revealed the dark circles under her eyes. She looked tired. I hadn't heard her scream last night.

My brother was watching Ava thoughtfully as she ate quietly. I dished out some scrambled eggs onto my plate and grabbed some toast off the pile on a plate. It was one of the bonuses of having a mom around—she made breakfast.

I couldn't help but notice the strained silence between my brother and his fiancée. There was definitely something going on between them, but it wasn't any of my business so I kept my head down and ate my breakfast, trying to ignore the tension in the air.

They left for school before I did so when I arrived at school they were already waiting with the rest of the group. As I got out of my car my eyes immediately searched for Neve and I found her standing with and talking to Felicity.

My eyes remained on her while I walked to join the group. She was dressed in her usual prim and proper clothes with a button-up jersey. Her short black hair was neatly brushed in a middle path with her slight fringe brushed to the right side. There wasn't a hair out of place. I had to resist the urge to run my hand through her hair and ruffle it up. Her outward appearance hid nothing from me. I'd had a peek at the real her and I was intrigued.

I averted my eyes from Neve as I came to a stop next to Tyler.

"Hey," Tyler said, turning to greet me. He was still warming up to me. I could see from his body language he wasn't completely comfortable in my presence. I couldn't blame him. I'd been the enemy for so long and now practically overnight I was now one of them. It was more than a mind fuck.

"Hi," I greeted him, tightening my hand on the strap of my schoolbag.

My eyes gravitated back to Neve and a feeling I didn't recognize shot through me when my eyes met hers. She quickly averted her gaze back to Felicity. Something burned in my stomach and I swallowed to cover up my reaction.

I was still trying to figure out what I was experiencing when I followed behind everyone else into the entrance of the school. My eyes seemed to have a mind of their own and no matter how much I tried to ignore Neve, I couldn't keep my eyes from settling back on her as I walked a close distance behind her.

Just as I was about to enter the school, an attractive blond girl stepped into my path. I stopped. She gave me a flirty smile and her green eyes sparkled at me. I knew that look; she was interested.

"Hi," she said, with a huskiness that I couldn't misread. My eyes took her in. She was dressed in a short mini skirt with a halter-neck top that struggled to cover her big tits. She gave me an appreciative look as her eyes glided over me.

"Hi," I greeted back. I didn't smile back. My eyes flickered past my interruption to look for Neve, but she'd already disappeared inside the school.

"I just wanted to tell you..," she said breathlessly as she leaned forward. It was probably her signature move to show off her cleavage. "If you need any help with anything..." she said, emphasizing the last word, "just let me know."

There was no mistaking what she wanted to help me with. Before my emotions had been unleashed I wouldn't have even thought twice about it. I would have taken her up on her invitation; I could even picture our encounter in my mind. But that was then, and now I was different.

I forced a smile to my lips.

"I will," I said to her. I wasn't ready to take on anything more at the moment. I had my hands full with my amplified emotions, but once I got a handle on them she could definitely help me.

"My name's Chloe," she revealed as she shoved a piece of paper into my hand.

"Nice to meet you, Chloe," I replied with a wink. I stepped past her and hurried inside the school. There was no need to read the note, I knew it would contain her telephone number. I shoved the note into the pocket of my jeans.

I managed to get a quick stop in at my locker to collect my books for my first few classes before I dashed off to my first one. Just as the bell rang for the first period I made it into the class.

I felt eyes on me as I walked over to my seat and let my bag drop to the floor with a thump. Slumping into the chair, I leaned back as the teacher began the lesson.

By lunchtime I had two more telephone numbers. I swear it was the indifference that kept them coming. And it helped that I had good genes. If Jared weren't with Ava, he would be the only guy in the school who could compete with me.