Darkest Days: Night Demons Saga

Chapter Two

Cullen's P.O.V.

I watched the family before me celebrate the birthday of a nineteen year old girl I had grown up with. Her bright blue eyes shining brightly as her family stood all around, those eyes of hers locking with my own every now and then.

“Cullen come join the family.” Ava, Aggie’s mother, told me, out stretching an arm out for me to take.

I took her hand and she pulled me toward the family where I was forced to join their celebrating. Jinx, Aggie’s, father tossed a beer to me. “Now this is what I call a party.” I tipped it back, chugging the alcohol.

Right after my first sip, Aggie reached up and ripped it away from me. “Smoking is one thing, but you’re not getting drunk at my birthday party.” She scowled before dumping the whole perfectly good beer down the sink.

“Oh yay. Now we get to sing happy birthday.” I said in a monotone voice as Ava pulled a light purple cake from the fridge.

Aggie turned on me, anger leaking like lava from her eyes. “You should start wearing a condom on your head.”

My eyebrows came together in confusion as I self-consciously ran a hand though my hair. “What? Why would I do that?”

“Well, I figured if you’re going to act like a dick, you might as well dress like one.” She snapped at me.

“Agatha Grace!” Her mother yelled at the same time her father. “That’s my girl.” Ava and Jinx, exchanged a look before he corrected himself. “Of course by that I mean watch your language in the presence of your mother, young lady.” He said, trying hard not to smile.

Aggie just glared at me a moment then looked away. “Nice to know everyone still treats me like a child.”

“That’s not true.” Ava said softly.

Aggie looked over at her mother shaking. “Let’s just get back to the birthday party.” And at that everything went back to normal yet I could see how Aggie just wanted to be left alone.

Have I been that much of a dick today? Why does she care so much about me smoking and drinking now? I’ve been at drinking age for almost a full year now and I’ve been smoking for years. Why does Aggie care now?

AGGIE’S P.O.V.

“Aggie?” I heard my name being called out but I ignored them pushing my way past the bushes and trees that stood in my way as I made my way into the woods around my house.

I just needed to get away from everything, from everyone. I only did what I did because I was mad yet it didn’t help when Cullen yelled back at me. We got into a fight before he left, screaming filling the whole house as the two of us yelled at one another. It was because we were arguing about why I care so much that had Cullen yelling back at me before storming out of the house leaving me here in this hell.

I pushed further into the woods needing to get lost. The further I got away, the more a peace I felt. Finally, it was quiet. I continued walking, listening to the woods around me. Soon I heard the sound of running water and I broke through the trees into a beautiful clearing.

A few miles from Bath, Maine, the Kennebec river drops in close to the hillside band and runs deep and green. I moved closer and found that the water was warm too, for it has slipped twinkling over yelling sand in the sunlight before reaching the narrow pool. On one side of the river golden foothill slopes curve up to the strong and rocky long Fellow Mountains, but on the valley side the water is lined with tree-willows fresh and green with every spring, carrying their lower leaf junctures in the debris of the winters flooding, and sycamores with mottled, white, recumbent limbs and branches that arch over the pool. On the sandy bank under the trees, the leaves lie deep and so crisp that a lizard makes a  great skittering if he runs among them. Rabbits come out of the brush to sit on the sand in the evening, and the damp flats are covered with the night tracks of raccoons, and with the spread pads of dogs from the nearby farms, and with the split-wedged tracks of deer that come to drink in the dark.