Lost Blood

Chapter 5

There was complete silence on the other end of the phone. I could only imagine the expression on her face. No one ever expected me to do what I had done with Lyle for a couple more years. “Raven?” I asked after a few more minutes.

            “Yeah, um… I’m here.” Unbelievably she was whispering.

            “Well?”

            “Well, I just need a minute.” Another silence, and then she continued, “You little slut.”

            “Raven!”

            “I’m kidding. I just can’t believe it. You, the goodie-goodie of the family, have done something unbelievably immoral. I’m so proud!” Raven began giggling.

            “Only you,” I mumble and glance over my shoulder at Lyle. He was finally at the front of the line ordering ice cream for us. “Oh, and Raven? One more thing: I’m at the beach.”

            “Please God, tell me it’s not Florida because I really can’t explain that one to your mother.”

            “Haha, no. Savannah.” My mind began to whirl. Savannah was about three and a half hours from my town. Florida was about the same distance depending on which part, so I was pretty much in deep trouble if my mother needed me ASAP.

            “Oh Lord, BCFF. I cannot believe it. You turned into a little rebel.”

            “I know, but anyways Lyle’s coming back so I’ll call you later.”

            “Bye. Love you.”

            “Love you, too.” As soon as my phone was back in my pocket an ice cream appeared in front of my face. I took it and stared at Lyle. He raised an eyebrow, and I just shrugged.

            We began walking along the beach. Jeans were not the best thing to wear while walking along the sandy shores, but there was no way I was complaining. Not even about the heat as much as I hated it. Strolling down the beach barefoot, holding hands, and eating ice cream was never the kind of relationship I thought I’d have. You just couldn’t find someone like Lyle in my town, but somehow I had. The girl with the worst luck had found Prince Charming and gotten him to fall in love with her. Now how did that work?

            Perhaps the reason I stared at Lyle so much wasn’t because he was so beautiful, but because I thought he’d just vanish. It was so unrealistic, my life. At least now that I knew everything. Right in this moment, though, I could almost forget how I got in this very spot. How crazy my entire life was. And as amazing as my Prince Charming was, he had his secrets. Like what he really was. Something beyond human. I squeezed his hand, he returned the pressure.

            A slither of ice cream trickled over my thumb and hit the sand. Suddenly everything around me blurred and darkened. The ice cream turned to blood and a purple mist began slipping out of my mouth every time I exhaled. A black fox formed in front of me on the scorched sand, its grey eyes glowing. “Take my power,” it growled. And then everything was normal. Lyle was still holding my hand as if there hadn’t been anything unusual. At least I hadn’t passed out again. I pushed aside the memory. My good day would not be ruined.

            “So is a road trip and a stroll down the beach a good date?” Lyle asked as we continued along the sand.

            “The best one ever.” I grinned and snuck a kiss on his cheek. Somehow with Lyle that gesture seemed more romantic than it did with any other guy I’d dated, though I had only done something like that with a couple.