Thundercloud chapters1-3…

Someone had discovered our bell pull... Ding-dong-ding-dong-ding-dong...Sigh. A huff of air left my throat.

I push myself away from my desk, the wheels of my Computer chair rolling smoothly over the carpet. Getting up reluctantly from my finished tests and exam papers- which in other circumstances would be weird, I leave my room. The door bell clangs its shrilly-piercing sound again. Walking down the hall I pop my head around Charli’s door frame. She’s sitting on her bed- a big crazy purple quilt with sequin patterns all over it, reading a magazine. Her head phones on, she didn’t notice me. I look around the room, all her ornaments arranged neatly on her bedside desk. Her favourite Jessica Rabbit poster framed in black and purple on the wall above the bed. Her lamp shade is made of some frilly black material with silver and purple sequins; cleverly matching just about everything in the room. Charli loves purple. Sunshine throws multitudes of diamond spots–rainbow sparkles onto the floor-rug, all over the bed and on Charli’s silhouette. She looks odd lying on her stomach with her calves crossed in the air, skin shimmering ominously. The pale olive completion mixed with the purplish glow makes her look like a spotted creature in her... You guessed it- Purple. It was her favourite dress. Mum and dad had bought it for her when they travelled around Europe.

“Charli”. I tried to get her attention... Nope. She still didn’t realise I was standing in her doorway. I walked to the other side of her room near her window and leant into the ledge. The windows locked with a small golden latch on the inside with a delicate little amethyst crystal sparkling against the window-pane. Our house faces east and her windows’ at the front of the house, Charli’s bed is in direct line with the ledge adding to the splay of light.Resting there for a while I stare at her, we have similar features, but they are over shadowed by our more obvious differences. Like I’m a guy and she’s a girl. Her features are more feminine, her structure is smaller. I’m a foot taller than her, angular and with more Braun-she’s got the brains, and our skin is both a pale olive tone. Our hair and eyes are completely subgeneric; hers are the most beautiful green, like gemstones; mine are boring blue; guess she had more space in our gean pool to choose from. Charli’s long auburn Hair is curly; streaked with natural bronzy-blonde tones, it hangs down to her waste- I have almost white hair it’s that blonde. I keep it cut short like every other guy in Eider town. We already stand out from other kids in this town so why not be a bit more commensurable. My head looks like a light bulb. But if it was long I’d look like a girl.

Something caught my eye then, in my peripheral vision.

I looked down through the window to the front of our house. We lived on a big property divided into little lots. Our house was not really a house per se, it was big and roomy. Renovated; the house is on historic castle grounds, the remains of an old castle of eider town’s extinct royal family line. Our Town’s library history says that the young heirs of King ... bought the land from their family and built a humongous castle right smack in the middle. It was pretty interesting. The royal’s builders had actually built a manner, but it had so many extensions and turrets they’d called it a castle. The family had suffered in the winters and caught some incurable sickness – which now would probably be categorised as the common flu, they all perished and the siblings were left with a huge lonely fortune. The Children were about in their early thirties’, and unfortunately squandered most of their money immediately on finishing the grand luxury holiday home. They only lived there in the summer; evidently the siblings left to seek their fortune and glory elsewhere and the castle was left unoccupied. None of the villagers could afford to live in such a big house, so it was left to its own demise, slowly over the decades it crumbled and deteriorated leaving an empty shell. Until about twenty years ago, a wealthy architect bought the land. The villagers thought he would remove the remains of the much abused manor, and replace it with something more modern- but instead he reconstructed it and vamped it up; dividing up the land and selling the smaller lots around it to the townsfolk. To my disgust- I saw the new accessories to the gargoyle, the grizzly crumbling letter box. It was of the remains, part of the old stone-iron gateway,  from the old castle that was ‘saved’, or resurrected from the rubble, with a slot chiselled out for the Postie to stuff our mail into. For some reason the architect thought it was a feature of the castle to leave ‘as is’... I really wish it had been left... as is. Tied around the ugly statues neck were three; Big, Bright, NO.  Luminous Balloons, It looked as if some infatuated owner had placed a cute collar on an old mean dog like it was a cuddly fluffy puppy resulting in creating an even meaner uglier look. The balloons- two metallic blue and one electric pink, where huge, round and tied with a filmy silver string. It pretty much screamed THE PARTY IS HERE! I was stumped. My teeth clenched unintentionally...Charli’s planned something! I redirected my appalled look towards my sister -Till she noticed... Finally looking up from her magazine she smiled.

“You’ve got visitors”. I said talking through my teeth. My eyes probed into her large green ones. Her smile faltered slightly at my accusating stare. 

”Curry night?” my question came out with a little too much acid, I tried to unclench my jaw but I was still a bit pissed. This is what her friends usually come over for, food... and gossip. But today was Friday, the 7th’ of September... OUR Birthday.  I wasn’t usually sarcastic towards Charli. But it’s a little hard when a whole flock of teenage girls rocks up to your doorstep for a supposed evening of tasty food, drinks and gossip; well not a flock, just three but that’s still too many. Then to find out the whole reason they’ve been invited is to hang around with you and your sister for your birthday because- And heres the kicker. I had no friends... Geeez thanks Charli! It’s not my fault I don’t fit in.

“Yeah but I won’t push my luck”. She grinned wider now. I knew she was talking about some sort of small chick party, not about curry. This is because I agreed to take up her share of the cleaning so she could entertain her friends for a few hours. Mum and dad are out for the week; Taking time off to get away from mundane life to go cruising around in the Mederterainium in their yacht. So technically we’re allowed to have friends over, but if we push it we won’t be allowed again... Though if I let them get carried away? Hmmm... The bell rings again. “I’ll get the Door”. Charli quickly mumbled, I think she just wanted to get out from under my stare. I don’t feel bad for that at the moment. Forcing myself not to nock something breakable over, I leave her room, slamming the door behind me. I couldn’t help it. She’ll get the door while I start cleaning – cleaning up after them...For the rest of the day-and night. She was waiting for me though, at the end of the hall where the stairs carried you down to the first floor. “I’ll go sweep the floor and wipe down the surfaces”. I scuffed my shoes on the carpet broodingly, Charli; taking the stairs two at a time, hot on my heels, she starts gibbering, “I promise I’ll take up your share next week Nate, I swear. She was pleading with me with her lips all pouted like a fish and her eyebrows mashed together. They haven’t been here in ages, since before our EXAMS! Just please. Please be nice to them! Say hi and’ all that. They really do like you, Even Grant, Dylan and Mitchell think you’re awesome you just haven’t had a chance to get to know them, what with all your hard studying and being locked in your room all the time -that doesn’t help much either....”

“Sure they do, Charli, Me and my good looks!” I tried to put on a macho expression, puffing out my chest and all that but I felt stupid, I just got what she was really saying, the sarcasm was ebbing away and she could tell. “I thought only your Girlfriends were coming?” One brow was lifted as if to say ‘whatever ‘. She had a triumphant smile on her face as she walked pass me.”Well since it’s IS our finals, I thought more than just our usual crowd could join in the celebrations- sort of a joint party you could say. Half Exam half birthday party- Ha-ha not everything is just about you Nate”. She was teasing me now... and acting all defensive. Her jibes were always on the surface- she was not a shallow person. She knew how I felt about our eighteenth Birthday-she just wanted to celebrate it with more than just the two of us... How many people are coming?

“You’re welcome!” I called after her defiant back skipping down the hallway to answer the front door; there was still that ominous ringing, I bet those girls were yanking on the bell pull as hard as they could. Like they knew someone wanted to avoid them and they weren’t going to give up or come back another day. If only I could slip back into my room and hide, finish some non-existent study or clean my room for about eight hours. I’d be able to relax and do whatever I want, I was gnashing my teeth again, I hadn’t realised, I tried relaxing then .There was still the fact that I had promised to clean, otherwise mum and dad would kick my but...I ambled into the living room grumbling and thinking sarcastically. Charli skipped to the door and unlocked the deadbolt. As soon as they saw her, there were the ‘squeals of delight.’ There high shrilling laughter filled the room and probably carried through the whole house and down the street. There were the hellos and the how are youse’ and why haven’t you come to see me earlier-‘Dah’ because of my exams. They all hugged Charli, and then flocked into the room; My Scheming sister closed the door. But she didn’t lock it again. And that made me think Charli’s planned something BIG! She loved to have friends over. Mostly her three Best friends, but sometimes the whole school lunch crowd would hang out too. Whether it was at school or down in the park, or someone’s house, all of them loved to chat and exchange gossip with an Alco-pop in their hand; Charli doesn’t drink but her friends apparently have to- she would drink lemonade or a creamy soda. Always their gossip involved the trivial things; No doubt todays top question will be; what was your exams like? and then the usual ...what hair colour is in fashion at the moment, what career paths are popular at the moment, who’s cute, who’s not ... Etcetera, etcetera. She loved my company also- but when her friends are around, it’s always nice to see her smile, giggle and squeal with her favourite pals; Tina, Fay and Perstephanie-like their little girls again. Entirely surrounded by females talking about female things, it’s definitely a good thing she has her girlfriends over every now and then, otherwise id be the one she would have to dump her qualms, petty issues and gossip on. Ugh. Now they were standing in the living room with big grins on their faces and a bag each of their favourite drinks-And all with new apparently stylish hair-do’s too.

“Hey Nate! Congrats! Charli told us you aced your exams ...oh and HAPPY BIRTHDAY! We were gonna come over with a cake but we weren’t sure what flavour you guys like so we thought if we brought a few packet mixes we could make lots of little ones and then everyone can have their favourite kind I like Chocolate”...

Geeeez. “Thanks Tina...I chucked on a smile for Chalri and our Birthday’s sake. This was Tina; constantly changing hair styles, I’d never be able to identify her; the amount of times she dyed her hair in a month- Like traffic lights... she was tall, tanned and good looking, with dark brown eyes and a slender figure. Her mother was from Spain or somewhere. At the moment half her hair is a burgundy brown colour and the other half, white blonde streaked with blue and pink. Like our birthday balloons... what a coincidence. She kind of looked like one of those old advertisements for kid’s bon-bons. She’d probably get bored of it and change it here , tonight  or something. Always the first to start the chatting; Tina was really very nice and everything but my Gosh did she have a mouth on her! The room was never quiet when this girl was around, you could always count on her to bring some life into a dull moment.  And noise- she was mainly the source of all the noise that rung through the house and down the street right now... The neighbours would here her and think our party was getting too out of hand before it has even started. And maybe ring the police! But I was getting ahead of myself. Wishful thinking wasn’t getting me no-where tonight... If there was something everyone wanted to say but was too embarrassed, she’d say it with no shame.               

A very big difference between her and Charli’s other best friends.  She was loud and outspoken were as the other two were quite unique...Fay was a sweet, humorous girl, a little chubby with very white skin. Some freckles and dark almost black hair that was once pale blonde- but for some unknown reason she’d dyed it. She had looked kind of nice with the pale skin and hair, it had suited her heart shape face, but now she looked just boring and plain. Maybe she wanted to look plain. I don’t know. Not stand out – unlike her other friends that tried so hard to do just the opposite. She was quiet, conscientious and she loved music. Where ever she was she had a charged up Ipod in her pocket and her tiny ear plugs in or close to her petite ears. I looked at her front pocket, and sure enough there was the little silver wire trailing up to her ear. No clothes were safe around this girl- If she found an old pair of jeans or unwanted skirts. She’d cut them up and sew them together with something else, like a dress. All her clothes were like that, mutilated in my eyes. But the girls all loved the style and they had each swapped clothing items to have a pair of jean cut-offs with a frilly tutu like pink skirt sewn onto the waist line. Yep. Unique...U-nique was the word I’m going to use, and I think It’s the only one I can think of that’s not going to upset Charli- if I told her how much of a bunch of weirdo’s I think they all are. I wonder when mitch will be over, He’ll get a kick out of this. But I guess all brothers think that of their sibling’s friends. They’ve always been around and you know all about them. Even if you don’t want to, you get told! Like how; at the moment Perstephanie is going through a rough patch with her boyfriend and Charli tells me I should be extra nice to her so she feels welcome at the party. Well when she’d come inside she seemed happy enough to me...  Perstephanie...  The way Charli put it was-She had class and honour and a broken heart. I didn’t want to know about that... I just wanted to get the hell out of the room. Because sooner or later that girl was going to hone in on me-were ever I was. Mind you, and wine the freakin pants off me. It’s worse now obviously as shell be extra chatty...Officially today we are allowed to drink and smoke and go clubbing. All the things that can get you almost or nearly killed. Yeah no thanks! All the other kids wouldn’t think like me but hey! They were entitled to celebrate too. A big Birthday with more than just me and my sister isn’t going to hurt anyone. Be a sport Nate, for your sister at least. Yeah I could do that; I can let my sister have her awesome birthday slash exam finals party. It’s only a little cleaning up job after everyone’s gone. No biggy. Plus Perstephanie did look honestly happy when she’d come over... Tonight can’t get that bad.

I think that was the last thing I thought before my world turned upside down...



Well. Not really- only the lounge room was turned on its side but you get my meaning. I wouldn’t have minded listening to only, say; four sets of girls’ mouths gossiping... But TEN? Come on! After about half an hour of idle chatting and gossiping , all the usual updating of the girl world data. The door bell was pulled again, this time I went to answer it. I wish I hadn’t... there were six girls, standing on my front door step- any other guy would have had the biggest chummiest smile he could manage on his face, but I knew all these girls and they were all just good friends of charli’s, but they all looked right at me, blushing and fluttering  their eye lashes. Ugh. Then there was the Chorus of Happy Birthday! “ Thanks, Come in girls”. I sounded like a butler ushering in the royal guests to the banquet hall.

When they started rearranging things I was getting annoyed and a little worried. The lounge was pushed by half the girls to the side near the windows; the coffee table replaced in-between mum’s two glass book shelves, the huge hairy white rug dragged to the side as well. I was going to have to move it all back again. Oh well...as long as no alcohol stains or vomit touched them I don’t care. Then the bell rang again, and again. And. Again!











It’s about ten past nine, there are around seventy-maybe seventy five people at our house, I’m not sure. People keep going outside and coming in again. The music is good, really loud so you can’t hear what people are saying and there’s like Half the seniors from school and then all their little junior friends too. Everyone is being pretty loud and boisterous but nothing of mum or dads has been ruined yet so I think I’m going to get off the hook there. The pizzas were ordered and a half hour later devoured. Everyone is talking and yelling and laughing, some of the guys from school are playing twister with the junior girls- Seriously it’s so crazy I had to hide away from view. Ok so I’m actually on the couch- but no one’s on it. So I’m safe. And I’m only hiding away from one person. “HEY NATE! There YOU ARE! I’ve been looking everywhere for you...”                      Perstephanie... I could still hear her over the loud bopping music.

It was like she’d heard me think about her. Crap. There went my almost quiet safe place. Some of the girls from my science class were talking to her and she hadn’t noticed me, I’d been looking the other way ignoring their fluttery eye-stares.  Then the girl- Her name is Lisbeth I think, had pointed me out. Oh. No. She had to struggle over to the couch because of all the limbs and hair that was tangled on the floor from the now flattened game of twister (all the guys had squashed the chic’s and they were hooting with laughter)-This was what I had been trying to avoid, her non to subtle hints about her Boyfriend, who is...“Officially now my ex! But we’d only said we were having a brake, ssho does that mean were schtill kind of like together? And doesh that mean that I sshould just let him shee other people? Or that I sshould see other peofle..?”... It went on and on. The way she talked, I think she was stopping herself from vomiting. I would have clamped my hands over her mouth before she wrecked mums couch. Or I would have volunteered to be her target to projectile her drink onto-just not on the couch.  I think that was her goal tonight. To get me to ask her out?! I don’t think she actually liked me; she just wants to make her boyfriend jealous or get me before I asked someone else out or something. I looked at her now- she’d found a way across the room and settled herself in-sitting on the couch next to me. The extra large Alco-pop in her hand was almost empty, her hair was all neat when she’d arrived this arvo and her eye make-up had looked good but now it was looking more like she’d been crying ...A lot. Wander why she doesn’t just find some other guy that actually wants her... I didn’t get it. She was gorgeous and kind and funny and most of the time-really smart. She just went for the most idiot jock boys that she could find. And they always, always hurt her. Then when they dumped her, she would go out with her girlfriends and get totally wasted, trying to get away from her pain. She was wearing a mini denim skirt, a low cut white see-through top that showed off her breasts and long sparkly, very unstable looking high-heels. They looked like something that could break ankles. She’d had a jacket on but it looked like she’d lost it. She was trying to lean in to me. Her top was very low; she had probably dressed like this to show off her cleavage. It was hard not to look at her breasts. She leaned to far forward and I had to hold her arms to her side to keep her from sinking off the couch. Her smile was lopsided and she closed her eyes- I think she thought I would grab her and start kissing her.  But she was really drunk ALREADY and I was totally not into her. I was trying to lean away and not be rude. This kind of stuff brought crying tantrums on and angry defensive chic friends... and pissed jealous boyfriends… I was not going to let this get any worse.

“I’m actually seeing someone at the moment Steph.” Youch that would hurt, it was a total lie but I’d gotten Charli to be in on it. Because she’d known I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. It was too easy to upset Steph these days. I was dating a girl from out of town, I’d invited her but she wasn’t finished with her TEE. So she couldn’t come. I bet anything that she had already talked to Charli and thought she’d just try anyway. Give her another reason to hate herself. Her big blue eyes widened and then there were those damn tears. She glared at me with her watery eyes and I could tell she deffinatley was thinking about punching me in the nose, but then she jerked suddenly up and off the couch in a drunken lurch. She staggered off to the bathroom on the first floor bouncing off people who were in her way. She must have known she wouldn’t make it to the one upstairs- not in those shoes. The party goers were all too happy and drunk to notice her.  But I’d noticed the Lisbeth girl watching us; she locked eyes with me then and was looking daggers at me like she wanted to have a go at me. I didn’t care; I hadn’t done anything wrong, besides stopping Steph from making an even bigger fool of her-self. I shrugged and got off the couch. She could make me out to be the bad guy or whatever. I would talk to Perstephanie when she was sober and with Charli nearby.

I went to find Charli then. She was no doubt having the time of her life, chatting with her friends, soaking up the waves of adolescent vibes and exhilarating in the crowds atmosphere. All I was soaking up was the smell of pot and alcohol. I think I might burn this shirt after I clean up this place. The stench of body sweat and alcohol was so strong it made me want to heave. My eyes stung a bit too. I was feeling like shit and I just wanted this party too end.  I spotted Charli then and I did not like what I saw.          I’d had a hard time keeping my cool around all this shit, putting up with her friends, her crap party, I thought i’d tried my best to act like the cool brother; the man of the house, that guy all the kids looked up to. But. It. Just. Doesn’t. Stick. Alright –Dam it...

Chalri was leaning against the wall with her arm over some dudes shoulder. I couldn’t see his face. He was just a hulking figure. Learing over her- So close to her face, it made me want to pull him away and smash his face in! I had to blow some air out of my chest. Get a grip Nate! I’ll just go over there and ask to pull her aside, steer her from the drunken idiot that was trying to tune her .He’d no doubt be distracted by some other drunk loony chic as soon as Charli was out of his sight. I walked up to them under the dimmed hallway lights, I stretched my hand out to tap her on the shoulder- or was I going to lash out at the jerk? My fingers touched Charli’s skin- she turned her face towards me and she was blushing so harshly I could feel my eyes turning to fiery balls of burning coal. I had to keep my cool, I didn’t want to fight this guy, so I erased all the lines on my face... The so called drunken idiot leaned his head around from where he had been standing next to her, a big grin on his face-I immediately felt guilty... chalri would have chucked the figgest hissy fit if i’d even tackled this guy

“Hey Mitch, How are ya man?”

Mitchel was our next door neighbour, He was the closest thing to a friend i had that wasn’t charli and our adopted parents.

“I’m fine thanks Nate, Happy Birthday. How’s the party treating you?

“Well Steph’s in the bathroom crying I think, Lisbeth- you know the one in our science class...”

“yeah, squeky.”

“yeha well  I think she has a price on my head for hurting steph’s feeling- and well partys are just not my thing.”

“yeah Charlez was just saying how much you grilled her for moving stuff around. Guess youll want a hand with cleaning up after ay. Ha-Ha.

“thanks man but you don’t have to help, ill get it done .. eventually. I shock charli a quick stare.

She was looking at Mitch with her big green eyes and I could almost see Mitch’s reflection in them. She had eyes for only him tonight. But they were a couple- just very close friends, almost like brother and sister. I thnk i’ve told Mitch about a hundred times to ask her out, but he just laughed and would say ‘It wasn’t like that’-and she’d say the SAME. ‘It would only wreck things Nate, He’s your best friend and mine too, besides you’... Ha-Ha she’d tacked that onto the end.

The night carried on this way, all the guys chatting up the girls, all the girls getting totally intoxicated. Well not all of them but most. The floor got dirtier and dirtier, because people went outside to sit on the front patio and when they were too cold they’d come in with dirt on their shoes. I saw a chic with leaves stabbed on the heel of her shoe like a line of Cheesles. And I was getting tyred and not really wanting to talk to anyone-except maybe Charli and Mitch.







One minute I was pissed at my sister about immature worries like teenage girls and cleaning up our mess for when mum and dad came home, and not even ten seconds after strangers are breaking into our house- I had my back to the windows .I thought Tina, Perstephanie and Fay were only screaming because something was funny.  At the front door in the hallway. I was halfway through rolling my eyes when the sound of smashing glass made me wheel around. Charli hadn’t even looked away from mitch, I saw the freaky trio jumping through the windows and leap over the cream lounge, going for the Charli at the door – the girls had rushed in from the front step and were all screaming at the top of their lungs.Crap! What the hell do I do?! They just freaking messed up the whole lounge-room. Mum and dad were going to kill me! And the girl’s were just standing there like stunned mullets.” MOVE!” My voice was like a half grating below with a squeak at the end.  It was a shock to see the three intruders wearing business suits. You’d think thieves or burglars would wear indiscrete clothing as to not be caught later...One, A women wearing a grey skirt-suit with a ferm badge pinned to her chest, was running at Charli, Shit! She wasn’t running at her. She was ATTACKING HER! She had the most ugliest; feral, Expression on her face. She might have looked beautiful if she hadn’t looked half deranged. Her face was pale with red stained red lips and hazel green eyes. Her fire-engine red hair was a whip of colour as she shot at my sister. I was shocked for a few seconds but faltering as i thought of what to do I realised I’d have to do something about this.

I grabbed the first thing that looked heavy - that would do the most damage- Hopefully scare them off. The closest thing was one of Mum’s sacred White Venetian lamps; she and Dad had bought a set on holiday years ago. I yanked it out of the power outlet, the cord lashed across the wall sending frames and ornaments flying, and gripped the base in my now sweaty hands. Taking a deep breath I ran at them...Red head shot an evil smirk at me registering what I was about to do, tortuous; as she sidestepped like a skilled ninja, swung her leg back and kicked me in the stomach. Ungh. That hurt. I hadn’t thought about the possible outcome of me getting injured.  I stumbled a bit but luckily I have good balancing skills so I survived the worst, “Get the hell away from her “. Half yelling but still gasping for air, I swung the lamp at the women’s head. It made a strange Clunky sound when it hit against her neat hair-do and then shattered a second later. The women stopped her attack at Charli, and turned on me ‘’Damn”. It didn’t stop her, just made her look even freakier. Blood was starting to ooze down her face were the lamp shards were embedded in her skin and the ricochets were spraying everywhere missiles; Hitting the walls, the girls as they coward away from the most of the shrapnel- and my head. The chic hissed at me. All this had happened very fast, my mind was still racing like everything had taken on an unreal quality but I was moving too slow like trying to run through water and not being able to move fast enough. This woman had the strangest gleam in her eyes like she was so pissed that she was seeing red. There was seriously red in her bland hazel eyes I noticed then that the badge on her chest read Law and such and such in gold letters and then in bold black caps the name ‘Hazel’... ironic.

She barred her gums; now covered in blood-she hadn’t bothered to wipe the blood trickling down her face. It had started to congeal d. She barrelled towards me hissing like a kettle. Crap. CRAP! I only just missed her swiping fist as she aimed it at my jaw. But her body was still coming at me and I couldn’t get out of the way.  I backed away into the book shelf... In my peripheral vision I could see the two men surrounding Charli and her friends. Charli was tough – she stood in a defensive posture with one of the ceramic statues from the front door in her hands, but she looked so afraid and her girlfriends were cowering behind her -screaming. Inept; I couldn’t do anything that would help, all I could think was WHAT THE HELL DO I DO? ...Books toppled onto our heads as the women smashed into me -knocking the breath out of my lungs and unbalancing the shelves. One by one the glass panes came down over our heads as well as the rest of mum’s lamps, adding to the explosion of glass and urbane wear. The weight of this lady was staggering. I couldn’t get a breath in. More shards cut into her face and stuck into her shoulders, she looked like a seriously troubled Goth metal fan. I felt the long deep cut across the back of my neck but I couldn’t touch it or take notice of it –adrenaline was running high and I was trying to come up with ways to incapacitate this chic. She was trying to get a hold of my neck probably to strangle me and I was pushing against her body like she was a solid wall...The men were laughing at Charli as she swung her weapon at them. The two males were opposites, one had blonde gelled hair into a crown around his head and the other had long black hair that was tied up at the nape of his neck. The blonde merely knocked the statue out of charli’s hand, laughing one loud menacing laugh, as the girls screamed-that sent a creepy tingle down my spine. They advanced on the girls, malice oozing out of their pores I could almost feel the glint of evil in their eyes through the backs of their heads. I can’t take this! This chic started choking me to death and I was trying my hardest to untangle myself from her. Her fingers had found their grip around my neck, she was so fast, and it was chaotic. And her face was really ugly now. She needed a ‘charli facial’ to get rid of her uber frown lines. Bashing me repeatedly against the book shelf; the glass was all broken so I was being grated like cheese up against the back of it. eyes bugging from lack of air, I drooped half my height, like my fight was ebbing away but really to get closer to the carpet where the shards of glass were, she probably thought I was suffocating - her smirk got wider- savage like. Her hands still around my neck tight like a tornicate. I was straining as my hand scrabbled along the fluffy carpet feeling for a weapon I could stab her with. The girls screaming became hollow in my ears like someone had wadded my ear drums up...

My thump traced suddenly along something long and rough -like a stick! I grabbed it in my fist and swung the weapon up hard and into her neck where the jugular vein hopefully was. It pierced her pale skin and sent a jet of blood out over my hand. I tried not to gag. But what the hell was I supposed to do? I didn’t fight people every day, like four girl’s lives depended on it.  I drove the stick in as far as I could, I felt like I could hear all the fibrous tissues tearing and tendons snapping- but I think that was my imagination getting the better of me. I could feel the bones and gristle in her neck crunching under the blow of the wood though. She was still trying to strangle me and her face was murderous with agony and deadly concentration. She started making the weirdest sound I’d ever heard, it was a snarling bellow, she had no air but still had enough volume to screech in my face.”SCREW YOU BITCH”! I spat. One more grinding, squelchy crunch and the stick poked out on the other side of her neck. Her grip loosened and I managed to stick my knee up between us and sink a kick into her stomach, forcing her off me. Retching, I could have vomited. Hazel dropped to the ground convulsing; it must have obstructed her air ways. Good...                                                                          The mystery stick was a broken edge off mum’s favourite picture frame- expensive black with gold flakes. Well if it wasn’t this lady killing me. Mum definitely would...

I felt rattled and sore, but...  Charli! She needed me. I could have dropped to the floor and slept for a week. I felt the back of my neck were the glass shard had sliced my skin. Ouch. It felt terrible. I think I lost too much blood, because I still had that muffled quality in my ears. I immediately forgot about the red eyed Hazel. Staggering against the lounge, I gripped the back of the seat. When I looked down I realised I’d left bloody prints on the cream leather; I tried to get my bearings straight.

Unfortunately the Charli was unable to fight off the men and they grabbed her. With the girls defence gone, those men managed to grab the other girls in choke holds against their bodies, leering at me pulling them from the room to the front door. The girls were struggling against their strength, but unable to touch the ground with their feet. Vigorously but ineffective against the blonde guy, Perstephanie was kicking out with her long tanned legs like a cat being forced into a bath. Fay’s pale complexion was turning slightly blue but she was aiming kicks at the man’s crutch. The man with the black pony-tale gripped Tina around her shoulders absentminded. She looked frozen in fear and was whimpering quietly, she could have easily lifted her arms and slid out from his grip or given him a good kick in the shins, but fear incapacitated her. This was marred by the fact that the guy was having a hard time keeping Charli quiet-holding onto her was taking all his strength. His smirk faltered as he struggled to keep his grip on her, she was twisting and kicking, arching her back and jerking , trying to head-but the man, her eyes were huge with fear and hopelessness, all her beautiful hair was loose and falling out of its braid. Coppery curls flailing around as she fought against the man. Pony guy growled irritably and hefted her body higher keeping his face out of her reach.

As if he’d received a silent signal. The pony-tail guy stepped towards the door. “Let’s go”. He grunted to his side kick. They moved the poor girls to the doorway but almost as if he was stroppy, He looked past me and hissed quietly like he wanted nothing more than to stay and finish me off. He could of too. I was past being able to defend myself. “No! Let them go!” I tried to raise my voice to sound dangerous but it was futile. The battering I’d had was getting the better of me. The edge of my vision was becoming blurry and I wasn’t able to stand on my own. The men jeered at me and walked out the door. Or had they just disappeared? I struggled to apprehend, things were getting badly unfocussed. I sagged against the lounge for a second then forced myself away from it- I had to save Charli somehow from whatever these kidnappers were planning to do to them. Who were these freaks? Where were they taking them? I hobbled to the front door at the pace of a sloth. But they were already gone...

Anguish consumed me; I could have cried! This was not what I’d wanted to do for my birthday what the hell? Damsels in distress was not something id chosen as a career path- Nor was single-hand idly conquering psycho accountants. I’ve got to ring the police! and mum and dad. I winced at the thought... they were going to kill me, the lounge room was a mess; most of their prized possessions were destroyed. I hung my head. Fuck! I thought about sitting down for a bit to regain my strength, but the need to ring the cops first, was ingrained into my head since I could remember. Plus the description of the men and the firm’s name were still fresh in my head, I’d have to explain why the now- dead women on the floor, staining mum’s rug had a piece of picture frame shoved into her neck for one thing. I turned to go into the kitchen to get the phone but my innards protesting against any movement s, I managed to turn away from the door and the view of the front garden...

And she was right there in front of me. The red eyed Hazel had blood dripping all over her. Her jacket was totally stained in blood. I looked right into her eyes; mine must have been the size of dinner plates. I don’t know why, but I had a sudden outburst of smugness. I stood frozen in the door frame and she was glaring at me so madly- her posture crouching to spring, but all I could look at where her eyes. They were that bland green brown with red tinged through them. They were nothing like the vibrant tanzanite green colour of Charli’s eyes. She held a broken off piece of frame that had stuck out of her neck in her clenched hand. Huh. The rest must be still stuck in there. It was amazing she was alive! Smiling dangerously- an almost crazed glaze to her features; a gurgling sound came from her throat. Crap. I thought, as her clawed fist connected with my skull and sent me into oblivion...







Things were a bit muddled as I came round from being pounded and pulverised, it was like junior school all over again, struggling to stay asleep when you know you have to get up and go to school where all the big kids bullied you and hassled you for your lunch money.

My first thought as I regained consciousness was everything hurts!...The next thing that hit home was what had happened before I’d been knocked out- it all came crashing into my brain reminding me of reality. I tried to sit up. Ouch! And then I remembered why I had been unconscious. I realised that I was on the couch them and that worried me. I knew I had been knocked flat out the front door when the red bitch had taken a second go at me, so how did I end up on the couch? Sifting through my muddled memories, trying to remember when I’d dragged myself to the couch. A cold wet flannel dabbed at my face then and made me jump causing all my aches to scream with hot pain; warm salty tears flows involuntarily from my eyes-differed from the cause and effect of pain.“I see you have a large bruise over your left temple and your eye, it looks bad”. The voice was male and had an articulate accent. I was so shocked I forgot to be cautious. “You have a fractured rib as well, on your left. Err but you can probably feel that. You’ve lost a lot of blood, mostly from the gash on the top of your spine. I patched it up as best I could but you’ll have to take care of that one. It might get infected”...I was sitting up-not able to layback down,  I knew that I was on my couch and there was a stranger sitting next to me in my house. This was the worst birthday. I should of braced myself for some more bashing and fighting, but I didn’t care, so I threw all caution to the wind and took a good look at the stranger next to me” I’m fine. I mumbled. It hurt like hell, but I wasn’t going to talk to any strangers about how I was weak and a wimp. The man, next to me with a bottle of water and the wet flannel in his hands-was probably a few years older than me, with pale skin and long dark brown hair smoothed over his ears and tied up at the nape of his neck. I didn’t want to think about that. He had a slender figure and nose, with dark heavy eyelashes and brows that looked like they were pencilled on; he was immaculate and probably thought he was very handsome. But what freaked me out the most was the colour of his almond eyes. The most dominant feature on his face was his eyes. They were a strange amber colour. Like a hawks. It was too much for me. They looked and reminded me of the red Bitches eyes; Too much too similar. Though he looked nothing like her. I felt goose bumps.

“Vampires are Dangerous creatures you know, one hit can do a lot of damage if you’re not careful... or prepared”. He eyed my injuries and spoke matter of fact like.”W-w-what?”I would have told him to get the hell out of my house before I called the police. This kind of thing was strange and mysterious but not unheard of... that didn’t make me feel any better though. Vampires were predators of small towns. Not big towns like Eider! They were hunted by rangers. They supposedly only came out at night and they NEVER attacked big groups of people. But then again six teenagers that couldn’t defend for them-selves didn’t really count as an intimidating. This dark man must be a ranger! His speech pattern was different to our towns and his accent was a little hard to understand but it gobsmacked me know how, I should have been scared shitless but his mannerism and accent intrigued me. It was almost like having nostalgia; but for something you’ve never known of before.                               

He looked at me with a stern glare but didn’t answer my question; he just added another of his own. “Where is Princess Charliziettae”? This question had a lot of meaning to it. I didn’t really understand his expression he pulled when he asked... like pain or agitation, maybe? This question made me feel edgy. How did he know her name? Well that wasn’t really her name. But I knew he meant Charlize... his accent made the name sound funny, but i could make out the Charlize added in with shallot or something. I knew all of her friends and I had definitely never met this bloke before. And she was definitely not a princess, she may be treated like one by Mum and Dad but that was just affection and silly kid stuff. I didn’t think about his title for her. My mind was trying to work out what had happened and how?                                                                                                      ...“They took her. My voice was raspy. Realisation was hitting home again. Ow. I thought I’d killed the women but i couldn’t stop the two men from dragging them out the front door. I” ...He cut me off then, shock was on his face and his eyebrows were mashed into a frown.  “When you say dragged them, do you mean there were other people here at the time?”...” yes. I grimaced, going through the pathetic memory made me feel sick. I was going to fight them off but I think I was losing consciousness already and they were really fast”. The Vamp...women! I’d stabbed her in the neck and I swear she was dead! Somehow Sh... She got back up and steamrollered me through the front door”. “One Female, two male...Hmmm. So she is gone and they took the others with them, who and how many”? His questioning was methodical; he had no emotion in his eyes like Charli and her friends were already dead or something. I couldn’t help but grind my teeth. He just looked at me directly and then down the hallway to the kitchen and back quickly down the hall to the front door.  ” There was my sister and her three friends. Tina, Fay and Perstephanie. They live in the town. they just finished their exams. They were here for our birthday. Great birthday this turned out to be...Do you know who kidnapped them? What’s going to happen to them? He looked at me with dead eyes again and i felt a lump form in my throat. He did not answer my first questions... again.

“The girls will be used to feed and Char...

” WHAT DO YOU MEAN FEED!?” I was staring at him with angry wide eyes. What the hell?

“Charlize may not be used to feed but they will probably keep her longer as her blood is richer than humans”.  I think he had been talking to himself then, i was too shocked to say anything. He looked at my face and i swear he was almost laughing... i think i was seeing red then. He got up and strode to the front door; I thought he’d leave giving me no hope of ever finding my sister- what a no hoper... “They’ve taken her car. That’s a shame. I didn’t really feel like walking all the way to the estuary. What? Was he strategising an attack on these vamps now? And where’s his own car? Luckily he strode to the kitchen then. I followed him to the breakfast bar and painfully sat down.

“So how do you know Charlize? Who are you? How did you know where we live and what do you know about these... vampires?” I sounded rude but this guy had walked into my house and stated that vampires had taken my sister and her friends to use them like a freaking PowerAde and he was acting like it was no big deal, he had helped me recover but I didn’t like it; Merely a small obstruction in the bigger picture. Well I couldn’t see the bigger picture and i wanted answers...“and what do you mean her blood is richer than humans? She is human!!

The guy stared at me with exasperated eyes; he sighed and pulled out a chair next to me. I glared at him. “We haven’t got much time so you will have to listen and trust me, please or you’re sister is dead.I know your sister because everyone in Shervéniellon knows her... She is a Princess! He said this last sentence with conviction... and YOU are the prince and heir to Shervéniellon Dun”! I nearly walked out of the kitchen when he said that. “Ok I can believe in Vampires but I won’t take this BULLSHIT!  What do you expect me to just...just accept what you say!? How would you know that ... HOW WOULD YOU KNOW AND WHAT THE HELL IS SHARVEN AILLEN?? AND WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?! Grrnnnn.Ahh ”. I had to stop why rant then because my sides tweaked and sent pain through my body. I had to take some small shuddering breathes to calm myself. The man must have thought I’d finished shouting so he continued his messed up tale. “Nar-t-haniel I know who you are. More than you do! I’ve known you and Charliziettae since you were born. My name is...Leon. I am an Endelf, you and Charliziettae are heirs to a large property; we need to leave soon as you must know you are in danger...

”so why haven’t we been informed of this!” I growled at him.

“I know I’m a stranger to you. But you need to trust me”.

“You need to answer my questions”. I sounded like a small child demanding. I wasn’t trying to stall him. I just wanted answers. Then we could go searching for killer vampires and get our heads torn off.

Sigh. “I knew were you and Charliziettae lived here because I’ve been protecting it from violent attempts like this vampire attack since you moved here, unfortunately they set a decoy and I was on the other side of the village when you and your sister were ambushed. I am sorry. Vampires usually prey around small villages like ‘Tanscroft‘and ‘Brooksledge’. But obviously they do go into bigger towns occasionally otherwise I wouldn’t be here; Rangers are meant to keep themselves out of the affairs of the protected. I guess you could say they got lucky. An Elf Princess would be the best Fucking meal the Bastards ever got, They won’t have to feed for a month or more after this; or if its takeaway for one they would live strong for about a year”... “What!” I nearly choked on my tongue; I had been chewing it absentmindedly.” Oh elf’s blood is their stigma food, gets them strong like steroids. I am sorry. It’s not good for us, but Hey! We all got to live. Or drink in their case”...I tried not to think of what he’d just said. I was getting too much information and I couldn’t keep up with his strange accent. And what did he mean Elf? I went back to the first of my questions he had answered. He was snickering- Must be a ranger thing. Asshole... but he stopped when I didn’t respond to his tasteless joke. “Well that’s not entirely true. She IS part fairy actually; and half elf.

“We were born here”. This guy was nuts. I think I will call the police.

“No. You moved here”.

“I think I would know! We’ve got our birth certificates on the wall to prove it, not that I need to prove anything to you.

He leaned in across in his stool and stared at me with his freaky yellow eyes. “You were not born in Aider town Nar-t-haniel. You and your sister were born in Shervéniellon, in the Garden nursery, just like every other child of the Fléyn clan. Those documents are farce...

Well I was speechless, But not for long. “NO you fucking RETARD! What do you think I hit my head that hard? Enough for you to make stuff up and expect me to go wandering off with you”? So you can kill me too probably. For all I knew this guy was just as bad as one of them too.

I grabbed at the bandageds on my head, they unravled and fell on the floor. It hurt my head and i was jarring my teeth. But it was better than listening to the crap this idiot was vomititng out. I can believe the whole "ive the world biggest ego and go hunting vampires and save my sister" but i couldn’t listen to kid stuff. I mean come on... fairys and elves?

This dude was seriously a danger to himself. And he was looking at me likewise. I was going to ask him to leave but it seemed he knew way too much of what happened to chalrie and her friends so I would grit my teeth and I would have to put up with him.

“Ok elf boy. So weres chalri now? How do we get her?

“I will show you Quan senmira. But you will have to TRUST Me! And I’m only taking you because you probebrly get picked off tomorrow any ways by the same vampires. So you’re coming so I can keep an eye on you. Until we get charli and then we go to the Dome.

We sat there strategising for hours...

As we left the house, the mess -and the front door wide open I had to ask... “What’s the Dome”?