Determination
Determination
He grabbed him bag off the couch and went out the door for he did not know that is was the last time he would step into this house. He walked along the long path of stone that Tabitha or Tabby as he calls her described on the paper. His battered Converse scraped along as he dragged his feet. His narrow jeans worn and tiresome seemed to just drape over his skinny legs. His shirt was freshly washed and smelled of fresh fruit. The shirt seemed to be wearing him more then he wearing it. His hair was combed, but still looked wild yet controlled.
As he walked along he noticed the lovely stone path had become narrow and now as wide. He looked at the piece of paper and notice:
turn right at the sign that says lemon lane leads
to a big yellow house you can’t miss it
The light danced and bounced to much to be a reflection of the sun hitting of something shiny. What is that? He thought to him self. It came close to him and was just above his head.
Xzavier
It whispered and sound of his name. His eyes widened. He knew he wasn’t mistaken. The light danced off down the other lane where it had come from and disappeared into the forest. ” That was strange and unusual”, he said shaking his head. He went on to the path that was directed to the yellow house. Just a half mile from where he was shocked and amazed he found the house.
A large Victorian home sat at the end of the lane covered in stone. He wasn’t surprised at all of it’s height. Most Victorian homes were large in size with gorgeous features. The large porch stretched around it like an bridge. The light yellow paint made it look bright and cheerful. The windows were like happy gazing eyes that seemed to invite him in. He was so lost in it’s beauty that he hadn’t noticed that he was at the door. He snapped out of it and reminded himself of his mission. ” Focus Zae, Focus.”, he was determine to do anything to be with his loving girlfriend Tabitha no matter the cost. Frankly he hadn’t heard be careful what you wish for.
He smiled to himself, pleased of his selfless thoughts. He raised is his soft hand and made a fist, but noticed a knocked there already. He lifted it and knocked it three times on the door then stepped back and waited. He heard some movement back in the house somewhere then a voice say, “Just a moment”. The voice was too far to make out in Zae’s head. Suddenly the door opened wide and a women about her 50’s or 60’s appeared in the door. Her face was wrinkled but bright and with red about her cheeks. A long dress draped from her whimsical body that seemed to fragile to move. Her arms had many bracelets and jews upon them. And her fingers had only three rings. Long chains of pearls strung from her neck and her ears with shiny pearl earrings.
A sweet yet horrifying smile swept her face. ” So, you must be Xzavier Krow”, she spoke lightly but unsurprised he was there. ” Yes, I’m Tabitha Anderson’s boyfriend. She said you could help me with a problem”, he whispered thinking she might not her him. “Of course Mr. Krow. I believe I could help you with that. Come on in your letting the cool out”, she closed the door behind him. He hadn’t realized he’d even walked in the door til he sat down in a cozy living room.
The walls were cover in paintings and carvings. The furniture was similar to Mrs. Anderson’s arrangement. She hurried from the kitchen with a tray of cookies and a pot of tea. “Tea my dear child?”, she asked setting the tray on the large coffee table in front of him. “Yes, please”, he answered even though he never drinks tea. He was raised not to be rude and accept the host offer. “May I have a cookie as well?”, he asked and looked up to the women who seemed taller and a little wider then when she was standing in the door way.
“Yes you may child. Good you have manners. Not most boys around your age have them,” she seemed to be a little hesitant to that compliment. He reached for a cookie, “Well my parents did something right I suppose. You may call me Xzavier or Zae instead of child or Mr. Krow.”
There was silence that swept the room and Zae nibbled on his cookie and sipped his tea once every moment. ” I know you don’t like the tea”, she said in a soft voice, ” there’s no need to put the act on for me”. He raised his eyes brow and looked at her confused. How does she know that. I wasn’t being that obvious was I?
” Xzavier do you know who I am?”, she was so sure of herself as if she was better than him. There was no doubt in his mind that she wasn’t either.
” Your Madam Luella, right?” , his hands started to shake and a knot bunched in his stomach.
” Yes I am Madam Luella, Madam Luella the Sorceress”,her eyes were filled with joy. “Well, that’s great, but can you help me with my problem. I need a way I can be with my girlfriend forever and not let anyone interfere. I really need your help I’ll do anything to be with Tabby”, he had no idea what he was getting himself into.
” Anything Xzavier, Anything at all”, she looked him dead in the eyes with hers.
” Anything”, the look on his face was flushed out. He was paler then ever.
“Come sit with me at my table”, she got up from her chair and sat at a large wooden table with carvings in them of a language he didn’t understand.
“What is all of this? Why do I feel so strange?”, he began to quiver and shake in the large chair. It was so uncomfortable. He preferred the cozy couch he was sitting on.
” If you really love her and your willing to do anything for her I am not the one you seek my dear boy, but there is one who will save your life. He is the saint of determination and evil”, she wasn’t even blinking as her voice became rasped and strong. The room became dim and the table disappeared. Madam was chanting something under her breathe. Zae could not hear. Room began to spin and floor boards jumped in place as a light peeked up from the cracks.
He grabbed his stomach he felt the breathe leaving him. Am I dying? What’s going on? He thought in the back of his mind. He then at that moment heard a scream of pain to only realize it was his own voice. The light got brighter, but it wasn’t in good aspect. It was as near as graceful and beautiful as the light he saw out side dancing around him.
It was black light but how could it be so bright if its black he thought.What have I done? What did I sign up for? It must be too late to turn back now.
Chapter One: Escape
Escape
All he felt was a falling sensation, then a sharp pain against his back as ragged stone tore into his pale, white flesh. “Damn”, he hissed as he reeled in pain, rubbing his hand along the cuts in his back. He slowly stood up, regaining his balanced. He turned and kicked the gravestone with his thick soled leather boot slightly denting the side. That’s the last time he would fall asleep on any other gravestone that wasn’t in his family plot. Every time he did so, he awoke in pain from one source or another.
He focused his power on his form, suddenly feeling his skin begin to crawl. A roar ripped roughly from his throat as wings tore from his skin-covered back, his skin peeled off his body, and his hands snapped and stretched to form razor-sharp claws.
He hadn’t always been a demon. Yes. He was once fully human until the temptation to be released out into his own grew too much and he sold his soul. There was no other being that would ever promise him freedom as sweet sounding as the devil himself could. All his soul and heart desired was to be free from the misunderstanding of those who didn’t excepted him as he was. The memories replayed in his head, as fresh as they were when they actually occurred.
“You are not to date that girl, not as long as you’re under my roof”,his mom yelled as she fired a coffee cup his way, only to have him dodge it and have it scattered into tiny bits and pieces. “Mom, mom, listen please…..”, he said as he gently cupped her face in his hands, to get a better look into her eyes. ” I love her”, he whispered, probing with his eyes, deep into hers, as if pleading for some acceptance. She wrenched his hands off of her face, “I don’t care what you love, she’s a witch, she dose witchcraft. A Satan-worshiper”. He shrunk back as if he’d just been slapped. Looking up at her. Eyes pleading, tears welling up in their edges, he said, “You don’t really mean that, mom”.
“The hell I don’t “, she snarled with hate burning in her eyes. Soon, his eyes changed from a cold bewilderment to a hot ,fiery, full of angry and determination, he rose over his mother, shanking in anger, clenching his firsts at his sides. “It’s my life, it’s my choice, and its my future, not yours”. He roared as he stomped into his room, slamming the door shut.
A rumble grew outside as he shut his bedroom door quietly. “Damn, the man from hell has returned”, he mumbled through his teeth. He knew his mother would be standing there at the front door. So, he slipped out the back door leaving it all be hind him or so he thought. He started toward Tabitha’s, his girlfriend, house but turned off down a dark road laid with gravel and rocks.
The long street was lined with all shades of dead leaves tumbling in the wind. Each side held large 6 feet tall hedges. At the end where he turned off there was a large grave yard holding huge stones that shot out of the ground. They created a dark shadow down a path of benches. He threw his bag on the bench that looked most comfortable and got on his knees and begged for something, anything to help him just this once.
He woke up on the bench in a cold sweat. He looked around in a soft dazed rubbing his head. He shrugged and grabbed his bag telling himself he wouldn’t fall asleep in another graveyard again, little to his knowledge he had no idea what his future would bring. He went out the way he came unable to remember the path, but followed it till he came to the end street. He was only a block away from Tabitha’s home. He was happy to know he could see her in just a few moments. He felt a little dizzy coming around the corner.
There it was, a large old Georgian home with a bent in fence like dogs had been chewing at it for years. He grinned to see that maybe this would be his home for awhile til he got his own place one day. As he walked up to the large porch that looked as if the vines covered the columns to protect it somehow. He knocked on the large oak door that had strong dark brown framework with small engraving marks in it that cover the whole frame. He stood there and as the door creaked open he saw long, dark brown shiny hair fall from the small crack in the door a large boot came from the bottom and a pale yet soft face glared with a big smile from the door way.
She leaped in his arms and said sweetly, “Where have you been?” ,she let him go but held his hand leading into the warm house. ” I couldn’t come here. My parents would have looked here first”, he said convincingly with a smile to make her not worry. “You could have called me. I was so worried when your parents called to see if you were here. Your dad was furious. Then you didn’t show up I almost thought the worst”, she cupped her mouth as to cry softly but he pulled his arms around her to tell her he was fine.
A sweet smell of fresh cookies and lemonade filled the room. The delicious smell teased under his nose as he inhaled the room. The large clocks, tables, and furniture were very different from his on home. It didn’t even fit his beloved Tabitha, whom was more rough around the edges. Her sweet mother, Mrs. Anderson, Was very fond of this style of living. She was known to be the classic jewel of Olympus, Washington.
Mrs. Anderson strolled into the livingroom with a large tray of chocolate chip cookies and a big pitcher of pink lemonade. She sat down in the satin brown chair that sat in front of the kitchen doorway where she had come from. Xzavier and Tabitha sat together on the couch that was full of soft pillows.
He looked her in the eyes and said, “I don’t know where to go Tabitha”.
She sank in her seat running her hand on his hand that laid on her knee. “Well maybe you can stay here for the night at least”, she said looking now at her mom with big deep green eyes and hope in the glare.
” Just for the night”, she said with a stern voice. Mrs. Anderson had some how got the reputation of being a wicken. The town was small and close though every seemed to know everything about everyone it wasn’t true about her. Xzavier thought she was a saint. They both looked at each other and smile then kiss each other on the lips and held each other tight for a moment. He loved her more than anything. He would die for her if he had to. She was the only one that seemed to understand the pain he felt. He was so rejected for loving her just because she is different. I have to do something he thought to him self be for laying down on the bed in the spare guest room. He jumped out the room and fled down stairs where Tabitha was reading a large black book that looked very familiar to him. “You love those books don’t you?”, he asked while sitting across from her. “Of course who doesn’t love a great Vampire romance. Stephanie Meyers knew how to write these books. You just fall in love with the characters”, she was so into the books sometimes Xzavier thought she wanted to be a vampire.
He looked at her with worried eyes and laid his hand on hers, “Tabby…What am I going to do so we can be together?” She just looked into his bright crystal blue eyes. “There has to be a way”, he said with a glare of hope and trust in her. ” I know Zae..”, she called him all the time, “…but the only way I can think of is if you go see Madam Luella”. His eyes widen and a shocked look appeared on his face with a hint of confusion.
“Ok, I’ll go see her in the morning then”, he said giving her a sweet goodnight kiss and a smile swept her face.
My Angel
My Angel
by:
Brandy E. & Simone H.
A True Angel
This is dedicated to a friend that saved my life and the lives of others whom needed him. He picked me up when I was down. He chose to love someone different then him. He knew the problems and burdens that came with it yet still loved. I’m so proud of him for following his heart. He is an angel not only on the out but on the inside as well. I thought I’d never find a friend like him or ever imagine someone so sweet, caring and near to my heart. He is a true blessing from God. A miracle from the hands of God. His spirit is filled with love and hope. I know that along time ago he was lost, confused, hurt, and couldn’t escape the things that kept him locked up in his mind. Now he’s free to love, live, and be as happy as he can with who ever he chooses. May God bless all whom read this book. It has nothing to do with religion or what you believe in but the faith and hope in side a persons heart and the length it can take you. Please read and enjoy this tale of a boy who finally found his way.
We both love you Billy.
God bless.