Christine Rees - The Broken Rivalry

Published by Evernight Teen atSmashwords

www.evernightteen.com

Copyright 2019 ChristineRees

ISBN: 978-0-3695-0111-0

Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

Editor: Audrey Bobak

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WAR NING: The unauthorized reproduction ordistribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of thisbook may be used or reproduced electronically or in print withoutwritten permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodiedin reviews.

Thi s is a work of fiction. All names,characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actualevents, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, isentirely coincidental.

Praise for THE HIDDEN LEGACY

YA indulgence deserving a YOU WONTBE ABLE TO PUT THIS DOWN warninglabel.

Award-winning author Caroline George, The Vestige

Twilight meets X-Men in a very, very good way!

Bestselling author Mallory McCartney, Heir of Lies (Black Dawn Series)

This book gives me Percy Jackson vibes, onlywitchier.

Author Ryan Jones, More Than Us

An action-packed adventure that will leave you on the edge ofyour seat with its twists and turns and many secrets.

Author Bridie Blake, UntilYou

DEDICATION

This book is for all youdreame rs.

For anyone who has ever been told that theirpassion would never turn into a reality.

You never know what youre truly capable ofuntil you fight for what you love.

T HE BROKEN RIVALRY

H idden Legacy, 2

ChristineRees

Copyright 2019

ChapterOne

Bang.

My eyes poppedopen. Something clanged and thumped downstairs. A muffled groan. Ithrew off the thin comforter and bolted out of bed. My feet tookcautious steps down the stairs, tiptoeing until I reached thebottom landing. The smell of last nights roast still clung to theair.

A whimper wasfollowed by another thump near the front door.

Gramssbedroom.

I rushed downthe hall, hands barely checking what was in front of me. I stubbedmy toe, reaching for the light switch in the darkness. The woodentable stood in the middle of the kitchen, the stubbing culprit, butI barely felt the throbbing in my big toe. A slumped figure incotton pink pajamas was hoisted up by the shoe bench.

Grams! I ran the rest of the way and dropped to my kneesbeside her. The hardwood was cool and uneven beneath me withslivers threatening to get lost under my skin. Each roughfloorboard creaked under my weight. Grams? Are youokay?

I checked herover but there was no sign of blood.

Im fine, sweetheart. Her voice was gruff, like she had justwoken up. Went to use the washroom and had a dizzy spell is all.Help me up, will you?

I grabbed her elbow and supported her as she got to her feet.She was lighter than I expected. Her frizzing blonde-white curlsstuck out in strange directions. Footsteps pounded down the stairsbehind us. I ignored them when Grams stood upright again. Shepushed the curls from her face, exposing those gentle brown eyes .

What happened, Anne? Nora Lithyers hazel eyes narrowed on meas if I was somehow to blame. Dark bags sat beneath them. I glancedback at Grams.

Nothing, Im all right. You two get back to bed.

Youre sure youre okay? I persisted. Grams never took fallslike this, not in the three months Id been living in Astoria withher.

Everything seems to be working fine. Grams offered a brightsmile, as if she hadnt fallen moments ago. She moved her wrists ina circular motion but cradled one gently. Noticing my attention onher wrist, Grams lowered it to her side.

Did you stand up too fast? Let me help you back tobed.

Grams lookedready to argue, but after seeing my face, she nodded and let mewalk her to her room. It was a den on the main floor that she hadconverted into a bedroom. Beige curtains covered three largewindows along the wall. The curtains fluttered from the crackedwindow that carried in the summer breeze. We took slow steps towardher bed so she could sit down.

I knew Gramswas capable of handling this part on her own, but I wasworried.

Grams settledunder the white comforter. I made no move to leave.

Ill be all right, her voice cooedin my mind. Telepathy. Gramss specialty.

I love you, but we talked about you being in my head. I triedto give her a stern look but a small grin kept tugging at my lips.Our special connection was comforting, even if it meant invading mypersonal space.

Goodnight, dear, she said with a knowing smile, but my feetwouldnt move. You dont need to protect me from sleep. The worstthat could find its way to me is a few nightmares.

I pursed mylips and nodded. She was right. I knew that, but the Seekers onlythreatened us a few months ago and now this? My concern seemedjustified.

See you in the morning, I told her, hesitating by thedoorway. Sleep well.

Nora was stillin the hallway when I backed out of Gramss bedroom.

You two need to talk eventually, Faye .

I let out a breath and ignored Gramss telepathic advice. Noraor Mom , as Irefused to call her, had been nothing but an annoyance since movingin. I didnt want to know her and she showed no interest inlearning anything about me either. Not one damned thing. She onlyoffered excuses for her not being around while Dad raisedme.

Her copperyblonde hair was pulled into a messy ponytail, unusual for such aproper human beingnecromancer. Whatever. She fidgeted with thestupid turquoise stone that hung from her neck. Its metal gratinggleamed in the hallway light hanging above us. Shadows veiled halfof her face like a palpable wicked force. Nora pursed her thin lipslike she knew what I was thinking, which was impossible since shedidnt share Gramss gift.

Mommy Dearestdealt with a worse problem. She could talk to and control the dead,apparently. Who knew if the latter was even true? I hadnt seenit.

I stalked pasther and up the stairs. She trailed after me.

You cant ignore me forever, Faye. Im still yourmother.

As far as Im concerned, my mother ran out on me when I was atoddler. The woman living here is an absolute stranger, I snapped,refusing to glance back.

This shouldhave been some epic happily-ever-after ending, right? Id found mymissing mothersomeone I never thought Id see again. The woman whogave me life.

And thenecromancer from hell.

Thanks for the curse of death, Mom .

We need to talk about your abilities and what they mean. Youneed to be careful

I laughed,ready to shut down this ridiculous conversation. Is that supposedto be parental advice? I dont think youve earned that right.

Thats not fair. When I discovered that Kevin had anotherdaughter, your sister Nora forced the word outI couldnt stay. Theres so muchyou dont know. So much I need to explain.

And I dont want to hear any of it. Not from you.

Thats not fair.

The footstepsstopped following me. I swallowed hard and spun around, staringdown at the woman with the same eyes as my own, the same thin lipsand light hair, except mine was blonde with a faint blue stripe inmy grown-out bangs.

You know what isnt fair? My mother ran away because ofsomething my father did. You left me , your daughter, to deal with thesepowers these problems without fully understanding what they are tobegin with. No. I put up a hand to stop the words sitting on herparted lips. If you really cared, you wouldve been there. Youwould have made the effort.