Dean - Arise

Arise

Book two in the Drift Series

By: Michael Dean

Arise

Copyright 2013 by Michael Dean. All rights reserved.

First Print Edition: February 2014

Limitless Publishing, LLC

Kailua, HI 96734

Formatting: Limitless Publishing

ISBN-13: 978-1495218088

ISBN-10: 1495218082

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the authors rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual personsliving or deadis entirely coincidental.

~Dedication~

This book is dedicated to the young, aspiring authors yet to be discovered. Dream big and write, because we're waiting.

Chapter 1

INTRUSIONS

Its been over a week since Millers Hill, Leo, how long do you think youre going to be able to avoid Mark and Sandra? Shade asked, grasping her pen while glancing up at me from out of her little black book. Shadow was sitting in her lap trying to stay warm as Shade struggled to write around him.

You make it sound like I want to avoid them.

No, I know you dont, but hes your best friend. How long can you keep this up?

As long as it takes, I guess. Its not easy dodging him at school. After all, this is for their safety. Theyre getting too suspicious of me, especially Scruffy. They dont need to get any closer to the truth. Look how deep you are in it. I smirked as I sat down on the rock next to her.

Thats for sure, she sarcastically answered, you do understand that I, on the other hand, cannot stay away from them. Sandra is my best friend, I cant avoid her, and since Mark is with her, I cant keep away from him by default.

I get thatand you shouldnt on account of me. Just make sure that nothing slips out about our situation pleaseif you know what I mean. The last thing I want to do is get them mixed up in this thing with us. Ive caused you enough trouble as it is. I sighed.

I know, of course I wont say anythingand yesyou have, she stated with a cynical smile.

On that note, Ive been meaning to bring up the fact that youve been jotting down our entire course of events as of late. That could open a giant can of worms if that little book of yours falls into someone elses hands. I should really put my foot down to prevent you from chronicling your life and times with demon boy journal writing. I spoke in a lighthearted tone, but was extremely serious about her not chronicling what I was and what kind of situation we were mixed up in. If a human being, demon, vampire, angel, or whoever read it, who knows what the consequences could be.

Shade being who she is, completely brushed off my worries by leaning over and giving me a quick peck on the tip of my nose with a smile.

Well, you wont put your foot down because you love me. Besides, if something happens to me, I want my family to know what took place. They will at least know the truth, whether they believe it or not, and with this book, she said as she held the book up in front of her, lightly shaking it, they will have something to remember me by. Theyll know about us and will learn about our fate together, no matter how extreme or unreal it may sound. Not to mention, it may give them hope that Im still alivejust in a different form. But hopefully not like you, no offense. You know?

I understand, I sympathized, yielding to her again as I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her to me, but that still doesnt make it a good idea to write everything down.

Shade leaned out of my grasp and belittled me lovingly. You may be right, demon boy, but that doesnt change the fact that Im going to do it anyway.

I figured nothing less from you, girl, I teased as I bumped against her with my shoulder playfully.

So, are you gonna show me what you wanted to show me or what? Just because its an unusually warm, fifty degree winter day out here, doesnt mean that Im comfy. She pushed me to finally get to the reason why I pulled her out to my place on this Saturday afternoon.

Any excuse to show off, babe, I answered as I towered over her confidently.

She rolled her eyes.

How did you find this out, anyway? Clowning around as usual, I assume?

More or less. I was bored out here while playing around with Shadow. I started noticing that the faster I ran through the woods, the more the turbulence I created around me. Some kind of strange shockwave happens behind me andwellyoull see what I mean.

Well, whoopee, can you get to it then? It isnt summer out here, ya know!

As you wish, my lady. I bowed to her in playful sarcasm and strolled into the woods around us, leaving the grinning girl petting the slumbering feline in her lap.

I started to slowly jog deeper into the dense forest, trying to get as much of a runway as possible. Once I got to where I was comfortably far enough away from one of the many cliff edges that surrounded my home, making sure to allow myself ample running room, I shouted to Shade that I was about to start.

You ready?

Yes! Hurry up, you big showoff!

I laughed and prepared to start running. Suddenly this excruciating pain overtook my head as if someone had stabbed my skull with a pitchfork. I guess this is what a severe migraine headache feels like to a human. The pain was so sudden and so strong that it took me down to one knee in an instant. I grabbed my forehead and began to rub it, hoping to alleviate the pain. I closed my eyes and. My hearing became muted with a high pitched ringing that overtook all my senses.

While on my knees, trying to calm this painful storm that overtook me, a cloudy vision came to me. Although the vision was very blurry and I was unable to make out faces, I managed to detect the image of a young woman, maybe in her early to mid-twenties, sitting on a dusty wooden floor crying, clinging to a young girl that looked to be around seven or eight years old who was also sobbing in her grasp. I felt somehow that the little girl was related to the young woman, possibly her daughter. They were wearing attire that looked to be from another time period, maybe the late eighteenth century. Through my haze I could slightly make out the elder girl wearing a long blue dress, snug at her waist but flared out down to the ground from her hips. It had white trim at the end of it, slightly dirty. I guess from it touching the ground as she walked. It looked to be a common blue polonaise gown from the Colonial period. The young blonde girl was wearing a similar white dress. The woman was pleading with me in the middle of her cries, but I couldnt make out what she was trying to say. I started to approach the distressed pair to get a closer look at them and hear what she was saying but the vision suddenly broke, bringing me back to my current situation, still kneeling on the forest floor.

Just as fast as the migraine infested vision started, it ended. My head began to clear and I began getting back all of my senses. The muffled ringing gradually left my ears. I stood up and looked around, trying to assess what just happened to me. This wasnt the first time something like this had happened. Right after my confrontation on Eagle Peak Mountain with Christian and the council, the same exact thing happened to me while I was up in my tree; the same pain, the same vision. I have no idea whats happening to me or what this all means, but I know there has to be a reason for it. I feel its best to keep this particular experience to myself until I figure out whats going on; no need to worry Shade any further at this point.