Welcome again to YAFF Muse: blog rounds. The ladies of YA Fiction Fanatics have come together for YAFF Muse. To have a little fun, explore different styles of writing and to give you some kick-butt shorts to read. Enjoy!
Photo Credit:keithcr at MorgueFile.com
Chatter about the new guy had followed me all day long. But I’d yet to see him. According to my best friend Trinity he was tall, dark, and on the yummy scale of one to ten, he was off the charts.
I tapped my pencil on the table, waiting for the bio teacher to take attendance when he walked in. Shaggy dark hair hung to his chin, stormy gray eyes glancing around the room. His summer kissed skin, showed deep tan beneath a baby-blue polo shirt.
Trinity cleared her throat and gave me a “see, I told you so” kind of look. This guy was too hot for Merchant High. Hell, I half expected to see his books combust in his hand.
Reaching for my folder, I fanned my face. “Oh my god,” I said, leaning over to talk to Trinity. “You weren’t kidding about him.”
Once the teacher signed his papers, the boy sauntered down the aisle until he stood at my table.
“Anyone sitting here?” He smiled, showing off another perfect feature.
Heart leaping into my throat, I sat there. Shit, did I forget how to talk? “No, go ahead.”
He set his bag on the floor, and pulled out a notebook and pen. Then he turned to me, holding out his hand.
“Javier,” he said.
“Kya.”
His fingers brushed mine and for an instant all I heard was the sound of crashing waves. The scent of coconuts and saltwater clinging to the air around us. Strands of my blonde hair fluttered across my cheek as if a stiff breeze had picked up.
“You’re the first person who hasn’t runaway giggling from me,” he said with a wink.
I laughed. “Don’t tell me the jocks were blushing?”
“Okay, so maybe not everyone giggled. The dudes definitely looked ready to shove my ass in the dumpster.” He stretched his long legs under the table.
“Get used to it. Most of the student body is made up of idiots, drunks, and girls that are half plastic,” I said, focusing back on my notebook where I was in the midst of working on chords for a new song.
“Then I suppose you’ll have to show me the ropes,” Javier whispered as the teacher stood and went to the blackboard.
I quirked an eyebrow. “Hanging with me, might ruin your rep. Real body parts and all.”
Marcy Jenkins sashayed into the classroom, late as usual. Her cheerleading skirt swishing against her thighs. Her gaze flitted to the back of the classroom, fixating on Javier. Her cherry colored lips, puckered into a naughty smile and she wiggled her ass to the table in front of us.
“Trust me,” she said, “you don’t want to be seen with Kya, well unless you need help with homework.”
My cheeks warmed. “Shhh…what’s that sound?” I held my hand to my ears. “I think your boob sprung a leak.”
She glared at me, bending over her table enough to give us a good look at her butt before sitting down. Marcy twirled a strand of her long, dark, curly hair around her finger.
“There are a bunch of us going to Merchant Beach tonight,” she said. “You should come—get acquainted.”
My chest constricted and I shot a glance at Trinity. She mouthed the word “no”. But he was new and didn’t know any better. No one went to Merchant Beach after dark, not even me, and I lived there.
Grandma and I saw what lurked in the surf, the dark forms that took over the sandy shores. I watched Javier’s lips curve into a smile. Not that I blamed him, no guy ever turned Marcy down.
I opened my mouth to tell him not to go, but Marcy lifted her arm, the familiar crescent moon tattoo catching my eye. She gave me a knowing look and I shifted my gaze to the similar marking on my own wrist. People from Merchant Beach stuck together. No matter what.
“What time should I be there?” Javier asked, his leg brushing mine beneath the table.
I stiffened. This couldn’t be happening. I’d felt his touch. There was no coldness, no dark sensation. Just him.
“After sunset,” Marcy said.
Our teacher ordered eyes ahead, no talking. But I knew I had to find a way to keep Javier from going, tonight.
“What’s gotten into you?” Trinity asked, during last hour.
“I need to find Javier. He can’t go tonight.”
Trinity frowned. “So you’re going to challenge her tonight?”
“I should’ve done it a long time ago,” I said, clinging tight to her arm. “If I do, will you support me?”
“You know I will. Better tell your grandma. You’ll need every spell you can conjure if the others don’t side with you.”
By the time school ended, I hadn’t seen Javier again. It was like he’d disappeared.
“Will I see you tonight?” Marcy asked. “You haven’t been to circle since summer solstice.
I narrowed my eyes. “Maybe.”
“Don’t forget, he’s mine. I lay claim to him.” Marcy tapped her foot and the ground beneath us shook. A threat.
“We’ll see,” I said. And we parted ways.
Grandma wasn’t home when I arrived, so I positioned myself in front of the window, watching the sun sink lower in the sky. Soon, I’d have to go out there. And face down my coven. Trinity, Sage, Max, and Brandon would for sure side with me, but the others weren’t predictable. Still there was no way I’d let her sacrifice Javier. He was my soul mate. I’d sensed it in that brief flicker of a moment.
Changing into a blue shift, I grabbed my candle and headed into the night. In the distance, I made out the shapes of the coven, standing against the backdrop of the flame colored sky, shadows squirming at the edges.
As I drew closer, dusk settled in and the beach was empty. Where had they gone? The lapping of the water called to me, and I turned to watch Javier materialize from its depths. The God of the Western Tower. Water.
I dropped to my knees. No wonder I felt his touch. He was the lord of my element.
“Stand, Kya,” he said, reaching down to pull me to my feet.
“Where are the others?” I asked, glancing down the beach.
“I sent them away. They were not worthy of me.”
“And I am?” I said.
He smiled, touching my face. “Always.” His lips brushed mine, sending warmth singing in my blood.
He was mine, and I his, or so the waves sang.
