Darlings Read online

  “Hello!” she said excitedly. Extending a perfectly manicured hand covered in gleaming bracelets and gaudy rings.

  The boy shook her hand quickly, handed her his paper and waited patiently. What a gentleman.

  The woman moved her painted lips while reading. Suddenly she exclaimed, “Wonderful! You’re one of the new students starting this week. Geesh, we’ve had so many it’s hard to keep everyone straight! You know this is our best year for enrollment?” she rambled on. “Anyways, let’s see, a name, oh yes, Andrew. Andrew Lostrin? He smiled and nodded. “My there are a lot of you fellows aren’t there? Are you related to the others?” Again he nodded. “Well goodness me, of course you are look at you, I already have trouble telling you tan boys with dark hair apart!”

  Hm. Another Lostrin. Andrew defiantly had Gwen’s attention.

  “Okay let’s get you to class.” The receptionist made a few fast clicks on her keyboard with her elongated nails and made her way to the printer in the back. Andrew took off his ball cap revealing short black hair that still appeared sculpted. He ran his fingers through it, piecing it out perfectly. Looking around he made accidental eye contact with Gwen. She blushed and attempted to look busy once again.

  “Here you are Andrew. Looks like your first class is gym. Are you prepared for gym today with clothes?” She asked.

  “Um no ma’am,” he answered in a low velvety voice.

  “That’s okay, you can just attend study hall in the library after your tour. I’ll show you around so you have somewhat of an idea where you’re going.” The colorful woman spun around in her office chair to get up, inadvertently tipping her morning coffee right in the lap of her pencil skirt.

  “Shhhh….ucks,” she half cursed, grabbing at a box of Kleenex. “Um Gwendolyn,” she summoned dabbing frantically at her mess. “This is Andrew he’s new, would you mind giving him a quick tour of the school?” she asked with a little too much emphasis on the quick as if Gwen were a prisoner on exercise time. Boy would she.

  “Yes!” Gwen blurted, half jumping out of her seat. She sure had a way of embarrassing herself. “I mean, of course,” she amended. “I’ll show him around.” Better.

  “Great, his first class is gym.” She stated. “Crystalll, look what I did!” she complained to her co-worker as she walked to the back of the office her heels clicking the whole way.

  “Well I guess I’ll be your tour guide for the day,” Gwen says smiling.

  “Sure, sounds fine, I mean great, I guess good…good is what I mean.” Andrew stammered with a serious tone. Geez. He was almost as big of a klutz as she was. He flashed an awkward forced smile.

  “Okay then, um, can I see your schedule?”

  He handed it to her. Not saying a word.

  Examining the paper, Gwen said, “Your locker is this way.” The dark stranger opened the door for her and they headed out into the empty hall. “Only a few away from mine, so that’ll be easy to find.” Gwen pointed out. He nodded. His eyes shifted from one side of the hall to the other as if looking for something. Maybe he was just nervous she contemplated as they walked in silence. Gwen felt uncomfortable as she tried to come up with something to talk about. “I met your cousin yesterday,” she stated half trying to make small talk, half wondering if she could score some more information on Pete.

  “My cousin?” Andrew’s pace slowed. “I mean, which one?”

  “Well Pete first-”

  “Do you know where he is?” He asked anxiously, then quickly added, “He didn’t tell me what class he had this morning.”

  “Yah, I think he’s in gym.” Gwen was skeptical.

  “Can we go there? I…he forgot some homework this morning.” Andrew scanned the hallway, looking over Gwen’s head. She turned to follow his gaze, but didn’t see a thing.

  “Sure, but it’s Pete’s first day, I don’t think he has any homework,” she corrected. Andrew avoided the statement by continuing to survey the halls, that same serious look in his eyes. Gwen went on. “I just need to stop at my locker for a second and I’ll take you.”

  She turned the dial to her combination and pulled. “Ugh, not again! This stupid locker sticks sometimes.” She pulled up on the silver handle with all her might. Nothing. Frustrated, she gave the red, metal door a kick. “Ouch!” she yelped rubbing her toe. Breathing harder, she tucked her hair behind her ear and jiggled the handle relentlessly. Andrew made a sound that almost

  resembled a laugh. She ignored it and gave the door one more solid kick when she heard it again. Whipping around, she faced Andrew.

  “Are you laughing at me?” she demanded.

  He couldn’t hold it in any longer and began to laugh audibly, big brown eyes sparkling. Gwen failed miserably trying to be mad.

  “I don’t think-- this is very-- funny!” she exclaimed between embarrassed giggles of her own. Soon they were both laughing.

  “Hold on and let me help you before you hurt yourself, well, further hurt yourself,” he said. Gwen slid to the side presenting her locker with one hand. “Be my guest tough guy, when this thing gets stuck there’s no getting it op-” Click. Andrew pulled up on the lock with his colossal pointer finger. Just as he turned to relish in his accomplishment, the culprit of the infamous stuck locker door exposed itself. Books and papers tumbled onto the floor. Andrew looked at the mountain of miscellaneous items, then at Gwen, and once more at the pile.

  “Are…you…kidding?” he teased. “You honestly have to wonder why your locker door gets stuck.”

  Rolling her eyes Gwen pleaded. “Oh just be quiet and help me pick these things up will you?”

  Andrew looked at his watch. “I’m not sure we have time to clean all of this up by the end of the day,” he smiled. Maybe he did have a sense of humor. Gwen tip toed through the mess and found what she was looking for. A stick of red cinnamon gum. “Got it. Now help me shove this back inside.” She was on her knees haphazardly sticking handfuls of papers back into her locker.

  “Hold on,” Andrew said talking with his hands. “Seriously wait a second.”

  Gwen ran her hand through her hair and looked up at him. “What?” she panted.

  “We went through all of this; you almost broke your foot attempting to open your locker door, for a stick of gum?”

  Gwen’s smile went from frustrated to innocent. She shrugged. “I guess?”

  “Well…alright then, I do want to leave here before midnight so scoot over, I’ll help you.” He bent down and began cautiously putting items into Gwen’s locker. He picked up a few empty bottles of orange soda and a handful of Skittles candy wrappers. “Do you eat food or just inhale sugar?” he dryly teased again.

  “Well, yes I like candy,” she muttered, tossing a heavy book onto the top of the pile.

  “I never would have guessed,” he sarcastically replied, tossing the empty bottles onto the mountain of locker litter.

  “Alright I think we’ve got it,” Gwen said with accomplishment. She held the things inside her locker and quickly shut the door with her hip. Done. “On to gym.”

  “On to gym.” Andrew’s face was back to his all-business jaw clenched muscles flexed self. He took off his gray thermal revealing a tight college logo black T shirt and followed Gwen down the empty hallway. They rounded a corner and came to the gym. Looking inside Gwen found no one there. Huh she pondered. Finally she remembered.

  “That’s right. Today second period gym class went to the outdoor classroom. They won’t be back until lunch, I’ll show you where the library is--”

  “You need to take me to where they are. Is Tina in gym too?” Andrew asked with urgency as they walked out of the empty gym into the hall.

  “No. I can’t take you there, it’s like twenty minutes from here one way, they’ll be back soon, and yah I think Tina is there too.” The guy was getting strange, Gwen thought for a minute. “This isn’t about homework is it?”

  Andrew looked over his shoulders. His big brown eyes filled with desperation and torment. He ran h
is hand quickly through his hair. “Gwen I..I can’t tell you what I want to but please know that it’s important and--” Buzz. He was cut off by the screaming fire alarm.

  Gwen covered her ears as students flooded the halls. She turned to join the swarm shuffling out the nearest exit, when she felt a large hand grab her petite arm. A huge shock ran through her body stinging her every nerve. Then the warmth. It was like a rush of warm water spreading like a blanket over her freezing body. She’d never felt so calm, so perfect. Then came the pain. It felt as if a cold fire was burning in her chest.

  Andrew gritted his teeth and motioned to the gym. Gwen wanted to refuse but every ounce of her being was demanding she follow. They snuck through the big wooden gym doors and the buzzing dimmed to a tolerant level as the door slowly shut behind them. Andrew let go of her arm, and the unnatural high began to wear off, only to be replaced with a pounding headache. The mother of all migraines. She staggered over to the bleachers and flopped down. Rubbing her thin chest in agony she peeled down one side of her sweater, attempting to examine herself for any external injuries. Too dizzy to continue she let her head fall into her hands. Her heart pounded slow and hard. She noticed Andrew. He had propped his head up on his arm against the cold brick gym wall, rubbing his pectoral muscle in pain. Massaging her chest, Gwen began to think more clearly now. What was going on she wondered. Did he drug her? Should she run? What was happening? Was she hurt? She wasn’t sure. What happened next would change everything. Forever.

  Of course I didn’t drug you. Gwen shot up, looking at Andrew still leaning against the wall.

  “What did you say?” she snapped at him. Feeling dizzy Gwen stammered back to her seat.

  “I’ll explain later but now I have to get you out of here. They’re here for you.” Andrew fought through the painful haze and made his way to Gwen. She was breathing hard and fast, hands quivering.

  “I’m not going anywhere with you. Who’s here for me?” Gwen insisted. Andrew tensed. Again he clenched his jaw and his massive hands turned to fists. He turned toward the gym door, and back to her. Gwen followed his gaze attempting to see what he saw.

  “Gwen, we don’t have time for this. They’re almost here. It’s not safe for me to fight them alone, not yet anyway. There are too many. Please follow me. Look at me Gwen.” Their eyes locked. Andrew touched his chest.

  Trust me. His voice appeared again in her head. She felt as if she could peer through his eyes… and into his soul. “Did you just say something?”

  “Please I beg you don’t try to understand it yet. I promise I will tell you everything as soon as we get out of here,” he seemed so sincere. Gwen nodded. They got up and staggered to the back door of the gym but it was too late. The big wooden doors flew open, and closed with a bang behind them.

  They were ugly. Hideous. That was the first word that came to Gwendolyn Darling’s mind. There were four. Humans, Gwen thought, maybe, but...odd. They had bumpy rotten looking skin and large pointy teeth. Their eyes were lifeless almost like zombies. The leader was the largest. He was bald and wearing tattered dirty clothing somewhat… pirate like. His fingers were filthy and he hissed when he spoke.

  “You know why we’re here, beast.” Was he speaking to Andrew? Who was he to call anyone a beast Gwen thought? She shook, unable to move as if the ground had turned to wet cement. Run she commanded, but her body wouldn’t listen. Scream. Fight. Do something, anything. Still nothing. Andrew stepped in front of her.

  “Pete has been gone far too long. We want the princess. Don’t you beasts travel in packs?” The demon crouched looking left then right and finally sniffed the air. A low rattle came from his throat that appeared to be his laugh. “You’re alone?” He laughed again. “A young one even. Your heart is nothing like an immortals…but will suffice.” The group crouched and hissed, lunging forward awaiting their leader’s consent to attack.

  Andrew stepped in front of Gwen. “Get…back…Gwen,” he stammered. Gwen backed up until her pointy shoulder blades were touching the matt on the gym wall. She pressed herself into it as if she were hoping to become part of it. Inanimate. Lifeless, so she had no life to take. Princess?

  It was horrific. Terrible. Gut wrenching. Andrew clenched his huge fists and dropped his head peering at the monsters with eyes filled of sheer hate and insanity. Gwen shivered. His opponents continued to lunge towards the invisible line, which was the only thing holding them in place. They snarled almost animal like. One with deep scars covering his awful pale face held some sort of massive silver steak. Another with a missing ear pulled a crimson glistening silver sword covered in wet blood from behind his back. He licked the liquid off the blade, slicing his tongue and hollering in delight. The third arched his gruesome body and yanked out a handful of sparse black string-like hair, from his own scaly head, as he shrieked happily, lapping up the blood spilling from the other. Their leader put one sickening hand up.

  “Are you sure you want to do this boy? You could just hand her over you know. Spare your life...for a while,” the monster smiled.

  “I...want nothing...more...than to tear you limb...from limb,” Andrew growled, followed by a fierce howl that could only be heard from the deepest pits of hell. He suddenly changed into something menacing, almost evil. His clothes tore in half with vengeance. Gwen could hear his

  bones break and snap back together. In a single moment he was the creature from a horrible nightmare, a lion-like human being with thick brown fur and gigantic protruding teeth. Standing well over seven foot, he walked on two massive hind legs. Thick, hard, fur covered muscles bulging from every part of his form. His claws were almost metallic as they radiated in the gyms fluorescent lights. He turned and looked at Gwen with black un-human eyes. On his colossal chest was the oddest thing of all, one of the most beautiful things Gwen had ever seen. It shown like gold diamonds shaped into a sideways figure eight, pulsating with every beat of his heart. He quickly touched it with his huge paw.

  I won’t let them touch you. Just stay back. His voice appeared in her head again, smooth as melted chocolate, just as it did before he took this ugly form. The leader threw down his hand and the monstrous group charged forward, breaking free of their imaginary restraints, coming in for the kill. The sounds alone were enough to make Gwen vomit. They attacked her protector from all sides. Circling, taking turns lunging with snarling teeth and hurling weapons. They moved with superhuman force. Jumping and twisting far beyond what is humanly possible.

  Andrew moved with equal agility. The first sprang through the air attempting to drive his silver sword into Andrew’s bulging hide over his neck. Her protector jumped up, meeting the slimy demon in mid-air. He caught the fiend with one paw and brought him to his dog like mouth. Snarling, Andrew bit into the monsters scarred head, ripping it from his body in one smooth motion. Tendons and muscles snapped, hanging loosely from the decapitated corpse. Blood spewed like water from a hose on a hot summer day, shining on the slick gymnasium floor. Andrew tossed the body aside like a piece of garbage and wasted no time pinning the second to the floor. Blood dripped from Andrews’s giant mouth. A third sprung onto Andrew’s back, attempting to drive his silver sword between her protector’s massive shoulder blades to no reward. The stringy haired monster on the floor saw his chance and drove his knife into Andrew’s chest just missing his heart. Gwen screamed in agony, as she slumped to the floor.

  With a howl Andrew drove a claw filled paw into his attacker’s neck holding him in place as he flung the other from his back, throwing him head first into the brick wall, instantly paralyzing him. Andrew directed his attention back to the demon on the floor. He shoved his scalpel like claws further in the neck of his attacker. Through gurgling, Gwen could hear the monster’s body being ripped into pieces. Andrew turned, his coat blood stained, and walked slowly over to the one who was paralyzed. He ripped off the sub humans remaining ear as it cried out in agony. Gwen couldn’t help herself.

  “Just kill him!” she screamed through broken
sobs. Until now she’d been too frozen to move, too terrified to speak.

  You go it. With one quick stab through the skull, into the brain, the gruesome creature was gone.

  The leader stood half way across the gym, eyes filled with fear. “You’ve been sworn. To the princess?” he asked in disbelief.

  Andrew answered his question with a simple growl. He began walking toward the leader ever so slowly, preparing for his fourth kill, barely noticing his wounded chest.

  Suddenly, a dark shadow emerged. It started small, barely noticeable but quickly became darker and larger until it was the size of a standard door. Through the shadow came a translucent form.

  It appeared to be a small woman, about Tina’s size with...wings? Gwen couldn’t believe her eyes. The pixyish woman was dark, gothic-like. Her skin was the color of snow and her hair as black as the darkest night. She wore an amethyst jewel on a gold chain around her neck that complemented her plum barely there dress. Her wings sparkled like sun reflecting off crystal clear water. She quickly held up a stubby hand to her lilac lips and blew ever so softly what looked like glitter onto the opponents’ leader. Then as quickly as she appeared, she was gone, taking him with her.

  Damn it. Gwen heard that sultry voice in her head once more. Just as she felt as if she were going to faint, her pounding heart slowed to a controlled low rate. Her breathing became easier and she felt a warm, calm rush over her, somewhat dulling the pain, though she still felt unavoidably weak. Blood stained her gray sweater.