Summer's Journal: Sixth Entry

I miss Chris terribly. What a way to start a journal entry. I think I made him mad when I talked to him on the phone. He didn’t respond well to me rubbing my nails along his back so that he knew I was there -- thinking about him. He hadn’t called me since I was suspended. I tried to call him, but there was no answer.

Had I made him mad? I don’t even know that I did to make him mad. I’m such a fool. This journal should be called “Summer’s Insecurities”. I’ve so many. I’m not strong. I've no endurance. I’ve no willpower. I’m not even a powerful mage, I’m just a necromancer, I give dead things un-life, but they all have no soul.

Today I spent the day with my mother. She wished me to go the mall with her. I got dressed. Black panty-hose with high black boots, and a long flowing blacks skirt. My shirt was a black tube top, with a netted over shirt. My make up today rivaled that of an Egyptian. I didn’t go heavy into the tribal designs I normally do. I did black-lipstick today instead of ruby red.

When I came down the stairs, my mother smiled at me. She was dressed as she did when she met my father, faded jeans, black shirt. Her blonde hair still died dark, and her piercing was still there. It is funny how far she goes to look different than her twin sister.

“You’re looking very pretty,” she said with a smile. I thanked her. She and I walked to our garage. Yes, we have a garage, in a gothic motel, there is a garage. Now it is off grounds, but we have one. My mom opened the door to the Porsche, and I opened my door, I sat down inside, and she turned it on, and with a kick of gravel, she and I were off and headed to the mall.

On the way there we listened to my favorite radio station. That was not good. Whenever my mother listens to my music it can only mean two things. One; She wants to feel young, and so she goes from being my mother to being an exact copy of herself when she met my father at seventeen.

The other is worse. It means she is either going to tell me something bad, or she wants to discuss something that will displease me greatly.

We began to walk through the mall. She and I kept stopping and looking at different outfits. She missed out on this when she was my age. She practically jumped on the next outfit and smiled at me, “What do you think of this?” She wanted to be seventeen.

A wicked twisted guile act that was…

It was the bomb that came next, “Summer. I wanted to talk with you about sex.” I have to say, I didn’t expect it. It made me jump, and look at here with my mouth agape. “Why? I mean! Mom!”

“Summer… This is your first boyfriend. I’ve not met him, I don’t know what he’s like. I just wanted to talk to you about it.” I wasn’t embarrassed (Seeing as I really can't get embarrassed), I was just shocked, “Mom. I…” She spoke again, “Summer, I’m not doing this to upset you, because I trust you. I just… I want to make sure that you…” I walked closer to her, “That I what?” I asked.

“That you know you don’t have to.” I didn’t know how to reply so I said, “He doesn’t really seem like that type of guy.” My mother took my wrist and spoke softly, “Summer, I just want you to be safe. Do you…I mean, if you wanted…” I coughed.

I stumbled a bit, “Mom!” I accused. “Summer. I don’t want you to. I truly don’t, but you’re an adult. Or. Almost an adult. I trust you. And if wanted to… I want you to know…” I cast my eyes down from her, “I know, kind of… Just from what I’ve read…” She took my shoulders in her hands, “Summer. Where did you read it at?”

I coughed, “Mom… I…” She squeezed, “You can tell me.” I spoke with a meakness I had never known, “The Kama Sutra… It was by accident a year ago… I didn’t know… so I read it. I just. Mom. Please… I don’t plan on it. Even if he told me he’d break up with me if I didn’t. If he would break up with me, then he didn’t love me to begin with.”

She released her breath, and gave me a hug. Was that the answer she wanted? It was the truth of course. We didn’t talk much for the rest of the day. Until we got home. She asked me to come down to the library, and I did. She was resting on the chair with her feet up. There was a space between the chair arm and her.

I laid down next to her and rested my head on her shoulder. My eyes closed. She began to stroke my hair by my temple, and I heard her heartbeat as a lullaby. I felt safe, and warm in my mother’s arms. I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

-Dawn

Aurora's Journal: Third Entry

I woke to the sound of rushing water. It was all around me, flowing and caressing my body. It was a natural spring. I was in the forest. But I wasn’t there before. Was it?

I sat up, my back began to burn as water flowed into cracked skin I had just opened. I groaned. I was burnt very badly. I sobbed and rolled over, letting my head rest in the soft water. I sat up. There was no sign of anyone.

I tried to call for someone. Then I remembered which form I was in. The one I habited most. The one who couldn’t speak.

I wonder if I have the energy to change I pushed my fingers into my flesh, and I pulled down, taking the form of a relative’s long since dead wife. I reached around and felt my back. The change had healed me too. I needed to get to Janus’. I needed to get there fast.

I wondered where my tiger was.



Than I heard a splash and he leapt into the water in front of me. I kissed his forhead.

“You saved me, didn’t you?” He nodded in response, “That was wrong, you could have been hurt, or killed. Don’t ever do that again…” He nuzzled my neck, “I’m sorry, I just want you to be safe, okay?”

I reached down into the pile of goo (trying to float away), and pulled up clothes. I pet his head, and showed him my wrist. He licked the tattoo.



“I know. I know. But it’ll never go away,” it was my cursemark. It was the symbol Coyote gave me to show in the end that I was his, no matter what I did. So I got it in my head to make sure I was immortal. I could never let Coyote have me. I would never go to Coyote’s realm.

There was a Seneca Brave leaning against the tree.



He smiled at me, “Its been a long time Thousand Faces.” I looked at him, “Not long enough, what do you want?” He shrugged, “You were the one who thought my name three times in a row. I hope they were fond thoughts.” I looked away from him, “No they weren’t.” He shrugged, “Okay, I’m sorry to hear that.” The tiger roared, “Calm down kitty-kitty,” he responded, and my tiger shrunk in about my legs.

“Coyote, please, I just want to get on with my life,” I said to him. He shrugged again, and he reached out, and touched my face, rubbing his fingers down my cheeks, and a tear rolled down my cheek, “You’re still as beautiful as you were when you were a young woman, just like you wanted.” My form wavered and he took my flesh off of my body. I was back to what I normally look like. He looked at my back.

“I can fix that for you, as a favor for an old friend. No charge, nothing.” He ran his hands along my back, and down to my bare hips. I cringed, “Its all better now…” he said bringing his touch to my lips.

“One day you’ll be mine, Thousand Faces, and I look forward to it.” Another tear rolled down my cheek. I opened my mouth to speak, and he laughed lightly, “Goodbye for now my love…”

I quickly reached for clothes. I covered myself and sat down and cried. My tiger rubbed against me. I needed to get to Janus’.

Aurora's Journal: Second Entry

I don’t understand this, at all. The V.E.R.T. (Illuminati) who claim to be defenders of the weak and the innocent are seemingly expending all of their resources to find and kill me. I don’t understand what I’ve done. I went south from West Virginia, and arrived in Atlanta.

I told my tiger to bed up, and wait for me to get back, and if I didn’t come back, I told him that I loved him. I pushed my fingers into the flesh at the top of my skull, I pulled downwards. It used to hurt me a long time ago, but it doesn’t anymore.

I stood there a blank slate. Sexless, raceless, a pallet in which I was going to paint a disguise. But I couldn’t yet, not until I was away from my tiger he had to be safe. He knew if something happened to me, he was to go and seek out Janus.

The outskirts of town were the perfect place. I began to mold my body. I needed something they would look for. I became male. Someone who wasn’t athletic. I gained weight and shrunk. Someone who would blend into the crowd.



I looked at myself. Perfect. Or Average, as the case was. I reached into my back, and found a set of clothes. I had claimed these ones from a person who could never catch the eye of the woman he had fallen in love with.

The town passed beneath my feet. I had to get up north. If I got to Janus’ Sanctuary, then I couldn’t be touched. Heaven or Hell, Mortal or Immortal, could never touch me in the Sanctuary. I headed towards the bus depot. There was a depot in Janus’ town too.

There were V.E.R.T. there. They were disguised as Soldiers. They were checking everyone in town. “Terrorist Checks.” Really, they were looking for me. When I change my tattoo moves. This time it was on my ankle.



I walked up to them, “What’s wrong?” They said, “Routine check.” They patted me down. As they checked my shoes they saw the tattoo.

“Its her!” one cried, “Its Thousand Faces!” Maybe I wouldn’t make it back this time. They held their guns on me. “Look, don’t move. We just want to take you in.” I took a deep breath. I got down on my knees. They called on their talkies. They were going to evacuate this section of town, and send in more V.E.R.T. and some helicopters. I put my hands on my head.




“Don’t move!” he yelled. I pushed my fingers into my flesh. I ripped and I dove. They fired shots at me, but I wasn’t there. I rushed back and grabbed the flesh I shed, I pulled up, and my clothes appeared on me. They began to fire some more, and I ran. That’s when the helicopters and jeeps came. I stood in middle of the square.

V.E.R.T. had surrounded me. To think, this is money and time that could have been invested in bettering the human race. “Thousand Faces! You are surrounded. Put your hands on the ground, and you will not be hurt.”

I did as ordered, a hundred and fifty guns pointed at me, was too many for me to deal with. Then two bugs crawled by my hand. They crawled onto my hand. They began to grow. Shift into exact copies of me.

We controlled both, and we stood with them. We began to jump back and fourth. We knew they wouldn’t pick us out of us. We grabbed bugs. More of us came. More and More of us. Until we were twenty. Only then did they fire. But it didn’t matter. We were too many, and we healed ourselves.



That’s when they came to fight us. Golden Eyes. Three of them. Three against twenty. We were going to win. Until they began to cast their tricks. They knew we were only copies. Spell after spell they launched, until we became few, and we become I.

It was so frustrating to waste all my energy on creating copies of myself, just to have three Gold Eyes take them down. I stood across from them. I began to run the opposite way, towards the center of the square, I landed in dandelions. I grabbed the only one that was still seeding.

I covered it with my body. Fireballs were flung at me. I made the seeds grow, and sprout seeds as the flesh began to scorch on my back. I felt it boiling. I had to do it again. All of the seeds from the fresh dandelions I made into more seeding dandelions. They were getting through to my insides…

That’s when the seeds began to move with life of their own. I rolled over, all of the dirt and leaves sticking to my back. I cringed as the pain filled my person. My swarm of locusts tore into the air. Ducking and weaving, eating the flesh of the golden eyes. I began to cry. Such pain. Such intense pain.

I needed help… I had none. I had nothing. I had no-one.

My swarm of locusts was commanded to get me a way out, but I had no way to get out. I couldn’t die yet. Not with such a stupid mistake leading to it.

Summer's Journal: Fifth Entry

My mother is Jesse O’Ciardha. I am her. When I wake up in the morning, I may have the name Summer Dawn, but I know for a fact I am Jesse. I keep a journal, like Jesse. I am submissive to the one I love, like Jesse. When I go to bed, I go to bed an O’Ciardha, even if I am nothing else, I am an O’Ciardha.

Today something happened that further illustrated this point. How irrational and instinct driven I actually am. I always prefer to be thought of like my father, ever thinking, in control of everything that he does. But I didn’t inherit that from him. I got my mother’s instinct driven mind.

Ashley, the girl who I saved from a demon, decided to approach me today. She walked up to me, and said, “We need to talk, Dawn.” I noticed her minion was not with her. I raised an eyebrow, but I nodded, and she walked away.

It was only then that I realized we had not agreed on a time and a place. So I went through with my day. Pretending not to pay attention in class, or in fact not paying attention in class, I can never tell which one it is. It was at lunch she approached me again, she didn’t sit, she stood.

“Dawn can we please go away from everyone?” There are some things I should have done at this moment. I should have realized that emotion buried deep in her eyes was anger. I should have also realized that she had her fists clenched, but hindsight is 20/20, and what can you do but question your reasoning for doing something in the first place.

I followed her. She led me to behind the bleachers. Now normally someone who uses their head rather than their instincts would have realized it was the remotest part of campus and no-one ever went there. But I’m not a thinking creature, I’m Jesse O’Ciardha. I use instincts, and to me, this human girl, wanted to challenge me on my territory. So I kept walking.

She turned, “Dawn! What the hell did you do to me?” I think I growled. I think. Maybe I howled. Or maybe I said, “What do you mean?” The reason I think I said that was because of her response, “With that guy in the alley, he burst into flames, and you hit me.” I’m not sure what I did here, did I grow claws? I think. That’s how my mother would have reacted, but I think I said, “That sounds like a terrible dream.” She held her head, “It was real!” I looked up. She had a crazed look in her eyes. She was tired of people saying it was a dream.

“It was real, I saved you,” I responded. She let out a sigh of relief. Then she looked at me, “You hit me, You let me think I was crazy!” I didn’t have time to think. Instinct took over. She swung at me, and I blocked it, grabbed her arm, and hip tossed her behind me. I stood in a feral position, my long pointed nails were now claws. The same nails I used to make Chris relax as I ran them along his cheek to make his back become glued to the chair the first day I met them, were now claws. That’s right. Claws.

She bull rushed me, and I cut her cheeks with my nails, and I slammed her into the ground jumping over her.

I’m a china doll, how was I fighting so well?

She stood, dirt mixed with the blood on her cheek. She held it, and looked at me. Her breathing began to become eratic. There was no time to think, she unleashed a volley of attacks. It took one good elbow to her cheek to plant her on the ground. That’s right, I’m Jesse O’Ciardha.

She laid there crying. I knelt next to her. It wasn’t about fight or flight anymore, that’s what my dad would do, he would kill her or walk away. Not me. I’m Jesse O’Ciardha. I knelt next to her, using my knees as my seat, and I put her head on my thighs.

“Its best if you forget what happened,” I said as I began to pick the stone and dirt from her cut cheeks, I didn’t want her to have scars. I stroked her hair. She began to sob heavier, “Shh, Calm down Babydoll.”

I am my mother.

My mother called me, and still calls me baby-doll. She didn’t have much of a child-hood. She never got a nickname like that. A term of endearment if you will. Ashley looked up at me. It was an awkward moment for me. Because I could still see the hatred in her eyes. I set her head down.

I stood, and walked away, I had to wash the blood off of my nails. Later that day, after I got to see my boyfriend. We smiled at each other. There was a moment when I stared into his eyes. I sat behind him. And the whole class I ran those nails along his back to let him know I was there.

That’s when a note came for me. I was wanted in the office. My parents had been called about a fight, and they were waiting there for me with the Principal. My Principal was a big guy, who had a toupee. He was a simple man, and always fair in any dealings I had with him.

My father and my mother sat there, and I sat in between them. My mother took my hand, and my father stared intently at the principal.

“Summer fought with a Miss. Ashley Jones today. She left four long marks on her cheeks with her nails. Ashley refuses to say anything else about the incident and the school wishes you to know Summer needs to be suspended.” My father nodded, “She should. It was wrong of her to fight.” He looked at me. I held back a laugh, there was a smile in his eyes I had seen often.

“Okay. Its sad though, because I consider Summer one of our best students. But rules are rules. Summer I will allow you to collect your things, and I will see you in three days, okay?”

“Yessir,” I nodded. I did as ordered. Once outside I looked at my mother, and I smiled. “Mom. I love you.” I ran to her and hugged her tightly against me. “I love you too, Babydoll.”

I am my mother, without a doubt.

-Dawn

CHRIS'S FIRST

So, lots to tell but so little time to tell it in. Let me start at the beginning.

I am not good with girls. I mean, sure I've had a girlfriend or two, but that doesn't mean I'm not clumsy around them. When I first met Dawn I was intrigued. She always seemed like an interesting person, just no one ever took the time to see it. Anyway, I saw her at lunch, walking alone and decided I was going to take the time to see. Not to mention I found out that Brendan was related to her. So I invited her to sit with us at lunch and like the stupid person I am…I tried to woo her over with my humor. Needless to say it didn’t go over too well. She even put thumbtacks on my chair and glued the back of my shirt to my desk.

After the chair incident I kinda gave her some space. I didn’t think she really wanted to talk to me and I didn’t want to have to cut up another of my favorite shirts. It wasn’t until about a week later that Brendan called me and decided that I was going to go out with Dawn, but make it look like it was sheer coincidence. I didn’t think it would work, but I went along with it. I wasn’t going to be able to ask her out otherwise. Call me chicken.

Well I showed up on time with the girl Brendan was digging on, Michelle, and waited. The worst she could to was insist Brendan watch the movie with her. Right? Brendan walked in Dawn in tow and everything seemed to freeze. I got nervous. Me, a guy who runs in front of hundreds of people for my school, got nervous because a girl walked into the lobby of the theater. Needless to say, my nerves only got worse when she went for the ploy and let Brendan and I switch tickets. Not really knowing what else to do, and fighting the inane urge to hold her hand, I let her lead the way to the theatre we were actually going to sit in.

She figured out the ploy. "I'm not stupid," she had said. I grimaced internally. She was going to pummel me and then leave. I didn’t know which would have been worse at the moment. I played it cool. It hadn’t been my idea anyway.

“I never said you were, Dawn…” She gave me a harsh look and continued on.

“It was a clever plan," she said, "I'm going to the movies with my cousin. It was too obvious. When you were here with whomever that girl was, Michelle, I guess. See, if it was flawless, you'd have had your arm around her. Then it would be clear that Brendan was trying to hook up with her. But see… I figured, he'd have told you if he liked her since you've known each other since eighth grade." I couldn’t help but be shocked. She actually thought I was trying to pull a fast one on her. She had no idea it was her cousin who planned the entire thing! I explained the situation; she didn’t believe me.

When we got to the theatre I opened the door, out of habit, it’s just something I do for chicks. She didn’t seem too pleased to be there, and least of all with me so I offered to sit somewhere not next to her, but she said something about someone to talk to when the movie got boring. We sat down at the top and as the previews started she asked me a bunch of questions. It was a major relief when she stopped asking. There are things I’d much rather not share about my past. Anyway, the movie started and I couldn’t stop myself, I held her hand. Corny and I’m acting like such a chick, but I figured what could it hurt? She could slap me and then leave. No harm other then a stinging cheek for a while. She wouldn’t hate me anymore then she already did. She startled me when she said that she thought I was skipping steps. I didn’t realize there were steps to follow. Must be in some written book every girl has to read. Steps he MUST follow during the date. Yeah, so I ‘went back’ to step one and somehow we got onto the subject of relationships…I might have brought it up, I can’t quite remember, but she got skittish and asked me, basically, not to talk about it anymore. No big…works for me. It wasn’t a ‘no’ after all.

We started to actually focus on the movie and randomly, cause I wasn’t really paying attention to the flick, she started laughing. She told me about spells and the ingredients that were used, so I tuned into the film and realized it was horrible and things weren’t right. “…that would never happen. Especially if you put those two things with that and did it that way. It would explode in your face if it did anything at all…” I slipped. I couldn’t help it.

She asked me how I knew that and I came up with some lie about chemistry and derivatives and combustible parts. "Except Blackroot and Mandrake are purely alchemical, and are not the roots of any chemical compounds used in any chemistry class… Don't try to lie to me… I don't like being lied to." I was so caught. I swallowed my pride and told her the truth; that I was a mage.

The girl is a freakin’ necromancer! Go figure! Who would have thought it? Floored me when I heard it. Another thing…her god-mother/aunt person is the infamous Thousand Faces! I’m so screwed! Yeah, so we basically talked through most of the movie…in fact I don’t really know much of what happened in the movie. When we left the movies it was a downpour outside. There was no way we were getting home without getting soaked. I decided I needed to try and earn some more points…I wasn’t sure how the entire movie thing had gone over and I really wanted her to like me, so I gave her my sweatshirt. She gave it back and took off into the rain. All I could do was stare. She was so different from other girls. Most girls are like, “Omg I can’t get wet. My hair!!” Drives me insane! But not Summer, oh no. Summer could never be like that. That was part of the reason I liked her.

I ran after her and met her in the rain. She looked so different with her make up smeared down her face. Not bad, just different. The words bubbled up in my throat and I tried to swallow them but couldn’t. “Dawn, I was wondering…would you be my girlfriend?”

She didn’t answer right away so I thought I’d blown it. Finally after a few painful seconds she said yes and I nearly passed out. We headed for Brendan’s house. I don’t know why…maybe she just didn’t want me to go to her house and have the whole family scene thing happen. She did the craziest thing…she tried to get away from. Like play a game of tag…it was surreal. I ran after her, giving her a head start. I am on track, so it wasn’t like it would be hard to catch her. I caught her by Brendan’s house and was just about to give her a kiss when he aunt popped out from the front door. Suddenly right then didn’t feel like the right time, so I watched her go inside and headed for my house. I owe Brendan a monstrous favor. (Thanks bud!) Anyway, so that was how I got the girl…surprisingly and it wasn’t even my idea.

~Out~

Chris E.

Aurora's Journal: First Entry

The Illuminati had been chasing me for three days. When I look back on it, it was such an odd experience for me. I was always the one who hunted. It was always me who was the predator. How can I be the prey?



The Illuminati have wanted me dead since they were in existence. I was a powerful life mage. None of them had mastered the shamanic arts that I was trained with since birth. None of my people would join such an organization. I couldn’t blame them.

The Illuminati are corrupt. Sure they mean well for the world, but the higher ups call all the shops. They seem to avoid helping the Middle East if at all possible. That’s where the real evil is. The demons. The really bad ones. The old vampires. Anything that is a huge threat to life in this world has roots in the Middle East.

Apparently the really ancient demons are less of a threat than me. There were three of them after me. Higher ups, Silver Eyes. But I had two advantages. The first was I was in West Virginia, deep in the woods. The second was, I was born in the woods, I was raised in the woods. The trees themselves bend to my will.

I rushed along the dew covered grass. My tiger padded softly along side of me, and shots were fired. They were using guns. How thoughtful of them. Bullets whizzed by my head. Finally I ducked in behind a tree, and I calmed my breathing. I withdrew my tomahawk. They stopped by my tree.

“Which way did she go?” One yelled.

I held my tomahawk in my hand, and I threw it, and it struck one in the head, blood went everywhere. The other immediately knelt and started healing, the third began to shoot at where I was. But by the time the bullets had reached there, I was in the tree, and I leapt down onto him. It must have looked very wolf-esque. I elbowed his cheek, and stood, my body shifted, and as the powerful bear I mauled the healer. I cut him open.

I tossed him to the ground. The last illuminati, the one who had just been healed looked up at me in fear. He then fired the gun. It ripped through my thick hide, and buried itself deep in my chest.



My tiger ripped out his throat. Blood went everywhere. I used my magic to shift back to human form. I held the bleeding wound on my chest. I pushed my finger down inside, and the tiger began to nuzzle me. I held myself up. I began to cough. Blood came from my mouth. I calmed myself down, and I altered my DNA, I made my healing rate quicken.

The wound began to repair itself. After a moment the bullet ejected itself onto my lap. The tiger laid down on my legs to keep my warm. He knew I wouldn’t be able to do much for the rest of the night. I stroked his head. I curled up beside him, and rested my head on his chest.

I smiled at him. He purred.

When I woke in the morning, I noticed there was a bear nearby, he began to shred at corpses. I shooed him off, and he seemed like a scolded child.

I gave him a look like he should know better. He then helped me dig holes. Even though I wasn’t a catholic like them, they deserved a burial like their religion dictates. I put them in it, and marked them with wooden crosses, and I put their illuminati necklaces on them.

I clicked my tongue for my tiger to come, and he obeyed. The bear went his own way at that point.

Summer's Journal: Fourth Entry

Today my mother told me something that greatly upset me. She told me that I should tell my father about Chris. She didn’t say why, but she told me to tell him. I cannot tell my father. If I tell him, he’ll forbid me to see Chris. She has to understand that. She should understand that. They have a common law marriage. They are in love. She has to know that he will stop it.

Chris didn’t ask him if he could date me. I was rash when I told him yes. I should have told him about my father. I should have told him what he was getting into. I should have said No. I don’t want him hurt. I want him to be safe.

I don’t know what to do.

If I tell my father, he’ll want to do something to Chris. But if I don’t tell him, I will hurt my father’s feelings. I love my father. I just don’t know what to do.

My cell-phone rang. In the hall of the mountain king echoed through my silent room. I answered it. I didn’t look at the ID I knew who it was.

“Hello,” I said softly. “Hey Summer,” he responded, “How are you today?” I paused, “Not well, Chris. Tell me everything is okay, I’m just a silly stupid girl.” He quickly tried to shush me, “You’re not stupid or silly. Everything will be okay. Now tell me what’s wrong.” I paused, taking a deep breath in, was I crying? “Chris. My mother wants me to tell my father about you.” He paused.

I took a deep breath Chris, talk to me. “Tell him,” he said after another moment. I choked on a sob, “Chris. You don’t understand.” He said immediately, “Tell him Summer, the longer you put it off, the worse it will be.” I spoke softly, “Do you want me to?” He spoke, “Don’t be like that. I want you to do what you need to do, I was just suggesting.” I didn’t know what he meant, don’t be like that, “I miss you.”

“I miss you too,” he said matching my tone, “Summer don’t change the subject.” I visibly nodded, although it was stupid of me. He was on the phone and couldn’t see it, so I verbally replied in soft tones, weak tones, “Okay.” He said sharply, “Don’t be like that. Stop.” I verbally spoke, “Okay.”

“Summer, I just wanted to talk to you, I’ll see you at school tomorrow, okay?” I paused a little hurt, “Okay Chris, I…uh…” He paused, “You?” I couldn’t tell him, not yet, “I want you to have sweet dreams.” He spoke, “I love you too.” The phone clicked. I looked at my cell phone.

How did he know that’s what I wanted to say?

Did he mean it? If he did, why didn’t he say, “Summer, I love you too.” How many other people had he told, “I love you too” to?

All I know is, I love him, and its useless to deny it.
-Dawn

Summer's Journal: Third Entry

It is the weekend. The one time I don’t have to wake up in the morning. I love sleeping in. The longer I stay up, the longer I sleep in, which means the longer I don’t have to be out in the sun. Or, as the case was today, my father woke me up.

To know me, to know who I am, one would have to know my father. I am my father’s daughter. I will never deny this. I think like him. I live like him. I look more like him than my mother. My father is very special to me, and I am special to him.

My father was born in the year thirty three anno domoni. He always told me one of his greatest regrets was missing the chance to meet Jesus of Nazareth. When he was eighteen he left his home. He never ever told me much about his parents, my grandparents. But my assumption from how little he ever spoke of them was they were not nice people.

He went north to what at the time was called the land of frozen death. It was true for him. His body was so adapted to the heat and warmth of the Mediterranean that in the reaches north he became cold. He sought shelter.

As far as this time line is concerned my next statement will make no sense. My father was made into a vampire by Dracula’s Red Haired Bride. I was never told her name. As far as I know, no-one was told her name. I simply call her grandmother (though I never have met her). Back to the time line not making sense, Dracula didn’t exist at this time, right? That is untrue from what my father has told me.

For the first three hundred years of his life, he lived for the moment, for pleasure, for his own satisfaction. That’s when ‘something’ happened to him. Once again, he never told me what that thing was. But he changed. He went from being a creature of the seven deadly sins into being a creature fighting for honor and life.

Around the year eleven hundred, he found the first of his blood wives. He also found a daughter. Other than me, of course, I’m only sixteen, I promise. His daughter killed his wife. It was rough for my dad to recover, and he couldn’t hurt his own daughter, so she went on. Around fifteen hundred my sister made my uncle into a dhampir.

She’s dead now. My father met my mother nineteen eighty five. Upon her first becoming a werewolf. She had fallen in love with him after only having met him once. After some events that no-one in my family ever speaks of, and I’ve never heard, in nineteen eighty eight they were in a relationship. In nineteen eighty nine, I was conceived. Thanks to the help of my Godmother Thousand Faces. I was born October Thirty-first nineteen ninety.

When I was a child my father would watch me sleep at night. He would hold my little hand when I had a nightmare, and be there to see me wake in the morning. I was his daughter. The other was just a blood child.

I was with him when I first found out I was a necromancer. It was a Saturday much the same as today. He woke me in the morning, like he did this morning. “Get up Summer,” he had named me that of course. I was his Summer’s Dawn. The First sunlight he had ever seen as a vampire.

I have told my father everything. But I could not tell him I was dating.

I woke lightly and grumbled. “Morning dad.” He smiled, “Were you watching me sleep again?” He nodded. I smiled. “Was I dreaming?” He nodded. My heart sunk. He had a look in his eyes like he knew. It would kill him that I hadn’t told him.

Worse yet, this is a man who is nearly two thousand years old. He has killed people for looking at him funny before. Imagine if he found out there was a boy dating me? He’d kill him. He’d scare him away.

“Something about blood,” he frowned, “Did someone douse you?” I nodded. He took my hand, “It will be okay. I need your help today Summer. Over in Spain there is something big going on. I think two vampire clans are going to meet.”

“Yessir. Can I get dressed first?” He nodded and left the room. I picked out an outfit, and put it on. I did my makeup, together, since I’ve got it down to a fine art only took a half hour. The whole time I was thinking if I should tell him or not. It represented it on my face with the tears rolling down of black makeup, and the third eye I sometimes drew over my sixth chakra was closed.

“You ready?” He asked. Usually my mother went with him to quell vampiric disputes. She was one of the most powerful lupines in the world. But I was wondering why he wanted me to go. But I would never ask.

He took my hand, and he willed us both to appear in Spain. It was an odd ability he had picked up over the years. The vampires were meeting in an old forgotten ruin of some castle. Father and I waited impatiently. That’s when three vampires arrived.

My father looked at me, while the other vampires arrived on the opposite side.

“You called in Janus?” One said with spite towards the other group.

“Of course we need an arbiter.”

They looked at my father, who pushed me forward. That was why he wanted me. He wanted me to arbitrate this. The dispute was over territory, and I was able to handle it using a trade and barter system. There was a bar that had opened up in between the two. It was a dance club, and vampires love dance clubs.

He took us home and he went to spend time with Mom, so I went to spend time with a book. After a couple of hours, he walked in and said, “What did you learn today?”

To which I replied, “That only if you can compromise can a peace be met.”

He thought for a second. Smiled and walked away. That was the one thing father and I did everyday. The day Chris asked me out.

I lied to him.

The thing I learned was that there is love out there, even for me. Still no word from Chris; I can only assume that means he thinks I am a mistake. Even if he called my cell phone, to tell me hello, and he missed me the past two days. I think he is ashamed of me.

-Dawn

Summer's Journal: Second Entry

Before I begin with the events of my day, I would like anyone who finds this journal (or pries it out of my cold dead hands) to know that this is a normal day for me.

It started like any other day, I had to wake up. I would prefer to stay home, and read to do my learning, but I had a boyfriend now. I had to go to school on the chance that I may see him.

Its only one night and already I am the fawning girlfriend.

My mother told me last night (when I told her I was dating him) that, “Us O’Ciardha women fall fast and hard.” I guess that’s true. More true then I would have ever thought it possible of me. There I go with the whole going off topic thing again.

At school I was minding my own business when for no reason two preps came up beside me and hip checked me into a locker. You’re right. That’s a lie. They walked by and called me “Happy Sunshine Summer.” Now, normally, I’d have never ever let that get to me. I mean it was stupid. If it were any other social group in the world, the person being called that would reply with, “What the hell? You call that an insult?” But I am a goth. “Happy Sunshine” is bad, but when you add in the fact that my first name is Summer, and I hate to be called something so bright.

So it was I who hip-checked the one girl into the locker. She hit, and looked at me, and made some noise, like, “Uh” who knows. It was prep talk. The girl was an acquaintance of mine some time ago. Her name is Ashley. Thus how she knows my name to be Summer, instead of Dawn, which is what I try and get everyone to call me. Like Dawn of the Dead.

Now, what had transpired happens everyday in one form or the other. What fell after it has never happened before. I was sitting outside for lunch, underneath my tree seat, when I see Ashley and her minion standing in front of me.

“Hello Summer,” she said. I made two mistakes when I saw her. The first of which, was I didn’t notice the rope in her hand. The second one was not moving after I saw the rope in her hand. She pulled on it. I felt liquid cover my body.

There was a loud guffaw of laughter. I opened my eyes. She had drenched me in blood. Carrie, I feel for you. I sighed, and continued to eat. She stood there, and when I looked up to her, I noticed she was shocked.

“Like, aren’t you going to cry, or freak, or something?” She asked still flabbergasted I hadn’t moved.

“No,” I responded. I continued to eat my meal. It had only gotten a little blood on it, and I carefully picked around it. I had to look a total bloody mess, because everyone was avoiding me. I found it a little weird that not one teacher came to see if I wanted help or anything. I kept saying to myself, ‘My cousin or my boyfriend will come and save me.’ But who needs a Don when you are a Donã. I stood, and dumped my tray, as blood dripped off of me, and led a trail to my next class. I didn’t even bother going to the bathroom to clean up or anything of the sort.

Oddly enough the other students thought I was making a statement. I did clean up a little before I went home. I had to. If I went home covered in blood, my parents would only think the worse.

On my way home, however, I saw Ashley talking to an older man. She began to quicken her pace after he said something to her. He rushed along side her, and grabbed her arm, and pulled her back. She went to scream but he covered her mouth. He pulled her back towards and Alley.

I am my father’s daughter. There was no question as to what I had to do. I walked over to the alley and I looked. It was a Soul Stealer; a lesser demon who steals the souls of those who he kisses. He leaned into her. I walked down the alley.

“Dawn!” she yelled, “Help!”

The demon looked towards me, his tongue-barb facing me. “Diabolus Subsisto,” I said and the demon froze. I walked up to it, and picked up a shard of glass on the ground. Sure words of power are great on lesser demons. But the big ones take a little more. I cut into his forehead a cross.

I love to see demons spontaneously combust. It makes me feel like I did some good in the world. I looked at Ashley. Who looked at me. We stared at each other. It was almost like a stand off. Who was going to blink first? “What the hell just happened?” I sighed. I was hoping her mind was going to make her forget, like it does most humans. I walked up to her, and I punched her in her temple. Not hard enough to kill her, just enough to knock her unconscious.

I then came home. My thoughts on the day are thus. Should I have believed Iago? I didn’t see Chris today. It makes me wonder if maybe he is ashamed of me. Maybe he got caught up in the moment. Maybe he thinks I’m just some challenge, something to claim and then break and move on. Maybe he was busy. Did he not want to see me? Was I a mistake?

I think I am thinking too deeply.

-Dawn

Summer's Journal: First Entry

I decided to start this journal, much as my mother had before me. Whenever an event happened important enough in her life to write it down. Besides my birth, and my sixth birthday, nothing really important has happened.

I mean, I started school, and sure that was important, but I was confused as to why my father made me go. When I first went to school, I was already reading at a fourth grade level. I mean, seriously, to put me in kindergarten would be like putting a college student back to their freshman year.

But no bother. Enough of my useless ranting. Its not like I can change anything now. The die have been cast. So sayeth Ceasar.

This event, however, is one that I feel will change how I look and view the world. Up until this point, I have saw the world as a place of deciet, darkness, cunning and vile ceatures. Which reminds me, I don't like people very much. I love my family, and as my father before me, I would give my life to save a noble human, but its sad that there are not many to save. I felt the need to tell you this so you know where I stand.

No, you know what. No. Okay. My cousin. He has a friend, they've been friends since eighth grade. They run track together. So he calls me over, my cousin Brendan that is. He's my cousin through my mother. Her twin sister, my Aunt Page, and my mother, Jesse, were seperated when they were young. Did I ever mention I don't stay on subject for too awful long when I write personal thoughts?

So, Brendan, calls me over, and introduces me to this friend of his. Chris. And He makes fun of my cousin. Now, I don't go for that so I laid my fist into his cheek. I walked away. Later, I played some pranks on him.

A couple of days later, my cousin calls me, and invites me to the movies. He wants to see some horror movie. So I go. Then I see Chris there, and Brendan looks at who he is with, and somehow, gets me to switch tickets so Chris comes with me.

I knew at that moment, that it was a trick. I had fallen for it. Chris and I started talking, he kept trying to put the moves on me. And though we were talking, and technically on a date, I was uncomfortable. No boy had ever shown interest in me like that. I wanted to curl in on myself and run away.

Then... He said he was a Mage... And all the things he did became perfectly clear to me. I knew, as whatever the hell I am, a normal person could never survive with me. One night I might wake up and become a werewolf, and how horrible would it be for me to shred my own husband apart. Or worse yet, the vampire in me could take over and I could bit him and kill him. Then again, my magic could go haywire, and I could wake up with a skeleton slave for a husband.

But here is what Chris did to make me begin to like him. He let me take the lead on the way here. It showed me he respected me. Then he opened a door, its old fashioned, and showed me he had honor. Whenever he took my hand, I asked him not to and he let go, another sign of respect. All it did was take him saying, "I'm a mage." To let me see all that.

Is that wrong of me?

So after the movie, he walked outside, it was raining, and underneath the movie pavallion he handed me his sweatshirt (He was being sweet.) and so I turned it down, took off my high heeled boots, and I took off into the rain. I loved the rain. It made me feel young and childlike again, so I began to dance around. My makeup was running. I began to walk (dance) home, and he grabbed my wrist. At first fear went through me. Maybe he wasn't as sweet as previously thought.

Then he pulled me in front of him. Looked me in the eyes, and said, "Summer" or he said, "Dawn", I can't quite remember. I think he said Summer as to get my attention because I hate being called such a happy name, "Summer, will you be my girlfriend?"

Where the hell did that come from? I thumb-tacked his chair, made him stink like rotten eggs, and glued his shirt to the back of his chair. I was nothing but short with him until we got the movie theater. I stared at his eyes. I couldn't look away.

I had to think. 'No,' I told myself, 'If you think you'll say no.' And so I let my heart speak, "Yes..." then my ever thinking mind took over, He would have to meet my father, mother, aunt and uncle, and get accepted by them, "But you don't know what you are getting into."

"I'll take my chances," he replied. Or something similar to that. I began to run towards my aunts house. I wanted him to catch me. So I slowed down a bit. Forgetting he was on track however, he caught me. I kept scooting towards the house. If he was going to kiss me, it had to be normal kiss, on the doorstep before I went inside.

He leaned in and I took a deep breath, It wasn't out of fear, but he was going to be my first kiss.

"What's wrong?" You didn't kiss me damnnit.

"Nothing," I said, leaning forward again. Make my first kiss perfect Chris, please...

"What are you two doing out here?" My Aunt Page said.

Needless to say, Chris pretty much ran, but before I went inside, we met eyes, and I smiled. How funny a smile tastes to lips who never have it.

-Dawn