All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
The author acknowledges the trademark owners of various products, brands, and/or stores referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
Cover design by Jennifer Munswami.
Created with Vellum
With sharing the true light, there is always a cost.
Moving is crap.
My new neighbor is an arrogant jerk.
Oh, he's also an alien who claims we share a soul, and he wants me as far away from him as possible...
Ura didn’t want to move, but her father didn’t give her a choice when he said he wanted an escape after the car accident that nearly killed them both. Trying to survive in a ghost town is never fun, but add in the neighbor from hell, well it’s becoming a nightmare.
When two new strangers move into Maxx’s house, Ura finds out there is more than the true light to be frightened of.
When light appears, so does darkness…
17+
For those who manage to find a little light, even when it seems like there is only darkness.
To the brave ones.
Prologue
“Watch out!” I scream, knowing my warning is too late as a car flies out the other lane, speeding head first into the front of our car. Even as I hear my dad slam on the brakes, I know that nothing will stop the car from hitting ours. Everything feels in slow motion as the car smashes into us, the air bags pop open automatically as my body pushes against the tight seatbelt. A second later, my head slams into the glass window as the car rolls, making me scream out in pain. I turn my head, seeing my father’s worried blue eyes locked on mine, just before everything turns black for what seems like only a few moments, but I know it’s much longer than that. When I open my eyes, everything is so still, so painless for only a moment, and then I scream as I feel the crippling, mind-searing pain. I scream until my voice cracks and I can’t scream anymore. I shakily lift my head off the air bag as I cough, trying to figure out where the pain is coming from and wanting to find out if my dad is okay. I look down at the branch that has come through the smashed window screen and is lodged into my stomach on the left side. My mind tries to pretend it’s not happening as I look away, while the rest of me is screaming in pain and fear.
“Help!” I try to scream, but it comes out as a dry cough. I try to blink out the blood that is dripping into my right eye, but it only stings. I turn slightly in my seat, the little movements hurting more than anything I’ve ever felt, and I see that the car is empty. My dad isn’t in the car anymore.
“Dad! Dad!” I shout out. Or at least I think I do as things start to get hazy and I can’t hear my whispered sounding voice. I can’t lose him too, not after mum…
“Hello?” I hear a distant voice shout through the haze. I look over and see a blurry figure open the driver door, sliding into the seat. I can’t make out his features, only that it is a guy.
“I got you, Freckles,” the smooth, seductive voice says, trying to comfort me. Freckles? I can’t make my mouth move to reply to him, even as something deep inside me wants me to. I feel him place his hand on my head, over my cut, and instead of pain, I only feel warmth as blue light shines in my eyes. The light is all I feel and see as everything else fades away.
Chapter One
“There is a spider in my room, and I’m not touching it or unpacking until it’s gone,” I state, standing at the bottom of the stairs and glaring at my father who chuckles as he runs a hand through his brown-going-grey hair. Dad turns his light blue eyes on me, the amusement clearly shining through them. I glance around at the piles of boxes we are trying to move into the old house and notice that the counters in the kitchen have cobwebs on them. There are going to be more spiders.
“What? The girl with pink hair and a nose piercing can’t handle a spider? I thought you were going through a whole rebellious, badass chick stage,” he replies, being a smartass like usual. Don’t parents grow out of that at some point when they get old?
“I like pink, not hairy spiders in an old house. Please just get rid of it, dad,” I groan, and he laughs, messing my hair up with his giant hands as he passes me to go upstairs. I walk over to the mirror, smoothing down my dark pink hair, which doesn’t match my blue eyes and freckle-filled face. I had to tell dad I dyed it pink when he was in hospital because it naturally started growing out this color after the accident. The pink is darker at the top and lighter at the bottom as the sun has faded it. I also try to ignore the blue pattern on my head, which used to freak me out, but now it’s just a reminder that I might be a little crazy since the crash a year ago. It looks like a mixture of swirls made up of blue light, and it is exactly where I remember my head being cut in the accident. Only, no one can see the weird mark but me since I woke up from the accident. I lift my tank top to see the other mark, the rose shaped one on my hip, and run a hand over it as memories flash in my mind.
I still vividly remember when I started asking about the glowing blue marks after the car crash…and well, the memories make me cringe. I came out of the accident with nothing but bruises, memories of being hurt far worse, and a glowing blue light that was warm and comforting. Neither my dad nor anyone else has believed me about it yet. They assumed I must have hit my head harder in the crash than they thought. It was months of tests while I waited for my father to get out of the hospital after he was flung from the car and somehow survived. The moment he got out of the hospital, he announced he had found this new job and that we were moving to a new house. An old, creaking house full of spiders in the middle of nowhere. Gross.
“At least there won’t be a psychologist in this town for dad to send me to,” I mutter to myself, knowing that’s one benefit of the tiny ass town we have moved into. I walk to the front door, pull it open, and walk down the steps to look up at the new house. Someone once painted the bricks white, but they have faded and chipped over time, making the house seem creepier as it sits in the middle of lots of tall trees. The windows are made of wood, also chipped in places, and the roof doesn’t look in the best condition. This is a massive step down from our flat in London. It was in an old building, but the building was well looked after, not like this place. I shake my head and go to sit on the steps just outside my door.
I stare out over the tiny road to the house on the other side of the street, which only contains these two. It is the mirror image of ours, with perfect white painted bricks, white plastic bay windows and steps leading up to the blue front door. There are two cars parked in front of the detached garage, both of them sport cars, and the sun shines off the red and blue paintwork. They must have cost a fortune. I keep searching around the only other house on the street, wondering why anyone would choose to live right outside a ghost town. I know the only reason my father chose this house is because of its cheap price; we can’t afford much after we lost the flat in London when my dad was ill in hospital. My dad would have chosen one of the expensive houses in the town if he could have. So why would people who can afford cars like that, live out here? My eyes flicker over the left window, just as the curtain moves a little to make a gap, and I see that someone is watching me. I lift my hand and wave, and the person lets the curtain go, walking away. Well, seems they aren’t friendly then.
“The spider is all gone,” my father says, his footsteps couldn’t be missed as he walked across the creaking floor in the hallway to the front door and opened it. The creaking was so loud, I could hear him before he opened the door. “It is now free in the garden.”
“No going in the garden for me then. The spider can claim that space as his own, and hopefully all his friends inside the house go to play with him,” I say, and my dad chuckles before he walks away. I stand up, stretching a little before going inside and closing the white door behind me.
“I’m going to go into town to get some shopping and a pizza for dinner. Do you want to come?” Dad asks, sliding his wallet into his jeans and picking up his keys off the side.
“I’m good, dad. I have to unpack and log into the school’s website to get my curriculum up for tomorrow,” I tell him. I left everything to the last minute, which is a bad habit of mine.
“Alright. Anything you want from the shops?” he asks. “And you don’t need to ask for popcorn.” I grin up at him, thankful that he remembers my favorite snack. I’m happy to see my dad back to normal, not sitting in hospital and struggling to get better. This dad is like how it was before the crash.
“Toffee or sweet, please,” I suggest, and he pats my shoulder before walking out of the door. I run up the stairs, not enjoying the massive creaking noise the dark wood boards make as I go. I pass by my dad’s room, the shared bathroom and go to my room right at the end of the hallway past a cupboard. I walk into my room, pausing to look around at the magnolia walls, dark wood floors and the big window. I love this room because the window has a window seat, which will be perfect to sit and draw in. I slide my cardigan off my shoulders and chuck it on my single bed that I need to do the sheets for. I walk to the boxes and start pulling them open, looking for only a few things. I pull out my sketch pad and a pencil from my pencil case, then walk to the window as I flip through the sketch pad for a new page. I sit down, not enjoying how cold the wood feels. I need to get some cushions or something for this seat. I might even have some packed away in the boxes.
My hands start drawing before I even really think on it, and when I finally notice what I’m drawing, I stop, staring down at the eyes of a man I’ve never met, the man who haunts my dreams since the crash. I close the pad and put the pencil down, wrapping my arms around my knees as I watch out the window. I frown when I see a flash of blinding, bright green light from outside, and then after a few moments, someone knocks three times on the door as the light disappears. What the hell was that?
Chapter Two
