Torn Read online

  1

  ALEXIS

  The sun is high in the sky, the clear crystal water is lapping at the beach, warm white sand is caressing my toes. I’m stretched out and greased up with the sun baking my skin a golden brown. There’s a warm breeze that gives just enough relief from the heat. Man, this is the life. I love the tropics. It’s so peaceful here. I have the entire beach to myself. No one as far as the eye could see. I think to myself as I look down the beach and then back up the beach. Except for this totally gorgeous guy. Where did he come from? Wow! That’s all I can say. Wow! He’s tall; I can tell that even from this distance. He has nice broad shoulders and a long lean frame. Tan, 6 pack abs, brown hair and as he moves closer I can see that he has brown eyes too, and a beautiful smile with dimples. I can’t help but stare. Wait, he’s staring back. As a matter of fact he’s walking straight towards me. I glance around to see if any one else has magically appeared on the beach. Nope, just me. Oh no, what do I do? I don’t talk to boys. Too late for that now. He walks right up to me with a big smile and says “Hi my name is John, John Denver.”

  What? And he’s glad he’s a country boy???

  OH CRAP! It’s the music blaring out of my alarm clock. I have got to set that to a different station. I thought if it was something I liked that I would just sleep through it. I can’t believe John Denver came between me and the guy of my dreams. Literally, I’ve had dreams about this same boy for months now. It’s weird because I’ve never seen him before. I would have remembered seeing that guy. I’m not usually one to notice boys all that much, but him, I would notice.

  I really wanted to roll over, cover up and go back to sleep and to the beach. But today’s the first day of school. Just one more year, I can make it. I can’t wait until I can go off to college. You know “broaden my horizons”, “leave the nest” all that grown up talk. I really just wanted to go somewhere where no one expects you to be a social butterfly. If you’re smart in college, then people leave you alone to study. They say “there goes a girl who knows what she wants”. In high school it’s a curse to be smart. In high school it’s all about being popular. Head cheerleader, homecoming queen, prom queen, that sort of stuff. Stuff that I could care less about. So, I’m looking for a place where I can be me. My name is Alexis Monroe.

  Most people that know me call me Alex. I live in a small town in southern Florida. Lots of swamp and lots of bugs! My life has been uneventful so far. 17 pretty dull and boring years. My mom and dad do what mom’s and dad’s do. They go to work, raise their kids, enjoy their time together, and give me and my brother all the love any kid needs. Nothing weird here.

  My brother is a year younger than me. 16! He’s the social one. I’m quite and shy, I just try to blend in. I don’t like a lot of attention on me. For the most part, I’ve succeeded. My brother is the quarterback for the football team in the fall and pitcher for the baseball team in the spring. Scott Monroe, All-American boy.

  I could play sports, I’m very athletic. I’m just to shy to go out for the teams. I can play softball, basketball, and even soccer. I like to be outdoors. I can even give Scott a run for his money on the basketball court. That’s why he doesn’t play for the school. He figures if I can beat him, he’s not good enough. He could play for the school; I’m just really good at it. Scott’s always trying to get me to go out, but it will never happen.

  We’re both tall. Scott’s 6’0 and I’m right behind him at 5’9”. I have long chestnut hair, brown eyes, and dark skin. It comes from the Native American Indian blood that runs in our family. My mom’s side, diluted down through the generations, but Scott and I both can enjoy the wonderful physical features that comes with it. Scott’s very handsome; every girl in school chases Scott around. Mom’s always trying to make me more girly. She knows Scott’s Mr. Popular and I’m not even a blip on the radar. I’m not into fashion and make-up. I wear jeans and T-shirts, no make up, hair in a ponytail. Like I said “Blend In”. Although, I have filled out nicely over the summer. It will be hard to blend in with these boobs. Just means I’ll have to wear bigger shirts. Well, enough about me. I’ve got to get ready for school.

  Scott and I chow down on some breakfast with mom and dad before we have to go. Mom always cooks breakfast. I think because we are all spread out in the evening and don’t always get to have dinner together. It’s nice.

  “I call dibs” Scott said.

  “No fair it’s too early to call dibs. We aren’t even finished eating breakfast” I argued.

  “I know but I want to drive, you can drive home after school”

  “I have to drive home after school because you have ball practice”

  “It’s not my fault you’re slow this early” He smiled.

  “Fine have it your way” I stalked off like I was mad, but I didn’t mind.

  We share a car, though we don’t have to. Mom and Dad have a very successful real estate firm. We have plenty of money, but I told them that I really didn’t need a car till I headed to college. We said our goodbye’s as we pulled in the parking lot.

  “You have a good first day”, Scott said

  “You too” See you later.

  Camille was waiting for my by the front steps. She’s my best friend. She lets me be me and I forgive her for being her. She’s the girliest girl I know, but we’ve been friends since kindergarten. You can’t let lipstick and nail polish come between that. She’s got long blonde hair with deep blue eyes. Absolutely beautiful and always in fashion. We couldn’t be more different if we tried, but I think that’s what makes our friendship so strong.

  “Alex we talked about this” She was glaring at my oversized Florida Gators t-shirt. “You promised” she was practically whining.

  “I know” I moaned “I couldn’t find anything else I was comfortable in.”

  “What about all those clothes we bought last week at the mall?” she balked.

  I suddenly had the flashback of that trip. I don’t know how in the world she talked me into all that stupid stuff I would never wear. I think she wore me down. She kept me there all day never relenting in her quest to get me in a skirt. I finally just let her have her way to get out of the place.

  “I can’t believe you talked me into that stuff in the first place.”

  “What am I going to do with you? We only have 7 months till prom. If I'm going to get you a date, I’m going to need a little help.” Camille scolded

  “Gee thanks for the vote of confidence, you’re the one who planned that not me” I said.

  Not this again, Camille sighed. You know it’s important to me that we share this experience together. It’s our final year before college.” She looked like a 5 year old stomping her feet because she didn’t get her way.

  “Alright” I said, “doesn’t mean I have to enjoy it.”

  The final bell rang as we strolled into the gym for our “start of the year pep rally” Complete with the band, cheerleaders and the football players. I spotted Scott and waved at him. He waved back. He was a good brother that way.

  “Your brother is sooo cute Camille said.

  I just rolled my eyes at her. She thinks all the boys are soooo cute.

  Principal Harper came to the podium to make his annual speech about how this was going to be the best year yet at Cypress High. I tuned him out after that. He gave the same speech every year.

  “On a final note” principal Harper said, “the county has rezoned the districts this year. They decided to close East Hendry High instead of making the necessary repairs due to the hurricane damage. Most of those students have been transferred here. You will see the new faces through your day. Please make all of them feel welcome. You are dismissed to homeroom.”

  It was total chaos in the gym and everyone was trying to catch up after summer break. I dug in my
back pocket for my schedule to see my homeroom number. (They mail you the schedules about 2 weeks before school starts.) Camille and I have the same homeroom, so off we went together.

  2

  DEVIN

  “I don’t like this”, Devin said. “We shouldn’t be here. It’s too dangerous to have us mix with all these people.”

  “Well, we really don’t have a choice now do we?” Brian said.

  “I don’t know why the elders won’t let us just stay home. We don’t need to be here.” Chad complained.

  “Because we have to be able to contribute to society,” Brian said mocking the elders.

  “Listen, let’s just make the best of it. Don’t mingle, don’t cause trouble, stick together and try to get through the year without any problems.” Devin ordered. “Now lets all get to homeroom before we’re late.”

  As Devin made his way to homeroom, he couldn’t help but question the decision of the elders to send them here. They could have homeschooled us for now. Then we could have built our own school in our village for our people. That would have been better than putting us in such close proximity to all these outsiders. We will have to careful not to give anything away that we were different than them. “I’m next in line to take over and they wouldn’t even listen to me on this. I hope it’s not going to be like this in the future. Of course my father is in charge now and he said we have to be here. I can’t blame the elders for this, it’s his fault. I can’t wait to take over. Of course, that’s not going to happen unless I find my mate. I should have found her by now. Generation after generation the mate has revealed herself to the new leader by year 18. She should be drawn to me. I don’t understand what’s taking so long. I’ll be 18 in 2 months. I guess I just have to be patient. Maybe that’s why we’re here. Maybe she’s here. I just hope I can keep my pack out of trouble. I’m responsible for them. Brian will be fine. It’s Chad and Collin that I worry about, they like to fight. Mark is a ladies man. God help any of these girls that take a liking to him.

  3

  ALEXIS

  I made it through my first 3 classes. Camille and I don’t have any morning classes together but we do have our last 2 in the afternoon together. I have AP classes and she doesn’t. I miss her when we aren’t together. I don’t really talk to anyone else unless I have to. After my 3rd period, I meet Camille at my locker to go to lunch. She was already standing there bouncing up and down. I knew it had to be a boy.

  “Oh my gosh, have you seen the new boys”, Camille swooned. “I can’t believe how cute they are. I don’t’ know what they’re feeding them out in the swamp, but it sure does agree with them. Have you seen any of them?” She asked

  “I hadn’t really been paying attention. That’s your area of expertise.” I smiled at her.

  “Oh, come on let’s go to lunch,” Camille said, “I’ll point them out to you.”

  I just rolled my eyes and let her drag me off.

  I go to a small school. The lunchroom is just big enough for everyone to fit in. Most people know each other, but we all have our groups we stick too. Camille is popular and has a lot of friends besides me, but we are best friends. She always sets with me at lunch. Sometimes we will have a full table because some of her other friends will join us because they know she won’t leave me. Mostly it’s just us though. The lunchroom is more crowded this year with all the new students. We grabbed our lunch and headed to “our” table only to find that 5 huge boys were already there.

  Camille said, “Oh goody, it’s a perfect excuse to get to know them.”

  “Noooo, please”, I begged. “You know how I am about meeting new people.”

  “Come on, where else are we going to sit?” Camille argued

  “I don’t know, but surely we can find somewhere else beside at a table full of boys.”

  “I’m going,” Camille said and stomped off. She knew I would follow her.

  I reluctantly trailed off behind her. If I stay behind her, they won’t even notice me. She gets all the attention from the boys. She can handle it.

  I haven’t ever had a boyfriend. I don’t know why. I’m shy and all, but I could have had one if I wanted one. It’s not like no ones ever asked me. I’ve just never felt a connection with anyone. I’ll leave the boy’s to Camille. Of course Camille walked right over and set down at the end of the table. I just shook my head and joined her. Maybe they won’t notice that we have invaded their space. I was wrong. How could they have missed us with Camille flipping her long blonde hair and flashing her million dollar smile? Camille is not one of those girls that get attention just because she’s a blonde. She’s really pretty. She’s also a very nice person. Not stuck up like most of the girls that look like her.

  “Well, hello ladies”, Mark said with a huge smile on his face.

  Camille blushed. I never saw her blush before. I took the chance to look at the boy that did that to her. He was tall and muscular, dark hair, dark eyes and dark skin. I immediately thought that he must have Native American heritage as well. Very handsome with a baby face. I could see why Camille was interested. We do have several tribes still here in Florida. It’s not like the stereotype that you associate with old movies. They marry outside their culture and have very normal jobs. In these villages, they have government, and politics just like anywhere else. They have their own doctors who actually went to medical school, not witch doctors or medicine men. Though they do have those too. Teachers and lawyers, plumbers and electricians, all normal. I only know so much because of my great grandfather used to tell me about those things. He lived in one of the villages when he was young. That was before he met his wife.

  “Hi, my name is Camille,” she said, “and this is my friend Alex.” I just threw up my hand in a wave without even looking at them.

  “I’m Mike, and this is Chad, Brian, Collin, and Devin.” Mike said introducing everyone.

  My heart did a little flutter when he introduced the last boy. His name is Devin. I risked a quick peek at him. Oh my, he looks like the boy from my dreams and I don’t mean he favors him; it’s the exact same boy. I could feel my face getting red, and my heart was pounding so loud I was sure everyone in the lunchroom could hear it. I really wanted to go and hide, but if I jumped up and ran out of the lunchroom with my face blazing red everyone would want to know what’s wrong. If I just set here with my head down, maybe no one will notice. Lucky for me Camille can talk enough for both of us. I just kept my head down and nodded if I needed to. I kept running it through my mind. Have I seen him somewhere before? My subconscious must remember him from some where. This is so weird. I didn’t think lunch was ever going to end. When the bell finally rang I jumped up and practically ran out of the lunchroom. I didn’t even wait for Camille. I had to get away. What in the world was wrong with me?

  I have gym next period, so I headed straight to the locker room where I could get myself together. I ran some cold water on my face and that seemed to help a little. My mind was racing. I haven’t experienced anything like this before. I knew Camille would be curious as to what happened. I was setting on the bench by the lockers with my head between my knees when Camille came in.

  “What was that all about?’ she scolded “You act like someone shot you in the back with a bb gun. I know your shy and all, but honestly Alex what happened?”

  I could hear real concern in her voice. She knew something was wrong.

  “I just got a little light headed is all”, I said from between my knees

  “Are you getting sick or something?’

  “No, I don’t think so. I just got this funny feeling at lunch. I don’t even know how to explain it. My heart started beating fast and my stomach got all fluttery.” I said

  I wanted desperately to explain to Camille about what happened, but I was too embarrassed. What was I going to say anyway, “oh I’ve only been dreaming about that one guy for months even though I’ve never seen him before?” She would think I had lost my mind. Maybe I could talk to her about it late
r.

  A big smile came across her face and she said, “I think Alex has a crush”

  I jerked my head up to glare at her and immediately regretted it. My head was all fuzzy. “That’s not it! I barely even looked at any of them. I wouldn’t have even looked, except I never seen you blush. I think you’re the one with a crush.” I said that to throw her off. I knew that would get her mind on Mike instead of me.

  “He is sooo cute isn’t he,” she said with a huge smile on her face.

  “Whatever”, I moaned. “I’ll be fine just give me a minute.” I finally managed to get myself together enough for class.

  4

  DEVIN

  “She’s here!" Devin said to the others after lunch.

  “Really!” Brian said

  “Yeah, I could feel her. I don’t know where she was though. I should be able to pick her out, but I couldn’t.” Devin said.

  “Well, that doesn’t help us much because the whole school was in there,” Chad said

  “I know, I know, but at least she’s here.” Devin said

  “Why couldn’t you pick her out?” Collin asked.

  “I don’t know, but I think it has something to do with the blood line getting weaker over the years.” Devin said. “At least that’s what dad said.”

  “Huh! It’ll happen man, I have faith in you.” Mike said.