Eternal Changes (Mikah) Read online

  “Oh,” she replied, feeling like a complete idiot, “That sounds great. I wasn’t able to run the last two days and I’m feeling the itch to run a couple miles.”

  Lucy got into the Volkswagen and started the car. She rolled down the driver’s side window. “I’ll wait right here for you.”

  Michael trotted off until Lucy couldn’t see him anymore. She started thinking about her first day of school and it really hadn’t been too bad. For the first time, she was grateful for her mom’s interference in her personal life. Michael had been wonderful throughout the entire day. Lucy thought about his easy smile, his hot accent, and the way he made her feel every time he touched her.

  Lucy almost jumped out of her skin as a car horn blew, jolting her from her thoughts and back to reality. She looked over to see Michael in a hunter green Toyota Tacoma smiling at her.

  Lucy pulled out of the parking lot hoping she’d be able to remember how to get back to her house. Her mom had written down directions for her just in case. They had a gps navigator, but it was pretty much useless around here. It could get them to the main businesses in town, but once they went into the country, it was a whole different story. It’d tell them that they had arrived, but when they looked around them, there was nothing but cornfields and cows.

  A half hour later, Lucy pulled into the gravel driveway to her house. She climbed out of the car and walked over to Michael’s truck. “I’ll only be a minute.”

  “I’ll be waitin’ right here for you,” he replied as he turned up his radio slightly.

  Lucy opened the front door. “I’m home!” She yelled as she threw her book bag down onto the wooden floor. She wasted no time as she ran up the stairs to her bedroom and quickly changed her clothes. The last thing that she wanted was to have her mom questioning her about her day.

  “Mom, I’m going out!” Lucy yelled as she went into the kitchen to grab two bottles of water out of the metal fridge.

  “Where are you going?” Jean asked as she leaned against the kitchen door frame with her arms across her chest.

  “Nowhere, really. I’m just gonna go for a run. Cross country tryouts are tomorrow,” Lucy replied as she hedged around her mom in an attempt to get to the front door.

  “Well, just be careful and make sure you’re home before dark,” Jean said as she watched Lucy slide on her Adidas running shoes.

  “Sure thing!” Lucy yelled as she ran out the front door towards Michael’s truck. She hopped in on the passenger side, hoping they’d get out of the driveway before her mom came out asking a million questions.

  “That was fast,” Michael said as he turned down the radio and started backing out of the driveway. “You came flyin’ out your front door like somethin’ was gonna getcha.”

  A gleam of excitement was in Lucy’s eyes as she smiled. “Wait until you see me run. Then you’ll really see flying.”

  Michael glanced over at Lucy. “Well, it likes about forty-five minutes to get where we’re goin’, but I’m sure you’ll love the run.”

  Lucy looked over at Michael with a look of confusion on her face. “What in the world does that mean?”

  Michael smiled. “It means it’s gonna take about forty-five minutes to get there.”

  “I’ve never heard anyone say it like that before,” Lucy said.

  He laughed out loud. “There’s gonna be a bushel of things you haven’t heard before now, Luce.

  Chapter 3

  Michael pulled into a gravel driveway and parked. Lucy looked at the tiny house in front of her. It gave the word archaic a whole new meaning. There were weeds the size of little trees growing around the porch. The front windows were broken out and the house seemed to lean to the left a little. Lucy had the urge to take a picture of the sad looking house. The house in front of her today, standing in decay and silence, still spoke of a time when it was filled with life and laughter.

  “The farm house has been abandoned fo’ as long as I can remember,” Michael said as he hopped out of the truck with his gym bag in hand. “There’s a barn out back that I’m gonna use to change my clothes, I’ll be back in a couple minutes.”

  Lucy climbed down out of the truck as Michael disappeared from view. She was taking in everything around her as she slowly walked over to the house. It seemed as if the house was made for a child to play in rather than a home that a family would’ve actually lived in. Lucy glanced over to the left of the house and could barely see a rusty water pump that was being swallowed whole by weeds.

  Barely a few minutes had passed before Michael came around from the back of the house wearing his running clothes. He tossed his gym bag into the back of the truck and jogged over to where Lucy was standing.

  “There’s a gravel road across the blacktop. It’s a county road that nobody uses much because it comes to a dead end,” Michael said as he grabbed Lucy’s hand, pulling her along.

  Once they had crossed the street, Lucy could see the faint sign of a gravel road. It was barely noticeable with the deep green stalks of corn blocking it from view. The barbed wire fence to the right side of the road seemed to glisten under the sun as if warning everyone to stay away.

  Lucy watched Michael grab his right foot and pull it back up near his fine behind to stretch out his leg muscles. She didn’t make a habit of checking out any man’s rear, but she couldn’t help herself.

  “Lord, help me,” Lucy murmured as Michael bent over in front of her to grab his toes. He glanced back while he was stretching and Lucy popped her mouth shut and started blushing. She hadn’t even realized it was hanging open while she’d been ogling him.

  Michael burst out laughing. “You’re supposed to be stretching your legs, Luce, not your mouth.”

  “Maybe you should’ve warned me what you were gonna do instead of assuming I’d follow suit. I‘ve never been much of a follower,” Lucy retorted as she began stretching out her leg muscles.

  “Is that right? I can guarantee that you’ll be following me the entire run and begging me to slow down,” he joked as he stood up.

  “Do I hear a challenge coming on?” Lucy asked with a gleam of excitement in her eyes. “I have a feeling we’ll see who’ll be following whom soon enough.”

  “Whoever makes it to the end of the gravel road first wins the race,” Michael announced with laughter in his eyes. “There are no other turns along the way, so there’ll be no excuses. You’ll go up a steep hill that’ll end at an open field.”

  Michael turned to her. “Are you sure you’re up for this Luce?”

  “Just say when,” Lucy said as crouched down and got in position to take off.

  “We’ll start on the count of three,” Michael said as he bent down next to her. “One…two…three!” he yelled and took off.

  Dirt flew behind them as they took off running down the gravel road. Lucy barely noticed the cows that were peppered along the field to her right as she ran. The road was straight for a quarter of a mile before it turned slightly to the right. They soon passed four metal silos and a red barn. Lucy glanced over at Michael and smiled to herself. She was just keeping pace with him even though she could pass him at any time. She wasn’t even winded.

  Their feet continued to glide over the gravel as they passed an old abandoned house. The road went straight for another quarter of a mile before it veered to the left.

  Lucy glanced over at Michael as he started to speed up. She slowed down a little to let him pass her. She wanted him to feel like he had the race in the bag before she showed him what she was made of.

  Michael smiled as he looked over his shoulder. “You better pick it up, Luce!” He yelled as he picked up speed again.

  Lucy laughed out loud as she decided it was time for him to see what kind of kick she really had left. A surge of power coursed through her body, but she refused to let it out yet. Every single cell in her body felt alive as she became stronger with each passing stride. She finally unleashed the power she was holding in and the surroundings blurred as she bolted p
ast Michael. .

  Lucy’s body protested as she pulled the power back and slowed down. She glanced over her shoulder. Michael was looking at her with a look of shock on his face as he struggled to catch up. Lucy let him reach her as she pretended that she was out of breath.

  “I didn’t even see you pass me!” he exclaimed as he finally reached her. “How’d you do that?”

  Lucy shrugged her shoulders as they jogged down the road. She really wasn’t sure how she was able to do it. Most of the time, she contained the surge of power to where she’d barely win a race. She was an oddity and never fit in as it was without everyone seeing that side of her.

  Lucy let those thoughts die as she took in the beautiful view around her. She could hear the steady trickle of water as they neared a small creek. There was a small bridge that was constructed of just gravel and dirt that the water whirled under.

  Michael looked over at Lucy as they moved closer to the creek. “Can you swim, Luce?”

  She glanced over at him, confusion etched on her face. “Yes. Why?” she asked as they started to run over the bridge.

  “Just wanted to make sure,” he said as he pushed her over the side of the gravel road into the creek below.

  The loud splash shattered the quiet calm afternoon sending birds to the air and a couple squirrels scurrying for trees. Lucy came up sputtering, the water was freezing! Lucy could hear Michael’s laughter as she attempted to drag herself out of the water. The creek rocks were covered with moss and slicker than snot. She felt like she was on an ice skating rink as she tried to maneuver her way out. Lucy glanced up and noticed that Michael was already at the top of the hill. A scowl crossed her features right before her feet slipped from beneath her. Lucy tried to regain her balance, but it was useless. She landed on her butt and water flew up, drenching her once again.

  When Lucy was finally able to pull herself from the creek she felt like a wet, smelly dog. She wrung water from her ponytail as she waited for Michael.

  “It looks like I win, Luce,” he said as he jogged back down the hill.

  She stared at him for a moment before she bent over laughing.

  He looked at her with an inquisitive brow. “What’s so funny?”

  Lucy held up her finger, in a silent gesture for him to give her a minute as she tried to catch her breath. “You.”

  A look of innocence flashed across his face. “Me?”

  “Yeah, you,” I said as I pulled my hair out of the ponytail and twisted it to ring out the excess water. “So, what did you win?”

  “This,” Michael murmured as he took Lucy’s face in-between his hands and leaned down to kiss her.

  Shock ran through her as his lips covered hers. Her arms involuntarily wrapped around his neck and pulled him closer. His tongue invaded her mouth as she closed her eyes. The kiss was soft and inviting.

  Michael ended the kiss and looked into Lucy’s eyes. “I know this is gonna really sound like a line right now, but I’ve never felt like this with anyone,” he whispered as he laid his head on hers.

  “I hope that you’re not just playing games with me, Michael,” she whispered as she opened her eyes.

  Lucy noticed the orange tint that was starting to color the sky as the sun started to set. “I need to get home. I told my mom I’d be home by dark,” she told him as she hesitantly broke away from the warmth of his arms. Emotions seemed to bog her down as she began running back the way they’d come.

  Lucy looked behind her as she stopped running. Michael had started jogging towards her. Her body felt superb after the nice workout. The sweat trickled down her face and she wiped it off with her forearm. She rarely sweats, but the humidity was thick and sticking to her skin. Her wet clothes felt miserable as the water dripped down her legs.

  Lucy sighed and surveyed the area around her. It was so different from the tall buildings she was used to because in the city there was nowhere you could go and enjoy a quiet peaceful moment.

  In the small nearby field, a small white calf was staring at Lucy like she was some kind of an alien. His ears perked up and he stood perfectly still as Lucy moved forward. The calf mooed as Lucy neared and hurried off to find his momma. She smiled as he bounced across the field. The other cows became riled up from the calf’s antics and ran off to the furthest end of the field as if the big bad wolf was right behind them.

  Lucy came up to a shed that was completely open on one side and was just enough of a building to cover the farm equipment sitting inside. She stopped in front of it to get a closer look at the weird looking metal contraptions. One of the pieces of equipment had ominous looking sharp objects pointing from one direction to the next. Another had a bunch of discs that looked like small plates that were attached to the frame. Lucy had never seen anything like it before.

  “What are those?” Lucy asked as Michael finally caught up to her.

  Michael looked over at the shed. “That’s a rake,” he said as he pointed to the object with long, toothpick like ends. “Farmer’s use it to rake up hay. And that,” he said as he pointed to the object with plates, “is a disk. It’s used to prepare the soil for the next crop.”

  Lucy nodded and glanced over at him as they started walking. Neither one of them said a word as they let their bodies cool down. The only sound was their feet treading on the gravel. Would it be this awkward tomorrow?

  Ashton watched from up in a tree as the young man finally caught up to Lucy. He sighed as he thought about the new turn of events that may complicate things. She’d just moved into Greensburg and she wasn’t supposed to attach herself to anyone, let alone a male.

  He gracefully hopped down from the top of the tree to the ground. He’d felt the surge of power that had emancipated from Lucy during the middle of her run. The Halflings were not usually that strong before they fully turned. It was something to ponder.

  The earth stirred underneath him as the sun started to set. The Dragomir would awaken soon and he needed to speak to their leader. Talmadge wasn’t going to be happy with what he had to tell him.

  He closed his eyes and thought about the caves his people called home. He felt his body slowly disappear into nothingness. Minutes later, he felt himself start to reappear as he opened his eyes and looked around.

  The caves were still quiet. He could hear the trickle of water and feel the dampness of the air caress his skin. The Dragomir were slowly awaking from their slumber and the place would be bustling with activity soon.

  Unlike the Haemon, the Dragomir were a clan of peaceful vampires. The leader of the Dragomir, Talmadge, had left the Haemon hundreds of years ago and with him came a substantial following. He’d stumbled upon some unknown caves close to the already discovered Mammoth Caves. The Dragomir created a home for those that would’ve been destroyed because they’re considered “rafa” by the Haemon. Rafa is what the Haemon call their kind who they consider feeble, flaccid, and weak.

  Ashton looked at the stone walls of the caves and he was still amazed by them. The water had created groves within the stone that made it look like a work of art. He always felt at peace within the caves. He could hear the trickle of water as it slid down the damp walls that made up his home. For over a hundred years his clan had lived in peace.

  Ashton walked toward Talmadge’s room enjoying the quiet. He was what his people called a Halfling and Talmadge had been his mentor when he’d went through the change over a hundred years ago. Talmadge was like a father to him.

  The peace and quiet unfortunately didn’t last too long. The earth shook a little beneath him and he knew the sun had finally set. The caves became a flurry of activity as everyone rose from their deep slumber.

  “Hey! What’s going on Ash?” a voice boomed from behind him.

  Ashton turned around. Jax’s light blue eyes twinkled with mirth as his brown cowboy boots scooted across the floor as he walked up to Ashton. His white Stetson gleamed and he wore a silver belt buckle the size of Texas.

  “I just got back from enjoying th
e sunshine,” Ashton said.

  “I most definitely don’t envy you my man,” Jax said as he visibly shuddered. “I want to live a few more centuries.”

  A serious look came across Ashton’s face. “I dunno if I can handle a few more centuries of your obnoxious voice.”

  Jax laughed. “Well, get used to it because it’s here to stay.”

  Ashton smiled. “I guess buying an iPod would be a sound investment then.”

  “Ha ha….very funny,” Jax said. Jax’s gaze followed McKaylin as she sauntered by. “That’s one vampire I wouldn’t mind nibbling on.” Jax turned his attention back to Ashton. “Seriously, whatcha got going on tonight?

  Ashton shrugged. “I need to talk to Talmadge, get a bite to eat, and then get some shut eye. Other than that, not much of anything.”