《Mistaken - The VAC Chronicles: Amalia Saunders & Erik-Vincent Novak》


 1: A Wrong Number

    <h2>Amalia Saunders, Age 15, October 21</h2>


    Unknown Number: What time am I picking you up?


    I stared in utter fascination at this seemingly random text message on my brand-new phone. It was the first incoming message I¡¯d received after activating it this morning. Not even my sister had had time to text me back yet, but she¡¯s busy; I get it. But this?


    Is it supposed to be a joke? A wrong number? A silly prank?


    I was still almost a year away from even being allowed to go out on dates, and now someone was asking when I could get picked up? That¡¯s just crazy! Thinking about it more, I logically realized that the message was probably nothing more than a mistake, or at the very least, intended for someone else entirely.


    In addition to my big sister, only a few of my friends have my number so far, and they were all pre-programmed; they wouldn¡¯t come up as an unknown¡­


    I miss the guys. Why did they have to move so far away?


    They wouldn¡¯t be doing this though, it¡¯s not their brand of humor.


    What harm could it do to reply? Even though I had paid for this phone myself with my babysitting money, my annoyingly tech-savvy friend¡ªnever mind, I don¡¯t miss Skye!¡ª still managed to put in safeguards, including having me show as ¡°Unavailable¡± on other phones..


    I continued to toy with the idea of responding and finding out who had sent this strange message. Should I text back and tell them that their message didn¡¯t find their intended recipient? After much internal debate, I gave in to the little devil on my shoulder and replied:


    Me: Does that line usually work for you?


    I held my breath and hit the send button. After a few moments of silence, I switched to nibbling on my lower lip as I awaited his or her reply. Maybe there won¡¯t be one?


    Unknown Number: I might have the wrong number, but just in case, you aren¡¯t by any chance expecting a text for details about a blind date for Homecoming, are you?


    I liked how my mystery texter used full words and sentences instead of mangling the English language into something incomprehensible like so many other kids my age did. Intrigued, I responded:


    Me: I don¡¯t date.Overprotective family and I are in negotiations for when that can start.


    Unknown Number: Should I be talking to you, or is this creepy? Are your OPP¡¯s going to hunt me down?


    I laughed over the image he inspired, especially since he assumed I was talking about my parents. Not even close. They didn¡¯t care what I did as long as I didn¡¯t outshine Moira. No, my true family consisted of my older sister Megara and those two guys I thought I was missing. Even though I¡¯m still reconsidering my feelings on how much I miss them, they¡¯ll always be my preferred family.


    Meg says I can¡¯t have my first date until I¡¯m sixteen, but now that she¡¯s taken on her first apprentice, maybe she¡¯ll be less focused on me? But, there¡¯s still Skye and Gabriel, who both insist that they should be the first ones to take me out. But they moved up north to Anders last summer, so it¡¯s a hike for them. Maybe they¡¯ll forget? It¡¯s not like any of us ever entertained romantic thoughts about each other anyway. Besides, Gabriel has Cari now, and I can¡¯t wait to meet her!


    Unknown Number: If it helps at all, I¡¯m a 15 y/o guy from IA


    I might be on the sheltered side, but I¡¯m far from stupid. I know that is something a predator might say in order to put his or her prey at ease. And yet, I found ¡°his¡± seemingly openness refreshing, along with his willingness to share personal information with me. But as I said, I¡¯m far from foolish and required a little more confirmable data from him. Annoying or not, Skye¡¯s warnings weren¡¯t wrong.


    Me: Humor my caution and send me your area and zip codes?


    I was impressed by the speed of his response. After a few keystrokes on my laptop, I confirmed his claim.


    Me: You passed but are on probation for now :) I recently turned 15 myself. I¡¯m a girl living far, far away from IA.I¡¯m thinking you transposed two numbers on the phone number you were given. Provided you don¡¯t ask too many personal questions, this shouldn¡¯t be too creepy.


    Unknown Number: Good to know you are truly a female, otherwise, this might have gotten awkward¡­


    I muted the warning bells in my head over my importance of my gender and tested the waters by sending this message in response:


    Me: No room for guy friends in your life? You aren¡¯t hitting on me now, are you?


    Unknown Number: Not today at any rate, but maybe one day in the future? And too many, remember, one of them made this chat possible.I think I¡¯d like to get to know you better, can we do that without crossing the creepy line?


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    Me: So, you want to be my techie-pen-pal or something?


    I felt silly typing the words but couldn¡¯t come up with a better name for what he seemed to be suggesting.


    Unknown Number: Sounds dorky when you put it like that¡­ bBut yeah, something along those lines.


    Me: Could be fun. We can always block each other if things get out of control or weird¡­


    Unknown Number: Let¡¯s hope it doesn¡¯t come to that! What should I call you 15 F from far, far away?


    Well, heck! What should I tell him? I hadn¡¯t been prepared for that. I should have been. Not wanting to make him wait too long, I typed out two letters that I¡¯d be happy to answer to:


    Me: AC?


    Unknown Number: Are those initials? A tease to start spelling your name?


    Me: Technically both, though not necessarily in the correct order for one version¡­


    First and middle initials, but he doesn¡¯t need to know that, at least not until I¡¯m one hundred percent sure that he¡¯s not some creeper! One of the girls in my homeroom just got banned from all technology until further notice. She invited some stranger into a private chat with some of her real-life friends because he followed her livestream. One of our mutual friends told her mom about it since the guy made her uncomfortable (weird accent, older male voice, no camera) and drama ensued. But this? This is just an anonymous texting conversation that I can stop at any time. I¡¯m not bridging anyone else into it. No pictures, video, video chat, or excessive personal information. I can handle this! But first, I needed to know:


    Me: What will I call you?


    Unknown Number: EN


    Following my example? I couldn¡¯t help but wonder as I changed his ¡°name¡± in my phone to EN. I decided to think of him as ¡°Ian¡± at this point and was only mildly disappointed when giving him a name didn¡¯t give me his phone number as well. At any rate, I felt secure that he was seeing the same issue and was comfortable in the anonymity Skye¡¯s meddling had created. Of course, Meg and Gabriel had most likely also been involved, but it was easier to focus my annoyance on the uber-reserved Skye.


    Me: And you, initials, or part of spelling your name?


    EN: A bit of both as well, but I won¡¯t tell you the correct order or if they pertain to first, middle, or last.


    Me: I think we are going to have fun together, EN.


    EN: And we¡¯ll be on a first-name basis in no time


    Me: I hope so. I look forward to being that comfortable with you someday.


    I set my phone down, smiling, pleased to have had made a new friend out of nowhere. While I knew caution was the best way to proceed, I couldn¡¯t help but feel optimistic. I¡¯m just texting; he¡¯s not even in California! Hopefully, no one would get too upset when I finally told them about EN. For now though, I wanted to keep him to myself.


    December 19


    ¡°Oh my gosh, she didn¡¯t!¡± I don¡¯t know why I should even pretend to be surprised by Skye¡¯s stilted revelation. The bleeping Menace hit on him after he was nice enough to drive her here? Goodness, stuck in a car with her for that many hours would make anyone go crazy, but to have her come on to him like that? Ugh. Skye¡¯s only seventeen! That¡¯s not even legal! Unfortunately, our parents would quickly step in should any charges ever come against their precious daughter. Just like how she got away with hurting my Meggie. Evil, wretched woman!


    ¡°Next time, you should wait for Meg,¡± I taunted him. My big sister had offered to let Skye ride with her and our cousin Nique¡ªMeggie loves to drive. Skye had made some excuse about needing to grab his aunt¡¯s remaining inventory, but that seemed flimsy at best. Suddenly, a reason occurred to me, ¡°Is Cari giving you trouble again?¡± Gabriel¡¯s girlfriend loved to try to get my hermit-y friend out of his shell, but she didn¡¯t have the right touch and made him retreat further into himself.


    ¡°That¡¯s only the half of it, but don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯ll be back for dinner, okay? I just need to have some alone time for a bit.¡±


    ¡°When isn¡¯t that the case?¡± I teased but didn¡¯t argue with him about his request. It was a part of who he was, and I loved that about him. Besides, I wasn¡¯t ready to ask him about everything he¡¯d done to my phone on his last visit anyway. I need to talk to Meggie about all of this first anyway.


    ¡°I should probably go get Aunt Ara¡¯s stuff packed up so that we can go surfing.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I squealed out my excitement. I¡¯ve been practicing ever since I could carry my own board, but I¡¯ve never gotten to go with Skye before. What a great winter break this is going to be!


    ¡°Oh great, the lezzies are here,¡± The Menace¡¯s whine carried up the stairs of our house.


    Never mind. I clearly cursed myself with that one¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, you can go out through the kitchen, I¡¯ll deal with my sisters.¡± I shooed Skye toward the ¡°servants¡¯ stairs¡±¡ªnot that we¡¯ve ever had any or that I think of Skye that way!¡ªwhich lead directly to the kitchen. He¡¯d been through enough after the car ride he¡¯d described, I wasn¡¯t about to subject him to more of the same. Not if he was really going to take me to the beach. Okay, I wouldn¡¯t do it to him in any case...


    Just as I knew I needed to save Meg and Nique, I raced downstairs to rescue them from The Menace and her venom.


    Skye returned in time for lunch and took me out for a few hours. By the time we returned, Nique and Meg were both at their wits end and ready to head back to Anders. Not on my watch! ¡°You promised to stay for all of my break, please? I want to hear about Nique¡¯s roommate and everything I¡¯m missing out on while I¡¯m stuck here,¡± I pouted, just loud enough for them to hear.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be staying with Mama Lucia and Papa Marshall. You know I can¡¯t sleep here.¡±


    ¡°Not safely,¡± I agreed, although I was still hurt that we weren¡¯t going to get to spend as much time together as I¡¯d hoped. ¡°Can I come, too?¡±


    ¡°You may go for dinner, but I want you back home by bedtime,¡± Mom agreed regally. She never wanted me to go to the Sutton¡¯s house! What had Meg threatened her with while I¡¯d been out with Skye?


    <hr>


    Hi all, this story is part of a series but can be read on its own. The timeline runs concurrently with Claimed. Other stories in the series are available on Amazon/Kindle Unlimited (reading order if you need to know: Damaged, Forgotten, Claimed). This version of Mistaken is a beta edition looking for feedback while I complete the novel.


    As always, The characters and storylines from The VAC Chronicles series are the intellectual property of Author Graceli Kaye. None of the novels, characters, or parts thereof may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed by any means, either printed or electronic, without the express written permission and cooperation of the author.

 2: Fun at the Farm

    <h2>Erik-Vincent Novak</h2>


    February 11


    I find it so odd that we went from strangers to wrong number text-buddies to where we are now! It¡¯s nothing romantic, but I look forward to hearing from her. She¡¯s great about checking in daily; even if she has other things going on, she always seems to make time for me.


    My best friend thinks I¡¯m insane and wasting my time with her, but Everett and I are two very different people. AC makes me happy, and that¡¯s the only reason I need to continue chatting with her. I just wish I knew more about her identity, but I promised to not pry.


    AC: Happy Birthday, EN!


    Me: Who¡¯s the creepy stalker, now? I don¡¯t remember telling you today was my birthday.


    AC: You did too! Like six times, weirdo. Any big plans for the day?


    Me: Lookit who¡¯s all interested in my life all of a sudden!


    I can¡¯t say for sure why I got so defensive, but hopefully, she¡¯d read it as though I were teasing. I could never predict which way she¡¯d take my words. Heck, half the time I don¡¯t even understand what I¡¯m feeling when I talk to her.


    AC: I should let you get on with your day.


    I hope it¡¯s a good one.


    Sorry to bother you.


    Me: No, don¡¯t go, AC! I didn¡¯t mean it that way!!


    I *like* that you¡¯re interested in me and my life.


    It was just¡­ unexpected.


    AC: I¡¯ll try to do a better job in the future of showing that I care, I guess?


    I was screwing up and on the verge of panicking. I didn¡¯t want to alienate her, but I didn¡¯t know why I was acting this way. She¡¯d done nothing to deserve it. Unsure of what else to do, I answered her first question:


    Me: I¡¯m going to visit my grandparents today. And an insane amount of family, too.


    Emphasis on the ¡°insane¡± part.


    ¡°Erik-Vincent? Are you ready to go to the farm yet?¡± Ma called from downstairs, and I tried to be calm and patient-sounding when answering her. I love visiting my grandparents, assorted aunts, uncles, and cousins, but I wasn¡¯t exaggerating about how many of them I have. When you add in Everett¡¯s family, who always spend holidays and other special occasions with us, it¡¯s truly awe-inspiring. My grandparents¡¯ farmhouse always seems to be bursting at the, well, seams. I¡¯m honestly shocked that we all manage to fit in there, time and time again.


    AC: Sounds lovely! I only have a handful of people to call mine. My family, that is.


    Me: I¡¯ve got a few I could loan you¡­ lol


    That said, I do love them all, but for my birthday this year, all I truly wanted was to talk to my mysterious AC and make things right once more. ¡°Ember and Maddox brought the baby!¡± Ma tried to sweeten her already guilt-heavy marching orders¡ªgenerous invitation!


    So, Aunt Ember is my mom¡¯s youngest sister. She and Uncle Maddox had had their first child last month¡ªexactly one month before my birthday!¡ªeven though their marriage was already rocky. I wasn¡¯t sure why they were together, but it wasn¡¯t my place to question it. Uncle Maddox is pretty cool as far as I can tell, not that we get to hang out much.


    ¡°Ten minutes?¡± I called back to her, popping my head out of the door to where I knew she¡¯d be standing at the base of the stairs, waiting for my answer.


    Ma isn¡¯t like other moms around Lappans. She had me young and is a ton of fun when she¡¯s around. I was raised at the farm by my previously mentioned assorted family. The bulk of it fell to Everett¡¯s Aunt Piper, my grandparents, and Everett¡¯s mom up until Ma finished school.


    We didn¡¯t even move into our own house until after she finished college and started her own business. My family is so large because Ma has four brothers and two sisters, half of whom are adopted. Plus, Aunt Christine and Aunt Avery, who, even though they were never officially adopted, are as much Ma¡¯s sisters as Catharine and Ember are. Probably more than Ember, honestly. Aunt Avery frequently visits with her son Cole, but I haven¡¯t seen Aunt Christine for five years or something like that. She went back to her other family in California. Anyway, my point is that I come from a big family, and I wouldn¡¯t know what to do with anything less than the chaotic love found at the old farm.


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    I¡¯ve had a good life, relatively uneventful. Of course, I can¡¯t say the same would be true for Ma¡¯s life before having me, but that¡¯s neither here nor there since we¡¯re in a good place now. I¡¯ve got a pretty awesome life thanks to my family.


    ¡°Sure thing, Birthday Boy,¡± Ma agreed to the requested time and disappeared with a flash of violet hair.


    Embarrassing as it is to admit, up until I was ten years old, I honestly believed her deep violet hair was natural. I remember being so annoyed that I didn¡¯t inherit such a funky, unique color. When I admitted this to her, she invited me to get mine done with her next touch-up. It was one of my happiest memories, weird, I know, but there it is. I kept the violet hue until it grew out and then went back to my natural color: blond, the same as my best friend Everett. I think the real reason why my hair color bothered me so much was that I always worried that it came from my bio dad. I had no idea what the man looked like, but everyone assured me I looked just like Uncle Elliott did at my age. Of course, considering he¡¯s my mom¡¯s twin brother and the Sheriff, the comparison is taken as a compliment.


    Speaking of Ma¡¯s brothers, I¡¯m named after my two adopted uncles, Aaron and Vic. Rumor has it they figured out who my bio dad was and put him in the hospital shortly after I was born. They refuse to answer when I ask about it. See, drama?


    AC: If you don¡¯t want them, why should I?


    I may not know AC very well yet, but I¡¯d like to think Ma and the aunties would appreciate my AC¡¯s sense of humor.


    Me: I¡¯ll keep them all to myself then. Nothing is more important than family to me. Even when they are major pains in my butt.


    AC: Uh-uh EN, no butt talk!


    lol


    Go enjoy your birthday with your family I¡¯ll be here when you get back.


    I was pretty sure we weren¡¯t in the same time zone since she was always extra chatty around the time I could barely stay awake.


    Me: I get to meet my new baby cousin today.


    AC: Aww, I love kids! Especially babies. Give him or her a cuddle for me?


    Me: Him, and sure thing.


    She loves kids? That¡¯s actually really awesome. I plan to have a huge family of my own one day. After growing up with all the love I¡¯ve had, anything less seems kinda cruel by comparison.


    ¡°Still chasing imaginary girls?¡± Uncle Flynn¡¯s voice scared the ever-living crap out of me. I can¡¯t believe he caught me texting AC¡ªagain! I tucked away my phone in embarrassment.


    ¡°Someone needs to put a bell on you,¡± I muttered, but he either didn¡¯t catch it or was blatantly ignoring me. With him, it was hard to tell.


    ¡°I¡¯d be happy to look into her for you, Erik. You do recall investigative journalism was my first career, right?¡±


    Uncle Flynn is younger than Ma and Uncle Elliott but only by a little more than a year. He¡¯s already had a crazy full life and yet he always tells me that the good stuff is just beginning for him. He had ¡°retired¡± a few years ago after a roadside bomb claimed the lives of his crew along with his hearing. Somehow I was the one he was always sneaking up on. That was why he even knew about AC, he¡¯s busted me chatting with her on more than one occasion, and the story had come spilling out. He¡¯d been very good at getting people to talk when he was a reporter; his changed circumstances hadn¡¯t taken that away from him.


    As a courtesy, we all learned ASL and used it in conjunction with speaking. However, Uncle Flynn had picked up lip reading with amazing speed, rendering it relatively unnecessary unless we were trying to keep secrets. So far he¡¯d kept mine. Only Uncle Flynn, Mom, Everett, and Everett¡¯s Aunt Piper knew about AC, and while they supported my happiness, most of them thought I was either insane or being catfished.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to look into, Uncle Flynn. She¡¯s just a friend.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how it always starts, or at least how it should,¡± Uncle Flynn grinned, likely in memory of how things happened with his wife.


    ¡°Maybe one day,¡± I hedged, not willing to close the door on the offer. ¡°But perhaps later on down the line? All I need from you right now is a ride over to Grammy and Granpap¡¯s. I hear there¡¯s a cake with my name on it.¡±


    ¡°And several candles,¡± Ma input from the now open door. ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    I pushed all thoughts of AC to the back of my mind and dutifully followed my mom and uncle outside. ¡°Everett¡¯s driving Piper,¡± Flynn clarified why the vehicle was empty. Everett had turned sixteen last month, so he¡¯s already driving around as often as he can wheedle the keys out of any given adult.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take this run?¡± Uncle Flynn offered me his keys. Yes, it was a big deal in that I¡¯ve never been permitted to drive his car, he doesn¡¯t even let Everett! Then again, the farm was less than five minutes away, so it wasn¡¯t as though it were a high-risk trip. Seriously, it¡¯s not even snowing anymore¡ªa rarity for my birthday. I may have exaggerated the snow when chatting with AC, but not the cold. And the fields were still covered, so it counted. The roads, thankfully, were clear. So yay!