《When Darkness Falls Book I Animals Among Men》 Chapter One: An Unfortunate Begining When Darkness Falls Animals Among Men. Volume I Chapter One: An Unfortunate Beginning The wind blew through the tall oaks outside a white two story house on the edge of a wood. A blonde slender girl sat in the attic window of that house, the moon reflecting in her shining ocean eyes. Her eyes contained secrets, her eyes contained sorrow and darkness. An owl hooted from a nearby tree and the girl looked up into the midnight sky. She was beautiful in the moonlight, her hair dangling over the edge of the window. All the lights in the house were dark, and the night was still. Not a movement, not a sound. Just a peaceful silence, and that was it. The girl looked down at the lush green grass below and at the wild woods beyond. How she longed to venture out into that grassy woodland. But, she couldn¡¯t, her family was here. She couldn¡¯t leave all she knew and loved. Not that anything, or anyone loved her back. She was a lonely girl, in a world where people looked down on her kind. She had a secret that made her different from others. A secret that made others look at her with fear and disgust. She was an animal among men. The cheerful songs of blue birds filled the stillness. The girl swung her scrawny legs inside the house. It was time for her to sleep, although there was but little time before she would have to wake. Inside her room the girl laid down on the soft quilt bedspread that she had worked hard to make. Its color was a dingy brown, and it was thin, barely enough to keep out the cold snowy winter night breezes. She looked at the bleak wall, not decorated, just plastered with white paint. The floor was a wooden one, and nothing was furnished in the room but a tall scratched wooden bookcase in one corner, a dingy desk, and the bed. That was all, nothing more. * * * * * * The light of early dawn shone through the curtain-less window and onto the girls tear-stained face. She had been crying for many hours. She lay back with her head on the hard pillow she had been given for her birthday. She stared at the dry cracked ceiling, and listened to the silence. Presently sounds of movement downstairs alerted the girl it would be just a few moments until her mother would barge into the prison cell of a room and start telling her the never ending list of chores she must do before her online class with her tutor. Her siblings went to school, but her parents said they were ashamed by her that they did not want her existence known to the world. She had no friends, nor lover, in all the world. The only comfort she had in life was her love of music, and dance. The girl heard dulls thuds of feet coming of the stairway to the attic. The torn white door was thrown open and a thin, tall, woman stood there in an elegant blue silk gown. ¡°Get up Riley! This house is a mess! You will have extra chores to do before you get anything to eat or drink!¡± The mother said harshly. Riley nodded, used to her mother''s harsh stern voice. The tone she always used when talking to her middle child. Her mother left to go awake fix breakfast for her other children. She always cooked pancakes for Grey, Averlyne and Everlyne, but as for Riley. Gruel was served every morning to her. That in itself could be a punishment. But that was just an everyday thing for Riley, not that she hardly ever did anything wrong. Although there were on some occasions where she acted up. Riley dressed in her everyday outfit, made up of faded jeans and a purple t-shirt that was too small for her. She went to her bathroom and saw an extremely long list of chores her mother had written out for her. She looked at it and metally read.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Scrub floors and wax them Clean your siblings bedrooms and bathrooms Clean your own bedroom and bathroom Clean the office Clean the kitchen, and floor Clean out the garage Mop all rooms Dust the library Tutor at 7:15 am. Get out of the house till 6:pm Fix dinner for family, we have guests so make Hungarian Goulash. Have dinner ready by 7pm. Re-clean your siblings rooms Do your siblings homework And do your own. Riley frowned, and looked up at the old fashioned wrist watch. It read 5:30 AM. She was going to have to clean faster than normal if she was to get the first half of the list down before her tutor. She sighed and walked down the creaking stairs to the floor landing. Grabbing a worn out broom and a bucket, in which the handle had rusted off she dragged it to the library. When she reached it she paused a moment to stare at the variety of old and new books lining the enormous bookshelves. Each one held around two hundred books, and each one Riley had read millions of times. She went up to one of the bookshelves and pulled out a thin pamflet that her best friend had given to her long ago. A boy, she had met him when she was at the park with her mom. This was a time before they found out her secret. The boy had midnight black hair and shining eyes. Riley had been seven at the time and the boy was around the same age, or so she vaguely remembered. They had become the best of friends, till, they weren¡¯t. Something had changed between them, something that made their friendship fade. Riley opened the sheet of paper and read aloud. ¡°And so we loved with a love that was more than love,¡± she said in a melancholy voice. A single tear of pain and hurt rolled down her pale cheek. Her blue eyes closed and she was lost in sweet happy memories of long ago. Her thoughts were interrupted by a metallic thud and the sound of swishing water. Riley swirled around, still clutching the poem firmly in her hand. Averlyne and Everlyne stood there, beside them on the floor was a puddle of soapy water, and the bucket tipped on its side. Riley raced over and frantically tried to mop it up with one hand. When she had finished she looked up at her sisters. But Everlyne was not there, she felt her left hand being forced open and his note taken from her hands. Everlyne quickly opened it. Riley stood up and tried to reach for the beloved paper, but it was no use. Everlyne was to tall, and simply held it out of her grasp. Everlyne read it aloud in her nasal voice and grinned wickedly after she was through. ¡°Dwelling on old memories while you¡¯re supposed to be working?¡± she sneered. ¡°We will make you pay!¡± Averlyne added in. ¡°He left you for a good reason! Like anyone could love you freak!¡± they said in unison. Everlyne threw the note onto into the bucket, which still had some water left in it, and laughed. ¡°Burn your hopes Riley, no one will ever love you,¡± she jeered. Riley stuck her hand and into the water and pulled out the damp note, the twins stalked off, probably to eat breakfast. Riley started to silently cry, they were right. Who would love her? Her monster self? No one, that was who. She dried her eyes and went to the nearest window and opened it, letting the bitter cold wind dry her tears. She lay the note on a table next to the window. It would dry and be as good as new. She went back and continued her chores. Chapter Two: Him Chapter Two: Him The trees swayed in the wind, it was stronger than usual. So strong that Riley struggled to keep her balance as she walked by Lovers Lake. No one was there, the park was empty, probably due to the freezing temperatures. Riley walked down to the waters and looked at her reflection, a pair of blue eyes stared back at her. She looked at her reflection for the longest time, She crouched down and tapped the water making tiny ripples. A weird feeling came over her all of a sudden, she felt as if she was being watched. A chill went down her spine, and she shivered at the thought. Just to make sure she looked behind her, then she sighed with relief. No one was there, no one was watching her. I¡¯m just paranoid, she thought. She looked back at her reflection and then at the sky, something else was in the reflection she hadn¡¯t seen before. She saw a hawk flying low in the sky, she marveled at its beautiful markings. She had a weird feeling like she had been to this lake before. She closed her eyes and tried to remember. A vague memory of herself, and him, came clear as she opened her eyes again. It had been the last day she has seen him that they had walked this very path. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°So lovely is the loneliness of the wild lake.¡± He had said his eyes filled with mystery. She remembered she had laughed and teased him about his love for poetry. Now she understood why he liked it so much. If there was anything in the world that could bring comfort, it was poetry. The bird cry of the hawk came from up above and she looked at it once more. It was so majestic, it flying up there. How she wish she had wings to fly. She looked around once more, to make sure no one was insight. Then she closed her eyes and chanted ¡°Volpe¡± She felt her body shift and opened her eyes again, she was now nearer to the ground. She looked into the lake again, and she saw herself, a black fox, looking up at her. This was her secret. She looked back up in the sky just in time to see the hawk dive down into a brush of shrubbery. Riley, on a hunch, raced after it. Her paws made no sound as she wandered through the woods, it felt peaceful here. No worries, just the songs of birds, and the beauty of nature. Putting her nose to the ground she searched for the smell of bird, any kind of bird. She smelled the faint smell of a hawk and knew that it must be near. She followed the scent to a cabin just outside the woods. She was just in time however, to see the hawk be surrounded by blinding light, and transform into a boy. Chapter Three: Others? Chapter Three: Others? Riley crouched down and hid in the bushes. Who is this boy? Is he like me? she wondered. The bark of a hound dog drew her attention away from the boy, and to the massive dog bounded towards her! Something inside her told her to run, and that''s exactly what she did. She ran straight for the cabin, looking around she saw logs, presumably for firewood. But the roof was only three feet above the highest log. She decided to go for it, she put on a burst of speed and within seconds she had made it to the pile. She stopped and looked back, the hound dog was chasing her, but by now the boy had seen the ruckus and was running towards the dog yelling. Deciding it was better to be safe then torn apart by the dogs sharp canine teeth, she bolted up the pile. The one thing she had not taken into consideration was that logs rolled, the bottom roll of logs began to slowly roll. Looking back Riley saw that the boy had caught up to the dog, but was now looking at her amusement in his eyes. Riley frowned, this was no time to laugh if the logs rolled anymore she would fall over! Riley got no further in thinking before. CRASH! The bottom logs rolled out from under the pile, making everything roll with them, including Riley. Frantically, she searched for a way to get off of this monstrosity, but the logs had rolled to far away form the roof ledge. Looking at the boy she saw him laughing, she was indignant, why was he laughing? Trying to maintain her balance she got ready to jump. Instead, the rest of the logs rolled out from under her and she went sprawling onto the concrete. The boy, still howling with laughter came over. Riley was unsure of what to do, she had never encountered a, whatever he was in her fox form. She looked him over carefully, but when he held out his hand he smelled, nice and kind. Like he was someone she could trust. Riley then looked at the dog, which had been tied to the nearest fence. The boy sat down next to her and she leaped onto his lap, the last thing she wanted to do was leave. But the church bell in the distance rang six times, and she knew that she must depart. The boy looked at her, she looked at him. Then she ran off the way she had come. She de-transformed when she was once again at the lake. This day had been unusually nice, almost like when he had been her friend. Riley walked down the road leading to her home, and for once in a long time. She was actually happy, and content. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Entering the two story white wooden house she silently tip-toed up the stairs to her room, she was late and the guests were supposed to be arriving soon. The guests, were presumably the principal or one of the teachers at her siblings school. Getting her apron out of the closet she went to the pantry and looked to see what they had. It¡¯s lucky I thought to go by the grocery store on the way home, we have almost none of the ingredients, and only half the paprika we need. Riley took out the well read recipe book in the cabinet above the kitchen sink. She searched until she found the dish that she had been asked to prepare for the meal. The guests arrived later and exactly at seven o''clock the meal was ready. Riley served the family, and guests, and then went into the kitchen to get her own food, gruel. She looked at the meat which simmered in the pot, then looked cautiously over her shoulder before taking a serving of it. Mother wouldn¡¯t mind, surely she wouldn¡¯t. Riley took the plate to her room and sat down at her desk to eat and do her homework. Minutes, then hours went by until Riley heard the guests leave and her mother close the door. All was quiet, it was apparent that there would be no complaints on the meal. Riley smiled, her mother, although strict was not one to try and find fault. But if something was evidently found wrong, then she would get it. Riley finished her homework and set her pencil down. Looking at her watch she saw they it was nine o¡¯clock, the time when her siblings went to bed and her parents watched TV downstairs. All was quiet, a lonely quiet. The kind of quiet that a normal person would dread, but Riley found comfort in the silence, because it meant that her family was at peace. Chapter Four: Midnight Journey Chapter Four: Midnight Journey Riley was about to do something daring, she was going to sneak away for the night. She needed a break, and also she wanted to explore the woods. She leaped from the attic window to the nearby tree branches hanging in front of her window, she just barely caught it with one hand. As she struggled to hold on a light from downstairs turned on, Riley began to panic. She looked down and estimated that if she landed like they had taught her in tumbling a few years back that she could make it without hurting herself. Swinging around and twisting her arms she executed a sharp turn and twisting her body around so that she hit the ground at just the right angle. It hurt, but it was worth it. Riley stood up and dusted herself off, then looking around she transformed into her animal. The chill of the air went away as fur enveloped her skin. Riley trotted to the road, and then she began to run. The wind blew into her face and it felt good, she felt like she was running away from her problems, life and her troubles. She felt, free. Free from her mother, siblings and free from the things that held her back. She smiled a foxish smile. This was perfect, she wished she could always be as happy as she was now. Looking towards the woods she pressed on till she reached them. The woods looked nice in the dim moonlight as she walked in. That feeling that someone was watching her returned but she ignored it. After awhile she came to a pond with crystal clear water, little fish swam and bright colored shells lay there as if placed. She found a rock and lay there listening to the sounds of the night woods. She didn¡¯t want to go home, ever. She wanted everything to be as it was now forever. She saw a hawk perch itself near her and she watched as it transformed into the boy from earlier. Riley had a strange feeling she should transform into her human form as well. In doing so the boy looked stunned, but then he smiled, ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t know there were more of my kind,¡± he said, then he stuck out his right hand. ¡°Josh¡± he said, Riley smiled and shook his hand. ¡°My name is Riley,¡± she replied. He looked to the woods and gave a low whistle, other animals emerged from the forest. A wolf, and an eagle flying next to the wolf. They got to Josh and then they looked at Riley. ¡°It¡¯s okay guys she is one of us,¡± he said assuringly. One by one, the wolf and the eagle turned into humans. The wolf was a short, brown haired girl with hazel eyes. The eagle was a boy. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°This is Maddie and Mark,¡± Josh said. Maddie turned to Riley and squealed. ¡°Finally another girl!¡± Mark looked almost frightened as he said, ¡°Yeah, another girl...¡± Maddie cocked her head to the side and looked Riley up and down. The weirdest expression coming over her face, like when you give a toddler a present. Riley looked at Mark who seemed to be hiding behind Josh. ¡°He is scared of girls,¡± Maddie said then laughed. Riley smiled and whispered back, ¡°Good reason to be scared¡±. Maddie chuckled and then turned to Josh. ¡°How do you keep finding people, it blows my mind,¡± she said looking at him intently. ¡°Easy, I pay attention to my surroundings while flying,¡± he said in reply. ¡°But I fly too, and I haven¡¯t found anyone.¡± Mark retorted. Josh slapped the back of Mark¡¯s head playfully, ¡°That¡¯s because you don¡¯t pay attention to things, you have flown into many a tree,¡± Josh laughed. Mark pouted and crossed his arms. Riley burst out laughing, followed by Maddie then they said in unison, ¡°Boys, we will never understand them.¡± They looked at each other and started laughing again. Josh was smiling, but Mark looked confused and nervous. He whispered into Josh¡¯s ear, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with them? Are they okay? Do they need help?¡± Josh laughed at this, and the girls who overheard laughed even harder until tears of mirth filled their eyes and their sides hurt from laughing so much. Maddie and Riley started talking about schoolwork and the boys looked on in amazement, until the girls noticed. ¡°What?¡± they said in unison yet again. ¡°How do you talk so fast?¡± Mark wondered. ¡°How do you breathe?¡± Josh asked. The girls shook their heads and laughed. They didn¡¯t know the answers. The group chatted with each other until the blue birds began to sing. Riley frowned, it was time for her to depart from her newfound friends. ¡°Will I see you again tomorrow?¡± She asked hopefully. ¡°I have a basketball game,¡± Mark said. Josh looked regretful as he said he had a party the next night. Maddie smiled and said she could come over during the day. Riley gave Maddie her address and they departed. Each one to their own lives, some happy and others such as Riley¡¯s depressing. Chapter Five: A Familiar Face Chapter Five: A Familiar Face Riley walked down the road with Maddie, her mother had been reluctant but said that Riley could go out with Maddie. The reason Riley knew, was because Mother was throwing a party and she didn¡¯t want her misfit daughter hanging around the house. Riley knew she must have been frowning because Maddie looked at her and asked what was wrong. ¡°Nothing¡± Riley said smiling bravely. Everything, was what she thought. Maddie shrugged it off and continued to talk about her life and how she had come to live in the town. Riley inwardly wished that Maddie had told her not to lie but, it wasn¡¯t like she cared anyway. Riley chided herself I shouldn¡¯t pity myself, that''s just selfish, she thought. Riley and Maddie continued to walk together talking about many things until Maddie said something. ¡°So, do you like Josh¡± Riley looked at Maddie and laughed, ¡°I¡¯ve only known him for..¡± She went off. She remembered something about Josh that seemed familiar, something that she couldn¡¯t pinpoint. Then a memory came back to her, a young boy, him. Black hair, and mysterious eyes. Another image intruded Riley¡¯s mind. It was the boy, but older and he looked like. ¡°Josh!¡± Maddie exclaimed. Riley looked behind her and saw Josh strolling down the sidewalk. Maddie looked back at Riley and smirked, Riley pouted. Josh joined the girls on there walk, the air was chilly but it was getting warmer. Maddie, again looked like a toddler on Christmas day. She started talking to Josh and we were all laughing at a joke she had just said when Maddie popped the question. ¡°So, Josh, do you like Riley~¡± she said with a smirk.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Josh flushed ¡°I- umm¡± At that moment Mark appeared surrounded by a crowd of guys in basketball jerseys. The basketball team stopped when they reached us and one of the taller kids pointed at Riley and shouted. ¡°Look its the fox freak, watch out or she might bite you.¡± Riley looked at the ground and looked embarrassed. Mark, looked uncomfortable and Maddie and Josh looked set off. Maddie went up to the tall kid, she had to look up at him. ¡°Listen here buster. Don¡¯t talk about my friends like that.¡± she said, her voice sounded fierce, but her height was to disadvantage. The boy only laughed, ¡°What are you going to do shrimpie?¡±. Josh, who looked like he had been about to boil over, finally exploded. ¡°Listen buddy, you might want to check yourself right now.¡± Josh exclaimed, Riley, Maddie, and Mark looked at him in astonishment. He was usually so calm and entertaining but now¡­ A growl rose in Maddies throat as she looked back at the basketball player. Josh, who was taller than the basketball player, glared down at him. The basketball player scoffed, but he did however, take two steps back from the group. ¡°Let¡¯s go guys they are a waste of time,¡± he said as he turned away from Josh¡¯s glazing eyes. Mark watched the basketball team leave, but he didn¡¯t go with them. Then he turned to Josh ¡°Wow what was that dude? You totally scared him.¡± he said. Josh shrugged it off and looked at Riley who was still staring at the ground. Josh went over to her ¡°You alright Ri?¡± he said. Riley smiled a little bit at the nicknames and nodded. Raising her head she looked at the clock outside an Antique store across the street. Her face clouded over and she said she would have to go. ¡°I¡¯m already late for lunch, Mom will be mad,¡± she said. Maddie, who had seen a glimpse of Riley¡¯s life when she came over, nodded. Mark smiled, but Josh looked disappointed. ¡°Want me to walk you home?¡± he asked, Riley shook her head, based off of the way he had acted with the basketball player, he would blow up at her house. Riley waved to her friends and disappeared in the crowded sidewalk. Riley walked down the dirt road leading to her house, she could be there faster if she was in her fox form. But she didn¡¯t want to go home. The bitter wind nipped her skin and she shivered. The sun hung high in the sky, but clouds from the north indicated a storm. In a few moments, raindrops fell from the darkened sky. Riley looked up, letting the drops roll down her face. She loved the rain, it made her feel like the world was mourning with her. She stopped outside her two story house, then, she remembered the vision from earlier that day. Riley smiled and whispered under her breath. ¡°And after so long. Friends again. '''' She looked up into the sky, just in time to see a hawk dive into the woods, beyond the house. Chapter Six: Locket Chapter Six: Locket Riley sat up in a sweat, the dream had come again. She had been running through a thicket of trees running for her life, running away from something. Something that was about to come, something destroying everything in its path, something taking her loved ones in its grasp. Riley hugged her knees, she was shaking, she closed her eyes trying not to remember the gruesome events of the nightmare. She turned her head to the side and looked out her attic window, the stars gleamed in the night, and there was a slight hint of early light. Riley looked at her watch and sighed, she might as well try and get some sleep. She lie down again and pulled the covers up to her head, as if trying to hide from that something. She closed her eyes and faded into a fitful slumber. Riley awoke to the slamming of a door downstairs, and knew that at any moment her mother, or sisters, would come up and get her. To her surprise her brother was the one who entered her room moments later. Grey was nicer to her then her sisters, in the way that he didn¡¯t make my chores harder on purpose. But he still did not like her in the way of her animal spirit. ¡°Wake up Riley¡± he said, not unkindly but not in the loving manner that he used to. Riley looked at him, his gray hair flowing down over his pale face, meaning he had just woken up a few minutes ago himself. Riley smiled at him, a real smile. Grey looked into her eyes, and smiled a small smile. As soon as he left Riley started on her chores, she had a very long day ahead. Her tutor called early and as she sat through the lecture a message popped up on her computer.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Eyyyyyy. This is Josh!¡± It read, Riley paused for a moment ¡®How did he get my number¡¯ she wondered. She texted back. ¡® -.- how did you get my number Josh¡¯ ¡®Maddie gave it to me¡¯ ¡®Of course she did .-.¡¯ ¡®XDDD¡¯ ¡®Well I¡¯m in class...I better go¡¯ ¡®Class? It¡¯s 6:30 am!¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m homeschooled remember?¡¯ ¡®Oh¡¯ Riley closed out the messaging tab on her computer a small smile on her face. ¡°Why am I smiling?¡± she asked herself, for some reason. She felt happy. After her classes she did her homework and started on the list of chores her mother left for her on the fridge. As she was cleaning her room, she noticed something outside the window. A small locket the size of her thumb, hung on a branch. . She reached out and grasped it, it was purple and red and blue. Her favorite colors. She struggled as she opened it, a picture of her newfound friends lay inside.