Here’s a sneak peek of a the upcoming short for A Burdened Novel, soon to be known as The Sephlem Trials. It’s in its raw form, unedited. Take a trip in Taylor Newcomb’s mind when she mated with Justin. (Full short available for free when you sign up for my Newsletter. Download here)
1: TANGLED “Nathan! Carmen is going to kick our asses if we don’t get out of here,” I yell from the foot of the stairs, slightly rising on my toes the louder I become. Our cousin doesn’t ask us for much, so when she has a small request, we try to deliver. At least I do, Nathan is dragging his damn feet today. Nathan gallops down the stairs, straightening his tie. He buttons his blazer as he meets me by the front door. “We’re not going to be late, Taylor. You drive like a bat out of hell when we’re just going to Frank’s Burgers. Chill out.” He spreads his arms out to his side. “You think I’m Carmen approved?” He slowly spins around, and I examine his jean and blazer ensemble. “You look fine.” I swing open out the front door and notice how loud my stilettos clack against the concrete with how quickly I charge to the garage. I snatch the car remote from my purse and hit the clicker. As I open the driver door, I look over my shoulder at Nathan striding to the car with his cocky sway and lack of urgency. “If you don’t hurry and get your ass in this car, I’m going to throw your ass in the lake.” “You’ll have to catch me first, Taylor.” He zips to the driver’s side of my car and rips my keys from my hands in the blink of an eye. “I’m driving. Get out of the way.” I slap him upside the head and round the car to the passenger’s side. “Whatever. We just better not be late.” Nathan may be bigger than me, but my claps kill, and I can knock my brother off his feet. We get in my car and he starts it. “You know we could run and get there a hell of a lot faster.” “I’m not showing up to Carmen’s orientation party with my hair looking like Jessie from Team Rocket.” My floral, spring welcoming dress stops at my thighs, my makeup is on point with a shadow eye to make my green eyes pop, and this red lip is bound to kill any guy who glimpse it. He’s out of his mind to think I’ll be running anywhere when I’m looking this damn good. Nathan drives to Vermont Tech where the university is having a celebratory dinner for their honor scholarship entrants. “Let’s do something special for Carmen, she’s going the mile with college for a second round. Let’s take her to dinner, your treat.” Nathan scoffs. “Your idea, my treat, huh?” “Sure is. You owe me anyway.” I turn up the radio and rest in the passenger’s seat the twenty-minute ride to Carmen’s new school. No one from our clan is a fan of school besides our cousin Scott, our Golden boy. The rest of us went through school once and that’s enough. We may look young enough to attend high school, but I’m nearly sixty, and prefer one round of the educational field.
2: ADRIFT I walk ahead of Nathan as we stride through Adam’s lecture hall where the orientation ceremony is being held. Carmen sits on the stage among the others being honored tonight. She wears her gorgeous champagne-brown hair out in her tight ringlet curls that have a way of beautifully exploding around her head. Her matching eyes and honey brown skin is flawless against her do, and I mentally tell her, You look amazing tonight. Whoever you’re trying to impress is likely dying in their seat to get their hands on you. Carmen cracks a small smile, trying to keep from laughing though she lets it sound in our inner monologue. Thanks for coming! I love you guys so much. You’re sitting right up front with Courtney and Cartel. I’m sharing a table with my friend Marium. I nod and motion to Nathan to follow me. It’s unavoidable, regardless of where we go, how everyone’s eyes follow us as we stride from one end of the auditorium to the other. We’ve leaned to own it. Being a Burdened Sephlem, charged by the blood of a demon and housing a beast we’ve learned to control early on. The structure of our physics, the glimmer in our eyes, the smoothness of our skin, and captivating presence equip us to be more desirable for our prey. I prefer my meal to come to me than for me to haunt it down. As I make it to the front of the room, the moods and scents of the humans seated around the circular tables dressed in cream clothes topped with white plates, silver wear and champagne glasses tickles my nose. So many delicious smelling hors d’oeuvres I crave to dig into. Their steady heartbeats pound against my skin and the brooding breast twitches, tempting me to snatch up the woman to my left dressed in a blood red pants suit with her hair pulled into a bun, leaving her bare shoulders exposed. Thankfully, it’s far easier to control myself since we’ve been practicing over the past ten years. But resisting the urge to tear this room apart doesn’t make these people smell any less appetizing. I lick my lips and breath slowly through my mouth. Nathan’s heavy hand falls on my right shoulder, and he squeezes it once. You’re okay? Clearing my throat, I straighten my neck. Of course. I’m in full control. Well, tell your hands that. They’re shading. I still a glance at my right hand, seeing my true vermilion complexion creeping up from my fingertips to my knuckles. Shit! I wrap my hand around my thin purse strap and cuff my left hand around my waist. She’s hungry. We’ll all go out after this is over. Don’t think Carmen will like it if we ruined this soiree. Nathan’s also Burdened, knowing the struggle of being looked upon as a monster among our Sephlem people, and having difficulties fitting into a world where we have to hide who we are in order to fit in with the humans, when all we truly want to do is devour them. We’re just barely accepted by our family, our father’s proven he doesn’t believe Burdened Sephlem has a place in his heart or his bloodline. The want for our death sticks in his glare every time he lays his eyes on us. The only place we truly belong is alone, but we’ve sworn to uphold ourselves in a manner that our family will feel safe. Nathan and I sit at the table on either side of Cartel and Courtney, our cousins who are also Burdened. I hug them before settling in my seat. Way to be fashionably late, you two, Cartel scolds, angrily tapping his finger against the table. Blame Nathan. He had to shave for one hour and took another two getting dressed, I say. Don’t listen to Taylor. She’s a liar. Courtney snickers and the three look to the stage where a man in a pinstriped suit and crocked toupe talks of achievements and goals. Folded cards with Carmen’s name on them sit on empty plates before us. Fancy gold stitching accent the small card. Over my thoughts, I hear the speaker at the podium praise the honor students accomplishments, and congratulate them on their early high school graduation that will occur next week. The room erupts in applause. I lift my gaze to join them, but a dark pair eyes grabs my attention. Skin pale as paper, hair darker than the night, and piercing eyes that won’t release mine… My heart pounds, and I stop breathing. I throw my hands around my neck and gulp at the air, trying to catch a lungful. Stumbling to my feet, I lose balance and catch the table in my hand, taking the cloth and everything on the table down with me as I fall. My heartbeat grows slow as the rim of my sight darkens and I stop breathing.
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