Dark Realms

Chapter One





I stared up at the white speckled ceiling of my new apartment, still too full of adrenaline to sleep. The excitement of moving out of my parents’ home and starting college in two weeks was beyond exhilarating. Plus, my best friend Betsy was going to join me after she returned from Florida with her parents in a couple of weeks. They’d taken her to Disneyworld as a graduation present, and although she’d been excited about the trip, finding an apartment we could afford together had been the real highlight of the summer. Ever since we’d met in the eighth grade, we’d always talked about going to UMT, living together, and meeting hot college guys. Now our dreams were finally becoming a reality and it made me so giddy, sleep was laughable.

Sighing, I got out of bed and went into the kitchen for a spoonful of creamy peanut butter. It was a nightly habit that sometimes helped me sleep and my parents had purchased a case of it for me as a joke, but I’d been thrilled to receive it.

As I opened the cupboard, I thought of my mother, who seemed to have a knack for catching me with my hand in the peanut butter jar every time I had a craving. She often teased that if I ever stopped, that peanut farms everywhere would go bankrupt.

I grabbed a jar from the shelf, twisted the cap off, and scooped out a large spoonful. Once it was in my mouth, I remembered that I had nothing to wash it down with. Plus, my cups were still packed in one of the boxes and I really didn’t feel like rummaging for them in the middle of the night. Recalling the landlord’s mention of a beverage machine by the swimming pool, I decided to buy a couple bottles of soda and check out the pool.

I put the jar away, washed off the spoon, and went back into my bedroom to change out of my pajamas. As I pulled on a pair of jean shorts, I caught a glimpse of myself in the dresser mirror and was relieved that it was so late. My auburn hair was messy and there was mascara smudged under my lower lashes.

Screw it.

I slipped on an orange sweatshirt, pulled the hood over my head, grabbed a handful of change, and stepped out of my apartment.

Shoving my hands into my sweatshirt pockets, I went downstairs to the lobby and stepped out into the cool darkness, suddenly grateful that my parents had pushed me into Taekwondo three years ago. Although I normally didn’t think much about wandering near my parents’ house late at night, here, however, it was a little disconcerting. Even for a Brown Belt.

I thought of my parents, who were only an hour away, and had acted like I’d moved to a different continent. My mother had been in tears when she’d left earlier, and my dad, well his voice had actually cracked, which truthfully had kind of shocked me. In all my life, I’d never seen my dad cry, even when his own father had passed away. My mother had told me he’d mourned in his own way, and didn’t like people feeling sorry for him. It was kind of weird, but I always assumed it had to do with the fact that he’d served in the military for many years. That it had made him hard. But, this afternoon, he’d kept his eyes down and had given me an extra-long hug before driving away.

Now, thinking of them, I felt a tug on my heart. Although I was excited about the move and starting a new life in college, part of me already longed for them. They’d been strict and demanding, but I’d never doubted their love.

For a long time, I’d felt as if they’d treated me like a baby. Nothing had ever seemed fair, not my early curfews, or any of the other stringent rules they’d enforced. Hell, I hadn’t even been able to sleep at a friend’s house without getting the third degree. They’d always said that they’d trusted me, but not other kids, claiming that they didn’t want me to be influenced by the wrong kind of people. This had seemed like a total joke to me, since Betsy and I hung out with computer geeks and people not really into partying.

And dating?

Well, sadly, I’d only gone out on one date in high school – the prom. My dad had put the poor guy through hell before releasing us. Sure, we’d had fun there – dancing, flirting, even a couple of kisses, but when he’d gotten me home a few minutes late, my dad was waiting for us with an earful for Brian. Needless to say, he never asked me out again and I decided that it wasn’t worth torturing any of the guys at school by going out with them. So, here I was – an eighteen-year-old virgin who’d had one date –

Brian, and had only kissed one person – Brian.

Not that I hadn’t fantasized about other guys. Hell, my dreams were filled with faceless heroes rescuing me from danger. Sexy, brave hunks who would carry me off into the sunset, where I could shower them with kisses. Unfortunately, I always woke up before getting a chance to show my appreciation.