Background: Global warming took its toll around 4000 AD as the whole southern hemisphere dried up and certain populations wiped out from heatstroke. Survivors fled to the north and as scientists collaborated with governments to improve climate conditions certain individuals suffered mutations from the drastic changes. Fast forward a couple thousand years to late summer of 5000, when long shadows creep into the sunlight falling over Garden Island, Alaska, and the life of a traumatized teenage girl starts to unravel around her. The voices in her head are not those of her conscious and as they become louder than her own she breaks down. As the hectic world around her keeps spinning she reevaluates her home, her friends, and herself. As other perspectives join in the chaos, the pieces of her life start to fit back together to create an image she never saw before.

Beautiful Demon

BOOK 1: Love's LullabyBy Mariya Nikitina

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2012 Mariya Nikitina
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4772-7271-8

Chapter One

"I'm home!" I shout as I set the groceries down on the floor. I kneel down and pull out two cartons of milk and dance to the fridge. I place them on the second shelf and stride back to the groceries. This time I pull out a box of appetizers and look up to see that Lance has come to greet me. While I pass him I ruffle his light colored hair, once a shade that matched the newly falling snow, now as golden as sunshine itself. "I got your favorite." I tell him. His serious face lightens up with a tiny smile.

"Where's Granny?" I ask as I put that in the fridge as well. "Still at the advisory meeting." he replies. Granny never misses a school advisory meeting and so she's pretty close with the principal's family, the Hamptons. I've actually never met them. "Hopefully this time they'll cut those nasty beans out of our school lunches." I joked.

After Lance helped me put away all the groceries I went back outside to feed the dogs. I took one step out onto the cool wet sparkling snow and heard the slush under my feet. They're all resting with their heads on their paws, and their heads perk up when they hear me approaching. I kneel down next to the one in the front, Tayla, the female leader of the pack, and scratch behind both her ears. "Thanks for waiting so patiently you guys." I tell them. Her mesmerizing blue eyes stare at me affectionately.

I lead them to their shed and begin to unstrap them from the sled. I chose to take them to the market today because the man that works there, a long time family friend, always loves it when I bring them by. If it wasn't for the fact that Pedro had to borrow my sled dogs to visit his sister in the big city, my whole pack would have burned to ashes like everything else that day. "I'm so grateful I didn't lose you too." I whisper to Tayla as I brush her soft, russet fur. Some places are black, such as around her ears. The contrasting colors make her even more gorgeous. In response, she just tilts her head slightly to the side and gives out a low whine.

Ace, the male leader of the pack, trots to my side and lays his head in my lap.

Maybe it's just me, but I feel like they know exactly what I'm saying. I communicate better with them than the people in my school.

After I give them their bowls of water and leftover gumbo I head back to the house. Granny came back home by now. I can tell because I hear her humming an old song while she makes a salad to go with the steamed whale I got from the store. "How was the meeting?" I ask. She turns around to glance at me, gives me a warm smile, and returns to her salad. "It went well." She says. "Did you know that Ty is already learning how to walk? He's so cute wobbling around." She chuckles. She's very fond of the Hampton's baby boy. I think she pays more attention to him than the actual meetings. "Granny, did you even talk about school today?" I tease her. She looks at me with a shocked expression. "Why Angesel, that's why I go to the meetings, don't I?" We both know that's not true and I try to hide my chuckle.

When the three of us are seated at the table, our dinner conversations aren't awkward and silent like some families are. You know, the ones that always ask the same questions. "How was school?" "Any projects to do?" Followed by the clicking of forks. That must be a drag. No, in our home we're always comfortable with each other. There's always some laughter at our table.

After we've finished the main course, I skip to the refrigerator and pull out the box of appetizers I had got for Lance. He loves the raspberry cream inside the chocolate covered waffle rolls, drizzled with white chocolate. I lay them on a glass platter engraved with snowflakes on the edges and set them in the center of our little table.

"Oh Lance I see Angie's brought you a treat today." Granny's sweet elderly voice crooned. Lance's blue eyes smiled at me. "Newton's Law! I forgot how good these things were!" I exclaimed as I bit into one and the pink cream filled my senses. "I believe the last time we had these was...." Granny pondered for a moment. "Oh yes, it was around the end of October."

"Wow that's a long time ago! I can't believe you remembered!" I said astonished. You'd think that she'd have a bad memory because of her old age, but Granny has the best memory I've ever seen. Me on the other hand, I can't even remember what I had for breakfast yesterday. I frowned trying to remember but shrugged and decided to let it go. "What are you shrugging for?" Lance asked. "... Nothing." I bit into the roll loudly.

After I cleaned the table and washed the dishes it was already time for bed, so I brushed my teeth and put on my nightgown. This house is way smaller than my old house. My beautiful childhood home was completely destroyed when it got burned to a crisp. It had room after room that we would use for music where I practiced playing a variety of instruments, particularly the piano, or the playroom filled with toy after toy for me and Derek to play with. No, the house I live in now has only three bedrooms, just enough for Granny, Lance, and I to each have our own room. But I like this home. It brings a sense of comfort; a cozy haven with little walls I somehow feel can protect me from all kinds of danger.

I close my eyes—old habit I guess—and hold out my hand to brush the wall as I walk. When I feel a doorknob I turn it and step inside. As my eyes open I see everything exactly in place just like it always is; jacket on the backside of the office chair, bed made neatly, Native doll resting lifelessly on the little table beside it, along with a picture of my family and Derek's. My eyes linger on the picture despite the fact it's on the other side of the room. I sigh and force myself to look away to the window. The sun is still pretty strong. Since it's already past sunset it's not as bright as before but the copper sun still casts down tinted shades of warm apricot and fading scarlet across the vast landscape. We live by a beautiful lake which still holds onto the last of winter's bitter frost, and further out, an infinite forest with pine trees as tall as skyscrapers.

I grab the remote and snuggle into my bed. While pulling up the covers, I press the button and faintly hear the even mechanic sound of the thick shutters closing, leaving the room engulfed in empty blackness.

That's when the nightmares come.

Snow hits my face like thorns. I can't see with my right eye because blood is running down that side from the huge gash on my forehead. I force my feet to run in the direction of the burning house, and when I reach the door and place my hands on the knob I feel the searing pain all over again. I open my mouth so wide and feel my throat go raw but there's only the sound of crackling fire.

I rush to the window looking for a way in and I see my mother inside. She's looking to me for help with the most agonized expression on her face. I bang on the window while tears roll down my stained cheeks. Her body is covered in disturbing bubbles and blisters from the heat and she melts before my eyes—on the left side of her face, her skin has been completely burned off and all that's left is her raw meat—until the flames grow and all I can see are the cursed flames licking the window. The heat is so unbearable it feels like I'm on fire as well. That's when I notice my reflection on the window, and I gasp at the monster I see.

Chapter Two

Sometimes I don't know who she...