Katie Meg Thomas: Writer

Chapter Three

2010-09-07T16:29:00.002-07:00

“Me, my mother, my grandmother, my great-grandmother are all direct descendants of the first Eve,” Eve explained, in an oddly formal tone. She sounded like she had been repeating these words for years, but I sincerely doubted that. “That’s why we are born with a snake on our arm. The snake is a constant reminder of the sin our ancestor committed. For thousands of years it’s been this way, going back much farther than anyone can remember.” Eve paused, gauging my reaction, before continuing with her story. “Every two hundred years, a man is supposed to come along, and try to break the spell that binds the women of my family.”

“What spell?” I interrupted, raising an eyebrow. Eve scowled at me, for interrupting when she was clearly getting to that part.

“All the women in my family will die a painful and violent death,” Eve said gravely, my eyebrows flew into my hair in shock. That was surprising, Eve’s driving skills terrified even me, and yet she was supposed to be worried about a painful and violent death?

“Wait,” I said, confused and disoriented at this jumping-all-over-the-place story. “What?”

“If you quit interrupting you will understand what is going on,” Eve hissed threateningly at me from between her teeth.

“Okay,” I said meekly, feeling myself shrink back at her scary figure. Eve raised an eyebrow at me, daring me to speak, before she was satisfied I wouldn’t interrupt again and continuing.

“Anyway,” Eve said, glaring at me still. “Every two hundred years, a man is supposed to come along and fall in love with one of the descendants, and usually, he tried to rid her family of the spell. Typically, this ends badly, and he is killed, occasionally, along with the girl. I believe the ghost of the First Eve appeared to us, because she knew that you were going to try to rid my grandmother and I of the spell that possesses us.” Eve finished with a triumphant air about her, and a slightly smug smile.

“How do you know I’m the guy, besides that whole ghost thing?” I asked, curious, hoping that I wasn’t the guy at all, and that this was a just a huge misunderstanding. But, the expressions on Madam Rosa and Eve’s faces told me otherwise.

“You have to tell me,” I said quietly. “I’m in this just as much as you are.” Or at least I think I am, I sighed inwardly, crossed my arms and waited. My patience was disappearing by the second. I started tapping my foot, while Eve looked at me uncomfortably. Then, she finally took a deep breath and exhaled through her nose loudly.

“You have a snake on your arm, but you can’t see it,” Eve said slowly, choosing her words carefully. “Its like a birthmark…that only your soulmate can see.” I blanched, spluttered and then blushed furiously.

“What?” I stuttered, incredulous. My voice was at least an octave higher and my face was more than likely challenging a tomato for redness. Eve snickered at my face. Raising my eyes to meet hers, I found I almost couldn’t look away. She crossed her arms across her chest and frowned at me slightly, only one side of her mouth turning down at the corner.

“I’m not exactly happy about this either,” Eve sighed. “I mean, I just met you and it’s like we’re engaged, or something.” That comment made Madam Rosa burst out laughing, snorting like a horse and squealing like a pig. Eve and I broke our staring contest and stared at the elderly woman bent over double, tears of mirth streaming down her face.

“I’m sorry,” Madam Rosa said, still giggly and not quite over her laughing fit. “But you two act like you’re already married!” Eve and I scowled at the elderly woman.

“What do we need to do, to stop this curse-thing?” I asked, crossing my arms.

“I do not know,” Madam Rosa said sadly. “But I can find out, soon. Possibly today, if I work efficiently.” She pressed a small brown hand into her face and her muttered to herself silently, thinking.

“But,” Madam Rosa continued. “I need to be alone for my research. Why don’t you two go back to the house? Maybe use the old swimming hole out back. Get to know each other.” Eve and I glanced at each other, both of us blushing wildly.

“Okay,” Eve said, sounding resigned, as if she physically or mentally couldn’t say no to her grandmother. Madam Rosa grinned at us, her eyes and mouth crinkling at the corners, her white teeth in shocking contrast to her face, which was more of a coco color. “Come on.” Eve grabbed my wrist and pulled me back to her rusting car down the street. I climbed in, and she followed suit, putting her keys into the ignition, but she didn’t start the car, even though we seriously needed the A/C. It was boiling out.

Eve closed her eyes and leaned back against the driver’s seat, eyebrows tense and mouth set in a thin line. I reached out and took her hand in mine. I never realized how much smaller she was than me. Her hand felt good in mine, like it belonged there, that I knew. Her eyes flipped open and she looked at me, surprise written all over her face, but she didn’t pull away. Maybe she felt the connection too. I wouldn’t know, because I pulled away first, my face flaming.

Eve started the car, it’s ancient engine rumbling to life, and then pulled out, speeding through the city, onto the dirt road we had pulled off of. We drove in silence, her eyes on the road, mine on the passing forest that bordered the street. She pulled into her long, gravelly driveway what seemed like an eternity later, before stopping the car, jumping out and gesturing for me to do the same. I climbed out, slamming the door behind me. I noticed that paint and rust flecks fell onto the light gray rocks the car rested on, looking old and forlorn.

“Come on,” Eve said. “I’ll show you the house.” She grabbed my hand, not my wrist I noted, before pulling me toward the house. The front door was unlocked, and when we entered, I almost fell over. Before, I hadn’t gotten a real look at the inside of the house, but now, I noticed that it looked entirely preserved, except for possibly one very 1950’s chair sitting in a corner with a tabby cat curled up in it. Wooden floors covered by plush, well cared for Persian rugs covered the floor, leading up to the two curving staircases on either side of the house. The doorway that led to the kitchen, I what I presumed were other rooms, was below the staircase, elaborately carved flowers and symbols borders the door.

“It’s really pretty,” I said lamely, looking up at the beamed ceiling, the high stained glass window’s astounding me.

“Wait till you see my room,” Eve said mysteriously, climbing the staircase on the right, pausing. I darted after her, once I realized that she was waiting for me, somewhat impatiently. Instead of looking at the walls, and into the extensive rooms, my eyes were trained on her black-and-sweatshirt-clad figure walking swiftly, almost dancing, through the long hallway.

She stopped at the last doorway of the hall. The door was painted white, a violet pentacle painted in the center, and it was closed tightly. Eve sighed, before throwing open the door and walking in. I stayed in the doorway, even more astounded. The wall opposite of the door was made entirely of glass, a small porch leading branching off it. The other three walls, plus the ceiling, were covered in photos and sketches and portraits of people. Tons and tons of people, of every color and nationality imaginable; some of the sketches were colored, but most were charcoal, black and white, with colored eyes.

“Did you draw all of these?” I asked, finally stepping into the room and reaching out, my finger brushing against one of the portraits.

“Yes,” Eve said. “I sit on street corners and sketch people I see walking by, or I’ll take pictures of them, and sketch them later.” She smiled lightly at all the images surrounding her, before turning to me.

“You’re good,” I said lamely, offering her a smile.

“Thanks,” Eve said, sincerely, I noted. That made smile, and I grinned stupidly at her. Was I seriously falling for this crazy, tattooed punk-rock-goth girl? That thought actually made me smile harder.

“You look like you’re going to murder someone,” Eve said, raising an eyebrow, before continuing. “I’m going to go change, if I’m going swimming. I’ll be right back.” She grabbed something out of a wardrobe I hadn’t seen, before she darted out the room. I vaguely heard a door shut somewhere, out in the hall, but I was too fascinated to notice or really even care. This girl was really talented, it was like the people on the over-large sketchbook pages could just walk out and start talking to you.

“Alright,” I heard Eve say behind me, and I turned, seeing her looking exactly the same, minus the huge sweatshirt.

“Okay,” I said. “Let’s go.” I smiled at her, and she grinned back at me, like she was lighter without her grandmother around the both of us. Eve turned and led me back down the stairs, and again out the front door, before turning sharply and following the line of the house, finding a narrow path that led into the thick trees that border her house. We had to walk single-file down the path, and we were silent, walking along the sunlight-dappled path. This place felt like it had never changed, as if it had been this way forever, and it was always going to be this way.

The only sound we made was our feet crunching on the dry leaves and broken twigs. After a couple of minutes, Eve led the way into a clearing, and in the center of the clearing was a clear, clean pond, with a gazebo sitting on the edge of the bluish water. Eve walked over to the gazebo, and I followed her at a leisurely pace, gazing into the shallow water. There was a narrow dock branching off of the gazebo’s far edge, going about a quarter of the way into the pond. I found Eve sitting at the edge of the dock, her toes dangling above pond. She wore a black swimsuit that made her look thin, which I then realized, feeling stupid, she actually was. I pulled off my shoes, throwing them in the gazebo, before sitting next to her on the edge of the dock.

“Is this place man-made?” I asked, looking down at the considerably deeper, yet still crystal-clear, water.

“No,” Eve said. “But we do put chemicals in it, so that way we don’t get bugs and scum and stuff. And we built the gazebo and dock, obviously.” She smiled, facing the water, before she stood, walked to the end of the dock, before running at full speed and cannonballing into the water, making a huge splash.

“Hey!” I exclaimed, scowling at her. “Watch it!” Eve laughed and swam up to me, feigning that she was going to yank me in. She laughed, eyes glinting in the bright summer sunlight.

“So,” I said, looking at her smiling face.

“So,” she repeated, looking into my eyes. I smiled at her, my mouth quirking up at the edges.

“Why do you act so different around your grandmother?” I asked, the question I had been burning to ask finally coming out.

“I don’t,” Eve said, sounding confused. I raised my eyebrows at her, brushing some of my shaggy hair out of my face for continuing.

“You act like you mad at her,” I said, pulling my legs up and crossing them, tapping my fingers against the wooden edge of the dock.

“I am,” Eve said. “A little bit, at least.” She sighed, resting her arms on the dock, still kicking her feet under the clear water. I looked down at her, before shifting again to lie on my stomach, so as to look at her face easier.

“What about?” I asked, curious to know, because as messed up as this situation is, I was beginning to genuinely like Eve.

“She’s…just has an old fashioned way of looking at life,” Eve said, she kicked back, floating on the surface of the water, staring up at the puffy white cotton balls that barely passed as clouds.

“I know what you mean,” I said, dipping my right index finger into the rippling water. Little rings passed from it, going to the edge of the pond. Eve lifted her head up, looking at me, eyebrows raised in question.

“My dad is very military,” I explained. “He’s a pretty serious person, ever since my mom died.” I sighed, talking about my mom was still difficult, but it was so much easier around Eve. I guessed I just connected with Eve, even though I didn’t truly want to. But the back of my mind told me otherwise. I told that part of my mind to shut up, and it did.

“That must have sucked,” Eve said, looking back at the cotton ball clouds. I glanced at her, confused. “Moving all the time,” she elaborated.

“Yeah,” I said, nodding. “It was difficult to make friends, because I knew I was going to lose them. But I was always on the soccer team.” I smiled at several memories that flooded into my head, of that sport.

“Why?” Eve asked. “I mean, besides the obvious.” She lifted up a hand, and her head, and gestured to my physique.

“It was something that was always a constant. I just don’t know if I’m going to be able to finish up my collage applications and join the soccer team,” I sighed. “But that’s alright, I like this city okay. I can be a history geek sometimes.” I laughed, I definitely took after my dad in my love of American, especially Southern, history.

“You should,” Eve said. “I know my school has a team.” The conversation hit a lull, before she swam over to me, and leaned back on the dock, our arms touching lightly. I smiled lightly at her, and she smiled lightly up at me, before suddenly, out of the blue, she pressed her lips to mine in one swift motion.

Sorry!

2010-09-07T16:29:00.001-07:00

I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a while! The internet was off...or something. Anyway! Enjoy the next installment!

Chapter Two

2010-08-27T10:54:00.000-07:00

Eve glanced at me, suddenly snatching the faded book out of my hands. I frowned at her, my eyes narrowing.

“What?” I asked, frowning at her. Eve growled from in between her teeth, a low, threatening noise that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

“You do not touch the things below the counter,” she said quickly. “You don’t rearrange things in the shop. Got it?” I nodded, although I was irritated. What was it with this girl and her never-ending stream of rules? Sighing again, I tapped my finger lightly against the counter, resting my cheek on my hand.

Twenty minutes later, no one was in the shop, and I could tell Eve was just as bored as I was. Taking a bracing breath, I turned myself slightly to face her.

“Eve?” I said. “Why do you live with your grandmother?” Eve looked up at me, her eyes narrowed slightly. She exhaled through her nose and opened her mouth, revealing abnormally straight white teeth. She closed it again, took in a deep breath and began speaking.

“A long time ago, my parents, my little brother, and I took a car trip from our house in New Orleans all way to New York City. My brother was barely a year old, and I had just turned four. I don’t really remember the trip itself, but I do remember the drive back. It was getting close to midnight, and we were almost back inside the New Orleans city limits. It had been raining, and the road we were driving on didn’t have any streetlights. A deer ran into the middle of the road, and my dad swerved to avoid it. Since the road was slick with rain, the swerving kept on happening, right into a tree. My parents were killed instantly, and my brother was cut by the window that exploded upon impact, and before the EMT’s could get there, he died of blood loss.” She paused and looked at me balefully, shoulders slumped and a slight frown twisting her mouth.

“My entire left side was cut up by the windows exploding,” Eve continued. She tugged off the sweatshirt she was wearing and turned, showing me the arm with the dragon. Thin, pale scars patterned her arm and neck in almost cobwebbing lines. She pulled the jacket back on and leaned against a stack of boxes behind her.

“I’m sorry,” I said uselessly, glancing at her face to gauge her reaction. She didn’t seem angry with me for asking, more thoughtful than anything.

“What’s your story?” she asked after a minute of comfortable silence between us.

“I was born in Savannah, Georgia,” I said. “My mom died of bone cancer when I was ten, and my dad was in the Army, so we moved a lot, but he was never sent overseas. I was grateful for that, at least. He retired last year, so that way we could tour the states, seeing all his old haunts, before coming back to Savannah, to where he was stationed last, to the same town my mom was buried in. My dad told me that Savannah him too much of Mom, so we decided to move. The problem was, we couldn’t decide where. Being an Army brat, I adjusted well anywhere, but being able to choose where I wanted to live? That was more difficult than I thought it would be. Eventually, we decided on New Orleans, because that’s where my dad had grown up, so that’s how we ended up here, I suppose. That and because he loves this city, he says it holds a lot of good memories for him.” I took a deep breath after my rant and then continued: “I never really got to know my mother all that well, because she got her cancer when I was three, and then it was her in and out of hospitals and treatments. I practically saw her dying through out my childhood. I don’t even remember what color her hair was.” I scowled, mentally beating myself up for not remembering. Suddenly, I felt a slight pressure on my arm. Eve sat next to me, leaning forward, her hand on my arm, looking sympathetic. I took another deep breath and continued. “But her eyes, I remember, they were blue, like the September sky.” I finished my story by looking at Eve; she returned my stare, smiling slightly, only the right side of her mouth pulling up at the corner.

“Quite the life,” Eve said. “How many places did you live?”

“Ah, God, I dunno, we moved a lot,” I sighed, running a hand through my tangled heap of hair. Thinking hard, I started listing the places I remembered. “There was Savannah, Charleston, Fort Wayne, San Diego, Fort Wainwright, and Savannah again.” I pulled down a finger for each place.

“Quite the list,” Eve said, I nodded. Georgia, Indiana, Alaska, California, North Carolina, and now Louisiana.

“Where did you want to go?” Eve asked me. “I mean, when you and your Dad were deciding where to move?” She peered at me with those hard green eyes and I found myself almost telling her against my will, but in a way, I did want to tell her.

“I wanted to move to Paris,” I said. “But I didn’t tell my dad that, I told him I was cool with wherever he wanted to be. Which is true, but I’ve always wanted to live in Paris.” I smiled wistfully to myself, looking down at the only-slightly-dusty counter, my index finger tracing circles in the dust.

“Do you think you’ll ever end up there?” Eve asked me out of the blue, her eyebrows raised and eyes curious. “In Paris?” I glanced up at her quickly, before looking back down, flushing slightly.

“Who knows,” I said. “Life is an ever changing road, and I don’t know which way I’ll go yet.” Eve looked at me quizzically, about to say something else, when suddenly Madam Rosa walked in with a flourish.

“Hello, Mr. Du’Paul,” she said jovially, before closing the door and flipping the sign to closed, even though we had barely been open for two hours. I glanced at Eve, who glanced back at me, just as confused at her grandmother’s strange behavior.

“Gran,” Eve said, standing and walking around to the front of the counter, slowly, I stood, and followed her, confused and clumsy. Stumbling, my foot caught on the edge of the counter, and I fell flat on my face, nearly breaking my nose on the painted concrete floor. Groaning, I stood; only to find Madam Rosa and Eve both laughing their heads off at my predicament. I darted up, face firetruck red and then promptly dropped my gaze to the floor. Dark red and blue swirls covered the floor of the shop, accompanied by oddly spiritual symbols that I didn’t know what meant and didn’t want to find out.

“My grandmother wants to read your Tarot cards,” Eve said suddenly, breaking me out of my staring contest with the floor. I looked at her, and she gently grabbed my arm, pulling me to the back of the shop, past a long, trailing, silvery curtain that hid the main shop from a small, warm room in the back.

The heat from many candles scattered around the room washed over me like a bath when Eve and I pushed past the curtain. In the center of the room, a low, old, wood table sat proudly, two white candles burning brightly on each of the ends. A deck of worn cards stood in the center of the table, and Madam Rosa sat in a low chair, her face obscured by the shadows of the room. But I could still see her grinning like a bobcat, her white teeth a startling opposite from her dark skin and clothing.

“Welcome,” Madam Rosa said in a low voice that radiated power.

“Uh, okay?” I said brilliantly, staring at Madam Rosa in utter confusion. Eve, who was about a foot behind me, pushed me forward, and I ended up less than three inches from the low wood table Madam Rosa sat behind. I knelt down on the floor and waited for further instructions, even though I wanted to run out of this stifling room and these two crazy women’s lives as fast as possible.

Slowly, with eyes half closes, Madam Rosa held the deck out to me.

“Shuffle it thrice, pick out your ten cards, and give them to me,” Madam Rosa said, her voice barely above a whisper. I silently took the worn deck from her hands, shuffling the bent card three times, before picking one out and handing it to Madam Rosa, who placed it sideways. The second card I handed to her, she placed on top of the first, and then after she had all my cards, she took a deep breath, opened her green eyes and looked at me.

I flinched backwards slightly, resisting the urge to leave, although I was morbidly curious about what was going to happen next. Suddenly, a long, whistling wind blew through the miniature room, and all of the candles were extinguished, leaving the room in total darkness. The wind blew threw again and I began to get nervous, shifting my position, trying to see in the never-ending darkness surrounding me. I heard cards, possibly from the reading Madam Rosa was doing on me, flutter to the floor. I sat perfectly still, and waited.

A moment later, a blue glow took over the room, and mist rose from the concrete floor. My eyes darted around, the table was gone, as was Madam Rosa, but Eve was still next to me, her eyes and face as terrified as I felt. Our eyes connected, and I betrayed my fear through that one gaze, before she looked just beyond my left ear. My eyes flicked up to see the ghost of a young woman floating several inches above the floor. Her face looked kind with a small nose, wide eyes and a mouth that was curved up in a tiny, knowing smile; long, curly hair extended down her back. She was barefoot, her feet pointed downward in a clearly relaxed position; her only clothing consisted of two leaves covering her breasts and a third covering her crotch. I flushed at the sight of this exposed woman and averted my eyes, staring at the dark ceiling. But still, a cold, gripping fear seeped into my heart, rendering me paralyzed, and my eyes were drawn back to the ghostly woman. I noticed though my panic that on her right arm, she bore a coiling black snake, just like Eve and her grandmother.

“Do not be afraid,” she said in a melodic voice, extending one of her hands as if to reach out to me. “I come bearing no ill will to you, Adam.” I jumped backward, eyes wide. I was terrified that she knew my name, even if she claimed that she wasn’t going to hurt Eve or me.

“Who are you?” Eve asked quietly behind me, I turned and saw her sit on the ground, a determined expression gracing her features.

“I am your ancestor,” the ghost said, her gaze turning to Eve. “The first Eve, the first woman to walk the earth.” The way she stated her last sentence was so calm, almost rehearsed sounding. She then looked back at me.

“You are early this century, Adam,” the ghost Eve said, her eyebrows coming together to form a line, and she frowned slightly. I blinked rapidly at the statement, before recovering and clearing my throat.

“What?” I asked, more than confused. What did she mean by early? I was a senior in high school for Christ’s sake! I couldn’t possibly be who she thought I was.

“You do not know the curse, I see,” the original Eve said with distaste. Her face softened. “But you are remarkably similar to my husband. Even the eyes are the same.” She looked a little wistful for a moment, before recovering and turning to Eve.

“I know you know of the curse, my daughter, and it is your duty to stop the forthcoming events before someone is hurt,” Eve said, turning to the Eve I knew, before once again looking me in the eyes. “You tarot cards were not meant to be read, Adam, do not participate in the witchcraft my daughter Rosa performs, for your own sake.” And with that, she faded back into mist, the blue light emitting from her skin extinguishing. Suddenly, the blown-out candles returned in full force, illuminating the once-dark room. The table from the center of the room, along with Madam Rosa, had returned, with Madam Rosa looking no worse for the wear, except for being slightly anxious looking.

“Eve!” Madam Rosa exclaimed, leaping from behind the table and moving swiftly over to her granddaughter, enveloping her in a tight hug.

“Gran!” Eve gasped, tugging on her grandmother’s arms. “Can’t…breathe!”

“Oh,” Madam Rosa said, releasing Eve from her death grip. Eve took a deep breath in and then glanced at me, resignation that she was going to have to explain to me what the heck was going on was written all over her face.

“What happened?” Madam Rosa pestered, eager, and yet still anxious.

“Adam and I were visited by the ghost of the first Eve,” Eve explained quietly, frowning, her hands clenching into fists. I nodded and Madam Rosa gestured for both of us to sit across from her at the small table. Eve took a deep breath, before beginning.

Chapter One

2010-08-20T16:46:00.000-07:00

A hand snapped out in front of me and landed on the wall. I almost fell backwards in shock. Someone else was down here?

“Don’t even think about moving,” a quiet voice whispered just next to my ear, I couldn’t tell whether the voice belonged to a male or a female. The tanned arm in front of me had a black snake tattooed from wrist to shoulder, with the tail snaking onto the person’s finger and the head disappearing up it’s arm and into the dark all around me.

“Can I ask why?” I said quietly, my eyes darting around, the flashlight in my hand flickered before coming back on with full force. I heard them sigh slightly and come into the circle of light next in front of me. It was a girl with spiky brown-black hair, and sparkling green eyes with just a hint of malice, she seemed to be fifteen or sixteen. She was frowning at me like I was scum. Her was tanned, but not excessively so, and she had a wide, almost African looking nose.

“No,” she finally responded. I looked her up and down again. Black loose jeans, black tank top with a faded Aerosmith logo plastered across her chest. She wore combat boots and had black dragon on her other arm. The heads of the two creatures were on either side of her neck, making her look even more terrifying than I already thought she was. She crossed her arms across her chest and glared at me, green eyes almost slits, glinting in the scarce light of the tunnel.

“Who are you?” I asked, backing up further. My flashlight was still trained on her, I knew that nothing in the dark could touch me, and it was her I was terrified of.

“Eve,” she said. Suddenly, I started laughing. My entire body shook with this laughter, I felt tears of mirth prick my eyes and I quickly wiped them away, training my eyes back on her scowling face.

“What’s funny?” Eve snapped, her earrings clanked angrily against her head and she twisted her head to glare at me again, scowling. I immediately stopped laughing; this girl was absolutely terrifying, I didn’t want to get on her dark side.

“My name is Adam,” I said, smiling lightly at Eve lightly.

“Absolutely hilarious,” she snapped at me, frowning. “Why are you down here? This is my family’s property that you’re trespassing on.” I noticed that she had a slight hint of a Creole southern accent.

“My dad and I moved into the house on the other side of the hill. My father decided to take early retirement and pursue his passion of researching New Orleans history,” I said, shifting slightly so that the light wasn’t directly trained on her face.

“My grandmother and I live at the house at the edge of the graveyard,” Eve explained quickly, examining my face. “Still, why are you down here?” She crossed her arms again, contorting her face into an unsightly scowl. I frowned slightly, raising my eyebrows.

“I thought this place was abandoned,” I said, touching the gravelly gray wall. “I wanted to explore.” Eve studied my face, before she grabbed my chin and made me look into her eyes. I could see my own terrified expression mirrored in those glowing green orbs. Suddenly a surprised expression flickered across her face, eyebrows up, eyes wide, mouth forming a slight ‘o’. It was gone as soon as it had come. I blinked rapidly, and she pushed me away slightly.

“Come with me,” she said, grabbing my wrist and tugging me down the long passageway in front of us.

“Okay,” I said quietly. I was only following her because I wanted to, or at least that’s what I tried to tell myself. Suddenly, Eve stopped and turned a corner I didn’t see. I rammed into the wall.

“Ouch!” I shouted, rubbing my nose with the knuckles of the hand that contained the old red flashlight. Eve stopped about halfway down the tunnel, and turned again, opening an almost invisible door. She then fumbled around in the dark, until a light clicked on. I flinched at the sudden light, and turned off my dying flashlight. Finally, she let go of my wrist. I sighed and rubbed it, knowing the worst was yet to come.

“Come on,” Eve said irritably, grabbing my wrist again and tugging me up the stairs.

“Okay,” I muttered, more than confused. After a minute of climbing the ancient wooden stairs, Eve opened a second door and tugged me through it. Her grip was too tight on my wrist; I was going to have bruises there. Sighing, I rubbed my wrist again, focusing on the floor. Had this crazy girl just brought me into her house?

“Grandma Rosa!” Eve yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth. I glanced around; it appeared that we were in a large kitchen. The floor and cupboards were old, at least 1800, as well as the counters, but the appliances seemed to be straight out of the 1950’s, from the chunky, rounded fridge, to the minuscule stove and sink. The kitchen had one large opening that at one point must have held a door, but it was long gone, instead a long sparkling curtain was pushed to one side. Besides the door we just came from, it was the only other exit. I debated leaving, but my southern instincts told me to be polite and hear these people out.

“Evie?” a much quieter voice called from upstairs, before a loud clomping came from outside the door and a portly old African American woman clad in a long, flowing navy blue dress and dozens of sparkling sashes walked into the kitchen, smiling at Eve before training her eyes on me. Her smile wavered some and she walked over to me, right up close. I had to look down so she could peer into my face. I noticed this old woman, in her eccentric get-up, had the same snake tattoo that Eve had, on her right arm and the same piercing green eyes.

The woman pulled back, frowning at me.

“Who are you, boy?” she asked me, crossing her arms across her chest. “Full name, age, place of birth. Go on, explain yourself!” I was taken aback, but I cleared my throat, ran a hand through my blonde hair and put the flashlight on the nearest counter top before speaking.

“The name is Adam Isaac Du’Paul, ma’am,” I said. “Age seventeen, I was born in Savannah, Georgia, ma’am.”

“A’ight,” said the old woman, looking slightly more satisfied, she smiled lightly and adjusted her head wrap, glancing at Eve, before turning back to me.

“Who are your parents? Got any brothers?” the old woman asked, still scrutinizing me.

“Elane and Abraham Du’Paul, my mother is deceased, and I’m an only child, ma’am,” I responded quickly, brushing my shaggy hair out of my face.

“Dear Lord, help us,” the old woman breathed, suddenly, she turned to Eve and tugged her out of the room, beyond my hearing and sight. I leaned forward, trying to listen to their conversation, but to no avail. Suddenly, I heard them reenter the room and I pulled back, trying to look as innocent as possible. Eve glared at me as if she knew I was eavesdropping. I shrugged lightly at her, as if saying whatever.

“I’m Madam Rosalie Evrianah, you can call me Madam Rosa,” the old woman said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Adam.” She smiled at me, before turning to Eve. The difference between the two women was astounding. Eve was taller and much thinner, her skin paler, hair lighter and straight, but the eyes were the same and that surprised me.

“Eve,” Madam Rosa said. “I need you to take Mr. Du’Paul to the shop, and I need you to talk to him, until I can make it.”

“What?” Eve said, looking appalled and confused at Madam Rosa’s statement.

“Follow my orders, Eve,” Madam Rosa said threateningly. “He might find the shop interesting, after all.” Eve sighed, glanced at me from the corner of her eye, before shaking her head and turning to me.

“Come on,” she muttered. I waved pleasantly to Madam Rosa, grabbed my flashlight off the counter and followed Eve outside, not able to spare a glance to the house.

I found Eve leaning against a rusty, old and dented black VW Beetle. I glanced behind my shoulder, stumbling at the sight of the house behind me. It was crumbling and looked almost derelict. The wooden wrap-porch was falling apart, and the white paint that covered the broken bricks of the front of the house, was chipping and dirty.

“Stop staring and get in the car,” Eve sighed, tugging open the passenger side door for me, before walked around the car and climbing into the drivers seat. I took a deep breath and climbed in. It was a pleasant surprise to find the car clean, smelling of mint and lemons. A dream catcher shook when I slammed my door and Eve started the engine. Small beads hung from every available surface of the car, catching the light in a rainbow of shades.

“Who’s Madam Rosa?” I asked when we pulled out of the driveway.

“My grandmother,” Eve sighed. I spluttered for a moment before recovering.

“But she’s black,” I said, confused. Eve glared at me, looking both ways before pulling out onto a dirt road that was clearly well worn and much used. Trees lined either side of the road, shading a decent part of the road.

“So?” Eve asked, tapping one of her fingers nervously on the steering wheel and speeding up slightly.

“You’re…not,” I said after a moment. I had meant for it to come out suavely and much nicer than it did. Eve scowled at me.

“I’m a quarter African American,” she snapped, enunciating the last two words carefully. I took the hint, nodding.

“Okay,” I said. “Where are your parents?” I turned slightly, the seatbelt cutting into my neck. Eve kept her eyes on the road, scowling.

“They died, a long time ago,” she said finally. I faced front again, sighing. I pushed back the memories that threatening to surface and blinked rapidly, keeping my eyes on the green blur that was the bordering trees.

“I know how it feels,” I said quietly.

“I know,” Eve said, I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye, surprised.

“I heard you tell my grandmother that your mom was deceased,” she explained quickly, yanking the steering wheel and turning onto the main road. I watched the scenery change from trees to strip-malls in silence.

“Oh,” was all I could muster up. We sat in silence for the remainder of the trip, until she pulled into the only empty parking space in front of a narrow shop in downtown New Orleans. The sign on the door was hand painted and read:

Witch Doctor and Fortune Teller
Madam Rosa’s
Shop of Magic

“Is this the shop your grandmother was talking about?” I asked; as Eve pulled a key out of her pocket and opened the wooden door, pushing it out of the way and putting a large glass ball on the floor to keep it open. She flicked on lights and flipped the closed sign in the window to open, before she turned and sat behind the counter, and gestured for me to sit on the second seat next to her.

Cautiously, I followed her and perched myself on the well worn wooden stool and glanced at her face. She was much more serene now and she examined my face with interest.

“I’m bet you’re really confused,” she sighed finally. “I’m really sorry, my grandmother can have that affect on people. So can I.” She flushed slightly. The defiant, cold girl I met in the underground tunnel was gone; in her place was a normal teenager. I tried to keep myself from staring at the tattoos snaking around both her arms, but ended up looking at them anyway.

“You wanna know the story behind these, don’t you?” she asked, poking herself in the arm. I nodded, looking up and meeting her green eyes.

“This one,” she pointed at the long black dragon. “I got last year, for my birthday. The snake is a birthmark.”

“What?” I asked, surprised. “That can be a birthmark!”

“If you aren’t as stupid as I think you, I bet you noticed that my grandmother had the same one. It isn’t a tattoo, Adam. It’s a birthmark,” Eve said. She reached under the desk and pulled on a sweatshirt, even though it must have been at least ninety degrees outside, and humid.

I opened my mouth to say something when customers started arriving, walking up tot Eve and asking her question after question. I sighed and picked up a book I noticed under the desk, and pulled it out, brushing the dust of the well-worn cover. A faded black title in an old-fashioned curly script greeted me as I brushed a layer of dust off the red cover. The Life and Times of Madam Eve it read. Frowning I opened it to the title page.

Sorry about the delay

2010-08-20T16:44:00.000-07:00

Hi, I'm so sorry I didn't update sooner, but I've decided that I'm not going to be posting some of my "already-written" work. Instead, I will be posting chapters of a shot story I'm working on, starting today.

Cheers,

KMT

Alright, so...

2010-07-25T18:25:00.000-07:00

OK, I've decided that I am going to start posting chapters of my book every Saturday.

Unfortunately, I am very behind on two, so those are taking a back burner until Winter Break.

Anywho, next week on Saturday, July 31, I will start posting chapters from: THE LUNE NIGHT MYSTERIES: BOOK ONE-SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET

I'll post a summary tomorrow, or Tuesday, just to keep you on your toes.

Cheers, everyone!!

KMT

Titles

2010-07-15T19:52:00.000-07:00

Ok, here are the titles of my books, and the list that follows is my writing plan. Starting next week, every week on Saturdays I wil be posting a new chapter for my novel: Autumn Foxx the Adventure Begins.

Or at least until I run out of chapters!

Enjoy!

the Books of
Katie Meg Thomas

Autumn Foxx Saga: 4 Books
The Adventure Begins
The Blood Garnet
Onyx and Sapphire
The Cult of the Black Scorpion

The Atlantean Histories: 7 Books
The Black City
The Unwritten Prophecy
The Old Constellations
Gold Water
Blue Moons
The Silver Bracelet
The Last Prophet

The Lune Night Mysteries: 9 Books
Skeletons in the Closet
Dancing on Strings
Windows Wide Open
Yellow Flowers
Thirteen Candles at Midnight
The Twenty Ninth of February
Ten Reasons Why
Reflections in the Dragon Mirror
The Countdown Begins

The Deck of Cards Series: 5 Books
The Ace of Spades
The King of Hearts
The Jack of Diamonds
The Queen of Clubs
Trailing Smoke

Grey Rabbit Summer

The Vows of Meg (NOVELLA)

Demon Hunter (NOVELLA)

Friendship is a Verb & TimeWorks

Hi, my name is Katie, and I'm a writer

2010-05-11T09:22:00.000-07:00

My name is Katherine Margrethe Thomas. I'm 13, a writer and from now on I'm going to post excerpts from my novels, and hope hope hope for feed back. I'm trying to get published and also trying to get in Loomis Chaffee. So, yeah, that's me. Hope you enjoy my writing!!