The Damned

The Beginning

Nix POV

Growing up I always knew what I am.  A shifter, an immortal shifter, in a human world.  When I turn sixteen in less than four months, I will shift for the first time.  I can’t wait to see what my wolf is going to look like.  We are a community.  Majority of us live on a small island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, but there are families that live in the United States of America.  All of us on the island are shifters.  Families who only have one child must move to the States when said child turns sixteen unless they are the future Alpha or Beta(s).  I’m not sure why, but it’s the way it’s always been.  My kind are destined to help bring about the end of the world.  We are known as The Damned.  The Damned stop aging when they turn twenty-one.  Being immortal, we don’t die easily, but it’s also not impossible to kill us.  Wolfsbane in a shifter mocks a flu or cold, whereas a werewolf can die from wolfsbane.  Silver tingles a shifter like an electric shock, but if you wrap silver around a werewolf, it burns into their skin.  Fire hurts, but we heal easily from it unlike a werewolf who will burn and not recover.  Complete limb removal or completely slicing our head off is the only true way to kill a member of The Damned community.

The Damned, like most immortals, also feel the pull of a mate at the age of eighteen.  The Alpha of the island was killed fourteen years ago.  Alpha Drake’s Luna, Aslanta Darkas, is taking care of the shifters of the island for now, but once her son, Darian, graduates high school this year, he will take over and be the new Alpha.  I hope his Luna will be as nice as Luna Aslanta.  Of course, only time will tell.

In two days, my best friend Yvonne turns sixteen.  She’s an only child, so, her family will be moving on her birthday.  Because of that, we are celebrating tomorrow night.  Two days after she moves, my sophomore year of high school starts.  I don’t know how I will survive school without her.  But I’ll just continue to be the outcast I have always been.

Nix POV

 ‘August 19, 2028

In just two days my best friend, Yvonne, turns sixteen.  The party is tomorrow night.  It will be a bittersweet party.  For some reason, in our community, when an only child turns sixteen, their family must move to the States.  I still haven’t figured out why the family has to move.  I realize it’s the way of The Damned, but I just don’t fully understand why.  So, Yvonne will be in the States while I stay here on this tiny island in the middle of the ocean.  But thank goodness for technology.’

 “Persephone!”  My mother hollers knowing full well that I hate that name.

“Coming!”  I holler back and close my journal.  I hop off my bed and start downstairs.  My name’s Persephone, but everyone calls me Phoenix or Nix, which is my middle name.  Only a select few outside my family know that my name is Persephone.  My mom picked it out because Persephone is the wife of Hades and bringer of destruction.  Why the second part is important is beyond me, but my mom has a fascination with Greek mythology.  My father chose my middle name saying it would be what everyone knows me as.  He picked it because shortly before I was conceived, my mother miscarried.  So, Dad called me Phoenix to say I was reborn from that miscarriage.  I make it downstairs to find my mom in the kitchen with my older siblings, Nina and Theo.  Theo is the oldest and his name means “gift of God.”  My parents gave him that name because they were told they couldn’t have children.  Nina is in between Theo and me.  Her name means “strong.”  So, in conclusion, I got the short end of the stick with my name.  Maybe one day my parents will tell me why they picked that name for me.

“Hey, sis.”  Theo smiles.

“Hi.”  I smile in return.

“Hey, Nix.”  Nina says.  I nod and look at Mom.

“You’d better get ready to go.”  Mom says.

“Where are we going?”

“Clothes shopping for the school year.”  Nina smiles.  Every year we go clothes shopping.  I always get the least amount of clothes because I’m not one for fashion.  I tend to stick to dark colors, especially black.  Nina is the fashionista of the family.  She is also extremely popular at school, whereas I’m an outcast even though my family is one of the richest on the island.  I prefer being an outcast though.  It suits me.  Nina will be a senior this year and I’ll be a sophomore.  Theo will be entering his second year of college.  This year for me is going to suck without Yvonne.

“Well, I guess I’ll go get my shoes on then.”  I say and go back upstairs to my room.  I grab my Converse and put them on.  As I head back downstairs, my phone buzzes in my back pocket.  I fish it out.  It’s a text from Yvonne.

‘Hey!  The party tomorrow night starts at six but I was hoping you’d come a bit early to help me set up.’  The message reads.  I type a quick reply.

‘I’ll be there early.’  I hit send just as I hit the bottom step.

“Ready?”  Mom says coming around the corner with Nina and Theo following.

‘I hate shopping.’  Isla, my wolf, says in my head.

‘Same.’  I reply to Isla while I nod to my mom.  The four of us go out to the garage.  Mom opens the garage door in front of her SUV.  We get in and head for the outlet mall.  We may be a small island and out in the middle of nowhere, but we still have the latest and greatest.  We have an outlet mall that has stores like Forever 21, Kohl’s, American Eagle, Abercrombie and Fitch, and other popular stores.  We also have a ten screen, dinner-and-a-movie movie theater.  Then there’s the drive-in theater, popular food places, two grocery stores, Wal-Mart, Walgreens, two hospitals, two dentists’ offices, three doctors’ offices, a post office, an optometrists’ office, two gyms, several hometown businesses, and, of course, other big name companies.

We arrive at the outlet mall and head straight for the first store.  We spend a good three hours shopping.  When we get home, I grab my bags out of the back of the SUV and go upstairs to my room to put all my clothes away.  Once all my clothes are put away, I go back downstairs.  I find my family in the kitchen.  Mom appears to be starting dinner while the others help.

“What are you making?”  I ask.

“Beef stew.”  Mom replies.  I nod and go over to the sink to wash my hands so that I can help.  We make dinner and while it stews we all go to the living room.  “Should we start a movie?”  Mom asks.  We all agree on watching The Greatest Showman.  Our family is into older movies.  We rarely do new movies when they are new.  The movie gets about two-thirds of the way through before Mom has to pause because dinner is ready.  We eat while finishing the movie.  After the movie is over and the kitchen is clean, I go upstairs and start the water for a bath.  While the bath is filling up, I go into my room and grab a book.  I decide to read Witch Dreams by Vivian Vande Velde.  It’s an older book, but I find I prefer those more than newer books.  I go back into my bathroom and wait while the tub finishes filling up.  As soon as it’s full, I slip into the warm water.  I get five chapters read before I decide to get out and dry off.  I put on some pajama shorts and a tank top.  With my book in hand, I curl up in my bay window.  I love having this window to read or sketch in.  After about an hour of reading, I decide it’s time for bed.  I turn off my lights and slide under the covers.  I am soon drifting off.

Nix POV

Waking up this morning, I feel refreshed.  I go downstairs and make myself some breakfast.  While eating, Theo and Nina come down.

“Morning, Nix.”  Theo smiles.

“Morning.”  I smile back.  “Did you guys sleep well?”

“Yeah.”  They answer at the same time.

“Good.”

“Did you?”  Nina asks.

“I did.”  I reply.  They get their breakfast and join me at the kitchen table.  We eat in silence.  Once my breakfast is gone, I clear my dishes and then go upstairs to take a shower.  I dress in khaki cargo capris and a forest green short sleeved blouse.  I brush out my long hair and style it in a braid so that it will be wavy for the party tonight.  I put on a bit of makeup, but I never put on a lot.  I mostly just do some eyeshadow, eye liner, and matte lipstick.  My lipsticks aren’t like Nina’s.  Hers are all pinks and bright reds whereas mine are all blacks, dark reds, dark purples, blues, greens, and whites.  By the time I am ready for the day, it’s coming up on lunch.  I go downstairs and make myself some buttered noodles.  I eat, wash the pan I used, and put my bowl and fork in the dishwasher.  I go upstairs and wrap Yvonne’s gift.  She won’t be opening until she gets to the States because it’s a keychain for the new car her parents are surprising her with when they get to their new house.  I’m actually going to sneak it to Yvonne’s mom, Lola, so that Yvonne doesn’t question why she isn’t opening it tonight.  Once the gift is wrapped, I put on my white Converse, grab my phone and purse, and start walking towards Yvonne’s house.

Walking to Yvonne’s house, one thought keeps invading my mind:  this is the last time I will see her for who knows how long.

‘Yes, but you’ll still have communication with her.  It’s not like she’s dying.’  Isla remarks.

‘True.’  I make it to Yvonne’s, knock on the door once, and then enter.  I am about four hours early for the party so that I can help Yvonne set up.  As we are setting up, I start to feel funny.  I know this feeling.  I accidentally drop the glass I am carrying.  I immediately drop to my knees to try and clean it up.

‘Oh no!’  Isla practically screams in my head.

“Mom!  Call Nix’s parents!”  I hear Yvonne yelling but I can’t stop myself.

“Why?  What’s wrong?”  Lola comes into the room.  “Oh dear!”  I hear the clicking sounds of a phone dialing out.  “Nix is having an episode!”  Lola yells into the phone.  “Right.  We will meet you there with her.”  As Lola is talking to what I assume is my parents, Yvonne gets me to stop trying to clean up the glass while I apologize profusely.  Yvonne grabs a couple kitchen towels and wraps my hands in them to stop the bleeding.  She and her mom usher me to the car.  Lola calls Philip, her husband, on the way to the hospital.  She explains what has happened and tells him to call off the party.  Now I feel even more horrible that I've not only broken glass but now I've caused the party to be canceled.  That’s when the tears start.  And not just baby tears.  No, they are big fat tears.  Yvonne consoles me while I blubber on about being so sorry.

We get to the hospital and Lola and Yvonne help me inside.  My mom and dad are in the lobby already waiting with Doctor Alec.  They rush me into a room and Doctor Alec takes a look at my hands.  This scenario is nothing new to those closest to me.  Everyone on the island who has seen my scars knows that they are from my episodes.  We call them episodes because they come and go.  By now I can sometimes sense when one will hit.  They are caused by intense emotional moments.  Like tonight, it was caused by the intense sadness I was feeling.  I sensed the episode coming, but, like every other time, I couldn’t stop it from happening.  Doctor Alec stitches up my deeper cuts, but it isn’t enough.  It never is.  He has me change into a gown and shows me to a private room for overnight.  As always, Doctor Alec sees to it that I get an IV and something to eat then he leaves to let my loved ones say goodnight.  Tonight will be a little different because it’s also goodbye to Yvonne.  My parents and Lola say goodnight and leave so that Yvonne and I can have a moment.

“I promise this isn’t goodbye for forever.  We will keep in touch and as soon as I’m allowed to come visit, I will.”  Yvonne smiles.  “We’ll make it through this.  Together.”  I nod not wanting my voice to crack.  She comes over and gives me a hug.  “Goodbye for now, Nix.”  She smiles and rushes out of the room.  She hates letting people see her cry.  I release the breath I didn’t know I was holding and lay down.  I shut my eyes and drift off.  I wake up again to find that it’s morning.  I have been in the hospital enough to be used to the machines beeping, so, now I sleep through them.  Doctor Alec comes in to check on my hands.  The Damned may heal faster than humans, but the scars remain like a human’s wound.

“Your wounds appear to be healing nicely.  Come back tomorrow and I’ll take the stitches out.”  Doctor Alec says.

“Will do.”  He leaves to start my discharge papers while a nurse comes in to take my IV out.  Once she’s done with that, I call my parents to let them know I’m being discharged then I get dressed.  As I am lacing up my shoes, another nurse comes with a tray.

“Doctor Alec would like you eat before you leave.”  She says.

“Thank you.”  I smile.  She sets the tray on the hospital table then leaves the room.  I finish lacing up my shoes then uncover the food on the tray.  Scrambled eggs, sausage links, hash browns, and toast with blackberry jam.  My favorite when I’m in the hospital.

‘And Doctor Alec knows that.’  Isla pipes up.

‘That’s because he’s a very caring doctor.’  I remark.

‘And a good looking doctor.’  Isla adds.

‘Yes, but clearly he doesn’t feel the mate bond with us.’

‘So?  No harm in checking him out anyway.’

‘You’re terrible.’

‘Well, I’m you and you’re me.  So, you’re terrible too.’

‘Fair enough.’  I say and Isla stays silent after that.  I finish my breakfast just as my parents arrive.  Roughly ten minutes later, Doctor Alec comes into the room with my discharge papers.

“Now remember to come back tomorrow to get those stitches out.”  He smiles.

“Yes, Doctor.”  I smile in return.  I head out to the car with my parents.  We drive home in silence.  I go straight to my room to take a relaxing bath.  I grab my book from the other night and slip into the warm water.  Six chapters later, I am getting out of the tub and drying off.  I go into my room and put on a pair of black jeans with a black, long sleeved, hooded shirt.

“Phoenix!”  Dad hollers.

“Coming!”  I holler back and head downstairs.  When I get to the kitchen, lunch is on the table.  I sit down and everyone starts eating.  We eat in silence, which is somewhat rare for us.  Once school begins, it won’t be so quiet during meal times.  After lunch, I am feeling very tired, so, I go back up to my room and lay down.

I’m running, but something, or someone, is chasing me.  I can hear the pounding behind me.  Suddenly, I am tackled to the ground by a midnight black wolf.  Who is this wolf?  I don’t recognize it.  The wolf leans its head down and sniffs my hair.  Then the wolf does something I don’t expect.  The wolf licks my face.

Startled by the lick on my face, I wake up.

‘That was a beautiful wolf.’  Isla says happily.

‘Yeah.  But who was it?’  I wonder.

‘Don’t know.’  I shake it off and get off my bed.  I go over to my desk and turn to a new page in my sketchbook.  I begin sketching the wolf from my dream.  Why did it lick me?  Who was the wolf?  So many questions about such a short dream.

“Hey, Nix.”  Theo says knocking on my door.

“What’s up, Theo?”  I ask setting my pencil down and turning around to face him.

“Nina and I are going to go out to eat for dinner tonight.  Wanna come?”

“What about Mom and Dad?”

“They thought we could have a sibling night.”

“Okay.”  I smile.  Nina, Theo, and I are very close.  We try to have sibling nights as often as possible.  “Let me just get some socks and shoes on.”

“Cool.  Meet you in the car.”  Theo smiles and I hear him going back downstairs.  I go over to my dresser and grab a pair of socks then go into my closet and grab my blood red Converse and put them on.  I go downstairs and see that Theo has already backed his truck out of the garage.  I holler bye to Mom and Dad and go out to Theo’s truck.  I really like Theo’s truck.  It’s a glossy black 2024 Chevy Silverado.  Nina’s car is cool too.  She has a glossy red 2027 Kia Stinger.  Mom has a blue 2020 Buick Regal and Dad has a white 2019 Chevy Equinox.  All of the vehicles are very comfortable to ride in.  This semester I start my behind the wheel training after school on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.  By the time my birthday comes around in December, I’ll be able to take the driving test to get my license.  I can’t wait to see what kind of car they plan on getting for me.  I mean, hopefully they have something planned for me.  Nina and Theo both got their vehicles on their sixteenth birthday, so surely I will too.  Right?

We reach the restaurant and Theo parks.  We are at my favorite restaurant on the island:  The Four T’s Steak and Seafood House.  The three of us go in and are seated immediately.  Theo orders a couple appetizers at the same time that we put in for our drinks.  When our drinks arrive, we order dinner.  The three of us laugh and talk throughout the entire meal.  I love these moments.  After dinner, Theo pays and we go back home.  I go upstairs to my room and continue my sketch of the midnight black wolf.  After about an hour of drawing, I decide to go to sleep.  I change into my pajamas and turn off the lights.  I crawl into bed and drift peacefully off to sleep.