Seraph: The Awakening

CHAPTER ONE

“Good morning!” Norabel said brightly as she descended the stairs into the kitchen. Copper strands of her long hair framed her face, swaying as her long legs carried her swiftly downward. At 5 feet 11 inches, closing the distance between her and her mother was effortless.

“Oh, look. She’s awake,” Marisa smiled, lifting a mug to her lips. Her blue eyes sparkled as she studied her daughter—the girl she adored with all her heart, even if trouble seemed to follow her around. Physically, Nora didn’t resemble her. Marisa was six inches shorter, softer in frame. Nora’s hazel-brown eyes and tall, athletic build came from her father.

“Relax, Mum. I’m not late,” Nora said, heading for the fridge. She usually woke early for a morning run, but today she’d traded jogging shoes for extra sleep.

“Did I say you were?” Marisa asked lightly, setting her mug down as she twisted her honey-blonde hair into a bun.

“You don’t have to. I can tell when you’re being sarcastic,” Nora replied, pouring juice into a cup.

“Ha-ha. Funny,” Marisa muttered as sunlight caught her porcelain skin.

“That was another one,” Nora smirked, tossing the empty carton into the trash.

“Here.” Marisa handed her a plate of toast and an omelette.

“Thanks.”

They sat opposite each other at the small round dining table.

“Have you made a decision?” Marisa asked, biting into her toast.

Nora didn’t need to ask what she meant. College.

“No, not yet,” she said airily, sipping her juice.

“Norabel, you have to choose before the applications close.”

Her daughter had offers from three colleges—thanks to her grades and her martial arts achievements—but she still hadn’t chosen.

“I know, Mum. I will.”

The truth was, Nora wasn’t ready. Leaving high school, leaving Meadowville, felt wrong. She’d grown up here, with only short breaks to visit Aunt Lucy and cousin Mark in New York. A voice inside her told her college wasn’t her next step. She couldn’t explain why. Maybe it was fear of the unknown. Or maybe her path was simply different.

“Alright,” Marisa said gently, not wanting to push.

Nora nodded and focused on her breakfast. She swept her gaze around the kitchen—the heart of their home. The Bennetts’ duplex sat on the west side of town, its French brick exterior and blue-scaled roof making it stand out modestly among Meadowville’s houses. Inside, soft blue walls and gray floor tiles tied the rooms together. The living room sat to the right of the staircase, the kitchen to the left. A black U-shaped couch faced a flat-screen TV and fireplace, with framed pictures along the wall—mostly of her and her mother, and only two of her father.

“I’ll be home late today,” Marisa said, breaking the silence. She worked at The Frontier, the town’s newspaper.

“Why? Is something wrong?”

“No.” Marisa scraped the last piece of omelette onto her fork. “They want me to cover the animal attacks. I’ll be digging into old reports.”

Animal attacks. That phrase unsettled Nora.

For two months, rumors of strange sightings in Meadowville’s forest reserve had spread—claw marks, mangled animals, even talk of bears. But Meadowville wasn’t supposed to have wild animals. Not anymore.

Nora’s mind flashed to the latest attack. Ranger Henshaw had been rushed to the ER, chest clawed open, half his face burned as though melted by acid. He claimed a bear with corrosive saliva had attacked him. No one believed him. But no one believed the official story either.

“Okay,” Nora murmured.