Current Impressions (38 page)

“Your bravery is admirable.” Ted’s swollen
eyes locked on mine. “You must love Evan very much to risk your
life.”

“Do you know where he is?”

Ted coughed, bending at the waist. When he
quieted, he said, “I was not privy to the information. Ken
considers me a traitor.”

Kieran spoke up. “Are you?”

A deep growl rumbled in Ted’s throat. It
could’ve been from pain or anger. I wasn’t sure. “I wasn’t.” He
sighed and motioned to his body. “Until he did this to me, locked
Evan in a cell, and showed me what kind of monster he truly
is.”

“What is he?” Kieran asked. Like Ping-Pong,
my eyes bounced between the two of them, both men sizing each other
up.

“The same as me.” With a wail, Ted rose. He
swayed on his feet, clearly in extreme pain. “I’ll show you.”

We watched as his body elongated. Muscles
and bones popped with the sudden growth. His nails turned long and
sharp, as did his teeth. When the transformation was complete, he
was inches from the ceiling, his skin and eyes a vivid blue. The
red blood streaming down his arms appeared black against his
skin.

Blue Men of Minch
, Kieran confirmed
in my head.

Ted bent down toward us, grunting as he
went. We jumped back, but he shook his head. “I won’t hurt you. I
never meant to hurt anyone.” He sighed and fell back from his
hunched position, a dazed expression on his face. “I don’t have
much longer.”

Struggling with his pocket, he pulled out a
poorly wrapped package and handed it to me through the bars. The
package was light, but flexible. It wasn’t paper, rather, smooth,
white fabric. A dinner napkin, I realized. Unfolded, the bundle
revealed Evan’s necklace. He’d left it for me. Why?

Wait. Something was on the fabric, writing
in reddish-brown ink. Ink or blood? Stretching the napkin between
my hands, I read the message clearly. There was one word carefully
printed with thick and jagged lines in the center of the napkin.
One word that seared itself into my brain.

Azuria.

Kieran read over my shoulder. When I looked
back at him, he shook his head in confusion. He didn’t know.

“What’s Azuria?” I asked.

Professor Nolan didn’t respond. He was
already dead.

THE END

In a blink of an eye, I’ve gone from being
an unpublished author to having not one, but two books under my
name. I have the amazing women at Clean Teen Publishing to thank
for that. Thank you for believing in me and giving me beautiful
books with captivating covers and lovely typography. A special
thanks to Cynthia, the editing guru, for your sharp eye and wise
advice, and to Melanie for promoting my stories to the world. You
are all so good at what you do, and I’m thrilled to be a part of
it.

Once again, I also want to thank the staff
and students at AllWriters’ Workplace and Workshop. Your critiques
and discussions of Current Impressions helped to make the story
what it is today. Thank you to Katie, Stephanie, and Ceci who
kindly beta read the story and gave me solid feedback, asking
questions about the things that needed questioning.

A big shout out to my husband, John; my
daughter, Dori; and my son, Nate; who put up with my crabbiness
when the words weren’t coming right and my isolation when I was in
“writer mode.”

Finally, to my other friends and family who
provide encouraging words, celebrate my successes, and allow me to
always dream a little bigger. This one’s for you!

Kelly Risser knew at a young age what she
wanted to be when she grew up. Unfortunately, Fairytale Princess
was not a lucrative career. Leaving the castle and wand behind, she
entered the world of creative business writing where she worked in
advertising, marketing, and training at various companies.

She’s often found lamenting, “It’s hard to
write when there’s so many good books to read!” So, when she’s not
immersed in the middle of someone else’s fantasy world, she’s busy
creating one of her own. This world is introduced in her first
novel, Never Forgotten. Never Forgotten, a YA/NA Fantasy, was
released by Clean Teen Publishing in the Summer of 2014.

Kelly lives in Wisconsin with her husband
and two children. They share their home with Clyde the Whoodle and
a school of fish.

If you are enjoying The
Never Forgotten Series by Kelly Risser, check out The Awakener by
Amanda Strong. 

Seeing Micah for the first time in years,
fifteen year old Eden wants nothing more than to run and hide, but
instead in a moment of sheer embarrassment, she throws her arms
around his neck; unaware she just changed her childhood friend
forever.


With eyes’ opened to the realm of angels
and demons, Micah discovers he has become the Seer, called to save
the world from an impending fire. Shy and awkward, Eden stumbles
through high school clueless her guardian angel shadows her every
move, keeping her safe while she unknowingly “awakens” others to
their spiritual gifts. Micah will need those Eden touched to
complete his mission which began long ago in the ancient City of
Enoch and its secret underground temple.


With angels and demons fighting around
them, both Eden and Micah must find their own personal courage and
faith in order to know what to do for the battle that awaits them,
one they must triumph or risk losing everyone they love.

A locker clanged behind Eden just as someone
shoved her elbow, knocking the folder from the crook of her arm.
Papers flew from the pockets, fluttering to the ground, and then
kicked along by the sea of teenagers.

“Oh geez, sorry,” a boy said over his
shoulder. He was gone before she could even tell what color his
hair was. She stooped, retrieving her class schedule, school map,
emergency contact sheet, and other forms from the office for her
parents to sign and return. Straightening up, she glanced one last
time at her schedule before tucking it in her jeans pocket.
First trig- and then Biology.
On second thought, she pushed
the map into her pocket too.
Just in case
.
Bon Air High’s
a lot bigger than Portsmouth.

“Hey, watch it, man,” a boy crowed. Two boys
began scuffling and, anxious to avoid having her belongings knocked
to the floor again, she quickened her pace. As much as she wanted
to blend in, standing inches above those around her made it
difficult. Avoiding eye contact, she maneuvered through the crowd,
determined to reach her destination. She couldn’t help but notice
how plain her white Keds were compared to the fuzzy, knee-length
boots on the two girls in front of her. The giggling girls reached
their lockers, and the view in front of Eden temporarily
cleared.

She bit the inside of her cheek, the
instinct to duck behind the two girls intense. Spine tingling with
adrenaline, she pushed her glasses up. Down the corridor,
sandwiched between two girls and a guy, was her childhood best
friend, Micah. Though no longer a lanky boy, she still recognized
his light blue eyes. The mop of black hair he had as a kid was now
short, a little longer than a buzz. Eden was drawn to his smile,
even if it was meant for the blonde girl at his side. A good foot
shorter than him, the girl craned her neck up as she wrapped an arm
around his waist.
Has to be his girlfriend.
A stocky,
jock-type boy with chestnut-brown hair and a tan girl with
jet-black hair stood next to them. The jock slugged Micah’s
shoulder as his bellowing laugh made its way down the hall to
Eden.

Then the scene was gone as jeans and a
myriad of different colored t-shirts blocked her view. She sucked
in a deep breath, her lungs burning from holding it too long. Sweat
was beading at the top of her forehead as she prayed she could pass
Micah’s entourage unnoticed.
If I can’t see him, he can’t see me
either, right?
She hoped.

The staircase loomed nearer.
I’m going to
make it,
she thought, wishing the kids in front of her would
move faster.

“No way, dude. Coach always gives you the
ball, Micah,” a male voice boomed.

Eden glanced over. Micah’s group was
directly left of her now.

He hasn’t noticed me, just keep
moving,
she told herself.

Face ducked down, she lifted her leg up,
only to have her foot land sideways and to the left. Her weight
uneven, she feared toppling over, but a pressure on her left side
held her up. Confused, she again attempted to move away, only this
time, her body made a ninety-degree turn, bringing her a foot away
from the blonde girl.

Horrified, Eden’s legs stepped one in front
of the other, heading straight towards Micah. Within seconds, she
stood dead center, stopping his small group of friends short.
Sky-blue eyes swam in front of her vision before she was lunging
forward, throwing her arms around his neck, hugging him.