Shards of Skye (The Skye Chronicles Book 1) Page 3

Skye lay back on her bed staring at the ceiling. Her mind was suddenly very clear and not filled with the many thoughts she had moments before. She couldn’t feel her sorrow any longer. She only felt the stinging from the cuts. A few tears escaped from her eyes, but her lips were curved into a smile.

  She felt the pain, but it was a pain she could control. Part of her was ashamed at what she felt she had to resort to so she could feel like a whole person, but part of her only soaked in the happiness of feeling something again.

  “Skye, it’s time to get to school!” Her mother yelled, as she banged on the bedroom door while she walked past.

  Skye looked between her thighs and the cuts were already healing fast. She frowned as she ran her fingers across them and no longer felt the stinging she had moments before. Her body seemed to heal quickly, too quickly, and she wondered what was wrong with her.

  She had only been sick as a child once and she couldn’t remember it at all. Only bits and pieces came to her. She could only remember her father panicking to rush her somewhere, presumably a hospital, as her mother was freaking out, and refusing to be near her. It was hard for Skye to remember parts of her past, but she could have sworn her mother disowned her several times. Skye didn’t remember being a bad child so she couldn’t understand what led her own mother to hate her.

  Skye knew her mother was prone to overreactions, so she never thought much of it. It was the fear in her father’s eyes that had worried her. He seemed truly scared.

  Skye got out of her bed, put on her jeans, and slipped into her boots. She grabbed her backpack walking out of her room. Her mother made a sound of disgust as Skye walked by her.

  “What?” Skye challenged. She was in no mood to have their morning fight about how Skye looked, but she knew it was coming.

  “You look like an emo freak. Seriously can’t you put a little pride in yourself?” Lucille shook her head at her daughter.

  “Emo freak was what I was going for, Mother. I guess I am proud.” Skye’s voice was full of disdain as she turned away. She walked out of the house quickly before her mother could say more.

  Her relationship with her mother had died years before. Her grandparents believed Skye and Lucille’s relationship had died when Skye’s father Gary had passed away, but Skye and Lucille both knew their relationship had been dead long before that.

  Her father’s death had been the end of her childhood and the beginning of many questions still left unanswered. She had no idea how he had really died. Her memories of the night of his death were foggy at best. Lucille refused to speak about it. Skye did remember her mother saying “I hate you”, and she knew that she would never forgive her mother, not even if she lived for a thousand years.

  Skye slipped into her father’s 1976 Dodge Challenger. Her mother had wanted to sell it when he died, but it was left to Skye in his will, and she was not about to let it go. Skye believed the faded orange and black paint added to its character.

  At school, there were constant jokes about her car being for a boy and not for a girl. She hated the gender stereotypes people put on her. She was not going to be held to anyone’s standard of normal. She knew her father’s car was a classic and it had belonged to him, she would never let it go. She didn’t have much left from her father. The car was precious to her because of that.

  She drove to school blasting music from her mp3 player. The loud music would drown out the thoughts that came to her. Memories that were better left in the past would creep into her mind and she didn’t want to handle them.

  Skye knew she wasn’t mentally unstable, but she also knew she had more problems than most the kids her own age. She felt a heavy burden from that and she had many unanswered questions about herself that led her to feel confused. Even though she knew she wasn’t unstable, she also didn’t believe she was whole either.

  She also began questioning if she was even truly human. Human bodies healed more slowly than hers did. Human bodies seemed to feel pain more easily as well. She also knew that when she would cut herself to be able to feel something again, that she shouldn’t be bleeding a light purple color. She pushed the thoughts in the back of her mind, ready to face the day.

  She pulled into the parking lot of her school into her usual spot in the back. Her car was surrounded by new cars that over privileged parents had paid way too much for. There were several muddy trucks in the parking lot as well. She knew the good ol’ boys loved to go muddin’.

  She would never admit it to anyone, but she had wondered what it would be like to do that. Her mother would die of embarrassment to know that her daughter wanted to engage in activities she deemed only appropriate for boys. But the thought of being dirty, surrounded by nothing but nature called to her.

  Skye closed her car door and then saw her friends across the parking lot. They were able to make her smile. Even on a morning when she had woke up feeling lost, she knew her friends were there for her in a way that her family could never be.

  They accepted her for who she was and not who they wanted her to be. They were the only three people she liked to spend time with at school. They were all newer to South Carolina, but seemed to know her better than her classmates who had known her for years.

  “Someone is in jeans and boots today.” Kel observed as Skye reached them.

  “Bite me, Kel.” Skye winked.

  “Not judging here, just making an observation. I hope you didn’t cut too deep.” She said with a teasing smile.

  “Oh, Kel, how nice to know you worry so.” Skye blew a kiss to her friend.

  “Hey from one girl to another, you don’t want to do any damage down there in case you ever decide to open those legs for a guy.” Skye snorted a laugh at her.

  “Kel you need to get laid. You talk about it so much I wonder if you ever really do get any.”

  “If I want it sure, but right now I couldn’t care less.” Kel had dark black hair, cut short and spiked.

  She always wore faded jeans and band tee-shirts. Kel was an in your face type of girl, but was so attractive it never mattered. She never had a problem getting a date. Kel had tried to get Skye to date, but gave up when she saw how disinterested Skye was in the matter. Normal boys bored Skye. The potential dates were open books which no one wanted to read.

  “Enough girl talk,” Mike cut in. “Skye, we’re going to see some local bands play tonight. You in or out?” Mike was inches taller than Skye, and very attractive. He also wore all black like Skye. His natural red hair was soft and Skye enjoyed messing it up.

  She thought he was kind of hot, but never wanted anything else out of it. She didn’t want a relationship with anyone. Her past relationships were disasters, so she had no desire to relive one of those.

  “Totally in. I need out of my house like nobody’s business.”

  “Awesome. Meet us at the skate park around 7.” Evan finally spoke up. Skye had always admired his beautiful Native American skin and long hair. His tanned brown skin was just the perfect shade.

  No matter how long Skye had tried in the past to tan, her skin was almost translucent. It was another odd thing about herself she didn’t understand. She was so pale and white when her mother was naturally tan. The first bell of the day rang interrupting her train of thought.

  “Time to pretend we care.” Skye muttered, walking off towards the school with her friends.

  She went to her first class and took her usual seat in the back of the classroom. She started doodling on her notebook when something caught her eye.

  She glanced up towards the teacher’s desk where a new student was standing. Skye actually dropped her pencil she was so distracted by this new student. He was the sexiest guy she had ever seen. His dark black hair had small brown highlights in it. He was tall, tan, and muscular. He had to be from a different planet, she thought. She shook her head picking the pencil back up, and when she looked back up again the new student sat next to her.

  Skye licked her lips enjoying the sugary taste of them. That was yet an
other thing she had never understood. She had always been able to taste sugar on her lips without ever putting anything on them. She didn’t need to wear lip gloss, her lips were naturally shiny. Skye noticed the new guy was staring at her with his piercing green eyes, so she looked over to stare back at him.

  “Hey I’m Maddox.” His voice was deeper than she had imagined possible. He sounded like a man, not a teenage boy. He also looked dangerous and absolutely delicious. Skye tilted her head slightly to the side to look him over better. He didn’t seem uncomfortable with the fact she was just staring at him.

  “I’m Skye. Just want to warn you that I’m the school freak, so talking to me will not get you into any cliques around here.” His laugh startled her.

  “Cliques don’t interest me in the least. You do though.” Skye’s eyes went wide at his sudden confession, and then she rolled her eyes.

  “I get it. Pale skin, whitish blonde hair, and wears black. I’m not in a trendy type mood or anything. This is just who I am.” She shrugged. “I’m not some cute cuddly girl who’s just waiting for the right guy to sweep me off of my feet, and then will suddenly start wearing bright colors and smiling like life is great. I’m just not that person.” She found herself rambling. That was different. She usually either didn’t talk to people or told them to go away. Why suddenly was this stranger getting her attention? And more so why did she care?

  The stranger smiled at her, which should have been reassuring, but he looked menacing. Skye had to ignore the fact she liked that about him.

  “Glad to know you’re not some poser just doing whatever celebrity that’s in right now is telling you to. Neither am I.”

  Skye looked at his full lips and felt an instant pull to him. She turned her head back to the front of the room ignoring him. She had to remind herself to get a grip. Drooling over the sexy new guy wasn’t going to do her any good. She had sworn off relationships for a reason. She was a freak. There would be no happy ending for her so why bother?

  Skye tried to ignore the fact that she was sitting next to someone that could be a great candidate for being an underwear model nevertheless her eyes would peek to look at him every so often. He had a smile plastered on his face. She couldn’t figure out why, unless he was a huge fan of Bronte which was the subject in the class at the moment.

  He glanced over and saw her looking at him. When their eyes connected she felt an electric pull towards him. She felt like gravity no longer held her, instead his gaze did. She took a small breath and forced herself to look away from him. She noticed from the corner of her eyes that he was still staring at her, but she refused to look back at him.

  Once class was over she gathered her notebooks putting them in her backpack and stood up. Maddox stood beside her as if waiting for something. She looked up at him realizing he was rather tall. He towered over her making her feel even smaller than normal. Somehow she found that attractive as well. She tried to walk around him but he stepped in the way with a coy smile on his lips.

  “Did you want to go hang out after school sometime?” he asked.

  “What? No… I don’t know you.” She replied walking around him leaving him standing in the room.

  She let out a huge breath once in the hall and rushed off to her next class. She felt unnerved by his presence and strangely attracted to him. Yes she admitted he was hot and mysterious but she had never been a silly school girl ready to fall for just any guy. Why did she feel her gut tightened at the thought of him?

  Luckily she was leaning on her fist when he walked into the classroom or her mouth would have floundered open. Maddox once again sat beside her. This continued for the rest of the day. He was in every single one of her classes. Skye knew the chances of that were almost impossible. She was seriously considering becoming one of those crazy conspiracy nuts, but she had enough problems without adding intentional insanity to her list.

  In each class they repeated the same ritual. She would sit down with her notebook and doodle and he would sit next to her. There were always seats open around her due to her lack of wanting to be around others. He didn’t take that hint. Then throughout the classes he would glance to her, as she resisted looking back into his gorgeous face.

  When the last bell of the day rang she made her way outside straight to her car. She threw her backpack into the backseat and jumped in. She glanced up to see Maddox sitting in the Audi in front of her. Skye forced herself to focus on her car and pull out to leave. She could have sworn he smiled as she pulled out.

  Maddox watched from a distance as Skye flew through the air on her skateboard before landing perfectly on the side of the wall. She smiled happily as she picked up her board. Skye started talking with her redheaded male friend that he had seen her talking with at school that morning.

  She grabbed Mike’s bike and jumped on it. Maddox had to admit he was impressed by her as much as he was attracted to her. He watched as she rode the bike in the skate park and maneuvered tricks easily. She looked untouchable when she was in the air with her hair flowing around her freely.

  He was frustrated at the instant attraction he had towards her. Sure she was beautiful, but she looked like more of a challenge than she would be worth. He was not in the mood to chase a girl who didn’t want to be chased.

  Skye landed the bike back on the side of the wall where her friends were standing. She handed the bike back to the red headed guy friend of hers. She wiped her hands on her cut off shorts then looked over at him. She frowned as soon as she saw him.

  Maddox grunted to himself. He hated to see the smile disappear simply because he was there. He walked up the steps to the side wall where they were standing. He was suddenly mad that he was upset at how close the redhead was to Skye. He was standing entirely too close for Maddox’s comfort.

  “What are you doing here?” Skye asked before he could speak.

  “I’m here for the music. Same as most.” He said looking Mike in the eyes as a warning. Mike ignored it.

  “For a new kid you sure know where everyone is going.” Mike said.

  “I’m resourceful.” Maddox shot back. Skye rolled her eyes in frustration.

  “The bands are about to start playing.” She said walking past him. Her friends followed her over to the mosh pit that was waiting for the first band to play.

  Maddox stood back watching as the bands started. Skye and her friends were enjoying the music, but all he was doing was enjoying watching her. She jumped and moshed into others as if she weren’t tiny and fragile. Apparently she had no common sense for her own well-being.

  On more than one occasion, a guy bumped into her almost knocking her over and Maddox had to restrain himself from attacking the guy for it. He couldn’t believe how affected he was by this. He tightened his fists and held back the bloodlust that was calling to him.

  After a few bands had played Maddox walked into the hallway waiting in a line for the bathroom. Skye walked back and paused seeing him. She got in the girls line keeping her eyes away from him.

  “Skye!” the guy in front of him said. He was shorter than Maddox and very skinny with hair halfway down his back. Maddox kept his hair around his ears so he wouldn’t be too distracted when need be.

  “Hey Don.” She hugged him.

  “I didn’t know you were coming. So, you here with anyone?” Don asked. Maddox saw her eyes flash to him then back to Don.

  “Just my friends. What about you?” she licked her lips as she glanced back to Maddox quickly. He noticed she licked her lips a lot. He wondered if she did it to drive him crazy or if she was always naturally seductive. He did his best not to smile. He knew she was playing a game with him.

  “Solo. I’m so glad to see ya though. I’ve missed my girl.” He bent over whispering into her ear. No one but Maddox heard him. Maddox had amazing hearing among other things.

  “Hey you dumped me before you went off to college.” Skye said and shrugged.

  “I’m a dumbass what can I say?” he laughed.

&nbs
p; “You pretty much covered it.” she replied.

  “Wanna go outside and talk?” Don had his arm around her waist. Maddox felt his muscles tense and had to look away.

  “She’s not yours.” he whispered to himself. The guy in front of him turned.

  “What?” he asked confused.

  “Turn around.” Maddox said with a shake of his head. Great. He was now talking to himself in public. He turned back around and saw that Skye and Don were both gone. “Shit.” he mumbled, then left the line to go back to the concert. He didn’t see her in there. He started to go outside to see if she went outside with him but her friend Kel stepped in front of him.

  “What’s up?” She nodded to him.

  “I’m busy. Sorry.” He tried to go around her but she quickly stepped back in front of him.

  “You’re following my girl around. I want to know why.” Kel stood staring at him waiting for an answer.

  “That’s not your business.” Kel didn’t move. “What do you want?” Maddox asked frustrated. He wanted to see Skye. It bothered him that every second she was out of his sight she was with her apparent ex-boyfriend, and it frustrated him that he was so bothered by it. He really felt like he was losing his mind.

  “I’m making it my business. She’s not your type.” Kel commented.

  “What the hell do you know about my type?” Maddox shot back.

  “Enough to know that she doesn’t need your drama. Leave her be.” Kel was unmovable. Maddox admired that in a person, but at the moment she was just annoying him.

  “What is it? You want a piece of this or something?” he said looking her up and down. Kel laughed in his face.

  “You may be a hottie, but I’m fine. You couldn’t handle what I would dish out. I’d break you.” Maddox couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Let me go. I get your protecting Skye but I’m not going to hurt her. I’m just interested in her!” Kel smiled at him.

  “You may not intend to hurt her but you probably will. And when you do I’ll be there.” Kel said flatly, and then walked back to the mosh pit.