My Favorite Nightmare by Abigail Livinghouse (ebook audio reader TXT) 📕

Chapter Eight

Mother watched me warily for about a week, waiting for me to do something to alert her that I was going out. However, I behaved and did nothing but sit around and play with Michaela and Liana. When she said she was going to the Gathering Square I perked up.

 

“You want to go to the Square?” She asked.

 

I nodded. Mother eyed me suspiciously. “Why?”

 

I stood up, my back still sore however I was able to walk straight again.

 

“What? I can’t leave the house anymore? Mother, you can’t keep me caged in like an animal.”

 

She still looked at me oddly, but opened the door with her purse slung around her shoulder.

 

“Alright. But you have to bring the girls.”

 

I nodded eagerly. I figured she’d want to bring the kids along, but I didn’t care. Hopefully I’d be able to hear what was going on with the hunting situation, since I was banned from hunting, at least, as far as mother knew.  

 

We walked out with the twins holding onto mother, while I trailed behind. We walked to the booth where vegetables were sold, and I wandered over to Sal’s, where I leaned against the counter. Sal nodded at me, and Tirana came up, paying Sal for cider that he didn’t sell but gave her anyway.

 

“Welcome back.” She said to me, taking a swig of her drink.

 

“How are things out there?” I asked in a low voice. Mother and the girls were just a few feet away, and if we spoke too loudly she would hear us.

 

Tirana shrugged. “I’m not particularly sure, dearie. But”, she leaned in closer, “I do know that the hunters have not been successful in catching any more of the urchins. Ever since you guys went hunting none of them have showed up anywhere near here. I think you might’ve scared them off.”

 

“Kyla!” Mother called me, and I backed away from the booth.

 

“Thank you, I’ll be back later.” I promised and headed over to my waiting family.

 

      We purchased fruits, herbs, and medicines while we were in the Square. I ran into Mr. Bo who asked me how hunting was going. I shushed him and told him that I was taking a break.

 

“Well, damn girl. You must’ve been hurt bad to not be hunting anymore. I wish you well.” He said, and then walked off to his booth, dumping newly crafted stakes onto the countertop.

 

I stared longingly at the designer weapons. I wanted to purchase a new stake badly. It was dangerous for anyone to be out without a stake, but I knew that I couldn’t shop for weapons with mother here. I would have to wait.

 

A few people were rushing by us and into the middle of the Square, near a post where ads were put up alerting us of sales or even wanted signs. A person pushed past mother, causing her to drop our bag of fruit.

 

“Well goodness, where’s the fire?” She grumbled, bending over to pick up the scattered apples.

 

I ignored her and ran after everyone else to see what all the trouble was about. When I came to the center where the post was, I froze where I stood. Wanted signs bearing the same picture were tacked all over the post. It read:

 

Wanted

Teen Vampire

Looted Village and Killed In Town

Dead or Alive

Reward: Name your Price

 

      I swallowed as my hands began to shake, not out of fear, but of anger. The picture below the writing was of a teenage immortal with flawless pale skin, charcoal gray eyes, and ashy blond hair shielding his eyes partially. His name was listed below, Pearce Grey. My lip curled up in a bitter smile. Pearce, no matter what my mother says, tonight the hunt is on, and it’s all or nothing. 

Chapter Nine

 “Did you see what all the fuss was about?” Mother asked me as we walked home, the twins skipping in front of us, their red curls bouncing. I shook my head.

 

“Just a sale on weapons. Nothing of importance.” I said absently.

 

She sighed, shaking her head. “Ah well, I was hoping it would be a sale on food or medicine. Something that we could actually use. Something vital.”

 

I bit my lip to keep my mouth shut. Mother thought of hunting and weapons as barbaric, however she had no idea how important they were. Hunting and weapons kept immortals from crawling around our village and picking us off one by one.

 

When we got home the twins ran up to their room, while mother set the groceries on the table, getting to putting them away. I headed immediately for the stairs.

 

“Where are you going?” Mother asked me.

 

I stopped. I had hoped she wouldn’t notice me, which was a long shot, I admit, but I had hoped.

 

“Bed.” I retorted.

 

Mother sighed, setting down a watermelon that she had been in the middle of putting away. “Kyla, please, don’t go off hunting. It isn’t safe.”

 

I sighed too. “Mother, I’ve been hunting for years and I haven’t gotten hurt.” I gave her a small smile. “I’m just going to bed.”

 

Her eyes showed that she didn’t believe me in the least, but I ran up the stairs before she could say anything more. I grabbed my hunting bag and hid it in the crack in between my bed and the wall. I shoved my legs under the covers and pulled them over my head. I knew that I would have to wait a while before I could leave, but at least I would be able to go hunting like I had been aching to for days.

 

*     *     *

 

        After about two hours of waiting in bed, dozing off every now and then and waking up to hear movement downstairs, everything was still. I got up, grabbed my hunting bag, and opened my window. The drop was about ten feet, not much. I could make it. Without hesitation, I jumped. As expected, I landed on the balls of my feet with my knees bent to absorb the fall. I straightened up. Don’t be so surprised, I had jumped from trees taller than ten feet and had stuck those landings to. I hate to disappoint.

 

I took off at a sprint into the Square. I went straight to Leone’s booth. He sold quality weaponry, even though they might be a little overpriced, they were great and lasted a long time. Most booths were still open, and it was just pure dumb luck that Leone’s was. He nodded at me as I came up.

 

“Whatcha need?” He asked.

 

I got straight to the point. “I need a stake. And a good one, a real good one.”

 

Leone considered this a moment before reaching under the counter and slapping a large stake in front of me. It was made out of cherry wood, thick, strong, and very sharp. It was polished so that it gave off a faint shine under the moonlight.

 

“It’s beautiful”, I said, gazing at the weapon in awe. “How much?” I asked.

 

“Fifteen gold pieces.” He said.

 

Ouch. That was rough. Fifteen gold pieces could feed our family for a year. I had the money in one hundred silver coins, but it had taken me months to earn it. Swallowing my surprise, I reached into my bag and dumped two bags of fifty silver coins each onto the counter.

 

“There, a hundred silver pieces.” I said. Leone shook his head.

 

“Not silver. I said gold.” He shot back, putting emphasis on the word gold as if I was too dumb to understand him.

 

My lip curled in resentment. “I don’t have gold, just silver.”

 

Leone shook his head again. “Sorry, no gold, no stake.”

 

He reached over to take the stake away when I snatched it up in my hand.

 

“No. What’s wrong with silver? At least it’s money!” I burst out, angry that he was trying to strike a deal with me when I really wasn’t in the mood to haggle. I knew what he wanted, more money. I dipped my hand into my bag and dropped another bag of silver onto the counter.

 

“There. One hundred and fifty silver pieces, and that’s all I’m giving you.” Leone was unfazed by my anger. If anything, he seemed more interested in this exchange.

 

“That’s a mighty fine bow you got there. Want to trade?” He said, eyeing my prized possession sticking out of my hunting bag. I shifted the bag so that it was behind me, no longer in his view.

 

“Never. You can have your goddamned stake, if it’s that important to you.” I was going to toss the weapon at him, showing that I wasn’t interested anymore, however the truth was, I wanted that stake. But, it wasn’t worth my bow.

 

I placed the stake on the table, spun around, and began to walk away from him, realizing that I had forgotten my money. I turned back around to scoop up my change when he placed his hand on top of the loot.

 

“How about two hundred bronze coins, and you can have the stake?” He offered.

 

“Deal.” I said abruptly and threw three bags of bronze pieces onto the countertop, swiped the stake, and shoved it into my bag.

 

I spun around heading for the trees, hearing Leone calling, “nice doing business with you”, behind me.

Chapter Ten

It was around one a.m., moonlight shining and glistening off the leaves of the trees and the dewy grass. I sighed, leaning against a balsa and twirling my new weapon around in my hands.

 

Nothing had come my way all night.  I was getting tired of waiting. I had moved at least two miles into the woods and had still gotten nothing. This was ridiculous. I wasn’t going to wait much longer. I was itching to use my new stake, and even better, use it on Pearce, the vampire who had mocked me and made me look weak. Well, I was the complete opposite of weak, everyone knew that. And soon, Pearce would know it too.

 

After about twenty more minutes of more of the same, I decided to use a different tactic. I began walking, not bothering to cover up my footsteps. I ripped off a branch and began hitting every tree I came across with it, making as much noise as possible. No, I’m not stupid. It was part of my plan, using myself as bait