Little Claudia ran around the backyard twirling in circles. “Momma, do it! Do it!” Claudia begged. Her blonde hair tumbled down her back. Bright green eyes danced up at me. “The sun went down! Oh, please do it!”
“Ask your grandfather, sweetie.” I walked to the grill with James on my hip.
“There’s my little munchkin.” Peter held out his hands for James. He leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. “And my beautiful wife. The burgers need a few more minutes.”
I smoothed James’ dark hair. He had Peter’s bright blue eyes. “I’ll get drinks.”
I turned and was bombarded by a sea of fireflies. Hundreds of them fluttered through the backyard. Claudia screamed with glee.
“Good one, dad,” I said to Ethan.
Ethan had Claudia on his shoulders catching fireflies. I walked up the porch steps and placed a hand on my mother’s shoulder. She was leaning against the railing watching Ethan.
“I always loved it when he did that,” Emma said.
I smiled and went inside before anyone could see my tears. I’d always loved fireflies, too. But since the night of my sacrifice ten years ago, they’d meant something different to me. From that point on, I’d associated them with James.
Light in the darkness.
That was what he was to me. A light in his family’s deep darkness. Hundreds of years of evil and murder, all changed with one brave young man. He broke the mold. There would be no more Van Curen hunters. No more death and despair. James had ended all of that.
After James’ death, we begged his Aunt Liz to bury him in the Hazel Cove Cemetery. Above ground. Away from the horrible Van Curen crypt under Jonah’s church in Boston. He didn’t belong there with his relatives. I wouldn’t let James’ legacy be tarnished by that crypt. James stood for honor and bravery and truth. Words not associated with previous Van Curens.
In the short time I had with James, he’d taught me a valuable lesson - I couldn’t do everything by myself. I couldn’t have defeated Liam that night by myself. I needed help. I needed others.
Ethan had saved me with his fireball. I’d saved Lara from her eternal confinement. Peter had saved me with his arrow. James had saved Peter by throwing himself in front of the dagger. I’d saved Ethan with my fireball. All selfless acts. All necessary to defeat such evil.
I poured the lemonade into the pitcher and wiped my eyes.
The last ten years had been great. We had no contact with Gamma or any other witch hunters. Killing Liam evidently gave me credibility. I rarely used magic and, despite what Liam had claimed, I had a normal life.
Sure, I had bouts of rage and anger that I attributed to my pure blooded heritage, but I dealt with it. I truly believed you had to commit yourself to what you wanted. There was nothing in my life that I wanted more than to stay away from evil. To keep out the darkness.
And I did.
After high school, Peter and I went off to Boston College. He played hockey for BC and we lived in a small apartment near campus. After four years of college, Peter proposed the night of graduation.
I became an elementary school teacher and Peter coached high school hockey. We got married, had Claudia and James, and moved to Ipswich not twenty minutes away from Mrs. LaViollette and Anne Marie in Hazel Cove. Emma and Ethan finally got married and moved into Grandma Longfellow’s old house (she’d passed away five years ago). They were currently restoring the old house to its proper glory.
We still hung out with the Cooper twins and Sadie (Luke and Sadie were married two years ago; Logan and Anne Marie’s relationship didn’t work out, but they were both happily dating other people).
All in all, my life was perfect. Except for the loss that I felt on a daily basis for James. I cried a lot, mostly in private, but sometimes Peter would see me. He wouldn’t get upset. He’d kiss me on the forehead and give me space.
I never told Peter about my premonition of his death. Or how James had sacrificed his life, because he knew I couldn’t live mine without Peter. I owed my happiness to James. He’d given up his life, so we could live ours. And we did. We lived and loved.
As time passed, I realized that James had been my light during my darkest days. He made me understand that even though there is darkness and death and grief, if you tried hard enough you could break through it. You could persevere.
James taught me that there was always light in the darkness.
THE END
Discover Chelsea’s New YA Trilogy
Love & the Zombie Apocalypse (Book 1)
Seventeen-year-old Rachel Cole was ecstatic when her little sister Morgan left for science camp at the University of Michigan – anything that would get Morgan out of their horrible foster home for a few weeks. Little did Rachel know that life as she knew it was about to change forever.
A suspected biological terror attack has spread over the northern half of the country causing the dead to reanimate and attack the living. The sudden attacks have catapulted Middle America into an all-out war zone. Zombies have swarmed the City of Flint and Rachel must battle through the infected streets to rescue Morgan.
Along the way, Rachel meets Cage Vance – the local star quarterback dealing with his own personal demons. Rachel is immediately attracted to Cage, but who has time for love during the zombie apocalypse? Can Rachel and Cage’s small group of friends survive the journey to Ann Arbor and rescue Morgan? Or are they already too late?
Acknowledgments
Chano, thank you for your help with this series. I wouldn’t have been able to finish it without you.
Dad, thanks for believing in me. Your input is priceless.
Rahul, I’m so thankful that I stumbled across your website. I couldn’t imagine publishing any of these books without you. All four covers are brilliant. I look forward to many more joint adventures. Everyone, please visit Rahul Philip’s website at: http://www.rahulphilip.com
Mom, thank you for EVERYTHING! With you in my corner, I’m capable of anything. You are the most thoughtful, genuine, sincere, loving, caring person in the entire world. I love you and thank you so much for helping me with this series. On to the next one!
For more information about All Hallows Eve (Book 4, New England Witch Chronicles Series) and my new series, Love & the Zombie Apocalypse, please visit the following websites:
For more information, please visit: http://www.chelsealunaauthor.com
http://www.facebook.com/ChelseaLuna.Author
Follow me on Twitter: @Chelsea_Luna_
BOOKS
by Chelsea Luna
Zombie Apocalypse Trilogy (Young Adult)
Love & the Zombie Apocalypse (Book 1)
Death & the Zombie Apocalypse (Book 2)
Revenge & the Zombie Apocalypse (Book 3)
The New England Witch Chronicles Series (Young Adult)
New England Witch Chronicles (Book 1)
Conjured (Book 2)
Wicked Betrayal (Book 3)
All Hallows Eve (Book 4)
Angels & Sinners Novella Series (Young Adult)
Torment of Shadows (Novella 1)
Mortal Sin (Novella 2) – Coming 2015
Middle Grade Series:
Monster Club: Case of the Ivy Hollow Werewolf (Book 1)
About the Author
Chelsea Luna is the author of the best selling young adult series, New England Witch Chronicles. Chelsea received a Juris Doctorate from New York Law School in New York, New York in 2007, and a B.A. in Sociology, with a concentration in Criminal Justice, from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee in 2004. Chelsea lives in Tennessee.
Chelsea Luna, All Hallows Eve
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