Chosen (The Urban Legends Series Book 1) Read online

  She didn’t. Within a matter of seconds, she was at my side, throwing the curtain to the side.

  “Oh!” A hand shot to her chest and cupped a necklace probably worth more than everything I’d ever purchased in my entire life. She glared at me. “How could you not tell someone about that ragged filth standing across the street? What if he planned to rob us?” She didn’t wait for me to respond.

  It was a good thing too. I had no idea what I would have said.

  Once in the foyer, she screamed at someone on the phone. The security guard at the community’s entrance, I assumed. Poor guy; I thought his name was Gus. He was a normal, jolly man. He always looked at me with admiration when we came through and stopped to check in. I was going into the lion’s den as we passed through those gates. After this, I probably wouldn’t see him again.

  I stood up and went to the bookshelf against the wall opposite from the window. I couldn’t see what happened next. She was right. He could have been dangerous, but what if he was harmless? I didn’t want to see him tossed into the back of the security car and carted off like a piece of trash. The books along the shelves didn’t interest me. Most looked boring and too expensive to even open without gloves. But I needed something to help distract me.

  “What’s going on?” Nolan’s voice made me jump.

  I crossed my arms, looking down at my feet. With a whiney sigh, I shifted to face him.

  “You know me. Always messing something up. In this case, it was me not telling your mom there was a homeless man standing across the road.”

  “What?” He backed away, going to the window. “There’s no one there. Well, no one except my parents screaming at Gus.” He sauntered in my direction with a smile curling at one side. It was the look he always gave me when he wanted me to overlook how awful his parents were. The shelves pressed gently into my back as he pushed against me. My fingers traced the contours of his face before flicking a wisp of hair away from his hazel-colored eyes.

  “You didn’t get your hair cut this week. Thought you were going to do that.”

  He scrunched his pointy nose and shook his head, causing the shoulder-length waves to cover his face. He leaned over me, and his hair rained across my face.

  “Stop!” I screamed, shoving against his broad shoulder.

  There was an obnoxious cough from the entrance of the sitting area. Vivian stood against the frame. “Jesus, Nolan, when are you going to get that god-awful hair cut? A Foast isn’t supposed to look that way. We pride ourselves on appearance. Seems these past few years you’ve forgotten that for some reason.” Her frown was impressive, probably the deepest I had seen as of yet. Perhaps to show me I was the cause for his sudden lack of grooming habits.

  “I’ll get it cut this week, Mother.” He put distance between us, and her smile returned in his direction.

  “Well, that wasn’t something I expected tonight,” David said as he entered the room, went straight to the bar, and served himself a drink. He was an intimidating man. One that wore nothing but business suits and ties, gelled hair to the side, and had a personality that could make me sweat the second he looked in my direction.

  “Did they get him?” Nolan asked, cutting me a quick look. He knew how big my heart was but apparently wanted to seem attentive to his parents’ concerns.

  “No, he wasn’t there when the security guard got there.”

  “Gus…” I said in a small voice before I could stop myself. The second David looked over at me, I regretted opening my mouth.

  “What did you say?” From his hissed words, it was clear he was angry I hadn’t mentioned the man before now too.

  “Nothing.” I cowered back, closer to the bookshelf.

  “Perhaps if we had known earlier he was out there, he would have been apprehended. Now security will have to spend the next few hours searching the neighborhood for him.”

  Thankfully, at that moment, a maid entered the room. “Dinner is waiting in the dining room, Mrs. Foast.” She exited just as quickly as she’d appeared. I didn’t blame her. The room was stuffy, and it felt like it was sucking the life from me.

  “Shall we?” David said, looking to Nolan and Vivian.

  I stopped Nolan before he could leave. “Do you think I could skip dinner? I have a really important deadline at work, so I was wondering if I could use the study again.” I did have a deadline, but that wasn’t the reason I didn’t want to go to dinner. There was no way I could be around his parents after this. The looks before had been bad, but now … I didn’t even want to think about it. Sure, they made my blood fizz with hostility. I wanted to tear them apart both verbally and physically, but Nolan loved them. And if I wanted to be with him, I had to deal with his parents.

  Nolan and I had met while I was in college here. If it hadn’t been for him, I probably would have run back to Alabama. To say it was a culture shock was putting it lightly. I’d expected the entire city to shut down after our first snow. To my horror, they actually carried on like normal. Water and bread became distant memories if it so much as flurried where I’d come from.

  “They’re going to work you to death at that place, but sure. You can come eat real quick and excuse yourself if you want. I know you’ve got to be starving.”

  “I’ll be fine,” I answered with a smile. He nodded and disappeared to join his family. I was starving, but I couldn’t let him know that. I could tough it out until I got back to my apartment. At least then, I could eat a salad or something I could identify. The food here was weird. Exotic. Needless to say, it always upset my stomach in the worst possible way.

  I shut the door to the study, my favorite room in the house, and leaned back against it. On the other side, warm conversation and laughter leaked through. A mother and father enjoying time with their child. I had come to terms a long time ago that I was jealous of Nolan. He had something I never would, since my mom had died and my dad hadn’t been seen since the night he disappeared. Parents that loved him. They were awful people, but they still loved him.

  Laughter rang out again. Of course they were happy. I wasn’t eating with them. Why did I put myself through this? I shifted through each of the normal five thousand excuses I usually gave myself and came up blank. Funny, I had made a list that I reminded myself of daily, and tonight I drew a blank. He was sweet. He was attractive. He was a good future provider for a family. None of the excuses were that I loved him, though. In the beginning, yes, I had. Head over heels, in fact. I sighed. We’d become one of those couples. The couples that really didn’t want each other. It had been that way for a while, and it was only getting worse. More and more, he put work and his family before me.

  I pushed off the door, my fingers grazing priceless objects as I forced myself over to the desk. I plopped down and reached for my computer bag that I’d stashed there earlier. Within minutes, I was absorbed into my current assignment at the newspaper. The research was my favorite part. There was really no telling what could be found when diving deep enough into someone’s history. Most everyone had deep, dark secrets they wished would stay hidden.

  Tap. Tap. Tap.

  The rain started as small pecks building into a cacophony of deafening pounds against the window behind me. The hum of electricity seized my typing as the light went off, causing the computer screen to dim as the battery took over. Thunder rolled across the sky, shaking everything around me. My breath stopped in a gasp as something across the room hit the floor, sounding as if it had shattered into a thousand pieces. My hands hovered above the keyboard, noticeably shaking in the faint white light.

  “Piper, we’re trying to find some candles,” Nolan said from beyond the door.

  I closed my mouth, swallowing a dry lump. “O-kay,” I managed to squeak out. I hated the dark. I could still remember the tiny, dark closet where I spent most of my time. The things the mind can come up with in the dark weren’t good. The terror of not knowing what’s behind, to the side, or in front of me were enough to break me down emotionally, holdin
g the oxygen tight in my lungs, straining to hear everything around.

  I could still hear the voice clear as day. He’d talked to me while I was there. My father would often yank the door open when he heard me talk back. He refused to believe me.

  “Piper, find a way out. Come to me, and you’ll never be afraid again.”

  But the voice frightened me most. The mere sound made my body cringe. There was an undeniable power behind its soft, alluring nature. I prayed for it to stop. I even pleaded with it to stop. That only made it angry.

  “You can’t hide from me forever, Piper. One day, I’ll have you.”

  I stood and turned the computer screen, viewing the room as I took a few steps out from behind the desk. Nothing. A pop of lightning obliterated something outside. I shrieked, dropping the laptop. Now I was in complete darkness, other than a small muted amount of light streaming in from the window. I stared at where it landed, not wanting to look up. A slow warm breath touched the back of my neck, freezing me. It wasn’t real. Nothing was in here. Nothing was in here.

  “You can’t hide forever. I’ve found you now.”

  The voice sounded so defined, so near. It was the first time I had heard it in years. What if something was in here with me? Something that was about to reach out and grasp the nape of my neck? That thought broke my paralysis. I scrambled back toward the window, desperate for any light the outside held. I shouldn’t have looked, but I did. A pop of light, showed the thin man from earlier. He stood in the middle of the manicured backyard, staring. But this time I could make out where he focused. Directly at me. The harsh weather didn’t seem to faze him. The rain pelted his body, making the clothing stick to his torso like a second layer of skin.

  “Nolan!” I tried to scream, but it wouldn’t come out. It was lodged in my throat. I stumbled back, stopping once I couldn’t see him anymore. Something thumped behind me. Something was in here with me. Something was in the dark. It had been waiting for me. My back went rigid as an icy drip of water hit between my shoulders and rolled down my spine. My brain froze in utter panic. I couldn’t think.

  “I’ve found you.”

  Turn around. No. No. No. Don’t turn around. I thrust myself forward, clearing the desk, and headed straight toward the door. I turned the handle and yanked, expecting it to fly open. It stood solid, not budging in the slightest. I beat against the wood, tears scolding my face. No one came. I stopped, my whimpers eating the silence. A shuffling sound moved closer to me from behind. I blinked savagely to stop the tears that blurred my vision. Nothing was in here with me. I turned around, preparing myself for empty darkness.

  The darkness was there. But it wasn’t empty. I wasn’t alone. My fear was correct. A foot from me I could barely make out the shape of the man. I gaped at him, desperately trying to reason how he’d gotten in the room with me. I pushed back against the door so hard pain racked my back.

  He stepped closer and blinked, only I was sure he couldn’t see me. His eyes were a milky white.

  I thought I had known fear before. But I only thought I had.

  This. Moment. This was the definition of everything ever said about pure, blinding fear. It constricted me. It choked me. It felt as if it were killing me slowly. Unable to move. Unable to breathe. Unable to rationalize a way to fight through this. To my horror, he reached for me. And I let him. He squeezed my upper arm, causing more tears to spring from my eyes.

  “Hel—” I choked out. His face changed. Hardening over, cracking in the creases as beads of black liquid sprung from his pores and ran down his cheeks. I stumbled to the side, finally finding the strength to control my body, which broke his hold. “Leave me alone.” I slammed into something, inched around it, and shoved it in his direction. Whatever it was hit the floor with a loud bang.

  “Piper!” The door jiggled. The familiar squeak of the iron doorknob was the sound of a blessing. “Piper, the door … it’s stuck. Can you hear me?” Nolan called. His voice was panicked. I continued to stare at the man, and he at me as if no one else was around.

  His arm rose, pointing at me. “Chosen. I will claim you.”

  I shielded my eyes with my arm as black feathers burst out toward my face. I frantically waved, trying to clear the black mass that blocked my view. He was gone. I was left standing in an empty room with plumage pooled at my feet.

  Frank McAdams

  My fingers drummed against the kitchen table. Arthritis ailed my joints, but that didn’t stop me. I had learned to live with the physical pain. It was nothing compared to the emotional burdens weighing on me. My gaze drifted to a set of frames, covered in dust at the opposite end of the table. No need to have room for more than one eating here. I was alone and had been that way for the past seven years. Jesus, had it really been that long? Seven years since I’d forced Piper to leave. Seven years of collected dust, I supposed. The chair groaned as I pushed back and stood.

  “Frank… what are you doing? We really need to finish drawing up these papers today. You can’t keep putting it off,” Ben said.

  I had to agree with him. My health was dwindling, and admitting to myself that I was no spring chicken anymore was hard. The will needed to be done, along with how I wanted my burial handled. Not that I planned on dying anytime soon, but just in case…

  I ignored him, reaching for the photograph of Piper and me sitting on the porch steps. Her hair was messy, looking as if it hadn’t been brushed in days. It probably hadn’t been. It was right after she’d moved in with me. I knew nothing of how to help groom a seven-year-old girl. I think I was more terrified of her than she was of me. I hadn’t seen her before that since the day she was born, and suddenly she’d shown up at my door with a social worker. The horror stories that lady had told me… The things Piper had been through because of my selfish son made me pure sick to my stomach.

  She didn’t come out of her room much those first couple of days. But this day … this day was the one that I got her to smile for the first time. I liked to think it had been when her trust in me started.

  “You want something to eat?” She didn’t answer. Her arms were crossed over a ragged doll, clutching it to her chest. She pushed a leaf around with the toe of her sneaker. I sighed, not knowing what else to do.

  If Gayle were here, she’d know. She’d always been so good with kids. Piper’s father, Jess, had loved her. At least until the drugs had taken over. Gayle had wanted to meet Piper so bad when she was born, but Jess wouldn’t let us see her. It had broken Gayle’s heart. And it had stayed broken until the day she died, leaving me a lonely man.

  The door slammed as Sandy, a lady from the church, came out rubbing her hands over a towel. “Lunch is ready!” Her voice was cheerful, like the social worker had suggested. “Always talk positive and happy.” It was to help make Piper feel safe, like she was in a happy place now.

  I turned to Sandy and shrugged.

  “Is my daddy ever coming back?” Piper asked in a small voice. Neither of us answered right away. I’d known the question might come. I had tried my best to be ready for it. Obviously, my preparation wasn’t enough because I drew a blank.

  “Do you want him to come back?” I asked.

  She looked up toward the pecan tree in the middle of the yard. “It’s nice here.” A breeze caught her hair, exposing her neck and the bruises marking her delicate skin. I gritted my teeth. How could someone of my flesh and blood do that?

  “Yeah, it is. I think you’ll really be happy here.”

  “Hey, how about a picture to celebrate you moving in with your grandfather?” Sandy suggested, interrupting the awkward silence. She disappeared in the house and a moment later reappeared with a camera. “Smile, pretty girl!”

  Piper wouldn’t look at the camera or even acknowledge the woman in front of her.

  Sandy’s wide eyes locked with mine.

  I leaned close to Piper. “Hey, I need you to take a picture with me. I’m too ugly to be in one by myself.”

  She looked to me with a
small smile. “You’re not too ugly.”

  I jerked back as if I couldn’t believe she’d said that. “What! Usually people tell me I’m too ugly to take a picture unless I have someone pretty in it with me. Have you seen my smile?” The corners of my mouth stretched as I attempted to make the goofiest expression I could produce.

  A giggled erupted, and she ducked her face into the doll.

  “You don’t think so?”

  She shook her head.

  “Well, I still need you to take this picture with me. It will make me feel pretty like you.” I waited, not expecting her to look up, but to my surprise, she did. She even leaned over slightly in my direction, making my heart swell.

  “Beautiful,” Sandy said after snapping the shot.

  “Pappy?”

  I looked down to Piper, who was staring at me in wonder.

  “Yeah.”

  “Why is there a gap in between your teeth?”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. My hand grazed my chin. “God gave me that to help me whistle.”

  “Whistle?”

  “Yep.” My lips drew in together then blew air out to produce a shrill whistle. “See?”

  “Can you teach me to do that?” she asked.

  “I will. And anytime you to need me to come, you can just whistle.”

  She smiled.

  “Pappy?”

  I looked back to her.

  “I don’t want my daddy to come back.”

  That little girl changed my world as she grew into a lovely woman. I missed her. I wanted to see her more than anything, but it was impossible now.

  “Frank?” Ben’s voice finally broke through my thoughts. I put the frame back in its place on the table. It was easy to find since there was only a single strip lacking dust. I shifted back toward the lawyer.

  “You look like you’ve lost weight, Ben. The stress of the job getting to you? Maybe you need to take a vacation.” I sat back down, and once again started to drum.

  He glanced at the papers in front of him. “I’ve got cancer. They diagnosed me about month ago.”