Bloodline

AuthorHouse

Contents

Chapter 1 Confusion...................................1Chapter 2 Hidden Realities............................25Chapter 3 Too Much To Fast............................55Chapter 4 The Manor...................................79Chapter 5 Questions...................................99Chapter 6 The Story...................................121Chapter 7 One Thing After Another.....................145Chapter 8 Past and Present............................169Chapter 9 Destructive Emotion.........................185Chapter 10 Rules......................................201Chapter 11 Learning...................................219Chapter 12 Time.......................................245Chapter 13 Major One Eighty...........................271Chapter 14 Commotion..................................295Chapter 15 Run........................................315Chapter 16 Power......................................337

Chapter One

I was finally settled in. Everything was done. Now what? I had found a small quiet town in La Pine, Oregon. It was very quiet, which was a plus. My mind had lately been preoccupied with finding a house. Nothing fancy, just a one bedroom by a lake set in a woodsy area with no neighbors. It was beautiful. Bigger than what I was looking for, but I had to have it. The yard was a decent size and had plenty of shade. There was enough room for setting up a chair to sit outside and read. Flowers and trees were beginning to blossom. A giant oak tree stood in the center of my third of an acre. I decided that, that's where my reading chair would go. My light tan house was just what I wanted; total solitude.

A group of hiking trails sat at the edge of my yard branching out to unknown destinations. A small, stone path led to a front porch I love nature and the sound of it. Reading outside was one of my favorite things to do. This oak tree seemed like an outcast considering the woods were covered in pine and fir trees.

Through the front door was a small foyer. The floors were a dark hardwood except for the bedroom and living room. A plush, charcoal dark grey covered them. The walls were a shade lighter than the carpet. The kitchen to my left was small and cozy with dark brown cabinets and an island in the middle. Another door at the far end by the fridge led out to the side of the house. My bedroom sat in the back of the house. It was probably the second biggest room next to the living room. A decent sized bathroom sat to the left of that complete with a shower stall standing to the left of the room. In the center was a bathtub with jets in it. That was heaven. To the right wall was the sink and again dark cabinets for towels and such. I fell in love with this house right away, just for the atmosphere of it.

I was pretty pleased with the way things were going so far. The furniture was bought and the fridge was stocked as full as I could get it. I hated going out in public if I could help it, so I would always try to get everything that I needed in town, done all in one trip. I would smile and pretend I was just a normal person. Inside it felt like a struggle. And sometimes I wanted to die. The piece that was missing in my life would never be found. The hole in my heart would never be filled. Somehow I had to accept that, being alone was the easiest way, as I didn't wish to ruin anyone else's mood with my depression. I could still laugh and joke around; but that aching thing in the back of my mind was always there.

Unfortunately I had to get a job. I still had my savings at least. Damn it! The only thing I knew how to do was writing and playing poker. Instead of sitting there and whining, I got in my car and went to town to visit one of the local bars.

La Pine, Oregon was a lot bigger than I thought. Everything was spread out so much that it set a relaxing quiet atmosphere. Pine trees were everywhere along the country streets and there was nothing "city" about this place. I drove down the winding roads passing cottages and bright colored houses. All of them with enough privacy for pools and volleyball nets in their backyards. But always the houses were far enough away from each other that your neighbors couldn't be nosey. I was glad I had none.

The air was fresh and smelled of honeysuckle as the flowers began to bloom. Birds were singing their songs all over the trees. Mourning doves were cooing and robins were chirping.

Once in the small town, I pulled my car into a parking lot of the local tavern. It was a two storey bar called, "Carlie's Place." I stepped through the door and was amazed how big it was inside. Rustic but friendly was my impression.

At the far end was a long bar that wrapped itself around the whole back wall. Circular tables were set in the middle of the room, two pool tables to my right and two dart boards on the wall to my left. There was also an upstairs but I didn't bother checking it out.

The smell of bleach and pine sol immediately hit my nostrils. Someone had been cleaning this morning. It was pretty quiet except for some clinking noise coming from behind the bar.

I strolled over to it where a small woman with short brown hair stood wiping the counter. She smiled at me and asked, "What can I get you?"

"The manager if he or she is here," I said politely.

"That would be me. I'm Carlie. I own this place," she said kindly.

"Oh," I said.

In my head I was picturing the manager or owner would be a burly man that smelled of tobacco and beer.

"My name is Ariana; Ari for short. I have a proposition for you if you would be interested," I said politely.

She considered me for a few seconds. I started feeling a little nervous. Carlie stared at me like she had never seen anyone like me before. It was kind of unsettling.

"You're not from around here are you? Did you move here recently? I am only asking because this is a fairly small town. It doesn't really seem that way but the population is not that high."

"Yes actually," I replied. "I moved in about a month ago over by Pinewood Lake. I know it's very quiet here. I was counting on that," I said.

She looked a little put off for some reason. I dismissed her reaction to me so I could try to get to the point of my coming into the bar.

"Well, what sort of proposition did you have in mind? If you're looking for a job, I am afraid I can't help you. I have all the help I need even with the dart league and the pool league. Pretty much all of the locals are bored as there is not much to do in this town. They like to flock here a couple times a week for recreational drinking and competitive games. Too bad they're so competitive they don't drink much," she said rolling her eyes.

I thought for a split second on how to convince her to say yes to my proposal and continued. "What about a poker league? I belonged to one back home. It started out small and took off pretty quick. The game itself addicting and it brought a lot of money into our venues. Also if your customers are getting bored with the usual gaming, this would bring something new to them. There are a few rules and such. Plus my fee for providing everything you would need. And of course the dealers fee would have to be discussed," I added. I could tell she was considering everything I was offering. Then she smiled at me.

"Okay. Let's try it and see what happens. If it works to my advantage after two months we'll keep it permanent."

We sat at the bar going over all the details, and after about an hour or so things had been squared away. We set a date for next week. Three games a week would be played. Two games a night,

I picked up my paper work and thanked her. As I turned away to leave, Carlie stopped me by saying; "Ari! Just be careful about who you get involved with around here. If you came here for solitude, your best bet is to keep to yourself. We have a pretty strange crowd in this town. It's where you come to disappear. Just ... keep that in mind." She walked into the kitchen behind the bar before I could respond.

I had no idea what Carlie was talking about. She had unnerved me a little. What kind of person says that to someone who just moved into town? It was like she knew something I didn't. Do people not like to get to know each other here? Was that fear I saw in her eyes? I walked to my car thinking it didn't matter what Carlie said. I did come here for solitude. I didn't want to be bothered more than I had to be. I wish I didn't have to work though. I started to feel that annoyed aggravation again. I hated talking with people more than I had to. I much preferred the quiet and being alone.

I turned the key and listened to my car come to life. This time I drove slowly on the way home enjoying the scenery. I kept the window down and breathed in the fresh air as the wind raced in my ears.

As I pulled in to the driveway, I had a strange feeling that someone was watching me. I got out, locked my car and started to the house. Then ... BANG! I fell flat on my face. I had such a bad habit of not paying attention to things that were right in front of me.

A branch that had not been there when I left was lying on the ground. I looked up and saw where it had fallen off the tree that hovered over the side of my house. Maybe it was the wind that had knocked it down?

I heard a rustle of noise in the trees. As I turned over to get up, I saw it. Sleek and black, coming right at me, was a ferret. This was weird. You don't usually see them much. To my shock, he sprinted forward and stopped, right by my feet. Then he stood up on his hind legs and stared at me for a minute. It was almost like he was checking on me as he sniffed the air around me. Apparently satisfied, he turned and ran back to the trees.

I stood up and listened for a hint of where he might be. Maybe I would put some food out for him. I heard a crackling in the trees behind me. As I turned I could have swore I saw someone standing in the shadows. I strained my eyes to get a better look. Nothing was moving. Maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me. It was approaching dusk after all.

I walked into the house thinking a hot bath would relax me. The phone was ringing; another annoyance. There was no way that I was picking it up. Ignoring it, I shed my clothes off and headed for the bathroom. Deciding a shower would feel better; I turned on the hot water and sat down. The feeling of the hot water beating down my back was more comfort than I could ask for. For about an hour I sat there. This was my calming place. I always felt better in the water. I loved swimming and anything that had to do with water sports.

As I got out and grabbed a towel, I heard the answering machine beeping. No one had my number except Carlie. Hoping she didn't change her mind, I walked into the living room and hit the play button on the machine.

"Ari, keep to the house and stay away from the woods. The trails are not safe around here."

That wasn't Carlie. It was a masculine voice. Whoever he was, sounded comforting and calm. He also sounded like he was warning me. Why couldn't I go on the trails in the woods? I was a good hiker. I enjoyed exploring. No one, especially a stranger, was going to keep me off my own property or from hiking anywhere I pleased. This was strange. What was the problem with hiking? A lot of people do it. You would be nuts not to check out the beauty of this place. Deschutes National Forest was famed for it. And how could it not be safe except for maybe some bears and whatever other wildlife lived here?

Unless there was someone who didn't want me here ...

Carlie confused me when I left her tavern and now this message was freaking me out. No it was irritating me. Someone here had to know who I was, for them to say my name on the machine. Carlie had to have been the one to give my number out. But then why would she do that? Then again, she also said to keep to myself. I was too confused.

My eyes were feeling heavy. I sat on my couch and started to read a book. The crickets outside were making a ruckus, but eventually I blocked them out of my head so it became a dull hum. Slowly I started to drift off. The best part of my life was when I could fall asleep and not feel anything at all. Finally sleep came, and once again I didn't have to exist.

"Oh man," I yawned. I woke up with the sun streaming through my living room window right into my face. I hate the sun. I sat up and stumbled to the kitchen to put on some coffee. As I was waking up I remembered yesterday's events. It seemed liked it happened a month ago. Then I remembered the ferret I saw. I grabbed a bowel and put some fresh water in it. Then I put some trail mix in another bowel and set them both at the bottom of the porch steps. Not knowing what ferrets ate, I hoped the furry little guy would at least try it.

An hour later I got dressed to go hiking. I tied my hair in a ponytail and grabbed my back pack. After putting in some bottled water and a towel, I was out the door and on my way. There was a narrow trail at the end of my yard that led, I thought, towards the lake. Onward I went down the little path marveling in the beauty of the woods and the crunching of the pine needles and twigs beneath my feet. It was pretty humid out. Not checking what the weather would be, I thought it might shower later. The smell of the pine trees was strong. Almost like someone had cleaned the woods.

About two miles in, the trail got rocky and hard to see. It wasn't too long before I realized that the path I was supposed to be on was not under my feet anymore. I started to backtrack. Everything looked the same. Damn. I was lost.

Opening my backpack, I dug out my water and began to drink. After a few minutes, I tried retracing my steps. For some reason, everywhere I turned seemed wrong. After another hour I sat down on a log covered in moss and started to panic a little. Normally my sense of direction was very accurate. I tried to calm down and look for some familiar marker I had passed. SNAP I wasn't alone.

A rustling noise was coming from the trees behind me. It sounded like whatever it was, it moved very fast. I tried to catch it with my eyes, but to no avail. Oh great. How was I going to get out of here? My body was now shaking from the fear of being in a strange place. I hadn't even researched what kind of creatures had lived in this part of the country.

The wind was blowing lightly and clouds had covered the sky turning it dull grey. The occasional pinecone would fall from a branch and bounce to the ground in uneven, small drum beats. Birds were still singing and a woodpecker was hammering a tree with its beak at about a hundred miles per hour.

"I told you to stay away from the trails, Ari."

I screamed in shock as I turned around to find the voice that had spoke so calmly. There he was. "Stunning" is the only word that could describe what I was seeing in front of me. He was beautiful. All I could do was sit there and gape at him.

"Hello, Ari. My name is Ethan."

Trying to shut my mouth and not look like an idiot, I found my voice.

"Hello, Ethan. Hey, are you the one who left that message on my machine?" The memory came flooding back. I recognized the same calm voice.

"Yes. Sorry if I startled you. Seems you're lost. I can help you find your way back if you like."

"Oh, um ... Okay. But how did you know I was out here? Did you follow me? And how did you get my phone number?" I asked. My temper was starting to rise. If he did follow me, I was going to explode. My anger wasn't something I could keep in check anymore. My face flushed as I waited for his response.

Then in that quiet, calm voice, he spoke. "No, I did not follow you. I was informed that you decided to go hiking and thought it best to make sure you didn't get lost. I'm not stalking you. However, you don't know these woods at all. And it's a good thing I found you before something else did."

"What do you mean something else? And who the hell informed you that I was going hiking? I don't know you or anyone here! Just because I'm new in town, does that mean I'm to be put under surveillance? How would anyone know what I do with my time unless I'm being followed around like a common criminal?" I yelled.

That was it. I lost control. Hearing my own hysterics was enough. To someone I just met a few minutes ago must have seemed like I was a nut job.

Ethan waited patiently for me to finish my little rant. When he saw I was done he asked smiling in amusement, "Would you like me to take you home now? It looks like it might rain soon. The gnats in here can get pretty bad."

Was he kidding, the gnats? He didn't answer any question I asked!

It did look like a storm was coming. I nodded at him as I tried to calm myself down.

He gestured me to follow him. After about thirty minutes, the path I had lost appeared in front of me. I felt so stupid.

The whole time we walked, I noticed how graceful he was. He didn't stumble or trip along the rocky terrain as I did. It was so natural to him. I could only guess that Ethan knew these woods well. For some reason I couldn't take my eyes off of him. The features of this man walking beside me were flawless. His eyes were a deep dark green. His layered hair was short and deep dark brown. His build was muscular with pale skin. He wore blue jeans and a tan t-shirt.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Bloodlineby Michelle R. Bernard Copyright © 2009 by Michelle R. Bernard. Excerpted by permission.
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