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SamuelYang

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the half-ling book one in the fall of igneeria series kaylee soderburg copyright 2013 kaylee soderburg all rights reserved .

isbn : 1492913731 isbn-13 : 978-1492913733 for my family , who encouraged me to never stop fighting for my dreams chapter 1 summer vacations supposed to be fun , right ?

i wish i had a better answer to that question .

starlings , new york is not the place youd expect much to happen .

its a small quiet town , the kind where everyone knows your name .

its a place where your parents wouldnt even care if you stayed out late biking with your friends .

only because everyone felt so safe , so comfy .

they dont know the half of it .

but i do .

i know it all and starlings is not the place where you want to be after dark .

the only reason why no one knows this is because jason , emily , seth and i have kept it that way .

i walked along the empty road alone , occasionally waving to passing kids on bikes .

my backpack was slung over my shoulder , filled with my writing books and sketchpads .

i kept my eyes on the shadowed road , watching my every step .

usually i was more aware of my surroundings , but today i was tired and didnt care if i rammed into a tree .

i kicked a rock into the grass .

the sun was starting to set , painting the sky in brilliant oranges and reds .

it slipped down the sky , allowing the first stars to peek out from behind the bright curtain .

the remaining light cast shadows over everything , creating the illusion that there was double of everything .

the world prepared to go into its hours of unreal silence that made it seem magical , and it really was .

my phone buzzed and i awoke from my trance .

i thumbed the keypad and opened the message seth had sent me .

it read : whatcha doing ?

i flipped open the pad and wrote : walking home .

i shoved it back in my pocket and continued walking .

the sun was almost gone and shadows were starting to appear behind everything .

i looked at my own shadow , that danced behind me .

the phone buzzed again as seth sent me a reply .

see anything ?

do you want me to meet you ?

i glanced at the nearby woods .

my ears heard nothing and i didnt see any movement but my hands shook slightly as i typed , nothing , im fine .

i didnt open his reply because i knew what it would say .

i already knew that it was strangely quiet .

maybe i could stay home and sleep one night .

or maybe i could finish a painting tonight and watch mom do origami .

i turned the corner , and my house came into view .

i started to climb the hill when i froze .

out of my left eye i saw the outline of a creature .

it was heading through the woods in the direction of my house .

i swore under my breath and took off for the woods .

my feet crunched on the fallen branches and leaves .

i could see the creature ahead of me .

i didnt have much time .

i placed my bag on the ground and crossed my legs .

i started to grab my phone but stopped .

i didnt need to tell the others , it was just one .

and if i was lucky , it would be an easy take down .

i closed my eyes and began my mental countdown .

the wind picked up around me , as if a wind current had just appeared out of nowhere .

5 my body started to feel hot , like i was being hugged by the sun .

i hated this part .

4 power surged through me as i was freed from my human self .

shivers ran down my spine .

3 i felt cold , like being dipped in ice water .

the breeze picked up even harder .

2 i was hollow and could probably see my own body if i opened my eyes .

but i could never get the courage to do that .

1 the wind died .

my body felt normal except it was different .

i opened my eyes and looked over to where i just had been or still was .

my human body slightly glowed as it sat in meditation under the tree .

it didnt move .

i could see the monster clearly now that i had stepped into its world .

it was hunched over , occasionally touching the ground with one of its curled front paws .

dark saliva dripped out of its mouth .

the beady black eyes made it no less scary .

i knew exactly what it is .

a thrasher !

a shiver ran down my spine .

thrashers were probably one of the most feral and nasty monsters ive ever encountered .

they sometimes travel alone or hunt in packs .

theyre awful in packs , extremely hard to take out without their knowledge of your presence .

i placed an arrow in my bow , and aimed for the head .

i couldnt let the creature reach my house .

i pulled back the string , and then stopped .

i couldnt take out one of these like , this unless i set it on fire .

but emily wasnt here .

i could take it out with a few arrows but its best to kill thrashers before they realize youre there .

instead i lowered my bow and slowly crept up to it , until i could see the hideous claws on its hands and the hatred in its eyes .

thrashers hate everything and sometimes i wonder how they tolerate each other .

i aimed for the head again and released the arrow .

it whizzed silently into the thrasher and it howled in pain as the arrow dug into its fur .

it whirled around , facing me .

a low growl sounded in its throat and it charged .

i ducked as it slashed my side and i winced .

my shirt slowly turned blue from the trickling wound .

yes , blue , my blood is blue .

it turned back around and threw its self at me .

this time i was prepared .

i pulled out my hunting knife out just as he landed on me .

he yelped and went limp .

i pushed him off and grabbed my fallen bow , the familiar feeling of the wood boosting my confidence .

i turned back around and started back where i left off , but then a body slammed into me .

i just had enough time to see the thrasher , before the fur and dirt filled my vision .

i spit out the clump of wiry hair that had somehow found its way into my gasping mouth .

i felt a searing pain as the thrasher raked my left leg .

i closed my eyes against the pain , trying to focus myself against the dull throb in my shin .

then the thrasher went limp against me .

it was hauled off of my body and i found myself looking up into the face of a very unhappy dark blue haired boy .