Dark Dawn Read online

  “You should take this more seriously, Aria. You’re in big trouble.” Leung rubs her freckled face. “He was talking to my father about sending you to the Royal Light Academy.”

  “Please. He always threatens me with that. He’d never go through with it. I got this. My father’s a big teddy bear underneath.”

  “Leung, can you excuse us.”

  I physically jump at the sound of my father’s voice. I turn.

  He’s standing by the door, looking super annoyed. “This teddy bear wants to talk to his daughter. Alone.”

  Oh, crap.

  Leung shrugs her shoulders at me before exiting. Father closes the door. An awkward silence hovers over the room.

  “Okay,” I say. “I’ll get this started. Am I grounded?”

  “You showed up on the battlefield despite my orders not to.”

  Why’s he making this into such a big deal? I sneak another glance in the mirror. I can’t believe the size of this pimple. That’s what we should all be concerned about right now—my giant zit.

  “Are you listening?” Father shouts. He grimaces while reaching for his side. The battle wound is bothering him. “This isn’t a game, Aria.”

  Typical. I just wanted to help. Now I’m getting drilled for it. I walk to one of the four arches in my room. Smoke’s rising from the terrorists’ bombings a short distance away. A whirlwind of emotions shoots through me, mostly anger. So many innocent people are dead, and in Avondale, of all places. Is no place in the kingdom safe anymore?

  He runs his hand through his stark-white hair, a contrast to his tan skin. Years of battling for the freedom of all Crothinians has left worry lines around his brown eyes. He steps closer. We look out over the square. The once energetic and bustling city filled with music is now somber, soulless.

  “Maybe if your mother were here, you wouldn’t have turned out so rebellious.”

  Bringing her up is hard for him. She was his moral compass—they were inseparable. He’s become lost without her. So have I.

  “Your irrational behavior has to change, Aria.”

  “You realize I was the one that kept you alive out there when Dagon called up that monstrosity from hell to attack you.”

  “Quiet!” he shouts with such vigor the ruby chandelier overhead shakes. “Dagon’s not at full strength. That battle at Throthinia was a test. You could’ve been killed. And you dragged Leung with you. She was probably terrified.”

  Ha! If only he knew how she plays the innocent role to perfection. That adrenaline junkie has saved my ass more than once on the battlefield. She’s a seer, giving her clairvoyant abilities. She’s always one step ahead of the enemy.

  “She’s like a sister. I wouldn’t let her get hurt. Stop treating me like a child.”

  “Stop acting like one.”

  I want to scream so badly. I bite my tongue, holding it back. I’m literally talking to a brick wall. “Fine. Sorry. Happy?”

  “Aria, I have to undergo maderim.”

  What? Maderim puts patients into a coma in order to speed up the healing process. Almost half never wake up. If they do, they usually lose half their memories. It’s for people whose only other option is death. Crap, how badly was he hurt?

  “It wasn’t a simple wound, Aria. The dagger was spelled. Theron will rule temporarily. You’re my successor, but it’s evident you’re not ready to be a leader.”

  “That’s not true! Why can’t you just believe in me?”

  He scratches his thick salt and pepper beard. “I’m sending you to Earth.”

  “Earth? That’s classic. Good one.”

  “I’m serious, Aria.”

  He waves his hand in a circular motion. A ball of clouds, dust, and light appears. He thrusts it forward. It explodes into a large-scale image of Earth.

  “As you know from your studies, Earth is a lot like our planet.”

  If they’d quit supersizing crap! Humans are superficial, materialist beings. I start to feel panicked. “Let’s take a breather. I can’t go halfway across the universe at a time like this.”

  “Humans have a sense of loyalty and love that is unmatched by any other race in the universe. Those traits have helped them achieve great things.”

  “Are you serious? They’re lightyears behind. They think leather sweatpants and wedge sneakers are cool fashion trends. Besides, I’ll lose my powers there.”

  “Just for a short time. The Earth’s sun only dampens our powers temporarily. A guide will teach you how to regain them.”

  Damn, he’s thought all this through. “I won’t go.” I take a step toward him.

  He throws his hand out.

  I’m stuck. I can’t move. I look down to see my legs are encased in a block of ice up to my knees. Did I no longer matter? “Why are you doing this?”

  He grabs a hand mirror and places it on the floor, glass up. A bright light shoots out, indicating a portal’s open.

  He’s not playing. He’s really sending me to Earth. Now? “I’m not going!” I create a field of energy that shatters the ice.

  Father looks impressed. Heck, I’m impressed. I just broke through his magic. Cool.

  “One day you’ll understand. I’m sorry, Aria.”

  I’m suddenly immobile and floating toward the ceiling. Halfway up, I stop.

  “The prophecy seems to be coming true. Your life’s in danger.”

  “Really? You’re sending me away because some strung out human said a bunch of mumbo jumbo right before he croaked?”

  “Show some respect, Aria. That strung out human, as you call him, was in great pain after being wounded in battle. Without him, Dagon would have us all as slaves. We owe him everything for helping us banish him.”

  “We owe that human nothing. Dagon’s back, the kingdom is falling apart. And you’re talking crazy right now.”

  “Enough. You’re going to Earth.”

  “No, I’ll change!” My voice cracks from disbelief. Tears flow freely down my cheeks. I had already lost my mother, now him.

  He expands the portal’s entryway. I float toward it.

  “Father, I love you.”

  A single tear falls down his face. “Dagon is too powerful. I can’t have you fall to dark magic.”

  The portal closes in on me. A sense of betrayal takes hold.

  Three

  · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

  “WHAT?!” I BAT AWAY THE annoying hand that’s shaking my shoulder and snuggle deeper into bed. No way I’m getting up. It’s bad enough this small, lumpy “thing” had me tossing and turning all night. It was hours before I found a comfy spot. It didn’t help that every time I started drifting, I’d hear Selene barfing up a lung. I wonder what she ate?

  Suddenly the sheet starts lifting off me, like, magically.

  “Hey.” I make a grab for my end, not catching it. “What gives?” I pop an eye open.

  Selene’s striding toward a closet at the opposite end of the room. A white ball of fur is trailing behind her. It’s Aspen, the Pomeranian she’d introduced me to last night after she showed me around.

  I catch my reflection in the mirror on the back of the door. I’m a hot mess. There’s drool on my chin. One side of my hair looks like a wannabe mohawk and the other’s plastered to my face. And the zit? It looks even bigger. I yawn, then wish I hadn’t. Did something crawl in my mouth and die?

  “Aria, get up. You need to hurry or you’re going to be late for school.”

  “What? Your jokes aren’t funny. Really, you should stop trying.”

  “Your father and I think you’ll be a better leader if you understand the human condition. Attending high school will be the best way for you to do that.”

  “You’re crazy. I can’t mingle with mindless teenagers.”

  “Aria, you are a teenager.”

  “One raised to rule an actual kingdom. Not make-believe Minecraft worlds.”

  “The decision’s final, Aria.”

  Sele
ne runs her hands through several multicolored, floral print dresses. Someone actually designed those? Why does she have so many? She pulls a mid-thigh dress from the closet along with a pair of black sandals. She places both at the end of the bed. The dress is hideous. My eyes hurt just from looking at it.

  Selene smiles. “This dress used to be the hottest thing in fashion when I was your age.”

  “You need to put that thing back where you dug it up. Or better yet, burn it.”

  “Enough, Aria. Now get dressed.”

  Okay. She’s my ticket back home; pissing her off might not be a good idea. “You know this is a big waste of time. I need to be learning combat skills. Psychological warfare. Things like that.”

  “You’ll learn all that and more in high school. You’re going to be attending one of the best performing art schools in the city.”

  Whatever. I plop myself back on the bed as she heads through the door.

  “Get up, Aria!”

  “Get up, Aria,” I mimic. I close my eyes. What the…something wet and cold slathers my cheek. I pop an eye open. Selene’s dog is over my face. “Aspen, get—”

  Aspen licks my mouth—our tongues touch. Did Aspen just French kiss me? Yuck!

  He jumps off the bed and jets out the room. I make a mad dash for the bathroom. After brushing and rinsing my mouth out twice, I head back to the bedroom. Standing in front of the mirror, I hold the dress up in front of me. I will it to burst into flames. …And, nothing. I can’t stop the flood of emotions that overwhelm me. Tears threaten to spill down my cheeks. I don’t recognize the person in front of me. She’s scared and alone. Why did you send me here, Father? What are you doing, Aria? You got this. You don’t need anyone. I look at the dress. Maybe it’ll look better once I put it on.

  “Oh, hell no! I’m not wearing this, Selene.”

  I march over to her room at the opposite end of the hall and swing the door open. She’s watching a scene playing out on a blue orb of light. Energy beams are shooting into a crowd of people running for their lives, bodies are everywhere. The back of a pale man with the physique of a Viking god comes into view. Battle armor covers his torso and forearms. Strange symbols are carved into his skin.

  It can’t be.

  He turns around. It’s Dagon. It’s like he’s looking right at us with his beady eyes. He smiles. “Aria,” Dagon says. “You belong to me.”

  “No!” Selene yells. She flings her hand out, making the orb explode and vanish.

  “Was that real?” I ask.

  “Don’t worry about that. It was nothing.”

  “Nothing? That was Dagon. You screamed…it was something.”

  “Forget it and go to school, Aria.” Selene heads downstairs.

  I follow. “Okay, so we’re gonna pretend that never happened?”

  “You look nice, Aria.”

  What is she, bipolar? “Please, I look like someone’s grandmother.”

  “You’re too beautiful to be mistaken for someone’s grandmother.”

  “My point exactly. I’m too hot to be seen in this. How am I supposed to blend in?”

  “Just say you’re from Europe. No one will think anything of it.”

  Wow, Europe must be crazy lame if they dress like this. “The dress is one thing, but the crater on my face is stressing me out.”

  Selene pulls a messenger bag out from a closet. “There’s a phone for emergencies in here, money, and directions to school.”

  She hands me the bag, then presses a finger on my zit so hard, I think it popped.

  I swat her hand away. “What gives?” I touch my nose. Wait, the pimple’s gone. “You did that? Thanks.”

  “It was easy enough.” She pushes me out the door.

  I turn to utter one last protest, but the door’s already closing in my face.

  She so has issues.

  Four

  · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

  MY FOOT SLIPS INTO A giant hole in the middle of a busy sidewalk. I stumble, almost twisting my ankle. Come on! Not only did Selene make me take the subway, but she also gave me useless directions. All these streets look the same. I’m bumped to the side by some long-haired asshole with a cigarette in his mouth. The bag on my shoulder flies off, hitting the concrete. Okay, that’s it. I’m tired of this.

  “Hey, you okay?” A guy stoops down, grabs my bag, and hands it to me. He’s a cutie. His oversized glasses can’t hide that.

  An olive-skinned curvaceous girl joins him. She’s the same height with shoulder-length hair.

  “Well, who do we have here?” she asks.

  I can feel her eyes probing me. Dissecting my mannerisms.

  A big smile appears on her face. “Me gusta tu aura.”

  Okay…she speaks Spanish. All I understood was aura.

  “I’m Miranda. This is JP.”

  “I’m Aria Dawn.”

  JP’s checking me out. Ha! The cutie has taste. Noticing I’m on to him, he turns away and clears his throat.

  I smile.

  “Where you heading?” Miranda says.

  “Brooklyn Academy. But I have no idea where it is.”

  “That’s our school. We can take you. Vámonos.”

  She grabs my hand, pulling me down the sidewalk as JP follows.

  “So, if we’re gonna be friends, you should know what we’re all about,” Miranda says.

  Friends? She doesn’t seem to hold anything back. I like that.

  “JP’s a sci-fi nut slash computer nerd. He wears Marvel underwear and cried when Han Solo was killed in The Force Awakens.”

  JP playfully shoves her to the side. “Stop blowing up my spot.” He turns and looks at me with a nervous smile. “Just ignore her.”

  “Be true to yourself, JP,” Miranda says. “My deal—I totally hate fake boobs, all natural is way better. Can’t stand romance movies, and Walking Dead is the bomb.”

  “So, I don’t remember seeing you around Brooklyn Academy. Are you just starting? Where are you from, Aria?” JP asks.

  “Crothinia.” Shit. “Um, I mean Europe. I’m from Europe.” Focus, Aria.

  “Cool. My family’s originally from Mexico, but I was born here,” Miranda says. “JP’s a mutt.”

  “A dog?” I say. “What are you, a shifter?”

  They both chuckle.

  “That’s her way of saying I’ve got a little of everything in me,” JP says. “But my family’s originally from the South. New Orleans, mainly.”

  I recognize the names of both locations. They’re magic hubs. The first human that accidentally opened a portal between Crothinia and Earth was a Mexican that practiced brujería. He didn’t look like much, but he was powerful and eventually helped Crothinia defeat dark magic. At least, that’s what historians like my father want everyone to believe. I don’t care what anyone says. Crothinians were the ones that rose up and took Dagon out. And we’re going to do it again. This time we’ll finish him off. I’ll make sure of that. Argh! I’m so pissed that I’m here.

  My anger fades as I hear JP and Miranda cracking up. They’re ribbing each other about the mutt joke. I like their vibe. They’re tight. Kind of like Leung and me. Knowing her, she’s drilling Father, trying to find out where I am. I need all the help I can get to escape this hellhole.

  We cross the street toward a five-story building. The entire facade is made of glass. Giant bronze theater masks hang above the front doors.

  “Welcome to Brooklyn Academy,” JP says.

  A stretch limo pulls up between us and the entrance. Well-toned legs slip out wearing the longest heels I’ve ever seen. A stylish blonde gets out. Two other teens follow—a girl wearing a dress with Dolce and Gabbana written all over it, and a preppy teenage boy.

  “Ugh, it’s Summer,” Miranda mutters.

  The high-heeled blonde glances back. She gives Miranda and JP a nasty look. “Jealousy will get you nowhere,” she says.

  “You got me,” Miranda says. “I’ve alway
s wanted to be a conceited bitch like you, Summer.”

  “Well, you’re the school slut. How can you possibly have time?” Summer says.

  Miranda steps forward, fist clenched with a murderous look. JP grabs her arm.

  “Ever faithful huh, JP?” Summer says.

  “Don’t get it twisted,” JP says. “I’m saving you from her.”

  “Why do you insist on hanging with her?” Summer says. “Your dad’s a rock star. She’s a nobody.”

  I glance at Miranda. If looks could kill, Summer would be six feet under.

  “Look, they’ve added another loser to the crew,” the other girl says. Her bold Asian features are accentuated by blood-red highlights in her waist-length hair.

  “What’s she wearing?” The boy looks at my dress as if he’s offended.

  “Excuse me?” I say. But I can’t really say much else. This dress is an insult.

  “Everyone relax,” Summer says. “She seems promising.” Summer pulls a piece of thread off my dress, tosses it to the ground.

  I step back, out of reach.

  “I’m Summer. The fashionistas behind me are Olivia and Sawyer. And you are?”

  “Aria,” I say. That’s when I spot him—the definition of a perfect male specimen. He’s getting off a motorcycle to the right of the entrance. There’s a guitar slung over his leather jacket. He’s tall, lean, simply beautiful. Our eyes connect, we connect. He smiles.

  Fingers snapping in front my face jolt me back to reality.

  “Hey, I’m talking to you,” Summer says. “I said, you’re not from New York, are you?”

  “No, I’m from Crothin…um, Europe.”

  “Figures. We won’t hold that against you. Word of advice, I put this school on the map. Miranda and JP won’t get you anywhere but a bad seat in the cafeteria. When you get tired of thrift store clothes and these losers, stop by, say hi.” Summer walks away. Her friends follow like little puppy dogs.

  I feel a wave of energy as Miranda mumbles something under her breath. Summer stumbles. A heel snaps.

  Was that Miranda?

  “Every time I hang around these freaks, something weird happens,” Summer says loud enough for us to hear. She snaps the heel off the other shoe, slides it on, and struts away.