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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 .