Katherine's Legacy
Yazar
Nicole Riddley
Okur
1,3M
BölĂŒm
80
Lost in the spooky woods and the decaying Blackwell Estate, Katherine stumbles upon two mysteries. One is Elias Gauthier, a mysterious boy with secrets as deep as the woods. The other is her family's dark past, tied to her grandmother's illness and a rumored curse. As she digs deeper, danger looms closer, and the line between friend and foe gets blurry. Can Katherine unravel the mysteries before she becomes a part of her family's tragic history?
Age Rating: 18+
Chapter 1: Desperately Seeking Solace
Iâve never wandered this deep into the forest before. The sun is already dipping low, but my feet keep pulling me further, as if Iâm running from the devil himself. I canât seem to stop.
Thereâs this nagging urge to escape from everything. From home. From life. The woods usually offer me some peace, but not today. Not recently.
The eerie caws of the crows echo through the forest, louder than the rustling leaves and the groaning of the tree branches. Itâs like a warning for me to stop.
It reminds me that when the sun sets, Iâll be lost in these woods if I donât turn back now. Iâll be cold and alone.
I let my steps slow, and then they halt completely as I take in my gloomy surroundings. The vibrant fall colors are gone, and the leaves are now mostly decaying on the ground.
Tall trees tower all around me.
Their bare branches eerily resemble dry human skeletons: bone-white limbs and thin, skeletal fingers reaching out to ensnare unsuspecting souls within their deadly, bony grasp.
I realize that something isnât right.
A stream cuts through our property that marks the start of an overgrown field. Why havenât I come across the stream yet? Surely, Iâve walked far enough.
My senses sharpen, and a sudden sense of caution washes over me as I get the feeling of being watched. The skin on my back and arms prickles with goosebumps.
A twig snaps, making me jump.
âWhoâs there?â
Another snap, and I spin around.
âHello?â
There are more sounds of snapping twigs before a lean, tall figure steps out from behind the trees.
The darkest green eyes framed by a fringe of black lashes on a proud, aristocratic face regard me coolly. I recognize him. Elias Gauthier.
We may attend the same school, but we donât move in the same circles. This is probably the first time Iâve been this close to him.
I take a moment to really look at him. Tall, broad shoulders. Thick, dark, unruly curls that can only be described as sex hair brush his collar. High cheekbones above a sharp jawline.
I know heâs handsome, but Iâve never really noticed him. Until now.
Now we study each other as if weâre sizing up an unknown entity. Friend or foe. At least thatâs what it feels like to me.
His arrogant expression, the tilt of his dark eyebrows, the way his piercing eyes skim over me with disdain before settling on my face . . .
It seems as though he already made up his mind about me a long time ago.
âWhat are you doing here?â I ask when I finally find my voice.
He flashes me a smile full of the whitest, straightest teeth. If a smile can be described as ice-cold, his is it. Even so, heâs undeniably striking.
âI should be asking you that question, Duchess. Youâre trespassing on private property. My property.â
Am I really on his property now? I donât usually come anywhere near the Gauthierâs property. Both our properties are large enough that most of the time I kinda forget we share a border.
This is definitely the first time Iâve run into someone in these woods.
More footsteps approach, and I turn my gaze toward three more newcomers. Surprise colors the faces of the other two when they see me. I recognize them too. Tyler Erikson and Justin Feron.
âWell, well, well . . . look whoâs decided to grace us with her presence.â Ronan Gauthier, Eliasâs twin brother, steps up to stand beside him.
âKatherine Blackwell. What an honor and a pleasant surprise.â From his tone, it doesnât sound like itâs a pleasant surprise at all.
Actually, neither of the Gauthier boys seem surprised or pleased to see me.
I always thought Elias and Ronan looked identical. But now that Iâm paying attention, I can see theyâre not. Sure, they look a lot alike, but Eliasâs face is narrower.
Ronan keeps his hair shorter too. Both of them look effortlessly elegant even in these surroundings.
Somewhere beyond these acres of woods, I imagine their sprawling mansion.
In fall and winter when the trees are bare, I get a glimpse of their roof and a little of the house from the third floor of our estate.
âHi, Cat,â says one of their friends. Tyler seems glad to see me. At least there is one friendly face. I think Iâve talked to Tyler once or twice.
âWhat are you doing out here in the woods?â he asks me. He seems genuinely curious.
I bite my lower lip as I steer my eyes toward the endless trees around meâmostly to avoid Eliasâs relentless piercing gaze. I release my lip when I become conscious of what Iâm doing.
These boys are making me feel flustered. Or maybe itâs just Elias. Boys donât usually make me feel flustered.
âI was just going for a walk. I didnât realize how far Iâd walked . . . or that Iâd stepped onto someone elseâs property.â
âYou donât just have one foot in our property, sweetheart. Youâre all the way in,â says Elias. He says âsweetheartâ mockingly, like an insult. The same way he called me âDuchess.â
âYou donât have to worry about thatâIâm leaving!â I tell him, taking a step back. âSorry for stepping foot . . . or rather, feet, on your property.â I make sure he knows Iâm not sorry at all.
Heâs still smirking, but his eyes glitter dangerously at the sound of contempt in my voice.
âItâs getting dark. We canât let her walk home in the woods by herself,â Tyler says, stepping closer to me. I suddenly notice heâs carrying a rifle. All of them are carrying rifles.
Are they out hunting, or are they just practicing?
âSure we can. She walked here by herself, she can walk home by herself,â says Elias cuttingly. His smile disappeared as soon as Tyler came to my aid.
âIf youâre not taking her home, then I will,â says Tyler.
âNo, youâre not!â barks Elias.
What a jerk! Not that I need to be saved like some damsel in distress. Iâm Katherine Blackwell. I donât play the damsel in distress, and Iâm done with jerks.
Elias steps between me and Tyler. He looks ready to take on anyone who crosses him, and Tyler seems torn.
âSheâs a Blackwell woman. She probably has a broom to ride,â Ronan says with a smirk.
Is he implying Iâm a witch now?
Tyler nudges Ronan. âWhatâs up, man? You guys arenât usually this harsh with a girl.â
âUsually, they donât want to mess up their chances of getting laid,â Justin jokes, laughing like itâs the funniest thing heâs ever heard. No one else joins in.
Justin is known for being unpredictable: wealthy, spoiled, and reckless. That pretty much sums up all of them.
âSo what? Sheâs hot. You really donât want to get with her?â he asks Ronan.
Elias has been watching me the whole time. His dark eyes are so intense, almost as if he despises me.
His strong jaw is set, and thereâs a muscle twitching in his cheek like heâs grinding his teeth.
âIâd love to . . . but sheâs for Elias,â Ronan says, smirking.
âNo, sheâs not,â Elias retorts. âSheâs nothing to me.â
Tears sting my eyes. âAssholes,â I mutter, turning quickly and walking away. I canât stand their crudeness, and I donât get what Ronan meant by saying Iâm for Elias.
But Eliasâs attitude and words hurt... and I donât understand why anything he said or did would affect me. Elias doesnât mean anything to me. None of them do.
Before I give myself away and show them my feelingsâor worse, my tearsâI need to get away from them. Maybe a whole continent away. If only that were possible.
âOh, so you donât mind if I hit that?â I hear Justinâs annoying voice behind me.
âDude, shut up!â Ronan snaps.
âCome on, letâs get you home.â I canât tell if itâs Ronan or Elias who says that, and I donât care.
âGo to hell,â I snap back, continuing to walk away.
I hear someone chuckle behind me. They definitely heard me.
I donât know where Iâm going since Iâm not familiar with this part of the woods, but Iâm not sticking around to take any more of their insults.
Iâd rather crawl through these woods in the pitch black than put myself at their mercy or owe them anything.
âYouâre going the wrong way, Duchess. Home is that way.â
I didnât hear him move, but Elias is right next to me now. I can feel the heat of his body against mine in the cool fall evening.
His deep voice washes over me like silk, sending shivers down my spine.
Ugh! I despise him. I want to wipe that icy look out of his eyes and that smug smile off his handsome face.
I follow his direction, but I donât stop or even look at him to say thank you. I just keep walking.
