It is a universal truism that any confrontation in any schoolyard, will immediately attract a throng of vocal and rebellious kids itching to see a fight.   And when this fails to happen one afternoon after school, Adam realizes there is something very, very wrong. Adam had been discussing his birthday with friends after dismissal.   It took less than a minute for them to scatter after Noah overheard this, and pushed his way through; leaving he and Adam face-to-face, alone in the schoolyard. It was as though Sunset Valley had held its breath. Not a bird was left chirping, and not … Continue reading Chapter 9.9 – Inferno

The warehouse has seen a considerable uptick in activity since Corwin’s destruction, and the subsequent release of a creature that had been unwillingly bound to him.   The creature has since taken on a more sim-like appearance, but is no … Continue reading Chapter 9.8 – Hendrake

Author’s note: This post depicts situations and imagery that some readers may find unsettling. Please read at your discretion. Makayla has been keeping a little secret.   Actually, it hasn’t really be that much of a secret at all. Evidently, everybody except Adam had already figured it out weeks ago; even his girlfriend, Flora. They all enjoy a good laugh when the dumbstruck expression of awareness first appears on Adam’s face. Then his cheeks turn bright red after he grasps how, exactly, Makayla came to be pregnant.   Makayla mercifully ends his discomfort with a maternal hug, then invites him to … Continue reading Chapter 9.7 – Retribution

Wendell and Amber surprise their teenage visitors with news that they’ve decided to follow them back to Sunset Valley, and stay at the estate for an extended visit.   This unexpected change upsets Flora, as she had likely been planning to repeat her attempts at diversionary tactics on the way home. Flora spends some time pouting as they head out on the road. But Adam manages to snap her out of it by recalling the highlights of their trip.   He says nothing about the memory he’d experienced while they were making out on the beach. It felt like he’d … Continue reading Chapter 9.6 – Nephilim

Nine generations of Barimens, spanning nearly two-hundred years, have lived on a bluff in Sunset Valley, overlooking the sea.   Adam Barimen, the ninth generation heir to the Barimen Estate, contemplates what he had been told by the woman who birthed him. Under normal circumstances, Anna would have been considered his mother. But things being as they are, it would be difficult for her to qualify as such. She had carried his physical form (presumably, a form that he had unconsciously chosen himself), and then bore him into this world. But that is the extent of their relation. To put it … Continue reading Chapter 9.5 – Interests

Adam doesn’t remember much after finding Makayla, or even going to the hospital.   The one thing he does recall, however, is another memory about that cute, silvery-haired girl. Much like the other memories he’s had of her, this one only lasted a little while. But there was one important difference. He’d never been able to talk to her before. And this time, he could. Her name is Kacey, and she had told him she was afraid of her weird brother.   But was it a memory? Or was it a dream? It felt interactive, like he’d actually been there, … Continue reading Chapter 9.4 – Hunger

 Author’s Note: After nine generations in Sunset Valley, I’ve found that a very interesting thing has happened. The vast majority of families now living in the town are somehow related to the legacy family. Four bloodlines seem to have really been very prolific: Doc and Hope – they had five kids together, and the offspring from those children are all over the place. Mary Upchurch  – Mary was Mark’s sister. She and her sister Elizabeth were the last kids between David and Ciara. Again, there are quite a few Upchurch family branches in town. Tina Mann  – Tina was Faith’s daughter, … Continue reading Chapter 9.3 – Altercation

No matter what he does to distract himself, Adam cannot stop thinking about the situation his father described earlier.   He and Luke had talked for at least an hour about his birth-mother, Anna. Adam’s father tells the funny story about the night she she slugged him just to get him to notice her; and how it was true love after that. Some bad things had happened to her, and she was in the hospital for a little while. He explains how Anna was still very sick while she was pregnant. And when Luke got to the part about her … Continue reading Chapter 9.2 – Library

Adam quietly listens while Makayla speaks with the school principal, discussing the finer points of a very messy prank pulled on the school after hours yesterday.   Evidence found at “ground zero” would seem to point to Adam being the perpetrator. But Makayla assures the flustered, young woman that Adam had gone to a movie and then burgers with his father yesterday, as reward for perfect grades. They were out fairly late; well after the damage was done.   Adam’s lips curl into a disgruntled expression of disgust as he leaves the school with Makayla. There is no need for … Continue reading Chapter 9.1 – Prank

Makayla playfully chases Adam down the long hallway leading from his bedroom.   He’d managed to escape from the dreaded chore of having his shining, silvery hair brushed after taking a bath. She laughs and gives up as the soft rustle of feathers and a warm, golden glow accompanies the manifestation of angelic wings; allowing him to hover just out of her reach.   Let’s ignore, for a moment, the evidence suggesting that Adam Barimen is some sort of inter-dimensional, alien being. For the most part, he’s still just a kid.   Granted, he’s a kid with silken, chrome-like hair and … Continue reading Chapter 9 – Adam