Dark Promise by Talia Jager (free novel 24 txt) 📖

Chapter Six

The doorbell rang.

I glanced over at my clock. It was nine o’clock at night, kind of late for visitors. I made my way to the top of the stairs, curious as to who it was, and I heard the door open. “Mrs. McCallister?”

“Yes?” my mother answered. I could hear the question in her voice, indicating it wasn’t someone she knew.

“I need to talk to you and your husband about your daughter. It’s important.”

What? I snuck further down the stairs. There was a beautiful lady with long light blonde hair standing at the door. She was young and lovely, and looked like she could be a runway model. I wondered why in the world she wanted to talk to my parents about me.

My father was at the door now. “What is this in reference to?” he asked, his voice all business.

“Please, may I come in? This isn’t something I’d like to discuss outside.” The woman glanced over her shoulder as if looking for someone.

My parents looked at each other, but I couldn’t see their faces clearly, and then my father nodded. “Okay.” They both stepped aside to let her in.

Although this lady seemed familiar, I didn’t know her and didn’t like the fact that she was here because of me. I continued down the rest of the stairs and followed behind them.

My mother led her into the living room. The lady’s piercing green eyes rested on me, sending a chill down my back. My father followed her gaze. “Rylie, do you know this woman?” Dad asked.

“No.” I shook my head slowly. “I’ve never seen her before.”

“Rylie, maybe you should go to your room,” Dad suggested, his gaze demanding I do as he said.

“No. If this has something to do with me, I want to hear it.” I crossed my arms and sank against the back of the couch.

Mom and Dad exchanged a worried glance, but turned back to the lady on the couch. “Please, go on.”

Without taking her eyes from me, the lady calmly stated, “My name is Azura, and I am Rylie’s birth mother.”

My father, who was always a level-headed man, was on his feet in seconds, his face hard. “What are you talking about?”

I felt like I had fallen into some kind of parallel universe. Did this woman just say she was my birth mother? How could she be my birth mother? That would mean I was adopted, but wouldn’t my parents have told me something like that?

My mother shook her head. “Birth mother? Rylie isn’t adopted.” She reached over and took my hand. “Believe me, I’ll never forget the eleven hours of labor.”

The woman sat perfectly still in the blue armchair across from us, with her hands clasped on her lap. “I know it’s hard to accept, but it’s true. Your daughter died shortly after she was born. I switched the infants. Rylie is mine.”

The wind left me as if I had been punched in the stomach. I couldn’t breathe, and the room spun. I gripped the pillow next to me with my other hand as I clung to my mother.

Silence filled the room for a moment, and then my father exploded. “You need to leave now!” He pointed to the door. “Get out of this house and don’t come back without a court order.”

The lady smiled sincerely, her face still as calm as it had been when she walked in the door. “Please, hear me out. I realize this is a lot to take in.”

“No! This is preposterous! Nobody died. Rylie is ours.” Dad’s voice was like thunder.

I studied the lady. She seemed so honest and soft-spoken. Why would she pretend something like this? Why would she ruin our family if it weren’t true? And if was true, why was she coming clean now? Something in me believed her even though I didn’t want to. I swallowed hard and rubbed my sweaty palms on my shirt.

“Let her talk,” I said hoarsely.

“Rylie, you can’t believe her.” Dad looked stricken.

“I’m curious as to why she thinks I’m her daughter. Let’s hear her out.” I crossed my arms and scooted closer to my mother, comforted when she wrapped an arm around me.

Dad turned back to the woman called Azura, and his frown deepened. “Fine.” He sat back down in his seat and glared. “Talk.”

“Thank you. I’m going to tell you something not many humans know, and I have to trust you to keep it secret for Rylie’s sake.” She addressed the statement to my parents.

Humans? Who talks like that?

Her eyes rested on me. “Sixteen years ago tomorrow, you were born. When you arrived with a birthmark, your father and I were overjoyed. To us, it meant you would have special abilities. But then temptation came, and your father, being weak, succumbed to it. I had to hide you. I had to keep you safe. So, I went to the hospital in search of a baby who was dying. There is a special aura around people who are about to die, and I found a baby with that aura. I switched babies, leaving you and taking the dead baby girl with me. After duplicating the birthmark, I passed her off as my own and buried her.”

Mom’s hand flew up to her mouth.

I was dumbstruck. “But why? Who was your child in danger from?”

“You were born with a powerful gift, one that many would like to get their hands on.”

I rubbed my temples, hoping the headache that had started earlier would go away soon. This was insane. This lady must be crazy. In danger? A baby? I took a few deep breaths. “I still don’t understand. I can assure you that I do not have any special gifts. I’m boringly normal. I think you have the wrong person.”

“Rylie, she’s lying. This woman clearly has mental issues.” Dad walked over to me and put his hand on my shoulder. “She’s probably just seeking attention or money.”

“I assure you, sir, I’m not seeking either one of those. You can get a DNA test to prove what I’m saying, but there are things you all need to know before tomorrow.”

“What?” Mom’s voice sounded weak.

“Rylie and I…we’re not human.” She looked directly into my eyes.

What the hell did that mean?

“Now I know you’re insane!” Dad raised his voice again. “Get out of our house this minute.” He strode to the door and flung it open. Cool night air rushed inside.

“We’re faeries,” Azura continued, “and tomorrow, Rylie will finish her transformation.”

“What are you talking about?” Mom asked shakily. She glanced between me and the lady calling herself my mother, wiping tears from her eyes.

“You’ve been having headaches,” Azura said simply, her gaze resting on me with a familiarity I didn’t like. “Backaches. You’ve been tired and sleeping a lot. Maybe you noticed little changes in the mirror. You know something is happening to your body. Tell me, am I wrong?”

My mouth was dry. I couldn’t answer her in words, but I nodded in agreement.

“Oh, c’mon. This is ridiculous!” Dad threw his hands up. “Get out of our house before I get my gun and make you.”

“Rylie, you will look different. And unless you use glamour, everyone else will see the changes, too.” Suddenly, the lady changed right before our eyes. She was the same person, yet different. Her ears were pointy, and her green eyes brighter. And then there were the wings. She actually had wings. Sparkly, beautiful wings a shade of light green I had never seen before.

That’s when the room started spinning again, and I passed out.

“Rylie, wake up.” My mom was shaking me. I opened my eyes and tried to focus on her. It all came crashing back. I pushed myself up to a sitting position and looked around. My mother and father were huddled around me, and the woman who claimed to be my birth mother was watching us intently. She looked human again.

“Did I imagine that?” I looked into my mother’s eyes, hoping for an answer I knew I wasn’t going to get.

She shook her head, her face pale, and softly brushed a strand of