Isolene

Isolene Ashby has had enough of high school. She has been a social pariah her entire life-- never in and never quite out of the social circle. Lucky for her, there's only half a semester left of high school (thank god) before Summer and then College. B

CHAPTER 1  

        "Two Georges, that's all I have left." announced Isolene, holding up two twenty-five cent pieces in front of her eyes.  "Two long, never ending quarters where nothing matters."

        "Mmhmm…" replied a auburn haired girl sitting next to her, eyes intent on an article in the school newspaper.  "Thank goodness we're almost finished with this torture pit of a school.  Where's Tess?"

        Isolene put down her coins and  looked around the lunchroom for a Tess, a short blonde haired girl among the many in her school, and said.  "Over there, probably talking with Helen's table about the calculus homework for next period."

        "It's shocking--"

        "I know, Tess never talks with Helen." ­

        "No, Isolene, I meant that it's shocking that half of the lunch menu is on the Seafood Watchcard fish list."  corrected Emma, referencing to the article.  "In other news, would you like to hear your horoscope?"

        Isolene grinned at Emma.  "Hit it at me.  I love that kind of stuff."

        "There comes times when the world seems upside down and you're the only one who is right side up.  Let gravity simply show you where your feet should land-- and open your heart to the surprises that await you."

        Letting out a disapproving snort, Isolene asked Emma.  "So do you think this means I'll meet Prince Charming who will sweep me off my feet so that I'll be dizzy, head over heels in love today?" 

        Sweeping her own eyes around the lunchroom, Emma raised her eyebrows.  "With this selection here?  Good luck in finding Mr. Adequate, let alone Mr. Right."

        Isolene rolled her eyes.  Emma pointed out what was discussed between their lunch table almost once every month:  the guy market just didn't flourish at Marshall High School.  While there were plenty of cute guys, Isolene was sick of them.  Sweet and taking-time-to-grow-on-a-girl guys did not cut it anymore.  When Alan, her boyfriend last year left her for a prettier, sluttier freshman, Isolene thought that it was time to make some standards for herself:  The next guy I date will be hot.  Man candy, baby.  Fulfilling the resolution would take some time-- a long time-- which in her book, was fine.

        "Thank goodness I'm not desperate.  Speaking of which, did you notice that Tess's hanging out with Helen's table more and more often?  I think she likes," Isolene mockingly stole surreptitious glances around the lunchroom. "Eliot."

        "Shhh!" hissed Emma with a slight nod.  "She's coming back."

        "Hey," said Tess.  "Did you hear about the new book store they're building a few blocks from the school?"

        "It's only been the big news in suburbia for the past eight months," commented Emma.  "Isn't it opening today?"

        "Way to steal my thunder!" confirmed Tess.  "You guys want to go there after school?"

        Isolene frowned.  "No, I can't.  I have debate practice.  You two can go ahead without me."

        "But c'mon Isolene!  Raiding a store just isn't the same without the three of us going together." winked Tess.

        "Yeah, Isolene, who's going to make your observations on quirky human behavior?" said Emma.

        "And be our getaway ride when we get kicked out?"

        "And be the recipient of my numerous movie recommendations?"

        Isolene sighed at the blitzkrieg of questions.  "You two are pain in the butts when you need to be, aren't you?  Fine, I'll try to tell my coach that I need to research today-- this better be good!  I lose sleep when you two rearrange my schedule." 

        Emma grinned.  "Don't worry.  We love you.  You can go to the library to research now instead of later.  Today will be fun."

        Glancing at the clock, Isolene noticed that fifteen minutes were left of the period.  "Good idea.  I'll talk to you two later."

        Her stuff, spread loosely across enough space for four people, quickly stacked into a neat pile of papers, notebooks, and homework. 

        "You're so organized!" exclaimed Tess. 

        "You should see my room-- it's such a mess that you can't tell up from down."  Warned Isolene.  "Later."

        Heading towards the library, Simon thought of the overhyped new bookstore that was coming to town: Pandora's Books & Music.  She never heard of the national chain before, but then again, she wasn't the type to know her brands by heart.  Looking down at her purse bought from a local flea market, Isolene noted with some pride that no national brands in the world would define her individuality as much as her leather brown-and-red purse.  Maybe this afternoon would be interesting after all.  She and her friends could enjoy a novelty as much as anyone could. 

***

CHAPTER 2

        "This place is gorgeous!" marveled Tess at the glass doors of Pandora's Book and Music.

        Isolene ruefully agreed.  The store let in lots of sunlight, yet designed in such way as to remind her of an intimate library.  Sofas and sitting areas appeared in every niche of the store, permitting book lovers to enjoy books in their own sense of comfort and privacy. 

        "Hey, there's a café!  Do you want to come to get something to eat?" asked Emma.   

        Isolene grimaced.  Since the beginning of the school year, she had put on a bit of weight.  So far, nothing motivated her to lose her new pounds.  Thus, a proactive measure to prevent her from gaining more weight was necessary.  "No thanks.  I think I am going to look at some books.  Find me later?"

        "Sure thing."  said Emma.  "Don't turn around now, but the cookie-cutter girls have arrived."

        Despite Emma's warning, Isolene turned around to see Helen Bradbury and Mandy Littleton's clique of friends parade into the store.  Instantly, the light that had shown freely throughout the room seemed to focus on them.  Some of the girls in the group Isolene knew and talked to in classes at school, but no one in the group seemed the least bit interested in making eye contact with the threesome who arrived in the store first. 

        "How do they do that?" exclaimed Tess under her breath.  "Is it just me or does every head turn towards them when they walk into a room?"

        Isolene rolled her eyes.  "Frankly, I'm surprised they are intelligent enough to come into a bookstore."

        "Definitely.   We shouldn't pay attention to them-- we're prettier anyways." Added Emma jokingly.

        Helen and Mandy.  The two most popular girls in school.  Helen was the daughter of one of the richest businessmen in the area, Drew Bradbury, a stationary company owner and large patron of the school's football team.  For all her financial stability, Helen's best friend Mandy was anything but monetarily endowed.  Mandy was not as well off, but her intelligent and stylish brain immediately led to her and Helen to bonding over fashion, boys, and academics.  More than once, rumors had surfaced about either Helen or Mandy cheating on a test or bribing teachers for their grades. 

        It did not help things that they both were pretty, and thus immediately exalted by the popular crowd.  Isolene noted that both girls had taken this expedition to the bookstore as an opportunity to dress up.  Instead of Hollister jeans and Tommy Hilfiger clothes from the school day, Helen and Mandy dressed, respectively, in pink and yellow tweed jackets with very short miniskirts.  Stiletto heels that looked impossible to walk in emphasized their long, thin legs.   With their hair stereotypically pulled into pigtails, eyes framed by glasses, and faces colored with deceptively minimal makeup, Isolene would have half believe the girls genuinely came into the bookstore for books-- if they did not look like the absolute male fantasy of a s****y librarian.  

        Looking around, Isolene wished that the entire room would stop giving the girls the attention they really did not deserve. 

        "Meanwhile, while the store gawks, the coffee line seems to have suddenly become shorter." she noted to her friends. 

        "Oh, yes!" agreed Emma, quickly producing her wallet from her lavender faux leather purse.  "Are you sure you don't want anything?"

        Isolene nodded.  She walked over to a display of books.  Some of the titles seemed vaguely familiar, and picking up a title, she was pleased to discover the paperback one of her favorite books, Gone with the Wind.

        "Ooo, that seems pretty steamy." said Tess, walking up to Isolene with a cup of cappuccino.  "The book, I mean."

        "It's not as romantic as it seems.  This cover just makes it look scandalous." Defended Isolene.

        "Whatever you say, dear.   You hadn't had anything since lunch, and the cappuccinos are exquisite, you ought to try one." 

        Playfully tossing the book at Tess, Isolene snatched Tess's cup as Tess caught the book.  Trying a sip of Tess's cappuccino, she said, "Fine, I agree, it's good, next time."

        "Oolala." Whispered Emma as she walked towards them.  "Behind you, to the left.  Don't--"

        Simultaneously, both girls turned to look behind them. 

        "--look behind you." Finished Emma.  "You guys keep on turning around when I warn you not to!"

        "I don't see what the big dea-- ooh." said Isolene. 

        A young worker walked towards them.  "Do you ladies need any help looking for anything?" he asked in a deep voice with a strange accent, his emerald green eyes twinkling. 

        "Um, I don't, well, I guess, there is, ummm--" began Emma, stammering out an incoherent mess of words. 

        "What she means is yes-- we need to look for a book for school:  Beloved, by Toni Morrison.  Can you help  us?" asked Tess.

        The guy nodded.  He was cute-- tall, lean, and well dressed--- and by now, it was apparent that Tess and Emma were smitten.  This was too professional of a setting for anything other than fruitless adoration for the man, Isolene told herself.  Still, Isolene could not help but notice his wavy blonde hair, his emerald studded ear, and the curious foreign accent underneath his words. 

        "My name is Tristan.  How are you guys doing?  It's exciting to see how popular this store is.  We've exceeded expectations already-- and it is even before the heavy shopping hours. " He began, leading the girls through a labyrinth of bookshelves.  " Now, this is the classic literature section if you ever come back.  Toni Morrison's book should be right… here."

        Tristan reached towards the top of a shelf to grab a copy of Beloved for the girls.  "Here you go, anything else?"

        Isolene smiled at Tristan.  "Thanks, but that's all for now.  We'll let you know when we need help for anything else."

        When Tristan was well out of hearing range, Tess started to speak.  "My god, was he cute or what?  Do you think he is going to go to our school?"

        Emma still had not recovered from the awe of Tristan.  "Mmhmm."  She replied.

        "Snap out of it!" said Isolene to her.  "He wasn't that cute.  He had a stain on his sleeve, his smile is lopsided, and his hair is too disheveled.  Besides, he looks like he graduated from highschool already."

        Tess rolled her eyes.  "You have to admit, Isolene, you did stop midsentence when he came over.  He might not be your ideal tall, dark, and handsome Prince Charming, but he is pretty damn close to Mr. Cuteness in this town. I bet I can get his number before we leave." 

        Isolene looked doubtfully at Tess.  By now, Tristan had made his way down to the cookie-cutter clique.  "Good luck with that.  He's probably going to help Helen's group all afternoon now."

        "Hey, Tess, Beloved is such an Oprah book." Quipped Emma, who now found a chair and started to peruse the novel.  "Which reminds, me have you guys seen the movie The Color Purple?"

        "No, I haven't.  But this place is so sweet that I just might go grab that book and read all afternoon!"exclaimed Tess as she flopped down on an empty leather chair nearby Emma.  "As nerdy as it sounds, I think this has to be our new hangout from now on."

        Smiling at Tess, Isolene found The Color Purple and tossed it over to Tess.  "You guys can read here.  I think I'm going to go look for one of my favorite books."

        Isolene always felt self-conscious when she passed by the Romance section of the library, let alone look at the books, but since Gone With the Wind was not in the classics section, she wanted to check out the Romance section for the hardcover version.  Passing by the numerous covers of voluptuous women and artist depictions of Schwartzeneggers, Isolene grimaced at the distorted versions of mankind.  If she adhered to her impossible standards, then meeting that kind of person could take an eternity.  Thank goodness.

        "I would never have pegged you as a romance fan." Said a voice behind her. 

        Isolene jumped.  Turning around, she was surprised to see Tristan behind her.  "Oh!  No, I don't read romances, well, at least not these kinds."  She waved around at the shelves surrounding her.

        Crossing his arms, Tristian leaned against a shelf.  "Oh, really?  So you just like to look around in the Romance section without ever reading any of the novels?"

        Isolene felt a flush come to her face.  "It's not as it looks."  she protested.

        "Don't worry about it, people read books all the time for enjoyment.  So why not Romance books?  I'm not judging you" said Tristan.  Isolene could see that he was lying about the last part.

        "Ok, Mr. I-Don't-Judge, if you'd like to know, I'm looking for Gone With the Wind, not just any old romance book."

        "Ooo, now that's a steamy one.  Have you read it before?"  he asked as he began looking for the book for her.   

        "First of all, it's not a 'steamy' book-- the movie cover just makes it look that way.  Second, I have read it before and it is not just for the romance aspect of it."  Isolene retorted.

        "Now why would you like Gone With the Wind if you didn't like that dashing Rhett Butler?" asked Tristan, his hands running over a the bindings of a few books before landing on the book she was looking for.  His long fingers gingerly pulled the novel out and Isolene caught a glimpse of a strange blue wristband on his left arm. 

        "Frankly, m'dear," said Isolene through gritted teeth, her face burning. "It's none of your business."

        Laughing at her reference, Tristan reluctantly handed over the book to Isolene's outstretched hand.  "Pity, I thought you'd be a person who would like to talk about books."

        "No, I do enjoying talking about books," protested Isolene, why was she defending herself in front of this prick?  "Under certain circumstances." 

        "Such as over a cup of coffee tomorrow?"

        "Well, sometimes it's the situation, but it's more along the lines of certain people, no offense intended." she added quickly.

        A sudden beep sounded from Tristan's waist.  Isolene's eyes followed the sound to a small pager. 

        Looking up from his mass of blonde hair, Tristan grinned once again at Simon, his green eyes meeting her own brown ones.  "So it's decided tomorrow evening for coffee, then?"

        Before she could protest, Tristan had turned away to help new customers in the store.  Feeling morbidly embarrassed by circumstance (had she not been standing in the most awkward section in the store, for example,) Simon walked away clutching the hardcover copy of Gone With the Wind.  While Tristan was cute, his audacity and overconfidence seemed to counterbalance any physical attributes he possessed.  She headed back to her friends.

        "You look absolutely devastated," commented Ellen. "Like a ripe tomato."

        "Don't worry about it," said Tess.  "It compliments your dark hair well.  Makes you look ruddy and tough…ish.  What happened?"

        Saving herself from further reliving the moment, Simon lied.  "Nothing, the Romance section hosts some inappropriate conversations between people that should be left unsaid.  I was looking for this." She motioned towards her book.  "I am going to the checkout counter, do you guys want to come with?"

        Ellen nodded while Tess waved them away.  "I think I'll read a little bit of The Color Purple every time I come here.   You two go ahead."

        Isolene and Ellen headed towards checkout counter, which functioned surprisingly quickly and efficiently despite the long line.  Unfortunately, that did not hasten the process of talking to the two girls in front of her, Helen and Mandy.  

        "Oh, look, it's Gana and her nerdy friends."  Sneered Helen.  Unfortunately, she never forgave Isolene for informing the Spanish teacher to look out for cheaters; instead, whenever their paths crossed, Helen always made a point to condescend enough to call Isolene a frog.

        "I'm sure she wishes she could be half as attractive as we are, then Tristan might have glanced at her." Giggled Mandy. 

        Ellen's lips were drawn together in a thin line.  Nudging Ellen to reassure her, Isolene glared at the two girls ahead of her.  "If you two could fathom what a book is, then you might stand a chance; but it's just too bad that Tristan and I have been long childhood friends, isn't it?  In fact, we’re catching up over lunch soon.  Beat you to the punch again, dears."

        The shocked expressions of the two girls galvanized Isolene's resolve to have coffee with Tristan the next day. 

        "She's lying.  Honest to god, who even gives a second glance at people like her?" said Mandy to Helen with a twinge of uncertainty as they headed to an open register.  "Get lost, losers."      

        Isolene and Ellen headed towards another register with a girl at the counter had jade colored eyes that looked vaguely familiar to her. 

        "Just this girls?" she asked.  "Would you like to join our free membership?"

        Isolene nodded, reciting the necessary information.  From the way things were going, she was going to become a regular anyways.

***

CHAPTER 3 (Feb 16^th)

        Isolene could not resist flipping her pencil compulsively when things preoccupied her mind.  Attending debate practice forced her racing mind to calm down into the familiar routine of a round, but unfortunately for her, Coach Patterson did not overlook her skipped practice yesterday with compassion.  A week of mindless watching replaced her one chance at a practice debate her teammates, which brought her mind right back to the strange scene with Tristan.   

        She played with the sleeve of her favorite dark green sweater.  Because of her birthmark, Isolene avoided short sleeve shirts whenever possible, and since it was still winter, that proved to be of little difficulty.  Rolling up the sleeve slightly to reveal her inner wrist, Isolene examined her pink dove-shaped discoloration on her pale skin.  It was not ugly; in fact, her mother had often nagged her to show off her birthmark, but Isolene always felt self-conscious whenever anyone saw the image. 

        Sighing with a mixture of frustration and boredom, Isolene watched the clock ease its way towards 4:00 PM.  Finally, the hour came, and she dashed out the door without a thought.

        “Isolene!” called a voice behind her.

        Isolene silently made a quick, impatient face, which transformed to a cheerful smile to greet the voice.  “Hey Jacques.  What’s up?”

        Jacques Bourellis was a fellow senior member of the debate team.  His verbal and mental prowess had earned him many first place medals and much recognition in the past two years.  Even though he was probably the most intelligent kid in the school, Jacques did little in terms of schoolwork, and had infamous reputation for scorning teachers’ advice and teaching methods.      

        “I heard about how Patterson totally snubbed you for this week.  If you’d like, I have time to hold a practice session with you Thursday night.”

        Isolene regarded the clownish, curly haired kid in front of her with narrowed eyes.  “What do you mean— are you really offering to spend extra time debating tomorrow out of the goodness of your heart?”

        Smiling his impish smile, Jacques winked at Isolene.  “Would I deceive you, sistah?  Anyways, I owe you for helping me out last year.”

        Shrugging, Isolene met back Jacques’s smile with a grin of her own.  “Thanks, buddy.  You sure got an instinct for knowing when to help a member in need.”

        “Blame it on my sophisticated sweetness.”

“Egomaniac.” Said Isolene, affectionately punching Jacques’s lanky frame.  “See you tomorrow.”

The drive out of the school campus in her ten year old Honda accord to Pandora Bookstore’s packed parking lot proved to be a fifteen minute endeavor as she searched for an available parking spot.  As much as Isolene dreaded meeting Tristan (heck, he was a complete stranger than might not even keep his side of the promise,) her mind flitted anxiously for her to enter the store.

Finally spotting a far off parking spot, Isolene quickly parked, got out, and locked her car.  She made sure that she had brought her leather purse with some sheets of homework, just in case.  That way, she had an excuse for being at the store. 

  The scene on the inside the store bubbled with excitement as customers browsed to and for among the café, bookshelves, and music.  Isolene glanced and failed to find a certain head of blonde hair.  Disappointed, although she expected no less, she headed towards a back corner of the store to start working on her schoolwork.

"Hey, I wasn't expecting you so soon!" said a voice behind her.

Whirling around, Isolene noticed a familiar figure in a blue uniform.  His blonde hair was still disheveled, but Isolene saw that instead of wearing an emerald stud today, Tristan was wearing a diamond gem in his ear.  Within his hands, he carried a stack of books. 

"I'm surprised you followed through with your bargain," commented Isolene. 

"Never intended to break it." said Tristan, his green eyes twinkling. "Could you wait for me in the café?  My break starts in fifteen minutes."

"I'll be there in a bit." said Isolene, mentally kicking herself for grinning back at him. 

"Fantastic.  Meanwhile," said Tristan, manipulating a particular book in the middle of his stack. "You could take a look at this while you read."

Barely dropping her pencil in time, Isolene caught the book that Tristan threw at her, Alice in Wonderland. It was a light book, but it did not look to be new.  By the time she looked up, Tristan had disappeared among the maze of shelves. 

Shrugging it off, Isolene threw her purse over her shoulder and headed towards the café.  Absentmindedly, she flipped through the pages of the thin book in her hands.  While the café was busy, she managed to stake a table towards the back corner of the room. 

Drugs were bad for the body, but if a guy was able to churn out an instant classic literature piece while on them, they why not?  She turned to a random page of the book and started to digest the story.

"'Dear, dear! How queer everything is today! And yesterday things went on just as usual.  I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think: was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different.  But if I am not the same, the next question is, Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle!' And--"

"Enjoying the story?" asked a person walking up to her in a grey sweatshirt.  He carried two cups of coffee in his hands.

Offering a seat, Isolene stole a glance at her cell phone.  To her amazement, half an hour had passed as she read the novel.  Taking a sip of her drink, she looked up to meet vibrant green eyes.

        "Hot chocolate?" she asked.

        "Like it?  I made it myself." replied Tristan.

        Pausing in her next sip, Isolene said, "Should I be worried?"

        "Nah, not yet.  There are bigger issues in the world today.  Usually I meet my victims face-to-face three times before I jump them.  Consider yourself same tonight." said Tristan, his face set in a grin. 

        "I don't believe we have ever met.  My name is Tristan Walkiir.  My uncle owns this," he gestured about the store. "This is basically his and my life story."

          "What you just said about victims was slightly creepy, but for the sake of conversation, I'm going to ignore that." Began Isolene good-naturedly.  "My name is Isolene.  I'm a senior at Marshall High."

        "Sorry, I was just kidding.  I do not want to make you uncomfortable." apologized Tristan, his eyes meeting hers as they shook hands. "I never attended high school before.  I guess my uncle always taught me everything that I needed know."

        "But back to you, has anyone ever told you that you have uniquely pretty eyes?  Do you wear contacts?" he asked.

        Isolene rolled her eyes at the all-too familiar comment.  Her face showed a default grin as she replied.  "A few people have; especially my mother, but then again, she says a lot of things." Isolene frowned.  "My eyes should look normal today, though. I put in blue contacts."

        "They look very blue, almost bordering on a shade of lavender." said Tristan, leaning both elbows onto the table. 

        Isolene could not actually remember if she reached for the blue or clear contacts that morning, but just in case, she'd go check.  While rendezvous with stranger did not top her usual to-do lists, she intuitively knew that good conversations did not begin with Alice in Wonderland and lavender eyes.

        "Excuse me." she said.

        Seeing Tristan's quick nod, Isolene headed toward the Women's restroom.  Pushing into the brightly lit room, Isolene gasped at the image that appeared in the mirror as she entered.

        "Ohmygod!"

        Dashing over to the looking glass over the sink counter, Isolene focused on her eyes.  They were a bit more than their usual shade of lavender.  No-- her eyes were eggplant.  With her nose millimeters away from the mirror, Isolene ascertained with dread that she was wearing her clear contacts. 

        "Isolene!" exclaimed a raspy voice.

        Turning her head to see the origin of the voice, Isolene suppressed an inward groan.  It was Ms. Dazling, her English teacher, or better known throughout the school as "The-a*s-ling." 

        "Isn't this place wonderful?  The atmosphere evokes such an irrepressible air of--" began Ms. Dazling, putting her nose high in the air as if she were sniffing it.  She struck a dramatic ballerina pose that neither her plump body nor low cut shirt complimented, and inhaled a deep breath of air. "--Creativity?"

        Trying not to grimace-- Ms. Dazling had just inhaled a lungful of bathroom air-- Isolene talked through clenched teeth.  "Definitely." 

        She was either stuck outside with a creepy stranger who talked about her eyes --justifiably so-- or she was stuck inside with her disturbingly eccentric teacher.  Isolene chose the former. 

        "Nice seeing you." she said as she pulled opened the door.

        To her surprise, Tristan was waiting outside the door for her.  Thrusting her coat into her arms, he whispered into her ear. 

        "Get your coat on.  You're in danger.  Trust me, I promise I will not harm you."

        Giving Tristan a confused expression, Isolene reluctantly put on her coat.  Immediately, Tristan grabbed her arm and led her behind the café counter.

        "You better not try anything sneaky," hissed Isolene.  She did not know why she was using undertones, but the it seemed to suit the situation.  "People know where I am."

        Tristan gave her a look of indignation.  "I told you to trust me.  You're in more trouble that you can fathom."

        He semi-dragged her out to the alley behind Pandora's.  The sky was dark, but a dimly lit light from the entranceway to the store helped their vision.  Glancing around, Tristan spotted a small niche behind the dumpster and the adjacent wall.

        "Give me one good reason to not scream--" began Isolene, struggling, She was furious at herself for trusting Tristan, and furious at Tristan for leading her so far from the safety of the store.

        "Shush!" He gestured.  He placed a hand lightly over Isolene's mouth.  To her surprise, he rolled up the left hand sleeve of his sweatshirt.  "Whoever it was in there that wanted to hurt us, we need to get out of his periphery."   

        Isolene's eyes widened at a spot on Tristan's left inner wrist.  An image exactly like her own marked Tristan.  Seeing her recognition, Tristan removed his hand.  "I have a lot to explain, but please, just be quiet right now."

        Nodding, Isolene edged further into the niche so that the dumpster and the wall obscured them both. 

        "Now," whispered Tristan with urgency, sweat forming on his forehead.  He was facing, and extremely close, to her.  "I'm going to tell you some instructions.  Just listen and do what I say, or else we are both going to be in dangerous trouble."

        Creasing her forehead, Isolene reluctantly nodded. 

        "Show me your birthmark." Instructed Tristan.

        As Isolene quickly rolled up her right hand sleeve, she heard him mutter some words under his breath.  Something along the lines of, "Please, please … right one."

        Revealing her exact image of his birthmark, Isolene saw Tristan let out a sigh of relief.  "I'm going to join these two images together-- it won't be painful, but you must be quiet.  Is that alright?" he asked gently.

        Nodding in agreement and curious at what he was doing, Isolene watched him clasp her own hand and join the two doves together.  Instantly, warmth rushed through her body, causing her to gasp at the sudden energy.  Meeting Tristan's eyes were like staring into two dazzling pieces of emeralds that were illuminated from within.  Isolene could only guess what color her eyes were.  She glanced down at the place where the two dove images originally joined, but to her surprise, she only saw a small thread of light connecting her and Tristan where their wrists had separated.

          Rapid, pattering footsteps exited the backdoor of the store and proceeded down the alleyway.  Isolene did not realize that she was holding her breath until the footsteps had faded away.

        They waited for the steps to return, but another pair of footsteps emerged from the backdoor instead.

        "It's alright.  They've left for the night.  You can come out now." said a pleasant, grandfatherly voice.

        As if relieved, Tristan once again rejoined their birthmarks, and Isolene felt the rush of energy escape her.  Slouching against the wall, she looked up at a similarly wearied face.  Making her voice as stern as possible, she addressed Tristan.

        "You know you've got a lot to explain, don't you, pal?"

           

 

       

 

 

Author's Note

ignore grammar problems; what do you think of the plot?

Reviews

[Narrissa Snow]

it was intresting, though i htink you could probably cut out alot at the begining, or at least start it with chapter 3 and then use 1 and 2 to show how she got to that point, overall i liked the story your characters are very well portrayed, though u do have a habit of name stwiching, you call Isolene Simon in some parts, and Emma ellen. id find thouse and change them because it can be very difficult for the reader to try to figure out if its a different person or the same.

over all very nice peice, keep writing.