Deception Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Notes

  DECEPTION - The Prequel

  THE TRANSFORMED - BOOK ONE - PREQUEL

  by Stacy Claflin

  http://www.stacyclaflin.com

  Copyright ©2012 Stacy Claflin. All rights reserved.

  © Cover Design: Bryan Hufalar www.bhphotoart.com

  ***

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, businesses, events, or locales is purely coincidental. The author has taken great liberties with locales including the creation of fictional towns.

  Reproduction in whole or part of this publication without express written consent is strictly prohibited.

  ***

  For Delia,

  Though we never had the chance to meet in person

  Your friendship was a true treasure.

  I will never forget you and I wish you weren't taken so young.

  CHAPTER ONE

  I suppressed the rage living in me, which had become a life of its own and begun to force its way out. I clenched my fists and tightened my jaw, fighting to keep it inside. I could barely see straight as I fought to restrain myself. No matter the cost, I would not let let my fury win.

  These feelings were foreign to me, because I was always the calm and rational one.

  "Oh thank you, Daddy! Thank you, Mom!" Natalie, my younger sister, gushed as she ran to her new car with her blonde ponytail swaying back and forth. "This is the best birthday present ever!"

  Our parents were beaming as they watched her throw open the driver's side door and explore everything that the shiny red BMW had to offer.

  I looked over at my very used and hard-earned Ford that languished next to my sister's new BMW in the driveway. I was a very strong person with an iron will, but I was beginning to wonder if even I could fight the rage that was battling to escape. I thought about all of my academic awards on the walls of our house, trying to calm myself down. I thought about the notebook full of report cards with straight A's.

  POP!

  POP!

  POP!

  I looked up in shock as three of the six driveway lights exploded into tiny pieces all over the cement, not too far from where we were standing.

  The shock of the lights didn't last long, because my oblivious sister ran from the car to our parents and gave them each a big hug and a perfect smile.

  "Daddy, can I take it to practice and show my friends?" Natalie asked with a sparkle in her eye.

  "Sure, sweetheart. Let's get a picture first," my dad replied. He turned to me. "Alexis, will you take a picture of us with your sister's new car?"

  How could they treat their own flesh and blood like this? Why were they provoking me? They were fueling my fury, giving it life and energy. Without their actions, it would be non-existent.

  POP!

  POP!

  POP!

  The other three driveway lights exploded into a glassy mess.

  "What on earth is going on with those lights?" my mom exclaimed. "And who is going to clean up this mess?"

  "Let's just get that picture taken." I grabbed the camera from my dad's hand.

  They posed in front of the car and looked like a picture perfect family straight from a magazine.

  Without me.

  My dad wanted to make sure that it was exactly right, so I had to take several shots. When I was done, he asked me if I wanted to be in one. I wanted nothing to do with my little sister's new car. They may as well have told me that they loved her more than me.

  "I have homework," I said, handing him the camera, and went into the house as calmly as I could.

  ***

  Once inside my room, I sat on my bed and tried to do some homework to get my mind off of the massive show of favoritism.

  There was a knock on my door and I groaned. Why couldn't they just leave me alone? I ignored it.

  The door opened. It was my mom. "We are all going to go watch Natalie's practice."

  Was she serious?

  "It's her birthday and she would enjoy having a cheering section, even though it's just a practice."

  "I. Have. Homework."

  My mom glared at me. "It's your sister's birthday. Can't you stop being selfish for just one day and do something to make her happy? Did you even get her anything for her birthday?"

  I desperately tried to remain calm. "What money was I supposed to use? The money that I had to use for insurance on the car that I bought myself?"

  They adored my sister and I was a burden. That was why I had to focus on building a life that did not include my parents or sister. I had plans of going to an Ivy League college far away. I had to keep getting all A's in my honors classes and studying for college entrance exams and interviews. Then I would never have to return to this house ever again. I couldn't wait.

  "It's always a competition between the two of you – and you are always the poor unfortunate soul. Poor Alexis!"

  It was obvious where my sister got her dramatics.

  POP!

  POP!

  The two lights in my room exploded. Now shattered glass was all over my room.

  "Ugh!" I did not want to have to clean up that mess.

  "Be ready to leave in 15 minutes, we are going to cheer her on as a family." She left the room before I could say no.

  ***

  My parents and I were in my dad's Escalade, driving to the high school. I had hoped that they would leave me alone and forget that I was in the back seat.

  No such luck.

  "Jack, the two bulbs in Lexi's room exploded while I was in there talking with her a few minutes ago."

  I could almost hear him raise an eyebrow. "Those ones too? I'll have to give my cousin a call since he just got his electrician's certification. Maybe he can help us figure out what's wrong."

  "Don't you think it's weird that the lights keep exploding?" asked my mother in a demanding tone.

  "Yes of course, beautiful. But there's not much we can do about it now, so we may as well just enjoy Natalie's game."

  "Practice," I muttered.

  "Why can't you ever be happy for your sister?" my mother asked. "Whenever she gets something you pout because it's not for you."

  "Oh look, we're here!" I exclaimed and got out of the Escalade as fast as I could. I ran to the gym before my parents could bark any orders at me.

  When I got there, I was not surprised to see that the stands were nearly full for the volleyball practice. At least half of our small town was there for nearly every game and practice. The girls' varsity volleyball team was Delphic Cove's pride and joy. They had been the undefeated Washington state champions for years.

  This year was looking to be no exception and my sister was one of the stars of the team. She was not only the the favorite of our family, but of the school too. And she was only a sophomore.

  I saw my two best friends sitting in the bleachers, so I walked over to them and took a seat.

  Amanda looked up from the book that she was reading. "Lexi, what are you doing here?"

  I sighed for dramatic effect. "You don't even want to know. Trust me."

  Emma looked up from texting and smiled. "Oh I want to know! You avoid Natalie's games like the plague."

  I looked at Emma. "Fine. I'll tell you if I must. It's Natalie's birthday and our family is here to give her a special birthday cheer."

  Emma laughed. "I gotta see this! This is going to be hilarious."

  Amanda rolled her eyes at Emma and turned to me. "So what did they get her this year, another Louis Vuitton purse?"

  "No, a thousand dollar purse is nothing compared to this gift. Th
ey got her a new BMW."

  Both Emma and Amanda stared at me, speechless. I waited for someone to say something. Emma was not one who was ever short on words.

  She didn't leave me disappointed. "They got her a beamer? A beamer! No freakin' way! I definitely chose the wrong sister to be friends with."

  Amanda shoved her and she nearly fell off the bleacher. Which was pretty impressive because Emma was not a small girl.

  "At least you two are here," I said. "That will make this more tolerable."

  "It must be hard to pull yourself away from studying on a weekday afternoon," Emma said, smiling.

  "This is just going to put me behind," I complained. It wasn't that my studies were difficult. Even my honors courses were easy for me, they were just very time consuming. I had reports and projects every week. It was like being in college. I didn't have friends in my classes because everything came so easily to me. I was the curve-killer in the honors classes. It made me unpopular--even among the nerds.

  I looked at the two of them and they were both staring at me. "What?"

  "There's something different about you," Amanda said.

  "There really is," Emma agreed.

  "Like what?" I asked.

  "I can't figure out what it is exactly," Amanda replied. "But there is something different about you. Can you tell, Emma?"

  "That's what I'm trying to figure out," she said. "There's definitely something, but I don't know what. You look and act exactly the same, but something is different." She shrugged her shoulders.

  I opened my mouth to say something, but then my parents sat down next to us. I groaned.

  "Hello girls," my mom said to Emma and Amanda. "How are you two doing?"

  "Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson," Amanda said. "We're just fine and how are you?"

  "We're here to watch Natalie practice. Did you know that it's her birthday today? It's her sweet sixteen!" My mom said proudly.

  "We'll have to wish her happy birthday," Amanda said.

  "Is she having a big party?" Emma asked. "I didn't get an invite!" Emma was always obnoxious, but I enjoyed it when she aimed it at my parents.

  I could see my mom try to stifle a dirty look and she said, "No party this year. We got her a big present instead."

  "Yeah, I saw that shiny, new BMW in the parking lot," Emma lied. "That's quite the present! What did you get Alexis for her sweet sixteen last year? Wasn't it an iPod?"

  My mom's face became distinctively red. "I need to get some refreshments. Jack, do you want anything?"

  My dad looked up from the practice and said, "I'll have whatever you're having."

  As soon as my mom was out of earshot, my friends and I burst into laughter.

  "Emma, you are so obnoxious!" Amanda said in between laughs.

  She stopped laughing. "I don't think it's funny. I may joke about how I chose the wrong sister for a friend, but it's crap how they treat you compared to Natalie. She can play volleyball and she dresses well, but she doesn't have much else to offer."

  "They'll never see it that way," I said. I thought about my dad sitting right next to us, but he had tunnel vision and was zoned in on Natalie's practice. He wasn't hearing a word that we said.

  "You get all A's in your honors classes, you have a job. And you have some great friends!" Emma smiled. "She barely gets C's, hits a ball and doesn't even want to go to college. Normal parents would be telling her to act more like you."

  Amanda adjusted her glasses and said, "Heck, my parents tell me that I should be more like you!"

  "Exactly," Emma said. "Your parents are the freaks Alexis, not you. It makes no sense."

  "It does make sense because the only thing my mom cares about is how things look," I said. "You see how she is always dressed well and wants to impress everyone. Natalie is clearly her mini-me golden child."

  "Natalie will probably end up marrying someone rich who can buy her all of the nice things that she expects, and she won't work a day in her life," Amanda said. "Just like your mom!"

  When my mom came back, my friends and I sat and whispered while my mom kept telling me that I wasn't there to socialize, but to cheer on my sister for her birthday.

  At the half time break, my mom turned to me and said, "Since you didn't buy Natalie anything for her birthday, you should go buy her a watermelon smoothie because that's her favorite. What a wonderful half time treat for her."

  "That's a great idea," my dad chimed in.

  "Especially since you haven't been paying a bit of attention to her game," mom said.

  "It's a practice!" I sighed.

  "Just go get the watermelon smoothie for her," my mom ordered.

  "I'll go with you!" Amanda said. "Let's go!" She grabbed my arm and practically dragged me to the concession stand.

  "Can you believe them?!"

  "Just think about it this way; after next year it's graduation!" She said. "Then you can go to any college as far away as you want: Princeton, Harvard, Stanford or Yale!"

  "Don't try to talk me down. I don't want to be talked down. I just want to pour that watermelon smoothie all over them, inside that BMW!"

  "I would love to see that!" she said, giggling.

  "Next!"

  I ordered the watermelon smoothie using the last $5 from my clearance-rack purse. Then I started walking toward the bench for the volleyball players.

  The rage had a companion for the moment, humiliation.

  I walked right up to my sister, faked a sweet smile and told her happy birthday before handing her the smoothie. "It's watermelon, your favorite!"

  She gave me a sweet smile right back and said, "You didn't have to! Thanks, Lexi!" Then she gave me a hug and we both looked up at our parents and waved to them.

  I never knew if she was being genuine or not. I'd read in her diary once that it was her goal to be the nicest person in the school. She didn't want to be a popular mean girl. She wanted to be known for being super sweet.

  "Have fun with the rest of practice," I said evenly, and headed back to my seat.

  Before I even sat down, my mom said, "See? That wasn't so bad, was it?"

  I rolled my eyes.

  Dad said, "I love seeing my girls get along. Did you see how happy she was when you gave her that smoothie?"

  "Did you see how humiliated I was?" I muttered, only loud enough for me to hear. I watched Natalie sip the smoothie and I felt my rage tear at me like a wild, cornered animal.

  I was only half listening to my parents talk about how great Natalie was. Watching her drink her smoothie and laugh with her friends made me wish that I could pour it on her head. I grabbed the bench, because I felt that I might jump up and actually do it.

  Suddenly, the entire contents of the smoothie in the plastic cup burst forth and jumped all over Natalie's face, hair and jersey.

  I gasped. It was as if someone had hit the cup from the bottom to make the smoothie leap up against the forces of gravity. Exactly when I was wishing that I could throw it on her!

  "Oh, Natalie!" exclaimed my mom. "Jack, go down there and help her!"

  My dad jumped up and sprinted down the bleachers, joining Natalie's teammates in helping to clean her up. I could see him talking to the coach and telling some of the players what to do.

  My mom turned to me. "Did you put something in her drink to make it explode like that? I know that you didn't want her to get anything for her birthday!"

  "Are you serious?" I exclaimed.

  "I just can't believe that happened! My poor baby girl, Natalie!" my mom wailed.

  POP! POP! POP!

  POP! POP! POP!

  POP! POP! POP!

  Rows of fluorescent lights started bursting all over the volleyball players. Many of them started screaming and shrieking, others ran for cover.

  The coach had grabbed a microphone and tried to get everyone's attention. He asked everyone to leave the building so that the custodian could come and clean up the mess. Practice was over and they would finish it up the next afternoon. />
  The drive home was a blur of my mom freaking out about everything. I wished I had brought the iPod that I'd gotten for my last birthday when I had turned sixteen so that I could tune her out.

  When we finally got home, I ran to my room to escape but unfortunately I had my own light bulb mess to clean up. It was dark by then and I had no choice but to take care of it right away.

  I used a flashlight to make sure that I got all of the pieces picked up.

  I went to the kitchen to find replacement bulbs and groaned when I saw my parents and sister sitting at the table. I almost smiled when I saw the red in her bleached blonde hair and on her jersey.

  "Where are the light bulbs?" I asked.

  "In the garage, on the third shelf," my dad said, not even looking up.

  I went to the garage. I squeezed between my dad's Escalade and my mom's Mercedes to get to the shelf with the lights on it. It was an ordeal to get the stool and to reach the shelf even with that. I finally got the two bulbs that I needed and marched up to my room, ignoring everyone as I went through the kitchen.

  Just as I started to relax after replacing the bulbs, there was a knock on my door. "Go away!" I shouted.

  The door opened and my dad came in. "It's been a rough day for all of us. Let's watch a movie together. Natalie picked out the one that she wants to see."

  "Can't I just relax in here?" I asked.

  "No, we need to spend some family time together. It'll be fun, come on."

  I sighed. "Fine."

  At least the movie that Natalie picked out was one that I wanted to see too. It was the latest dramedy that I hadn't had a chance to see in the theater.

  As soon as the movie was over, Natalie asked where the batteries were for her foot spa. She pretty much used that thing nightly.

  Dad told her, "They're on the top shelf in the garage. I'll get them for you; I don't want you to have to deal with that."

  As I had earlier!

  I stood up to run to my room and scream into my pillow, but before I could lift a foot...

  POP!

  POP!

  Two more shattered light bulbs.

  "You'd better get some light bulbs while you're getting those batteries," I told my dad and stormed to my bedroom.

  ***

  There was a knock on my door and I ignored it. Natalie came in, closed the door quietly and sat on my computer chair across from me.