How The Allies of Old began: BORN Chapter Two "The Shadow Men"

Painting in Acrylic by @therealpaul

**Chapter 1

For those of you who missed the post of the release, I briefly explained how the series began as an idea for a Young Adult novel, and that I had in fact written what amounts to a novella taking place the summer before REBORN begins, and I've decided to release it here on steemit.

The first two and a half chapters of the novella were moved over into the final version, so for those of you who have already read, or are currently reading the novel this will be a repeat.

BORN

Chapter Two

When they arrived at Anna’s house the girls busied themselves getting ready for the party. Every year a bunch of kids got together for a pre-grassroots bash, and since Anna’s dad was currently away she had volunteered to host it. Her father, Marty Preston, was a photo journalist who was currently working in a remote village in Mongolia. For the past year every assignment he’d taken had brought him to one far off place after another. It was his way of coping, or in actuality not coping with the accident that had taken the life of Anna’s mom two years before. At her current age she was able to care for herself, but she often felt as if she’d lost both parents instead of only one. Losing her mom had stolen a large part of her innocence, but the absence of her father had compounded it tenfold.

Thinking of her father brought their last conversation to mind so she finished dressing quickly and latched onto Macey’s cheerful voice, shaking off her wayward thoughts and skipping back down the stairs to join her friends in the kitchen.

"I have ten CD’s of party music set and ready to go," Macey announced.

"Excellent, Jess is talking to Jim who is picking up the alcohol as we speak," Jenna stated with a grin as Anna walked into the room.

Anna returned the wide smile with a stirring of excitement. She strongly believed there was something about drinking under the legal age that made it more fun. She also felt if they were to lower the legal age there would be a lot less problems associated with it. She never could understand how a person could be old enough to fight in a war but too young to drink a beer.

"So what's he getting?" she asked.

"Everything we asked for-a keg of amber, wine coolers for the wimps like Jess, and a variety of bottles of liquor." Jenna dodged Jess’s attempt to smack her for the comment.
Anna grinned. “Okay let's see…I have the table set up for beer pong on the second deck, the hoist deck is set with the stereo, the neighbors are apprised of what's going on and the food just needs to be brought down along with the coolers of ice."
Her house was located across the street from the lake and they had a two story set of stairs complete with decks leading down to the rocky beach. They also had a deck on top of the boat hoist that her father had ingeniously built at the end of their long dock.

"What about karaoke?" Jess asked.

"Oh yeah baby, that's set up with the stereo," Anna winked at her friend. The girl really loved to sing.

"I can't believe your neighbors don't care that you're having a big party," Jess stated.

"Well my dad talked to them, and as long as everyone who comes has permission and either stays the night or rides home with someone sober, it’s A-OK. Not that they’ll be checking up on us, but those are the rules."

"I'm surprised your parents are okay with this," Marina said to Macey.

Macey smiled her typical mischievous smile."Shhooottt, they don’t think their sweet little daughter will drink! Besides it’s not as if they have to worry about me getting into a car since I can walk home from here."

“Heck you could even crawl home from here,” Anna teased. Macey’s house was located about a hundred yards away on the lake side of the street.

“True that!” she laughed.

Holly clapped her hands for attention, "Okay girls come on, we have to start bringing the food down."

There was a chorus of "yes ma’ams," and they got to work.

On their second trip down the stairs Anna found herself being lifted into the air from behind.

"Austin, put me down," she laughed.

"Give me that," he took the cooler from her, "as clutzy as you are I would hate to spend your party at the hospital for a broken leg." He mock played falling down the stairs and she made a face at him. He laughed and waggled his eyebrows before jogging down ahead of her.

"Yo Anna, where can I set up the horseballs?"

Anna turned to see Nate, Austin's closest friend as well as the guy Jess was currently crushing on, calling to her from the top of the stairs.

"The shore is wide enough, just bring the equipment down, you can bury the posts in the rocks," she called back.

"A'ight.”

She continued down the stairs musing about whether or not the twenty first century version of horseshoes would end up replacing the much older game. She personally preferred it because it required a little less accuracy, though she imagined veteran players would turn their nose up at it for the same reason.

The small group quickly finished setting things up and by the time they were finished the alcohol had arrived.

Anna made her way over to where the cups were and as she bent down to retrieve one she sensed Austin’s eyes on her and a blush spread over her face. She wasn't the type to be easily offended, but embarrassed? Yeah, every little thing of a potentially sexual nature had her reddening instantly. Annoying, that's what it was. She made a production of straightening stuff out on the table so he wouldn't see her burning face.

"Your ears are all red," he stated.

Busted. "Yeah well, if your eyes had fingers, my bum would be red," she shot back.

He laughed. "I can't help it that my eyes have such good taste."

He was hovering over her shoulder so she pushed back against him. "Personal space, ever heard of it?"

"Okay, all right, you don't have to get all snippy."

"Snippy? Did you seriously say snippy?" She giggled and faced him. He was smiling back, but had a peculiar expression in his eyes that made her stomach do a little flip. She shifted uncomfortably hoping this was not the moment he chose to declare his feelings-if she was even reading them right. She wasn’t sure how she felt about him thinking of her that way, but she’d rather not have to figure it out amidst a group of people.

To her relief the look disappeared as he reached around her and grabbed two cups.

"What's your poison today?" He asked.

"Beer, definitely no liquor for me."

"Aww, come on, do you mean to tell me that a little bitty hangover has got you scared?"

She made a face. "That was no bitty hangover, it was a mongo hangover from hell thank you very much, and it's not fear but self-preservation. I would really like to get up tomorrow without puking."

He laughed as they headed over to the keg. Some kids had beat them to it, so Anna left it to him to get her drink and wound her way over to Jess who was making eyes at Nate in a less than subtle manner.

"Obvious much?" Anna whispered, raising a brow. She took Jess by the elbow and led her down the beach.

When they were far enough away Jess burst out, "God, I know, I can't stop staring at him! I never noticed how freakin' cute he was! I want him to kiss me so bad right now."

Anna rolled her eyes, her lips twitching in amusement, "Weren't you just saying that about Brent Regault?"

"Oh yuck, I don't know what I was thinking, he is so gross."

Anna tittered. "Gross? I don't know if I'd go that far, he's kinda cute."

"Yeah, until you kiss him, and he slobbers all over your face!"

"Oh, eww, that is gross. So I take it Nate is a good kisser?"

"Yes!" Jess grabbed her arm a little too enthusiastically, "He was so gentle, but forceful at the same time, it's hard to explain, but the way he touched my face, and then he put his hands in my hair, and he tasted like spearmint…”

She gushed on and on and Anna found herself wishing she could feel like that about someone. Jenna criticized her sister for flitting from one guy to the next, but Anna honestly loved that about her, she was even a little envious. To experience those feelings of excitement over and over, there was magic in that. Someday she was fairly certain Jess would settle down, but right now she was young, so why rush it? It's not as if she was sleeping with these guys, and how long did you have where you could just kiss your partners without it leading to something further?
Jenna walked over, her expression stating an acute desire to slap her sister’s face and Anna put up a hand to stop the acid words before they came. Jenna snorted and grudgingly smiled. It was only Jess that made her react like that, if any of the rest of them were crushing on someone she would find it amusing. Not that Anna didn’t get it. She loved Jess dearly but the girl had a tendency towards mood swings and she harbored no illusions about how difficult they would be to live with.

Austin made his way over to them and handed her a beer. "So what are we pow-wowing about? Wouldn't have anything to do with my buddy over there, hmm?"

Jess pounced on him immediately, "What did he say? Did he tell you about it? Does he like me?"

Austin chuckled, "Easy there cowgirl, yes, he's definitely into you. But he's Nate, not particularly demonstrative in that way."

"Demon-what?" Jess wrinkled her forehead.

Anna grinned. "He means that he's not the type to come over and start spouting sonnets."

"O-kaaay, so what did he say?"

Austin took several gulps of his beer then smiled at her patiently. "I believe his exact words were, ‘Damn that girl is fii-iine’." By the look on his face Anna knew he had edited that a bit.

Jess smiled broadly. "So what should I do? Should I go over there, or wait for him to come to me?"

"Oh come on Jess, you know it's always better to make them come to you," Holly admonished as she joined them.

"Yeah but I'm not patient," Jess pouted making them all laugh.

There was a loud chorus of "It's Party Time!!" shouted from the top of the deck stairs and they looked up to see about twenty or so kids making their way down.

"Well, I think it's time to get this party started," Austin stated. He shouted over the noise, "I have two lists for balls and pong, if you wanna play, getcha' names on them!"

"This is gonna be a total blow out," Macey declared as she grabbed Anna's arm and dragged her towards the dock.

"What are we doing!" Anna shouted over the music which had just been turned up.

"We're going on the first boat ride, I formed a list for that earlier!"

"Oh, good thinking!"

She had a decent sized speedboat, it fit ten people comfortably and could get up to 60 mph, which in an open boat was really flying.

"I'm driving," Macey announced to the group that had formed.

There were no arguments and they clambered in, Anna making her way up to her favorite seat at the front. She loved the wind hitting her in the face as they skimmed the surface of the water.

Her friend Geordy flopped down next to her smiling widely. "Hey Bo-nana, how's it goin'? Awesome party!"

"Great, and yeah I know!" There were a couple more hours of daylight, and there were about forty people on the beach already. As they pulled away from the hoist she stood and waved to the shore dramatically shouting; "Bon Voyage, We'll miss you!"

Geordy grabbed her arm and pulled her down, "You're gonna fall over the side!"

"Nah, I always stand up!"

"And you haven't gone in the drink? You, the world's biggest clutz?"

She slapped at him, "Stop teasing me! Why does everyone say that, I'm not that bad...anymore," she amended.

"Yeah, uh huh, keep telling yourself that."

"I really like the goatee," she said, smoothly changing the subject. He had started growing it a few months earlier and it definitely made him look older. Without it his boyish face had him at a perpetual fourteen.

"Thanks, it's pretty chill right?"

"Definitely."

They chatted about nothing in particular and twenty minutes later Macey turned the boat back in the direction of the hoist. Anna was in mid-sentence when she looked toward the shore and felt her heart do a stutter step.
Not now, she thought with an inner cringe, and not here. She closed her eyes tightly and looked again. Gone.

"You all right, you look a little pale?" Geordy leaned toward her.

She forced a laugh, "Fine, just had a little vertigo all of a sudden, weird."

Geordy was studying her, eyes narrowed doubtfully.

God what had she looked like? She smiled wider, "Seriously G, I just got a little dizzy for a sec."

"Kay, if you’re sure."

She stood as the boat slowed and drew in a deep breath letting it out in a rush before plastering her face with a smile. She kept the smile fixed as she scanned the shoreline for more signs of them. The shadow men. Trying not to shiver with the thought, she disguised her nervousness by climbing hastily onto the dock.

"Anna, you don't have to get off," Macey yelled to her over the music, "I'm going to keep driving!"

“I want to, but you go ahead, I know you love it!" She shouted back.

Geordy linked his arm through hers and they headed up the dock together.

"Would you get me a refill?" She asked him, pushing her cup into his hand, "I need to use the Ladies'.”

They had rented a port-a-potty for the night in order to keep the party out of her house. It was set up a ways down the beach and she made her way to it greeting people as she went. Once inside she locked the door and lined the seat sitting heavily. She didn't need to use it, she just needed to clear her head.

The shadow men. She had begun seeing them right after she’d turned sixteen and just before her mom died. Initially she’d been convinced she was imagining things but eventually had to discard that notion when it happened over and over in all different places. After her mother’s accident she’d spent a long while fearing that they’d been some sort of premonition, but when they’d continued to appear she’d finally decided that there were only two possible explanations; A: She was crazy, or B: They were real. Unfortunately neither possibility was particularly comforting. And so far she hadn't told a single soul about them. She'd considered it time after time, telling her dad, telling the girls or Austin, but when she played out the conversation in her head....yeah, she sounded nuts, and while she couldn’t say for sure that this wasn’t the case she had no desire for it to be confirmed. And what if she wasn’t crazy, what if they were actually real? No sane person would believe it and she was not too keen on spending the rest of her life in a psychiatric ward based on a ‘professional’s’ opinion, or being fed drugs by said professional.

She felt anger welling up within her. What were they doing here? She had never seen them in a group of teens before let alone on her beach and somehow she knew this was a very bad sign. They’re growing in numbers, she thought unhappily. In the beginning she had only ever seen them when she'd been in or near a city but recently she'd seen them in her town. And now they were on her freaking beach, THE BASTARDS!

Someone knocked and she realized she'd been in there awhile. She stood and pushed open the door-Geordy, crap.

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