Everlight Tales: Short Story Collection: Everlight Academy

EVERLIGHT TALES

SHORT STORY COLLECTION

BY TIFFANY SHAND

Copyright © 2021 Tiffany Shand

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior written consent of the author, except for brief quotes in reviews.

This book is a work of fiction. People, places, events and situations are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or historical events, is purely coincidental.

Editing by Dark Raven Edits and Between the Emerald Pages

Cover by Fenix Designs

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Epilogue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Epilogue

Also by Tiffany Shand

About the author

HUNTED GUARDIAN

BY TIFFANY SHAND

Chapter 1

Tyres screeched and Melanie Greenwood gripped onto the car’s door handle for dear life. Dear God, we are going to die if she keeps driving like this. She was glad her gran had recommended locking the door after they had left their latest rental house in a hurry.

Her grandmother swung their battered little Honda Civic around the corner and light flashed by the windows. Mel could have sworn she had felt the tyres lift off the ground for a few seconds.

Gran, you’ll crash the car if you’re not careful, Mel grumbled, and brushed her long curly brown hair off her face. Please slow down. You don’t need to drive like a maniac. She still didn’t know why they had left the house in such a hurry. One moment everything had seemed normal when they had come home from late night shopping, but then gran had insisted they needed to leave at once.

We’ve got to keep moving. Her gran swerved again, and horns blared as other cars almost collided into them. She didn’t sound the least bit flustered. Mel wondered how she managed to keep her cool. I told you to keep your head down. Why do you never listen to me?

She didn’t want or need to keep her head down. This was just another one of her grandmother’s episodes. Mel didn’t bother answering the question. You’ll get us killed if you keep driving so bad.

How she wished she had managed to find a doctor who could give her gran some help. But Gran never let her go near a GP surgery. Mel had never been sick a day in her life either, so pretending to be hadn’t convinced Gran to take her to see a doctor. Her gran needed help and after tonight she would make sure she got some.

Her gran ignored her.

Mel glanced behind them. As usual, she saw nothing except a black mass darting alongside them in the shadows. She had seen it so many times, but her gran had never told her about what it was or why it kept following them. Mel decided it was just a shadow. What else could it be? She didn’t share her grandmother’s paranoia nor would she take part in her delusions.

She pushed her long hair off her face once more and stared at herself in the rising mirror. Her pale skin looked ghostly in the dancing city lights and her blue eyes had dark circles under them. Her grandmother looked just as dishevelled with her weathered skin, messy long grey hair that she had swept back in a bun and washed-out blue eyes.

Mel prayed they wouldn’t crash. Most of her life had been spent running, never staying in one place for too long. Whenever Mel asked her gran about it, she either got ignored or Gran made up some excuse. All Gran had told her was it was important for them to keep moving.

Melanie was sick of the excuses and the needless running. But she couldn’t demand answers right now. Not the middle of a high-speed chase. If she distracted her grandmother too much things were going to get very bad.

Lights blurred past as Gran swerved and sped around the unfamiliar city streets. The glowing lights and towering buildings felt so alien to her after leaving their house in the woods.

Melanie still had no idea where they were. Usually, whenever they moved somewhere they stayed in rural areas in the middle of nowhere with nothing but trees for company.

Where are we going? Mel asked instead. Perhaps that would be something her gran would answer.

Somewhere safe, was all Gran said.

Mel sighed. Where was safe? Every time they moved Gran insisted it would be safe. Mel had liked the new house, and everything had seemed fine until they had come home from shopping and Gran had freaked out over something. Mel couldn’t remember what it had been or what had caused it. Everything had still looked the same to her when they had walked in.

She sometimes wondered if the so-called danger was all in her gran’s head. People had mental illnesses – she’d read about them in the hope she might find out if Gran had one. Bringing up the possibility of seeing a doctor hadn’t gone over well with Gran.

Maybe I’m paranoid too and I’m imagining that shadow thing. Mel turned around again, and a sliver of fear ran down her spine. What is it and why does it keep chasing us?

The shadow darted along from building to building, blacking out the bright lights.

People could hallucinate when they were scared, couldn’t they?

An old woman with a rollator was crossing the road and screamed as their car veered towards her.

Gran, watch out! You’re going to run her over! Mel shut her eyes and braced herself for the inevitable impact.

It didn’t come. Cars swerved and more horns blared.

Please let this be over soon.

Gran, you’re going to get us killed. Slow down! Mel opened her eyes again and reached across the seat to grip her grandmother’s arm. Maybe we should head to the hospital.

Her grandmother gave a harsh laugh. Why would we need to go to hospital? Neither of us is hurt yet.

No, but you’re not right in the head, Mel wanted to say. The words were there on the edge of her tongue, but she couldn’t voice them out loud. Not yet. It was best not to start an argument at a time like this.

Gran turned the wheel as the shadow darted in front of them.

Gran said some strange words Mel couldn’t quite make out. Energy vibrated through the air and glass exploded outward, static humming against Mel’s skin. The car swerved again and collided with something solid. Light exploded around them and the car flipped over. Once, twice, three times. Blood roared through her ears.

Mel screamed; her head spun from the violent impact. The spinning seemed to go on forever as the car continued to flip over.

Mel kept her eyes shut. She knew death was coming. Its icy fingers reached out for her. She was too young to die at only seventeen. She hadn’t even begun to live yet.

Why hadn’t she done more to get her grandmother help with her mental illness? Why hadn’t she demanded more answers? Thoughts raced through her whirling mind as the car continued its nerve-wracking spiral.

Maybe in death, she would get answers to all of her questions. Maybe her gran would at least find some peace then. At least they won’t have to run anymore, she tried to tell herself as tears filled her eyes.

It wasn’t enough. Mel wasn’t ready to die yet.

Finally, the car stopped, turning the right way up.

Mel held her breath for several moments and waited. Death’s icy touch retreated, and her heart pounded in her ears like a jackhammer. She took several deep breaths, gasping for air. Mel couldn’t believe it. She was still alive. Her seatbelt dug into her neck like the edge of a knife.

Mel felt around her body, relieved to find she was still in one piece. Her ears rang so loud it took a few moments for her to hear her gran speaking.

Her vision swam, and she had to blink a few times. Slowly the world came back into focus. The bright lights stung her eyes and the onslaught of racing cars in city noise screeched through her ears.

Melanie, are you alright? Gran asked.

I...think so. Mel blinked a few times. Are you okay? She looked her grandmother up and down. At least they both seemed to be breathing and unharmed.

Gran drew a knife from somewhere and cut through her seatbelt. Her long grey-hair had fallen out of its bun and blood had splattered across her forehead. I’m fine. We need to get out of here. Gran turned and sliced through Mel’s seatbelt.

Mel glanced through the windscreen and gasped as the black mass of darkness moved towards them. It blocked out the array of shimmering city lights in the distance. Oh God, what is that?

Had she hit her head during the crash? Was she hallucinating now too? She touched her forehead, searching for any sign of a bump or a graze. But found none.

Gran grabbed hold of her arm and said some strange words again. Light spiralled around them. Mel squeezed her eyes shut and her head spun once more.

Mel gasped as she fell onto hard ground. She took several deep breaths. Hard dirt brushed against her face and cold air hit her like tiny knives.

The city lights, the car and that strange shadow thing had vanished.

Somehow they had ended up outside and the car had vanished. Trees surrounded them, staring at them like dark watchful spectres.

Mel drew in another breath then let it out as she scrambled up into a sitting position. How... How did we get out of the car? Mel rubbed her face and ran a hand through her hair. We were trapped. She used her other hand to rub her eyes, half expecting this to be a dream or a hallucination like that shadow thing they had seen at the back of the car.

Gran leaned back against the tree and sighed. It doesn’t matter. We are safe for the moment.

Trees surrounded them on all sides. They were in a forest in the middle of nowhere. In the distance, the city lights shone like bright beacons.

They couldn’t have moved from one place to another, though, could they? Not in a matter of seconds.

Mel had seen her gran do some strange things over the years. Teleporting hadn’t been one of them. Had her grandmother somehow used this magic?

No, that made no sense. Sure, magic might exist in their world since the fae had saved their planet several years earlier. Mel had never learned much about the fae nor cared to do so. She had never even met one of the creatures of legend since they mostly kept to themselves or had retreated back into their own realm.

We need to get moving. Gran stopped to catch her breath. It will be searching for us again.

What will? Mel demanded. What was that thing? She put her hands on her hips. I want answers. Right now. No more hiding the truth from me. You can’t hide anything from me anymore. Not after what’s happened tonight.

Gran sighed and shook her head. We have to go. I promise I’ll explain everything once we’re safe. But right now, we don’t have time to waste. If we don’t get moving, that shadow will find us, and we will both die.

A sliver of fear ran down her spine, but Mel didn’t weaken her resolve. No. How the hell did we get out of the car and come here?

Melanie, you don’t understand how dangerous that thing is. Gran tugged at her arm, but Mel stood firm. Please, stop fighting me and just do as I say for once.

You always promise to give me an explanation and never do, Mel snapped. I deserve to know the truth. Was... Was that some kind of magic?

The whole idea was ridiculous. She had always thought the idea about the fae saving the earth had been some kind of fairy tale. Sure, people might have saved the planet, but that didn’t make the fae real. But then her grandmother had somehow found a way to teleport Mel. She didn’t know how else to explain it.

Gran bit her lip. It... Come on. It’s close by. I can sense it. She grabbed Mel’s arm and pulled. We have to move. I’ll carry you if I have to.

Mel scoffed at that. Being a woman in her late sixties, Mel knew full well her grandmother couldn’t carry her anywhere. An iciness came over her — like she had felt back in the car and that shadow thing had chased them.

God, had it found them already? If