Neveah Box Series (Neveah Box Set Book 5)

  Neveah Series Box Set

  A Broken Forever, Standing Broken & Breaking the Wicked

  Includes short companion stories Serephina, Jax, and Denali

  By Angie Merriam

  © Angie Merriam 2010

  Published by Entertwine Publishing

  Cover Art by Entertwine Publishing

  All rights reserved

  All characters are fictional. Any resemblance to real life persons is coincidence.

  This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Dedication: Readers, you make this whole journey possible. Thank you for allowing me to tell you my stories!

  ~Chapter One~

  I was born in a small town in Southern Oregon to my single teenage mother. My mother lived with me in a single wide trailer fifteen miles southwest of Klamath Falls. Our trailer was set on a large chunk of land surrounded by towering pine trees and bordered the Klamath River.

  Our home was not much to speak of. It was a typical single wide with wood panel walls, brown shag carpet, green and brown linoleum in the kitchen, a small bathroom and two small bedrooms. One wall in our living room was entirely made of mirrors which I always found elegant as a child. I felt a special kinship with the mirror, as it was freckled much like my own pale skin. I had no idea a wall of freckled mirrors was anything but beautiful. Our trailer may have been less than splendid, but my mother took great pride in making it feel like a home.

  She decorated it in warm colors with a big soft couch that we spent many nights cuddled up on watching movies and falling asleep. Our favorite movie was Grease, and we spent many hours re-enacting scenes. I always wanted to be Rizzo. I found her bad ass attitude intriguing and a stark contrast to my own goody, goody tendencies. In reality, I was much more a Sandy, but loved pretending to be a Rizzo.

  Our dining area did not house a grand dining table, instead it housed great concerts, plays and Grease re-enactments. My mother had an artistic flare that she so generously passed to me. I spent countless hours drawing, painting, singing, acting, and writing. I appreciated all art forms and tried to incorporate many of them into my life. I also loved nature and never felt anything but blessed to live where I was. I never wished to be any other place and spent a great deal of time exploring our land and always managed to see something new. My mother loved the land and always taught me to respect what was ours.

  When she wasn’t working as a waitress at the diner in town, she home schooled me. My mother was brilliant. I was smart enough though, and sailed through school rather easily. By the time I was fifteen I had completed all required courses of a senior and had my high school diploma. At sixteen, I tried to find a job, but my mother would hear nothing of it. She wanted me to live and enjoy life while I could. “I make enough for us to live Lilly. You let me be the adult for now and you just enjoy life while you can.” She would encourage me to travel and see more of the world, always with her of course, but I had no desire to leave our home, our little chunk of land. In exchange, I wandered our land and learned all there was to know about the place we lived. She taught me to drive her pickup when I was fourteen and on my sixteenth birthday I passed my driving test with ease. I had great times covering and exploring more land by way of truck, although nothing compared to feeling the land beneath my feet.

  I felt lousy not helping out with the bills, since I was no longer a student. Instead of working I kept the house tidy and cooked our meals. This left me plenty of time to wander the land or enjoy one of my many art forms. It also left me free time to spend with Shep, my one and only friend. His family lived in another trailer down the dirt road from us. Our properties bordered each other, and his family seemed as disconnected from the real world as my mother and I. My mother had few friends and none close enough to visit our home, except Shep’s family. When I was very small, Shep’s mom would babysit for me while my mother worked. In return my mother would teach Shep while she taught me. Shep and I were the exact same age, born on the same day and same year. We always found that fascinating and thought it meant we were soulmates.

  As children, we fought like brother and sister. Because both of us were only children, we had selfish tendencies as kids. As we got a little older, our friendship grew. Soon Shep and I shared a bond much greater than most siblings. Shep loved nature as much as I did and was with me on my many adventures. Where I was artistic, Shep was a hunter. He hunted everything from deer to duck to rabbit. Many of our meals came from some wild animal Shep and his father had hunted. The meat was usually paired with a veggie picked straight from my mother’s garden. That’s how we lived, together. It was fantastic.

  Since we both finished school together at fifteen we had tons of free time to just “live” as our parents called it. Shep’s parents had the same philosophy as my mom. “You can work when you are an adult, for now live!” And live we did.

  Winter was our favorite time of year. The first snowfall was always the most exciting. There is nothing in this world as beautiful as the land blanketed in fresh fallen snow. I would watch the snow out my window for hours before stepping into it. It was so magical laying there, pure white, dressing the earth and completely untouched by humans. Well, untouched until Shep would come to find me. Without fail, within hours of the ground being painted in white, Shep would come trudging through the snow, knocking on my door.

  “You in there Lilly, ready for a little snowball fight, or are you too scared?” He would taunt, knowing full well I was not only 'in there' but dressed and waiting to kick his butt in a game of snowballs.

  Dressed in three layers of clothing, socks covering my hands, and my red hair tucked under a beanie, I would open my door to Shep, waiting impatiently. “Geez Shep, keep your shirt on. Are you really so ready for me to kick your butt with my mad snowball skills?” We both laughed, knowing full well he could easily drench me in snow. He had height, a foot to be exact, upper body strength and reach on me. Regardless of his advantages, Shep always let me win. The game would end in uncontrollable laughter and my first layer of clothing soaked through. At this point, we would head indoors to eat and drink some hot cocoa (Shep loved whipped cream. I loved marshmallows). Once we warmed up I would change my top layer and the socks on my hands before we’d spend the remainder of the day in the snow.

  Though I knew his family was not rich, I had decided they had quite a bit more money than my mother and I. They never bragged or let it show, but they had a double wide with modern updates and on those snowy days, Shep was always dressed head to toe in waterproof snow clothes. After our snack and my wardrobe change, with sleds in hand, we would head out to the nearest hill. We’d sled until dark, or take off through the forest with our snowshoes. We were never in short supply of things to do. By the end of the day, I was always soaked through and shivering. Shep, never failing me, always put his coat around me for our walk home. Once home, either his mom or mine would make us more hot cocoa. When we were little, we would spend the day playing board games. As we got older it was more watching movies, listening to music or just talking for hours.

  Summer time was much the same for us. Summer we turned to the water. I got my love of water from my mother who would spend many weekends at the river with Shep and me. We would swim, bridge jump, fish, and float down river on our blow up raft. Shep would tease me about my need to apply s
unscreen to my light skin, calling me Strawberry Shortcake on a regular basis. He knew as well as I, from experience, that without the sunscreen, my freckled skin would burn and blister.

  I spent many nights wrapped in cold sheets, doused in gel from an Aloe Vera plant, all due to my forgetting to apply sunscreen. I remember being burned so badly I had to stay inside for days. He . stayed in with me the entire time. We made up indoor games to keep us occupied. Our imagination was endless. He would often put on funny plays or try his hand at being a standup comedian to get my mind off the burn. He had a different sense of humor, but always made me laugh enough to forget my singed skin. That was Shep, always looking out for me. The older I got, the less I forgot my Banana Boat sunscreen. I hated cutting our summers short because of my forgetfulness, even though I knew he didn’t mind. Shep on the other hand, with his wavy dark hair and naturally tanned skin never required the use of sunscreen. The sun only darkened him more. My nickname for him was Chocolate Muffin, which he hated, and I thought it was hilarious.

  Shep loved an adventure and dragged me along on most of them. Once, when we were sixteen, we drove my mother’s truck down a dirt road that wound around the Klamath River. I kept asking where we were going, he wouldn’t tell me, only to drive until he said stop. So, drive I did. We played silly word games and laughed about the recent Will Ferrell movie we watched. We debated which was more comedic genius: Napoleon Dynamite or Talladega Nights. I always argued for Napoleon even though I loved both. In the middle of our heated debate Shep interrupted, “It’s here Lill, turn right here.” I drove just a few yards further where the road ended at a wall of rocks. The ground around us was covered in wild grass, hidden by towering pine trees. The little road we drove in on would be better called a path and was mostly covered with wild grass and weeds. It was gorgeous.

  “When did you find this place Shep? It’s great!”

  “You like it? My dad and I stumbled upon it on a hunting trip last winter. I have been waiting to show it to you ever since.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me about it?”

  “I wanted to show you. Here, come on! You haven’t seen the best part, come on.” Shep grabbed my hand tugging me to the rocks. Still holding my hand, he started climbing the smallest rock pulling me up with him. Once we reached the top, the picture that awaited us took my breath away. Down below us, about twenty feet, flowed the Klamath River. To the right of us, stairs made of rock and wild grass led to a small sandy flat area surrounded by wild flowers and pine trees. The river flowed lazily past the sandy beach. Tiny waves broke at the edge where the sand turned to pebbles and pebbles turned to rock.

  “It’s beautiful here Shep, so secluded, so private.”

  “I thought you would like it. You should see the look on your face Lill, priceless. Seriously, you can close your mouth now,” Shep laughed, teasing me as always.

  “Shut up, don’t ruin the moment,” I hissed back slapping him hard on the arm.

  “Oh, you hit like a girl Strawberry Shortcake! You really need to let me teach you how to hit.” With that, I balled my fist and socked him in the gut. He doubled over laughing. “That’s more like it,” he replied through fits of laughter.

  “Ha!” Was my only reply. I was too occupied with the scenery. As always, my mind was already daydreaming about this little bit of heaven. This place would make a fantastic backdrop for a painting. I made a mental note to come back with a sketch pad and draw the scenery.

  “Hey, let’s walk down to the grassy flat area Chocolate Muffin.” I grinned at him, knowing full well he hated when I called him that.

  “I have a better idea, let’s jump.” He suggested, lips curled back in that glorious smile.

  “What? Are you crazy? Are you trying to get us killed?” I was horrified, but he looked completely serious and a little hurt at my reaction.

  “No, I’m not crazy. I already jumped. I swam all around down below to make sure there were no rocks and the current is calm right now. The water is warm too.” He was a bit smug as he spoke to me, clearly offended I thought he would endanger me in any way.

  “Really Shep, you want me to jump? Why?” I asked puzzled but knew before I even asked that I would jump with him. I always followed Shep.

  “It’s great Lill, a huge rush! We jump together. I promise if you hate it the first time, I will not make you jump again, just try once. Please, for me?” His big, brown eyes begging me. How could I say no to those eyes? With a shrug and a sigh, I took off the dress covering my bathing suit, looked at Shep and asked, “Are we gonna do this or what?” He broke into a smile showing all his perfect teeth and hugged me tightly in thanks. He quickly stripped to his swim trunks and took my hand. “Nothing to it Lill, just hold my hand and jump.”

  There we were Strawberry Shortcake and Chocolate Muffin side by side, in complete contrast of each other, yet somehow connected, soulmates.

  “On the count of three. Ready?” Shep asked.

  “Ready.”

  “One, two, three!” Shep announced and on three, we were hurtling toward the water. I felt weightless. For those few seconds, I felt like I could fly. It was so liberating. Our hands broke apart just before we broke the water’s surface. I shot through the water like a bullet sinking lower and lower until I gathered my bearings and started to kick up to the surface. Shep was the first thing I saw once my head reached the surface, grinning wide at me. He began swimming to shore glancing back every now and then to make sure I was behind him. Once we reached the shoreline, he pulled me out of the water into his arms. I was shivering from excitement. “Well? Did you love it?” I waited, looked up at him, and smiled before confirming that of course I loved it, he knew me too well. We both laughed. We jumped three more times before we collapsed on the beach, totally exhausted and happy. Time could have gone on like this forever, but not everything goes according to my opinion.

  ~Chapter Two~

  Life for me was amazing, beautiful and humbling. I had the greatest mom anyone could ask for and a best friend to die for. Countless nights counting stars and watching movies well into the night. Many days sledding, swimming, exploring…Living!

  The spring I turned eighteen, my life changed. Mom was still working at the same tiny restaurant. She wanted me to consider going away to college. In her opinion, I was much too smart to waste my life in that tiny trailer. I had never disagreed more with my mom. I loved our life, my life, in that trailer in the middle of nowhere. I never wanted to be away from my own paradise, away from Shep.

  While Shep had been my best friend from childhood, the past year he proved to be much more. Last winter, while snowshoeing through our families properties, I lost my footing and slid down an embankment. In reflex, I reached for Shep, pulling him down the snowy embankment with me. We rolled to the bottom where we landed entangled and laughing.

  Before, being this close to Shep was natural for me. This time, he kissed me. I was shocked beyond belief and quickly pushed him away. I had never kissed a boy before, never even considered the idea, but this was Shep, my soulmate. I loved him, and once I wrapped my mind around the thought, I kissed him back. From that moment, he and I were more inseparable than ever. My mom loved Shep as her own but began expressing her concern. Whereas, he and I were always buddies, we were now very clearly more to each other, and that made both our parents nervous. We didn’t care. We spent every possible moment together. We would talk, kiss, talk, and kiss some more. Things never went beyond kissing though, as we both agreed, we wanted to be married to each other before we consummated our love.

  One beautiful May day, just after we turned eighteen, Shep proposed. We had hiked up the mountain overlooking both our homes. The sky was perfectly clear, and all the wild flowers were starting to bloom. There were two deer grazing the field below us, and squirrels were all over hunting up their next meal. We packed a small lunch and spread the blanket in the clearing on top of the mountain. Shep pulled out a bottle of champagne and two glasses. I questioned him about the
champagne, because neither of us had ever had a drop of alcohol. “It’s a special day Lilly,” he said smiling. Oh, his smile melted my heart every time. “What is so special? Seems like every other spring day to me Shep.” I teased back. He laughed, taking my hand and pointing out all the animals and vegetation springing to life. “Look over there Lill, a mama deer with her baby searching for food after winter’s hibernation, and over there, the chipmunks gathering and hunting. Look up, even the birds have flown back. The trees and bushes are getting their leaves, and all the wild flowers are blooming! Don’t you see? Things are waking up after a dark winter.”

  Amazed by his perception and description, I slowly gazed around the forest taking it all in when I felt him watching me. I turned to him, a little embarrassed by my poor perception of the goings on around me. He was smiling, wide eyed just watching. “You are beautiful, you know that right? From your beautiful red hair, to your emerald eyes, to your milky skin, to your warm heart and soft touch, I love you Lilly! Always have, always will. Marry me, please?”

  I didn’t even have to think before I spoke. It was all in my heart, always had been. He started to say more before I placed my finger over his mouth and looked into his eyes. “Do you know how beautiful you are Shep? I don’t mean your perfect tan skin, your chocolate brown eyes, or your smile that makes my heart stop. I love your crazy wild hair, and your huge generous heart. I love how you make me laugh and hold me when I cry. I love that you look after and protect me. You are my soulmate Shep and I have been waiting my whole life to marry you.” He grabbed my face, with tears in his eyes and mine. He kissed me ever so gently before reaching in his pocket to produce a tiny circle of gold. He backed away never turning his gaze from mine, and placed the ring of gold on my finger. “I know it’s not much, but with the money I’ll be making at the mill, I will be able to buy you a proper ring within a year,” he said looking at me.