Bubble Gum and Monsters

Bubble Gum and Monsters

  Copyright © 2016 by Young Vampires Publishing

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  First Edition, 2015.

  Second Edition, 2016.

  ISBN 978-0-9947954-3-4

  www.youngvampirespublishing.com

  Dedication

  To Darcy, who showed what is possible.

  Acknowledgements

  Special thanks to: Mandy, Tamara, Trevor, Keith, Glenis, Vicky, Shawn, Megan, Pete, Kirsten, Dave, Esther, Derek, Thora, Aaron, Sheryl, Mike, Poopu, Samanta, David, and Geeth.

  Chapter 1

  Daea awoke in darkness. She must have closed the curtains during the night. Her mother yelled that she was going to be late for school. The young girl groaned and stuck her head under her pillow. Her mom stomped toward the stairs and yelled that school had started only two weeks ago and that she had already missed three days. Daea grumbled that she was on her way.

  The dark haired girl with big brown eyes put on a white T-shirt and a pair of jeans lying on the messy floor. She slumped down the stairs. Taking her seat, Daea poured a bowl of Super Choco Os, which claimed to be the chocolatiest cereal on the planet.

  Her mom made mini-sandwiches on the large counter. She had fair skin and dark hair. She owned a catering business that provided food services for movie productions. Two years ago, her family had renovated their house to accommodate an industrial sized kitchen. On this day, she had a lunch for the cast and crew of the action blockbuster, Rex Jones 3.

  Daea asked if she could skip school to help. She knew the question was futile. Her mother would never allow her to miss class to gawk at the glamor and excitement of the movies. Sometimes on weekends or during the summer, she was allowed to go, but under strict instructions that she stay out of the way.

  She loved meeting and chatting with the cast and crew, especially the famous stars. She was often dragged away by her apologetic mother or one of the catering company employees. It didn’t take long before everyone on set knew the young girl.

  Daea’s father entered the kitchen from the back door. He serenaded the room with a good morning song. He had been born in Mexico, and his family moved to the U.S. when he was a baby. He got steady work as an actor, but Daea thought it unfair that he never got to be the leading man. After all, he was tall, dark, handsome, and had a beautiful voice. She hoped that someday he would get a big break so that he could have the illustrious career he deserved.

  Daea’s mom gave her husband a kiss then asked him to tell his daughter to hurry or she would miss the school bus again. He laughed and told the girl that she needed to hurry because he had an audition, so no one could drive her if she missed it. He picked her up out of her seat, gave her a hug and kiss, and helped with her backpack. He remarked that they could probably expect a phone call from the teacher informing them that she hadn’t done her homework again. Daea said that she would do it on the way to school.

  She gasped and covered her eyes when the door opened. The girl dodged her father as she ran up to her room. Her parents protested as she rummaged through stuff on the floor. Daea found her sunglasses, hat, and a red wind jacket. She put them on, ran back down the stairs, stopped to give her mother a kiss, and wished her good luck.

  The Los Angeles morning was warm and hazy. A dry breeze blew through the sycamore trees that lined her street. Daea sauntered toward the bus stop. She saw the bus turn the corner. She arrived just in time, although she knew the driver would wait since he was familiar with her tardy ways.

  The screaming and yelling kids hushed as Daea walked down the aisle. Everyone watched her, and many kids moved to the inside of their seat as she passed, hoping she would sit with them. Daea had never seen them act like that before. She was well-liked, but now she felt popular.

  She stuck her tongue out at the kids looking at her before she sat beside a fifth grader she had been meaning to speak with.

  “Hey, Sam.”

  Sam moved his backpack onto his lap. “Hey, Daea. How’s it going?”

  Daea scrutinized the boy. “Are you OK?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  “Well, remember last week when I tried to sit with you and you told me to scram?”

  Sam lowered his eyes. “Sorry. That was rude. I’m glad you’re sitting with me today.”

  Daea reached over to feel his forehead for a fever when Toby, a fourth grader in her class, leaned over the seat and said, “Hey, Daea.”

  “Be careful. You’re going to fall on us,” she said, pushing him back.

  Toby giggled and regained his balance. He listened to the conversation while teetering on the back of the seat.

  Daea turned back to the boy beside her. “So, do you still have that rash on your hip? I heard some boys talking. They said it’s a contagious disease. They said it would eat all your flesh, but I don’t believe that. Still, you should go to the hospital to make sure.”

  Toby giggled.

  Sam said, “First, that’s none of your business. And second, it’s not a disease. It’s a skin condition called eczema. It’s genetic, and it’s not contagious. Why don’t you go sit with someone from your own grade?” He composed himself. “Sorry. I know you’re trying to help. I’ve seen the doctor, and she gave me a cream to apply twice a day.”

  “I’ll talk to the boys in your class and explain everything.”

  “Please don’t.”

  Perched on a high hill, the school overlooked much of Encino. Children ran and screamed across the paved yard. Daea watched a game of marbles in the shadow of the building as the students awaited the bell.

  The teacher began class with a homework check. When he got to Daea, he frowned and asked to see her work. She donned a shamed and remorseful face, hoping he’d pass her by without a lecture. She knew how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide. In fact, with those operators she realized she could derive complex mathematical proofs. She had no idea why she knew such advanced concepts, however. The teacher took one look at her work, sighed, and then moved on to inspect the next student.

  Gym class was before lunch, and dodge ball was the game of the day. Daea dominated. She singlehandedly won the match for her team. The gym teacher told her to take it easy and made her apologize to an opponent after she accidentally hit him square in the face. Her teammates gave her high fives after the match, but she didn’t know why she was so much better than everyone else.

  At lunch, everyone, even older kids, wanted to sit at Daea’s table. She ate one of the sandwiches her mother had packed. She listened and responded to her schoolmates with half an ear. She excused herself to see if she could find out any information about the strange things happening to her.

  Daea walked into the school library, past the librarian, to a row of computers. The librarian raised her eyebrows. The girl explained that she needed to do some research. The librarian raised her eyebrows even higher.

  She began with a search for sudden physical and mental changes in children. The websites about adolescence didn’t seem relevant. She included sensitivity to the sun as a symptom. This search yielded more of the same except for one result. The fourth link had nothing to do with children, bodily changes, or the sun. Rather, it was a website for a furniture store. Daea went to the webpage. It appeared to be a regular business website. The prices, however, did not
correspond with what those items should cost. Furthermore, there was no contact information except a sentence directing inquiries to My Lady of the Light.

  “My Lady of the Light,” Daea whispered under her breath. “My lady … Mylady … Malady? … Malady of the Light? That’s it!”

  The first numbers of the first three items were 2, 1, and 3—a Los Angeles area code. There were only ten items on the page. She combined the first number from each price, and searched to see if it was a phone number. It was, and it belonged to a place named Moon and Stars Incorporated. She searched for the business but could find no such place in L.A., California, or the U.S.

  Daea walked to the back of the library and took her phone from her pocket. She dialed the number but then immediately deleted it. She repeated that process a few times. Finally, she hit the call button and the phone began to ring.