Cave of Terror Read online

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  Highland Press

  www.highlandpress.org

  Copyright ©2008 by Highland Press

  First published in 2008, 2008

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  NOTICE: This work is copyrighted. It is licensed only for use by the original purchaser. Making copies of this work or distributing it to any unauthorized person by any means, including without limit email, floppy disk, file transfer, paper print out, or any other method constitutes a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines or imprisonment.

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  CONTENTS

  Cave Of

  Cave of Terror

  For my daughter, Ashton, the inspiration for my story.

  Acknowledgements

  Vampire Terminology

  The Beginning

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  The Ending

  Want More?

  Ghostly Affair

  Foreword

  1

  About the Author

  Praise for

  Now Available from

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  I whipped my head around to glance at Ryan just as he decided to do the same—our faces just an inch apart, our lips an inch apart. I drew in a quick breath. Before I had a chance to exhale, he pressed his lips to mine, sending unfamiliar sensations rippling through me. He opened his mouth a little and I followed, allowing the kiss to deepen. Tingles shot straight to my lower abdomen. He tasted like popcorn and Dr. Pepper—a salty and sweet combination that curled my toes. It wasn't as scary as I had imagined, yet so much more amazing than I had ever dreamed.

  Cave Of

  Terror

  Vanator Diaries Series

  Amber Dawn Bell

  Highland Press Publishing

  Florida

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  Cave of Terror

  Copyright ©2008—Amber Wentworth

  Cover ©2008—Amber Wentworth

  Printed and bound in the United States of America. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system—except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine, newspaper, or on the Web—without permission in writing from the publisher.

  For information, please contact

  Highland Press Publishing,

  PO Box 2292, High Springs, FL 32655.

  www.highlandpress.org

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names, save actual historical figures. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

  ISBN: 978-0-9818550-3-5

  HIGHLAND PRESS PUBLISHING

  Young Adult

  Paranormal

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  For my daughter, Ashton, the inspiration for my story.

  Venetta Bell, Editor

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  Acknowledgements

  My deepest thanks go out to these invaluable people: Ed and Pam for their awesome photography work, Lily and Sandra for their honesty in sharing their feelings about the reality of high school and being a teenager in today's world, Christy for going along with whatever I asked, Sam & David and everyone at Inner Space Caverns for all their cave knowledge, Lindsay and Venetta for critiquing, and my publisher, Leanne, who had faith in me from the start and gave me the chance to realize my dreams.

  And thank you, Bob, my wonderful and supportive husband and biggest fan, who refuses to read anything I write because he knows that no matter what he said it would be the wrong thing.

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  Vampire Terminology

  Aperare—clice; guardians of the race; live among humans; shift as needed

  Bloodcrave—body's signal alerting the need to blood supplement; hunger

  Bloodlust—body's reaction to going too long without supplementing; violent

  Blood Supplement—vitamin-like pill containing necessary blood supplements

  Bond—ceremony; exchanging of blood between a male and female

  Clice—a vampire clan

  Lifemate—a bonded vampire mate; for life

  Liliac—original vampire clice; evil; hunted by the Pantere; can shift into bats or other flying creatures

  Luptã wolf-shifting clice; werewolves

  Pantere—clice; live among humans; some can shift into panthers

  Vnetor—hunter of evil; born once every 500+ years; belong to clice Pantere

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  The Beginning

  A Blood Sucking Discovery

  My sixteenth birthday totally sucked.

  Instead of having a rockin’ party, I was initiated into a vampire clice.

  Nothing like finding out your parents are blood suckers on the most important day of your life. I mean, how had they hid it for all those years? And why the heck hadn't they told me until now?

  I've always considered myself to be a logical person living in the real world where Dracula existed only in the minds of wacko writers. Sure, the movies are good for a laugh and an occasional scare, but they aren't factual.

  Vampires don't really exist.

  Well, apparently they do and I'm one of them. Nice. Somehow, the excitement over getting my driver's license faded in light of this new development.

  Instead, I fixated on more life-altering thoughts like would I be able to walk in the sun or would I have to actually drink blood? Or would I have to sleep in a coffin? I'm claustrophobic, so that wouldn't be the greatest sleeping arrangement for me.

  After thinking about it, I realized both my mom and dad go out in the daylight hours. They have normal jobs, after all. My dad owns a computer software company, and my mom is a psychologist. Yet, we never really spent extended hours in the sun, and we've never had a family vacation that included the beach.

  I think I'd know if they slept in a coffin or drank blood. Wouldn't I? Every night they had wine or at least a liquid that appeared to be wine. It's not like I ever took a drink or anything. Surely, they wouldn't be gulping down the DNA of another human right in front of me. That's just plain nasty.

  Can you imagine all the crazy thoughts going through my head? One minute I'm a normal teenager turning sixteen, and the next I'm being led into some kind of ritualistic coming-of-age gathering full of vampires congratulating me on reaching maturation. So much for thinking my parents had planned a sweet sixteen party all my friends would envy. Guess I wouldn't be starring in the reality show, My Super Sweet 16.

  My mom and dad had promised to answer all my questions after the induction. And questions they answered. I don't think they knew what hit them.

  One thing was for sure, everything I thought I knew about vampires went straight out the window. Well, almost everything.

  Sunlight won't burst vampires into flames, reducing them to a pile of dust. Thank goodness for small favors. There's no such thing as the living dead. Vampires are very much alive with a beating heart and everything. Sunday morning church congregations include vampires. Holy water is just blessed water. Vampires put on their make-up in front of a mirror like everyone else. Garlic is a tasty ad
dition to many dishes. Crosses make nice fashion accessories. Coffins aren't part of a vampire's bedroom set. And wooden stakes aren't any more deadly than other weapons, which brings me to a rather disturbing and disappointing fact.

  Vampires aren't immortal.

  Sure, they live longer than the average human—a lot longer, heal abnormally fast, and aren't plagued by most human diseases and ailments, but they don't live forever. Talk about a bummer. Immortality was the one bright spot in the whole situation.

  I'd saved the one big question for last. Was I expected to go around biting people and sucking their blood? I mean, wasn't that what vampires were supposed to do? My mom laughed and my dad shook his head and grinned. I didn't get what was so funny.

  My mom explained that centuries ago, before the convenience of modern technology, vampires didn't have a choice and had to take nourishment directly from humans. I shuddered. I mean, how gross is that? But, over hundreds of years, they had evolved. They no longer needed long fangs to pierce skin. Eye teeth shortened and now only extend when threatened or angry. Or when a vampire doesn't feed regularly and goes into a full bloodlust. I didn't even want to go there. Bloodlust? No, thank you. I was quite happy to find out I'd be able to continue eating the same foods I've always eaten. I'd just have to start supplementing my diet with, you guessed it, blood. Yick!

  I did find out something rather cool. Every female vampire acquires a special ability unique to her physical make-up on her sixteenth birthday when she reaches maturation. I couldn't wait to find out what special power I had. I just hoped it wasn't something too weird or too noticeable.

  Since I'm a gymnast, I spend five hours a day in the gym training. It's hard enough to fit in without being a freak. I don't have much time for a social life, so that makes me a big enough freak as it is.

  I've never had a boyfriend to speak of. Not unless you count the cute boy in kindergarten who rubbed sun block on my back on water day. I don't know if boys are afraid to ask me out because I don't have the time to devote to them or if it's because I could quite probably kick their butts with little or no problem. That's what five hours in the gym gets you.

  What can I say? Gymnastics is my life. I've been doing the sport since I could walk. I don't plan on quitting now so some silly boy can drool all over me. Ain't gonna happen.

  Anyway, I spent the rest of my birthday waiting for my special ability to show itself. It never did. I went to bed very disappointed and frustrated, thinking I must not have any powers. Figures.

  I was a powerless vampire. And I still had to drink blood.

  Where was the silver lining? Where was the something good to go along with the whole bunch of bad? It just didn't seem fair.

  The next day at school, during a biology fieldtrip, everything changed. This is where my story begins.

  Before you turn the page, I think it's only right to caution you. If you are faint of heart, stop now before it's too late. This is no Cinderella story. It's a true account of my life and will forever change how you see the world and the creatures that live on it.

  You have been warned.

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  1

  Furry Chicken Nuggets of Evil

  The alarm echoed through my throbbing head. Reality rudely invaded my sleepy mind. I jerked to a sitting position, grabbing my head between my hands. Tiny soccer players kicked my brain to mush. Sheesh, if this is what being a vampire feels like, I don't want any of it. I slapped my alarm clock off and fell back on the bed. Roxie lifted her furry head and yawned, then scooted closer, sliming my face with doggie drool.

  My door banged open and I groaned. Roxie jumped off the bed, eighty pounds of dog trampling me in the process.

  "Cheyenne, it's time to get up. How are you feeling?” my mother asked with actual sympathy.

  "Peachy, Mom. What can I say? This vampire gig is fantabulous."

  I'd have rolled my eyes, but it required more energy than I felt like exerting.

  "It's normal to feel bad the next day. Your body is trying to assimilate the increased awareness of your senses.” Mom smiled like it was an everyday occurrence.

  "Huh?"

  "You'll begin to hear sounds you never heard before and at long distances. Your vision will be better than any human ever dreamed of having. You'll be able to pick up a person's scent a mile away. All your senses will be heightened. Unfortunately, it takes a little getting used to, hence the headache.” She tapped the side of her head.

  "Great. Just what I need. And today is the fieldtrip to the cave."

  Mom pursed her lips and glanced up as if in deep thought. “Under the circumstances, I'll allow you to stay home. You probably need a little time to get used to things before going back to school. Don't make it a habit though.” She raised one eyebrow for emphasis and fixed me with a stare. You know, the ‘mom’ stare.

  "I have to go. It counts as a major grade. And I can only imagine what I'd have to do to make up for it.” I sighed and pulled the covers over my head.

  "If that's the case, you better get your little self out of bed and out the door.” Mom grabbed my comforter and yanked it off, leaving me bare to the cool air. She turned to leave, then said over her shoulder, “Have a good day, sweetheart. We'll talk more later about the changes your body will be going through. I know it's scary."

  "Yeah, it is.” I crawled out of bed and as my feet hit the floor, a horrible thought occurred to me. “Mom! Wait! I forgot to ask you something."

  She came back into my room. “Yes?"

  "Umm ... when will I need ... blood?” God, did those words really come out of my mouth? I mean, what a ridiculous thing to ask your own mother. Talk about a freakish nightmare.

  "You won't need it for a while, yet. Don't worry. Your dad and I will discuss the symptoms with you. You still have plenty of time before that happens. It'll take some time before your body makes the change and needs to supplement. But, trust me, your body will let you know when the time is right.” She placed her hands on my shoulders and gave me her most serious look. “When that happens, you need to let me or your dad know right away. If you wait too long, you could go into a bloodlust. And let's just say it's not pretty ... and can be dangerous—for you as well as those around you. I'll show you where we keep the supply when I get home from work in case we're not around when you need it."

  "Okay. I think.” I just prayed it wouldn't happen in front of a bunch of people I knew.

  * * * *

  "Cheyenne! It's about time you got here,” yelled Mandy, my best friend and fellow gymnast.

  "Hey. Yeah, I kind of ran late. Didn't exactly wanna get up this morning."

  That's the understatement of the year.

  "We're just about to get on the bus. You're lucky we didn't leave without you."

  "Oh, yeah, I'm lucky all right.” If she only knew. I wondered what she'd think if I told her I'm a real life vampire. She'd probably freak. Sooner or later, I'd have to tell her. We don't exactly keep secrets from each other. Besides, she always seems to know when something is going on with me.

  "Come on! Let's get one of the back seats. We can make faces at the people behind us."

  "And how old are you?” I asked.

  "Ah, ya know ya wanna.” She boarded the bus and I followed right behind her.

  It would only take about twenty minutes max to reach the cave. Since it's right by our gym, I knew how much time it would take to get there.

  I've been to the cave so many times in my life I could probably recite the tour speech word for word. Stalactites hang ‘tight’ to the ceiling. Stalagmites ‘might’ reach the ceiling. And let's not forget about cave popcorn, cave ice, flowstone, cave coral, cave drapery—also known as cave bacon—and the occasional bat. Yep, I've seen and heard it all. And lucky me, I get to see and hear it again.

  The strange thing is that even though I'm claustrophobic, I've never had a problem going into the cave—probably because most of the cave is open and airy. It might be a diff
erent story if I had to squeeze through one of those dark crawl spaces.

  "Gee, you look real thrilled to be here, Cheyenne.” Mandy laughed and made her goofy face that always guaranteed a good chuckle from me. “Don't you think it's cool we get to go into a cave on Halloween?"

  I shook my head and rolled my eyes. She kept on doing that stupid face of hers until I had no choice but to laugh.

  Mandy wiped the humor from her face and cocked an eyebrow. “Okay, what's the deal, pickle? And don't even bother telling me nothing."

  "I've just had a rough morning, and my head really hurts. No biggie.” Well, the part about the headache was true. And I really did have a crappy morning. It's what I didn't tell her that was the problem. The girl's a pit bull when it comes to pulling out information. Once she senses blood, she'll grab hold and not let go. Oh, sheesh, like I had to bring blood into it.

  She curled one side of her lip. “Whatever. Sooner or later you'll spill it."

  "There's nothing to spill.” That sounded so gay. I didn't even believe it.

  "Did you bring your new camera?” she asked.

  I patted my purse. “Yep, got it right here.” Before my ‘initiation,’ Mom and Dad had surprised me with the camera. I'd been saving up for it for a few months, so I was quite excited to receive it as a gift. It's one of those small Canons with a big screen that takes really great pictures. The only one nuttier than me about taking pictures happens to be Mandy.

  "Cool.” She stretched her neck and looked out the window. “We're almost there."

  I let my head flop back against the seat. “I can hardly wait."

  The bus pulled into the parking lot, and I sat up, looking around to see how many cars occupied the area. I wasn't in the mood for crowds. We unloaded and clunked across the wooden ramp leading to the door of the building.

  As soon as we passed through the entrance, a strange tingle started at my spine and worked its way up my back, settling into a slight vibration at the base of my neck. Talk about freaky. I rubbed the back of my neck with one hand and glanced around the room.