Read The Legend of the Firewalker Online
Authors: Steve Bevil
Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Science Fiction & Fantasy, #Fantasy, #Teen & Young Adult, #Coming of Age, #Myths & Legends, #Greek & Roman, #Norse & Viking, #Paranormal & Urban, #Superhero, #Sword & Sorcery, #TV; Movie; Video Game Adaptations, #Mysteries & Thrillers, #Fantasy & Supernatural
The Legend of the Firewalker
THE LEGEND OF THE FIREWALKER
(Book #1)
Copyright: Steve Bevil
Second edition. Updated 2014.
All rights reserved. No part of this e-book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission from the author.
E-book Cover Design: Baub Alred and Steve Bevil
E-book Interior Design: Steve Bevil
Find out more about the author and upcoming books:
Blog: http://stevebevil.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/steve_bevil
Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/stevebevilwriting
1
It was the end of the spring semester. Leah had never been a fan of staying at Lawrence Hall, the all-girls dormitory on campus, but she had promised her mom she would the year before. It was evening and the Illinois University at Cahokia Falls (IUCF) campus was buzzing with students celebrating the end of the school year and the end of finals.
Leah, on the other hand, didn’t have celebration on her mind. This semester had been a difficult one and she was looking forward to going home. “Oh my God, Amanda!” she shouted. “You didn’t!”
“What?” asked Amanda sheepishly.
Leah rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I can’t believe you kept your date with Hector last night after you made up with Steve,” she said.
Amanda had a glowing smile across her face. “Of course,” she shrugged. “Steve and I—well, you know.”
Leah shook her head in disbelief again. “Know what?” she asked, through squinted eyes. “The other day you were just complaining how you and Steve belonged together.” She paused to adjust her leg more comfortably on the bed. “How there was no one in the world you would rather be with and how you two were destined to get married.”
“We are, we are,” repeated Amanda, while flipping her long, straight, blond hair as she teased it in the mirror. “Hector is too much of a townie, anyway.”
Leah drew a deep breath and sighed heavily as Amanda spun around the tiny-sized dorm room in her new sun
dress. The red and gold dress fit snugly against her small frame and complemented her slightly tanned skin. Amanda reached down to slide on a pair of shoes she had purchased earlier in the day with Steve at a summer shoe sale at the mall near campus. After staring intently in the mirror again, she repeated teasing her hair.
Impatiently, Leah glanced at the clock. “You know you’re going to be late,” she said.
“I won’t be late,” said Amanda, confidently turning to face her. Amanda’s green eyes sparkled and she had a huge grin on her face. “So, how do I look?”
“Late,” uttered Leah, while glancing at the clock again. “Steve said he would meet you downstairs like seven minutes ago.”
Amanda frowned and then picked up her cell phone. “See,” she said, holding it up. “No calls, no text — so he must not be here yet.”
“That was his point in asking you to meet him dow
nstairs.” Leah glowered.
Amanda smiled and then enthusiastically sat down next to her on the bed. “Okay
— what’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing, really.” Leah shrugged. Amanda raised her eyebrows and continued to stare at her. Leah sighed. “It’s just
— it’s just that last night, I asked Lafonda to come hang out with me when you didn’t answer your cell phone.”
There was a brief silence and then Amanda pursed her lips. “I’m sorry,” she said, offering her a quick hug. “I was
… busy.”
“Oh, okay,” nodded Leah. “I wonder if Steve knows what you mean when you say you’re busy.”
“Oh, he does,” winked Amanda. “Trust me, but he probably thinks it only applies when we’re together.” She paused and then shrugged happily. “Oh, well.”
Leah rolled her eyes and sighed again. “Okay, Amanda,” she said softly.
Amanda dropped her eyes and then abruptly looked more concerned. “But seriously,” she said. “Are you okay? Are you still having bad dreams?”
“Night terrors are more like it,” Leah blurted, in a half-joking way. “That’s why I asked Lafonda to come over.” She paused. “I thought it would help me sleep better if I had someone else in the room. But all she did was talk me to death about getting an A in her fencing class.”
“Is she still going on about that?” Amanda asked. “I wish she would just get a boyfriend.” She grinned. “I wish you both would just get a boyfriend.”
“Amanda, I think you’ve got that covered for all of us,” chuckled Leah, while eyeing Amanda’s cell phone. “And speaking of boyfriends, Lafonda has Jim, remember? And are you sure Steve’s not waiting for you downstairs?”
“Ugh!” she moaned. “Stop trying to get rid of me. And besides, Steve is fine.”
Leah shook her head and Amanda reached out to give her a quick hug.
“Look,” Amanda said, “I’ll be back tonight in time to tuck you in.”
Slowly, Leah nodded and then forced a smile. “Well, when you come back, please leave Steve at home.” She pointed to the half-packed boxes stacked in front of her clo
set door. “I still have to finish packing up the rest of my things tonight, and you know my parents, they’ll be here right on time tomorrow to pick me up.”
“Okay,” said Amanda halfheartedly.
“Amanda!” Leah ranted. “I barely got any sleep last night and I’ve hardly slept at all over the past two weeks, studying for finals. The last thing I need is to be up late again while you and Steve play house.”
“Okay, okay, I got it!” retorted Amanda. “Don’t go ha
ving an emotional dump on me.” She paused for a moment and then grinned. “Look, you and me, we survived freshman year. You know, all the midterms and finals, the late-night cram sessions. And let’s not forget the parties!”
“Yeah,” said Leah impatiently. “And let’s not forget about all the late-night phone calls from all of your ex-boyfriends, begging you to come back.”
Amanda grinned. “You know that I appreciate . . .”
Amanda was interrupted by a quick knock to their dorm room door. The knock
ing was to the tune of “Shave and a Haircut.”
“That could only be Steve,” said Leah, as she and Ama
nda stood up.
Leah headed over to her small wooden desk, which was adjacent to the foot of her bed. It was identical to its twin across the way, which was Amanda’s desk. Leah’s side of the room was reminiscent of her first week at school. The wall to the side of her bed, which once displayed pictures of friends taken throughout the year and an academic calendar, was now bare.
Amanda’s side of the room, however, still displayed various posters and pictures of celebrities and perfect male models. Leah was glad she soon wouldn’t have to wake up to teen heartthrob Justin Bloomer’s face every day. She thought it was bad enough to have to see his posters, but Amanda also loved to blare his music.
“I’m coming!” said Amanda enthusiastically, as she headed towards the door.
She looked in the mirror one last time, stopping to fix her dress. Amanda opened the door and Steve immediately scooped her up, giving her a huge hug. His broad shoulders and muscular arms looked enormous compared to her small frame.
“Hello, gorgeous!” he said enthusiastically, putting an e
xtra emphasis on the word
hello
. “I know that I just saw you this afternoon, but I’ve missed you already.”
“Steve!” she blurted, sounding annoyed. “You’ll wrinkle my dress.”
“Aw! You look great, honey!”
Amanda frowned, but after she noticed Leah was staring at her, she gave Steve a quick kiss and then maneuvered out of his grip. “How did you get up here?” she asked.
Steve stepped into the room, leaving the door open behind him. He reached out to embrace her in another hug, but this time she was quick enough to get away. “The lobby doors to Lawrence Hall aren’t locked until after nine,” he sighed. “And it’s only a little after seven. Besides, you’re late missy. I’ve called you like several times!”
“Oops!” said Amanda, pausing to look at her cell phone and then placing it back on her desk. “But wait a minute. Don’t change the subject; I asked how you got up here. Guys aren’t allowed on the floor or in the elevator without a f
emale escort.”
“He probably used his baby blues and flirted with some girl to get up here,” sighed Leah, chiming in.
Steve took his attention off of Amanda and looked at Leah for the first time since he entered the room. “And you know it!” he said with confidence. “And I asked her out on a date for later tonight. So, let’s wrap this up early.”
“Ha!” said Amanda, stepping away to smooth out her dress in the mirror. “You had better not.”
“Let’s just stay here!” he chuckled, while stumbling over towards the bed. “We can have a party here with Leah.”
Leah quickly snatched a blue IUCF T-shirt off the edge of the bed before Steve sat down. “Must you sit on my bed?” she moaned. “Don’t you guys have some packing to do?”
“Yes, but I doubt we would spend our time packing,” he grinned, reaching for Amanda as she walked past the bed. “Besides, we have all day tomorrow.” Amanda smiled and then happily sat on his lap. “Let’s have some fun Leah. It’s our last night before summer!”
Reluctantly, Leah looked up at Steve as she folded the blue IUCF T-shirt and placed it into the now open box on top of her desk. The last thing she wanted to do was waste time hanging out with Steve and Amanda. She was exhaus
ted because of finals and lack of sleep. She wanted nothing more than to move back home to St. Louis for the summer with her parents, no matter how eerie that sounded to her. The room itself just seemed to drain her and no matter how tired she was, the fear of the nightmares kept her awake. She was already embarrassed by the middle-of-the-night screams that she was sure awoke her neighbors on the floor. It was about the only time Leah was glad that Amanda was away at night as much as she was.
“You
guys!” Leah whined, in a half-annoyed way. “I really need to get to stuff.” Suddenly, the sound of a door opening and closing filled the room from the hallway. “Great. Here comes Lafonda.”
“Hey, guys!” said Lafonda, in a cheery voice. She took one look at Steve and then suddenly looked confused. “Uh
— hey, Steve?”
He smiled. “Don’t look so surprised, Lafonda,” he chuc
kled. “We officially got back together this morning.”
Lafonda took a seat on Amanda’s bed and allowed her long, shiny black hair to drift off to one side. “I don’t know why I am surprised,” she said with a smile.
“Me neither!” said Amanda enthusiastically, while clasping her hands into her lap.
Lafonda slightly chuckled and then rolled her eyes quic
kly, in an attempt to go unnoticed. “Are you guys done packing?” she asked. “I’m almost done. I promised my grandmother that I would be all packed and ready to go early tomorrow morning.”
“Great,” said Steve. “Then let’s all do something!”
“Ugh!” exhaled Leah, sounding clearly annoyed. “I thought you guys had plans. And look around you; does she look packed?”
Lafonda looked puzzled as she scanned Amanda’s side of the room. “Why haven’t you started packing?” she asked. “What time are your parents coming tomorrow?”
“They’re not,” Amanda answered with a smile. Lafonda looked confused. “I convinced my parents to let Steve drive me home — all the way from Illinois to Louisiana.”
“Oh,” said Lafonda, while nodding. “But wait
— when do you plan to pack?” Her eyes were wide as she looked around Amanda’s side of the room again. “Everyone must turn in their dorm key and be out by 4:30.”
Amanda laughed. “Oh, Lafonda,” she said, rolling her eyes. “We will have plenty of time tomorrow.” Steve smiled big while Amanda stroked his cheek. “Isn’t that right?”
“Yes, ma’am!” he said enthusiastically.
“Well, on that note,” said Leah abruptly, “it’s time for everyone to go because I have tons to do.”
Amanda and Steve were still into each other and hadn’t acknowledged Leah. She glared at them and frowned.
“Okay, you two,” said Lafonda, standing up. “Let’s go.”
Steve and Amanda still didn’t move.
“Now!” she demanded more forcibly.
“Ugh — come on, Steve!” said Amanda with a grin, as she stood up from his lap. She stroked his cheek again. “It’s time.”
Slowly, Lafonda headed over to Leah as Amanda led Steve out of the room.
“How are you doing, kiddo?” she asked.
“Good, I suppose,” said Leah, shrugging her shoulders. She took a deep breath. “The nightmares aren’t so bad.”
Lafonda suddenly looked concerned. “Is it because you’re not sleeping?”
“Hmm
— that’s a possibility,” said Leah, as she released a slight chuckle.
Lafonda pursed her lips. “Leah,” she said, “I hope you don’t mind, but
— what have you been dreaming about?”
Leah’s eyes blinked a few times and she began to fidget as she continued to fold more shirts. “I
… I,” she stumbled. “I feel so tired and down all the time.” She paused as she reluctantly looked around the room. “I feel fine when I’m in class or at the gym. I feel like it’s this …”
“No offense to you, Lafonda!” yelled Steve from the hallway. “But why do women have to be so bossy?”
Lafonda shook her head and then smirked. “I know he didn’t say what I think I just heard,” she said with a laugh.
Leah took a deep breath and then continued speaking. “I just think it’s the stress of school and, and
…”
“And Jamie?” Lafonda asked, sounding more concerned.
Leah took another deep breath and then proceeded to fold a pair of sweatpants. “I really need to get packing,” she said offhandedly. She forced a smile. “But I do appreciate you asking how I’m doing.”