Necromancy in the Fifth - Chapter 5 Sneak Peek

It's been quite awhile since I've updated this story, but I'm trying to make my muse play nice with me while the world is going to hell. Hopefully, this will allow me to start getting updates out for my stories again.

So, without further ado, a brief teaser of Chapter 5:

I wasn't sure how long I was unconscious before the sound of knocking on my door woke me. Groaning, I slowly got up off the floor.

“I'm coming,” I shouted, or at least tried to, as my voice came out more like a hoarse croak.

It took me close to a minute to make it the few feet that it was to my door. I fussed with the lock as my fingers didn't seem to want to work, before finally managing to successfully open it.

I opened my mouth upon seeing Rosalie on the other side, but she gasped.

“Bella, what the hell happened to you?”

“What do you mean?”

“There's dried blood on your face.”

I frowned before spinning around and heading to my bathroom. My reflection in the mirror looked nothing like me. Instead, the wide eyes that stared at the stained splotches of brownish-red splattered across my cheeks, lips, chin, and down my neck were horrified. The reflection also showed skin that was at least two shades too white, rings under the eyes, and unnatural sallowness to the cheeks.

For a moment, I couldn't make sense of what I was looking at. Then I grabbed a rag, turned the sink on, and soaked it. The instant it was solidly drenched, I started scrubbing on my face, forcing a redness into my skin even as I washed off the stains of blood.

Necromancy in the Fifth Sneak Peek

A second brief teaser of Chapter 4:

“Shes wrong though. I'm stronger than she thinks.” I extended my hands toward him, palms out.

He looked between my hands and face in suspicion for several seconds, not making any other movement.

“Trust me,” I murmured.

It took him several more seconds, but finally he placed his hands on top of mine. I could feel him, the brush of air that made up his ghost, touching my skin. But it wasn't something most understood. It was why sensitive humans described things like cold spots and flutters. They were really feeling a ghost try to reach out to them.

I closed my eyes, bringing more power to bear and focusing it on his skin and feeling his hands solidify above mine.

It took him a second realize what I was doing, but when he did, he gasped and his fingers suddenly wrapped around my hands.

Necromancy in the Fifth Sneak Peek

A brief teaser of Chapter 4:

“My brother, my twin, has been dead for sometime now. I have access to his spirit though. The thing is, his body, the one he had when was alive, will be nothing more than bones at this point. On top of that, what's left of the body is that of a boy, and his spirit... isn't.”

Her eyebrows arched practically to her receded hairline, even as her hands landed on her hips. The motion caused me to briefly glance down her withered body, seeing her wrinkly and sagging breasts, as well as the folds of shriveled skin where there used to be considerable body fat.

I barely resisted shuddering aloud as I forced my eyes back to hers.

“If his spirit is not the same age as when he died then you've been a very naughty girl, indeed.” She paused, clearly waiting on a response. But when I refused to meet her gambit, she continued, “Haven't you?”

“I don't know what your talking about.” I barely resisted the urge to cross my arms over my chest.

“Oh? But I think you do. Because if you didn't, you'd ask your parents for help. Soul attachment is dangerous and extremely dark magic.” She stepped close to me.

Necromancy in the Fifth Character Info

Of all my stories, this one and Roller Coaster, use lots of characters in a form, age group, relationships, etc... that are extremely far from the original Twilight Saga. So below is a partial list of the characters, their factions, relationships, and years of birth. (List is partial because I don't know all the characters yet or where they'll fit precisely)

B: = year of birth
ȡ = dead
anyone who isn't marked as a specific species are human

The Swans (Only Swans will have middle names listed)

• Twenty unnamed prior generations - both human and necromancers {all ȡ}
• Brooker Scott Swan (B: 1856) and Mercedes Marie Swan (B: 1858) - Necromancers and bonded siblings {both ȡ}
• Eight unnamed human girls born between 1882 and 1893 {all ȡ}
• Beaufort Daniel Swan (B: 1894) and Helen Mercy Swan (B: 1881) - Necromancers and bonded siblings {both ȡ}
• Four unnamed human girls born between 1909 and 1918 {all ȡ}
• Geoffrey Charles Swan (B: 1917) and Marie Isobel Swan (B: 1919) - Necromancers and bonded siblings {both ȡ}
• Charlie Fitzgerald Swan (B: 1954) and Renee Darling Swan (B:1958) - Necromancers and bonded siblings
• Rosalie Johann Swan (B: 1987) 
• Angela Deirdre Swan (B: 1989)
• Victoria Mercedes Swan (B:1991)
• Edward Anthony Swan (B: 1992) and Isabella Marie Swan (B: 1992) - Necromancers and bonded twins
• Mary Alice Brandon Divinity Swan (B: 1993) - Precognitive Psychic
• Bree Sybil Swan (B: 2003) - Sensitive
• Sasha Lorelei Swan (B: 2008) -  Necromancer

People of Forks

• Michael (Mike) Newton (B: 1992)
• Jessica Stanley (B: 1992)
• Lauren Mallory (B: 1991)
• Anne Vincenti (B: 1990) {ȡ}
• Tyler Crowley (B: 1991)
• Eric Yorkie (B: 1992)
• D.J. Garrett (B: 1993)
• Austin Marks (B: 1993) 
• Katie Marshal (B: 1993)
• further list still to come

The McCartys in New York (Rosalie's future)

• Henry McCarty (B: 1955) and Emmaline Daylor (B: 1960)
• Emmett McCarty (B: 1981)  
• Garrett McCarty (B: 1982) and Kate Smith (B: 1983)
• Royce McCarty (B: 1984) and Noella Carter (B: 1981)
• Laurent McCarty (B: 1985) and Irina Daniels (B: 1991)
• Royal McCarty (B: 1986) and Grace Chinett (B: 1982)
• Fred McCarty (B: 1987) and Tanya Fray (B: 1984)
• Rowena McCarty (B:1990) and Vasilii Macbeth (B: 1985)

Down in California (where Angela is)

• Ben Cheney (B: 1988)
• Taylor Fitzgerald (B: 1992)
• McKayla Hanson (B: 1977)
• Erica Strata (B: 1965)
• Victor Marks (B: 1985)

Portland University (where Alice is)

• Jasper Whitlock (B: 1990)
• Charlotte Child (B: 1992)
• Peter Lief (B: 1989) 
• further list still to come

Iraq (where Victoria is)

• Diego Navarro (B: 1985)
• Joss Wheeler (B: 1979)
• Earnest Fougle (B: 1983)
• Doug Smith (B: 1988)
• Adam Perry (B: 1980)
• Steve Brookhart (B: 1975)
• further list still to come

INFO ABOUT LA PUSH AND OTHER CHARACTERS NOT YET INCLUDED

Necromancy in the Fifth Sneak Peek

A second brief teaser of chapter 3:

The bell on the door rang and I looked over, smiling widely when I spotted Jake with his little sis. Of course, he came in most days, but seeing his little sister was far more rare for me. “Jules, what are you doing here with your big bro?”

“Parents want a 'rent day. Whatever that means.”

I arched an eyebrow at Jake and mouthed, 'sex.'

I snickered slightly. “Well, what would you like to drink, Jules?”

Jules looked over the menu board as I asked Jake, “How are Sarah and Billy?”

“They're doing good, though the doctors are talking about the fact that Billy may lose his left foot, maybe even his entire leg up to his knee.”

My brows furrowed. “Gangrene?”

“Not yet, but it's heading that way. The years of his diabetes is taking it's tole.”

“What's he had to say about it?”

“He's adamantly against it, of course.”

“Can I have a caramel frap?” Jules added in, glancing toward me.

“No espresso,” Jake said immediately.

“Then it's a shake,” I pointed out.

“I don't care. You don't have to monitor the eleven year old brat for the day. I do. And she'll be bad enough hyped up on sugar without adding caffeine to the mix.”

I rolled my eyes. “Fine.”

I turned toward the ice chest to grab the ice I'd need out of it, barely noticing as Jake swiped two of my biscottis and handing one to his little sister.

Necromancy in the Fifth Sneak Peek

A brief teaser of Chapter 3:

I pulled the extra batch of biscotti out of the oven and sat the tray on the cooling rack before heading out of the kitchen and into my small coffee shop, preparing to open for the day. I'd owned the coffee shop for just over two years now and the daily start-up still left me feeling like a zombie.

I hoped that, someday in the future, I'd be able to afford to hire an employee, but so far it was only me. I simply couldn't afford to. The truth was, if I even paid myself minimum wage at the moment, I wouldn't make ends meet. The upkeep on my small coffee shop was high – far higher than I'd expected it to be when I'd dared to make the place a reality – and at the end of every month I was barely keeping the place in the black.

I wasn't one to complain though, businesses took time to get started and made profitable... If I had to survive on Top Ramen until then, well so be it.

But, the start of every morning was still a pain – having to wake up at three in the morning so I could get everything baked for the days, including cookies, blondies, muffins, scones, bars, cinnamon rolls, and biscottis. It made for a long ass morning every day and that was before I got the simple drip coffee going or opened the doors for the day.

Necklace Mentioned in Chapter 2 of Necromancy in the Fifth

The necklace that Mike gifted Bella and she in turn gave to her little sister, Bree

Necromancy in the Fifth Sneak Peek

A second brief teaser of Chapter 2 (which I'm currently working on):

“She keeps scaring me with ghosts,” Bree stated loudly, stomping her foot when she finished marching up to me.

I glanced around to make sure none of the numerous people were in attendance heard her. “You know not to talk about it where people can hear, Bree.”

“But mom and dad don't believe me!”

“Because I not doing anyting.” Sasha stated, her lip pouting out.

I sighed. “Bree, you know mom and dad have talked about this with you.”

She crossed her arms over her chest, pouting. “Why can't it be Sasha's doing?”

“It could. Just as it could be our parents or my doing. But it's not. And you know it.”

Bree's pout grew more defined. She wasn't like Sasha and I, nor was she like Alice. Bree was special. Occasionally, though it was rare, normal humans had the gift to sense, feel or occasionally even see the dead... actually, it wasn't all that rare. Of all the thousands of humans out there who pretended to be able to communicate with the dead for money, at least ten percent of them legitimately had some ability to sense them, and there were even more locked up in mental wards and the likes. But they were like Bree, they could feel them – possibly even see them – but they weren't able to hear or talk with them. The fact that Bree had been born a sensitive in our family though, was more than a little ironic.

The thing was, she didn't want to be sensitive, she wanted to be a normal girl.

Necromancy in the Fifth Sneak Peek

A brief teaser of Chapter 2:

The brief brush of a hand over my shoulder caused me to pause even as I stared at the stack of presents on one of the tables which mom mad diligently set up. The table was divided into two sections. The first, a reasonable amount of maybe a dozen present in a neat little square, all but two of which were wrapped in simple striped or plaid paper – also know as the side with my presents. The other had to have at least three times the presents, stacked three high with a wide range of flamboyant pinks, yellows, and oranges – Alice's side.

I was sure Edward was seeing the same thing I was, the fine arrangement of presents wasn't exactly a new experience. In fact, I knew it was part of what had set him off on our eighth birthday. It was hard to share the spotlight with the baby of the family – funny thing was that she no longer was the baby, but come birthdays, it still felt like it.

“That's because everybody loves me,” Alice said lightly as she glanced back over her shoulder at me.

“I didn't say anything.”

“But you almost did.”

I rolled my eyes. Alice stuck her tongue out at me in response.

Inspiration Behind Necromancy in the Fifth

So occasionally I get inspired by the most random of things. The whole idea around this was based off of a single line of a single episode of Supernatural.

I've watched Supernatural since it started and though I find most of the more recent seasons to be meh... there's been a few here and there that have truly been intriguing. One of the most intriguing is an episode in season seven when the brothers visited a town called Lily Dale. 

For the record, Lily Dale, NY is a real place and supposedly is truly one of the most psychic places in the world. Now, the reality is that the vast majority of people in Lily Dale - both in the show and in real life - are frauds. They use cheap tactics like lights attached to strobe technology, holograms from projection devices, and more. 

But in the show they go to a museum in Lily Dale and at the museum they meet a curator who tells them the story of Kate and Margaret Fox, or at least an adulterated version, because the Fox Sisters were real people - as like the town. In the show, after he tells them about the sisters, the curator then goes onto grab his arm and proceeds to tell a message to Dean from an old friend beyond the grave.

The assumption viewers are left with is that he's a real psychic, but that's wrong. A psychic might be able to read your future, tell you your thoughts, tell you someone else's opinion of you, or even cause some sort dream weave experience - all forms of psychics each have their own titles, but I'm not going there in this post. But they do not conjure or talk to the dead. 

Necromancers talk to the dead. 

So when I recently rewatched that episode, the assumption they left viewers with bugged me. It made me want to write a story about necromancy.

As for the decision to leave it in the family, I guess we could say that the Fox sisters inspired it.

The story itself is one part science, two mysticism, three parts tragedy, four parts romance, five parts supernatural, and all dark.

So... welcome to the dark side. 

Necromancy in the Fifth Sneak Peek

A brief teaser of Chapter 1:

I could feel him, the same way I always could, pushing at the veil to be let out – except today, the feeling was stronger than ever. It always was on the birthday we had once shared. The same day that his life had so abruptly ended, as it so happened.

I could never forget what it had felt like when I'd perverted the gift I'd been born with and used the power of all the spirits in the forest to shove Edward into the ravine. My parents both had told me again and again how it hadn't been my fault. Both Edward and I had come into our full powers at far too young. But it didn't matter how many times I was told that it had simply been a tragic mistake, because the reality was, I'd known what I was doing.

In a moment of childish rage, exasperated by the fact that he'd been trying to make bees attack me only moments prior, I'd struck him with my hands and used my gift to send him flying. In truth, I'd just wanted to hurt him the same way he had done to me many times before, but I'd felt it the instant he'd died.

And he'd remained tether to me ever since. My parents, Renee and Charlie, were unaware of that part as I'd never shared it with them. I knew how they would feel if they ever discovered the truth. I'd heard them say again and again that it was our job as necromancers to help spirits find rest. To bind one to myself the way I had done, or perhaps he had done – I still wasn't sure on which of us controlled it – was an extreme perversion of my gift.

But Edward was my twin, my soul mate... the other half of me. In all honesty, I hadn't fully realized just how much a part of me he truly was until after he was dead. But now that I knew, I couldn't forget.