The Clandestine Saga

The Clandestine Saga

last updateLast Updated : 2021-02-18
By:  Bella MoondragonCompleted
Language: English
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If vampires aren't real, what did she just kill? Cadence Findley never gave much thought to vampires until one night when a dark encounter changed her life forever. When her friend is lured into the woods by a stranger with steel-gray eyes and pale skin, Cadence instinctively knows he is dangerous, so she follows at a distance. Moments later, she finds herself all alone with his decapitated head--and her friend's body at her feet. Except she's not really alone. A mysterious man appears out of nowhere and insists she runs. The monster has friends--the blood sucking kind. And now, they are coming for her. Swept into a world full of creatures she never dreamed existed, Cadence is left with a choice. Can she outrun the clan of vampires who've marked her for death, or should she follow the advice of the sexy man in black who warned her in the woods and now insists she transform into a vampire hunter? Will Cadence escape the bloodsuckers on her tail as she enters the secret world of vampires and guardians, hunters and hybrids? Follow the adventure as Cadence Findley leaves her life as a college student to become an extraordinary vampire hunter.

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Chapter 1

A Dangerous Plan

“We really should do something fun while you are all in town,” Drew Peterson exclaimed as she plopped herself down on a giant pink bean bag chair near the window in Cadence Findley’s bedroom. The rest of her friends were strewn about the room already; Taylor Christianson and Sydney Cox on the bed, Jon Chancellor and Kash Donatello in the two small chairs across the room, Jack Cook slumped against the wall next to the chairs. How many times had they all crashed here during high school? Now that all of them except for Drew, the baby of the group, had graduated from high school and gone on with their lives, these times were much rarer, and it had occurred to Cadence more than once that evening that this may be the last time she had her gang all together.

            While her friends continued their idle chatter, Cadence sat in front of her computer screen, trying to finish the last two pages of her English paper. Professor Martin was such a jerk for giving them homework over Thanksgiving break! If she could just get this done, she would finally be able to enjoy her friends’ company, rather than haphazardly chiming in from time to time and occasionally shooting annoying glances in their direction when they got a little overzealous in their enjoyment of a week free from school.

The group was a bit of an eclectic collection of personalities. Cadence was never quite sure what the glue was that kept them together, though Taylor insisted that Cadence was the glue. She didn’t think so. With her long brown hair, large brown eyes, and perfectly proportioned facial features, she had been fairly popular in high school. Yet, she had always felt there was something different about herself, like she never quite fit in with the rest of the kids in school. She had participated in extracurricular activities, like cheerleading and choir. She had attended the dances and pretended to care about what others thought of her hair and her clothes. But at the end of the day, she always felt that the worries of high school were nothing compared to the “real” world. When she graduated last May, there was no question she was going away to college. She would have liked to have gone even farther than the University of Iowa in Iowa City, but they offered her a pretty nice scholarship, and she took it. And it wasn’t so far away that she couldn’t drive back to her hometown of Shenandoah for holidays such as this.

None of her friends had gone with her. In fact, she and Jack had broken off their two-year long relationship because he did not want her to go. He had already signed on to play baseball for the Nebraska Cornhuskers—a pretty big deal—and was hoping that he would show up "big man on campus" with his pretty little lady on his arm. But Cadence had other plans for her life, and his insistence that she follow him to Lincoln had ended their relationship, though they had somehow managed to remain friends, something that Cadence was thankful for.

The rest of the group had scattered to other institutes of higher learning, with the exception of Jon who went to work for his father’s plumbing company for a bit, hoping to save some money before starting college. And Drew was a senior in high school this year. She had been on the cheerleading squad with the other girls, and though her peppiness was often annoying, she had wedged her way into their group via a short-lived relationship with Kash.

“Cadence, did you hear me?” Drew’s chipper voice called from the corner. Cadence had been so preoccupied with finishing her assignment she had no idea what the rest of the group was talking about. “I said, 'Have you ever heard of an Eidolon Festival?'”

Temporarily pulling her eyes away from the computer screen, Cadence turned to address the spunky little blonde. “A what?”

“That’s exactly what I just said!” Jack chuckled from his slumped position on the floor.

“It’s so cool!” Drew said, bounding up from the floor and crossing to where Cadence sat in front of the computer. “I saw a flyer the other day at this gas station. We’ve got to check it out!”

“Because a gas station is where I always go to meet my entertainment needs,” Jon mumbled sarcastically as Drew shoved her way between Cadence and the computer.

“What are you doing?” Cadence asked, watching helplessly as Drew grabbed the mouse out of her hand and opened up Chrome.

“Okay, so, Miss English Teacher,” she said, referring to Cadence’s career ambitions, “what does eidolon mean?”

Cadence thought for a moment. She knew she had heard the word before, but she wasn’t precisely sure she knew the correct definition. In fact, she would be surprised if Drew knew. She wasn’t exactly known for her broad vocabulary.

Taylor was standing behind her chair now, a purple pillow pressed against her chest. “It sounds like a place lazy people go to drink wine if you ask me!”

Drew snorted and rolled her eyes. “It’s eye-dol-in not idle-wine!” she exclaimed.

“Isn’t it like a ghost or something?” Cadence asked. Drew was frantically searching Google, trying to find more information than what was printed on the flyer from the gas station.

“I’ve never heard of it before,” Kash remarked, “But if it’s a party, you can count me in.”

“A party about ghosts?” Sydney asked. She was still sitting on the bed but was no longer reclining. She strained her neck to peer across the short distance to Cadence’s computer screen.

“It just means a specter or a phantom,” Drew proclaimed. “I know, I looked it up on Dictionary.com.”

“And that makes you an expert!” Jon added in his typical sarcastic tone.

“I’m not an expert,” Drew responded as she continued various searches containing the words “eidolon” and “festival” and “Iowa.” “But I would like to be!”

“Well, what did the flyer say?” Taylor asked.

Drew continued to search, now adding the word “secret” into her search criteria. “It was kind of cryptic, for a flyer. It just said something like ‘Eidolon gather, Percy’s Lot, Villisca, witching hour, November 26th.’ I probably wouldn’t have even noticed it if I hadn’t dropped my keys.”

The rest of her friends exchanged questioning glances, but Drew didn’t seem to notice. She continued to search as the others drew straws nonverbally to determine who got to ask exactly what Drew meant. Finally, Jon exclaimed, “Explain!”

Drew was used to having to explain herself. She was a bit ditsy at times—most of the time. She sighed in frustration, “I was walking out of the gas station, and I dropped my keys. I bent down to pick them up, and I noticed a red scrap of paper sticking out from behind a trash can. It was bright red, so it caught my attention. So, I grabbed it and read it. And I had no idea what eidolon meant, but I knew that festival meant party! So, I tried to find out more info on my phone, but I couldn’t find anything else out about it. I did find out that eidolon means phantom though, which sounds cool, so I think we should all go. It’ll be totally creepy and fun!”

“So, for all you know, this is, like, a private party?” Taylor asked, confused.

“No, I don’t think so. It’s a festival, and it was a typed flyer, so it’s not like someone just wrote a note and dropped it. They want people to go,” Drew said a bit defensively.

“Then why don’t they advertise it or at least have a website?” Sydney wanted to know.

Drew sighed, tossing the mouse away and crossing back to the bean bag chair. “Come on, guys!” she exclaimed. “All of you are off in college or working, and I’m here going to flippin’ high school. I never get to have any fun! Would you please just go with me?”

            The friends exchanged looks, but Cadence knew in her heart, if they went to that festival, their lives would change forever.

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Comments

user avatar
Christy Scott
I haven't been able to put it down since I started and I thought I would not like it because it was very long. This is now maybe my favorite story I ever read on this app. Excellent writing, great characters, and a great plot make this enjoyable from finish. Why isn't it published?
2022-07-09 07:06:20
1
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Megan Nicole Best
Would you like
2022-06-20 06:51:35
0
user avatar
Anna Airington
great read so far!
2021-08-25 04:01:50
2
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Quidnunc13
A solid background and good writing make this an intriguing story.
2021-07-12 17:36:18
3
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Alexis Campo
Love, love, love!!! Hoping for a sequel because I have questions!
2021-06-08 17:11:33
1
user avatar
MLeathers
Really great story, I enjoyed it very much, thank you.
2021-04-16 01:26:55
1
user avatar
dreanec
interesting
2021-02-19 12:59:57
2
756 Chapters
A Dangerous Plan
“We really should do something fun while you are all in town,” Drew Peterson exclaimed as she plopped herself down on a giant pink bean bag chair near the window in Cadence Findley’s bedroom. The rest of her friends were strewn about the room already; Taylor Christianson and Sydney Cox on the bed, Jon Chancellor and Kash Donatello in the two small chairs across the room, Jack Cook slumped against the wall next to the chairs. How many times had they all crashed here during high school? Now that all of them except for Drew, the baby of the group, had graduated from high school and gone on with their lives, these times were much rarer, and it had occurred to Cadence more than once that evening that this may be the last time she had her gang all together.
last updateLast Updated : 2020-12-12
Read more
A Bad Decision
“It sounds kinda cool to me,” Kash agreed. For a moment, Cadence wondered why Drew and Kash ever broke up.“Listen,” it was Taylor this time, “it’s the night before Thanksgiving. I don’t think my parents will like it if I’m out partying until the wee hours of the morning. My mom is going to expect me to help with the dinner, you know.”&l
last updateLast Updated : 2020-12-12
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In Her Dreams
The sky was pitch black, clouds covering whatever stars may dare to shine. The moon hung low, its enervating journey home to the horizon almost concluded. Though it was late November, the chill seemed to come from within, not from the cool breeze that gently nudged her back to the safety of their vehicle.A glitch in the passage of time took place, and suddenly they were in the midst of the festivities. Flashes of smoke and fire clouded her vision. Many of the participants were masked, or perhaps their faces were contorted. They wound their way amongst the ghouls and specters. A p
last updateLast Updated : 2020-12-12
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Drums of Fate
Kash’s mom had driven the same Suburban for the last twenty-two years and, even though it was old and had no bells and whistles, it had enough room for all seven of them to ride in one vehicle, so most times, it was their vehicle of choice. When they all piled in at 3:15 in the morning to make the short trip to Villisca, most of the girls did so reluctantly, particularly Taylor, who was actually crying, and Cadence, who had clearly lost her battle with Drew, and once again, given in to the sobs and declarations of attending solo. Cadence hated being late, but she figured for an event such as this it didn’t really make much difference.
last updateLast Updated : 2020-12-12
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Odd Creatures
As they poured out of the vehicle, Cadence paused for a moment to look up at the sky. A soft haze illuminated the night around the festivities, but the rest of the firmament was nothing but ebony, crowned by a full moon sliding below the horizon, its pale orange hue lending an air of foreboding. Cadence knew this scene looked familiar, and she braced herself for what she felt may come.As they approached what seemed to be an entrance, the entire party tensed up. They had no idea if they would be charged a monetary fee, required to show an invitation, or sign over their first-born child. There
last updateLast Updated : 2020-12-12
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An Encounter that Changes Everything
Just then, a loud booming began to shake the ground. From the back of the outer circle, a stream of percussionists started to pour out of one of the tents. They began to dance their way down the worn dirt path, banging methodically on their instruments, winding their way around the perimeter of the circle. There were other musicians within the parade as well, but it was the deep vibration of the bass drums that carried the reptilian line along.Most of them wore costumes, almost all in shades of red. It was difficult to see anyone’s full face. Either a half mask, paint, outlandish makeup
last updateLast Updated : 2020-12-12
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They're Real
By the time the others left and Cadence continued down the path the parade had followed, she couldn’t even see the end of the chain anymore. In fact, the crowd had filled in the trail so completely she had to push her way through just to continue her search.Upon reaching the tent at the back of the outer circle, where the parade had begun, she realized Jack and Kash were now far behind her, several groups of people separating them. She sighed in despair, running her hands through her long brown hair and stomping her booted foot on the ground. There, in the dirt, she saw a Guy Fawkes mas
last updateLast Updated : 2020-12-12
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Aaron
There had been plenty of chatter on the Intelligence Assistance Communicator, or IAC, recently, so it was no surprise to Aaron McReynolds to see Cadence and her friends arrive at the Eidolon Festival. He believed he had brought enough of his team with him to sufficiently cover anything that might arise, although he was hopeful that Holland and her clan would be particularly careful considering who Cadence was and how obligated he was to provide her with unconditional protection. He was, however, extremely surprised to see Carter pull such a bold move and whisk one of Cadence’s friends away like that. The Vampire should have known that would not be permitted. Nevertheless, he took her, and that livened things up beyond a typical peacekeeping operation.
last updateLast Updated : 2020-12-12
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Drew's Fate
Jack was terrified. He almost could not fathom what was happening around him, not to mention that he was holding the body of a dear friend. He could see what appeared to be vampires swooping in on them from all directions. He thought that, if he left Drew behind, perhaps they would have a better chance of escaping, but he couldn’t consider leaving her, especially not when he knew how much she meant to Kash and Cadence.As they were exiting the fairgrounds, the bike hesitated just a second. Jack felt an icy cold flick on his shoulder. He glanced down to see that the fabric of his jacket w
last updateLast Updated : 2020-12-12
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Pieces of the Puzzle
The trip back to Shenandoah would have typically taken about forty minutes, but the man steering the bike was flying, and Cadence found herself winding through her own neighborhood in just under twenty minutes. Though she was happy to have the speed of the bike, at this point, she really wished she had been in a car with this person so that she could ask him some questions. The more she thought about all that had just happened, the more surreal it became. By the time she reached her house, she was quite certain she had lost her mind entirely.And yet she knew she had not. As he pulled the bike
last updateLast Updated : 2020-12-12
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