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  Banished by Blood

  Book 1: The Soul Eater Chronicles

  S.J. Lott

  Copyright © 2020 by S.J. Lott

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review.

  FIRST EDITION

  To the little girl I once lost. Welcome back.

  Chapter 1

  “Fate and heartbreak.” -J

  After all her careful planning, Liela Montgomery found herself doing something she had sworn she would never do again.

  With her father quick behind her, she ran. She ran from his fists and she ran from his anger. Her room had never been this far away from her before, and her father had not been this close in a long time. She heard his sickening thud just after hers as she bounced off the wall trying to race down the next hallway.

  “I'm sick of this!” he screamed at her. “This is over!” His voice echoed in her head, causing fear to pump wildly through her nervous system. She forced her sickly body to do what it could not and run just a touch faster. She faintly heard the whoosh of air as her father's fist awkwardly hit her right side. She cried out in pain, but refused to stop. Byron's blind rage consumed her mind. If she gave up now he might never stop hitting her.

  Making it to the stairs, she launched herself down them, reached the bottom, then used the banister to whip herself up another set of stairs. She climbed them as fast as she could.

  Byron cursed as the stairs slowed his pursuit. Blind, all-consuming fear and rage fueled him to push past his fatigue.

  Liela's lungs screamed at her as she ran down the impossibly long hallway. I shouldn't be pushing myself like this; my body can’t take the stress. How many hours, days, or months am I shaving off my life? She shook off the fear-soaked thought. Giving myself days is better than only living for a few more moments, she told herself.

  Nearing her bedroom, she took the remaining four stairs two at a time, rushing into the open room with her father close behind her. Liela tried to force the door shut, but he pushed it open and knocked her away.

  With a terrified shriek, she dove for the bathroom and kicked the door closed. She scrambled to her knees and locked it. Byron screamed and pounded on the door, causing the frame to shake as if it was about to be ripped off its hinges.

  Liela stood up and pressed her back against the door as if her puny body might secure it further in its place. She winced as she felt the vibration of each blow slam into her back. She bit her bottom lip and pressed the palms of her hands to her temples. How had this night gone so wrong? she wondered.

  It was all for Hailey…. Hailey needed you. You had to do it.

  None of that matters now, the force inside her seemed to whisper. She froze as pain, fear, and anxiety slammed into her, causing her insides to hum with power. Her mutation radiated off her, becoming air currents that moved and pulsed like waves from her body. They were silver and almost transparent as they glittered, sweeping across the room. Liela’s mind, now fluid, burst free in one explosive shudder. Her mind expanded outward, hitting Byron as waves started to flow throughout the entire estate. They stretched through the walls and out into the world.

  Liela’s brain never let up; her uncontrollable power grew by the second. She stumbled to the sink and stared into the mirror. The water in her eyes spilled over and she took a deep sharp breath. She tried to focus on breathing as pain shot through her. Liela’s blue-green eyes filled with tiny flecks of gold. The gold grew and swirled to fill her irises as her mind continued to expand to find more and more thoughts. She grimaced, squeezing her eyes shut.

  Thoughts intertwined together as she heard her family in her head.

  “Vile, disgusting, evil,” thought Byron, still pounding on the bathroom door.

  “What have I done wrong?” thought Hailey, who sat alone on her parents’ bed.

  “Why is Daddy mad again?” thought Byron Jr., alone and afraid in the nursery.

  “This is not happening; this is not happening,” thought Liela's mother Cecilia as she forced herself into a corner to rock back and forth, unable to face her reality.

  “I want you gone!” Byron’s voice raged. “OUT!” he screamed at the door. “Should have been killed, ruins everything!” Every voice pounded into her.

  Too many thoughts came rushing in on her, becoming a massive indistinguishable crowd filling up her mind with incoherent nonsense. Even the neighbors who were miles away were thinking so loudly that Liela lost herself in the noise.

  Excitement, pleasure, pain, anger, sadness, nonsense, confusion, then back to anger and pain. It all circled into her, driving her down; down into their carnal lives. She was no longer the girl who could put on a brave stony face and wish for control. She screamed in pain, clutching her head.

  The banging stopped. Surprised by the scream, Byron took several steps away from the door. His balding head glistened with sweat. Coming out of his raged stupor, he realized where he had ended up. He could hear her labored breathing behind the bathroom door and was disgusted with himself for being in her room. He silently retreated. He needed to go and help Hailey.

  With her father’s departure, Liela tried again to take control, but no matter how hard she begged her mind, it would not withdraw and calmly exist within her body. Feeling as if a knife were stuck inside her head, she cried out again. She squeezed the marble countertop attempting to counteract the pain in her head. She held on so tightly her fingernails split open. Neither the pain nor the smell of blood could distract her now. Hopelessly out of control, the mindreading devoured her.

  After agonizing minutes, she exhausted her body. The power stopped abruptly. Liela staggered trying to right herself, but couldn’t maintain consciousness as she crumpled hitting the floor hard. Her pathetic form was alive, although barely. She lived in a body that had already given up. However, something about her spirit continuously whispered not yet, just please, not yet....

  Chapter 2

  “Vile, ugly thing, hurry up and change. Then maybe, just maybe, they’ll love you again someday.” -J

  Groaning, Liela lifted her head off the bathroom floor. A soft pink glow filled the room. Realizing she wasn’t in her bed, she looked around, disoriented. She assessed herself, feeling the bruises on her shoulder, her back, and even a small bruise on her cheek bone. Her body ached and screamed at her when she tried to move. She stumbled to the counter, her left foot dragged askew until she forced her weight upon it. This is not good. I knew pushing my body last night would do more harm than good. Ugh, where is Nadi?

  She looked at the clock on the wall and let out a sigh of relief: she had over two hours until school. She bent over the counter, trying to shake away the numbness in her limbs and torso. Her long messy braid coiled in the sink, looking like a thick snake trying to shed its skin. Little bursts of pain shot through her as blood rushed to her feet. More annoyed than ever, Liela pushed off the counter, forcing the pain to bend to her will, and headed to the shower.

  Liela undid her braid, letting her black and white hair cascade over her shoulders. She softly smiled at the relaxing warmth that spread through her. She would have one full blissful hour in the shower before anyone noticed that she had taken all of the hot water.

  As the hot water beat down upon her, she absentmindedly traced the antique mosaic tile. It was something she did throughout the estate. Her home had been made out of ancient ruins. Timber, stone, and steel were put together like puzzle pieces creating mismatched walls, windows, fine fabrics, and even finer furniture.

  The massive estate was like an extravagant mausoleum dedicated to history. It was impossible not to get lost in its detailed wood and cobbled walls, hung with
pictures of people whose stories had been long forgotten.

  She had been daydreaming as she left the library last night. Arm outstretched, touching a gold and white sparkly vein of rock on the wall, she leisurely started to make her way to her room when a ghostly cry hit her.

  “No…next time I’ll say no. It won’t happen again. I’m a good girl.”

  She froze and double checked her emotions. Fully in control, she could feel her mind wasn’t searching for thoughts, but they had found her anyway.

  These thoughts were sick, twisted, and haunted with mind-crippling guilt. Wisps of a broken child’s whimper accompanied them as they forced themselves inside her. They swept past her defenses like a deep red fire. It felt like a prayer being said to plead with the gods of the universe to change the fates. These were thoughts that would never die. After hearing them, she could feel that fire leave her to go on and fuel the very foundation of the world. It chilled her, making her shrink back, feeling like a speck of dirt under a big bloody boot.

  A cry of surprise bellowed out of Leila when she realized the thoughts belonged to her eight-year-old sister, Hailey. Hesitating in the hallway, she thought of what would happen if she went to investigate.

  Her father had forbidden her from going near her siblings, but it was a rule she constantly broke. Being nine years older than her sister and twelve years older than her brother, she could hear them cry out as babies craving a type of nurturing comfort their parents couldn’t give them. She could never resist their little thoughts, needing to rescue them from the cruelty of being unloved like she was.

  She didn’t care that her father thought she would taint them or ruin them with her mutation. She went anyway, but each time she was found with them she was chased away. As her siblings got older, they too learned it would be easier for them if they had no interaction with Liela for the household to remain in peace for just a little bit longer. Until the next event set them all off again. Always again, always the cycle.

  So Liela headed to the nursery, following her sister’s pain. This was different, though. It wasn’t just the sorrow of a lonely child; it was much more. A deep fear crept up Liela’s spine, and every surface of her skin itched as if something were crawling over her most intimate areas. She peeked into the large nursery. Hailey had a naked doll in one hand and was banging it hard on the ground.

  Liela’s nausea grew as she delved deeper into her sister's thoughts, uncovering a tragic secret that made her choke back bile. She rushed into the room, snatching the doll away as she crushed Hailey to her chest. She cried and sobbed, telling her stunned sister, “everything will be fine now. It's alright. It won't happen again.”

  Liela took Hailey to their parents and spilled the secret of what Mr. Pitman, Hailey’s professor, had been doing during their early-morning tutoring sessions. Then her father’s bottled-up rage broke loose, just like she thought it would.

  With a desperate need to clean herself and her thoughts, Liela tried to block it all out. It’s all over now, calm down. She grimaced as she rubbed her aching forearms. Her scars were inflamed. The jagged lines always ached and burned, but were worse after she lost control. The scars were as old as she was, as far as she knew. No one had told her what had happened, but it was as if someone had taken a knife and vertically slit her wrists to her elbows. She brushed aside the thought for the millionth time, knowing she would have died if that had happened.

  Once the water turned cold, she got out; enjoying the small mercy that being up this early meant she had a good chance of avoiding her family. If she stayed out of her father’s way for a couple of weeks, he might choose to ignore the incident and leave her be.

  Leaving the bathroom, Liela peered cautiously into her bedroom, where an ebonyium orb was shattered on the ground. She would have stepped on it had it not still been glowing. Picking it up, she wondered how the technology was still functioning after it had been broken into jagged pieces. She cleaned up the mess and piled the black tech onto a dresser.

  The early-morning sun shone through cracks of dark gray thunderclouds. A few drops spattered onto her windows.

  There was a loud and unexpected knock on the door, and Liela jumped as Nadi let herself in.

  “I came to check on you. Your mother just told me what happened.” Liela gulped and nodded as she sat on the bed.

  “Morning. Is the family up already?”

  “Yes. Apparently they barely slept. They’re already gone. Your father packed up the kids and headed to the summer home.”

  “What about Hailey? What is dad going to do about… everything?” Nadi’s beautiful amber eyes turned cold.

  “I only heard a bit of the conversation when he was talking on the telephone. He’s taking care of it. I think he’s already sent someone over to apprehend Mr. Pitman.” Liela sighed in relief.

  “But Liela, your siblings aren’t coming back.” Nadi moved to sit by her side.

  “What? Why? What is dad going to do?” Liela’s heart began to hammer in her chest.

  “He is going to enroll them at Greenist Academy. It's a boarding school in Hexbrath. Your father said it would be better for them to be on the main land away from Seavaley, away from the island.

  “You mean away from me.” Liela looked at the ground; she didn’t need to look at Nadi to feel the heartbreaking truth. He was taking them away from her forever. Breathing deep, Liela brushed away the tears that fell down her cheeks. She cleared her throat.

  “Good. He believed me, then.” Nadi patted her back.

  “Believed you? Well, of course he believed you. I don’t think he has ever not believed you.” Nadi rubbed Liela’s shoulder, attempting to comfort the girl from a loss she would feel for the rest of her life.

  I’m sorry I wasn’t here last night. If I had known something like that could happen I wouldn’t have gone home. It’s been forever since he came near you in that way.” Her guilt was obvious. Nadi was her protector and her second mother. She was always a shield Byron didn’t dare hit. Liela couldn’t blame her for wanting to escape and go home to her own house.

  “It’s okay, Nadi; I had no idea what was going to happen last night either.”

  “You’re not okay, though. I can tell.”

  “I’m alright, Nadi. Really, it’s okay.” Liela put on a brave smile. She loved Nadi so much that she couldn’t stand telling her the truth. Nadi had always been the one person who truly loved her. How could she tell her how defeated and broken she was? Like a switch she didn’t mean to turn on, Liela heard the thoughts.

  “Good lord, this child looks like death, and now they’re to do this to her-”

  The thoughts stopped abruptly. Nadi had been the only person Liela had ever met who knew when Liela was in her head and knew how to kick her out. Nadi gently batted at Liela as if she were an annoying pest.

  “Now look here, I won’t have you poking around in my head without my permission. I know you can’t help it, but you should try a little harder to control the gifts God gave you,” she said, scolding Liela.

  “It’s not a gift, Nadi; it’s a curse, a freak mutation.” But before Nadi could interject, Liela asked, “Why didn’t Mom take me with them to the summer house? I know Dad wants me separated from them but if they are going to a boarding school in Hexbrath then she would have at least let me come along to see them off, to say goodbye.”

  Nadi hesitated and bit her lip. “Liela dear… I don’t know how to tell you this… But Cecilia also said something about looking for programs to enroll you in.”

  “So they’re finally going to commit me to a medical facility for good, then?” Anxiety flooded Liela’s system, putting her on high alert.

  Nadi sighed. “I think so. But it might not be like before; she didn’t sound…well…final about it. She looked more worried than usual.”

  Exhausted as Liela was, it didn’t keep her power away. She could feel it reaching, scanning as her mind started to slip from her control. It licked, trying to take thoughts from thos
e around her.

  “Nadi,” Liela gasped, working hard to organize her thoughts as pain from her power shot into her. “I had to. I knew he would protect her. I had to speak, if not...” her body convulsed sporadically and black spots formed in front of her eyes. Too tired and too weak, tears sprang into her eyes. Not again, not so soon, she thought.

  Before she could pass out, Nadi’s powerful, commanding presence stood over her. Her strong hands gripped Liela’s shoulders. Worry colored Nadi’s face as she shook her.

  “Liela, child! You must stop this. You must find balance.” Nadi lifted Leila’s head and brushed back the drying hair out of her face. “Look at me; focus on me.” It took effort, but Liela opened her eyes. She could see herself through Nadi. Like a lost wounded animal that had accepted death. Her eyes were glassy little voids surrounded by shallow bone rimmed with dark gray. Her skin, which was always a sickly pale had now turned gray and lifeless. She had been sicker than usual lately and had lost weight at an alarming rate. Fear raced through her as she felt the breath of death on her neck.

  “You saved Hailey from having to suffer any longer with what was going on. Good Lord. I’m going to call for Doctor Freedman. You’ll stay home today; we need to get you stronger.”

  “No, Nadi,” Liela forced herself to exist in this moment, but she couldn’t maintain eye contact. She couldn’t cope with the pitiful look she saw there. “I haven’t seen him in years and don’t really want his help. Will you just get me one of the pills he prescribed?”

  Nadi frowned and hesitated. Conflict waged within her. She didn’t like what the pills did to Liela, but letting the poor girl suffer seemed cruel.

  “Do they even help?” Nadi asked, half resigned. She got up and fetched one out of Liela’s dresser.

  A painful sarcastic smile spread across Liela’s lips. “No, not really,” Not anymore, but she didn’t have any other options. She needed them not only to try and dull her mind; but also because she couldn’t shake the feeling that she might disappear from this world at any moment and she desperately needed that feeling to go away. So she swallowed the pill whole, giving power to the notion that it would work. Putting her head in her lap an old fear took hold of her.