“It’s a little intoxicating. I could get used to this.”
He didn’t smile back. He was very serious and business-like as he showed me handles on the side of the portal. They reminded me of the handlebars on a bicycle I’d had when I was small. I could almost imagine hot pink streamers coming out the ends.
My heart pounded in my chest as I grabbed onto the bars. The whole room grew silent.
“What do I do now?”
Morgan brushed a strand of hair off my face and tucked it behind my ear. “Open the portal, Lola.”
#
My palms started to sweat. The moment of truth, time would show if I were real or fake, a success or a horrible failure.
Nadia and Cliff stood next to me. I wasn’t sure if they did it for protection or support, but I appreciated the gesture. Amanda nodded to me from the crowd, little Lolita in her arms.
Morgan put his hands on my shoulders, his chest to my back, and leaned forward to kiss my cheek. “You can do this,” he said softly. “I know you can.”
That was all I needed. I closed my eyes and let the energy flow from my hands. I took slow, even breaths, relaxed my muscles, and switched my focus to a place deep inside myself, away from the Merdonians and the portal and all the pressure. The more I slowed down, and embraced the calm feeling flowing over me, the easier it became. Soon I heard a soft whirring sound, followed by a gentle hum. I opened my eyes and saw that a tunnel to another world had been created. By me.
The portal lit up like a Christmas tree, the large opening a sparkling passageway. Not solid or dark, it was a tunnel of pure, blue light.
“Beautiful,” I said softly.
I held the handles of the portal, a huge grin on my face. Morgan kissed the top of my head.
“You did it, Lola. Hold on just a few more minutes while I get these people home.”
Several members of his Special Forces unit went first, guns drawn. Others quickly followed. Amanda pushed through the crowd, trying to get to me, tears streaming down her face.
“I didn’t realize it would happen so quickly. Goodbye, Lola. Thank you.”
She held up Lolita so I could kiss her sweet, tiny head. “Good luck in Merdonia, baby girl.”
I’d watched Lolita come into this world, and now I would watch her leave it to go to another world. It hurt more than I expected. There was so much I wanted to tell her, so much knowledge I wished I could share.
I wanted her to tell her she would make mistakes, but that was okay as long as she learned from them. She’d love the wrong men, and that would help her understand when the right one came along. She’d fall down, but she’d get back up again. I knew she would. She was a tough little thing. She’d been named after me, the toughest one of all.
I leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “We’re all freaks, Lolita. Embrace it and be the best freak you possibly can.”
Amanda gave me one last wobbly smile, and then walked through the portal. It wasn’t fast or scary. It progressed slowly, like a people mover in an airport. The Merdonians stepped through, paused for just a second, and then were gone.
With more than two hundred and fifty Merdonians waiting in line, it became a rather time-consuming process. At first, I got really excited every time someone stepped through, but by the time we go to the two hundred and fortieth person or so, I’d begun to feel a bit bored. I even yawned a few times.
I glanced over my shoulder at Morgan. “You’re going to have to leave soon.”
He shook his head. “Not yet. Cliff and Nadia should go first.”
As soon as he said the words, I heard a click behind me, startling me so badly I almost let go to of the handlebars. Cliff held a gun in his hands, and he pointed it directly at Morgan. Nadia stood next to Cliff, her face full of surprise and concern.
“What’s going on?” she asked
“I can’t do this, Nadia. I can’t go to Merdonia. I was born here. This is my home.”
“But the Hunters…”
He shook his head. “Worth the risk. I won’t live as a slave or a prisoner any longer. I’ll do whatever it takes. I mean it, Morgan.”
Morgan barely batted an eye. “Are you really going to shoot me, Cliff? After all we’ve been through together? I thought you were my friend.”
Cliff refused to look at me. He kept his gun pointed at the center of Morgan’s chest. “You aren’t my friend. You’re just my warden. Nothing more.”
I stared at him. “You’re the one I heard talking in the hallway. Why, Cliff?”
“He was using you, just like he used all of us. He should have told you about the risks involved. Callista worried about the dangers, about what could happen to a Channeller who lost control. I overheard her talking with the old warden about it. He laughed at her. He didn’t care. Morgan is the same.”
“No, he isn’t, Cliff. I found out about the risks, and decided it was worth it. Most of the people here are innocent. They deserve the right to go home.”
He laughed. “So we can serve out the rest of our sentence in the mines of Merdonia? No, thank you.”
“Is that what’s going to happen?” I asked Morgan, a sudden queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. He shook his head.
“They will be granted amnesty. I am certain of it.”
Cliff narrowed his eyes. “Are you? Would you bet our very lives on it?”
Morgan lowered his hands. “You’d rather stay here and be at the mercy of the Hunters?”
“At least I’ll be free.”
“It’s your choice. You can risk your own life if you want to, but please allow the others to leave. I beg you. The Hunters probably picked up the surge and are already on their way.”
Morgan Slade never begged, but he’d do anything to protect the people under his care. Cliff must have heard the sincerity in his voice. He nodded, lowering his gun, and allowed the rest of the Merdonians to slip through the portal. Only Morgan, Cliff and Nadia remained.
“Nadia?” asked Morgan.
She shook her head. “I’m staying, too.”
Cliff looked at her in surprise. “You hate it here.”
She scowled. “Someone has to take care of you. You’ll never make it on your own. You can’t even manage to go into a beauty shop without getting shot.”
As soon as she spoke, thundering footsteps filled the room, and the Hunters marched in, guns at the ready. Cliff and Nadia pulled out their weapons, but Morgan waved them away.
“Get out of here. Now,” screamed Morgan. “That’s an order.”
“But we can’t leave you…” began Cliff.
“If you stay, you’ll die.” Morgan gave Cliff and meaningful look. Something clicked, like he understood what Morgan was trying to communicate to him. He inhaled sharply.
“Good luck, sir.”
“You, too.” Morgan glared at him. “Go. Before it’s too late.”
Cliff hesitated only for a second before gabbing Nadia and running from the room, locking the door behind firmly them. Morgan pulled me into his arms.
“We need to do this quickly or the Hunters will kill us both.”
“Uh, what are we doing exactly?”
“You have to suck all the energy out of the tunnel and absorb it. It’s going to hurt, Lola, but I know you can do it and if I can neutralize your energy, you’ll be safe.”
“What about you?”
He paused. “I should be fine as long as I hold onto you.”
“You’ll be trapped here, too.”
He rolled his eyes. “Earth is not really that bad, as long as you’re here with me. Just do it, Lola. We’re out of time.”
I did exactly as he said. I pulled the energy inside the tunnel back to me, absorbing it with my hands. A thousand times more powerful than lightning, it hurt just as much as Morgan had predicted. A huge wind filled the great room, full of flashing light and raging thunder, mixed with all the iron dust which had settled decades ago on the floor of the warehouse. The Hunters looked around, confused at firs
t, and then began to scream in pain as they tried to run away. I watched as the electric wind ripped them apart piece by piece. Black cloth swirled through the air as their blood filled the sky.
Morgan still held me, but he faltered, falling to his knees. I knelt beside him, gripping his shoulders.
“Hold on, Morgan,” I screamed.
The wind got worse, growing to the point I couldn’t control it. Bits of the building flew around us. A large beam nearly hit Morgan in the head. Pale and barely able to hold himself up at this point, I knew the truth. I was losing him.
“How do I make it stop?”
He gave me the same crooked smile that always pulled at my heart. “I have no idea, but you’re safe now. That’s all that matters.”
I kissed him, putting my entire heart and soul into it. Somehow I’d fallen in love with the completely impossible Morgan Slade, and, in typical Lola Flannigan style, I only understood when it was too late.
As the wind swirled around me, I realized with a stab of pure agony his energy was nearly gone. I was kissing him goodbye.
Suddenly, and quite abruptly, the wind stopped. I could feel something warm on my skin and wondered if I’d set the building on fire. Not that I cared. I just kept kissing Morgan. I had to savor whatever time we had left, before he slipped away forever.
It took me a full minute to realize he was kissing me back. I felt his energy force flow like a welcome buzz against my skin. I pulled away from him and blinked in surprise.
“You didn’t die.”
He grinned, pale but alive. “I came close.”
“What happened?”
He shook his head. “I guess you found a way to ground yourself.”
I touched his cheek, remembering the agony I’d felt when I thought I lost him. “I guess I did. I kissed you and it made everything all better. You’re a mess, by the way.”
He laughed, looking down at our singed clothing. “You were amazing, by the way. A Channeller of your power is rare indeed. You would have been a rock star on Merdonia.”
“Now you tell me this? No one said anything about being a rock star, Mr. Slade.”
He laughed, kissing the top of my head. “You’re a rock star no matter what world you reside on, Miss Flannigan.”
We were still on our knees, covered in dust and surrounded by the ruins of the warehouse. I looked around at the devastation and winced.
“Uh, oh,” I said. “I think I may have broken your building.”
Bright sunlight shone down on our heads as Morgan helped me to my feet. “I have others. We don’t need it, anyway. Prison Earth is no more. Happy Valentine’s Day, Lola.”
“Right back at you, handsome. I’ll give you your present later,” I said, helping him to his feet.
“My present? I have a present? Where is it?”
“Under my dress.”
I watched his eyes widen as he tried to guess which sexy set of lingerie lay hidden beneath the tattered blue silk of my dress. “I’m looking forward to…uh…unwrapping it.”
Seeing the polished and sophisticated Morgan Slade stumble over his words made my heart do a funny little flip-flop in my chest. I wrapped my arms around his neck and gave him a kiss, rocking both of us to the core. I’d lost my shoes somewhere in the melee, but couldn’t be bothered. Morgan was barefoot as well. He looked deliciously rumpled and slightly dazed.
I linked my fingers with his, and, as we slowly walked away, ashes fell from the sky like snow. I brushed them out of Morgan’s hair and looked behind us at the footprints we’d left behind in the dust.
Twelve perfect toes. They were there only for a moment before a breeze came through the crumbling walls of the warehouse and blew them away.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abigail Drake travelled the world, collecting stories wherever she visited. She climbed mountains to see hidden temples, ate things that maybe weren’t quite dead yet, slept through three typhoons and an earthquake, and was once tossed onstage with the Red Hot Chili Peppers by a herd of punk rockers (eventually they allowed her to climb back off). She writes romantic women’s fiction and is a member of RWA, Pennwriters, Mindful Writers, The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and she is the president of Three Rivers Romance Writers. Three of Abigail’s books were released in 2016, “Traveller,” “Saying Goodbye, Part One,” and “Saying Goodbye, Part Two.” Abigail also writes Young Adult books under the name Wende Dikec. Her two most recent releases are “Tiger Lily” and “Starr Valentine.” “Tiger Lily” was a finalist in the Golden Pen 2015, the Golden Leaf for Best New Book of 2016, and the Dante Rossetti Prize for Young Adult Literature. It won first place in the International Digital Awards 2016 for Best Short Length Young Adult Novel.
For more information about Abigail and her books, visit her website: www.abigaildrake.com.
Hearts Must Be Broken
Bridie Hall
Other Titles by Bridie Hall
My Summer Roommate
Letting Go
On the Slopes
Hearts Must Be Broken
Copyright © 2016 Bridie Hall
All rights reserved.
HEARTS MUST BE BROKEN
The white van turned a shocking shade of mandarin red in the tall flames, and then steel gray as the heat ate up the paint. The ashen face was caged behind the fire, his mouth twisted in frightened frenzy. His screams were silent, but jarring in their visual intensity. The raging fire swallowed more and more of the surrounding darkness as the scene closed in on her retina, until she jerked awake, panting and sobbing in the semi-dark studio apartment.
Deeply ashamed of the whimpering sounds she emitted, Anaïs shook her head into wakefulness. It was only then she realized her landline had woken her up. The digits on her nightstand alarm clock just turned to seven a.m.
“Yes?” Her voice was rude from the early morning and distress. “Hello?”
When there was no reply, she tried again, “Hello?”
She slammed the receiver down, although her anger wasn’t directed at the shy caller.
She trembled as she got out of bed and showered. The warm water washed away some of the residue of the nightmare. The dreams occurred just rarely enough so that she never really got used to them. They rattled her every time, because they weren’t empty nightmares. They were her past revisited.
***
In the afternoon, still reeling from the bad night, she visited Damon unannounced. He was her only friend. She didn’t feel at home in London, she didn’t even like it. More and more often, she wished she was back in France. She hadn’t been there since her mother’s death. When Father brought her to England and demanded she stay, she didn’t have a choice. As a cultural attaché, he had money and connections. At barely fourteen years of age, all she had were bad memories. Six years later, nothing much had changed. She didn’t want to be anywhere near her father, so his move to the Philippines the year before was a blessing. But she wasn’t ready to face going back to Maman’s hometown, yet.
When she knocked, she didn’t wait for Damon to answer the door. She barged in like a storm.
“You haven’t been answering your phone the past few days.” She took off her coat and folded it over the chair.
“Hello to you, too,” Damon said with an amused smile. He was making instant coffee in the kitchenette where the vertical surfaces were the only empty space left. The countertop overflowed with dirty mugs and a pot in which he had obviously cooked pasta the day before. She could hardly believe a single person could dirty so many mugs and cutlery. His two roommates had been absent for months. One roommate, Darren, had met a girl and spent most of his time at her place. He only came by the apartment every two or three weeks although all his stuff still took up about a quarter of the place. Jiri, the other, went back home to Slovakia to be with his father who’d suffered a stroke two months before, and never came back.
With his only income from his music, she knew Damon struggled with the rent. His progressi
ve rock band didn’t perform often. Every once in a while, he’d invite her to a gig. He probably made them up just to impress her. He knew she wouldn’t come anyway.
“Hey you.” She mellowed and smiled at him. He was a promising scientist and talented in many ways, but painfully disorganized and lacking ambition.
He was also someone you couldn’t help but like. He was refreshingly uncomplicated. Although she cared about him, she pretended she didn’t.
She was careful not to touch the counter when she stepped up to him. He didn’t react when she kissed his cheek, but she saw the energy he invested in it.
“You’re a bioscience postgrad. You should realize all these microbes are a health risk,” she said, frowning at the counter.
“You develop immunity over time.” He grinned.
He offered her a mug of coffee. She looked at it suspiciously before taking it in her hands. The warmth felt good on her skin.
“I missed you,” he said, blowing on his coffee. “I haven’t seen you since before the holidays.”
A curl of his dark hair fell into his eye. She locked her fingers around the mug so she wouldn’t be tempted to push it back.
“I didn’t feel too cheery and I didn’t want to ruin your holiday spirit.”
He snorted. “Right. You knew I was cramming for my next exam.”
She shrugged. “I didn’t want to bother you, then.”
“It’s February. I had the exam a month ago.”
He looked at her from under his eyebrows. The sad smile didn’t reach his blue eyes. His hand went to her hair. He touched it with a wistful smile on his face. “You look beautiful.”
“Don’t be an idiot.” Her tone softened the words.
To avoid his eyes, she went to sit at the table.
Behind her, he said, “Something happened this morning.”
Valentine Kisses: A Kiss to Last a Lifetime Page 7
