Running down the hall, I pass by other doorways, other lives I’ve lived and died, with varying experiences. How have we not perfected it by now? How many more will I live? Is there anything else out there besides the endless looping of coming back over and over again?
“Don’t go crazy Elysia.” The hall seems longer than it did running down it. The door of the willow appears so far away. “I’m Elysia. I’m Elysia.”
Finally reaching the end, I push on the tree door and step up into the shade of the willow tree. “Aunt Mirela!”
This is where I left her, I’m sure of it. She led me here to my tree of life. Looking up into the massive beast, I notice the leaves flowing. Tiny light veins shine brightly on each leaf, connecting to a constant source of energy flow through the limbs and the trunk.
Moving the canopy aside, I peek out into the large meadow of endless grass. Trees form a semi-circle, wrapping around the golden meadow of tall grass.
Aunt Mirela’s nowhere in sight.
Chapter 15
This place of wonderment traps me in a powerless limbo. It’s light all around me, but no sun exists in this realm. The tree leaves float on a ghostly breeze. The wheat-colored grass moves in waves across the large meadow, but no wind moves it. The temperature is neither hot nor cold. Not one sound penetrates my ears. No smells reach my nostrils.
“Hello?” My voice doesn’t echo. Bugs are absent from the grass. Birds don’t fly around in the trees. This place is devoid of life.
My tree lights up for me in the distance, but none of the others do. When I entered into this plane, I didn’t notice many of the things I’m seeing now. Aunt Mirela said she’d be here when I came out, but she’s gone. Will I be stuck here forever?
When I became Thera, my current life disappeared, forgotten because it hadn’t existed. I knew her thoughts and feelings because they were my own. When my name floated to me during my last moment alive, it sparked a recognition within me, which allowed me to return to this plane, but not before giving someone a chance to break the curse. The one born with the power gifted by the Earth is the key to breaking the Roaming Curse.
Aunt Mirela had been calling me…at least that’s what I think happened, but I was too late returning.
Now, I worry about what’s happening to my family and friends. Have the Hunters caught up with us? If they killed me, does that mean I’m stuck in limbo for all eternity?
Minutes pass, or hours, or days, or maybe no time drifts by at all as I lie in the grassy, odorless meadow under the light that has no creator.
“Elysia!” The voice disappears so quickly I can’t be sure it’s real.
Popping up, I search the plane, wondering if I imagined it in my mind. A speck moves through the grass miles from me. “I’m here!” I wave like a madwoman, running toward the figure. “I’m here! I’m here!” I repeat over and over.
“Elysia.” Aunt Mirela smiles when she sees me.
My heart leaps with joy. “I’m coming. Don’t leave me.”
“Hurry!” She faces away, looking at something I can’t see. She holds her hand out, but I’m still far from her.
Worry etches across her face. She opens and closes her hand several times. I run faster through the grass, allowing it to whip me as I pass.
“We need to go, Elysia,” Aunt Mirela says.
Sprinting across the plane, my body feels like it’s flying, but I know it to be impossible. I stretch out my hand.
Her image flickers in and out.
“No! Don’t leave.”
She disappears. I keep running.
She reappears an instant later and I grab onto her hand. A vibrational pull shoots through me and I emerge in a bed, inhaling deeply. Aunt Mirela releases my hand. My entire body shakes.
A flurry of activity blurs before me. My vision clears. Vadoma packs a bag on the bed next to me, stuffing things in without folding anything. Kyle rushes from the bathroom with a mess of toiletries. They both stop and stare at me. Aunt Mirela vomits off the side of the bed; sweat beads on her forehead.
The front door swings open, causing my insides to flitter.
Hedji hurries in. “We have to go now. They’re coming.” Her gaze shifts around the small hotel room. It’s not the same room we rented near the campground.
“I did it.” Aunt Mirela’s weak voice struggles getting those words out. “I got her out.”
My mind has trouble processing all the movement and the changes, but the urgency scares me. I open my mouth to ask what’s going on, but no words escape.
Vadoma grabs my elbow. A shiver runs through me as the connection brings an awareness. I know who she is, who she was. She hated me so much, she was willing to kill me in another lifetime. “Let’s go. Kyle, help Mirela.”
Kyle drops all the things he fished out of the bathroom, but before he has a chance to move, Emilian whips into the room and is by Aunt Mirela’s side in seconds. She pushes him away as he tries to help her, but he presses on. He lifts her into his arms as if she weighs nothing at all.
I stand, but my legs buckle. Kyle catches me, stopping me from falling. The feel of his touch, the warmth radiating through him, and his closeness stir strong emotions. Flashes of Kai blast inside my head. He takes my other hand, leading me out of the room after Emilian carrying Aunt Mirela.
Streetlights illuminate the hotel parking lot. Hedji and Tamas stand next to a red sedan. “We’ll follow you.”
Emilian nods, wrapping his mother in a light blanket. He pulls her into the back seat of SUV beside him. Kyle opens the front door for me to get in while Vadoma throws her bag in the trunk and joins Emilian and Aunt Mirela.
Once the vehicle takes off, I realize my detachment from nature. “It’s gone.” Raw emotions take over and tears stream down my face. Every single detail of my experience rushes to the forefront. My chest heaves as the brutal truth emerges.
“This can’t be happening.” Vadoma groans in the backseat. “She’s losing it.”
“Elysia, calm down.” Kyle rubs my back, glancing at me and back to the road. “We’re okay. They won’t catch us. As soon as we’re out of range, you’ll get your powers back.”
“I don’t want them back!” I scream.
“Let her be,” Aunt Mirela says, her weak voice is barely audible. “She’s remembering. It’s a traumatic experience seeing your own death. Everyone I’ve ever taken back goes through the same thing. They all see their demise.”
“Shhh…” Emilian caresses her head. Aunt Mirela closes her eyes.
Leaning against the window, I watch the dark greenery flash by when the bond to nature returns. My tears dried up miles ago, but the melancholy remains. Soft, large drops of rain hit the window.
“Three hours,” Vadoma says.
“We need to find shelter soon,” Emilian says.
“It would be nice if it weren’t raining.” Vadoma reaches over my seat, shaking my shoulders. “Are you ready to talk now?”
I say nothing.
“Pull off at the next exit so we can get medicine at the drugstore. Ma needs something to fight the fever.” Emilian punches in numbers of a new cell phone. “We’ve made it to the safe zone. They have their powers back… pulling in to get some supplies… okay.” He hangs up.
Kyle exits the highway. Gas stations and fast food restaurants occupy both sides of the street. He chooses a gas station and parks next to an open pump. Kyle rolls down all the windows. He, Vadoma, and Emilian join Hedji and Tamas who parked on the other side of the pump.
“We can find an empty cabin to break into nearby. Most are rentals and there’s a good chance several are vacant,” Tamas says. “Follow us and we will pick one that has easy access to the main road, in case you’ll need to leave prior to nightfall.”
“Is she all right?” Hedji asks. Although I’m sure she is inquiring about me, I don’t look at them.
“She hasn’t said anything,” Emilian says. “She cried for hours and then nothing.”
“Your mothe
r isn’t looking too well, either,” Tamas says. “We should take her to stay with Jili and Gildi.”
“Do we have time?” Hedji asks.
“We can make it, but that will place us farther away from them before sundown.” Tamas continues speaking but I tune the conversation out.
A few minutes later, Emilian carries Aunt Mirela out of our vehicle and places her with Tamas. Hedji and Emilian stay with us. Kyle drives away from the interstate while Tamas gets back on it with Aunt Mirela.
We drive in silence for several miles.
“There.” Hedji points to a dirt street that inclines up the side of a mountain. “There are several empty cabins. Take the first one on the left.”
“I don’t even want to know how you know it’s empty,” Vadoma says.
“Back into the spot,” Emilian says. “Easier to run out if needed.”
Hedji darts around the cabin and opens the front door from within before the others exit the SUV. Vampires apparently don’t need to be invited into a dwelling for them to get in, or there may be differing rules about empty homes. Either way, I’m sure if they want in a house, they’ll get in one way or another.
A bang on my door startles me.
“Are you coming?” Vadoma’s eyes widen. The dark-tinted windows make her appear as a character from a black and white movie.
I dread leaving the confines of the vehicle, causing me to be nearer to our natural surroundings. What’s worse is having to tell them that everything’s my fault and we’re going to die because of a curse I placed on our people thousands of years ago. I no longer trust my feelings or my temperament.
Maybe it’s best if I allow the wolves to take me and be done with it. Whatever they do to me is no worse than what I’ve done to countless others. They are merely carrying out what I asked them to do all those years ago. They’re the Hunters the earth created to exact revenge.
Kyle opens the door. He studies me while I gaze into his magnificent eyes. Kai. My heartbeat quickens.
“Come on.” He offers me his hand.
Tears well up.
“No, not anymore. No more crying.”
“I…” There’s so many things I want to say, but none will make any sense to him. He remembers nothing of our past together. It’s for the best, really, as it didn’t end well for either of us. A forbidden love that should never have been… one that caused heartache, death, and a curse I’m not sure will ever end.
“I’ve never seen you this sad, Elysia. Your eyes look empty.” Kyle catches a tear rolling down my cheek. His touch sends shivers through me. I grab his hand and pull it to my mouth, kissing it.
It’s soft on my lips, not the callused hand I remember holding in the meadow. Without thinking, I tug him closer to me and place my lips against his. He stiffens quickly, but then softens against my assault. Losing myself, I remember us under the stars together. He gives in to me and opens his mouth.
His hands cup my cheek and our kiss deepens. My soul sings with happiness that he’s here with me. Only a moment ago he was taken from me with anger and brutally beaten to death because all he wanted was me.
Everything else disappears around us. He grips my back, pulling me closer to him. Our chests meet, our hearts pounding hard within them. I feel his breath on my face as he pulls back, ending the blissful moment.
A thud behind him draws our attention away from each other. Vadoma stands with her arms crossed, the duffel bag at her feet. Her glower sends chills down my spine. Gildi’s story about the princess and the prince, with him killing the bunny was nowhere near the truth. He, Vadoma, killed the man standing in front of me. She killed the one thing I loved most in my world. My instincts kick into gear without my mind processing the scene. I step out of the vehicle and shield Kyle from her. The thunder rolls above.
“That’s something,” Emilian says. He stands next to Hedji on the cabin’s wrap around porch. Everyone watches us.
Emilian’s voice grounds me, bringing me back to reality. Aunt Mirela said the woman she’d helped with a past life reading had a challenging time dealing with her life today and often mixed the worlds together.
The clouds part and the rain stops. The energy brimming through the trees and the ground grabs my attention. Life flows as it should in almost everything around me. I look at the cabin where the two figures stand and it hits me at that moment that life doesn’t flow through them. Emilian is dead.
Chapter 16
“How long was I out?” I ask. My voice sounds strange. It’s as if someone else has taken over my body, although I know that’s not the case. Emilian and Hedji sit on the couch across from me. Kyle stands at the window looking out, while Vadoma rummages through the kitchen cabinets.
The cabin has a hunting theme decor. Deer heads adorn the walls. It doesn’t appear to be a seasonal rental, but rather an outdoorsman’s weekend getaway.
Emilian exchanges glances with Hedji.
“Two days,” Emilian says.
“No wonder I’m starving,” I say, rubbing my stomach.
“Unless you like sardines, I think you’re shit out of luck.” Vadoma slams the cans down onto the wooden countertop. “Why didn’t we get goddamned snacks at the gas station?”
“Ma got ill. She tried to call you back, but she lost touch when she started vomiting.” Emilian rubs the back of his neck. “Nadya held off as long as possible, but she used her gift to tell them where you were.”
“But Gildi will keep us ahead of the game for as long as we need to be,” Hedji says.
“We know what we need to do.” Vadoma plops in a rocking chair cattycorner from us. She stares at Emilian. “Now that we have an edge, and Lightning Struck has joined the land of the living.”
“Gildi can’t watch for them all the time and we are only useful when the sun’s down,” Emilian says. “What if they attack during the day? They have that boy and you’ll be powerless against them all.”
“Then we attack them at night.” Vadoma’s jaw tightens. Although her rage appears directed at the werewolves, I suspect some of it’s my fault.
“That would be a viable option if we knew where they were,” Hedji says. “We’ve visited every supernatural hangout throughout the state and no one will talk about this pack. They are staying off the radar. For good reason, too. They kidnapped that poor boy, which doesn’t sit well with anyone.”
“Emilian, may I have a word with you outside?” I ask. Kyle takes his gaze from the window and finds me. My cheeks warm.
“We need to leave soon to find shelter from the sun,” Hedji says.
Emilian nods and holds the door for me. He’s so fast I didn’t see him move until he was waiting for me to exit.
Once he shuts the door, I study his pale skin. It’s shades lighter than his natural olive complexion. That’s not his only change. His eyes are darker than I’ve ever seen, his pupils black with red specks floating throughout them. I can see it when I look closely.
“Why’d you do it?” I ask.
He shrugs and starts walking down the dirt road. “I felt weak, and they are strong. Listening to the story of how the werewolves slaughtered their people while they stood by helpless really affected me.” He kicks a rock sending it so far and fast I don’t think it lands anywhere near us. “Now, it’ll be me who saves the day. They won’t expect it and we can get Nadya, Fonso, Aunt Simza, and your dad back.”
“That’s not your responsibility.” I almost tell him it’s all my fault, but stop myself, afraid I’ll break down again. “Were you scared?” I want to ask many more questions related to his change, but it feels too intrusive right now.
“Terrified, yet excited. To be honest, I never felt Rom. The moment I saw them and heard their story, it became a real possibility. My gift wasn’t useful, anyway.”
My heart hurts for him. He had been able to spot any supernatural creature. When I first met my cousins, I thought it was all bull. I didn’t even know werewolves or vampires existed outside of nightmare fantasies. �
�Did Aunt Mirela freak?” I ask.
“Unbelievably overboard about it. She said I wasn’t her child anymore, and she’d never speak to me again, but when her sickness became worse, I think she forgave me,” he says. “Nadya thinks I’m dead, though. She started crying the moment she couldn’t locate me.”
“How did she use her gift with the boy there?” I ask.
“A pack of those mutts took her a few hours away from the others to make her do it, threatening to kill Fonso if she didn’t. Gildi saw it all. It was awful. We really do need to free them soon, even if it means killing the child.” He looks away from me. “Knowing that we, I mean you, had three hours head start was useful. That’s why Aunt Mirela had a problem keeping her gift going. You might have been trapped in the past forever if something had happened to her.”
“They are getting smarter, though.” He continues, “The wolves were close to us right before you woke. They had been keeping the boy back far enough from them before they’re ready to strike, and then they bring him barely into distance. They are using both Nadya and the boy to track you.” We stop at a dead end and head back to the cabin.
“What’s it like?”
He stops. “It’s invigorating. I feel strong and invincible, mostly, but there’s also this insatiable thirst. It’s becoming more bearable, but the first night was the worst.”
“You’ll live forever just as you are now? What about your family?” I was about to say friends, but the only friends we had this past year are now hunting us.
“Hedji says she’s looking forward to her mother and Jili dying. She says it’ll be a relief not having to look after them anymore.” He shrugs. “Honestly, I think the older they become, the less feelings they have. Sometimes, I think they’re indifferent to our world, but feel a sense of obligation. It’s hard to explain.”
“That makes sense,” I say. “They chose that life in order to save their mother from future attacks. You didn’t need to do that Emilian. We could have figured out how to deal with them without you becoming a vampire.”
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