I laugh lightly, turning around to send him a wry look. “I’ll be fine! Stop treating me like I’m made of glass.”
“But you’re human now,” he says with concern. “You’re frail flesh and delicate bones, and I’m supposed to take care of you. You can’t just go around stepping into traffic anymore, and you certainly can’t jump off this balcony and keep running.”
“Excuse me? When did I ever threaten to jump off an elevated structure? I think you have me confused with someone else,” I tease. Seeing him look a bit abashed by my mention of the subject, I soften my tone. “Don’t worry. After all we’ve been through, a little weather isn’t going to break me.” He seems to be satisfied with this, so I turn back to look at the sunset. The colors are fading as the scarlet sun peeks over the treetops.
“I heard those things you said to your dad,” he tells me, moving to stand by my side. “I was really impressed. Before that, I had already gathered that you were a good person, but I hadn’t realized how intelligent you were. That’s an unusual combination.”
“Thanks,” I say, nudging him gently with my elbow. I gratefully take a breath of the crisp morning air. “I thought I was going to lose my job for good last night—but instead of being retired, I was promoted. How crazy is that?”
“It’s incredible,” he admits. He tentatively slips a hand around my waist, and warmth spreads through me at his closeness. Maybe he was right about the weather being unfavorable for this body; or it could just be that his body temperature is extremely favorable in comparison. “I thought I was done with school for good last night, but now I have a sponsor and a rewarding new career path. It’s funny how things can work out.”
I lean my cheek against his shoulder, partially for the warmth, and partially for the proximity. “Are you looking forward to working with me?” I ask him.
“Definitely,” he says without hesitation. “My dad abandoned me, but your dad took me under his wing. I lost a father and gained one, all in the same day. Also… I lost a girlfriend and seemed to have gained one, all in the same day.”
“Is that what I am?” I ask in surprise.
“That’s what I’d like you to be. Maybe not now, if it’s too soon. But eventually, when you get to know me a little better.”
I smile up at him in amusement. “Kieran, I saw the timeline of your whole life. From things that happened before you were born, to things that will happen after you die—and much of the stuff in between. I think I know you pretty deeply already.”
“You do—isn’t that strange? You might know me better than anyone, and we only just met.” He stares down at me in puzzlement. “There are still some pretty huge gaps to fill. I saw your life too, but I don’t feel that I know you at all. Seeing events from the outside is one thing, but experiencing them with a person is completely different. You have to spend time with someone and build a relationship to really know who they are.”
“I guess I have a lot to learn about people,” I admit.
“You do. For example, you didn’t see yourself in my life, and here you are. The fact that you are standing here with me now is proof that our entire lives can change irrevocably in a single instant.”
“That’s terrifying,” I tell him. “If that’s true, then every moment means so much, and we have to do the right thing all the time. There is no room whatsoever for error…”
“No. Not all moments are quite so pivotal.”
“What about this moment?” I ask him shyly.
He sends me a guilty grin. “In this moment—I think I need to thank you for saving my life, Kayla. I wouldn’t be here if you didn’t stick your neck out for me today.”
“Well, you saved my life too,” I say with a smile. “I guess we’re even.”
“No, we’re not even. Your father is so compassionate and generous that I can’t imagine him ever doing anything to hurt you. It was that moron, Nathan, who caused all that trouble. Even if it wasn’t me, someone would have stepped in and spoken for you—but I had no one.” Kieran pauses and looks out at the remnants of the sunrise. “You’re the only person who was ever really there for me.”
I frown and stare at him, considering his chronic loneliness. “Well, I’d like to keep being here for a while. For as long as I possibly can. Let’s not do anything to jeopardize this,” I say solemnly.
He turns to glance at me, reading my face to gauge my seriousness. Finding truth there, he seems satisfied and smirks at me. Before I realize what he is doing, he has grabbed me around the waist, locking my arms down to my sides. “Good. Because I don’t plan on letting you go.”
With a little tickle of déjà vu, I remember this from the vision of us in the future. “Ever?” I ask breathlessly. “But I had plans to get better acquainted with your oven in a few minutes.”
“You know the price for your freedom,” he says brazenly.
A timid laugh leaves my throat as heat floods my cheeks. I feel a tingle of warmth and excitement filling my core as I raise my chin to give him the obligatory kiss. His arms immediately soften around me at the contact. I am surprised to find that his lips are tender and patient. I can intuitively feel a craving that he is restraining—keeping it concealed in a bottle not too far away. I appreciate this consideration for my newness to human emotions. He seems to be very sensitive to my needs, for he knows precisely when to break the contact and release me.
I immediately look away, flustered in shyness. He was right; watching our older selves kiss in the vision was very different from actually experiencing the kiss. I have to admit, although it doesn’t seem possible, that it is truly even better than pie. As I try to calm my racing heart, I notice that several stories below us, the wind is furiously tossing a yellow handkerchief across the pavement of the parking lot. I curiously stare at the familiar object, wondering if I can place the blame for my current situation entirely on that small piece of fabric. Pivotal, indeed.
Coming soon, Book #2…
A Note from the Author
Dear Reader,
The first time I saw a dead body it was a man who had jumped off a bridge. It was during a trip to Minneapolis and it was only a few minutes after my plane landed. It didn't seem real—I felt like I was watching a television show. It’s hard to process that the body lying on the ground was a person only seconds before. I suppose you never forget the first dead body you see. As with most trauma, it quickly becomes a story to tell more than a problem to truly consider. In fact, to the police officers and paramedics at the scene, I believe it was merely work; a mess to clean up and later forget. To the drivers stuck in the cars that had been blocked from moving because of the incident, it seemed an inconvenience.
I think the death of a man should be a little more than inconvenient.
As I considered what to write for the holiday season, I knew I wanted to try something uplifting and hopeful, but also addressing an important issue. According to the CDC, suicide is a major public health problem, and the 10th leading cause of death for Americans. I’ve personally experienced what is referred to as “depression” and “bipolar disorder” for most of my life and it is a subject very close to me. This makes it challenging to write about. When I was seventeen, I had an unpleasant experience when I was forced to go to a psychiatric hospital. (I wasn’t even depressed at the time, but I had made the mistake of having candid discussions with my school counselor who thought that I was a “danger to myself.”) After that experience I was outraged and decided to stop speaking to people about my problems altogether.
Locked in an empty room for a few days, the only item I had with me was a fantasy book written by one of my favorite authors. Every time the doctors came in to question me, they would ask me questions about my novel. There was a dragon on the cover, so they tried to sweetly, condescendingly ask me if I thought dragons were real. It was extremely humiliating. This was their way of determining whether I had “lost touch with reality.” Do book characters sometimes feel more real to me than actual people? Yes.
Does this mean I’m crazy? Maybe. Does it mean I deserve to be locked up? No! It means I want to be a writer when I grow up. (Actually, that does sound insane.)
In my limited experience of speaking with doctors, mental health professionals, and various authority figures, I feel that the solution is always to lock someone up, humiliate them, and pump them full of medication. This might work for some people, but it has never been effective for me. Friends and family make all the difference. My “depression” has never gone away, but it is something I have learned to mostly bury under the surface and live with every day. It has real causes—it is not just a random emotion that arises like the common flu. If someone I love lies to me, hurts me, or takes advantage of me, I will feel upset about that for years. I figure this is the same for most human beings, and no medication can solve that.
I suppose that in the end, all that anyone needs is the respect and love of just one person. A little kindness can go a very long way. I hate to interpret my own story, but let’s take care of each other a little better, and not leave it up to the gods or angels to do it for us. =)
Now that I’ve ranted about that, I can say that I do have some ideas for other novellas in this series. It will be a trilogy at most. I would really like to explore Kayla’s life as a human being, and some of her initiatives to help people. Of course, I’d also like to see her relationship with Kieran develop, and maybe throw some major obstacles at them and see how hard they fight for each other.
I do have a few more books in progress which I have promised my readers, and I will try my best to get them written and polished for your eyes before long. Specifically, the fifth book of the Sacred Breath series which a lot of people have been asking me for. Please do keep sending me messages about the stories you are excited about; it really helps to motivate me more than anything else.
If you enjoyed this story, I would be so thankful if you would take the time to leave an Amazon review!
Wishing you all a merry Christmas and the happiest of holidays. =)
Sincerely,
Nadia
Other Novels by Nadia Scrieva:
Sacred Breath Series
Book #1: Drowning Mermaids
Book #2: Fathoms of Forgiveness
Book #3: Boundless Sea
Book #4: Abyssal Zone
Thirty Minutes to Heartbreak
Book #1: Paramount
Book #2: Parabellum
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nadia Scrieva was born and raised in Toronto, Canada, where she grew very strong from carrying heavy bags filled with books back and forth from the library. She attended the University of Toronto, graduating with a B.A. in English and Anthropology. She likes knives. Her writing always features powerful females and (mostly) honorable male characters.
Nadia loves receiving feedback from readers, so feel free to contact her with any of your comments, questions, ideas, or just to say hello.
www.NadiaScrieva.com
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: The Yellow Handkerchief
Chapter 2: Under These Circumstances
Chapter 3: Dessert at Midnight
Chapter 4: The Golden Compass
Chapter 5: At Thurston Bridge
Chapter 6: To the Past
Chapter 7: An Inspiring Future
Chapter 8: A Reasonable Girl
Chapter 9: Beyond the Fire
Chapter 10: An Unbearable Limbo
Chapter 11: The Scarlet Sun
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