The Edge of Nothing_The Lex Chronicles_Book 1

by Crystal Crawford

  Lex steadied Amelia as she regained her footing, then stepped back to meet her eyes. “What was that?” he asked.

  She didn’t answer. She was staring at something behind him.

  The world tilted. He was staring up into large, blue eyes, but the girl was not looking at him; she was looking past him, at something beyond–

  “Lex? Lex!” Amelia’s voice pierced like a needle of fear.

  Lex shook his head. His thoughts felt blurry. “What? What is it?”

  She grabbed his shoulders, and a gasp escaped him as current jolted through his chest. She shook him. “Lex!” she shouted again.

  He blinked. “What?” he murmured, feeling far away.

  She pulled at his arm. “Run!”

  He snapped into focus. Run? He glanced behind him, where her wide eyes were looking.

  One whole side of the forest was rolling toward them, ground and trees rushing higher and closer by the moment like a tsunami of land.

  He spun back to Amelia, grabbed her hand, and ran.

  The deep breath the forest had taken was now in exhale. The ground rolled like a tidal wave behind them, adding everything in its path to the growing surge. Lex and Amelia ran as quickly as they could, but it wasn’t fast enough. The ground-wave was gaining on them.

  Suddenly Amelia tugged Lex to the left, making him stumble. “We have to get out of the forest,” she shouted. “This way!” She darted down a path Lex hadn’t noticed, a narrow rut worn into the ground between lines of trees.

  Lex followed. Her detour had taken them out of the direct path of the swell, but he could still hear the crash of trees toppling, too close for comfort. The forest floor beneath their hurried steps trembled with the strain of what was happening behind them. Amelia gripped Lex’s hand so tightly his fingers went numb, and the buzz of her touch through his veins nearly overwhelmed him. He could barely focus on where he was running.

  Lex heard a loud crack and looked back; the trees they had just passed snapped in two and toppled downward, collapsing the path they’d come through. “How much farther?” Lex yelled, realizing they couldn’t outrun this much longer.

  But there was no need for Amelia to answer. As soon as Lex turned forward again he saw it – the end of the trees ahead, grassy green hills visible beyond their branches, rolling into farmland in the distance. Everything looked still and calm out on the hills. An unpleasant remembrance of the last farmland Lex encountered twinged in his mind, but he pushed it down. There were bigger problems to worry about at the moment. Like surviving a forest tsunami.

  The earth heaved and surged behind them, toppling Lex and Amelia across the last few yards of the forest. They rolled out through the trees and down the hill a bit before righting themselves. Lex jumped up, preparing to run again, but everything on the hill had gone still. The forest was eerily quiet – or what was left of it. Uprooted trees and rutted earth spread outward in all directions. Beyond the wreckage, Lex could see the drop-off where the rise of what was once the forest dipped off into the valley toward Dalton. He shivered. “What the heck?” he whispered.

  Amelia appeared at his side, brushing at the grass stains that now accompanied the dirt and tears on her clothes. “Well, that was exciting,” she said.

  Lex raised an eyebrow at her. That wasn’t the word he would have used.

  She looked around. “Aha,” she said. “There.” She pointed downhill, beyond the expanse of grass, to a patch of farmland with a barn and fencing. Horses grazed in the fenced area, oblivious to what had happened on the hilltop. “See? I told you there were horses.”

  Lex paused. There were so many things wrong with what just happened, he couldn’t even process them, and she was already on to the horses? Her nonchalance was beginning to put him on edge, but he felt the need to play along, to pretend he was as unfazed as she was. “Yeah, look at that. Horses.” As his brain restabilized from the shock, his thoughts cleared a bit. “From how you described things, I thought they’d be much farther,” he said. “You said half a day, but we barely even ran for ten minutes.”

  Amelia shrugged. “Well, I think I came the long way around before,” she said. “Besides, that weird forest-quake thing might have made us cover more distance than we realized.”

  This didn’t quite make sense to Lex, but few things did lately. He shoved down the edge of anxiety prickling in his chest. “Okay,” he said.

  Amelia smiled and grabbed for his hand but Lex avoided the contact, pretending to scratch his head as he looked past her at the barn below them. He just didn’t feel like being touched at the moment. How is she so calm? he wondered. It was beginning to unnerve him.

  If Amelia noticed his avoidance, she didn’t show it. “Let’s go get a horse, and then we’re off to Alta,” she declared, and marched downhill.

  What is wrong with this girl? Why is she not freaking out?

  Lex started to ask exactly that, but was interrupted by the sound of hoofbeats. Lex turned to see a horse and rider galloping uphill toward them, the horse’s mane and coat gleaming white in the sun–

  The world tilted. He was astride a horse as she galloped full-on through a desert, sand flying up in all directions. He looked down, seeing his fingers tangled in her white mane, grains of yellow sand darkening her once-white coat beneath him–

  Lex refocused in time to see the man dismounting. The man draped the reins over the pommel, his attention on the horse for the moment as he patted the side of its neck.

  Lex had a sudden urge to approach the horse, but instead took a moment to study the man. He was handsome, with hair so dark brown it was almost black and startling, leaf-green eyes. He was muscular beneath his simple tunic and pants, and freshly-shaven. He appeared a few years older than Lex, maybe in his early twenties. From the corner of his eye, Lex noticed Amelia’s posture straighten as her gaze swept over the stranger. Lex fought back a twinge of jealousy. Why should he care? He barely knew the girl. But he felt it just the same.

  The stranger turned toward them, his eyes landing on Amelia first. He gave his head a quick shake, then smiled. The head-shake was so fast Lex almost wondered if he imagined it. Had the sight of Amelia surprised him? It was hard to tell, since now the man grinned warmly, any traces of shock wiped clear. “Everyone okay?” the man said, and his voice was friendly. “I thought I heard a–“

  His eyes widened as they landed on Lex, and he stopped talking completely. There was a breath of awkward silence.

  What is going on? Lex wondered. Does he know me?

  But if the man did, he said nothing of it. His eyes were focused once again on the hilltop behind them. “What in the world happened up there?” he asked, gesturing toward what used to be the forest.

  Amelia stepped forward, her smile a little bigger than usual. “We have no idea,” she said. “The forest just… collapsed.”

  “Tsunamied is more like it,” Lex mumbled, and though he was certain Amelia heard him, she pretended not to.

  “Thank goodness you found us,” she said, her tone dripping syrup. “We were nearly killed up there!”

  Lex was more than a little disturbed. Had she been so obviously flirtatious with him? He thought back to when she asked him to hold her in the forest, and felt suddenly deflated. Disappointment and jealousy battled in his chest. Get a grip, he scolded himself. You just met the girl; it’s not like you’re together. So then why did seeing her flirt with the man feel so much like a betrayal?

  Amelia continued talking, but Lex found it slightly nauseating to watch her bat her lashes at the stranger, so he turned his attention to the horse. The horse had been standing stone-still since the stranger dismounted, and now it tilted its head, focusing one large, steady eye on Lex. He stepped toward it, reaching out a hand.

  The horse reared up, eyes wild, its forelegs scraping the air. The stranger spun toward it, grabbing the reins. “Easy, Mare,” he soothed. “Easy.” He placed his hand on her side and she settled back to the
ground, huffing.

  Lex’s heart raced. Mare. Why did that seem so–

  Memories flooded in at him. Thick-tongued thirst, sand-crusted teeth, the bone-deep ache of exhaustion. He took another step toward the horse.

  “I wouldn’t do that,” the man said, his grip tight on the reins and the horse danced backward. “She’s particular about strangers. Give her some room?”

  The way he said it, not quite meeting Lex’s eyes, did not escape Lex’s attention. But Lex obeyed, taking a few steps backward. What was going on here?

  The man seemed to sense Lex’s question. He stepped forward, offering his hand. “I’m Acarius,” he said. “That’s my horse ranch down below.”

  Lex accepted Acarius’ handshake, relieved at the lack of any strange sensations. After Amelia’s electric touch and the way the horse reacted, Lex had been starting to wonder if something was wrong with the living creatures in this place – or with him. “I’m Lex,” he said.

  Amelia bounced up next to them, refusing to be ignored. “Amelia,” she said, shooting her hand out.

  Acarius gripped it briefly, then let go and turned back to Lex. Amelia sank back, seeming disgruntled by his polite disinterest.

  Lex glanced down the hill to the field and horses beneath. He wouldn’t exactly call the place a ranch; it was more like a barn and a bunch of grass. “You own a ranch?” he asked anyway. “You seem young to own a business.”

  Acarius smiled. “It’s sort of a family business. Or it was,” he answered. A shadow of something passed over his face, then vanished. “Anyway, you two look like you could use...“

  He paused, and Lex realized how many things they must look like they could use. They were filthy, famished, banged up – and they probably smelled.

  Acarius shifted his phrasing. “We’ve got food and hot water for baths, and we can probably even find a change of clothes for each of you.” His eyes swept over Lex. “You could wear some of mine.”

  “What about Amelia?” Lex asked.

  “We?” Amelia asked at the same time.

  Acarius smiled. “My sisters live here, too. Five of them.” He turned to Amelia. “I’m sure one of them has something that will fit you.”

  Amelia smiled brightly. “Sisters. Great,” she said, placing her hand on Acarius’ arm. “Thank you so much!”

  Acarius grimaced slightly. Does he feel something when Amelia touches him, too? Lex wondered. If so, it wasn’t the warm, intoxicating hum Lex felt when she touched him. Whatever Acarius was feeling, he seemed not to like it.

  Amelia didn’t notice. She left her hand on his arm and grinned up at him. With the way she was looking at Acarius, Lex wouldn’t have been surprised if she had stepped right up and leaned her head on his shoulder.

  What is with this girl? Lex wondered again. The jealousy and betrayal he knew he had no right to feel mixed with a twinge of embarrassment, for her sake. Had he really almost fallen for such clumsy flirtation? After just meeting her? He must have really been off his game. If I even have a game, he thought. For all he knew, he might fall for strange girls he just met all the time.

  But deeper than the embarrassment and discomfort at watching her flirtations, deeper than the jealousy that she had moved on to a new target, something else stirred. In the wake of realizing her kindness to him might have been manipulation, he felt… a loss, a small, dark pocket of sadness worming deeper into his gut. He had really been starting to–

  The world tilted. He was standing in a crowded hallway. A girl draped herself on his shoulder, her fingers playing with the hair on the back of his head. He looked down at the girl’s blonde hair, then nudged her face up toward his with one hand, eager to see her blue eyes – it wasn’t her. It was some other blonde-haired girl, green-eyed, staring up at him. Something in him recoiled but he fought it and smiled back, not wanting to be rude.

  A murmur from behind caught his attention. Across the hallway, revealed by the whispering crowd that had parted like the Red Sea, she stood. Her blue eyes were fixed on him, wide with shock. He ached at the pain on her face and stepped toward her. She looked younger, he realized suddenly, different than in his other visions. He glanced around. Everyone in the hallway was also young, just barely into puberty. Was he young himself? He looked down, thinking…maybe. He was slimmer than in the other visions, leaner. He focused back on the girl. She was beginning to seem panicked, looking for a path to escape the crowd of witnesses to their mute exchange. He stepped toward her but she flicked her glance toward a boy to his left; he was their same age, tall, with blonde hair yellower than hers, lemon-like. Steve, his mind whispered, and he knew Steve was a friend, someone he trusted, but something felt off, a tension he hadn’t anticipated. The girl broke her eye contact with Steve and shoved through the crowd, rushing down the hallway. As she left, Steve turned to him, a What now? expression on his face. It carried an edge of judgment.

  He stood there feeling empty and guilty as Steve walked away. What had he done? He had the sense it hadn’t been intentional, that he had somehow been used. Suddenly he felt a desperate need to find the blue-eyed girl and explain. He glanced down to see the girl on his shoulder smiling up at him, smug. He shoved her from his shoulder, his eyes scanning the hallway for the blue-eyed girl. She was gone.

  A voice brought Lex back. He opened his eyes. Amelia eyed him warily, Acarius standing just behind her. “Is everything alright? That one was a long–“

  “I’m fine,” Lex grunted, cutting her off. The glimpses made him feel disoriented, unsure of his own mind, and the last thing he needed was to look weak and pitiable in front of both Amelia and this stranger.

  Acarius studied Lex, and for a moment Lex expected him to question. Instead, Acarius changed the subject.

  “Let’s head down to the ranch and get you both cleaned up and fed,” he said. He turned to grab the horse’s reins, Amelia’s hand sliding off his arm as he pulled away from her. He tugged the reins gently. “Come, Mare,” he said.

  Lex felt a small flicker of gratitude to Acarius for not prying. Maybe this guy wasn’t so bad, though he seemed to have Amelia in a tizzy. Her scowl told Lex she wasn’t pleased with being disregarded by Acarius, but she kept her thoughts to herself.

  Acarius walked Mare down the hill, clearly expecting Lex and Amelia to follow. Amelia, not yet giving up, hurried to walk beside him. Lex quickened his steps and fell in pace with them, but on the other side of the horse. He made sure to give Mare space, keeping about an arm’s length between them, but still she turned and snapped her teeth at him the instant he neared.

  “Easy, Mare,” Acarius scolded. He turned to Lex. “I’m sorry. She’s not usually like this.” He glared at the horse as though reprimanding her.

  “She really doesn’t like me,” Lex responded.

  Acarius took a quick, forced breath. “Like I said, she’s particular about strangers.”

  Being both not usually like this and particular about strangers didn’t quite make sense, but Lex thought better of pointing this out. The stranger was probably just being kind, trying to keep Lex from feeling bad about the horse disliking him. Animals just disliked people sometimes, he had seen –

  The world tilted. He stood in an open garage, sunlight spilling in through the upraised door. The garage was mostly empty, but a large oil-spot on the concrete floor marked a car’s typical residence.

  He held a box pressed tightly to his chest, and it was… squirming? Something in it was, anyway… and giving off a low, menacing growl.

  A door on the wall burst open – it must lead into the house, he realized – and he looked up. It was the girl. Her blue eyes were bright with excitement, her delicate lips spread into a grin.

  “Let me see!” She rushed toward him and reached for the box.

  He pulled back. “Careful,” he heard himself say. “I think it’s got rabies or something.”

  The girl hesitated, her hand lingering inches from the box. She raised one eyeb
row. “Really?”

  “It was going crazy all the way here. It sounds like it’s about to rip the box apart from the inside.”

  The girl took a breath. “Okay, set it down gently.”

  He placed the box on the ground then halted, wanting to move back but not wanting to leave the girl exposed to whatever was in the box. He settled for stepping around the box and placing himself next to her, close enough to block whatever came out of the box if he needed to.

  She knelt down and slowly lifted the lid.

  A crazed ball of orange fur barreled out, snarling. It was a cat, though in its current state it hardly looked like one. Chunks were missing from its matted fur as though pulled out from the roots, revealing oozing sores. One leg was bent at an odd angle. It bristled, turned its filthy face up at them, and let out a rumbling yowl, followed by a hiss.

  He reached for it, trying to put himself between it and the girl. It lunged at him, lashing his hand with needle-claws. “Ouch!” he yelled, pulling back. He threw a hand in front of the girl, who leaned forward despite the creature’s apparent madness. “Careful,” he gasped.

  The girl gently moved his hand aside, reaching for the creature. “There,” she said, making the word sound like a song.

  The cat paused, its eyes locking onto her, then it… melted. The tension fell right out of it and it leaned its head into her hand, rubbing against her. It was even purring.

  He stared. “What the–“

  The girl lifted the cat to her chest, stroking it. “You poor thing,” she cooed. Her eyes sparked with amusement as she turned to him. “Rabies? Really?”

  He shook his head. He should have known. There had never been an animal that hadn’t melted in her presence.

  She smiled at him and sent his heart racing. “Thanks for bringing him here,” she told him. “He looks half dead. He’s lucky you spotted him.”–