“I don’t know,” I answered.
Varick smiled.
“Well,” he said. “Perhaps you would consider coming to work for me. Contact my administrative assistant to set up a time for you to come in and take a look at what we do.”
“Um,” I said, looking to Payne, who was doing a really bad job of hiding the fact that he knew what was going on. “Okay.”
I went into my bag and hunted for a piece of paper and a pen. “Give me her number.”
“You have it,” Varick said. “Or, you could just walk across the street and speak to her.”
Across the street?
“Wait,” I said, looking up. “Eric’s mom hasn’t moved yet, has she?”
“No,” Varick said. “Nor will she. Eleanor has agreed to become my new personal assistant. She has also agreed to help me run a new foundation I am personally forming. One I think you might be interested in. Its mission will be reaching out to bullied children and teenagers, and helping to prevent abuse both in schools and at home. The Eric Wilson Foundation.”
“Oh,” I said, feeling my heart melt in response. I hugged Varick, hoping he could understand how much I loved him right now. When I pulled back, I was crying.
“Most of my sons have turned into good men. I should like you to meet them. But I did not handle Blasé very well, and I am ashamed of the evil that Balthazar inflicted on my family. I hope to try and do a few things right to make up for some of my mistakes.”
I gave him another quick hug.
“Don’t blame yourself for Balthazar,” I said. “When I look at you, I see why I love Payne so much.”
Varick smiled and his face softened. I think I even saw the hint of a tear in his eye.
“You are too kind,” Varick replied.
“I’ll second that,” Grandpa said. “You should be ashamed of this man. He eats caviar. He has way too many cars. His moustache even has its own personal trainer, and just before you arrived, he was telling me that he roots for the Jets.”
I gave Grandpa’s comments such a huge eye roll I almost made myself dizzy.
“Who cares which baseball team he roots for?”
“Football,” Payne, Varick and Grandpa all corrected.
“Whatever,” I said. “Listen, I have something to finish. It’s important—and then I’m back to being grounded. But I will make that appointment, Mr. McKnight. Thank you so much.”
We went through one last round of hugs, and then, Payne and I left.
“Where are we going?” Payne asked.
“Our spot,” I said.
We made our way to our willow tree. It was a beautiful meadow near a stream. It was on a path that was directly between my home and Payne’s. The tree’s leaves had all turned brown, but there was something special about the tree that I always loved.
Payne hung back and just watched me. “You are the most beautiful thing in the world,” he said.
I turned and cocked an eyebrow at him. “Please.”
“I mean it,” Payne said, and there was an earnestness in his voice that made my heart flutter. “You take my breath away.”
I felt the heat rush to my cheeks. I wanted to just be alone with Payne, but that’s not why I was here.
“He’s right, sugar.”
I turned around and saw Dante slowly appearing in the meadow, a smile on his lips.
As soon as I looked at Dante, Payne caught on. He sent me a nod before turning and leaving me alone.
“You and he work things out?” Dante asked.
I nodded.
“Good,” he said. “I’m glad. I want you to be happy, sugar. I’m so sorry for what my family did.”
“Scarlett was my family too,” I reminded him. “Dante, you saved me. You saved my life. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Dante said as he came closer to me. “I’m not. I would do it again. I love you, Bristol, and I hope you know that.”
I looked into his eyes, held the gaze for a moment before responding.
“I love you,” I said.
Contentment washed over Dante’s face. He smiled one last time, before fading away forever.
When we got back to the car, I saw a familiar face was waiting for us.
“Eric, what are you doing here?”
Eric smiled, but looked over towards the nearest tree. “I’m not here for you.”
I followed Eric as he walked over to Blasé who sitting alone under the tree, not quite watching us, but looking miserable. I approached him slowly, whispering to Payne in an attempt to catch him up with what was happening. Poor Payne. He was right back into the thick of things with his ghost-seeing girlfriend.
“Blasé,” Eric said. “What’s wrong?”
“I hurt so many people,” he replied, still not looking at us. “Being dead gives you nothing but time to think back on what you did. I’m so ashamed of who I was.”
“Don’t be,” I interrupted. “You were pushed by Scarlett—”
“No,” he said, turning to face me for the first time, but still refusing to look at Eric. “She pushed me once she got to school, but not before that. I can’t blame what I did to Eric on her. Or what I did to you. I was so mean to you both. I felt so bad that Eric was gone. I didn’t want to face it. I should have been begging for forgiveness. Instead I doubled down on being a class-A jerk.”
“You had your moments,” I said to Blasé. “You came to try and save me when I was in trouble.”
“Yeah,” Blasé said with a dry, sad laugh. “I nearly killed you and Payne both.” He shrugged and looked at his cousin. “Payne would have been okay, but he never would have blamed me if you had died. He would only have blamed himself.”
Payne cleared his throat, seeming to understand where the conversation was headed. “On the day you went missing, Blasé didn’t hesitate to put himself in danger for you. Remember that. You should also remember when Jared disappeared. You and I and Archer and Hunter and the rest, we all took care of Aunt Breanne.”
Blasé shook his head.
“Do you realize,” Blasé began, “that if you hadn’t saved me, I would never have met Eric Wilson, and he wouldn’t be a ghost? He would have been better off if you had let me die that day.”
“Don’t say that,” Eric said.
Blasé finally managed to look at Eric.
I realized Eric didn’t need my help. He had this.
“I took my own life in a moment of despair,” Eric said. “It’s my biggest mistake. It’s my biggest regret. But it was my mistake, not yours. I’d like to think that if I hadn’t made it, maybe someday we might have even become friends.”
Blasé looked at Eric, bewilderment on his face.
“I don’t deserve to be your friend.”
Eric stepped forward and held out his hand to Blasé.
“Yes, you do,” Eric said, sounding sure of himself in a way he had never before. “I want you to be my friend. I’ve forgiven myself for the stupid thing I did. I forgive you.”
Blasé looked at Eric, as if he was afraid to allow himself to believe what was happening. Slowly, he took the hand offered and rose up.
There was a moment where Eric and Blasé looked at each other. A moment filled with so many things, all of which went unspoken.
Then they were gone.
I realized I had been crying, and wiped away my tears. Payne must have sensed that whatever had been playing out was now over. He held his hand out to me and pulled me up.
“They’re at peace now. That’s the reason why Eric stayed so long. It wasn’t to help me. It was to help Blasé. They both needed forgiveness.”
Payne looked like he was trying to figure out what to say, but he had no words. Instead, he just kissed me.
“It’s not over,” I said a moment later, after he pulled away. “The Shadow Creatures are going to be coming back for us. You know that.”
Payne just held me close. “Let them come. Nobody is
touching my girlfriend.”
I laughed and hugged him. “I’m your girlfriend.”
Payne kissed me again. “Yeah, you are.”
I looked into his eyes, and I saw my future.
Stay tuned for the next book in The Vision Series.
Vision of Sacrifices
About the Author
Born and raised in Brooklyn NY, Vincent Morrone now resides in Upstate NY with his wife. (Although he can still speak fluent Brooklynese.) His twin daughters remain not only his biggest fans, but usually are the first to read all of his work. Their home is run and operated for the comfort and convenience of their dogs. Vincent has been writing fiction, poetry and song lyrics for as long as he can remember, most of which involve magical misfits, paranormal prodigies and even on occasion superheroes and their sidekicks. As they say in Brooklyn: Yo, you got something to say to Vincent? Check out vincentmorrone.com where you can learn about Vincent and leave him a comment.
Website: http://vincentmorrone.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Vince524
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Morrrone
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7143975.Vincent_Morrone
Email: [email protected]
Acknowledgements
There are so many people to thank for making Vision of Serpents into a reality. So many in fact that there’s no way for me to possibly mention everyone.
First and foremost, to everyone who read the first book in the Vision series, thanks for believing in it. It’s always a thrill to hear from someone who enjoyed it. I hope you enjoy the sequel and can’t wait for you to get the next installment of the Vision series!
I do want to mention a couple of guinea pigs who read VOSII to give me some important feedback. Both Helen Rena and Emily Smith, thank you again for reading Vision of Serpents while still in edits!
There are so many online community friends I want to thank. People in Writer’s Friends, the Disenchanted, New Adult Authors Unite, and of course AW. You guys all rock!
I want to give a huge shout out to everyone at Silence in the Library, especially my fellow Kickstarter buddies, Rori Shay, Megan O'Russell, and Janine Spendlove! I’m so honored to be published alongside such amazing authors. Ron Garner for being the guy who gave me the incredible chance to be a part of SITL. Conley Lyons for editing Vision of Serpents and putting up with the back and forth of what should stay and what should go. (Did I just put the song in your head?) And a special shout out to Kelli Neier for being my go-to person in SITL, being in charge of too many things to mention and especially for creating an amazing cover and dealing with all of my input. Sorry if I gave you nightmares with all the pictures of snakes I sent your way.
I want to thank all my family and friends who have supported me, especially those who put up with seeing my pimping myself on social media over and over again. Sorry guys!
And in saving the best for last, I’d like to thank the woman I love. Without your support and encouragement, I never would have made it here. To my wife Rebecca, thanks for helping me make all my dreams come true. I look into your eyes and see my future.
Kickstarter Backers
~ Blackburns ~
Adam T Alexander ~ The power to make something very heavy
Amelia Smith ~ The power to control gravity
Andreas Gustafsson ~ The power to move objects with your mind
Anne K Jones ~ The power to communicate with animals
Ashley Oswald ~ The power to create cold
Ashli Tingle ~ The power to feel things without touching them
Becky B ~ The power to enter someone's dreams
Chad Bowden ~ The power to create illusions
Christian Steudtner ~ The power to act like a magnet
Craig Hackl ~ The power to heal others
Curtis & Maryrita Steinhour ~ The power to share thoughts telepathically with each other
D-Rock ~ The power to move the Earth
Derek "Pineapple Steak" Swoyer ~ The power to control bees
diz ~ The power to make others feel dizzy and lightheaded
Fen Eatough ~ The power to project yourself as a ghost
Gretchen Rasley ~ The power to slow time
Heidi & Aaron Tandy ~ The power to see through each others eyes
Herman Duyker ~ The power to see through the eyes of a dog
Isaac ‘Will It Work’ Dansicker ~ The power to instantly understand a language
Jeff "JJ" Peterson ~ The power to make someone else blind
Jen M ~ The power to enter, enhance, and even change memories
Jeremy Reppy ~ The power to act like a magnet
John Frewin ~ The power to make yourself unnoticeable
Jonathan Pruett ~ The power to heal from any wound
Jonny Minion ~ The power to enter someone's dreams
Karisa Hunt ~ The power to track people
Kat Matthews ~ The power to see through the eyes of a cat
Katherine S ~ The power to create forceful winds
Kelly lombardo ~ The power to create illusions
Lennhoff Family ~ The power to be aware of each others emotions
Lissa Capo ~ The power to be extremely strong
Maarten Leo Daalder ~ The power to pass through solid object
Maggie Allen ~ The power to create darkness
Patricia Lynne ~ The power to communicate with spiders
Pepita Hogg-Sonnenberg ~ The power to feel no pain, but still be injured
Roy Romasanta ~ The power to send mental images to another person
Scott Schaper ~ The power to make things light in weight
Sheryl R. Hayes ~ The power to control water
Steph DuFresne ~ The power to make someone very angry
Stephanie Wood Franklin ~ The power to create and control fire
Stephen Ballentine ~ The power to know when someone is lying
Svend Andersen ~ The power to see far distances
Tera Fulbright ~ The power to create and control light
Trevor Arat ~ The power to project noise
Tyler Austin ~ The power to make things explode
V. Hartman DiSanto ~ The power to make someone very sad
~ McKnights ~
Antha Ann Adkins ~ The power to heal others
Barbara Silcox ~ The power to create fire
Bob Michiels ~ The power to move objects with your mind
Caro ~ The power to see far distances
Catherine Franchett ~ The power to tell when someone is lying
Elizabeth Bridges ~ The power to create electricity
Elizabeth Inglee-Richards ~ The power to communicate with animals
Evaristo Ramos, Jr. ~ The power to create illusions
Giovanni Valentino ~ The power to give pain through touch
Hannah Louise Flashheart ~ The power to create light
Heather Wilke ~ The power to see through the eyes of birds
Jason Rogers ~ The power to slow time
Jennifer Simmons ~ The power to manipulate emotions
JLA ~ The power to create cold
Joelle Paxton ~ The power to project yourself as a ghost
John Green ~ The power to enter someone's dreams
John Idlor ~ The power to enter, enhance, and even change memories
Karen Rendall ~ The power to pass through solid object
Karen Zieman ~ The power to create forceful winds
Katherine Malloy ~ The power to heal from any wound
Kathleen Hanrahan ~ The power to create darkness
Kelli Neier ~ The power to split into two people
Krystyna Van Driel ~ The power to hear super sonically
Laura A Burns ~ The power to make people confused or lost
Leah Webber ~ The power to communicate with spiders
Melissa (Mel) Lafferty ~ The power to see microscopically
Mia Eng-Kohn ~ The power
to make yourself invisible
Molz Roque ~ The power to project noises
Nathan Smith ~ The power to see through walls
Olivia C. Williamson ~ The power to make someone afraid for no reason
Pankaj Gupta ~ The power to make someone else blind
Revek ~ The power to make someone hallucinate
Rob Szarka ~ The power to make someone have to tell the truth
Stephanie Martin ~ The power to infect anyone with death
Thomas Werner ~ The power to act like a magnet
Vincent Morrone ~ The power to make anything taste like bacon
About Silence in the Library
Founded in 2011 by a group of authors, Silence in the Library, LLC was established with the goal of creating an environment that allows authors, artists, editors, and other publishing professionals to work collaboratively to showcase their work. Our model keeps the creative decisions, throughout the publishing process, as close to the actual creators (i.e. authors and artists) as possible. Authors are deeply involved in their projects from start to finish. By closely controlling the quality of inputs to the process, we ensure a high level of quality in the final product while allowing space for imagination to flourish.
One of our goals is to prove that there is no “standard” face to a protagonist or an author of speculative fiction. Talent and strength know no race, sex, or other artificial boundary. Our projects, in particular our anthologies, strive to reflect this.
The Athena’s Daughters anthology (and its sister volumes) were conceived, developed, and driven by women. The books have one unifying theme: all of the protagonists are women, and they exhibit a wide range of physical attributes, ages, abilities, ethnicities, and orientations.
For HEROES!, a collection of stories about superheroes, we focused on diversity with respect to gender, ethnicity, age, body type, and life experience.
We consider representation a priority—all readers should be able to find someone like themselves in the books they read. We hope to contribute towards this goal by continuing to offer our customers a diverse selection of authors and characters.
Vision of Serpents Page 25
