No, this isn’t real. It’s not.
But when I swiped my finger over the fabric, a black powder coated the tip of my finger.
I jumped up from my bed and raced out of my room and down the hallway, as an emptiness began overtaking my insides.
No, please. Please, don’t be real.
I slid into Cody’s doorway, my heart beating superfast and on the verge of a mental breakdown. My gaze swept across his room, taking in the Spiderman blanket sprawled over his bed. Empty.
Not here. Not here. Not here. The words rushed through my head as tears welled in my eyes.
I spun around, running toward my parent’s room. When I got there, they weren’t there either.
My heart threw itself up against my chest, and my lungs were shrinking little by little. I could barely breathe. This isn’t happening!
I rushed through the house, checking more rooms. They had to be here somewhere. They just had to. The upstairs. The downstairs.
Nothing. The house was completely empty.
I dashed into the kitchen, and then froze in the doorway.
The guy in black sat at my kitchen table, his arms crossed in front of him. “Kiera, we need to talk.”
“No.” I shook my head back and forth violently. My legs couldn’t take any more of this. They became weak and unstable. I backed up to the wall to keep myself from crashing to the floor. “Get out of my house!” I screamed at him.
“Kiera, please.” His pale face showed no emotion at all. “I know this is hard to accept.” He closed his eyes and brought his hand up, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. “We really need to go. I don’t have time for this.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” I said in a shaky voice as I slid down the wall and pulled my knees up to my chest. “I don’t even know who you are...or what you are.”
He sighed so deeply it resembled a loud grunt. “My name is Ethan, and you are the same as I am now. You’re an immortal. You don’t belong here anymore.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Get. Out. Of. My. House!”
Ethan stood up and looked down at me. “I knew this was a mistake. But, unfortunately, it’s too late to take it back. I’ll be waiting for you, Kiera.” Then he walked out of the kitchen. A moment later, my front door opened and then shut.
I covered my face with my hands and let the tears fall.
2:45 P.M.
Somehow, I needed to pull myself together. Mom wanted me to pick Cody up from school. I couldn’t let her down. But ever since Ethan walked out, the screams in my head have returned. And they were louder than ever.
I slowly got up off the floor and crossed the room. After swiping my keys off the counter, I headed out the door.
The roadway in front of me blurred through the tears, but I kept going as fast as I could. I couldn’t leave Cody at school. He needed me, just like I needed him in order to put some normalcy back in my newly messed up life.
When I reached his school, I pulled around in the circle behind the other cars. Then I turned up the radio to drown out the screams. It didn’t work. Nothing seemed to make them go away, except for that Ethan guy.
Children poured out of the school like wild animals. They all scattered into different directions. Some of them were skipping and laughing and doing cart wheels over the front lawn.
And then there was Cody.
He walked out of the school all by himself, head hung down to the ground, sulking. Something was definitely eating him. He perked up when he saw my car. And before long, he couldn’t seem to run fast enough toward me. He nearly tripped a few times over his dangling shoelaces. Mom had to tell him numerous times at home to keep tying them, but he never listened.
Cody got into the car and slammed the door. “Did you get my gold, Ki-Ki? Did you?” He focused on his seatbelt as he clicked it into place.
Oh, no. The gold. I didn’t know how to respond. If I told him I didn’t make it to the canyon, he’d ask questions. And I could bear to give him any answers right now.
“You didn’t find any, did you?” His little voice fell flat, and his gaze shifted to the floor.
I swallowed hard. “I’m sorry, buddy. But I didn’t find anything in the mine.” The memories flashed into my head, causing me to cringe.
It’s okay. It’s okay. I fought hard to keep everything contained for his sake.
He crossed his arms and let out a huff. “But you promised.” Cody turned and faced the window, giving me the cold shoulder.
“Oh, buddy.” I really couldn’t handle Cody being angry at me right now with all the screaming in my head. “Look at me.”
Cody moved his head to face me, and his eyes suddenly grew wide. I was thinking he was just being dramatic because I told him to look at me, so I shrugged off his response.
“I’ve had a really, really bad day,” I said. My voice began to tremble a bit. “So please don’t be mad. I’ll see if I can find something even cooler—”
“Ki-Ki.” Cody’s voice came out low and distant. “What happened to your face?”
“What are you talking about?” I squinted at him, thinking he was referring to my puffy, red eyes. I knew they had to be swollen because of all the tears. I flipped down my visor and nearly crashed the car.
A sense of panic raced through me as my body became numb and tingly. “Oh, god,” I mumbled the words under my breath as I focused on the road. “This isn’t good.”
My eyes were no longer brown. They were black as night. And Cody continued to stare at me, waiting for an answer, while I completely freaked out inside.
I didn’t know what to do, didn’t know what to say to him. I refused to answer him and turned up the radio, even though his gaze locked onto the side of my face. If I said something now I might crack, and I didn’t want anything to come pouring out in front of him. I had to hold on. I had to. Because if I let go, I knew I would freak him out too.
When we got home, I tore out of the car and rushed inside. I took the stairs two at a time until I reached the bathroom.
Then I froze in front of the mirror.
I traced my fingers over my pale skin and my red lips, unable to believe my eyes. My hair, much darker than before, matched my eyes. And my skin, silky and smooth, resembled a face on a porcelain doll.
This wasn’t me. It couldn’t be me.
Cody appeared in the mirror behind me.
3:15 P.M.
I turned to Cody. “I need you to do me a huge favor. It’s going to be hard, but you need to call Mom and tell her I didn’t show up at school. Tell her you walked home.”
Cody’s eyes grew wide, and his bottom lip trembled, as if he were about to cry. “Ki-Ki, why? What’s wrong?”
I crouched down to match his height and placed my hands on his arms, looking him in the eyes. “If Mom and Dad asks, tell them you didn’t see me today. Okay?”
Cody’s tears began to fall, but he nodded his head as his lower lip puckered out.
This was ripping me apart inside.
I gathered Cody in my arms and squeezed him tight. “It’s okay, buddy. I promise.” I pulled away. I can’t help but to cry now too. “Just remember I love you very much.” My voice began to shake as a huge lump formed in my throat. “Can you remember that for me?”
Cody nodded again. “Ki-Ki,” he mumbled my name and gazed at my hand. “Why is your finger all sparkly?”
I glanced down at my hand and gasped. “I... I don’t know.” I focused back on him as I stood up. “But I intend to find out.”
I left Cody standing in the hallway as I rushed out of the house before Mom and Dad could get home.
I hated leaving him, but I knew he would be safe.
4:15 P.M.
I was pretty sure Mom and Dad already heard about the accident by now, along with Chasity and Nicole’s parents. I couldn’t imagine what any of them were going through.
Well, sort of. The emptiness in my stomach and the heaviness in my heart kept reminding m
e my friends were no longer here. But I knew I had to keep moving if I intended to figure any of this out.
I wanted nothing more than to be with my family right now. But I couldn’t go near them. Not looking like this. And not with the tips of my fingers doing this crazy weird stuff.
I’d walked for miles, but for some reason, I didn’t feel tired at all. I didn’t get it. Didn’t get any of this. But I knew one person who had the answers.
I just had to find him.
4:40 P.M.
I’d basically been all over Henderson trying to find this Ethan guy. But he seemed to have disappeared. Of course, walking through the streets slowed me down since I had no choice but to stay in the shadows. If I supposedly died with all my other classmates, I needed to keep out of sight until I got this whole thing straightened out.
I eventually ended up behind an abandoned warehouse. Not a place I really wanted to be, but there were no people here. Just a few stray cats looking for a meal.
I rendered myself safe.
After pacing around the vacant area, I found a chunk of concrete and sat down. The screaming in my head kept getting louder and louder. And then...
Memories came pouring out again.
A darkness so thick that it squeezed my lungs and took my breath away, invaded my mind. My beautiful Chasity covered in blood. The body parts, the screaming, the terror ripping through me, the orange glow that kept getting hotter and hotter, and the...bright light that reached through my window and grabbed me.
“No!” I screamed and cried at the same time while my hands flew up to my ears. I couldn’t handle the pain. The sorrow. Or anymore of this. There had to be a way to escape it. I spun around, hands still pressed up against my ears, wishing for it all to stop, only to see Ethan standing right behind me, dark eyes focused on mine.
“I can make it stop,” he said in a calm, controlled voice. His expression seemed more relaxed, friendlier this time around, but a deep, underlying sadness weakened his gaze.
I jumped up and rushed toward him, fire swirling around inside me, not caring whether he actually felt sorry for me or not. “Why is this happening to me?” The tears began to fall again as I threw out my hands and pushed him in the chest. “What did you do?”
Ethan swallowed hard, but he didn’t budge. “I saved you, Kiera. But not in the way you wanted to be saved.”
“What do you mean?” The riddles needed to stop. I no longer wanted to play his games. I pushed him again, harder this time.
He tightened his lips and shook his head.
“What do you mean,” I screamed the words this time, pounding on his chest until my fists became numb and tingly.
Ethan closed the space between us and grabbed my wrists with his hands. “I’m sorry, Kiera,” he whispered.
“Just look at me!” I tried to jerk my hands out of his grasp, but he refused to let me go. “I don’t look anything like I did before!” I stopped fighting him because it was no use. He was too strong. So, I began to cry again. “I’m different! And my eyes...”
The memories and the voices faded away as he lifted his arms and held my head in his hands. A sudden warmth surrounded me, a warmth I didn’t understand. My body felt weird, like I had little butterflies fluttering all around inside me. The tingling moved through my body and centered in the tips of my fingers.
I glanced up at him, confused.
Ethan removed his hands and sat on the chunk of concrete. He pulled me down next to him and placed his hands in his lap and stared down at the ground. “I wasn’t supposed to help you, Kiera. It’s against the rules. But I couldn’t stand there and watch you die. I wanted to save everyone, but I couldn’t. You were the first one I saw. You were lying on the ground outside of the bus.”
“What did you do to me?” I asked again, my voice more controlled this time.
Ethan turned his head so his eyes met mine. “I told you before. I brought you back to life, but in doing so, it caused you to become what I am. An immortal.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. With all the weird things that had happened today, my sudden change of appearance and the sparks on my fingertips, I was thinking this Ethan guy may not be as crazy as I thought. Things were going on. Stuff I couldn’t explain.
“You’re not from around here, are you?” I sniffed as I tried to calm myself down.
He laughed, but in a serious way. “No, not at all.”
“Where are you from?” I lifted my brows, not really sure if I wanted to know the answer.
“I’m from Asteria. It’s a world that runs parallel to this one.”
“Why are you here...in Nevada? I mean, not now, but before the accident?” For some reason, everything that happened today seemed to disappear. I now felt calm, and well, normal.
“I was on my way to the casinos.”
I stared at him blankly. “What’s going to happen to me?” I swallowed hard. “To my family and my life?”
“If you stay here, your family will be in danger.” His dark eyes were serious. “That’s why you must come with me.”
“What do you mean by danger?” The riddles were back.
“There is a Darkness in this world, Kiera.” He continued to gaze at me with his deep dark eyes. “This Darkness wants into Asteria, the immortal world. You’re now connected to that world. And the Darkness will find you and anyone connected to you.”
“Are you serious?” I lifted my brows again. “Because this sounds like something out of a fantasy novel.”
“Yes, Kiera, I’m serious.” His features tightened. “And if the mortals see you or find out what you can do, I’m afraid I have no idea what they will do.”
“You mean the sparks on my fingers.” I glanced down at my fingertips and watched the tiny lights dance around.
“It’s more than just sparks.” He took my hand in his. “You have a power inside you that you need to learn how to control. Right now, it’s pretty weak. But as the days go by, it will grow stronger and stronger. You will become a danger to yourself and everyone around you. Unless you learn how to control it.”
I didn’t want to hear anymore. I didn’t want this power. I didn’t want to leave my family. But most of all, I refused to leave my world.
I took a deep breath. And I didn’t want to leave him because he made the screaming go away. But I needed to go.
“It’s getting dark.” I pulled my hands away from his. “I need to find someplace to stay.”
“You’re not leaving me, Kiera.” He watched me intently. “It’s too dangerous.” Ethan stood up and glanced down at me. “We’ll find a place to stay. Together.”
7:35 P.M.
Things were not supposed to be turning out like this. My plan to shake Ethan off failed miserably. He refused to leave me alone.
I walked down the darkened sidewalk with Ethan following close behind me. “There are a couple of motels around the corner.”
I kept walking as if I didn’t hear him. I had no idea where I was going, but a sleazy motel definitely took the bottom of my list. Besides, I knew this town better than he did. So, he had another think coming if he thought he could tell me where we were going to stay.
We continued to walk as it got darker and darker. The street lights had already popped on and a few cars were traveling the road next to us. Most people were probably in their homes, gathered around the kitchen table, eating dinner. My thoughts drifted back to Mom, Dad, and Cody. How bad off were they?
Mom more than likely took it the worst. God, how I missed her. If only I could rewind everything that happened today. I didn’t even give her the satisfaction of hearing me say that I loved her.
Ethan and I crossed the street. We were now walking down the road Coronado High was on. In the distance, I noticed tiny lights. They resembled a massive swarm of fireflies.
We got closer to the school, and I nearly fell to the ground.
Ethan pushed me behind a fluffy tree. “You need to stay out of sight,” he whispered urgentl
y. “I think they have all gathered here because of the—”
“Accident,” I said the word with him. I stared at the lights, the people. So many people.
They were crying and talking and hugging each other. I moved my gaze to each one of them. I didn’t see Mom or Dad or Cody. Where were they? What were they doing? I missed them already. I missed my life. And my friends.
Chasity and Nicole’s parents weren’t here either. I wasn’t sure if any of the family members of any of the kids on the bus were here.
“I’m going home,” I mumbled as I stared out at the lights flickering in the darkness. The pain and hurt and loneliness consumed me little by little. I tried to push it back, tried to hide it, but it seeped out anyway, and this time, I couldn’t stop it. I wanted my family.
“I told you, Kiera, you can’t go back,” Ethan whispered beside me. “It’s too dangerous for you, too dangerous for them.”
I turned to him as anger swelled up inside me like a balloon. “I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t ask to be saved, didn’t ask to be torn away from my family. Who do you think you are?” Heat raged inside me as I narrowed my eyes at him. “Why couldn’t you pick someone else to save?”
Suddenly, a strong tingling sensation swirled around on the tips of my fingers. Without thinking, I threw my hands out at him. A stream of bluish light shot from my palms and in his direction.
Ethan’s eyes grew wide, but he lifted his own hands. And the stream of light seemed to absorb right into him.
My breath came in short, shallow gasps. “What was that?” I said the words too loud as my heart threw itself into my chest.
Ethan looked around nervously. “I need to get you out of here.” He wrapped his fingers around my arm and pulled me back out onto the sidewalk. He continued to walk at a fast pace while I shuffled behind him. I could no longer feel my legs. Everything had gone numb.
“I knew I should’ve just forced you into Asteria instead of waiting for you to understand what was going on. Now I see why Azzera didn’t wait.” His words were rushed and anger exploded inside of him. I didn’t understand anything he was saying.
Forever Kiera (Other Side of Forever series Book 2) Page 3
