by C J Benjamin
Hopeless? Journey? I resisted the thought, not being able to make my brain fit the two words together.
Maybe it was this darn buzzing in my ears. It was getting louder. I tried to shake it from my mind and when I refocused, I was startled to see Sparrow’s image floating in front of me. She was curled up next to Journey. Had she been there a moment ago? She looked so sad and dirty, her usual perkiness was missing and something else too. What was it? She looked small and frail sitting next to Journey’s feet. She had one arm clutched around his earth caked leg, with her head leaning against his knee. Her soft brown hair was dull and matted with twigs and leaves. It was partially covering her face in an unruly way that made it impossible to see if she was crying, but there seemed to be some sort of noise coming from her. Sparrow’s slender legs were folded under her as delicately as butterfly wings. They appeared to be shimmering too. Is that what made me think of butterfly wings? No it was that noise. That buzzing, it was growing louder and it had a faint flapping beat to it now, like something was fluttering inside my eardrums. I thought the flapping was coming from Sparrow but it was so close, too close. And Sparrow was just a memory. Wasn’t she?
Sparrow? Wings? My mind shuddered; nothing was making sense.
I wanted to comfort her. To thank her for being such a great friend to me. Her image glowed before me and she seemed so close, so real. I tried to reach out to her but her features evaporated as I extended my arms. All that was left, was a glowing shadow that was moving toward me.
As it advanced and enveloped me in light, I suddenly felt cradled and safe. I was surprised I didn’t instinctively jerk away. The pounding in my head escalated to a powerful new decibel the closer the glowing being came. But I floated in place, paralyzed and placid. The shadow slowly approached and I closed my eyes when the light it emitted overpowered me.
Remi and Nova flashed into my mind, as if they were burned into the back of my eyelids. They were so vivid, so bright and so painfully handsome. There was so much left unsaid between us. The final beats of my dying heart ached for them. I think they were trying to say something to me, but I couldn’t make out their words and it frustrated me. I could see their lips moving and hear their different tones vibrating, but everything was drowned out by the buzzing inside my head.
My failing mind agitated me. I was anxious to hear from them. They could be trying to send me a message and this was my last chance to see them. I focused hard, but suddenly something caught hold of my hand and I jerked my eyes open. To my surprise the glowing shadow hovering before me took on the face of Remi. I reached out my other hand to him and when he took it, I felt a strange sensation take hold of me, pulling me forward.
But to where? I wondered.
I felt like I was floating and I smiled as a glowing Remi tugged at my limp hands. The soft lines of Remi’s face seemed deeper, more ridged with maturity or maybe it was worry. His large, chocolate brown eyes were determined and his forehead wrinkled where his dark eyebrows met. He was frowning as he ran his hand through his thick messy hair. He had patches of ash peppered through his locks and it looked like he was going gray. I smiled as I took in my best friend’s appearance. His clothes flowed effortlessly from his pale, strong limbs in the water. His stern expression amused me.
Oh Remi, always worrying. I laughed to myself. Things aren’t always as bad as you think. I know I’m dying, but I’ll never leave you, Remi. You’re a part of me and I’m a part of you.
I grinned ruefully as I closed my eyes and let some of my favorite memories of Remi fill my sleepy mind. When I reopened them, I gasped and felt my lethargic heart skip a beat. The glowing figure guiding my suspended hands now, was Nova!
His intoxicating aura enveloped me and I let out a soft sigh and felt myself slipping into that all too frequent Nova-daze. Lovely Nova. Since I surrendered to the idea of dying, I was glad I was getting to spend my final moments with him. Even if this was just in my mind or some Utopian pre-death state, or maybe it was magic. Whatever it was, I wasn’t wasting any time thinking about how it was happening. I wanted to be greedy with my last seconds with Nova. How was it that he still looked so dreamy even as I was dying? The dirt smudged on his face looked as though it had been expertly shaded by the keen hands of a talented artist, accentuating his ruggedly chiseled features. His green eyes were angled into Emerald slivers as he scrutinized me. His blonde hair was as messy as ever, yet on him it looked good, textured and shiny even; casting a golden glow in the rippling water surrounding him. It almost looked like a halo!
Saint Nova, I sighed.
I pulled back against his hand. I wanted to stop him from taking me wherever I was going. I wanted more time with him. I needed more time. I wanted him to hold me again. To kiss me again. I wanted to know he felt the same way I did. I wanted so much more. Suddenly I wasn’t okay with parting this world anymore. I fought against the pulling sensation and lost hold of his hand. I reached for him again and his image rippled away, dissipating like the reflection of the moon on the ocean waves.
For a flash of an instant, the glowing light took a shape that looked familiar; like a beautiful angel, with long flowing blonde hair like mine. She reached out to me with fear in her wide blue eyes. It was like looking at a frightened reflection of myself. I felt her take hold of me, but then everything seemed to flash forward at warp speed and I was engulfed in panic and pain. I was swallowed up in the bright light that had been shaped into my beautiful memories. It was too bright, blinding me with searing, white agony.
This must be it. The end. So it wouldn’t be peaceful and painless after all. I felt burning in my lungs again and I was cold, shivering and coughing up something that tasted horrible. It stung my nose and throat and the ringing in my ears was so loud it was blinding me. A hard, cold surface pressed against my face and my hammering heart protested as I tried to move.
My heart! It was still beating. And my lungs! They ached as I fought to rake small shallow gulps of air through them. I was still alive!
I was too fatigued to move, but I concentrated on catching my breath and trying to open my eyes. I lay on the sandy shore and stared up at the bright light above me, counting my blessings with each breath I dragged through my aching lungs.
Acknowledgments
A giant thank you to all who have added time, love, and support. Geneva would be nothing more than a fantastic musing of mine without you. Thank you for helping me bring the magic to life. Thank you to my parents for always feeding my imagination and love of creation. Thank you to my husband for literally molding the words of my heart into a book that launched a hundred more. To my team of editors, narrators, artists, all the love you’ve giving to Geneva is stamped in every page. And to the fans, your excitement is a flame that will burn within me and these characters forever. I hope you hold onto the magic between the pages and never stop seeking new adventures.
Also by C.J. Benjamin
YOUNG ADULT FANTASY/DYSTOPIAN SERIES
Geneva Sommers and the Quest for Truth (Book 1)
Geneva Sommers and the Secret Legend (Book 2)
Geneva Sommers and the Myth of Lies (Book 3)
Geneva Sommers and the Magic Destiny (Book 4)
Geneva Sommers and the First Fairytales (Prequels)
About the Author
Award-Winning author, C.J. Benjamin, lives in Florida with her husband, and character inspiring pets, where she spends her free time working on her books and speaking to inspire fellow writers.
Her best-selling novel, Geneva Sommers and the Quest for Truth, has won multiple awards and stolen the hearts of YA readers everywhere. Packed with magic and imagination, her epic tale of adventure hooks fans of mega-hit YA fiction like Harry Potter, The Hunger Games and Percy Jackson.
C.J. Benjamin loves to read and write across genres. She also writes YA contemporary romance under the name, Christina Benjamin.
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For more information visit
www.crownatlanticpublishing.com