Colliding Skies
Page 28
A forlorn look flitted across her face. “He loves you, you know. He truly does. It astounds me. Love has not been a factor in our reality for eras.”
I wiped my wet cheeks. “I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye to him.” To tell him how much I loved him.
Her lips curved into a small, sad smile. She got up, went to the bag on the desk and walked back to the bed. “Here,” she said, handing me an envelope. “He left this for you.”
With shaky fingers, I tore open the envelope and read the note Ethan had written on a simple sheet of white copy paper from my printer.
Never forgive me, even if I beg eons. Never forgive me, for I cannot forgive myself. It is my fault you almost died tonight, my fault that your life is now in danger. I can never make that right. My word may not mean much anymore. (I broke my promise, I know.) But I vow to you that I will do everything I can to stop him. Trust only Naomi. She will keep you safe. You are and will always be the celestial sphere of my universe. However many light years separate us, I will love you infinitely.
Yours,
E
I folded the letter and laid it on the bed while fresh tears flooded my eyes. Ethan had been right. It wasn’t wise to chase a starlight. No matter how close he’d appeared to be, he’d always been moving away.
“Get some rest. I will come back tomorrow once your parents are asleep and do another treatment.” At the sound of Naomi’s voice, my eyes snapped open. I hadn’t realized I’d been sobbing through closed lids.
I said nothing and stared at the folded piece of paper on my bed. Numbness spread through my body and mind. Maybe Naomi’s supercharged pain killers were taking a toll. I doubted, however, that anything in her bag of hyper-advanced treatments could fix what really ailed me.
She removed the pillow from my back and helped me lay down on the bed. “I will get you an exact copy of your dress in a few days since a burnt prom dress would look rather odd hanging in your closet. You are also going to have to hide the burn wounds, at least until they heal. I know the broken ribs are painful. Just try not to move too much. If everything goes according to my prognosis, you will make a full recovery within a couple of days and your parents will be none the wiser.”
But Naomi’s prognosis didn’t take into account the chasm that had formed in my heart. With my body as heavy and as stiff as a corpse, I watched as she crossed the room toward my curtains, and turned to me. “I will check up on you throughout the day. Sleep now, Skye. Everything will be fine.” She slipped out the window without a sound, just as Ethan had always done.
Alone, I cried, my pillow muffling my sobs, until I was completely drained of tears and emotion. Exhausted, my body sunk into the bed. My lids fluttered until they fell closed. I begged for sleep to wash over me. To fall into unconsciousness and forget the painful reality, if only for a few hours. Maybe when I woke up, I’d find that it had all been a bad dream and Ethan would be sitting on the edge of my bed. Then I remembered, and my eyes jerked open. The dreams. The strange connection to my subconscious Ethan and I had. I’d managed to pull him before—the real him. What if I could do it again, even if I’d never understood how I’d done it? Who knew how many miles away Ethan was, but he was still on Earth. If it worked, that meant not only could I see him again, I could help him bring Cedron down. I could find a way to protect him and my family. Determined, I shut my eyes and breathed in deep, trying to relax. My head swam with the excitement and hope at the possibility. After what seemed like hours, exhaustion took over and my body grew limp. Deeper and deeper I sank, with the hope that on the other side of oblivion I would find Ethan. Together, we could make this right, and nothing, not light years or cosmic war, would come between us.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Whoever said it takes a village to write a book wasn’t kidding. The journey to Colliding Skies was long and bumpy. But from the start, I was fortunate to have some amazing support at every twist and turn of the road.
First, to my husband. Thank you for filling the pages of my story with love, laughter, and adventure. Our story is my favorite love story of all.
To my parents and my abuelitos, for encouraging me to chase my dreams, even if they took me to the other side of the world. Thank you for your unconditional and endless love.
To Vivi, for enduring pages and pages of rough drafts and endless revisions while I figured out what it took to write a novel. Some friendships are timeless. Some sisters are sisters by heart.
Thank you to Renee Price, Amy Mills, and Melissa Albert, my incredible CP’s and talented authors in their own right, for believing in Skye and Ethan even during the moments that I didn’t. You were always there cheering me on, whether I needed a brainstorming session or a shoulder to cry on. Colliding Skies wouldn’t be what it is today without your invaluable feedback, encouraging words, and funny comments.
To my friends, Sam and Bailey, thank you for being my guinea pigs—I mean, my first readers—and suffering through some pretty rough drafts. Without your initial encouragement, I wouldn’t be here. (Don’t worry Sam, I haven’t forgotten about the car.)
Finally, thank you to Olivia Watkins for sprinkling her magical editor fairy dust on Colliding Skies until it shined. And to amazing my publisher, Ben Alderson, for believing in Skye and Ethan, and in me.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS