Break Away (Away, Book 1)

by Tatiana Vila

  I nodded. “I just…took a long nap, I guess. I don't know what happened.” The only one I could talk to about what had really happened was Comus. I didn't even know what to think of it.

  “You don't have to explain anything, just…please, stay awake.”

  I smiled. I knew this commotion would wear off with the days, just as I knew our relationship would turn all weird and uncomfortable again. But in that moment, in the midst of relief and joy, everything felt okay between us, and I was glad I had him here.

  His cell phone rang. He fished it out of the pocket of his jeans and answered. “Hello?” A moment of silence passed. “What?” he said, his eyes widening. Then, he turned to look at me and said, “Buffy. She's awake, too.”

  My stomach dropped. “She's—she's what?” I didn't wait for an answer and snatched his cell phone. “Hello?” I pressed it to my ear.

  “Dafne? Oh my God, honey, I'm so glad to hear your voice,” Gran said with sheer delight and tears edging her voice. “A star must be shining over us today. How are you feeling? Are you okay?”

  “I'm—I'm fine, Gran. Just a bit drowsy, but, uh, is Buffy…” I left the words hanging in the air, anxiousness and hope suffusing it.

  “Oh, yes, honey,” she said, blowing out a big gulp of air, as if releasing all the tension and fear that'd been haunting her. “Buffy is back. She's really here, just like you.”

  Tears of joy welled up in my eyes. “How…” And then confusion hit me, fusing in a mighty storm with the happiness swirling within me.

  “It's a miracle. You're both miracles,” she said, with a grin in her voice.

  Miracle. Was it really? Doubt and suspicion rumbled around in my head, clashing with the bright and warm feelings that wrapped my heart. Maybe it was a coincidence—me dreaming of being in Chimera, finding Buffy in the Garden of Wandering Souls and asking her to come back. A deep line appeared between my eyebrows. Again, that little voice deep inside me made its presence known and said it was too much of a big coincidence to be pure and simple luck.

  “Can I talk to her?” I asked quietly.

  I heard a sigh. “I'm sorry, Dafne. She just barely woke up a couple of minutes ago and she doesn't know what happened to you, or her. Let me talk to her first and I'll call you later, okay? Just give her some time.”

  My shoulders sagged in disappointment. “You're right, Gran. You're right.”

  “I love you, Dafne.”

  “I love you, too, Gran,” I said back, a sense of déjà-vu brushing my mind.

  “Oh!” She said before hanging up. “Please tell Ian it’s time for him to come over here. Buffy will need him.” A pang of remorse bit my chest. “Aunt Morgan is on her way over there.”

  Aunt Morgan. “Sure. I'll tell him.” The line went dead. I handed him the cell phone and dropped my gaze, wanting to avoid those chips of bright emerald. “Gran says Buffy needs you, that Aunt Morgan will come to replace you,” I said.

  “Yeah…of course,” he said, though he didn't sound so sure.

  The room went dead silent, each one of us contemplating our situation. Now that Buffy was awake, everything changed. The full weight of what we'd done in the library at Comus’ house packed our conscious with profound guilt. I told myself the terrible circumstances that'd been surrounding us had weakened our spirits and pushed us to seek a comfort, but that pain in the ass little voice emerged and told me something different. Something I didn't even want to consider.

  “Dafne…”

  “Don't,” I shook my head and finally looked at him. “Nothing happened, okay? Nothing,” I repeated to emphasize—no, actually to brand in his brain that this was an off-limits discussion.

  Even if he didn't seem to like my words and didn't agree with my unspoken terms, he let it go for the time, handing me a silent victory.

  “I'll just wait for your aunt to come and I'll leave,” he stated sharply, the hard set of his mouth telling me there was no other option than this.

  The young nurse chose that moment to slide inside the room to check on me. “How are the lovebirds doing?” she asked us with a secret smile. Ian cleared his throat. “Is the boyfriend happy that her sleeping princess has awakened?” she asked him now with a grin and looked at me. “The doctor will be coming soon, okay?” she informed me, touching my arm gently, and turned to leave.

  I threw Ian a chastising look.

  He glanced at me under his long lashes and shrugged. “I had to tell them I was your boyfriend so I could stay with you,” he said, a faint blush coloring his cheeks.

  Jesus, I thought. Something told me this thing with him was going to be awkward as hell.

  Ian kept his word and left as soon as Aunt Morgan arrived. Places now traded, she settled her work station on the small coffee table between the two upholstered chairs and began grading papers. Really, even in the face of tragedy—or medical miracles, you name it—she couldn't stop working. I wondered if there was something like Workaholics Anonymous.

  I felt grateful, though, for her distraction, because seeing a copy of Mom wasn't easy on the heart, especially after I'd seen her in a dream where I'd decided to leave her. And besides Comus, I didn't want to talk about what I'd “seen” while I'd fallen into a coma. I didn't want to talk about how I felt, because I didn't really know how I felt. I was a mess of happiness, confusion, and…sadness. The last feeling was one I didn't want to ponder on too much.

  I sighed and looked at the colorful flower arrangement that sat on the small table next to me. It screamed Comus all over, with the multicolored roses and strawberry lollipops shooting out of the greenery everywhere, but mostly, the purple envelope with the words “She-fledgling” written on it was what truly stamped it as his. Inside, a cream-colored card explained he was sorry that he couldn't be there with me, that an unexpected business trip to India had unfolded and he had to leave the country for a couple of weeks—on a private jet, for sure. But he finished by saying, with a smiley face, that a very important talk awaited us in the future.

  Yes it does, I thought. Even if Buffy and I had returned, there were still a lot of people in coma. People who had families waiting for them to open their eyes again, feeding on hope each day. If what I'd done had been real, if anything that'd happened had been real, then I had to find a way to bring everyone back. And Comus was the key.

  I plucked out a lollipop from the arrangement and unwrapped it. The noise of the paper must've distracted Aunt Morgan, because she stopped grading and stood up. She reached my side and said, “I forgot, I have something for you.” She stretched out her hand and gave me an envelope—a white one. “It came to the house yesterday.”

  “Thanks,” I said, inspecting both sides. I wasn't expecting mail.

  I opened it with a frown and unfurled the letter.

  Dear Ms. Cadwell,

  I am delighted to inform you that the Committee on Admissions has voted to offer you a place at the Aremihc Institute of Arts. Please find enclosed a certificate of admission. Our faculty—

  I stopped reading and froze. Oh, my God. Was I still dreaming? Was this really happening? I turned to look at Aunt Morgan. She was holding a thick, bright gold paper in her hands that glinted under the light.

  “Is that…”

  She smiled and gave it to me. “Congratulations, Dafne.”

  Oh, my God. I traced my fingers across the shield and embossed letters in a trance, feeling as if I'd been given the golden ticket to go into Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. Only this was better, way better. My dream come true.

  Then I remembered Ian had been admitted into Aremihc, too, and my happiness deflated. Oh, no, I thought. I'm in big trouble.

  This was definitely going to be a crazy year.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Wow. A lot of people deserve my unending gratitude. To Roger Pineiro, for his priceless help and sharp point of view. To Daniel Tyx; you opened my eyes to a whole new creative world and turned me into a better writer because of that. Special thanks to Bob Plunket; w
hat would I've done without your initial assistance? You put me on the right path with the right tools. I will always trust my instincts. Huge thanks to my book doctor, Christie; I'm so glad to have you. You truly rock! A ginormous thank you to Kizuna-chan for such a beautiful image. To all those wonderful book bloggers out there; your words open windows of opportunities for all of us, indie authors. Thank you for the hard work.

  Where would I be without my family? To my brother, Luija; thank you for your companionship and continual support. To my zistas, Heidi and Jessica; you really are the best cheering buddies one could have. A big thank you goes to you both. And Heidi, you must know that most of what I've accomplished couldn't have been done without your help abroad. Thank you. Last but absolutely not least, my parents; you guys don't even bat an eyelash when it comes to me writing books. Your undying trust in me is what truly keeps the wheels going. I love you with capital letters.

  And mostly, thank you, dear reader, for embarking on this journey with me. Hopefully you'll join me on the next one!

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

  When not writing, glued to her husband, Mr. Keyboard, or reading books into oblivion, Tatiana Vila can be found watching tacky reality shows, singing in the shower, eating way too many Wonka candies, and fantasizing about her next book.

  Her motto: let the mind run wild.

  Other titles by Tatiana Vila

  The Ylem (The Ylem trilogy, Book 1)

  Visit her blog at http://tatianavila.blogspot.com