Endeca (The Escapism Series)
Page 20
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The following morning was surreal as the birds chirped happily and the bright sun light enveloped my room. I couldn’t fathom the aftermath in the offline world but I knew at any point, it could all crap out, even online. On this very day for years, the girls came over for breakfast.
“Pancakes, my fave,” Marla sung coming through the patio doors.
“I even made Cal’s gluten free blueberry pancakes,” I smiled, nodding my head in the direction of the coffee pot. “Help yourself.”
“Don’t mind if I do,” she chirped, grabbing a mug. “Have you decided when you’re going to tell Cal about being a diplozoe?”
“You know?” he asked, joining us for breakfast. He shook his head side to side. “Xenia, really. How hard is it to keep a secret?”
“She didn’t tell me. I found out on my own,” Marla snapped cheekily.
Edric grimaced just the same. “Where’s Cal? We’re going to be late.”
“I’ll call Cal. It’s unlike her to miss our special breakfast time, after all, it’s for her birthday,” I said, calling her cyclopod.
It rang until voicemail picked up. “Where are you? Call me.” I shrugged my shoulders.
“I’ll drive,” offered Edric. “I’ll go start the jeep.” Just as Edric took his final sip of coffee, his eyes swirled monumentally. He dropped his mug which shattered against the marble floor.
Marla and I looked at one another warily.
“What is it?” I asked.
“They’re coming…they’re heading for the mansion.”
“The portal for lost fragments?” Marla jumped in.
I’d filled her in some more.
“It’s a portal just the same…and they’re coming through it. The temporary seal was lifted, but I didn’t know they could travel through it.”
Horror ensued soon after.
“Who’s coming?” Marla asked although I already knew. My body became paralyzed with terror.
~
Beep beep…her cyclopod sounded, notifying her of a missed call.
She sprung forward from bed in a cold sweat. Her heart beat faster, her breath was unsteady and her eyes ached. The sparkling green in her eyes intermixed with her ivory white sclera that swirled round and round, widening the pupil before settling once more. She could see the colorful swirl fade away.
“What…the fuck?” she panted erratically.