PANDORA

by Rebecca Hamilton

  ***

  Two days later, with the rush of everything still fresh in my mind, I sprinkled my mother’s ashes off the bridge in Chicago where I had lost my dad. He was down there somewhere, and now, at least they could be together again. It was where she belonged, where she would have been happy.

  I had made the trip with Owen and Casper. It was amazing how much leeway Echo and the crew at Weathersby gave me now that they thought I wasn’t the Bloodmoon. Or maybe they felt bad because of all that I had been through. Either way, for the first time since I could remember, I could ride the open road without worrying that someone was following me.

  We were halfway through Tennessee, along some farming town named White House (which reminded me so strongly of Crestview that I winced a little) when Owen pulled onto a back road. Casper was asleep, as was his nature, or else he would have probably asked what was going on. I was glad for that, at least. This was going to be hard enough without having to explain it to him beforehand.

  When I shook him awake, we were pulled over alongside a dirt road. There was nothing on either side of us except empty barren fields. Corn would have been there if it were a different time of year, stretching up toward the heavens. But right now, it was just vacant space.

  In front of us, a cherry red Dodge Dakota sat. The keys were in the ignition and there was a bow on the top.

  “What’s going on?” Casper asked, getting out of the car to join Owen and me.

  “It’s yours,” I said flatly.

  “Mine? You’re giving me a truck?” He asked, looking it over. He walked over to the truck and opened the door. Inside, was a suitcase full of clothes and a duffle bag full of money. Sitting beside them, splayed out so that he could see, was a driver’s license and social security card. “You’re giving me a truck full of crap to start a new life with?” His tone was anything but playful. He slammed the door and turned back to me, his teeth gritted and his eyes fierce. “What the hell is this?”

  “Owen, could you give us a minute?” I asked. Owen nodded and went back to the car.

  Once we were alone, I continued. “It’s the only way, Cass. This-this isn’t the place for you. You’re a good person, and you could live a good life.”

  “This crap again?!” He yelled. “How many times do we have to go through this Cress? I want to be here. I do. I don’t-I’m not gonna leave you, not ever. Why can’t you understand that?”

  He kicked at the dirt. Casper wasn’t the type to get mad, but I was pushing his buttons.

  “Things aren’t like before, Casper,” I said, walking toward him. A breeze caught his hair, and sent it flying in flame colored curls.

  “No. They’re not!” He said. “Your mom is dead; really honest to God dead. She’s not coming back. That means us, me and you-We’re all we’ve got”

  “That’s exactly why I’ve got to do this,” I said. Tears ran wet down my face. “You’re the only family I have left. You’re the only piece of who I was, who I am, that’s survived this whole thing. If anything ever happened to you, I’d die.”

  Another thought entered my mind, a darker one. If anything ever happened to Casper, that might just be enough to send me over the edge, to nudge me into becoming the awful thing the prophecies talked about, the awful thing that I know knew for a fact was meant to describe me.

  “So you won’t let anything happen to me,” Casper suggested. “You’re a badass superhero now, in case you hadn’t noticed. Besides, you think I’d fare any better if something happened to you? And that’s exactly what I’d be thinking, Cresta. I’d be driving this fancy truck, thinking my best friend in the world was dead in a ditch somewhere.”

  Now he was crying too.

  “It doesn’t matter,” he sniffed. “The scary part is over. We won,Cress.”

  “I killed my dad,” I said in a low voice.

  His face twisted confusedly.

  “I did,” I said. “My mom, my moms , hid the truth from me. But I was the one driving. It was my fault. He died because of me.”

  “I’m sorry. Cress,” he said, and walked toward me.

  “No, you don’t get it!” I yelled. Casper stopped in his tracks. “I killed my dad. I killed somebody! I’m the Bloodmoon!”

  “No,” Casper shook his head. “That’s not right. That’s not what that meant. You didn’t mean to hurt your dad. It’s not . . . It’s not . . . Is it?”

  I didn’t answer. Casper rushed me, scooping me into his arms. They were safe and familiar and, if I not for what I had to do, they might have actually made me feel better.

  “Come on. Let’s go,” he whispered. “We’ll get in this truck, and we’ll drive until they can’t find us.”

  “They’d find us, Casper. We had a seer with us and they tracked us down in a day.”

  “Then what are we gonna do? I’m not gonna let those bastards hurt you!”

  “They won’t,” I pulled away. “They don’t even know. Nobody knows, and that’s how it’s going to stay.”

  “What about Echo. That dude’ll dig the truth out of you. You can’t lie to him,” Casper answered.

  “Owen thinks that, since I can manipulate the shade, I’ll be able to fake him out.”

  “Owen?” Casper asked, looking back toward the car. “You told Owen?”

  “Of course I did,” I answered.

  “Dammit Cresta! You know who he is. You know what he is! He’s the dragon. You can’t trust him, especially not now.” Casper’s hands went to his hair nervously.

  “I do trust him, Cass. He won’t hurt me.”

  “Well, forgive me if I don’t have your eternal optimism, but I don’t want to see him standing over a body bag with you in it!” He started to pace. “No! I will not leave you. I don’t care what you say. I don’t care what you want. If you won’t leave, then I’m not leaving either.”

  “I knew you would say that, Cass” I leaned up and gently kissed his cheek. “That’s why I’m not giving you a choice.” I turned to Owen. “Now. Do it now.”

  What?” Casper seemed shaken, but he was quick to pick up on what was going on. “You’re gonna make your boyfriend mindwipe me?” He shook his head. “Cresta, no. Don’t do this.”

  Owen neared and Casper’s voice took a turn for the frantic. “Cresta, please don’t do this to me! You said I was your family. Don’t take me away from you. Cress . . . ”

  I didn’t answer.

  “What am I gonna do without you?” He asked.

  “That’s the pojnt,” I said, with my back still turned to him. “Anything you want. You can live a normal life. You can finally have everything you deserve.”

  “I just want you,” he said

  When he yearns for you, don’t turn him away.

  I shook my head. I couldn’t think about that now. This had to happen.

  “Cars drive on roads,” he told me. “Cars drive on roads!”

  I turned back to him.

  “Where are my hands Casper?”

  A slow heartbroken smile spread across his face. “Hands in pockets,” he said.

  “Hands in pockets,” I repeated.

  Somehow, that seemed to settle him. He looked to the ground, gathered himself, and looked back at me. “Will I remember anything about you?” He asked, tears making his green eyes shine.

  “God, I hope so,” I said, crying as fiercely as I ever had.

  Owen was in front of him now, his blue eyes drilling into Casper’s.

  “If you hurt her,” he started through clenched teeth.

  “I love her,” Owen said. “More than I ever imagined was possible. There’s nothing in this, or any future that could make me do anything but love her. As a Breaker, as a friend, I promise you.”

  Casper looked back at me. “Cress . . . ” He said, but that was all. There were no proclamations, no goodbyes; nothing except those green eyes that had become as familiar to me as my own. And they were all I needed.

  “I know,” I reassured him. Because nothing we could ever say cou
ld encompass even a piece of what we were feeling. “I know.”

  I couldn’t watch as Owen did it. I couldn’t bear to see Casper’s face drain of any knowledge of me, and there was no way I could have watched him look at me as though I was a stranger. I waited in the car. When Owen was finished, and we were driving away, I watched my best friend in the whole world stumble confused in my rearview window. It would be difficult for him, but he’d be okay. And maybe that was enough. Still, there was a piece of me that hurt, and a bigger piece of me that wondered what on Earth cars would drive on now.

  “You did the right thing,” Owen said, as Casper faded out of view.

  “I know,” I said, but there were still tears in my eyes. “It’s just gonna take some time.”

  “About what he said back there,” Owen started, pursing his lips. “Everything happened so fast, and we never really got a chance to talk about it. But I would never hurt you. Nothing, nothing in heaven or hell could change that. I swear. I don’t care what some prophecy says.”

  He looked at me, fire lighting his blue eyes.

  “And don’t you ever start believing that garbage about you. You’re the best person I’ve ever known. You’re the love of my life. You’re the reason I’m even still alive. And you’re going to do great things; great things.”

  He reached across my lap and took my hand.

  “Forget the Bloodmoon and the dragon. We’re Owen and Cresta, and that’s a hell of a lot more impressive.”

  I leaned in, and kissed him. He was right, of course he was. Still, there was a voice in my head that repeated Wendy’s words.

  There is but one path, Cresta Karr.

  “What do we do now,” I asked, squeezing his hand.

  “When I was a kid, back when they thought I was going to die, my mom used to beg the Council of Masons for a way to stop it. She’d beat the ground and ask for prayers or blessings, anything that would help. But they never did anything. They kept calling me a fixed point. And they said that ‘One could sooner cut a star from the sky than change a fixed point.’ But I did, Cresta. I changed it. My mom changed it. So, we’ll do what I did all those years ago. We’ll do what my mom told me to do.”

  He turned to me, a smile as loving as a kiss but as unyielding as steel graced his face.

  “We’ll lie to the stars.”

  The End

  Author’s Note

  Thanks for checking out THE BREAKER’S CODE; the first book in the FIXED POINTS series. Be sure to check out the upcoming installments, available soon, and get in touch with me. Can’t wait to hear from you!

  http://conner-kressley-books.tumblr.com

  Upcoming Books

  The Breaker’s Promise: Book 2 in the Fixed Points Series

  The Breaker’s Ultimatum: Book 3 in the Fixed Points Series

  Shade

  by

  Kelly Anne Blount

  Chapter One

  Abriana

  Blood dripped down my forehead and blurred my vision. I swallowed hard as I wiped it out of my eyes and on to my tattered dress. Trying to control my breathing, I focused on the dark alley head of me. I knew he was out there, but I didn’t know where.

  The hair stood up on the back of my neck as I pressed my body against a cool brick wall. How did this go so wrong? A door slamming caused my heart to take off like a cheetah chasing a gazelle. I crouched down and frantically looked for a makeshift weapon. Finally, my hands came across a broken metal pipe. I picked it up and clutched it to my chest.

  With my fingers trembling, I took a step into the deserted alleyway. Trying to stay close to the wall, I sprinted as quietly as possible. A mixture of blood and tears dripped down my forehead as the pavement pounded under my feet. Every inch of my being wanted to scream, but I held it in. Just make it out of this alley! Then you can scream!

  A deep rumbling voice echoed off the walls and sent chills through my core, “You can run, but I’ll always find you, Abriana.”

  I couldn’t tell which direction it originated from and I didn’t stop to find out. Instead, I propelled my legs forward faster than I thought humanly possible. I chanted a one-word mantra the entire time. Survive. Survive. Survive!

  A cool breeze whipped between the buildings and sent shivers down my damp neck. I could see a street in front of me. It was late, but a few people were still out and driving around.

  My chest ached and my lungs felt like they were about to burst into flames at any moment. I sucked in as much air as they would hold and pushed my body’s limits.

  You’re almost there! Just a few more feet!

  Without warning, I felt fingernails dig into my shoulder and pull my body backward. The change in momentum caused me to fall flat on my back, knocking the air out of my lungs in the process.

  A metallic taste in my mouth and an ache in the back of my head were the last things I remembered before everything went black . . .

  ***

  I awoke to a strange noise followed by, “Tsk, tsk, tsk.”

  I tried to open my eyes, but panicked when I saw nothing but darkness. Goose bumps instantly covered my arms. Why can’t I see? Where am I? I wiggled back and forth, bumping into a low ceiling and carpeted walls.

  “You shouldn’t have run away from me,” came the nefarious voice belonging to the man in the dark alleyway. He gave a wicked laugh. “You know who I am and you know what I look like. The blindfold is so you don’t know where we’re going.”

  My lips began to tremble and my eyes filled with tears, but I forced them to stay at bay. Struggling, I tried to bring my hands to my face, but couldn’t. My wrists burned as a rope rubbed against my skin.

  He let out another laugh that left me chilled to the core. “I can’t risk you trying to run away again, now, can I?”

  Fear quaked through my body and a cold sinking feeling spread through my core. “Why are you doing this to me?”

  The corners of his lips turned up into a wicked smile. “Because I love you.”

  The hair on the back of my neck stood up. Is this guy insane?

  “In fact, I love you very much,” he said with a grin.

  Unable to keep the look of shock off of my face, I lowered my head. “No you don’t,” I said quietly. “You don’t even—”

  Before I could finish, his ice-cold hands were around my throat and pressing on my windpipe. “Yes, I do and if you ever question me again, I will punish you.” He paused and tightened his grip. “Do you understand?”

  Unable to breathe or speak, I nodded.

  His voice felt thick in the darkness. “Now, that’s a good girl.”

  He released his hold on my throat. “Bye for now, my love.”

  I cringed as I felt his cold lips brush against my cheek. Then, without another word, he slammed the trunk shut and tapped on it three times before walking away.

  My stomach clenched as a wave of nausea passed through me. I swallowed and forced the bile back down as hot tears stung my eyes and rolled down my cheeks.

  Chapter Two

  Abriana

  Each bump we went over jolted my body uncomfortably in the confined space of the trunk. My head ached as I tried counting to judge how far we had gone, but lost count somewhere after seven hundred.

  I analyzed everything I knew about the man who kidnapped me. He went by the name Easton Pierce; at least, that’s what he went by online. His sandy blond hair and mesmerizing gray eyes immediately caught my attention and refused to let go. He went to school for business or marketing or something like that at the University of Wisconsin. He grew up in a small town in Minnesota and came from a big Irish Catholic family. His sisters were all married and each had between two and four children. His mother and father were happily retired in a condominium community just outside of Minneapolis. Is his name really Easton? Does he go to school at UW-Madison? Was everything a lie?

  Questions continued to race through my mind until the car came to an abrupt stop. I pushed my legs against the side of the car for support. Co
cking my head, I heard the familiar click of the small door hiding the gas tank.

  I debated screaming for help, but I bit my lip in fear of the consequences. As the seconds passed by agonizingly slow, the darkness surrounding me started to suffocate me. This could be my only chance. Deciding to go for it, I began to kick the truck and yelled at the top of my lungs, “HELP! HELP ME! HELP! He kidnapped me! PLEASE! Anyone! I’m in the trunk! Please! HELP ME!”

  Easton banged on the trunk and mumbled a slew of curse words. A moment later, a car door slammed and the tires squealed. My body violently rolled into the back of the trunk, then rolled forward, and backward again.

  Did someone hear me? Will someone call 911? I held my breath and waited to hear police sirens. After several sharp turns and the sound of gravel underneath the tires, the car came to a stop. Easton got out of the car and opened the trunk.

  “I should have known better, Abriana,” he fumed. “I trusted you, but now I see that I can’t.”

  The sound of tape unrolling and being ripped off by teeth made me cringe.

  “This should help,” he muttered as he placed the sticky covering over my mouth.

  “Mmmmm! Mmmmmm!” my muffled screams were no louder than my great aunt humming her favorite hymns from church.

  “That’s better,” he said before shutting the trunk and enveloping me in further darkness.

  ***

  “Wake up,” said a gruff voice.

  “Mmmm?” I responded groggily. What? Where am I? What’s happening?

  I felt a hand grab my shoulder and pull me to an upright position. “We’re stopping for the night.”

  The reality of the past few hours hit me like a brick. “Mmmm! Mmmmmm!”

  He gave a cruel laugh and ripped the tape off my mouth.

  A hot flash of pain spread across my face where the tape had been and a cry escaped my lips.

  “No one is going to hear you scream out here,” he snarled.

  My blood turned ice cold and my hands began to shake. “Please,” I pleaded. “Just take me home. I won’t tell anyone you took me. I’ll keep it a secret. I promise!”