Breathless (The Breathe Series Book 1)

by Christy Johnson

  “Nora, may I be honest with you?”

  “Ha! Trick question, huh?” I point at him, laughingly but my eyes are filled with ready-to-fall tears.

  “He’s not coming here for you, Nora. I’m sorry but guys are just—egocentric. They will always want you lusting and wanting after them. He’s only coming to enjoy your fall—he’s coming here to make you fall for him all over again and then once you’ve fallen, he will let you hit the ground. He knows you’ll be alright because you’ve felt the ground before.” My mind flashes back to the 23 pills I took because of him, to the hallucinations of that girl who appeared in my room. “You cannot trust that he still loves you because you still love him. The best thing is to just let him go.” His words poetic. I feel my gaze soften. “You deserve so much more, Nora.” That was the last thing I had heard. I was too in tune with his mouth twisting and turning to make beautiful words. His mouth flashing all of its perfect imperfections, his chipped tooth was even perfect! I sit there gazing into him and enjoying his company.

  “Nora?” I jump.

  “I’m listening.” I try to play it cool like I wasn’t just thinking about how delicious his lips probably tasted. I look up at him from under my brow as if to say, “Go on,” so seductively.

  He grins. “Nora, I’m serious. You should rethink who you give your heart to. This guy should not be a factor in your life. I think more than ever you should concentrate on your training and login. And don’t worry about that either, my father has his connections. I can get him to talk to the Master Sudan if you want me to.”

  “Would you really?”

  “I will!” He grins and gives off that, “You bet!” look. Without warning, I pounce on him and smother him with hugs of gratefulness. “Whoa!” He exclaims through soft laughs, tucking his hands around my waist.

  “I’m sorry.” I pull away from him, embarrassed.

  “It’s okay. Just a warning next time.” He chuckles.

  “Okay.” I whisper and bite my lip. “Oh! Could you please put in a good word for Mairi too? She shouldn’t be kicked out of the academy because of me.” I lower my head.

  “I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Thank you so much.” I sigh and look off into the distance. The air chilled now, the sun setting over the crescent edge of Jeshyria burning into the top of the black leaves and orange-red branches. I see the other 6 planets resting in place in the sky behind the sun. I squint to protect my pupils from the beaming sun. “You know? I’ve been doing a lot of thinking.”

  “What have you been thinking?”

  “Why are we training to fight? I mean, what are we fighting for? What or who’s coming that we must be prepared for?”

  He shrugs. “I don’t know, Nor.” He looks off into the distance with me. “I don’t know.”

  *****

  DEVIN

  “Dad! Dad? Where are you?” Devin puts his keys down on the marbled countertop in the kitchen of his dad’s home.

  “Yea, son? I’m in the office.”

  He follows his father’s voice into the office. His father’s sitting in front of the computer with his glasses down to the tip of his nose. His eyes moving from left to right as he reads the document on the projected screen. One sudden head tilt and his glasses would slide clean off his face. Devin knew his father didn’t like to be disturbed while he was working but he needed to inform him of the news he had just discovered.

  “Hey.”

  “What is it, son? I am working.” ‘His dad says nastily.

  “I found her—well, I think I found her, dad.”

  “Oh really?” He looks up from his work. “How do you figure you have?”

  “She should have died in that car accident she was in but she didn’t. Only the chosen one can possess that type power. The true chosen one.”

  “Don’t be a fool. If she was a chosen, she would know it.”

  “Unless she doesn’t. I mean who would tell her that she is? Her father’s dead and her mother is doing everything in her power to protect her.”

  “Point taken.” His eyes flash back to the screen. “Her name?”

  “Hm?”

  “What is the girl’s name, Devin?” He rolls his eyes.

  “Nora. Nora Jacobs.” Devin smiles at the sound of her name rolling off the tip of his tongue.

  “Are you crazy!?” His father stands and walk over to him. “You are not to fall for her, Devin! Well, not anyway. She must think you love her—not you actually loving her. We can’t risk anything. This must go perfectly! We can’t have any mishaps if she is the chosen one. Not like the last times, anyway. She is the last of her kind left! But yes, that is the name of the Chosen Colleen warned me about.”

  “Where is mom anyway?”

  “See what more you can find out about this Nora Jacobs.” He says, ignoring Devin just as he always has. “She isn’t like the past ones. We got their names and identity—we never got hers. Well, not from the Creator anyway so how can we be sure that this is really her?” He balls his fist up, frustrated.

  “Well, apparently, this chosen is the most difficult one to take over. We were told that, dad, when we spoke with the Creator. He assured us, remember?”

  “I do, son. We just need more information on her. Dig deeper, eh?”

  “Okay, but if she is the chosen, there is one simple glitch we must take care of?”

  “What’s that?”

  “Riley.” He lowers his head. “She’s in love with him–”

  “Well get rid of him!” He interjects. “Or the plan will never work.”

  “Yes sir.” Devin turns to walk out of the room.

  “And son?”

  “Yes, father?”

  “Control your anger with this one.” His dad walks back over to his desk and takes a seat in front of the screen again. Devin rolls his eyes and exits the office.

  “We are who you are fighting, sweet Nora.” Devin whispers to himself as he heads out of the door.

  10 the creator

  LUKE – The Past Life

  “None of them have worked!” He shouts to the sky, flustered by the Creator’s betrayal. His fists pound into Vaurus. “Creator!” He screams, “Where are you!?” His voice stretches thin.

  The sky bleeds purple – the clouds part allowing the Creator to shine down through to planet Vaurus.

  “Luke, you failed again, I see.” The Creator examines the stubby man, sizing him up. Luke’s jaws tremble with antagonism, his brown eyes widen by the Creator’s appearance. He runs his hands through his beady hair and proceeds to his ferocious bellowing.

  “You lied to me!” He screeches, “You lied to us!” His attention drifts over to Devin. “How are we not able to get any Chosen? Rose? Kinsley? Stephanie? Kailey? And now, Mason?”

  The Creator chuckles, “I lie not. Those aren’t the true chosen. Chosen? Yes, but the ultimate one, no. They do not or will not possess the power you seek.”

  “Then who will!?” Luke stands to face him, bold, yet fearful.

  “Silence!” The Creator knocks Luke back down to his knees. “You will not face me as equal. You are my subordinate.” He teases. Luke gleams with hatred, looking up to him from under his brow.

  “Just tell me who’s next.” Luke begs the Creator cautiously. His brown eyes cornering him.

  “I will not tell you who she is but I will tell you that she will possess two marks, one shamefully and the other, possessively. You will know once you have found the key. Only when, the key is complete, will she become the true chosen. She will possess many powers, none of which you will retrieve. Everyone on this new planet will possess a mark or two. It is up to you to find her.”

  “Then how will we become the most powerful if we can’t take her power?” Luke asks greedily.

  “You must consummate a marriage with her once you find her. A powerful child must be born.” The answer simple.

  Luke glances at Devin. “Who shall?”

  “Your son.”

  “Wel
l, could you give us a hint? Of who she is, I mean.”

  He chuckles, “I will only say, she is one you have overlooked on every planet before this one.” He points to the sky, acknowledging Jeshyria before vanishing.

  Luke stands to his feet cursing the Creator, “How dare he make me submit to him?” His voice stagnant.

  “What are we supposed to do this time, dad? Jeshyria is the last planet left.” Devin says humbly as if he hadn’t destroyed the rest. “If this one is destroyed, all human kind would be extinct.” Luke studies him with regret.

  “You are the key once again, son.” Luke comes in closer to Devin’s throat, sulking in more regret for him as his son. He jolts out a knife and holds it to his jugular, “If you screw this up for me again, I will kill you.” Devin gulps in sorrow that his father hated him.

  He jerks away from his father, “I will do this the right way this time, father.” His face sinks in, rolling his eyes, he scampers off from him.

  The door slides closed behind Devin as he enters his home. He admires the trimmings of the ceiling, the roundness of the rooms. His home was remarkable and built with such pride and obedience to him. The walls bleed red as the gold, circular pictures hanging burns through Devin’s eyes. He liked it here – no, he loved it here. He drops his head and sighs. It was time to travel to the last planet.

  His eyes water as he realizes his past lives never lasted long on any of the planets. He never made love to someone or married them, had children or grandchildren; instead, he wasted his past six lives on the last six planets chasing power that would never be his. His time wasted through each realm and dimension trying to win his father’s love by pleasing him.

  He pounds his first into the rock hard, white table, tears streaking down his cheeks. The pang in his heart expands as he tries to remember what love even is.

  “Let it go, son.” Luke steps in behind him, reaching out to touch his shoulder.

  “No, dad!” He pulls back away from him. “You – you get to live full lives, have me and die happy. I don’t get that.” Devin’s face scrounges as he weeps to his father.

  “Ah, son.” Luke lowers his head in shame, not realizing the pain he has caused him. Devin sits in the bar chair behind him, covering his face. “I’m sorry, Devin.” His father comes in closer to comfort him.

  “Why isn’t our power enough for you?” His coherent, amber eyes fill with fluid. He redeems Luke another look; his face chubby, nose pushed inward, and his eyes brown and sober.

  “We have to rule, Devin. We have to have the ultimate power for our own sakes.”

  “Tsk! What horrible thing have you done for you to want so much power?” Luke looks down to the left. Guilt boils in the pit of his stomach.

  “We need this, son!” He lowers down to his knees, begging Devin to do this for his “papa.” Devin hesitates to respond – he looks away, contemplating his escape from his grasp. He longed for love, children, survival. “Devin, please!” He pleads him once more.

  “I’m sorry, father,” He rises from his chair, “but I can’t do this anymore. I’m worth more than this. These girls are worth more than this.” Devin looks away from his father. Luke bats his eyes, masking the tears ready to fall.

  “No – I’m sorry son.”

  “Oomph!” Devin exclaims as his father comes down hard on him, knocking him out onto the floor.

  “I’m sorry, son.” He sobs with regret but his yearn for more power burned bottomless love in his heart. Luke lifts his hands, summoning the Creator back. “We are ready.”

  The Creator shines his way through to the home of the Millers, making his appearance relevant. “It’s time.”

  The sky blackens, the ground becomes frostbitten, cold and bitter to touch. The yellow trees die – beckoning the color of radiant purple. The leaves fall, the flowers lean closer to the ground giving their last breath of hope for life and sufficiency. Luke’s eyes close more as he lies himself down by his betrayed son. He hugs him once more – “I am sorry, my son.” The walls decay, the gold pictures rust, and the hardened table withers with time passing. Death creeps its way into the souls of Devin and his father. Planet Jeshyria opens its bounds, welcoming its new vessels into the world.

  11 death vision

  THE PAST 1.4

  “Tell me why you’re here, Miss Jacobs.” Dr. Kimball sits across from me with his legs crossed.

  “Mom sent me.” I mumble, not looking up at him, fiddling with the ripped hole in my baggy cargo pants.

  “There’s something more, isn’t there?”

  I sigh, lying back onto the leather couch. It scrunches as I shift to make myself more comfortable. My hair feathers out to either sides of my face. I close my eyes, still sighing. Dr. Kimball’s words seep into my ears, pirouetting around in my mind.

  “Why did she send you?” He asks once more. My eyes unclench.

  “My heart's broken.” My brown irises remain glued to the ceiling, deducing it.

  “Who broke your heart?” His eyes dash over above me, wanting to dig deeper into my psyche. “I need you to tell me.” I look past him, back to the ceiling.

  “Riley.” I flutter my eyelids, masking the tears.

  He hands me a box of tissues, “It’s okay to cry.” I take one tissue from the box but never really using it. I clear my throat and lift myself up from the leather couch, slumping back down into it to face him again.

  “It’s not okay.”

  “Why are you hurt? What did he do to you?” His hairs greying more in his beard than last time. He studies me with bulging hazel eyes. He wipes his mustache and beard, waiting for my answer.

  “There’s this girl—Lyla. Someone who’s much better than me. She’s prettier, slimmer, outgoing—she possesses things that I don’t. Obviously.” I frown, leering down to my hands, picking at the skin hanging from the tip of my cuticles. “And I know this because he chose her over me.” My voice shakes.

  “You are good enough, Nora. Maybe he’s the one who can’t see that.”

  “But the problem is that he doesn’t see that.” I grapple with the thought of his demise.

  “Why do you need him, Nora?” The question blunt. It penetrates through the air, misting over me. Why do you need him, Nora? I quiver.

  “The first day I met him, I knew then, I needed him. It was like a piece of me was reattached and I felt whole. I’m incomplete without him, you see?” I look up to him, displaying my anguish.

  “I don’t understand. Why did your mother send you?” He’s asked me that same question for weeks now and even I’m not stupid enough to tell him the real reason, to tell him that I have been seeing people that aren’t really there and that I’m mixing my dreams with reality. I look around the room wondering if I am really here. “I know what you’re wondering,” He continues.

  “And what’s that?” I snap, gaping at him.

  He pauses, walks over to his coffee machine to administer a cup. He slurps from the mug, filling his mouth with the hot substance. “Ah, that’s better.” He turns back to me, staring. “You’re wondering if you’re really here.”

  “What are you talking about?” I squint, pretending he was wrong.

  “Give it up. I know why you’re here.” He walks back over to his chair and sits in it. He slides his face in closer to mine. “Your mom told me everything so why don’t you stop wasting my time and tell me what you are really doing here.” His breath escapes his mouth and retreats into the inner part of my nostrils, relishing in my body. I glare at him squarely. His teeth clenched together, saliva swinging through the thin lines between each tooth as he hisses at me. The sallow plaque stains his teeth with each sip of coffee he takes in.

  I lean back on the couch and smirk at his snarls. “Hm, I told you.” Lifting one brow, I ignore his ignorance.

  He takes one last sip of coffee. “I thought you would say.” He grunts while getting up out of his chair and walking over to his desk. “Let’s try an activity, hm?”

  “What acti
vity?”

  “Oh, just something to jog your brain a little.” He sneers. His demeanor sends chills down my spine.

  “I—I think our session is about over, Greg.” I say.

  “It’s okay. It’ll only take a minute.” He comes back over to his chair with a Rose Pyrrptase—a gem necklace.

  “What’s that?”

  “This is just a small exercise of hypnosis. With your consent, we can dig around in your subconscious. So, what do you say?”

  Uneasy, I stand. “I have to go. I’ll see you next week.” I rub the palm of hands against my tattered pants.

  He holds his hand up to my face, “Somnum.” And I drop back down onto the black leather couch. Just sleep. I hear while drifting off to my subconscious. Greg pricks my arm with serum, allowing my subconscious thoughts to play out in front of him where he could see everything.

  *****

  My bare feet sweep against the grain of the brownstone hard wood floor. “He—hello?” I whisper. The room is dark, not even a glisten of light shines through. “Hello? Is anyone there?” I whisper louder. “Please?” I feel the burn of my tears on my cheeks. Where am I? The maddening leather couch was not behind me anymore, Greg was no longer sneering in my face and my clothes were different. What happened?

  “Nora?” Someone whispers in the darkness.

  “Who’s there?” Fear chokes me.

  “It’s Riley. Follow my voice.” I step closer to where he might be. “That’s it.” He says.

  “Where are you?” I whisper again, trudging my big toe into the corner of something. “Ouch! Dammit.”

  “Shh! They’ll hear you.”

  “They who?”

  “Just keep following my voice.” I hold my hands out to feel for whatever or whoever was in the darkness. I tremble from the presence lurking behind me but I don’t stop moving. “Keep coming.” He keeps saying.