Ageless Sea
Page 22
The grass was stiff and crunched as I walked. The fresh scent of dry autumn leaves smelled cold—it smelled like death. My balance was not steady, and I teetered as I reached the edge of the burial plot. I reached out to touch the casket. I guess I needed to feel the hard steel under my fingers, knowing my mom was inside. I closed my eyes and remembered her smile, her laugh, her warmth.
A hand covered mine, and I opened my eyes to another set staring right back at me. I gasped. To see him here surprised me. His slicked back black hair gleamed in the afternoon sun. His jaw clenched, and I could see the muscles in his neck flex, but his brow line etched in worry.
I met him at the hospital after my mom’s accident. He was one of her doctors that I swore never left her side. I shivered thinking of the hospital. That whole week was still a blur. The memory of the phone call was vague. I could remember my dad telling me there was an accident, but on the rest of the conversation I blanked out.
“Dr. Walsh?”
He gave me a sympathetic smile. I recognized it because I had gotten them all week. “Come sit down with me,” his voice was low.
I slid my hand down the casket before turning to follow him to the front row of folding chairs and sat next to him. I glanced over my shoulder. More cars pulled in next to the cemetery. Most of the people I saw arriving were my dad’s friends.
I averted my eyes from the crowd back to the casket. The roses on top looked stiff in the cold, with frost around the edges of their petals. The sight made my heart ache even more, and I wished I could make them all appear revived, as much as I wished my mom were alive.
I stared at the flowers, closing off the world. The petals filled out and lifted as the roses bloomed anew. I shook my head. Maybe my eyes were playing tricks again, like with my hands earlier.
“You shouldn’t do that in front of mortals.” A hot whisper warmed the side of my face as the doctor leaned close to me, causing me to jump. It unnerved me to be that close to him.
The flowers had enthralled me so much that I hadn’t thought about anyone else seeing them. A shiver ran down the length of my back. Without saying anything more, he sat back in his seat and stared at the casket.
“What?” My breath came out in a white fog. I decided to play dumb. It was easier than trying to give an explanation I didn’t have.
He leaned forward facing the casket. “The roses, you shouldn’t do that while mortals are around.”
“Mortals? What are you talking about? I didn’t do anything.”
He stared at me, not breaking eye contact. “We need to leave.”
I raised my eyebrows. Just like that, he wanted me to leave with him? “Excuse me?”
“Your mom is waiting, but we need to be discrete.”
I hugged myself tighter. “I’m not going anywhere with you. Besides, my mom is right there you freak.” Fresh tears welled in my eyes. Why would he do this to me? She was his patient—he of all people should know she’d died. Maybe he couldn’t take losing a patient and refused to believe she was gone.
“Ara, it’s crucial that you come with me. It is not safe for you here. You don’t have a choice.” In his seat, he twisted to see me better, and then looked over at my dad who congregated with more of the growing crowd.
I shook my head. “Leave me alone.” He scared me. His voice held an ominous tone that seemed more than threatening.
He looked over his shoulder, and I followed his gaze over to two more guys dressed in the same black pinstriped suit that he wore. They both gave a nod to the doctor and started our way. I tried to swallow the lump that formed in my throat, but my mouth had gone dry. I needed to move. Fast.
I stood up, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me back down. “Let me go!” I struggled to release my hand from his grip, tugging until his fingers painfully dug into my wrist. “Help!” I shouted louder and glanced over my shoulder, but no one even looked my way. Why don’t they hear me?
I spotted my dad’s car as I twisted my arm again. I needed to get there. A soft glow emanated from my hands. My eyes widened, but I didn’t have time to register what happened.“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. I placed a ward around us so no one will even notice what’s happening. No one here can even see you right now.”
That’s not possible. How could my dad not see this happening to me? I glanced back down at my restrained wrist. Thankfully, no light came from it. I was not sure what was going on, but I knew it wasn’t good.
I didn’t know what he talked about. What was a ward? What did he mean no one could hear me? I glanced around at the mingling grievers. “Help!” He was right—nobody even looked my way. I slapped him with my other hand across the face, but then he grabbed it too.
I focused on keeping myself from shaking so he couldn’t see how scared I was. “What do you want with me?”
“You can’t guess?”
From behind me, hands grabbed around my waist, and the doctor let go of my wrists. I swiveled, throwing my weight into breaking the hold, but the man held me tight and lifted me from the ground. I screamed and another hand clamped my mouth shut. Another man came from the side and received one of my wild kicks in the gut.
The doctor chuckled, making anger boil in my veins. I struggled harder, only to have the hold on me tighten to the point where air squeezed from my lungs. Stupid! Why did I let the doctor distract me from the two goons? They were kidnapping me from my mom's funeral. My mind whirled with everything ranging from torture to death. Would my dad find my body chopped up in little pieces left in the desert? He lost my mom. Would he now lose me too?
My energy went into overdrive as I tried to protect myself. I fought with everything I could muster, kicking out and twisting my arms, but the men who held me were strong, and it was like trying to move a mountain. Quickly, I scanned the cemetery and looked for anyone to become aware of what was happening—nothing. Even with a small crowd, there were too many people not to notice. How is it even possible they were dragging me across the cemetery kicking and screaming, but no one saw a thing?
They continued to drag me toward a running car that sat idle in the high school parking lot while the doctor opened the door to the backseat ahead of us. The hand moved off my mouth enough for me to bite down hard. “HELP! Somebody help!” I screamed again, still hoping for anyone to hear me before it was too late.
Dr. Walsh glanced at one of his goons. “Joe, get her in the car,” he said before he jumped into the backseat on the other side.
No! This couldn’t be happening. Not to me, not right now. The two men held me from the sides as they tried shoving me into the car. I kicked out at one of the men again, this time my toes met his shin, causing him to let go of me. It wasn’t hard enough because he had his hands wrapped around my arms again before I could fight off the other guy. I stomped on his foot as hard as I could with my heel.
“Ouch! Would you stop it?” the man grumbled.
I twisted enough to spit in his face and struggled against them both again. The two men who restrained me were unmovable and even though I resisted, they pushed me into the car next to the doctor. After slamming my door as soon as my limbs were clear, they both climbed in the front, and we drove off away from the cemetery.
Julie Titus
Formatter for Ageless Sea and Wolf Spell
https://www.facebook.com/JTFormatting
Have you finished your novel or short story and are you hoping to move on to the next step... publishing? Well if you are, Julie from JT Formatting is just who you need.
I specialize in ebook and paperback formatting. With competitive pricing and guaranteed quality, I assure you I will not charge you until your dream of being a published author comes true.
~Julie~
I personally can attest to Julie’s impeccable and amazing talent. Her work is highly professional and done in a very timely manner. I would recommend Julie to any and all authors who need a formatter.
~M.R. Polish~
Kristina Circelli
; Editor for Ageless Sea
A lover of the written word since the time she first picked up a pen, Kristina Circelli shares her passion for fiction in her multi-genre novels.
Circelli is the author of several fiction books, including The Sour Orange Derby, a young adult novel about family and childhood imagination steeped in southern traditions; Beyond the Western Sun, Walk the Red Road, and Into the Shadow Realm of The Whisper Legacy, which centers on Native American cultures and the legends that come to life in the spirit realm; The Helping Hands, a book that follows a gang of friends who rescue abused children; and The Never, a daring adventure into one woman's fantasy world.
Currently, Circelli works as a copywriter, author, book editor, and creative writing professor at the University of North Florida, where she received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in English. She resides in Florida with her husband and kittens.
Contact Kristina:
Email - kristina@circelli.info
Website - www.circelli.info
Twitter - @KCircelli
Facebook - Circelli Books - Novels by Kristina Circelli
Blog – An Awfully Big Adventure (http://anawfullybigadventure-kc.blogspot.com/)
Jenny Laatsch
Cover Artist for Ageless Sea
and Wolf Spell
You can contact Jenny here:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JennLaa.Designs
Deviant Art: http://jennlaa.deviantart.com/
Website: http://www.jennlaadesigns.com/
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Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Acknowledgments
About the Author
A Preview of Wolf’s Spell
www.mrpolishauthor.com
www.facebook.com/m.r.polish.author