Faded Encounters

by Elsy Green

  She stomps over to me, her jaw clenched in irritation as she grabs my chin between her fingers, gripping it painfully tight as she forces my eyes on her. “You won’t have a choice!” She throws me to the ground again and stomps away.

  I look up to see Annia standing over me, her lip quivering as she shakes her head. She wants me to stop, but I can’t. I won’t. I won’t let this happen to them. I won’t let them suffer for me. Growling furiously, I pull my arms free from my restraints and lunge after Ryss, kicking and punching down her guard dogs.

  “RIELLA!” His voice cuts through the chaos causing me to lose focus and look to him. His big turquoise are filled with dread as he fights against his captures, trying in vain to get to me. Within seconds I’m tackled to the ground my head smashed against the pavement as I fume at Jaxon. I was almost there, I almost had her!

  His dreary turquoise meet mine, those long beautiful eyelashes closing over them as he shakes his head. I grit my teeth together and clench my jaw so tightly I think it might snap. I know what he’s trying to tell me, I know what he’s trying to do.

  He’s trying to protect me; he’s trying to protect all of us. It’s what he does, it’s who he is. But I don’t care, I want her to know. I want to hurt her. I want to her to feel the pain I feel. I want her to know what it was like to not be able to mourn my 3parent’s death this entire time, to live with that guilt only to find out it was all a lie.

  Jaxon’s jaw twitches in response, his eyes boring into my soul as he begs me to stay quiet. I let out a slow irritated breath knowing exactly what he wants from me. My captures pull me up from the ground and place me back in line with the others.

  Giving in, I nod subtly letting him know I won’t say a thing. I won’t tell Ryss I’ve reprogrammed the system. I won’t tell her I’ve completely destroyed any chance of her ever operating comply or die. No, I won’t tell her anything. The system is ours now. With only one way in or out.

  I gasp as I’m pushed back from Ethan, he falls back onto the ground stirring slightly before going limp again.

  “What happened?” Sophie’s wide eyes look back and forth between the two of us. I close my eyes, crouched on all fours as I try to catch my breath. Sophie’s question ringing in my ears. I’m as clueless as her. What happened? What in the world did I just see? And what does it all mean? “Allie?” She puts a hand on my shoulder.

  “Nothing.” I stand up, pushing past the both of them racing for the outside. I need to breath, I need air. I need to escape.

  C.21

  I’ve pieced it all together, every single detail of Riella’s life. I’ve been out here in the middle of nowhere writing in the sand like a mad woman. I’m surrounded by symbols I don’t recognize and words that I can vaguely understand. They encircle me on the ground, my stick going crazy as I write in the sand. They’re pieces of the puzzle, pieces that I’ve gathered from my dreams. I’ve created a bigger dream board, one that I can visualize all at once right in front of me.

  I don’t know why I did it. One minute I’m running from the barn in an agitated frenzy and the next I’m picking up a stick writing in the sand, moving in a circle as my hand goes crazy. It’s like my mind was trying to show me something. It wants me to see it, put it right under my nose so I can finally understand what’s going on up there. Only, I still don’t get it.

  I know a few things, things I’ve finally accepted. Things I can’t deny anymore. Riella and Jaxon are real, they’re from another time. If it still exists, I’m not sure. I don’t recognize their world. All I know is it’s plagued with its own problems, problems caused by the people, problems that almost wiped them out.

  Riella and Jaxon were born of a generation that was created to help the world. Modified somehow. From what, or by who I can’t piece together. But somehow, I think Nadia and Theo are involved. And Ryss, she’s a piece I can’t fit in. She’s unpredictable, full of rage, and angry. Yet, I still love her. I think we are family. That can’t be true though she seems to have no feelings for me or anyone. She’s obsessed with something, something that she’s planning. She wants to help the world, start over, make it new again. And I stopped it. Or Riella did. Riella and her friends.

  That’s why we are drawn to each other, Daniel, Sophie, and Ethan. Where or who Lyra is I’m not sure. All I know is we are connected. We are part of each other’s lives; bond together by something we can’t quite understand. These dream personas connected to us. Sophie and Annia, Daniel and Ceres, Ethan and Jaxon, Riella and me. Which means Ryss is somehow connected to Nora. And Daniel was right, we can’t trust her.

  Why? I’m not sure. She seems fixated on us. Like we are somehow the problem. Maybe she’s stuck in the same fog we are going back and forth between. Maybe these dreams aren’t dreams at all, but doors to another realm. This could all be some sort of interdimensional mix up. Nora somehow got stuck between the realms unable to differentiate the two. And now our minds are tapping into that realm too, trying to help us escape the danger or Ryss.

  Maybe that’s what we need to do to stop this. Maybe if we wake Nora up and help her see she’s not Ryss then in turn we will all be released. Maybe if we fix Nora it will somehow fix all of us.

  I blow out a breath and drop my stick in the middle of the scribblings. This ends tonight, if I’m right then there is only one thing left to do. And that means going back to Greenville, going back to the institute. Realizing I’m either going insane or possibility on to something I head back to the mill to tell the others.

  I hear giggling and laughter as I near it. Daniel and Sophie are in the middle of the dusty barn floor, dancing to no music as they stare at each with giddy smiles. I push open the door and clear my throat as I walk inside. They both turn to me with a smile, separating just a little bit as their smiles turn bashful.

  “Hey, are you feeling better?” Sophie pushes some hair out from behind her ears, trying to hide her blushing cheeks.

  “I’m fine, I just needed some air.” They both smile at me and nod a condescending nod that tells me they don’t believe me, but they aren’t going to say anything about it.

  I suck in a breath and disregard their overbearing looks of concern. I’ve got to tell them my plan before I chicken out. I have to tell them what I saw when I kissed Ethan. Remembering our connection, I reflexively look over their shoulders to make sure he’s’ still okay.

  But Ethan is no longer laying on the floor behind them. My heart leaps in my chest and I push passed them ignoring their quirked eyebrows as I hurry to the bags of flour he was camped on earlier.

  “Where is he?” I turn to them befuddled.

  “Who?” Sophie looks at me oddly.

  “Ethan? Did you move him? Did he wake up?” I look over their shoulders expectantly, looking around the abandoned mill for him. Daniel and Sophie share a confused look.

  “What? Why are you two looking at each other like that? What happened to him?” I swallow down the anxiety that’s consuming me. Something’s happened, I can feel.

  “Is he okay? Did he have another episode?” I push past them again running up the stairs as I search the entire place for him, every nook and cranny, even those I know he won’t fit in.

  “Ethan? Ethan?” I call out his name ignoring my two shadows as I move around the mill. Sophie races after me, her face a sheet of confusion as she tries to stop me.

  “Allie, Allie.” She pulls at my elbow begging me to face her.

  “What?” I spin to face her with an irritated huff. “Where is he? Did you try and give him some sort of concoction? I told you to wait!” I turn to Daniel with a furious glare.

  Daniel puts his hands up in surrender and Sophie steps in front of him, protecting him from me. I don’t even have time to analyze that, I’m too consumed with finding Ethan at this point.

  “Stop messing with me, someone say something now!”

  “We don’t know who you are talking about.” Daniel finally confesses. I stare at him speec
hless, sure they are playing a prank on me.

  “Okay.” I chuckle dryly. “Funny. Did he wake up? Are you guys just trying to play some prank on me? Well you tricked me, you can come out Ethan!” I yell at the empty room.

  “Allie.” Sophie places an arm on my shoulder. “Are you sure you’re okay? You were feeling sick earlier. Maybe you are still in a dream fog. Ethan isn’t real.”

  I pull away from her and take a step back. “Stop it. Yes, he is. He was here with us. We saved him from Nora.” I look over at Daniel helplessly, begging him to remember. “He was unconscious as we placed him in the back of Sophie’s car and then we drove here and we took turns watching him, trying to wake him up. I mean you even got medicine for him.” Something clicks in my brain and I race for the stairs. The medicine!

  I sprint for the bag that I left by Ethan’s side. Crouching down on my hands and knees I frantically search the area he laid unconscious for the last two days. Only there is no bag, there’s nothing there, no indent, no water, no blankets, nothing. It’s like he never even existed.

  “Allie.” This time it’s Daniel saying my name with that stupid concern in his voice. The one that makes me feel like I’m going crazy.

  “Stop it.” I rip his hand off my shoulder. “Stop saying my name like that. He was here. He was right here and now he’s gone. And the two of you can’t seem to recall a single memory about him?” I’m furious as I stand up and face them, taking in deep breaths that fume through my flared nostrils.

  “I’m sorry, maybe if you would calm down and sit, we could talk about it. We can get you some food, maybe a blanket.”

  “Stop it. Stop coddling me. He’s real and he’s here somewhere. Did Nora come, did she pay you off?”

  “Allie, how could you think that? We would never side with her.”

  “Well then were the heck is Ethan?”

  They both stare at me at a loss for words not sure what to say anymore, not sure how to console me.

  “I can’t be here anymore.” I push between them racing for the spot of jumbled notes I just left. This has to be a dream. This has to be fake. I must have fallen asleep. I need to get back to the spot I fell asleep and wake up.

  “Wake up, Allie! Wake up!”

  I race towards the hill stumbling as I make my way back to the top. The spot I was frantically doodling on with a stick. I reach the top out of breath and staring with disbelief at the picture in front of me. There’s nothing here. No trace of me existing, no long lists of possibilities, no weird symbols I drew in the sand, nothing. I fall down on my hands and knees and let out a desperate shriek.

  “WAKE UP! THIS ISN’T REAL!” I focus on my hands turning them over and over again trying to prove I’m still asleep. It only confuses me more because they look like my hands, down to every single last detail.

  I let out a horrified whimper, ducking my head between my arms and letting the desperate sobs overtake me. That’s when I see it. The bright light. It’s coming towards me, threatening to consume me. Sitting up, I put my hands out in front of me, blocking the blinding light from my burning eyes. It’s warm on my skin as it grazes over me, covering the ground all around me until I’m completely absorbed by it.

  A heavy pressure is lifted off my chest, it feels like pounds of slimy fat are sluffing off of me as warm liquid goo. I move to see what this substance is, the one that’s now surrounding me, falling off my limbs and body. But my vision is blurry and I can’t focus on anything.

  A hand comes towards me and something is ripped from my face. A long uncomfortable tentacle being pulled from what feels like my lungs, up my throat and out my nose. I gag as it makes its way out, gasping for air once it’s gone. Feeling weak and light headed I brace myself as I fall towards the now bright white ground.

  Strong arms grab me and hug me close. They rock me back and forth holding me tightly as they warm up my limbs that have turned ice cold from the loss of warmth I was cocooned in. I cough and gasp and gag as I try to take in deep breaths of unfamiliar air. It smells different, it even feels different here. Everything inside of me is tingling with a weird electric sensation that’s seems oddly familiar.

  “Shh…shh…we have to be quiet.” The voice belonging to the strong arms whispers in my ear. I freeze in place instantly knowing that voice. Blinking rapidly, I allow my eyes to adjust to the bright whiteness and pry them open as I take in the world around me.

  I’m not in the desert any more. I’m in some sort of massive warehouse that’s been converted into a high-tech lab. Surrounded by large machines and equipment as I lay crumpled up on the cold, white marble floor. A floor that’s now covered in a familiar red goop. It’s tumbling out of some sort of white pod that looks like a futuristic one-man spaceship. There are tubes dangling inside of it, lights flashing, alarms beeping, but strong arms doesn’t seem to care, he’s focused on me.

  I turn in his arms my eyes wide with disbelief as I stare speechless at him. My entire body hums with electricity, my heart leaping in my chest as I reach out and touch his face. His once smooth skin is now covered with a beard, rough and scratchy under my palm. I bring my other hand to his cheek, his warm skin sending shocks of pleasure down each one of my limbs as I hold his beautiful face between my hands, staring into those familiar turquoise eyes.

  “Jaxon?” I whisper. His somber face transforms in a relieved smile as he nods and pulls me closer.

  “I’m here.”

  Doors spring open echoing inside the warehouse as men in black masks flood the space. High heels echo off the cold, marble ground as she makes her way to us, her cool icy blue eyes seething as she takes in the sight of us clinging to one another.

  “Good, you’re finally awake. Nice to see you sister. I think you have something that belongs to me.” Ryss’ red lips curl into a twisted smile as her brainless army surrounds us, waiting for their next command.

  THE END

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you to my wonderful husband who encourages me every day and spends countless nights staying up and brainstorming ideas with me.

  Thank you to my number one fan and mother who is always on the edge of her seat waiting for the next book. And thank you to my limited fan base who continues to come back for more.

  Don’t Miss out on the second book in the Faded Encounters Series.

  Intertwined coming Fall 2019!