Behind The Mirror ( The Glass Wall Series - Prelude to Book 1 )

by Adler, Madison

  “And where do you think you are going, Grace?” Betty queried in an amused voice.

  Grace’s shoulders stiffened. Sheepishly, she joined them in the living room. “Uh … Hi, Mom, Dad.”

  “I got a call from your school today.” Betty continued calmly.

  Grace tensed. “Yes, Mom?”

  “Sister Ann mentioned you are answering your exam questions creatively again.” Her mother was obviously struggling to keep a straight face. “You can’t just play sports, dear. You have to study, too.”

  Al frowned, but the eyes with which he surveyed his daughter were more indulgent than anything else.

  “I couldn’t remember the right answers ...” Grace cleared her throat.

  “Well, when the problem asks you to find ‘x’ that doesn’t mean to circle it on the page, honey.” Betty smiled.

  Al’s firm lip twitched a little.

  “And the answer to ‘Write a paragraph to explain the concept of eternity’ is not ‘Take this class’.” Her mother’s voice was gently stern.

  At that, Al gave a guffaw of laughter.

  “I’ll try harder, Mom.” Grace grinned.

  “Well, you must be a good example, dear.” Betty gave her daughter a warm hug. “Tomorrow, we’ll have a new family member. A girl about your age named Sydney. She’s had a hard life, honey, so you’ll have to be patient with her.”

  “Cool!” Grace’s eyes lit. “That’ll be fun!”

  “The two of you can study together.” Al growled fondly at his daughter as he strode to the closet, kicked off his army boots, and selected a pair of odd-looking tennis shoes. One of them had a small antenna protruding out the back. Bending down, he picked up the end of the shoelace and spoke into the aglet. “Testing 1-2-3. Do you copy, Betty?”

  Betty jumped as static burst from a pair of high heels sitting on top of another box. Picking one of them up, she held the heel close to her lips, “Yes, dear. I’ll monitor while you do the rounds.”

  Al nodded in satisfaction. “These Sneak-Ears with Private-Eyelets haven’t failed me yet! I’m going to have to give this product a great review on their website!” Quickly putting them on, he stepped outside and gave a sharp whistle. “Tigger!” he called.

  Rafael watched with interest as a large, brindled bloodhound lazily lifted his head from where he sprawled in the driveway behind a bright yellow Ford pickup truck with oversized wheels. The dog wagged the tip of his tail before promptly dropping his head back down on the cement, as if even that much effort had completely exhausted him.

  Rafael smiled.

  As Al stomped across the street to inspect the empty house, Rafael lightly touched the thin gold bracelet on his wrist. He’d turned the automatic thought-pattern recognition off, preferring the manual controls. “The house across the street is free,” he noted. “Buy it. And get all of the necessary furnishings. Car. Clothing.”

  As he watched, the Blue Thread suddenly moved. Dropping his wrist, he concentrated once more on the thread, sifting through countless images reflecting in the mirror.

  At last, he knew he was on the right trail. The thread was growing darker, stronger. Could it be Melody? Was it someone simply touched by Sydney’s Blue Thread, or was it, unthinkably, a new Blue Thread?

  Surely, there was not another one!

  Furrowing his brows in concentration, he followed it for what seemed an eternity until all of a sudden, a new scene burst across his mirror.

  A rock concert.

  The crowd was screaming, hordes of girls were straining forward, trying to grasp the figure leaping and prancing on stage.

  Rafael eyed the form with a sinking heart.

  The Blue Thread ended above the singer’s head. It was pulsing and strong. And it was a new Blue Thread of Fate, almost as strong as Sydney’s.

  This did not bode well for any of them.

  Now there were two Blue Threads—two chances for the ultimate disaster to befall them. Even if Sydney chose the correct path, there was a chance this new threat might not.

  With a heavy sigh, he concentrated on the rock star belting out his tunes as fireworks exploded behind him. He was tall, dark, and muscular, possessing everything to make the entire concert hall of girls swoon at his feet.

  And he looked vaguely familiar.

  Scowling slightly, Rafael concentrated on the black leather-clad figure and as the young man’s face splashed across the mirror, he fell back with a curse.

  Jareth!

  The new Blue Thread of Fate was Jareth, his counterpart Fate Tracker.

  * * *

  Rafael wasted no time.

  There was no longer any question of if he should return to Earth. Instead, it was a question of how fast he could get there.

  Quickly changing into a more suitable Earth fashion, he whistled for Ajax.

  “Call Harmony and ask her to set up our entrance to Earth,” he said crisply to the dog. “And notify Zelphie and Marquis that I may need them soon.”

  “Marquis?” The Doberman’s lip lifted distastefully.

  Rafael knew that Ajax disliked his father, Marquis. Oddly, part of him understood the animal’s distrust. Marquis had always been aloof, untouchable, choosing to spend his time researching in the laboratory instead of interacting in his son’s life. At first, Rafael hadn’t thought much about the odd fate lines swirling about his father’s head, but of late, the lines had taken suspicious turns.

  Rafael walked to the wall and touched it.

  A small compartment slid out of its smooth surface, revealing a small gray cube. Picking it up, he held it to the light.

  The gray cube held his research, secret findings he had shared with no one. He didn’t know whom to trust, after discovering his father and many other high-ranking officials were involved in “The Inner Circle”, a society so secret that most in the lands thought it merely a myth. He had yet to discover their purpose, but he knew in his heart that it was far from good.

  “If something were to happen, Ajax …” Rafael murmured thoughtfully, staring at the cube before shaking his head and sliding it back into the wall. “See that Harmony gets that, will you?”

  “No!” the Doberman growled in response, standing on full alert and baring his shiny white teeth again. “I will not, for I will see that nothing happens to you!”

  Rafael grinned. Reaching down, he fondly stroked the animal’s soft black fur. “Then I will see you on the morrow, in Seattle.”

  As the dog barked a farewell, Rafael took a deep breath, and not allowing himself to think, lest he second-guess his decision, phase-shifted to Earth.

  Phase-shifting, or merely shifting as they called it now, was the preferred method of travel. His kind had learned the method of focusing their energy to change dimensions, to travel from one location to another in a blink of an eye.

  Shifting to Earth was not as different as he thought it would be. He had expected to feel something unusual when he stood on the soil of the forbidden planet, but he experienced nothing, save a wave of annoyance upon hearing the screeching of electric guitars and the sound of thousands of girls screaming.

  He’d studied humans for years, their culture, mannerisms, speech, habits, and countless other things, in order to mingle with them undetected should the need ever arise. He honestly had never expected it would.

  A little cautiously, he stepped around mounds of crates at the back of the stage and peered through the massive black curtains to where Jareth was strutting on stage. The singer wore an outlandish black outfit of shredded leather and chains that suited him well.

  “Hey, buddy, got a pass?” A burly man accosted Rafael, laying a hand on his arm.

  Rafael tensed and bowed. “A pass?” he queried politely.

  The man blinked before scowling. “Then get out. You can’t be here.”

  “You are incorrect.” Rafael brushed the man aside as inconsequential. “I have business here. Be gone.”

  The man’s brows lifted, and he reached for his walkie-tal
kie.

  Expelling a small breath of annoyance, Rafael drew his pen-shaped silver trion, spoke a single word to the weapon, and the man toppled forward into his arms, falling into a deep sleep as he fell.

  Dragging the man behind several large crates, Rafael quickly set him down and returned to the black curtains just as Jareth strode off stage.

  They nearly collided.

  Jareth leapt back, sweeping his long dark hair out of his eyes as they widened in astonishment. “Rafael? What brings you here?”

  They hadn’t spoken in several years, and their last meeting had ended in bitterness. Rafael folded his arms, recalling Jareth’s insults from long ago, but they all faded into insignificance now that he saw the Blue Thread pulsing brightly over Jareth’s head. He felt sick at heart that he must inform Jareth of this new danger, even as part of him felt it justly deserved after the comments he had made over Sydney. “We must speak privately.”

  Jareth eyed him suspiciously before giving the curt order, “Follow me then.” And he set off through the crates in a jingle of chains and creak of leather.

  After a moment, Jareth led him to a tiny, dark dressing room. Safely shutting the door behind them, he leaned forward, touched Rafael’s arm, and phase-shifted, but not before transmitting the destination to the golden bracelet circling Rafael’s wrist and speaking a single word, “Follow.”

  Rafael shifted too.

  He found himself standing in a high tower, overlooking a boisterously loud city. He moved to get a better look out the window. It wasn’t even dark yet, but neon lights of every color already twinkled below him.

  “Las Vegas.” Jareth nodded with his chin. “I find it easier to hide here. It was easier to cover mistakes in the beginning, by claiming to be magicians. But I’m sure you are here for other reasons than to find out how I have survived these past few years!”

  Taking a deep breath, Rafael faced him calmly. “I had no choice but to come, and I came for many things, but foremost because of you.”

  “Me?” Jareth rolled his eyes. “What catastrophe could have possibly occurred to make you suddenly care—”

  Rafael cut him short, coming quickly to the point. “You are now Blue-Threaded, Jareth.”

  Jareth drew up short and caught his breath.

  There was a stunned silence.

  Feeling a wave of pity, Rafael turned away from his stricken face. He looked as if someone had just punched him in the stomach. He obviously needed time to gather his emotions.

  He didn’t like Jareth, he never had, but he owed him courtesy, at least.

  The silence lengthened.

  Finally, Jareth regained his composure and drawled, “Why did you come yourself? Didn’t Melody warn us both of what would happen should you set foot on Earth?”

  Rafael eyed him coolly. He didn’t want to talk to Jareth about Sydney, especially now that he knew Jareth and Sydney were somehow connected. The thought gave him pause. In the horrible moment of discovering that Jareth was now Blue-Threaded, he hadn’t stopped to consider what it truly meant.

  “What is it?” Jareth was asking.

  Rafael closed his eyes, feeling strangely sick at heart. What could it mean? Sydney and Jareth were tied. But how?

  “Rafael?”

  “A moment,” Rafael murmured, ordering his thoughts to calm. Whichever way he could think of it, it boded ill. Jareth could be bound to her through danger, hatred, or love. Strangely, it was the last that bothered him the most.

  “What are you hiding?” Jareth was pressing impatiently.

  “Nothing.” Rafael shrugged.

  Jareth didn’t believe him. His handsome face filled with disdain. “As always, the mighty Rafael remains aloof!”

  “Melody activated her distress signal.” Rafael dropped the words.

  All at once, Jareth’s countenance changed. “How so? Are you certain?”

  “Why else would the Queens send me here?” Rafael began to pace.

  “Then you haven’t told them that I’m Blue-Threaded now?”

  Rafael paused.

  It was odd. He hadn’t even considered informing the Queens of it. Why?

  To Jareth, he merely said, “We must focus only on finding Melody now, before it is too late. After we find her, we can deal with … other matters.” He didn’t want to really consider what other matters might be. Not yet. “I must be going.”

  “So soon?” Jareth responded in a snide tone.

  Refusing to allow Jareth to goad him, Rafael phase-shifted away.

  He hadn’t really thought about where he was going, but his heart obviously had.

  He was in Seattle.

  Before him, he saw the outline of the city shaped against the setting sun. Fir trees and ferns were everywhere, surrounding the shores of a lake that reflected the darkening purple of an early night sky.

  Finally, he saw her.

  She was sitting on the grass, resting her chin upon her knees.

  Suppressing a sigh, Rafael settled against a tree and folded his arms.

  “What lies behind those sad eyes, Sydney?” he murmured soundlessly. “What are you thinking?”

  With a heavy heart, he bowed his head, asking himself, “What have I done?”

  To find out exactly what Sydney is thinking, read her story in: Book One - The Glass Wall

  Click this link for a list of Carmen's books on Amazon

  Like many of us on this planet, Carmen Caine/Madison Adler is from another world. She spends every moment she can scribbling stories on sticky notes that her kids find posted all over the car, house, and barn.

  When she is not working as a software engineer, she is busy ferrying her kids to various appointments, writing lyrics for her husband's songs,raising her Doberman Ajax, attempting to tame her three insane cats, scratching her three Nigerian Dwarf Goats behind the horns or coddling her flock of thirty bizarre chickens from around the world.

  And although I am terrible at tweeting and posting on Facebook (though I do strive to improve), please find me at the following places:

  Carmen and Madison's Facebook Fanpage

  Facebook friends with Madison Adler ( aka Carmen )

  Facebook friends with Carmen Caine ( aka Madison )

  Madison's Twitter - more paranormal content

  Carmen's Twitter - more medieval content

  Carmen and Madison's website

  THE GLASS WALL SERIES (PG-13)

  What if humans were more powerful than they thought? What if an alien race had a reason to keep humanity entrenched in fear? And what if ancient beings that we've met before were still trying to protect us?

  And just what if the fate of Earth depended upon an average 17-year-old girl with a few secrets of her own?

  Would she discover that the power of love was truly the strongest of all?

  Prequel - the short story "Behind the Mirror"

  Rafael Channing is a Fate Tracker, protecting his world and Earth from disaster, but what should he do when disaster appears in the form of love?

  Book One - The Glass Wall

  17-year-old Sydney's only interest in life is flying under the radar.

  But destiny has other plans when the tall, handsome, formal, and unusual Rafael Channing moves into the neighborhood. Athletic and with killer looks, he wears black eyeliner like a magician and seems to be watching Sydney's every move.

  What starts out as a light-hearted investigation with her gadget-happy foster father takes a serious turn when she discovers that Rafael isn't human. Add Jareth, the country's latest rock sensation, into the mix and Sydney is swept into a mysterious world of Tulpas, the Fae, and the Brotherhood of the Snake.

  Sydney doesn't know she's a Blue Thread of Fate. She doesn't know the fate of humanity depends on her choice of whom to trust--Jareth or Rafael. And she certainly doesn't know that she's taken the first step on the unexpected path of love.

  Book Two of the Glass Wall- The Brotherhood of the Snake

  The excitement and mystery con
tinues as the romance begins. After breaking the Glass Wall, Sydney finds herself on the run with Rafael. And as her feelings for him awaken, danger arrives in the form of Mesmers, agents of evil sent by the Brotherhood of the Snake.

  But when Jareth struts back onto the scene, it isn't long before Sydney finds herself immersed in sinister secrets, and the subsequent whirlwind of events leaves her wondering just who is right and who is wrong?

  Book Three of the Glass Wall - The Inner Circle

  As the predictions from the Hall of Mirrors come true, Sydney seizes control of her destiny and makes a choice between Rafael and Jareth. A choice of true love.

  And as she evades Mesmers, Tulpas, and the Fae's Inner Circle, she discovers the power of human thought.

  But then one of the three makes their Blue-Threaded decision, the decision of fate.

  Is it the right one?

  Book Four of the Glass Wall - The Egg (2014)

  A death. A beginning. And the final Blue-Threaded decisions are made.

  A NEW ADULT PARANORMAL SERIES

  The first book of other-wordly creatures: "monster" (2014)

  THE HIGHLAND HEATHER AND HEARTS SCOTTISH ROMANCE SERIES (PG-13)

  The Kindling Heart

  (Scotland, 1478) - Ruan MacLeod was through with women. They were nothing but trouble. Leaving the rash life of his youth behind, he returned to Skye, seeking peace. He never meant to split the clan or start a war with the MacDonald of Duntulm. He certainly never foresaw an arranged marriage to the most scandalous woman in Scotland. Even though she was twice his age, the size of a horse and mother to more than one illegitimate child, he agreed to secure his sister's freedom.

  However, even that plan goes drastically awry. On his wedding day, he finds himself faced instead with an enticing, green-eyed lass named Bree. A walking disaster, his bride immediately turns his world into chaos and threatens to melt his resolve never to love again.