* * * * *
Brian fought the pain in his head, the horrible seething as the snake took control. “Yessssss,” hissed the serpent, as it crept through his mind, winding itself around everything.
Brian remembered the day of his father’s trial. He could still feel Luther’s eyes on his skin, forcing his mind to crumble, his thoughts to disappear. Only this time he refused to back down. He swore to himself that the monster wouldn’t win. “Get out,” he growled. The snake let out a roar. Only Brian wasn’t sure if the sound was in his mind, or if it was coming from somewhere else.
But then he felt a tugging sensation, and a bullet of fire streaked through his skull. Someone was screaming inside him now, writhing and sobbing, but it wasn’t him. And then he was sliding down the beach, moving away from the cushion of mist. He bounced over the rocky shore, head smacking against the ground like a ball.
I’m dying, thought Brian. Something’s killing me. Or maybe this is what it feels like to disappear. He tried to open his eyes, but they were too heavy to move. It felt like someone had taped them shut. But someone was coming, calling to him— a woman’s voice. He knew who it was.
Abby, are you coming to save me now?
His body was wrapped in the sound of her voice. He slid past the rocks and into the water, its milky wetness sucking at his skin. He could breathe, but he still couldn’t open his eyes or move.
Suddenly, he realized he wasn’t in the water anymore, but instead he was lying on some sort of bed. He could feel its firmness against his back, as the beep of machines blurred through the air. “Abby!” he croaked, his voice working now. He opened his eyes, and there she was.
He stared at the figure clinging to the side of the bed, her body bent forward, caked in blood. I’m in a hospital, he thought, taking in the machines to his right and the fluorescent lights that shone down from above.
“Abby,” he murmured, as a stream of nurses rushed in. For a moment, they all smeared together, a chorus of strangers in flowing white. A cherub-like nurse with several extra chins grabbed his wrist and peered into his eyes.
“I don’t believe it,” she mumbled, her sour breath in his face. “It’s a miracle. You’re actually awake.”
“Abby,” yelped Brian, trying to crane around the nurse, but he was having trouble operating his body right now, and could only manage to move his head a few degrees to the right. Still, it was enough to see.
“Abby,” he moaned, but she didn’t respond. Her mouth was still open, a bright circle of red, and her eyes were rolled so far back in her skull that only the whites were visible. But she wasn’t singing anymore. She was frozen in silence; he didn’t understand.
Two other nurses were at her side, but they couldn’t rouse her. She wouldn’t wake up. She held herself rigid, back arched like a cat. Please, thought Brian. Please let her be okay. He tried to sit up as a doctor ran in, but it was no use. He could barely move.
The doctor was a balding, middle-aged man, his glasses on a chain around his neck. He ignored Brian and ran to Abby instead. Her eyes jumped into focus when the doctor touched her skin, and her red lips bent into a scowl.
“Brian?” Abby turned to him. A thin line of blood dripped from her mouth and splashed delicately onto his sheets.
“I’m here,” he whispered, and he thought it was true. Only as he spoke, he heard a voice in the background, so low that it was almost impossible to make out.
“Yes,” said the voice, gaining in strength. “Yes little sister, and so am I.”
End of Book One
About the Author
Maija Barnett lives in Massachusetts and is a stay-at-home mom. In her past life she worked as a high school English teacher. When she’s not taking care of her two young daughters, she spends her time writing young adult paranormal fiction. Black Waters, the first book in the Songstress Series, is her first novel. She is now hard at work on Evening Tide, the second book in the series. Visit her at: https://maijabarnett.blogspot.com
Acknowledgments
First off, I’d like to thank my husband Rob for his endless emotional, editorial, and technical support. Rob, I couldn’t have done this without you. Thanks also to beta readers Ariel and Ted. Your invaluable insights helped immensely. Thank you Mike Rappa for your awesome book cover, and Stacey for your positive take on E-publishing. It really helped sway my decision to go this route. Also, a huge thanks goes out to my daughters Calista and Lyla for giving me an hour of writing time each day. (Go Diego!) Finally, I’d like to thank my mom and dad who read to me each night when I was a kid. I guess all that early exposure to literature made me want to write a book of my own.
Black Waters (Book 1 in the Songstress Trilogy) Page 32