Almost Dead
Blackwell Academy 1
Rae Hendricks
Copyright
© 2019 by Raven Heidrich
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any from or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Acknowledgements
Writing this right after Blood Witch has been a whirlwind, and I have struggled to give it as much attention as it deserves. But then the fans came through, showing me that this is worth my time. This is for all of you, for my family for sticking by me in this crazy business, and for all of those still coming down from the high that was the Twilight and Harry Potter generation and needing something more to satiate your hunger for words.
Other Books by Rae Hendricks
Prophecy of the Stars Series
DESTINED
LOYAL
TRANSFROMED
Paranormal Hunter Academy Series
BLOOD WITCH
AURORA WITCH
DEMON WITCH
Mirrored Prophecy Triunity
DAVINA’S QUEST
DAVINA’S ASCENT
DAVINA’S PREVAIL
Blackwell Academy Series
ALMOST DEAD
ALMOST LOST
ALMOST BROKEN
Witches of Moon Gate Trilogy
PRIME
CREATOR
HEDGE
Academy of Dark & Light Series
LEGENDARY TRIAD
LEGENDARY DARKNESS
LEGENDARY WAR
Keep up with all of Rae’s latest releases via her website!
http://bit.ly/rae-hendricks-author
Coming Soon by Rae Hendricks
ACADEMY OF OLYMPIANS SERIES
SOUL ACADEMY SERIES
BOUND BY THE COVEN SERIES
Table of Contents
Blackwell Academy 1
Rae Hendricks
Acknowledgements
Table of Contents
1
The Crash
2
Out of Body
3
Hurt
4
To Heal
5
The Letter
6
Enrolled
7
The Jerk
8
Friend for a Freak
9
Prime Suspect
10
Him
11
Waking the Dead
Desmond
12
Reckless
13
Choosing Sides
14
No Judgment
15
Up In the Air
Anastasia
16
Hero
Desmond
17
Reveal Me
Anastasia
18
The Meeting
Desmond
19
Grey
Anastasia
20
She Knows
Desmond
21
Not the Killer
Anastasia
22
Time is Short
Desmond
23
The Stalker
Desmond
24
Hello Again
Anastasia
25
Michael
26
Confessions
Desmond
27
Darkness
Anastasia
28
Collide
29
From the Grave
Anastasia
1
The Crash
My heart was fluttering, and my skin was on fire as we flew down this long, winding road. I felt like it was a true reflection of my emotions. I was so ready for this summer to begin.
It was official. I had three years of high school under my belt with one more to go, and then I was off into the real world. I felt a little guilty because I lied to my parents tonight, but I needed something for me.
I looked over at the driver, and then I was all grins. I'm just so shocked that he invited me to the runaway party. A runaway party? Me? Seriously, who does that?
Michael's words broke into my thoughts and snapped me back to the matter at hand. "Look at this view, babe." He was totally right. I needed to stop daydreaming and live. I was going to put my attention on what was around me.
My breath left me as Michael's little, red sports car rounded the next corner. We drove down the coast towards his old high school. They were having some kind of party. I didn't know where we were headed, although he did mention the border of Mexico. I honestly didn't care because the view blew me away. I could see the ocean and the town just beyond. The moon was so bright tonight, it danced a secret salsa with the water, and I fell in love with it.
"Why are we slowing down?" I took my eyes off the view to look at him.
"I want you to get a great look. You deserve it. If only you knew how beautiful you look right now with your hair flying all over and that sexy smile. Wow."
I smiled so hard. Did he really just call me sexy? That was something I had never thought about myself.
Thanks to my mother's family, I had pale skin with slight freckles and a slim build. My father's side awarded me my long, dark, thick hair, toasty brown eyes, and curvy hips. Sexy was not a word I saw when I thought of myself. Cute, maybe.
The car came to a complete stop in the street, but the magic didn't. I couldn't believe this. Michael moved in closer, and so did I. His magnetism was so strong. He was looking at my lips. My blood boiled in my veins, and I felt like I was melting. He was so freaking hot. He was a Golden Boy. Sandy brown hair with blonde tips, beautiful golden skin, and honey eyes. He was sun-kissed everywhere I could see, and I was seconds from finding out if that was true everywhere.
He was so close to me right now that I could smell his cologne, spicy and light, just like him. I closed my eyes and waited for his hot mouth to touch mine; so why was it right now in this moment that my father's face popped into my mind? Immediately, guilt jumped into my heart. That caused me to back away.
"I'm sorry? I thought-" His silence caused me to feel even worse. Great, now he thinks that I am not interested, and it's so the opposite. I'm so interested. Hell, wasn’t fair, couldn't I for once just be a teenager that made bad decisions? I tried to do right all the time because of my parents. They worked so hard to give me the things that I had, especially Papa.
Just thinking about him made me feel like telling Michael to turn the car around. I mean, what's the point - I'd never have any fun there thinking about my dad every five seconds.
Ernesto just had that kind of ability. He stayed in my mind and in my heart all the time. He corrected me and gave me instructions, and, according to him, that was his job.
I couldn’t believe this was happening right now.
We were parked on the shoulder of the road, fa
cing the most gorgeous view. The water lapped softly at the shore while the moon kissed the ocean. I should be the one being kissed! I sighed heavily.
"No, Michael, I'm sorry." I could feel my nose crinkle up, and I hate when it does that because it gets all wrinkly and looks weird.
"Honestly, I like you a lot, but I lied to my parents to come out here with you. I guess I feel a little guilty." I was embarrassed, but I knew honesty was the best route.
"I get it. I've lied to my parents before. It does wear on your nerves just a little bit, and I swear that really pisses me off. Why can't I just do what I want to do for once and not have to worry about them?"
"OMG! That was my exact thought." I felt myself calm down as we laughed. Not only was he gorgeous, but he seemed like he was a good guy. I had seen him around the coffee house I worked at, part-time, off and on. Every time I saw him it threw my hormones into a tailspin. It wasn't until I saw him struggle with math one night, that we began to talk. He had struggled in class, and his friend had tried to tutor him with no success.
The guy had no patience at all.
After his friend left, I went over and showed him some things. He asked me if I would be willing to give him a little help from time to time. He paid me twenty that night for my help. I wasn't crazy, of course I was willing to give him some tutoring! The rest was history. We hung out often, and we talked on the phone for extended periods of time. Soon, it stopped being about math and changed to other subjects.
I stared intently at Michael's lips, and I purposely tried to throw as many signals at him as possible. His lips gently touched mine, and I knew he finally understood what I wanted. His mouth was warm, his lips were soft pillows, and I was in Heaven.
I heard the noise only seconds before I felt the pain in my body. My whole side splintered like a twig. The pain was so intense that I didn’t know where it came from. I flew through the air like a rag doll, until I flopped onto the ground.
Then, everything just went black.
2
Out of Body
I was standing outside of my body. I stood there and watched myself as I laid there on the ground. I looked broken, and I was covered in blood. My leg was twisted at an odd angle. Surprisingly, I wasn't scared, well, at least not by this.
I could hear sirens from the ambulance in the distance, and I knew they were headed our way. However, the voices that I heard calling my name were louder. I had no clue where they were coming from, but their approach was fast.
Was I dead? Was this Hell? I surely hoped not. My poor father would be devastated.
I was curious, so I moved closer to my shell. I was lying there on the ground, unmoving, and my stomach dropped. The paramedics worked on me with such professionalism. They were careful and efficient with the way they handled my body, and I appreciated that. One was pressing on my chest - his hands worked tirelessly for a while. Time seemed to slow down as the other paramedic ran over. I peered over the new guy's shoulder to see what he carried.
Those voices got louder, and I shivered. How was that possible? Why was I hearing voices?
The paramedic with the sandy hair shouted, "Clear!"- He reminded me of Mich.. Wait, Michael? I screamed his name! Where was-
It felt like someone yanked hard on the front of my clothes and slammed me back into my body. My eyes opened, and I gasped loudly. Air wouldn't completely fill up my lungs - I felt like I had tried to suck through a straw. I knew that I was alive. Not because I could felt my heart in my chest, not because I could feel the air in my lungs, but only someone who was alive could feel this much pain.
For a period of unmeasured days,. I now saw and heard things in color. The beautiful hues of my mind helped my body to heal. My parents were here with me. Their voices always caused a violet symphony to rain down upon me. My heartbeat like the drums of a rock band and the violet ribbons danced to the beat. I had started calling this my rainbow symphony.
“Anastasia, please come back. I know you hear me. It's time to come back." Papa sounded so tired and defeated. I knew it was time to be obedient and come back. He had been begging me for a while, and I really didn't want to leave my symphony, but my parents needed me. My selfishness had done enough damage.
Part of the reason I hadn't awakened yet, was because of the guilt. It was a claw that tore at my heart, like an enemy. I knew I was being a coward, but it was so warm and free here. The world was so flat, cold, and devoid of color. I had done that for so many years. I honestly didn't want to go back and do it again.
"Anastasia, I love you." Red and pink hues burst like a fourth of July show. He really meant it, and my new emotion detector knew it. I sighed deeply in my chest because I had to leave my quiet place, and I opened my eyes. The fireworks disappeared and so did the warmth.
Papa looked so old and tired. I felt the guilt officially fuse to my heart. My moment of selfishness changed my parents’ world. My mother was in the corner sleeping, and she had lines under her eyes. My parents looked like they had aged ten years. How long was I out?
“Papa?” my throat hurt as I tried to talk but couldn't. I moved my hand up, and it felt like I was floating on water. Someone had disconnected the muscles in my arms while I was out. When I finally got my arm up to my mouth there was a tube there. I had a flashback of me as I laid down on the ground, broken. Did I really break? Judging from the pain I saw in my daddy's eyes, I must have. His eyes were red, and he had new wrinkles.
I felt like their pain had become a part of me and had fused to my soul. Every heartbeat whispered my disappointment, and my body screamed of pain. My lungs hurt. Even my eyes hurt to open, but my dad was worth it. So, I focused and kept my eyes open. I focused on his love, and I kept them trained on his.
“Julia,” my father yelled to my mother who was in the corner asleep on a cot, and when she sat up her long, blonde hair was matted on one side. She had one shoe on one shoe off, but she looked absolutely wonderful. I tried to reach out to her, and I couldn't move. I tried to talk and couldn't do that either. I felt paralyzed, and I cried silently. The tears slid down my face and Papa wiped them.
"It will be okay, Anastasia. The doctors are coming to help." He continued to wipe the tears that escaped my eyes. My mom reached for me, and my father grabbed her hand.
"No, Julia. Let her feel this moment. She needs to." Mama shook her head and leaned on my father's shoulder.
My father kissed me on my forehead which was probably the only spot that didn't hurt. He pushed the nurses' button for the nurse to be alerted that I was awake. The love I saw in my parents’ eyes, as they looked down at me, made my heart swell. How could they love me so?
The doctors came in and everything just sped up. All the beeps and clicks in the room from my machines drove me nuts. Seriously, I felt like I was on an alien ship being probed. I stared up at five people who were dressed in blue. All of their faces were covered in surgical masks. It was some X-Files type of stuff. I heard them talking about a sterile field and making sure that I remained healthy. Do doctors think that their patient's ears are broken? I had a lot of broken things, but my ears had escaped the list. Evidently, when somebody suffered as many injuries as I did, their ability to fight off disease weakened. Good to know.
My parents held onto each other and stood in the corner quietly. Papa prayed continuously. Some of his prayers were in Spanish, and I was probably the only one in the room who understood. So, I joined him in my head.
My mother didn't speak much Spanish; she was a blond-haired, blue-eyed, valley girl. Even after they told me stories of how they got together, I looked at them and still couldn’t believe they had gotten together. I guess it's true what they say about opposites attracting. They were goals. My father took such good care of her, and she did the same for him.
I really was a lucky girl.
I tried to keep my eyes on them as a distraction. Some of the things the doctors and nurses were doing hurt.
The doctor with the sharp blue eyes must have been in
charge. He was a little older than the rest of them. He directed the pack on what to do. At other times, he stepped back and just observed. That was until the final thing that needed to be done, and they all moved to collectively remove my tube.
"Hello, honey. I know this is overwhelming, but we have to take care of you. You've suffered a lot, and I am determined to give you some relief. We are going to remove the breathing tube. If we think you need it, we will put it back. I think you will be okay, kiddo. However, if it's still needed, we can do it again. Also, we gave you a paralytic drug to help your body rest. So you wouldn't move too much. You have some significant injuries, and I wanted to give them time to sit and rest." He smiled sweetly at me, and he did just what he intended. He gave me peace and relief that the paralysis wasn't permanent.
"I need you to breathe deeply and remain calm and try not to tense up or fight as we remove the tube. We're giving you something in your IV that's going to relax you so that we can successfully and easily get this out. Is that okay, young lady?"
What the hell is he thinking that I was going to tell him? Sure, go ahead and tear my throat out, or make sure my lungs aren't pulled out with it? As scared as I was, I wanted it removed, so I nodded my head yes. The nurse inserted the needle into my IV, and I felt my body sink into the bed, it was so heavy. My rainbow symphony returned and with it the creepy voices. I was so distracted trying to figure out what the voices were saying, I never noticed when the doctor pulled the tube out. As it slid past my throat, I did cough, and I took a deep breath. One would think that that would be a wonderful feeling. No, it wasn't. As the air returned into my lungs and I took over the job for the machine, sharp pains filled my lungs. I laid my head back, gave into the feeling of the medicine, tried to ignore the voices, and went to sleep.
3
Hurt
I woke up several times during the night. Michael was on my mind. Where was he? Did he make it? Was he alive?
Almost Dead (Blackwell Academy Book 1) Page 1