Chasing Shadows by Rebbeca Stoddard Read Free Book Online Page B

love. He had fought with desperation to keep her with him. Sadness came over my soul and settled in my heart. Drying my eyes, I got up from the bed, grabbed some clean clothes, and headed for the bathroom down the hall. It took a few minutes to find the towels hiding in a small closet. I made it back to the bathroom with no trouble and started the shower. The hot water loosened the tense muscles in my shoulders and relaxed my mind. As I thought back to last night and my strange dream of the past, I choked on air. Sebastian was incredibly old, and he seemed to know a lot about what I had gone through. I mentally slapped my forehead; I couldn’t understand why I hadn’t caught that earlier. Continuing my train of thought, I choked again. He had even called me little AubrieAnna! Amaryia’s father called her little Amaryia. Sebastian was using an old nickname for a lost love on me. Totally confused, I hurried through the rest of my shower.
    I was dressed in black leggings, a white shirt with a sequined skull and crossbones, a purple cardigan, and my gray fringed boots. Clamora was talking about how I needed to focus on the silver light that glowed in my fingertips and to push it outward. My forehead was scrunched as I focused, but all I was doing was making myself prematurely wrinkled. Giving up, I picked up a small rock and threw it at a nearby tree and watched as the rock splintered a small hole through the tree. A sharp pain shot through my chest, and I tried to keep from falling over. Just as I was about to ask what happened, Clamora jumped on the explanation. “That is the fairy in you, my dear. You feel what nature feels, and it feels what you feel. You can help everything around you grow. And everything around you can help you when you need it most. It will call to you at night, and it will scream when it needs you most. At first, it will be terrifying, but that is why you are here for a few more days.” She smiled softly and said, “Why don’t we call it a night? I can see the strain in your forehead. If you were not immortal, then you would have wrinkles before next week.” We both laughed at that and walked back into the house.
    Clamora opened the door for me, and I walked straight into someone’s chest. As I nervously backed up with my head down and started blabbering apologies, a small laugh escaped the person, and I realized it was Sebastian. He moved over to let me through and sobered when he saw my face. Not wanting to talk to him anymore, I stalked off to get some food and water. Frustration poured off me in waves as I struggled to find the kitchen. When I found myself by the front door, I peered into the room where Clamora had first talked with me and a sense of peace washed over me. Drawn in by the atmosphere of the room, I sat down in one of the chairs and relaxed. A small girl appeared by the door and skipped in to greet me, but she halted when she noticed my sour mood. Sitting down in a chair next me, she had a look of sympathy on her face. I looked at her and noticed she had wavy blonde hair, with large brown eyes and a soft, rounded face. She looked like she was no more than fifteen years old and about five feet tall. Her pale skin was accentuated by a pale blue dress that reached her knees and was short sleeved. I tore my attention back to her face and smiled softly. As she returned the smile, a small dimple came into view on her right cheek. “You are too pretty to be sad.” A small sweet voice came from the girl.
    “Huh?” It took me a moment to realize that she was talking about my mood. “I’m not sad. Just frustrated, I suppose.”
    “Do you want to talk about it?” Her voice was tinted with concern.
    “No offense, but I don’t know you. And I’m sure you wouldn’t want to hear it anyway.” I tried getting her to ignore my mood, but it didn’t work.
    “I am Rayne October. And you must be AubrieAnna. Clamora is a family friend, and she has talked about you quite frequently.”