Grasping at Eternity (The Kindrily) by Karen Amanda Hooper Read Free Book Online

She had let go of our eternity, and I couldn’t stop grasping onto the memory of who she used to be.

TIME HEALS ALL WOUNDS
     
    Maryah
     
    Krista crawled into bed with me and rubbed aloe on my arm. “They don’t hate you.”
    “I almost burned down their house, and Carson definitely hates me.”
    “He’s just a kid. He probably hates everyone.”
    “He’s only a year younger than us.”
    She set the aloe bottle on the nightstand. “Yeah, but we’re old souls. He has a lot of growing up to do.”
    “What if they all end up hating me? Or what if death came for me that night, but something went wrong? Now it’s going to keep coming for me. Like the fire, maybe that was death’s second attempt. What if I’m putting people in danger by being here?”
    She laughed. “You watch too many scary movies. Death isn’t some black-robed figure hunting you down and staging freak accidents to kill you.”
    No, death is a gorgeous movie-star angel man that rides a motorcycle and sat beside you at the hospital . I wanted to say that, but I chose something less loony. “What’s up with you being all buddy-buddy with everyone?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Hugging everyone, and smacking Carson. You’re making yourself right at home.”
    “They’re very hospitable—and loveable.”
    “Loveable? You hardly know them.”
    “Shhh.” Her fingers glided over my burn in her trademark figure eight pattern. “Think healing thoughts.”
    Krista had an obsession with wanting to make people feel better. She’d done the healing thoughts thing since as far back as I could remember.
    I faked a smile. “Seriously, my arm is okay. Stop stressing.”
    “How’s your head?”
    “Fine.” Since the age of two I’d gotten chronic headaches that doctors couldn’t prevent or cure. My brain surgery didn’t help matters. My ears had been buzzing so loud it made me dizzy, like a dozen bumblebees drag racing around my head. Thankfully, the bees had gone to bed. “What about you? You’ve got those dark circles under your eyes that always show up right before you get sick.”
    “I’m just tired.” She wrapped her pinky around mine. “Let’s get some sleep. We’ve been through a lot today.”
    “That’s an understatement.”
    Krista recited the same line she’d used every night since we were little. “Sweet dreams, Pudding. The stars are waiting for you.”
    Freakin’ stars. She had no idea how much guilt the mention of them caused me.
    I fell asleep within minutes, but woke up several times, tossing and turning. Each time I felt disoriented because of the unfamiliar room. Blame it on the dream catcher, or the mental overload of being in Sedona, but when I did reach deep sleep, my dreams were intense.
    I stood in the guestroom, watching Krista and me sleep. The dreaming version of me crawled into my side of bed, melding like a vaporous cloud with my sleeping body. Even in my dreams Krista smelled like a yummy candle store.
    Her dark wavy hair cascaded across her pillow. I rested my forehead against hers and she stirred, pulling the comforter up around her shoulder. Her hand was glowing.
    “Wake up,” I said. “Your hand looks like the moon.”
    I placed my ghost-like fingers on her eyelids, and gently pushed them open. They were a kaleidoscope of light and colors: lavender, lime, and silver. A million flecks of shimmery dust swirled through her eyeballs like a glittery snowstorm. I snapped my fingers, but she wouldn’t wake up.
    My new but very old ring looked similar to Krista’s eyes. The peacock feather floated in the tiny glass bubble. Speckles of shimmery light churned around it like the inside of a miniature snow globe. The feather floated up and out of my ring, quadrupling in size, and drifted toward the bedroom door. I followed it into the hallway.
    Louise’s paintings were glowing just like Krista’s eyes. The peacock feather looped through the air, landing on a canvas covered with an extraordinary mixture of