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

green and yellow. I tried grabbing the feather, but it sunk deep into the painting. The colors crawled off the canvas and up my arm, wrapping around me. I giggled at the tingly sensation. Emerald and gold swirled around my phantom body then expanded and filled the hallway. The river of colors flowed forward, carrying me down the hall until I reached the door that Louise said was Nathan’s room.
    I heard rustling inside so I tried going in. The doorknob rattled, but I couldn’t open it.
    “Hello?” said a deep voice from the other side.
    I panicked, feeling like a trespasser. The river of colors turned ice cold. I gasped as the door opened and I glimpsed my movie-star angel man. Luminous beams of emerald, gold, and sapphire poured out of his room, mixing with the river and filling the hallway up to the ceiling.
    I was pulled under until I drowned in an endless ocean of multicolored light.
     
    ∞
     
    My eyes were still swollen and itchy from crying the night before, so when I woke up and saw green and blue glitter swirling around our bed, I had to question it.
    “Kris, is there sparkly dust floating above you?”
    When she didn’t answer, I rolled over to nudge her awake, but her side of the bed was empty. I looked up, but the shimmery cloud had disappeared. The swaying peacock feathers of the dream catcher combined with the sunlight pouring through the windows must have created an optical illusion. I threw on Mikey’s hat before making my way to the kitchen.
    Louise and Krista sat at the counter looking at a book together.
    “Good morning, Maryah,” Louise said. “How’d you sleep?”
    “Fine.”
    “How’s your arm?”
    I twisted my elbow around to look at my burn, but it looked almost normal. “All good.”
    “That aloe must have done wonders,” Louise said to Krista.
    “Nah, Maryah’s always been a fast healer.” Krista shimmied her eyebrows at me then pointed toward the floor-to-ceiling windows. “See that huge red rock formation in the distance? It’s Cathedral Rock, one of the major vortexes.”
    “Vortexes?”
    “Yes,” Louise answered. “Sedona is home to four major sacrosanct funnels.”
    “Sacro what?”
    Krista stuck her nose back in the book, but Louise smiled. “Sacred centers of omnipotent energy.”
    No clue what she was talking about, but the view was epic. Like the Lunas carved their house into the side of a cliff so they could gaze down at the colorful earth. Why in the world did my parents ever leave Sedona? “It’s some view.”
    “The original owner thought so too,” Louise said. “That’s why she built the house here.” She gazed out the window and thumbed her necklace. “Would you like some breakfast?”
    “I’ll make myself some cereal if that’s okay.”
    “You don’t have to ask permission. Help yourself to whatever you like. Cereal is in the pantry.”
    I grabbed two boxes and poured milk onto my sweet and healthy combo. Louise eyed my bowl. “I see you like to mix your flavors.”
    “One flavor is too boring.”
    “Interesting, Nathaniel does the same thing.”
    This guy sure did come up a lot. Maybe he was Louise’s favorite. Mothers aren’t supposed to have a favorite child, but regardless of the unwritten rule, they usually did. (Mine definitely did.) Or maybe it was because Nathaniel left for college a couple days ago and Louise missed having him around.
    The side door to the kitchen flew open and a blur of white and pink barreled into me. I almost fell over, but the girl held me in place with a bear hug.
    “It’s so good to see you again!” she squealed.
    Louise closed her book. “Maryah, Krista, meet Faith.”
    The girl pulled back to look at me, but kept her grip on my arms. “We’ve missed you so much! Tell me everything! What adventures have you had? What was Maryland like? I’m loving your straight hair!”
    I stared at her in shock. She was a little shorter than me, but her energy made her seem ten feet tall. Her hair was white as snow