Painting in Acrylic by
Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12
Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15
Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18
Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21
Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24
For those of you who missed the post of the release, I briefly explained how the series began as an idea for a Young Adult novel, and that I had in fact written what amounts to a novella taking place the summer before REBORN begins, and I decided to release it here on steemit.
BORN
Chapter Twenty-Five
When she finally got it under control she realized she was going to have to tell him. Otherwise he might assume her whole breakdown was some kind of ploy to manipulate him into forgiving her.
She could hear the girls talking quietly nearby and she knew she wasn’t ready to include them in this conversation.
“Can we go back to the camp?” She spoke into his shirt. “Alone?”
She felt him nod and he helped her to her feet. “Hey girls, Anna and I are heading back to camp for a bit, we’ll catch up with you later.”
She avoided their eyes as she listened to their reluctant assent and kept her head down as they walked away. When they neared the sight of the fight they were detoured by security. A quick look was enough for her to see a few bloodied up faces and some shadowy shapes milling nearby.
“Is that what you were running from?” Austin asked as he steered her the long way around the circle back toward the exit.
“Not exactly,” she shivered.
“But you were there…
“Please,” she begged. She heard him sigh and they walked the rest of the way in silence.
When they had reached his campsite he led her to a seat and pulled up another one. He sat with his knees touching hers and leaned forward gently gripping her chin. “Tell me what’s going on Anna.”
She chewed her lip and sighed. Just say it , she thought and blew out a breath.
"I see shadow men.”
His brows furrowed. "Huh?"
“Let me get this out okay? Wait 'till I'm done to ask questions?"
He nodded for her to go on.
She took a fortifying breath. “It started just before my mom died. Twice I saw them, these shadowy creatures, kind of human in shape, and at first I thought I was imagining things or hallucinating. Especially since when I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again they were gone. Then after she died I thought they were some kind of premonition, like an evil omen. But I kept seeing them, though at first it was only in large crowds.” She noticed his eyebrows climbing and carefully avoided his eyes.
“But the worst was the first time I went to the train station to wait for my dad and there was this guy…and the shadow thing was in him. His eyes were black and there was this malicious energy pouring off of him; and I saw another one like that the first night we were here, just before you guys found me on the bench. And then last night they were everywhere, and I couldn’t make them go away because I was drinking and when I drink squeezing my eyes shut doesn’t work, so I drink more so I won’t care about it. And then that fight back there, the shadows, oh my God, it was like they were riding piggy-back on those guys, and then there was that guy with black eyes and he saw me staring at him….”
Her breath hitched and tears sprang to her eyes. Austin put his hands on her legs and squeezed gently. She lifted her head and bit her lip. “You think I’m crazy right?”
"No. Not crazy."
"Over-active imagination?"
"Maybe...
She started to pull away but he gripped her tighter and she gave him a dark look. "It's not my imagination. I wish it was, I really freaking do, but it’s not. So either they are real or I’m hallucinating. But the thing is…I saw them on those guys before the fight started. I don’t think I'm hallucinating, but I don't know that it's better if I'm not!"
"Okay," He paused for a moment then spoke gently, "If they are real, why you, why would you see them?"
"I don't know. That's what I hate about it, I don't know why! But I swear they were driving those guys who started the fight just now! And Austin don’t try and figure this out for me, okay? I will not take medication, or go to a shrink who will try and explain it away as some childhood trauma. There is nothing I can do except what I already do, which is ignore them for the most part. I told you about it because I don’t want you to keep thinking that last night had something to do with that idiot Leo. And because I trust you."
He took a deep breath and let it out slow. “Okay. Shit Anna, I’m sorry…I guess I really jumped to the wrong conclusions, huh?” He smiled sheepishly.
She laughed a little. “Yeah, it’s not that your girlfriend is questioning her relationship, it’s that she’s questioning her sanity.” She slid off the chair and onto his lap, grabbing his face in her hands. “I love you. I want to be with you. But I may be batshit crazy, so are you sure you want to be with me?”
He smiled. “You love me…” He pulled her into his chest and spoke into her hair. “Hell yes I want to be with you.” He gently pushed her back so he could look at her face, his expression warm and serious. “I don’t know what it is you’re seeing, but I believe you and I don’t think you’re crazy. But if you are,” he waggled his eyebrows, “I’ll be your therapy.”
She grinned and pecked him on the lips.
“What was that?” He complained teasingly. “I think your treatment will require a little more depth.” He put his hands in her hair and closed his mouth over hers, running his tongue over her bottom lip until she opened up for him. And then the world went away for several minutes.
When they finally broke apart they were both breathless and he wrapped his arms around her.
“Good session,” she breathed into his shoulder. His body vibrated as he laughed and she rested her head on him feeling a thousand times lighter.
She was no longer alone.
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