Chapter Excerpts
Originally, I had posted small excerpts on my blog once having completed each chapter, but I have since then edited those chapters into second drafts and have decided to share a little more. I hope these excerpts spark your interest and give you a little peek into what I have been writing. As always, I love to here your feedback, so leave a comment in the form below!
Chapter 1- Keira's POV
[Photos by Meriirem and Knotty Keri]
This is going to be a long year, I thought silently to myself as Elina slipped into the car. Up close she looked even more striking as I glared in her direction. We had the same bone structure, small nose, and pouty lips, but our eyes were what differentiated us. Elina had the perfect bright blue hue to her big round eyes like Mom, while mine were more almond shaped, like Dad’s. I, on the other hand had a mismatched pair of grey blue and violet eyes that left a strangeness to my look. Still glaring at my sister, I reversed the car and pulled out of the drive as she played around with the radio.
The Classic Crime was still pouring out of the speakers as we pulled into the school parking lot at 7:35, with only three minutes to spare. “The chord that struck, an angel fell, the sky went dark and it all comes down, the choices made, the lies forgotten”. I sighed audibly at Elina as she was still primping in the mirror after I parked.
“Come on princess, we’re going to be late,” I said, shutting the mirror on her.
The Classic Crime was still pouring out of the speakers as we pulled into the school parking lot at 7:35, with only three minutes to spare. “The chord that struck, an angel fell, the sky went dark and it all comes down, the choices made, the lies forgotten”. I sighed audibly at Elina as she was still primping in the mirror after I parked.
“Come on princess, we’re going to be late,” I said, shutting the mirror on her.
Chapter 2- Keira's POV
[Photo by Steffi Au]
Last I met his eyes. They were the most striking eyes I had ever encountered, piercing ice blue in color, as though they held floating glaciers in their depths. He was breathtaking to look at, and matched the beauty of angels painted in long forgotten masterpieces. I stood slowly, trying to pull down my soiled shirt, hoping to cover up as much as possible of my revealed skin, all the while his presence still looming in front of me.
“Who are you?” It sounded like a whisper escaping from my mouth. He stood there as if frozen in place, not answering me. “This is my dream and I want to know who you are,” I sounded more confident with each breath. But still no answer, just the intense stare from those mesmerizing eyes keeping me transfixed on him. It felt as though he was looking to me for the answers of my questions. I stepped cautiously forward, until we were but a breath apart, staring intently as if he would fade away if I lost focus. Everything stilled around us, there was no breeze, no shift in the shadows. I thought that maybe my dream was trying to play a trick on me, so I decided I would test it back.
I raised my right arm slowly, trying not to spook whatever apparition of my mind this was. The wind picked up in a whirl as I reached closer, and the forest flashed into brilliant color as if it was pulsing to life. I let the tips of my fingers graze his cheek bone and was suddenly jolted like I had stuck my fingers into an electrical socket. There was a slight twinge of pain rising when I looked at my fingertips, half expecting that they would be burnt like the charred trunk behind me, but they looked normal. There was something else to the shock I had experienced; within that brief touch, there were hidden promises swirling in the air around me. Promises I couldn’t distinguish before I began falling slowly to the earth. The last thing I remembered before blacking out was the sudden warmth surging under my skin, like an electrical current, as the stranger from my dream caught me up in his grasp, keeping me from falling further.
“Who are you?” It sounded like a whisper escaping from my mouth. He stood there as if frozen in place, not answering me. “This is my dream and I want to know who you are,” I sounded more confident with each breath. But still no answer, just the intense stare from those mesmerizing eyes keeping me transfixed on him. It felt as though he was looking to me for the answers of my questions. I stepped cautiously forward, until we were but a breath apart, staring intently as if he would fade away if I lost focus. Everything stilled around us, there was no breeze, no shift in the shadows. I thought that maybe my dream was trying to play a trick on me, so I decided I would test it back.
I raised my right arm slowly, trying not to spook whatever apparition of my mind this was. The wind picked up in a whirl as I reached closer, and the forest flashed into brilliant color as if it was pulsing to life. I let the tips of my fingers graze his cheek bone and was suddenly jolted like I had stuck my fingers into an electrical socket. There was a slight twinge of pain rising when I looked at my fingertips, half expecting that they would be burnt like the charred trunk behind me, but they looked normal. There was something else to the shock I had experienced; within that brief touch, there were hidden promises swirling in the air around me. Promises I couldn’t distinguish before I began falling slowly to the earth. The last thing I remembered before blacking out was the sudden warmth surging under my skin, like an electrical current, as the stranger from my dream caught me up in his grasp, keeping me from falling further.
Chapter 3- Avery's POV
There was a flash behind her eyes, as if a storm took its first strike in their depths, while she slowly lifted a hand from her side. I knew I should fade away before she found that my body held no semblance of touch, but I was unable to make myself move, having planted my feet where I stood bracing for the warmth of her touch that would never come. Right then I felt as if no force of nature could tear me away from her. The world around us stilled and fired to life all in one breath. I saw her reach towards me while I silently prayed that she would stop before our time together was ruined. But my prayers where unanswered and she continued her advance, bringing her hand up to meet my face. Instead of feeling the nothingness as I had expected, her hand made contact as her fingers softly swept down my jaw line.
At that moment, I felt like I had been struck by a bolt of lightning, flooding forth from her fingertips. My body felt as if it should have been burned to a pile of ashes from the onslaught of sensations singing through my veins. In that single breathe I felt as confused as she looked, but my mind didn’t have time to grasp what was happening between us. Suddenly the girl started to faint towards the moss covered ground, and the light that had been burning from her gaze was quickly snuffed out. Before I could register what my body was doing, I had caught her up in my arms, my blood pulsating at every point where her skin touched mine. I stared down at the limp body of this beautiful creature in complete wonder. The very fact that I could feel the warmth of her skin should have been impossible.
At that moment, I felt like I had been struck by a bolt of lightning, flooding forth from her fingertips. My body felt as if it should have been burned to a pile of ashes from the onslaught of sensations singing through my veins. In that single breathe I felt as confused as she looked, but my mind didn’t have time to grasp what was happening between us. Suddenly the girl started to faint towards the moss covered ground, and the light that had been burning from her gaze was quickly snuffed out. Before I could register what my body was doing, I had caught her up in my arms, my blood pulsating at every point where her skin touched mine. I stared down at the limp body of this beautiful creature in complete wonder. The very fact that I could feel the warmth of her skin should have been impossible.
Chapter 4- Reilly's POV
[Photo by Irina Vorotyntseva]
I had been so tempted to stay with her sleeping on my chest all night but I thought better of the idea and reluctantly slipped out before she woke up. It was harder than I would have liked, having to leave her lying there dreaming. Keira’s hair was spilled around her face where the smallest hint of a smile shown. Not to mention that her barely covered body was still curled around the spot that I had vacated, almost as if she had missed my presence. Keira was giving me hope that things would work out, even if she was totally unconscious and unaware of it at the time. All of the ‘what ifs’ were still nagging at my brain. What if she turned away as I leaned in for a kiss? What if she thought I was ruining our friendship? And most importantly, what if she felt the same way? With all of these questions crashing about my thoughts, there was no way I was going to rush her into anything, simply because I had too much to lose if I did and if my feelings were unrequited.
Chapter 5- Avery's POV
[Photo by Anette Schrive]
“It is not your fault, and don’t think that way. I love you, you were honest with me and I knew what I was getting into, we both did. But there seems to be some kind of dark seduction to the dreams. I was happy and felt alive while they were happening, but once they ended, I felt lost and craved their escape. Every minute of every day passed slower than the one before, and it was as if I was being suffocated by shadows. I wish I was strong enough to stay, but my mother and sister were worried for my health, they could see that I was getting sicker each day. Line didn’t give me much of a choice, her and mother practically packed my bags and arranged for my stay with the family for a ‘vacation’ before I could tell you that I needed some time.”
Silence fell around us once more. I don’t know how long we sat there, but the sun soon faded and Laila stood.
“I’m sorry it has to be this way. You know that I wanted this more than anything, you saw the dreams I had of us, together and growing old. I’ve decided that I’m going to move in with my cousins and start over, I think it’s the only way to keep myself from running back to you. And if you love me like I love you, I ask that you don’t follow or come looking for me, in the waking or dreaming,” she sighed heavily. I could hear the tears building as she spoke. “Goodbye Avery, jeg vil elske deg alltid.”
Laila was gone, and I was left in the darkness once more.
Silence fell around us once more. I don’t know how long we sat there, but the sun soon faded and Laila stood.
“I’m sorry it has to be this way. You know that I wanted this more than anything, you saw the dreams I had of us, together and growing old. I’ve decided that I’m going to move in with my cousins and start over, I think it’s the only way to keep myself from running back to you. And if you love me like I love you, I ask that you don’t follow or come looking for me, in the waking or dreaming,” she sighed heavily. I could hear the tears building as she spoke. “Goodbye Avery, jeg vil elske deg alltid.”
Laila was gone, and I was left in the darkness once more.
Chapter 6- Keira's POV
The sky continued to pour over us as rain dripped down my heated cheeks. The kiss steadily continued, and I could feel Reilly’s battle for self-control, and my ever weakening state, wanting to feel him completely let go of everything else. I melted into the side of the Jeep with the length of Reilly’s body flush and molded against mine. The increasing beat of his heart thumped loudly in rhythm with my own. He had yet to move his hands from either side of my head where they had me pinned to the car. It was as if he was still holding back, giving me the chance to stop at any moment. A burning fire had started deep in the pit of my stomach and continued to rise through my chest and up into my throat as I fisted my hands in his soaking wet shirt, pulling him down closer to me. The hardest part was that I didn’t want to stop the moment, knowing full well that I should. My thoughts were fogging over as I fought to keep my head, thinking about the possible consequences, while my body was telling me to give in. This felt right, Reilly and I, so much so that I let all my worried thoughts go and clung even tighter to him in those last few moments of bliss.
Chapter 7- Keira's POV
[Photo by Becca Reeve]
A storm was rolling in over my head as I frantically tried to find my way out of the forest. The rustle of the trees swaying and the howl of distant coyotes made my desperation increase drastically. The overwhelming need to escape was all consuming. I was running barefoot on a slick carpet of wet leaves, and no matter what direction I raced off toward, I ended up in the same place. A ring of towering pines stretched forward, as if to encircle and imprison me with their needle covered branches. I was tired of running and getting nowhere. As I slowed to a stop, hoping to regain my sense of direction, a flash of lightning lit up the forest revealing three figures standing in the shadows. The first two were just a few yards off to the left and right of me. While the third stood directly in front of my path, but further away than the others. My heart pounded violently against my rib cage as I unsuccessfully tried to make out the faces of the distant figures. Fear crept down my spine. All were cloaked in black, with hoods pulled up concealing their faces in the darkness. Dread spiked as I fought back its onslaught to remain calm.
Chapter 8- Avery's POV
It only took a few more minutes of going back and forth to make my decision. Seeing Keira lie there, dreaming and just within my reach was all too tempting to resist. I closed my eyes and searched for her spark. It was a bright violet hue that exploded like a flash in the forefront of my mind. I concentrated on letting myself be pulled towards the supernova, as my senses fanned out around me in search of her dreams.
Only seconds had past, when my ears erupted with the howls of wolves.
Only seconds had past, when my ears erupted with the howls of wolves.