Page 25 of Forging Darkness

“Or maybe you’d like to hear about the times I explained to my foster parents why I ran fully clothed into a lake or pool or river to escape the shadow beasts? That never went over well. People don’t want to take care of a little girl they think is either a liar or insane.”

I run a shaky hand through the tangled strands of my hair.

“Honestly, there were some days I wondered if Iwasgoing crazy.”

When I stop talking, the only sound in the room is the gentle lapping of water sloshing off the sides of the pool. I concentrate on the ripples journeying along the surface rather than the person beside me as my cheeks heat from oversharing. Why did I say all that?

It feels like an eternity before Steel’s low timbre echoes off the glass enclosure. “What happened to you wasn’t fair.”

I snort. “I don’t want your pity. Life is rarely fair.”

I sneak a peek at him when the silence descends on us again. Steel’s gaze sears me.

“I don’t pity you.” The lines of his face are harsh, but he’s not angry at me. He’s angry for me. “But you should have grown up with loving parents who helped you understand our world. No one should have to live the way you did,” he says, reading between the lines of everything I did and didn’t say.

A burning sensation prickles the back of my eyes. Warmth settles in my chest, but with it something inside tightens. Staring back at Steel, I can’t exactly identify what I’m feeling, but it’s overwhelming. Breaking our contact, I search for an escape route.

Who says you can’t run from your problems?

My gaze latches onto the red Exit sign at the top of the door at the other end of the pool. I’m a half-second away from bolting when something tickles my upper arm.

Steel trails the tips of his fingers down my arm. My skin tingles wherever he touches. When he reaches my hand, his own wraps around it.

“Come on. Time to learn how to swim.”

Wading a few feet out into the pool, he tugs and I slide off the ledge, allowing him to pull me forward. Standing with my head and shoulders above the water, I start to shake. Some of my extremities go numb. I know my fear isn’t rational, but it doesn’t make it any less real.

This was a bad idea.

My pulse elevates and breaths quicken as my flight instinct takes over. Logical thinking becomes a distant memory.

The water is warm, but goose bumps break out on my skin at the same time moisture beads at my hairline.

The smell of chemicals fills my nostrils, making it feel like I can’t get enough oxygen.

Blue and pink bursts of colors explode in my vision, but worries about phasing into the spectrum world are hardly at the top of my mind.

I take a baby step back, hoping to feel the pool’s lip rough against my shoulders, but it’s not there.

“Hey, look at me,” Steel’s voice booms in the relative silence. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

I want to believe him, but fear is a funny thing. I can face down a Forsaken with single-minded determination, yet a small pool leaves me paralyzed.

Go figure.

Steel squeezes my hand and uses his other one to tip my chin up, forcing my gaze from the blue-tinted water around us to the teal pool of his eyes as he draws closer.

“Deep breath in. Deep breath out. You’ve got this.”

He’s trying to calm me—I know he is—but the diminished distance between us only kicks my heartbeat up a notch.

I try taking deep breaths like Steel suggested, but the starbursts of color deepen and take over my vision as adrenaline pumps throughout my system. There’s no stopping it now, so I give in and phase.

Chapter Nine

It happens just like any other time. From one blink to the next, I’ve traveled out of the mortal world and into the spectrum one. The sharp sting of chlorine is replaced by floral notes in the air. The water sparkles like a lit crystal chandelier, hiding my glowing white aura from any foes.

I’m grateful for that, but only that.

---