Page 153 of Awakened
“Aiden?” The image of him lying helplessly on the ground flashed in my mind.
“No.” Marie took a step closer.
I moved toward the door. “And Gamma Perkins? Did we get him?”
Marie shook her head, and my rage returned. How that motherfucker survived the battle, but Zach and Alex died was beyond me. There really was no justice in the world.
My body began to heat, and the tingle in my fingertips told me it was time to go. I left the house and walked into the forest without saying another word.
The sun cut through the leaves, and I watched dust dance through the beams. Coming across a pretty clearing, I sat under a gigantic oak.
“Okay, universe, time for a heart-to-heart. You fucking suck.”
A bird squawked as it flew overhead and disappeared into the high branches.
“You took Zach.” I wiped tears off my cheeks. “I loved him, and you took him. That sounds so pathetic. Those words don’teven cover what he meant to me. I was one hundred percent me with him, and he accepted it.”
A rabbit hopped into the clearing.
“Now I’m cursed? Are you fucking kidding me?”
Squirrels rushed up the tree trunk behind me.
“Oh wait, not only cursed but blessed. Whatever that means. It feels like a hurricane of power and confusion. My soul is being pushed to its limits.”
I tore at the grass, ripping each blade out at its root.
“And I don’t have Zach to help me. He was the best guy I’ve ever known, and now he’s gone.”
I pressed my forehead against my knees, trying to focus on the pressure on my face.
“What, what am I supposed to do? I never wanted to be powerful. I never wanted a destiny. All I wanted was a quiet, happy life. Now I have ghosts telling me I am some kind of savior. I’m no hero.”
I dug my heels into the dirt, trying to ground myself. Footsteps nearby caught my attention. They were irregular, as if the walker was limping.
Unburying my nose from my knees, I sniffed the air. “Not now, Seth.”
He came into the clearing holding his ribs. Dragging his leg, he made his way to my side. “Don’t mind me. I’m just going to have a sit and then be on my way.”
Collapsing onto the ground, he grunted and hissed. I rested my cheek on my knees as I looked at him. Bandages peeked out from under his shirt, and his face had a light sheen of sweat. He shoved back his wavy hair, the roots damp from his little walk through the woods.
“Uh, huh.”
When his eyes finally met mine, I had to turn away. Resting my chin on my knees, I focused on some kind of weed flower in the bushes.
“You’re healingwell.”
There was a ruffling of leaves, and he moved closer. “Yeah, it’s amazing what Grandma can do.”
I nodded but didn’t say anything.Where do we even start?
“I’m sorry about Zach. He was a good guy.”
Blinking, I tried to keep the tears away. “The best.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
A bee landed on the weed flower.
