Another Life (Book 3)

Chapter 1

(^^ Pic above is of Oriane)

Chapter 1

Upon my last breath, none other than Graciela Del Laurentis, Queen of Egralon, shall wield this spear. Until then, I appoint you to Angelina Kozlov. Not to kill, but to wound and bring about a deep slumber. A slumber that shall take my breath but my spirit shall remain. Upon my next first breath, I re-assume the throne as Queen of Egralon and you shall be mine to wield, to appoint onto another, but most importantly to carry out the duties began by my forefathers, to measure life and keep order...

Gasping, I fly up into a sitting position. My eyes are blurry, warding off the true brutality of the blinding room lights. I try to swallow, but it just feels like I'm swallowing knives and my tongue seems to be pasted to the roof of my mouth.

My heart is racing haphazardly, hasn't yet settled back into its rhythm while my body is shivering from the poor circulation of blood. My eyes sweep around the room, unable to see anything but blurred figures. Still, I know where I am. I try to swallow again and it feels as if there are knives against my throat.

My hand finds my throat, and it feels fine, but there's this immense amount of thirst that feels almost crippling. I push the covers back and stumble to my feet. I sway a little as I stand still; I gather enough strength to pull the IV line from my hand before stumbling towards the bathroom.

The heart monitor has stopped beating now that I'm no longer attached to it, but the halls outside aren't vacant and the shoes of passing agents pat the floor like a stampede. The water rushes through the pipes and I follow the sound of it until I'm turning the tap to the sink. I watch it rush out and into my hands for only a split second before I drink.

The feeling of it slipping down my throat is divine. Like a healing hand to a wounded soldier. Soothing, nurturing, replenishing. I moan my delight as I drink. It is only after I feel less like a dried-up sponge I become aware, hear more than the water in the pipes and the footsteps outside. A familiar heartbeat catches my attention out in the hall. It isn't steady; it isn't calm. She's nervous. Nervous about seeing me. She's talking on the phone. I listen.

"You think so?" there is a pause and her heart skips a beat before she continues. "She's listening. Want to say Hi?"

"Hi, Baby!" I hear on the other end of the phone. In the background, I could hear the beeping of a machine and some other weird sounds I couldn't place. I smile at her greeting, blush even, as I reach to turn off the pipe and go greet them. As I look up, I glimpse myself in the mirror and freeze. My heart momentarily stops as I meet my golden eyes before it's speeding up again. With shaking hands, I reach for my hair, running my fingers through the length as I glance down at it. I don't look at it through the mirror for fear the mirror is lying to me because how and when... How am I a blonde?

"Grace!" I panic as I head out the door.

Her eyes lock with mine as she comes back into the room and she suddenly laughs. "She's definitely freaking out." She says to Sierra.

"Gracie," I say in a more controlled less panicked voice. Fingering the length of my hair for emphasis, I ask. "Why am I blonde? W-what... How?"

She smiles, coming up to me. Reaching for my hand, she takes it and wraps it around her waist as she presses our bodies together. I hold her as her hand travels up my side to hold my face. "Baby," she breathes, peering into my eyes. "You're beautiful."