With each passing day, graduation draws nearer for Adira Reid, who is currently in her final year of high school. Constantly trying to balance her time and responsibilities, she feels like she's walking on a tightrope. With a busy routine filled wit...
A shiver crawls up my spine, a faint sensation of a hand brushing my left shoulder—just a ghost of a touch. I turn, but there's nothing behind me. "Your journey, Adira," the apparition's voice echoes in my mind. "Not his."
I nod slowly. My journey... whatever that means. My stomach churns, and my body locks down as dread seeps in. But I force myself to bend down, pushing past the fear tightening in my chest. Before I can reach the book, Nolan's grabbing my arm, shaking his head, eyes as wide as saucier. I steal a glance at his hand.
"It's alright," I whisper, offering him a reassuring nod that I barely believe myself. I know it won't calm him, either.
Ignoring the knot in my stomach, I turn back to the gaping hole and reach for the brown leather-bound book. It looks heavy, the pages rippling like water despite being closed. Hesitating for just a moment, I slip my fingers around the worn leather, slowly pulling it free from the stack. My breath quickens, expecting pain or shock—but nothing comes.
Now that it's out of the dark compartment, I can see it more clearly. The book looks handmade, the leather peeling and tearing in spots like it's barely holding together. One wrong move and it could crumble in my hands. I glanced at Nolan, who was holding his breath, body tense.
"I'm alright, it's just heavy." He exhales a long breath, giving a small nod, though his eyes never leave the book. I nod back, my fingers tracing the golden stars etched into the spine, swoops and spirals curling along the leather. Before I can blink, the book jerks from my hands, slamming to the floor with a loud thud. The pages spring open, flipping at an impossible speed on its own.
I leap away from it, landing on my cast; Daggers shoot up and through my arm and I shout in pain, curling into myself as I hold my wrist to my chest, forgetting everything else.
Suddenly, hands grab my middle, and I'm yanked backward into Nolan's arms. He pulls me tight against him, scrambling us away. My face is buried in his chest when I hear a crash and I quickly scan the room to find the bookshelf on its front, hovering just above the now motionless, perfectly still book. Nolan's arms are still wrapped around me, his breath hot and shallow against my hair. I look up, and our faces are inches apart. Astonishment fills his wide blue eyes, mirroring my own. We're both gasping, unable to catch our breath. As we run over what just happened. The room buzzes with an uncontrolled energy that spreads goosebumps all over my body.
"Are you alright?" His voice shakes, concern heavy in his eyes, looking at me intently before scanning down what he can see of the rest of my body that's pinned to his. I slowly nod, ignoring the flaring pain screaming from my wrist. "I'll be fine," I choke out between breaths. But I'm not sure I am. I feel sick and unsteady. "What... What happened?" Nolan asks as he scans the disaster behind me. "I-"
"What the hell are you two doing?" Coral's voice cuts through the tension, her grumpy morning tone catching me off guard. She's standing in the doorway, Echo cowering at her side, her eyes wide as she takes in the disaster.
What the actual Hell
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
