Shadows of Fate

Chapter 1

My spirit lifted free out of my limp body. It chilled me to see my chest so still, my breath silent. This was a bad idea. To be honest, I had no idea what I was doing. I could get trapped out of my body. I could totally lose my mind. Heck, it could all be a dream. I might be sleeping on top of a lighthouse at the edge of the cape like an idiot for no reason. But I was out of options, and I felt closest to him up here. He had to know.

Before I doubted myself too much, Tobias, my twin brother, melted out from the shadows. His image flickered like a light about to die.

"Charlie? What are you doing here?" His voice was a whisper, hollow and weak, only a ghost of his real one.

Tobias drifted towards me, his feet never grazing the ground. Gravity had no hold on Shades, a name I made up for people—souls—like him.

His scraggly brown hair swayed as if underwater. Noticing the pill bottle in my limp hand, his gaze grew wide, concern etched his pale face. "What have you done?"

I avoided his sharp hazel eyes, the same as my eyes...our mother's eyes.

"It was just enough to put me under." After the accident, I occasionally connected with my brother when I drifted into a shallow sleep. Doubt still lingered in my mind. It didn't seem possible to have an out of body experience, let alone use it to talk to someone in a coma. I shrugged away the negative thoughts. I had to believe this was real. It was all that kept me going.

"But here?" He motioned to the lighthouse that stood at the tip of the cape. Our little town was settled on the other side of the thin forest. Waves crashed on the rocky coast in front of me, but the sound had faded to a dull drone. I couldn't feel the cold on my face or taste the sea salt on my lips. "A storm is coming. You're going to freeze."

I had to do it here. Meeting with him always worked best when I slept in a place that was important to us. We loved this lighthouse. We felt close to Mom here. But all that didn't matter at the moment.

"I had to. Tobias, it's Dad...he..." The words twisted and burrowed back down into my gut. I didn't want to say it, as if voicing it aloud would make it come true.

The world flickered, as my sleeping body twitched. A groan slipped from my icy lips.

Concern twisted into fret and Tobias leaned down to look up into my face. "Is Dad okay?"

I managed a quick nod.

"He..." Just say it! "He told me that—" Tears dripped down my body's face, even though I looked at him with clear eyes.

"What?" Tobias urged me to continue.

"He's going to pull the plug," I blurted out, then clamped my lips shut, as if I could catch the words before he heard them. But there it was, the heavy truth, and it sank him to his knees.

"When?" Tobias asked.

"I won't let him." My voice shook, whether with anger or fear, I wasn't sure.

"How long do I have?" Tobias's voice was calm. I expected him to freak out. He should be furious. Terrified. Yelling! His calmness made my own energy spike and my body shook on the inside.

"Monday." I balled my hands into fists. "He told me to take the weekend to...say goodbye."

Tobias's shoulders dropped and he rose back to his feet. I could imagine the betrayal he must be feeling. My own heart felt as if it were going to tear apart.

"Maybe it's a good thing," he mumbled.

It took a moment for the words to sink in. This wasn't the reaction I expected. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Tobias, my headstrong, life-loving twin was giving up? He was ready to just... "No! You have to wake up."