FALL (DIMENSION Series #1)

CHAPTER 35

I felt pins and needles in my hands and my heart felt like it was in my throat. I was on somebody else's property and I'd gone there without being invited. And I'd eavesdropped. This wasn't a good situation. I opened my eyes and turned to look at Charlie and noticed his green eyes—eyes that reminded me of Derek's eyes. And his face had the same angles I'd seen in Derek's face.

      The situation seemed even stranger than before. I knew all about Charlie and it was clear that he had no idea who I was. He removed his hand from my shoulder and looked over at Isabelle Bree. It was clear that she'd tell him all about me. I could see rage etched out on her face and my heart beat even faster.

      "What are you doing here?" she hissed at me.

      I shrugged. I couldn't think of any explanation that would pacify her or make sense to Charlie. Her stare intensified and Charlie looked at me with curiosity.

      "I followed you," I finally mumbled to Isabelle.

      "Of course you did," she said with narrowed eyes and the disdain in her voice was unmistakable.

      "Why the hell did you follow me here?" She asked and her rage seemed to move from the rest of her body into her eyes. It seemed to become concentrated there. Her emotions are captured in her eyes, I thought. And then I thought of Derek and how his eyes seemed to say some things that he couldn't verbalize. How they seemed to indicate whenever his essence was about to vacate his body. And how they lit up and had specks of gold scattered across them when he was happy. Thinking of Derek made me feel sad. I could feel the heaviness settle deeper into my bones.

      Charlie seemed to notice my sudden onslaught of melancholy and the tiredness it made me feel. He was sizing me up but there was a new expression in his face. He still looked curious, but he seemed less distant than earlier.

      "Who are you?" He finally asked as he peered deeper into my eyes.

      "I'm Ellie Archer," I replied and I seemed to gain confidence. "I know your nephew."

      He nodded slowly and I could see him getting closer to solving a riddle.

      "You're the reason Derek's been staying out all hours of the day and night?" Charlie asked and I thought I saw the hint of a smile cross his face.

      I was in the middle of a crisis. Probably the biggest crisis of my life. Derek was missing and I didn't know if I'd ever see him again. And I'd been caught trespassing and the coolest girl in school was fuming at me. But the moment Charlie acknowledged the connection between me and Derek, all of my angst seemed to dissolve. I felt insanely happy. And proud and validated. Nobody had known about me and Derek—that I'd been chosen by him in a way. But now Charlie had hinted at this reality and I suddenly felt light.

      But my relief didn't last long. I glanced over at Isabelle and her rage seemed tangible. She was shaking with it. And I knew immediately that she was angry not only because I'd followed her, but because she liked Derek. And she wanted to be the only one who liked him. And it didn't make her happy that Charlie had hinted that Derek had somehow sought me out on occasion. I bit down on my lip. There'd be animosity between me and Isabelle now. Some kind of war. And how could I ever compete with Isabelle? Even in her rage, she was beautiful. With perfect pixie features and thick dark hair and a perfectly proportioned petite frame. And of course she was smart and popular. And she had cool and swagger. She had things I'd never have. And now it seemed I'd made her an enemy. At the very least she'd be a rival for Derek's attention. And I didn't even know what kind of bond existed between Derek and Isabelle. Or what they'd shared in the past. And I didn't know when I'd even be ready to confront the reality of Derek and Isabelle's connection. The thought of it was hard to bear.

      "Derek," I mumbled, before catching myself and putting my hand across my mouth. I was exposing more of myself than I wanted too. I felt certain that my feelings for Derek had to be visible in my features and my actions now. My devotion suddenly seemed to be at the forefront.

      I flushed. I didn't want to expose myself like this, didn't want to be an open book to Charlie and Isabelle.

      "What happened to Derek?" I asked, trying to get back on track and to appear less vulnerable.

      Isabelle glanced at Charlie and then she looked over to me. Her features had hardened. She reminded me of an older girl—someone who had seen more of life than I had and who had traces of bitterness inside her.

     "He's not here," Isabelle simply said. I could tell that they'd try to keep me in the dark. That they'd try to downplay the situation. That they didn't want me to know what was really going on.

      I nodded.

      "I know," I said. I was feeling irritated now. It was clear that they didn't know me well. I wasn't going to be duped into thinking that this was just some random disappearing act by Derek. I knew enough to know that the situation was serious. And now that my cover had been blown, I was going to put it all on the line. I wasn't going to hold myself back in my search for Derek. And if theirs was the search party to join, I'd be joining it.

     "Where do we need to go to find him?" I asked. They didn't respond and the silence seemed to take on a life of its own. But I wasn't going to be stopped by it.

      "Where do we go to look for the cinders?" I asked and I could hear the intensity in my voice. Despite being scared, I had upped my game. I was all in now.

      "What do you know about the cinders?" Isabelle asked. Her voice was a low hiss and even more ominous-sounding than before. Her tone was a warning. A warning to me to back off. But it was too late for that. I was on a mission now—I had to be reunited with Derek. I couldn't delegate my responsibility in this search. And of course I couldn't bear the thought of Isabelle being the one to find him. I would do whatever was needed to stay in the game.

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NEXT NEW CHAPTER—SATURDAY, JULY 4

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