Page 130 of Fearless

I stand there, shivering as water drips from the ends of my short hair to splatter the bare collarbones beneath. Swallowing, I stare at the empty room. An unsettling coldness sweeps through me, as though despair itself drags a finger along my bones.

I am utterly alone.

There is nothing left. Not within myself or the world beyond.

Trapped in this room, I am forced to face reality. Forced to face the gaping loneliness within me. My very being is decaying, and love is the culprit. Love has killed every person I care about.

The walls begin to close in all around me.

“No,” I whisper to my betraying mind. “Please, no.”

The plea is promptly ignored.

My lungs constrict, squeezing my shattered heart until it aches. I’m suddenly panting at the feel of claustrophobia clutching my body. I shut my eyes, trying to block out the world that wishes to smother me.

It’s no use. I need to get out of here.

Stumbling to the door, I slam my shaking fist against it. “Let me out. Please.”

Silence.

“I can’t be in here any longer.” My voice cracks beneath the weight of a mind trying to crush me. “Please!”

I pound against the door as the walls continue their steady suffocation.

I’m struggling to breathe. My forehead tips against the door’s smooth wood as I choke, “Let me out! I can’t do this!”

The walls crawl closer.

My fist hits the door with one final thud. I turn slowly, letting my back slide against the wood until my body hits the floor harshly. “I can’t do this,” I whisper. Tears well, stinging my sore eyes as I pull trembling knees into an aching chest.

I’m little more than the shell of a girl, sitting among ghosts.

My father sits beside my shaking form with a comforting hand on my knee, the exact color of his eyes fading from my memory. Adena rests her head against my shoulder, crooked bangs falling into a soft, honeyed gaze.

But Kai…

Kai stands before me, so strong and stunning. I can almost hear his voice, the sound distantly ringing from the depths of my mind….

“Where is she?!”

It’s so familiar, so real—

“Where the hell is she?!”

I straighten at that growing voice, scared of my own deceiving mind.

It’s not real. He’s gone.

Heavy footsteps echo beyond the wooden door I’m slumped against.

I shake my head angrily, tears spilling down my face.

He’s gone. Just like everyone else. I killed him—

“Move aside. Or I’ll make you.”

My hollow, broken heart stutters at that command.

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