Page 1 of The Immortal's One
1
Being kidnappedby immortals wassonot part of my winter plans. But honestly? I should have seen it coming… especially when my recurring daydreams started to feel more and more like a haunting.
Piercing green eyespeer at me through a cloud of white smoke. The man's features, shrouded in the distorting haze, make the edges of my mind tingle.
I recognize him… but from where?
That's the part I can never figure out.
“I should’ve begged my parents to let me move to Greece with you when I had the chance.” Kayla’s voice rips me out of the haunting daydream, and the mysterious name drifts out of reach once more.
I shake away the remnants of the eerie vision. Versions of the same trance have plagued me for as long as I can remember,but they’ve increased in frequency ever since my eighteenth birthday two years ago.
Abandoning the college admissions essay I’d been trying and failing to work on, I rotate in my computer chair. “What are you talking about?”
“I never should have enrolled at St. Phillip’s.” My childhood best friend flings herself back onto my queen-sized bed, sending half of my decorative pillows falling to the floor. Her economics textbook and spiral of notes are shoved to the edge of the mattress. “I’m not cut out for college. I should have moved to Greece with you and spent the year soaking in the Mediterranean sun.”
“Excuse me.” I huff a laugh at the lazy picture she paints of my life. “I did a lot more than enjoy the Mediterranean sun.”
Though, I wish I’d done more.
“I know, I know.” With her brown hair fanned out like soft sunrays against my comforter, Kayla waves a placating hand in the air. “You took college courses and helped your dad with his research. That's still more fun than being trapped in a dorm room, freezing your ass off during another Maine winter.”
“I don’t know.” I look out the window and take in the gray clouds covering the December sky in a dreary haze. “I kind of missed the snow.”
Dad and I moved around a lot before settling in Brunswick. The cozy New England town is the closest place I have to a childhood home. I was sad to leave it behind when Dad’s sabbatical took him to Greece.
“You’re crazy, Darcie. Sitting on white sandy beaches, staring at the crystal-blue water while you ‘studied.’ You probably met so many hunky guys.” Kayla sits up and sighs,staring into the distance with her hands over her heart. “You have the best life.”
So dramatic.
My lips quirk into an amused smile. “You should switch your major to theatre. I think you missed your calling as an actress.”
Kayla leans against my headboard with a pout. “I wish. You know my parents would never support that sort of career.”
I wince. “Sorry.”
I’d forgotten the fight Kayla had with her parents when she was applying to colleges. She wanted to study liberal arts, but her parents insisted on something more ‘practical’. Like business.
“It’s fine.” She waves me off again and starts scrolling through her phone. More than likely, she’s browsing social media for the latest viral dance trend or sexy hockey player thirst trap—anything to distract from the disappointment that still stings, even after two years.
I look back at my computer screen, but my thoughts aren’t on the essay.
Memories from my last year in Greece play through my head, most of them far from luxurious.
As a historian, Dad spent most of his days in library archives and museum storerooms. Since my college courses weren't time-consuming, I kept him company more often than not.
But I didn’t have to move to Greece.
I could have stayed back and started my college career with the rest of my high school classmates, but something deep in my soul—a nagging feeling—compelled me topostpone my post-secondary studies and join Dad across the Atlantic.
Now, two years later, I’m beginning to regret my decision.
The courses I completed should transfer to a four-year university, but when added up, they barely classify me as a sophomore. I’m a whole year behind my former classmates. And as a former high-achieving student, thatkillsme.
“Are you hungry?” Kayla hops off my bed, her earlier forlorn demeanor gone. “I could go for something to eat before I go to work.”
“I think there’s leftover Chinese in the fridge.”
