Shadow-Land - Heather Parsons (bill gates book recommendations TXT) 📗

eyes. But she didn't look at what was happening to them only at their faces and wishing there was something she could do. Someway to stop this from happening.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The way her mother's eyes looked when she finally was lost to the darkness, tore Sierra's heart in two. And then her father's face, the way he looked at her with such love tore it again. Her life would never be the same after this, she knew. Broken and shattered, she finally cried out.

The moment she cried the creature let go and disappeared.

Losing all control and breaking down she reaching out she touched her father's face and felt the moisture of the fresh tears he'd cried. Laying her own head on his chest and cried harder.

“Please take me too. I don't want to live without them.” She begged with her face still buried into her father's chest and trying desperately to hear the beat of his heart.

The creature had to still be here because in her nightmare it was still here in the room with them, watching and enjoying his handy work. “I know you want to so go ahead and do it.”

“Your pain has just began. I will be back for you my darling. I will be back....” It hissed. Leaving it's last sentence hanging in the air.

Picking up her head, she turned around and saw that she was alone in the room. “This is not what's supposed to happen.” She cried louder. “Your not suppose to leave me here. This was all my

fault not theirs. Mine

not theirs!”

There were heavy footsteps climbing the stairs but she didn't flinch. “FATHER! No! You can't leave me here like this. Father....” Sierra started off strong but ended in a whisper. With her voice cracking all over the place.

“Sierra what happened here?” Travis asked as he wrapped his arms around her. Pulling her in to cry on his shoulder.

“It's my fault. This wasn't suppose to happen. I was suppose to stop this from happening. It's all my fault.” She cried. Losing her grip on his shirt and feeling her body loss it's grip all together. “I don't want to be here anymore. I want to be with them. Please let me go. I don't want to face another day knowing what I've done.” She closed her eyes and for once welcomed darkness to take over.

“Don't talk like that. There's no way you could have done this. Your hearts to pure to do anything like this.” He whispered in her ear. Pulling her in closer, he tried to keep his eyes off the horrific scene in front of him.

“If I was this person you talk about then why couldn't I have stopped this from happening? Why did I just sit by and let it happen? Tell me please.” Sierra said in a much stronger voice. Demanding an answer she's sure he wouldn't be able to give me.

“I don't see how you could have stopped this from happening. But I know you and if you knew something you would have said something to someone.” He said. Placing his hands on the sides of her face and wiping the tears away.

“You don't know me at all.” She said and pushed his hands away. “I don't want you to comfort me. I deserve punishment not your kindness. So please save it for you girlfriend.” Her words were laced with venom. And after failing to stand a few time she pulled herself into her room and shut the door. Placing her back against it and cried more.

“I'm not going to punish you. I'd never do that.” He said through the door. “I'm going to stay out here until you come out. I will not force my way in, I'll wait for you.” He slid down the wall until the floor met him.

Soon her crying creased but the pressure she felt on her heart would be there forever more. Wanting so badly to tell Travis what she knew but couldn't. It wouldn't release the pressure no matter how many people she told. And it didn't matter anyway because what's done is done. There's no turning back.

After a couple of hours she heard other voices coming from outside the door. Voices that sounded official and knew they would want to talk to her. But what does she tell them? That she saw a creature better known as a demon kill both Charles and Joyce while she was forced to watch. Yeah that would take her all the way to the straight jacket and padded cell in a heart beat. Well then, does she lie? They were intruders but not the human type. And just thinking about this made her eyes water again.

After the tears subsided and she thought for a minute she was ready to open the door and talk and hoped she wouldn't fall apart again. Hoping she'd be able to get through this. It doesn't matter how long she lives, she'll never get over what happened. And better yet that she could have stopped it.

Sierra pulled herself off the floor and onto the bed. The blankets she had on the bed were meant to be soft but they didn't feel soft right now. Nothing was comforting. The worse pain of all was her heart. It ached in ways she never knew it could before.

“Sierra can I come in?” A male's voice said. Shortly after she hear his voice there was a soft knock on the door. Half in sleep and half out, she turned herself over so she wasn't facing the door and stared out the window.

The door opened without her ever saying they could come in but who was she to stop them. After all the worst has already happened and she couldn't stop that either. So what did it matter anyway.

“Honey your going to come and stay at my house from now on.” Phillip said. Sierra knew his voice very well. He was her father's best friend. Now she felt even more guilty. “Kathryn I'll leave you in here to help her get ready. She can't stay here. Travis, son. I think you should leave. You've done a lot already and now the police have to do their thing.”

Sierra turned over at the mention of his name. In hopes to catch his eye before he left but what she saw only made her feel worse. Travis' eyes were red from crying and she was the one that left him outside the door to do this alone. What an amazing best friend she was.

“Travis, thank you.” She mouthed out the words while he walked past the door. Catching his eye for a moment and not hiding her own tears.

“Anytime.” He mumbled and left. It killed him to leave but what could he do? She needed someone who could take care of her and it wasn't him. He couldn't protect her when she needed it most so why think he could now?

Sierra couldn't take her eyes off the door and she thought his mother saw this too because she stood up and left the room. Minutes later Travis returned alone.

“I haven't been that great of a friend and I'm truly sorry.” She whispered holding onto him and pressing herself into his chest.

“You have and always will be my best friend. And for everything that's happened you have every right to act the way you did. I should be the one apologizing to you for my behavior.” He whispered in her hair.

Closing her eyes, she didn't want to think about anything but the way they were right now. “Now we need to get your things together so you can come live with me. Do you need help with anything?” He asked in a soothing but teasing voice. She knew he wanted to say something else but he didn't.

“I think I'll be fine but promise me you won't leave.” Sierra said and looked up at him. Seeing him try to smile but not quite making it.

“As long as you want me around that's were I'll be.” He said and released his hold. She stumbled back losing her balance and almost meeting the floor face to face but his hands reached out just in time to stop that from happening. “Here I'm going to set you on the bed and you tell me where everything is. I'll pack for you.”

“You don't have to do that. I just need to rest. I'm okay, really.” Sierra said and looked down. Focusing on her knees and watching them swell up underneath her clothing.

“Did something happen to your knees? They are swelling up really fast. Did you break them or did someone else?” He asked standing in front of her.

“I'm okay. Please don't make a fuse about this. This is my punishment for not stopping everything from happening.” She said and began to cry again. This time the tears fell from the pain she felt. It was slowly taking over every part of her body. Sending every nerve an electrical shock.

“I'll be right back. Please for me, don't move.” He said and ran out of the room. The pain was intensifying and her eyes involuntarily started closing.

Or maybe it was that she didn't have anymore pain and with Phillip being a doctor, it's more to do with the medication in her system than anything else.

Sierra spent a week in bed with not a whole lot of things to do. But one thing this family is serious about is they will not let her get out of bed until the doctor says it's okay. So she has come to know the wallpaper very well along with the dresser and mirror. The carpet she has even thought about counting but the door is where her eyes normally stay focused on. You never know who will walk in and when so she always wants to be on alert, just in case.

When graduation came around, surprisingly the doctor said it was okay for her to attend but she would have to be escorted by Travis to and from. And lucky for her she had crutches as well. Of course they clashed with the graduation outfits but who cares. Right?