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

ghostly images of her family. Holding her breath so she wouldn't scream, she walked closer to them. Every step she took to get closer, it seemed like the images faded. Quickening her steps, she tried to reach out to them. To plead with them not to leave her again but they did. And she fell.

This time she was truly alone, no one come to help as she laid there crumpled on the floor. Crying out for them to come back. Praying to take her too.

Night fell and she still laid there, crying. Crawling now into the room where everything happened. She thought the closer she was to them that maybe they'd come back from her. Sierra didn't close her eyes and blinked every so often.

Once inside the room, she found it empty. The same way she felt. Empty. No one was coming back for her. Just thinking this brought on another wave of tears. They were non stop, running down her face and dripping on the carpet.

After the sun rose in the sky bring what little light it did in the room. She stood up, feeling defeated and left. Walking down the stairs, she didn't look around at anything. There was nothing here from her, nothing left. After all it was just a house.

She walked to the front door and walked through it, leaving it that way as she walked outside. The breeze hit her but she didn't feel it. Just like she had said before there was nothing left to feel. Sierra walked down the driveway and out of the gate.

The clothes she wore, were the same she had been in a couple of days ago. The dress that was once very beautiful now was dirty and stained. Her blood along with the dirt from the ground covered it. And her shoes she was wearing - once that night - had disappeared. Being bare foot and dirty, she walked her way back to the house where her things were. She hopes she's going in the right direction but like she said it doesn't matter. Maybe if she keeps walking this way, she will end up back home in California. One can always hope.

Sierra walked in the middle of the road, not caring if a car drove past and hit her. It would be a blessing. With her head down, she starred at the street without seeing it. Her eyes she was sure were bloodshot and her face stained with tears. So if someone happened to come across her, they'd be in for a surprise.

Most everyone in town knows who she am, so my chances are high that someone will stop her. I just prayed that it was too earlier in the morning for most people. That they would be asleep and not out driving around.

The first car that drove past, honked at her. But she didn't even flinch just kept on walking. A couple of cars went by now but none of them stopped. Thank you Jesus!

Her mind that normally screams things at her was silent as a tomb. She couldn't even think of anything anymore. No thoughts came to mind at all. The only thing she heard was the sound of her heart beating and the intake and outtake of her breaths. Right now she wished they would stop too. Hearing her heart beating so loud in her ears was just wrong. This made the tears return.

Her legs felt like they were moving on their own once again. It was a good thing because her body didn't have the energy to move them. She tried to think of something, anything but nothing came. Annoyed, she looked up. Saw nothing but the road ahead of her and the trees on both sides. Turning her head from side to side, trying to shake off the feeling of nothingness.

She caught sight of head lights coming her way but really didn't pay attention to them. Her eyes were clouding over with tears and everything seemed to be blending in with the light from the sun. Looking up towards the sky, she saw what looked a lot like clouds. Blinking a couple of times to clear up the image and now seeing them clearly. It was going to rain and rain hard sometime in the near future. Praying and hoping for it.

The moment she looked down is the same time the car speed up. Swerving all over the road and she being completely stunned, stood still and watched it. Closing her eyes at the last second before impact. Just when she thought her prayers have been answered something or someone pushed her out of the way. Hitting the ground hard and rolling down the slope until she came to rest at a tree. Actually the tree is what stopped her from rolling further down the hill. But it wasn't a pleasant feeling either. Her chest took most of the impact and she was almost certain that some ribs are broken.

She tried opening her eyes to see who did this but the blackness took over. All her senses disappeared and her breathing slowed.

TWENTY-FIVE:

Crossroads

OPENING her eyes for the first time in she don't know how long and finding herself in an unfamiliar room. Once again she looked around but this time not seeing anything remotely familiar. It seems like this is becoming a habit of mine and she don't like it. Not one bit.

The aching feeling in her chest brought her back to reality. Memories flooding in and every time she breathed in, pain shot across her chest. Looking down, she saw that she was no longer wearing her dress but instead in clothes and not a hospital gown. So she's not in the hospital, check that one off the list. Now the big question. Where was she?

The room was painted in light blue, giving me absolutely no clue as to who's room it is. The smell in here just smelt like medicine. She pulled her arms to her chest to support the pain she was feeling and noticed tubes connected to her. There was an iv drip next to the bed and whatever was dripping from it, she was sure she can live without.

Sierra started to reach down and grab it with her free hand when she heard a voice. Quickly jerking her hand back and starring right at him. "Ah...I see you've woken up." Okay he's a genius. Must have graduated with honors from college to have figured that one out. She must be losing her mind here because making jokes in front of someone she didn't know or care to know, wasn't smart. But right now she can't help but laugh (secretly of course). The laughing only made her chest hurt more.

The man made quick movement towards the side of the bed, reaching out with his hands to touch her. This movement was faster than any human she had ever seen and because of this, she too moved. Pulling herself up with all the strength she had and wincing at the pain. These low gasps she took made his movements slow down. Resting his hands on the bed itself and just starring at her.

"What....are....you?" Sierra thought of that as rude but what the heck, he couldn't be human even though he looked like one. Something about the way he looked at her, the way his face shifted slightly like he smelled something he'd liked. He licked his lips, like he was tasting the air around her, with delight and moving slowly to her side.

"You smell divine." His voice was confident and strong with a tint of desire. Sierra clamped her hand around the iv, ready to pull it out and make a run for it. Where she would go, she didn't know. But anywhere away from him would be ten times better. If only she knew where she was. "Now I know why Travis is so drawn to you." He was only inches from her face and she could feel his breath. Holding her own, she turned away from him. "Sierra, don't be like that." Just the mention of her name had her turning back around to face him.

"How...do...you...know...my...name?" Each word came out in between gasps of air. With her chest feeling like it was on fire now, breathing in was hard. Would she be able to run away without falling? She doubted it greatly.

"We here at Crossroads, know everything about you Sierra. Travis is a good student here. He reports his doings to us on a daily basis." He sighed and turned away from her. Pacing the floor only inches from where she lay. "When you are healthy enough, Sierra. We are in need of your assistance." He smiled at her, showing off his pearly whites.

"I...don't...understand." Her breathing was really doing a number on her. Each breath in felt like a million needles piercing her chest and each out hurt like hell. "Where...is...Travis?" This mention of his name brought sorrow to the mans face. And this she didn't understand.

"When your better I will explain." She guessed he put his foot down on that but she wasn't satisfied with his answer. Even though it wasn't an answer at all. For some unknown reason him not answering her was annoying her to death.

"WHO...ARE...YOU?" Sierra screamed and the last thing she remember is him putting his hand on her head and her eyes closing.

Two days later.....

HER eyes opened again and here she laid in the same room as before. At least it wasn't different, that's a start. Right? Her chest wasn't sore anymore and the tubes that she remembered being in her hand were gone. She know because that's the first place she looked. Glad to be rid of them. Sierra did however feel slightly different but I just thought it was because of being well rested. Oh god please let that be the reason and not something else.

The sun was shinning through the curtains, hitting her face with warmth. Feeling that made her want to get out of bed. Swinging her legs over the edge and touching the coolness of the tile, felt good. But her legs were weak from having no movement and standing would be a chore among itself. She decided to stretch them first, to get the muscles working once again.

With that done, she stood up. She had to hold on to the bed for support and her legs wobbled with what little weight they had. By themselves they would be fine but with the weight of her body on them, they were not holding up. So making it over to the window would not happen soon. But it would happen, that she was sure of.

When she sat back down on the bed is when the