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

forever, Sierra." Ulrey said then disappeared. She watched while he walked back into the corner where she had been sitting and disappeared into the wall. There had to be a doorway there why wasn't she able to see it or feel it. Looking back at Travis she could feel him starring at her. Maybe thinking she'd gone nuts.

"Why would he say that?" He asked standing beside her. "Why would you of all people protect me?"

"Because me of all people, protect my friends." She said not wanting to go any further into it than that. She could have said because she loved him and would do anything for him but then she would have to explain why she had felt this way. And right now she didn't feel like it.

"We're friends? You would think I'd remember that but I don't." He said. They were now walking to the front door together. Just hearing him say that shattered her already broken heart. Her face still showed no emotion.

"Yeah, strange." Sierra whispered. Every word coming out broken. "I forgot something upstairs, I'll be back down in a minute." Speaking just above a whisper and looking at the ground. Without an answer back, she walked away from him. There was nothing upstairs that she had forgotten, she just wanted to be away from him. From his hateful words. Finding herself in the same position she was in earlier. Sitting on the floor in front of Simon's room crying. His room was hidden from the stairs so she could cry without being seen.

She tried pulling herself together again but couldn't. The tears fell at a fast rate and she couldn't see herself moving. She didn't look anywhere else but inside herself trying to find a way out of everything. Or trying to escape.

"Sierra it's okay. I'm right here." He was now behind her. His arms wrapped around her and these words he spoke were words she'd heard him say many times before. Somehow she knew now that they meant something different. They weren't the loving words she was accustomed to hearing, they weren't comforting the way they were supposed to be. They held something else entirely but that something she wasn't sure of. And hearing them made her cry harder.

TWENTY-EIGHT:

Punishment

HIS arms felt warm and secure but deep down inside, she knew he didn't feel this way. Not for her and not anymore. She did however let his arms warm her while she cried on his shoulder. Knowing the minute he let go, she would fall again. Prayed it would happen later and when she was alone. Closing her eyes when she felt his breath on her neck and praying for things that would never happen. Torturing herself with her memories of the past.

"I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to see me like this." Sierra said pushing away from him. "I shouldn't have called you. After all you have a....a....girl....." Her eyes were betraying her again, causing her to turn away from him. She couldn't form the word girlfriend without feeling her own heart break. She used to be that girl but no matter how many times she remembers this, it is no more.

"A girlfriend? Your right, I do have one and she'd be quiet upset seeing me like this. She has a temper on her." He laughed. She could not agree with him more, Tanya does have a horrible temper but then again so does he. "We should be getting back home now before my parents send a search party." Laughing at the thought of this but this time she didn't join in. Going home meant something different for her than it did for him.

"I'm going to stay here. After all this is my home." She whispered turning away from him. Honestly she didn't want to see the look on his face now. With Tanya on his mind, she didn't know if his expressions were meant for her or Tanya. So looking away was better.

"I can't leave you here by yourself. Not after what just happened. Sierra how can I protect you if your here and I'm home?" His voice held something unrecognizable to her or to him for that fact. Causing him to take a deep breath and step closer.

"Don't be silly. I'm a big girl and I've learned to do things on my own for awhile now. Now is no different. Honestly I'll be fine. I always am, you can ask anyone. So you can leave and I'll survive. I really don't need protection. I've survived much, much more than this and I'm still breathing." Sierra rambled on and on again trying to find a way around leaving with him. She also hated the silence between them. If he knew her like he used to then he would know she was lying.

It did take awhile but finally she convinced him to leave. Closing the door behind him is when she broke down. Sliding down the door, she fell into her own personal hell. Travis did want to stay with her but she felt selfish in her need for him. Wanting him to stay for a completely different reason than what he was wanting. Sierra knew she'd have to learn to watch herself around him. He couldn't ever find out how she feels about him. She would have to start at the beginning again or even before then because he doesn't remember them even friends. She has never not been friends with him. How do she even begin to do that?

The phone rang in the kitchen causing her to jump but she didn't move to answer it. There was no one she would be able to talk to who would understand. And if anyone saw her they would be upset. Finally she was able to leave the safety of her room only to end up here in this house in the same way. Scared to be here and scared to leave.

The phone rang again and this time instead of making her jump, she stood up. Running over to it and pulling in out of the wall. Cord and all. The tears she had turned into anger when she threw the phone at the wall. Shattering as it hit and falling to the floor with a loud bang.

Being destructive felt good but in a bad way. Soon enough she had her hands on everything breakable. Throwing them wherever and watching them shatter, releasing her pain and anger. But too soon the anger subsided and the tears returned. She was a mess, broken and shattered in a house that only held her nightmares.

The sun had disappeared while she had been destroying things that meant the world to her. Things that her mother, Joyce, had collected and treasured were now broken in a million pieces.

Sierra hadn't thought twice when they were in her hands before. But now looking at the broken pieces of her childhood, she felt ashamed. With one fit of rage she'd destroyed everything. Feeling horrible now she'd broke down. Dishonoring the memory of her parents without even thinking twice about it.

Looking around at what she had done and tried to think how would she fix this. There had to be a way but she couldn't think. With her mother's cherished treasures in hand, one piece in one hand and another in the other. As the tears fell from her eyes, she tried gluing the pieces back with them.

Sierra's life has taking a turn for the worse no matter what she did nothing would ever be the same again. The closer she was to Travis the harder it was for her to think about anything else but the way it used to be. And the look in his eyes only told her that what she had wished for was only that, a wish.

No one knows why he is acting the way he is other than Sierra but she can't tell anyone what she knows. First of all they would think she was crazy. And second she doesn't know who to trust and who not to. With Teri and her visions, you would think she would have seen this coming but she didn't. Did that mean when Sierra is in another realm Teri can't see her? Can she see Caedman or Urley? She needed to find out this answers, but how?

Should she test it? Would she dare? Just the thought of this had her on her feet and walking through the house to find the broom and dustpan. She's always been good at keeping a clean house and the mess she'd made, she needed to clean. And finally to say good-bye to this house and her nightmare for good.

Trying to fix things that she herself had broken seemed beyond her ability. But cleaning up was not it was the one thing she knew how to do, really good. She has made life so complicated and uncomfortable for everyone else and now as her own life is falling apart once again. She is going to make it easy and comfortable. No one will know that what she's going through is killing her. Literally. She won't lean on him anymore for support that he's always given. She would hide her feelings from him and everyone else. Lock up her heart and throw the key away. No one will have access to it again.

After she cleaned up every last piece of broken glass and swept the floor once more. She emptied all the trash. Even going as far as taking it outside as well. But when she did walk back inside that's when everything hit her again. Sending her to the ground in a heap. Crying her eyes out and forgetting about hiding her emotions away.

On the floor in the living room she sat in front of the couch. Her eyes were dry shedding no more tears so she just sat there, starring off. There was nothing left inside her. An empty shell, an empty vessel. The two pieces of glass she had held in her hands earlier, were sitting on the table in front of her. Grabbing them she held them tightly in her hands. Cutting her hands to release the pain she was feeling.

There was a faint knock at the door but she didn't move. Staying where she was and just starring at the television that wasn't on. Seeing her own reflection in the screen. The knocking grew louder but to her it sounded far away that she couldn't be bothered with it.

She felt the room itself around her shift, like something was trying to get in. Sitting back against the couch and watching. She could only think of one thing that who ever it was that wanted her would