Through Glass (36 page)
Authors: Rebecca Ethington
I had been listening to the rumbles for hours, the shake of the building I had been restrained in was loud and menacing. I didn’t care, though. I had no reason to. I stayed still on the same bed they had strapped me to more than a month ago, the same white light shining in my eyes.
The light was supposed to take away my thought, take away my reason to care. I had heard them say it when they came in, heard them tell me how I wouldn’t feel anything after a while. In a lot of ways, they were right. I didn’t feel anything. I didn’t care.
Except I did.
I cared about her. She was all I could think about. So much had been taken away from me, however as the light burned into me, the brightness scarring my brain, she was still there.
Her smile, the fiery red color of her hair, the way she tasted when I kissed her. The way my fingers moved when I painted her.
Alexis.
I could feel every other memory, every other thought in my head, they were still there; I simply didn’t care about them anymore. It was like when you lose interest in a television show. It still goes on only without you.
My life had gone on without me.
All except Alexis.
Another rumble followed the first and the light above my head turned off. Everything stiffened in me as I waited for the door to open, for them to come in. It was how I knew they were coming; they couldn’t be in the light.
The darkness reached to every corner of my eyesight. My eyes were unable to adjust to the darkness after the light burned away my sight.
I lay still as I waited for the sound of the door to come as it always did when the darkness took me, the creak of the hinge coming only a moment after the light extinguished itself. Footsteps followed that, the click of the woman’s high heels loud in my ears.
“Well, Mr. Blakemore,” she said, her sweet voice heightening my fears rather than calming them as I am sure they were meant to do. “It seems we are out of time. The choice has been made to complete the procedure on you today rather than wait until you are fully prepped.”
I said nothing. Not like I had a choice. I had learned that long ago. I stayed still, my lips staying closed around the tube they had put in my mouth. I felt her cold touch against the warmth of my bare stomach, her palm hot against my hip bones.
I tried to fight against the touch, but the restraints I was held down with held me tight, not letting me deviate as much as an inch.
“Calm down, pretty boy. It will all be over soon,” she said as her fingers trailed up my chest and down my arms, her long nails caressing the skin on my wrists.
I opened my eyes, but I couldn’t see her through the darkness. I saw nothing other than the scorching white retina burn from the light, the edges pitch black and unusable.
“It will all be over in a moment,” she said, the sickly sweet voice of hers unwanted in my head. “Just a pinch, Cohen. That’s all.”
Her finger moved off my wrist as something cold and distinctly metallic was placed over them, the cold metal felt like a bracelet around my wrists.
The cold clamps pressed against my wrists for only a minute before pain shot through my skin. The heat of pressure followed as something sharp cut into my skin repeatedly, slow and steady the blades cut into me.
I screamed as the pain shot through my arms, the sound muffled and taken away by the heavy tube that I couldn’t get around. My writhing was restrained by the bands that held me down.
I fought and screamed as one slice after another cut through me, something wet and warm splashing over my skin.
Deeper and deeper the knives went, the pain growing with each swipe. My screams increased until they managed to escape the tube and filled the air around me.
The pain only grew until I could feel myself give up and my body stopped fighting, but the screams still came. I felt the wetness on my skin along with the smell of motor oil in the air.
I felt nothing else.
I knew, distinctly, that I wasn’t me anymore.
“Alexis.”
Broken Fragments
Book Two in The Glass Series is coming
January 2014
About the Author
Rebecca Ethington has been telling stories since she was small. First, with writing crude scripts, and then on stage with years of theatrical performances. The Imdalind Series is her first stint into the world of literary writing. Rebecca is a mother to two, and wife to her best friend of 14 years. She was born and raised in the mountains of Salt Lake City, and hasn’t found the desire to leave yet. Her days are spent writing, running, and enjoying life with her amazing family.
Also Available by Rebecca Ethington
The Imdalind Series
Soul of Flame (12/2/13)
Dawn of Ash (Jan 14)
The Second Book in The Glass Series, Broken Fragments, will be available January 2014
Follow Rebecca on her blog at:
On Twitter:
On Facebook:
Facebook.com/rebeccaethington.author
#TheTarAreTheDead
Acknowledgments
There is a whole world full of people who helped with this book, a whole world of people who deserve my thanks and affections. There are authors who supported me, and showed me the ropes. Beta readers who read it first and fell in love with Alexis when she was still a little too flawed. Bloggers who fawned, and who I now count as some of my bestest friends. Artists who created a magnificent cover and a beautiful interior to match. And countless others who supported and helped me to become something more. Family who cheered, even when mommy had to sleep with a light on.
And then, of course, there is you. Who took a chance, and took a step into the depth of my imagination. I hope you enjoyed the ride.
Thank you.
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Elfin
By Quinn Loftis
“Halloween is here and once again I’m struggling to pick a costume. Once again I am trying desperately to ward off Elora’s attempts to turn me into some sort of gothic princess or dark fairy. If you happen to see me strutting down the street in a halter top with wings, glitter in my hair, and three inch heels, please shoot me on sight.” ~ Diary of Cassie Tate