Breathless
“MOON!” I gasp in a lungful of creepy prickles and meadow air. His eyes spark, warm brown and familiar.
Whoa, whoa... WHOA!
Why did I just say, “Moon” like I know him?
I can’t!
That’s crazy!
Breathe slower, breathe deeper.
Just- keep- breathing Lenora!
NO. A woman’s voice growls near me, around me, insistent, anxious. RUN!
There is definitely something wrong with the meadow because hearing voices- it’s never a good sign.
The guy crouches in the grass beside me, all lethal and swift wrapped up in obsidian hair and bronze skin. He seems super dangerous, so whether the voice talking to me is mine or not, I really want to listen. I want to run. I just can’t seem to make my body cooperate.
And then he brushes his thumb- one stupid finger- over my right eyebrow, and I’m burning. Images spin and twist from somewhere forgotten.
I remember his face...
Dark places...
The very same meadow...
I try to edge away from him, to scoot or maybe just crawl, but I can barely breathe. When he leans into my air space, darkness comes with him, wrapping around me like a stalker’s embrace. It crushes down on my chest until I can’t take another breath.
So, I do what any freakishly asthmatic person would, I conveniently pass out, falling away from the light... and into my shadow.
