AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Twisting, I dug my shoulders into the mattress against a sudden itch. And, ow. Not just an itch, but sharp, stabbing pinches. I frowned. Abby had once suffered a severe case of shingles — the virus, not the roofing — and it had been utter misery. Was I coming down with it?
I lay there a while longer, wondering what was wrong with me. Then I took a deep breath and forced myself to push it all out of my mind.
Inhale. Exhale. Everything was okay.
There.Mind over matter,like my dad liked to say.
Or maybe not, because a moment later—
An intense, urgentsomethinghit me. I threw my pillow aside, jumped out of bed, and hurried downstairs.
“Erin?” Nash called sleepily.
Bang!I pushed the front door open so hard, it slammed against the wall.
“Erin!” Nash called in alarm.
I wanted to stop and tell him everything was okay. But it wasn’t, and I couldn’t.
I raced out into the desert, barefoot, naked, and panting. I didn’t feel the cold or the gravel underfoot, just the urge to get out under open skies and into a fresh breeze.
Open skies… Fresh breeze… Going faster and faster,something in me cheered.
I sprinted, following sheer instinct. But weird instinct, because if you wanted to run fast, you kept your arms pumping, not out at your sides like an albatross.
Not an albatross,a deep, throaty voice scoffed in my mind. It reminded me of my mother.
I cringed. She wasn’t back already, was she?
“Erin!” Nash yelled from the doorway.
I wanted to run back into his arms, but something steered me onward. Faster and faster, with cold night air whooshing over my skin.
Yes,that deep voice murmured.Faster…
I was nearly at Picnic Rock, as my sisters and I had dubbed it — a big, flat slab of rock that slanted gradually to about four feet above ground. We really did picnic out there sometimes, and as kids, we’d held jumping contests that started with a run-up along the rock and ended with a leap off the high end. Pippa usually won.
My lips curled into a deranged smile. Something told me I was about to break her record.
“Erin!” I heard Nash’s footsteps behind me. But they were interrupted by curses and hops, whereas my feet didn’t register rocks, roots, or thorns.
I did register the wind, though. The moment I’d burst outside, it had perked up the way the horses did when we opened the barn door. Within seconds, it whipped into excited little gusts. Now, it settled in behind me and pushed, practically cheering,You can do it!
Do what?the last working section of my mind wondered.
The rest of me was on autopilot. I ran so fast, tears blurred my vision. I leaped so far, my breath caught. So high, the stars sparkled.
And I never landed.
The ground rushed by five feet beneath me. Ten feet…twenty…
“Woo-hoo!” Somewhere in the distance, Nash cheered. “You’re flying!”
I blinked, catching sight of a wingtip to my left. And, wow. A matching one on my right.
I stared. Not a good idea. Just like staring to one side while riding a bike — your body tended to follow the shift in balance.
Right on cue, I tipped into a tight turn, bellowing in panic.
