A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford

Author:Leah Clifford
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Speculative Fiction, (¯`'•.¸//(*_*)\\¸.•'´¯)
ISBN: 0062004999
Publisher: Greenwillow
Published: 2011-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 26

Hours passed before anyone dared knock, but finally a soft rap sounded against the wood.

“Eden?” Libby said through the door. “James bet me a twenty you wouldn’t open the door and I only have Adam’s change left which isn’t even technically mine so I was hoping…”

Eden half smiled, wiping her hand across the mascara and eyeliner smearing down her cheeks. Unburying herself from the pile of blankets, she went to the door. Her hand was already twisting the knob when she heard a quiet, “I’ll split it with you.”

Libby’s mouth dropped open as she caught sight of Eden’s tear-swollen eyes, the black streaks. “Oh my God! What the hell did they say to you?” she asked, turning toward the living room. Eden grabbed her arm and pulled her inside, slamming the door before anyone else had a chance to invade her sanctuary.

“Wow.” Libby stared around the room, taking it in, and Eden felt a trickle of pride. Draped from the ceiling around the bed and down the wall behind it a layer of rippled white lace hung in a makeshift canopy. The walls themselves were a dark maroon, decorated with a dozen crosses. Some black and sparkling with jewels, others a tarnished silver marking them almost archaic. While Libby was distracted, Eden crawled back underneath the covers.

Libby plopped down on the puffy white comforter.

“Your room is…it’s like heaven.”

Eden cringed at the word. “Trust me, it’s not. It’s just somewhere to get away.”

“What happened?”

Eden yanked at a stray thread on the bedspread. The fabric bunched. “Same argument, different set of extenuating circumstances.”

“I told Jarrod you said I could stay. He seemed okay with it.” She looked confused for a moment. “Actually, he seemed kinda relieved or something.”

“Yeah, I bet,” Eden answered, though she didn’t elaborate.

“So James said Jarrod was mad about the ones on the stairs?”

Eden nodded.

“Why can’t they just let you do your own thing? I mean, it’s not a big deal, is it?”

Eden lifted her head. “You do know I’m the only one, right?”

“I’m sure you’re not. There have to be others who can…”

“Trust me, there’s not. It’s why everyone stays away unless they want death. Not everyone’s happy I changed that. They’re afraid of me. We’re supposed to be immortal.”

“What’s different about you?” Libby asked gently. When Eden didn’t answer, she went on. “Instead of making you crazy, holding in all that Touch just makes you more lethal, right? You could use that, Eden. Take over everything.”

“I wouldn’t want to,” Eden said, unconsciously bringing a hand to her neck. Her fingers laced around the delicate loops of silver that made up the necklace she wore. Her dozen bracelets slid down the cuff of her thermal top, clacking together at her elbow. Libby’s eyes flicked up at the noise. “Even I have my limits. We learned that last night.”

“That’s really beautiful,” Libby said, scooting closer. Eden flattened her hand over the necklace, the links pressing into her skin through the fabric. “Where’d you get it?” Libby asked.

Eden hesitated. “It was a gift.

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