Smitten: Part I-The Zerrin Series by Patria L. Dunn (Patria Dunn-Rowe)

Author:Patria L. Dunn (Patria Dunn-Rowe) [Dunn (Patria Dunn-Rowe), Patria L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-12-26T05:00:00+00:00

The Guardian

I’d always wondered why there was a window in the bathroom. The shabbily made curtains hanging at odd ends, across the rectangular cut of glass, would normally have been drawn tight, pinned with my one and only hair clip, but I hadn’t had the energy to move that far past the tub once I’d crawled into the hallway bathroom of the Pernickle’s home on all fours. In my head I knew, though my nerve endings were no longer conveying any feeling to my hands or fingers, the exact amount of pressure needed to turn the knobs of the cracked ceramic tub to the on position was all I had left. Some of my darkest moments I’d spent in its porcelain cast, soaking away the load of never ending pain my body encompassed from my parents’ deaths. It is where I lay now, my eyes partially closed to the sun’s waning light shining through that window -only a few moments after I’d found my way home.

I wanted to imagine it all to be a dream in which my mind had finally succumbed to insanity. No one person should have to endure the turmoil that my life had been placed in over the last five years, but yet here I sat, still shivering from the cold that seemed would never let go of my bones, but still alive. Face partially submerged, eyes hollow as I continued my blank stare of confusion. The woods waited in the dark recesses, my dreams only a moment away if I allowed them to close in. Somewhere on the other end Jonas called for me to come back, his song haunting me, even within the lopsided walls of the Pernickle’s farmhouse. I could hear it just as clearly as if I were standing waist deep in water again, only inches from him.

There was no time for sleep. I could already hear footsteps moving down the hall, and I owed Roman an explanation that I hadn’t yet begun to figure out. I froze as a soft sigh sounded beyond the closed bathroom door, Roman’s voice muffled, but concerned as he called to me.

“Alana…?”

“It’s…it’s…me…” I answered back, my teeth biting my lower lip to keep them from chattering together.

No one had been home when I’d gotten in, and I’d assumed that Roman had either called the police to report me missing, or went to search for me.

“Do you know how worried I’ve been! Do you know what I thought!?” Roman questioned now, his concern suddenly replaced with anger.

“I’m hungry…” I heard Shelly’s voice whine from further down the hall, and I breathed a sigh of relief when he moved away from the door without waiting for an answer.

There was no point in telling him the truth now. I had to go back.

**********

“Where were you?!” Roman’s questions started the moment I entered the kitchen the next morning, my eyes on the twins as they too cast worried looks my way.

I’d fallen asleep in the tub the night before, and had woken up freezing in the ice cold bath water long after everyone had gone to bed.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.