Page 36 of Palingenesis

I can’t help the sigh of relief that floods me once he’s gone, disappearing past the view from the windows.

Turning, light blue eyes lock on mine, and I rush towards him, a desperation and quickness making my words shaky. “Do you remember me?”

Avery’s brows dip. He signs a yes. “That’s a weird question. I know it’s been awhile but damn. You okay?”

A while… The words stick in my brain like a dart, but I roll right over the inclination to ask about it and keep talking.

“Something happened and I’ve got no time to explain.” His brows dip even farther, gaze flooding with confusion. “Do you know who that was with me?”

He fingerspells his name, then smacks the L shape on his forehead. Loser. I almost chuckle. “At least, I assume so.”

I swallow hard, my own confusion pulling down my frown. “Do you… Do you remember standing out back? During the cake decorating thing you hosted?”

His mouth drops open to answer, hands shuddering in front of him. “Shannon, are you okay?”

“No!” I blurt out, shaking my head in apology–and a bit of disbelief. Maybe a little fear if I’m being completely honest. “I’m sorry. I’ve just been having weird nightmares and lapses in time, and nothing seems real.”

If I wasn’t in tune with body language the way that someone who’s fluent in ASL is, I may have missed it or explained it away, but Avery’s nostrils flare and his shoulders stiffen.

“Nightmares,” he signs. “What makes them weird?”

Blowing out a breath, I force my trembling hands to sign slowly. “Things like a forest. Statues. Red eyes.”

Avery holds up his hands to stop me. “Red?”

I nod.

“No.”

I rear back, my fingers shaking so hard I don’t bother trying to sign anymore. “What do you mean ‘no?’ What is it? What the fuck is wrong with me?”

He holds up a finger. “Just hang on a sec.”

My gut flares with irritation because I don’t feel like I have a second to spare. That at any moment, things will shift and I’ll be in another horror flick or abandoned house with no recollection of how I got there. Being watched by the eyes of some fantastical being with no recourse but to follow.

I want to follow it.

I swallow hard and I force a breath, nodding to Avery but he’s always walking towards the back.

A chill I can’t explain racks down my spine, the prickling of it clinging to the base of my neck. Rubbing at it absently, I turn to check for Henry, to see if he’s coming back yet. It feels like it’s been too long.

But instead, I see him.

Chapter 20

Shannon

I’m drawn to him like a moth to a flame. The lure of the light too bright to resist.

Absently, I exit the store, though I couldn’t tell if I passed anyone on the sidewalk or not. A horn blares dully behind me, but my feet still carry me across the pavement.

Dangerous.

Though I can’t stop myself from staring into those burgundy eyes seeming to draw me in like a magnet.

I want answers, need them more than my next breath.

It’s the only explanation for why I stop in front of him, out in the open, with a squareness to my shoulders that feels more natural than the last time I saw him.