There is a small threshold of consciousness, somewhere between waking and dreaming, when one is not quite cognizant of all the waking world holds, nor has one quite lost the grip on those fleeting fragments of dreams that linger. For Cadence, this was the most dangerous and feared state of mind because she knew, even before she fluttered off to sleep that, upon waking, for just a brief synapse, she would, in fact, forget that Drew was gone. It was in that moment, just before fully rejoining the wakened world that her mind would momentarily allow her to believe that all was as it should be, and then, as the memories rushed in, filling the vacant tidepool of her conscious mind, so too would the realization that something was amiss, an occurrence had transpired. Just as the pounding waves crush and carve the
Despite the fact that she was completely annoyed that Aaron couldn’t at least let her come downstairs without bombarding her with requests to join the good fight, she caught herself glancing in the mirror over the dresser and straightening her long brown hair before she crossed to the door. Catching her breath, she pulled it open unsure of exactly how she knew it was Aaron. But she was certain.“Hi,” he said quietly, standing quite a few inches back from the door. She was surprised to see he was wearing jeans and a red long-sleeved T-shirt. She had just assumed that all Guard
Aaron turned back to face her but seemed to purposely avoid looking directly into her eyes. Maybe he had noticed how anxious she became whenever she looked him in the eye, and this was one of his tactics to keep her calm. Staring at a spot on the wall a few feet away from her, he said, “Well, Holland has your card.” He laid it out for her in black and white. “She holds you personally responsible for Carter’s death—her mate of over a thousand years—and she wants to destroy you and your family.”He paused for a moment, giving the weight of his statement
Over the last century or so, Jamie had transformed many Hunters and Guardians using the serum method. He had not originated the idea or developed the serum, but he had made many improvements to the procedure, and while Cadence was still extremely nervous, she felt assured that she was in the best hands possible.Cadence was lying in her pajamas on her grandmother’s guest bed, still a little stuffed from the Thanksgiving dinner they had thrown together. It didn’t have every dish one might imagine for the traditional holiday, but it was sufficient, and after the late football game ha
Aaron thought he had located the same vein Jamie had just used. He lined the needle up and looked at Jamie, hoping to get some sort of indication that he was safe to proceed. From his vantage point, Jamie concurred that it looked like the placement was right. He slowly nodded his head just once, giving Aaron the motivation he needed to follow through. He felt the needle slide into her vein and breathed a sigh of relief. Slowly, he pushed down on the plunger, letting the medication flow into her body. As the last few drops exited the syringe, there was a collective exhale from those in observation. Aaron applied pressure to the injection site with a cotton ball and secured it with the Band-Aid. He continued to apply gentle pressure for a few more seconds until he was sure that the bleeding had st
Cadence didn’t awake from her medicated slumber in twenty-four hours as Jamie had initially predicted. In fact, it had taken over thirty-six hours for her to finally start to come around, and even with that it took another two hours before she could fully open her eyes or communicate. When she found out that it was Saturday afternoon, rather than Friday evening, she was stunned. But Jamie assured her that she was fine, everything had gone according to plan, and she was just unlike any patient he had ever Transformed, so she reacted slightly differently.She had stayed at her grandmother&
Cadence’s parents must have heard the car out front because her father flung the door open. “Cadence!” he exclaimed, giving her a hug. She heard her mom yell for Cassidy to come downstairs before she, too, embraced their first born.“Oh, Cadence! We are so glad you’re home,” her mother exclaimed, leading her into the living room. “How are you, honey?” she asked, motioning for her to join her on the couch. “Do you need anything, darling? Water? Soda?”
Cadence spent the rest of the day hanging out with her little sister, listening to music, and attempting to elicit whether or not Cassidy currently had a boyfriend. By the time 9:00 hit, she was exhausted. She told her sister good night and went in to her own room, excited to have the opportunity to sleep in her own bed again for a change. Though she was tired, she decided it might be a good idea to take a shower before she went to bed. The possibility of using her own soaps and shampoos made her happy. As she approached her bathroom, the pink bean bag chair on the floor next to her window caught her attention. She stared at it for a moment, contemplating whether it would be easier to keep the things that reminded her of Drew or get rid of them. She sighed, knowing this was just the first of man
“There is one more thing I wanted to mention to you,” Aaron said, avoiding eye contact with her again, and staring at the floor in front of him.“What’s that?” Cadence asked cautiously.“Well, it has to do with Eliza,” he said folding his arms across his chest.