Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 123779 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 619(@200wpm)___ 495(@250wpm)___ 413(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123779 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 619(@200wpm)___ 495(@250wpm)___ 413(@300wpm)
The world starts to blur around me as I leave the only home I’ve ever known.
Not even a minute later, I move out from under the curtain of the waterfall nearest to Alchera.
My sight is still blurry for a moment, and I wipe the drops from my face. Glancing around me, I take in all the trees around the waterfall. The forest is more overgrown than I remember from when I left Alchera here.
I make my way to the embankment, where I pull myself out of the pool. Reaching into my pocket, I take the vial out and quickly drink the bitter elixir. I feel the change wash over me, transforming me from immortalis to a teenage human boy.
Just as I’m about to look at my reflection in the pool, I hear twigs snap.
Someone’s coming!
Glancing around, I rush toward the nearest large tree and take cover behind it.
When a girl comes walking down an overgrown trail, every muscle in my body tenses and a breath explodes over my lips.
Her dark brown hair hangs down her shoulders, and her green eyes seem to be filled with loneliness.
Alchera.
My entire being shudders at finally laying eyes on my charge.
Once she’s back on Vaalbara, her hair will be as black as a raven’s wing, and her eyes will sparkle like emeralds.
I watch as she sits down near the pool and stares at the water. Her features grow sad, then I hear her thoughts as if they’re my own.
“I can’t wait to leave this town.”
Soon, my charge. Soon.
Chapter 1
Jane / Alchera
Waking up, I let out a groan.
Ugh, I’m so not in the mood for school.
I hit the snooze button on my alarm before snuggling back into my pillow.
Minutes later, when the incessant alarm goes off again, I’m a second away from flinging the damn cell phone out of the window.
Get up, or your butt is walking to school. It’s freezing, and you need the ride.
Forcing myself to sit up in bed, I rub the sleep from my eyes.
“Just five more months, then you’re done with school,” I mutter before yawning. “Ugh. Five months too long. God help me.”
Climbing out of bed, I yawn again as I walk to the bathroom. While I’m busy with my morning routine, my thoughts turn to the dream I had for the eleventh day in a row.
It always starts with the same beautiful waterfall. There are lights flickering beneath the blue-green water, and old trees hug the pool where a man is wading through the water toward the curtain.
The man.
I stop brushing my teeth as I get lost in my thoughts.
In every dream, I only see him from behind. He’s dressed in leather pants that span tightly around his muscled thighs and a matching shirt that clings to his broad shoulders.
I never see his face, but if he looks that hot from behind, the front can’t be all that bad.
It’s weird, though. Why do I keep having the same dream, over and over?
Yeah, I love spending time at Fish Creek Falls, but it can’t be the reason for the weird dream.
I finish brushing my teeth then rinse out my mouth before walking back to my bedroom.
Opening the closet, I wonder what I should wear. Most of my clothes are hand-me-downs from my adoptive sister, Molly. I don’t mind, seeing as nine out of ten times, the clothes still have their tags on because she got a size too small.
Molly has an unhealthy addiction to buying clothes, but at least the girl has great taste.
I pick a pair of faded black jeans, a blue sweater, and a gray jacket. After pairing the outfit with my favorite boots, I quickly grab my bag and cell phone.
When I walk into the foyer of the mansion, there’s no sign of Molly.
Molly and Patrick are Mayor and Mrs. Calder’s biological children.
I’m the same age as Molly. Seventeen. When I was found at a waterfall nearly five years ago, they had to guess my age because I couldn’t remember anything about my past.
How I ended up at the waterfall remains a mystery because the police couldn’t find out anything about me.
They started calling me Jane, as in ‘Jane Doe,’ and the name stuck when Mayor Calder was kind enough to take me in.
Of course, his act of kindness was to boost his status in the small town of Steamboat Springs. At least I benefited from it and appreciate everything the Calders have done for me.
The house is quiet and I wonder if Molly is even awake. Patrick always leaves early for work and only returns late so we hardly see him.
I head to the kitchen and quickly make a cup of coffee. While I drink the much-needed caffeine, I scroll through my social media accounts.
Every other post is something Molly shared about the football team or cheerleaders. Letting out a sigh, I drink the last of my coffee while putting my phone away.