Wolf of Stone novel Chapter 8

"We're leaving Liza. It's for your own good."

Liza scuffed and crossed her arms, "What am I, five? If you want to leave, I'm not stopping you but I'm not going anywhere."

"If that's what you want then fine. You stay, I'll go."

Liza's arms unconsciously dropped back to her sides as she stared at me in disbelief, "you're serious?"

I turned my back on her and continued packing my bags, refusing to say another word, ignoring the slight throbbing in my chest as I heard my bedroom door close shut.

My shoulders slouched in exhaustion, and I found myself sliding down and unto the floor, my back resting on the bed behind me. I covered my face with my hands and tried to control my breathing, trying to calm myself down.

I thought back to the day the Franchild household took me in. The day I walked into their home and found a mischievous Liza hiding behind a corner, waiting to jump out at me. Little did she know that I had already sensed her from the moment our parents opened the door. As soon as she jumped out to tackle me, I had stepped aside and let her fall with an oomph, clutching my bag to my chest and eyeing her cautiously. I honestly thought that she was going to cry but no, not Liza. She got right back up and grinned at me with those bright eyes.

"You win this time, but I'll keep trying sis!"

That little girl accepted me as her sister without any thought. She had no problem sharing her parents' attention with me, she had no problem brushing around my rough edges to make me like her, she was determined to open me up and after an entire year, she finally succeeded.

I sighed again and clasped my hands together, closing my eyes and allowing myself to fall back into the deep recesses of my mind. I dug deep into my mind until I found an exact replica of myself staring back at me. Short nappy hair pulled up into a small bun, deep brown eyes, and a light brown complexion. My eyes were swirling with a deep-rooted sadness that appeared many years ago, drowning me in sorrow up to this day, drowning me in secrets.

I reached out and grabbed a hold of my hand, clutching it firmly once I felt the solid touch. Then I yanked myself. I tugged at her until I could feel us breaking apart and distancing. One second, I was leaning against the bed with my eyes closed and then the next second, I was floating in front of myself, a mere spirit hovering over my physical body.

There was no time for me to waste. I had to check the barrier I placed around our house for any damage. I quickly slipped through the white walls of the house and appeared outside, staring up at the pulsing purple wall that towered high up as far as the eyes could see. It was beautiful and frightening all at the same time.

I placed my hands against it and winced slightly as my finger was pricked with what felt like a needle. Crimson red dripped from my finger and unto the barrier, thickening the already thinning wall.

A sigh of relief escaped my lips as the barrier was fortified.

A wave of dizziness washed over me, signalling my time was almost up. I closed my eyes and gave myself back up to my body that called out to me desperately.

A sharp gasp escaped my lips as my eyes snapped open and I found myself leaning against the bed again. My breathing was heavy as I sucked in as much oxygen as I could. That took a lot out of me. My chest throbbed uncomfortably as I tried to catch my breath. A soul couldn't live long without its physical body. I'm lucky enough to even be able to last that long.

Undecided.

I sighed in frustration and shook the crystal.

"Spirits I call to thee

The ones that guide my family

Show me the path I'm destined to take

Show me what might be my future mistake."

The crystal glowed brightly, fading from its natural purple to depict a picture of me driving my car pass the welcome sign that's at the border of Sylia.