Chapter 1 of "Sion"
I'm super happy to announce that Sion is complete... or just about anyway. It is going through the editing process right now and the finishing touches are being put on the book cover. I'm very excited! My goal is to have everything completed and the book up for sale by the middle of December. It's not set in stone but things are looking good. But anyway, I wanted to share the first part of chapter 1 of the book here as a special treat. And keep your eyes pealed. I will be posting the finished book cover in the next couple of days.
OneThe air was so still that it was almost as if I existed inside of a bubble. I had been here so many times in the past two months that I wasn't surprised to be here now. The red clay cliffs stretched out in front of me as far as my eyes could see, meeting with the blazing bright horizon in the distance. My breath had stilled completely. Whenever I ended up here, the need to breathe disappeared and sound completely eluded my ears. It was still unclear if that was because this place was devoid of sound or if my ears simply didn't function to hear what was going on around me. The sun seemed to beat down on me from all directions. I glanced up at the sky to see two suns, one to the east and the other to the west. It all seemed so familiar and yet so strange. Despite all of the times that I had been here, I hadn't come any closer to deciphering where here was exactly. But no matter what I did or how hard I tried to stay away, I was sucked right back with increasing frequency that was becoming more and more alarming. And it played out the same way each time too. I would arrive in the middle of the sea of red cliffs, close enough to a gorge in front of me for my stomach to knot with the beginnings of vertigo. The gorge was a sudden break in the red clay that dropped straight down and went so far that I could barely see the clear stream at the bottom. Leaping head first from the cliff was still such a vivid memory and I didn't at all hope to repeat it. I took a step back from the edge.The spot on my back between my shoulder blades began to itch. I quickly turned with the feeling that someone was there watching me. My paranoia of being spied on had become my constant companion with each trip I made to the cliffs. But I could never get used to it and accept it as something that came with the place. Each time I swung around in a circle, determined to find and catch whomever it was that was here with me, but each time I was only met by empty space and more red clay. I would usually return to an inexplicable sense of peace after ensuring myself that I was alone, but now it seemed different. The calm that I had become familiar with did not envelope me. I was greeted by an even more urgent sense to find the person who was here. I spun around again, determined to put an end to the mystery.And there Gem stood. I sighed in relief, although the sound was lost on my ears. She had her back to me, her thick, black waist length curls blowing in a breeze that I couldn't feel, but seemed to be centered completely on her. I moved toward her, grateful to see a friendly face or any face for that matter. It was still weird for me to think of her as friend. Little more than a month and a half ago, I would have called her everything in the book other than a friend. After all, it had been her job to hunt me down and kill me. Lucky for me, she had turned out to be terrible at that job."Gem," I called out, attempting to get her attention. But the words died just as they left my lips leaving the perfect silence intact. I tried again to call her name, this time louder, hoping to break the silent barrier. But that attempt failed just as the first had. I walked around until we were facing one another. Her eyes were staring straight at me. I could tell that they weren't seeing me, but were rather seeing through me. I waved my hand in front of her dark eyes, but she didn't blink or even move to acknowledge that she sensed me there with her. Gem was the tiniest person I knew, but for what she lacked in size she made up for in strength. If we were making eye contact, she had to slightly look up to me. I bent my knees until I was at eye level with her and placed my hands on her shoulders. Her skin was icy to the touch and I jerked my hands back. Panic overtook me as I watched pretty face contort in a mask of fear and pain. Her mouth opened in a soundless scream. I reached out to shake her out of whatever horror she was witnessing behind her eyes. But my hands, this time, went through her, grasping only air. I grabbed for her again, but still my hands came away empty. I watched helplessly as her form that was solid only minutes before flickered and lightened until she was transparent. And ultimately she disappeared altogether, leaving me alone again on the barren red cliffs."Lexi," a deep voice called. And when I didn't respond right away, it called again. "Lex, get up. You're going to be late for school."I sat straight up in bed, blinking over and over in an attempt to focus my eyes. My purple comforter was twisted all around my legs. I moved to untangle myself as I surveyed my room. Everything was in order as it always was; my CD collection stacked waist high in the corner and my country flags lined up neatly. My heart rate slowed to resemble a somewhat normal pace as I realized what was going on. I had had the dream again. I let out the breath I had been holding, partly in relief, and partly to ensure that my ears were working properly. The recurring dream had first started over two months ago, but I was still unnerved every time I was sucked into it. It had become a staple in my week: eat, watch TV, clean my room, have crazy dream. I went to bed each night fully aware that I could end up back on those red cliffs, but still felt blindsided when it actually happened. But this time it had been different. Gem was there and that was new. Remembering the terrified look in her eyes just before she disappeared left me with an ominous feeling in my gut. I wondered silently what it could mean.
OneThe air was so still that it was almost as if I existed inside of a bubble. I had been here so many times in the past two months that I wasn't surprised to be here now. The red clay cliffs stretched out in front of me as far as my eyes could see, meeting with the blazing bright horizon in the distance. My breath had stilled completely. Whenever I ended up here, the need to breathe disappeared and sound completely eluded my ears. It was still unclear if that was because this place was devoid of sound or if my ears simply didn't function to hear what was going on around me. The sun seemed to beat down on me from all directions. I glanced up at the sky to see two suns, one to the east and the other to the west. It all seemed so familiar and yet so strange. Despite all of the times that I had been here, I hadn't come any closer to deciphering where here was exactly. But no matter what I did or how hard I tried to stay away, I was sucked right back with increasing frequency that was becoming more and more alarming. And it played out the same way each time too. I would arrive in the middle of the sea of red cliffs, close enough to a gorge in front of me for my stomach to knot with the beginnings of vertigo. The gorge was a sudden break in the red clay that dropped straight down and went so far that I could barely see the clear stream at the bottom. Leaping head first from the cliff was still such a vivid memory and I didn't at all hope to repeat it. I took a step back from the edge.The spot on my back between my shoulder blades began to itch. I quickly turned with the feeling that someone was there watching me. My paranoia of being spied on had become my constant companion with each trip I made to the cliffs. But I could never get used to it and accept it as something that came with the place. Each time I swung around in a circle, determined to find and catch whomever it was that was here with me, but each time I was only met by empty space and more red clay. I would usually return to an inexplicable sense of peace after ensuring myself that I was alone, but now it seemed different. The calm that I had become familiar with did not envelope me. I was greeted by an even more urgent sense to find the person who was here. I spun around again, determined to put an end to the mystery.And there Gem stood. I sighed in relief, although the sound was lost on my ears. She had her back to me, her thick, black waist length curls blowing in a breeze that I couldn't feel, but seemed to be centered completely on her. I moved toward her, grateful to see a friendly face or any face for that matter. It was still weird for me to think of her as friend. Little more than a month and a half ago, I would have called her everything in the book other than a friend. After all, it had been her job to hunt me down and kill me. Lucky for me, she had turned out to be terrible at that job."Gem," I called out, attempting to get her attention. But the words died just as they left my lips leaving the perfect silence intact. I tried again to call her name, this time louder, hoping to break the silent barrier. But that attempt failed just as the first had. I walked around until we were facing one another. Her eyes were staring straight at me. I could tell that they weren't seeing me, but were rather seeing through me. I waved my hand in front of her dark eyes, but she didn't blink or even move to acknowledge that she sensed me there with her. Gem was the tiniest person I knew, but for what she lacked in size she made up for in strength. If we were making eye contact, she had to slightly look up to me. I bent my knees until I was at eye level with her and placed my hands on her shoulders. Her skin was icy to the touch and I jerked my hands back. Panic overtook me as I watched pretty face contort in a mask of fear and pain. Her mouth opened in a soundless scream. I reached out to shake her out of whatever horror she was witnessing behind her eyes. But my hands, this time, went through her, grasping only air. I grabbed for her again, but still my hands came away empty. I watched helplessly as her form that was solid only minutes before flickered and lightened until she was transparent. And ultimately she disappeared altogether, leaving me alone again on the barren red cliffs."Lexi," a deep voice called. And when I didn't respond right away, it called again. "Lex, get up. You're going to be late for school."I sat straight up in bed, blinking over and over in an attempt to focus my eyes. My purple comforter was twisted all around my legs. I moved to untangle myself as I surveyed my room. Everything was in order as it always was; my CD collection stacked waist high in the corner and my country flags lined up neatly. My heart rate slowed to resemble a somewhat normal pace as I realized what was going on. I had had the dream again. I let out the breath I had been holding, partly in relief, and partly to ensure that my ears were working properly. The recurring dream had first started over two months ago, but I was still unnerved every time I was sucked into it. It had become a staple in my week: eat, watch TV, clean my room, have crazy dream. I went to bed each night fully aware that I could end up back on those red cliffs, but still felt blindsided when it actually happened. But this time it had been different. Gem was there and that was new. Remembering the terrified look in her eyes just before she disappeared left me with an ominous feeling in my gut. I wondered silently what it could mean.
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