Ether Read Online Free PDF Page B

their prey. And the tighter they coil, the more terror rushes
through my body. I can’t fight. I can’t run. I’m frozen in place, helpless as
they slither over me.
    A
cold so deep it makes my skin burn seeps out of the creatures. I feel them pressing
in on my, getting ever closer. I’m passing out; the world gets dimmer and more
distant every second. And I’m cold. A terrible, arctic cold is numbing me,
freezing me to the spot. Frost crystalizes on the ground before my feet and creeps
up my legs. What will happen when my whole body is covered in it? Will I freeze
to death? The hairs in my nose freeze and my breath comes out in frantic, icy
puffs.  
    Becks! Did
someone call me? An image wavers at the edge of the woods. I want so much to
turn and see the boy from the whiteness, the boy from my dreams, standing
there. I want him to help me wake up from this nightmare. The amber energy
reaches my throat and begins squeezing and squeezing. The world gets darker. Becks!
No!  
    A
powerful blast of wind blows through the clearing, tearing the bright tendrils
away from me and scattering them. A burst of sunlight breaks through the
canopy. The light laps over me, thawing the frost around my feet. “Becka!”
Matt’s voice calls out. “Becka what are you doing here in the woods by
yourself? Are you alright?”
    There’s
a pause, in which I struggle to answer but only a gurgling sound comes out of
my lips. I’m still rigid with fear and cold.
    A
hand wraps around mine and pulls me away. “Becka? Are you alright? You’re safe
with me. We’re at school. Do you remember?” Matt leads me out of the woods. I
walk next to him mechanically and with every step we take, I feel a little
better.
    The
next thing I know Matt is leading away from the football field. Still in his
football uniform he helps me into his car, buckles my seat belt and starts the
car. He turns the heat up, setting the blower to full, blasting hot air right
onto my face. Slowly, the numbness drops away and I shake myself out of the
daze. “Feeling better?” Matt asks when I look around and met his eyes.
    I
nod, grateful it’s Matt and not Justin right now. Matt will assumed I’ve had
another flashback, he certainly saw enough of them those first few weeks in the
hospital, but Justin would have wanted to talk about it. I hated that even when
it was a real flashback, but this time I don’t know what happened. All I’m
really sure of is that something strange, something unnatural, attacked me. I can’t
exactly tell that to Matt.
    Matt
lets the car idle in front of my house. “I don’t think you should be alone too
much right now,” he says.
    “It’s
okay. My mom will be home soon, until then I’ve got Buick. I’ll be fine, really
Matt. Thanks for the lift and the rescue.”
    He
nods. “Just call me if there’s anything you need,” he says, sounding more
serious than I’ve ever heard him before.
    I
give him a non-committal smile. There’s plenty I want to talk about; like the
fact that something just tried to slither inside me, or that I’m communicating
with a disembodied spirit . But neither of these things are exactly
Matt’s area of expertise.
    I
drop my bag by the front door, ruffle Buick’s ears and headed straight for the
shower. Waiting for steam to fill the room, I perch on the edge of the counter.
As soon as the mirror has droplets on it, I trace the words that have been on
my mind since the accident, “Who are you? What are you?”
                There is a
short pause, but I feel him close by, A friend, he writes at last.
                “But what are
you? Where are you?”
                I’m here
with you. The steam fills in before I can demand more answers. I care
about you.
                Which
only confuses me more. In my dreams I am drawn to him on an elemental level,
like every part of me is pulling towards him. In the real world his messages
fill me with eagerness, interest, and