In A Universe Without Stars 1: Skyeater Read Online Free PDF Page A

to see the true and sensitive him. That Julio?”
    “Julio
is anything but closed off.”
    Arnold
Bell walks in, just a typical middle-aged man, with a belly to suit.
    “Don’t
you have your own place?” Arnold asks Carissa.
    “Just
printing a few things off, Arnold.” She grabs a paper from the printer, giving
Erin a kiss and running out the door.
    “Come
on Erin, we’re going to be late,” Arnold says. They head for the door but Thora
grabs Erin’s arm.
    “Don’t
talk to him about me, alright? I want to talk to him myself.”
    Erin
finishes putting in an earring. “Okay, I won’t. Are you going to your new place
in downtown tonight?”
    “It’s
not my place, it’s only a room and it’s temporary.”
    “I
told you that you can stay here as long as you need to.”
    Thora
nods in disapproval.
    “Okay hun , don’t keep Neil up too late.” Erin bends down
and kisses Neil and leaves. Thora just sits, rocking Neil back and forth
waiting for the night to end.

Deconstruction
- Weak
     
     
    Cole
wakes up .
He clutches his chest wheezing from an immense pressure. He sits up and tries
to calm himself, but a sharp pain stabs him. He rubs his arm to try to relieve
it.
    It
works, slowly, he breathes in and out. The pain soothes away. He wipes his brow
of sweat.
    His
clock on his night stand says it’s five o’clock in the morning. He’s in his
room in his house in the hills.
    It’s
a week before he found his powers and only a day after Thora left.
    He’s
alone.
    He
gets up and limps to the bathroom, his cast slowing him down.
    He
rummages through the medicine cabinet and pulls out his heart pills. He takes
one as he washes his hands and face in warm water. The running water soothes
his mind.
    He
remembers back to yesterday. The day he drove Thora away, the day of his check
up with his doctor. He was about to let Thora back into his heart until he got
the news from the doctor. Cole has developed a heart problem, thanks to the
accident and he’ll never workout again.
    The
next time he’d seen Thora he exploded at her in anger and she left. She isn’t a
saint but he shouldn’t have flown off the handle like that. Now he’s left with
nothing.
    He
takes off his shirt and looks at his body, his skin is dry and tight around his
bony frame. He lost over thirty pounds from his time in a coma.
    Thirty
fucking pounds.
    All
that he worked for is gone, all those years fucking gone. He punches the
mirror. It doesn’t even crack under his weak blow.
    He
doesn’t know what he’s going to do now.
     
    …
     
    It’s a few days later, the day before he
found his power, his reason to live in this mad world. He lies on his bed, on
the covers. His room is a mess, empty potato chip bags and other junk food lie
on the floor and on his bed. Clothes are flung everywhere and he hasn’t
showered in days.
    It
has been like this since Thora left him. He has no reason to do anything. He
has to just wait for his leg to heal so he can go back to work. But why even go
to work? The only reason he got that damned job was to pass time between Thora
and the gym.
    The
television is on, it’s a Maury marathon and another man has just found out that
he’s not the father. He dances around on the screen.
    This
is what Cole has become.
    A
pathetic fool.
    It’s
five o’clock in the evening. A suicide letter is on his nightstand; it’s one he’d
written a long time ago. A time that he’d felt had passed but now he feels like
nothing has changed since then, so he might as well use the same damn letter.
    He
picks up his phone and calls Julio. But it goes straight to voicemail. Cole
sent five texts to him already, all of them asking for his help and getting no
reply. His phone dies in his hand. He doesn’t remember the last time he’s
charged it, but it’s not like he has a reason.
    He
gets up. It’s too early to do anything, he wants to go in his sleep. He needs
to do something to pass the time, he’s too anxious to stay at home. And