Stunned (The Lucidites Book 2) Read Online Free PDF

light is replaced with the bluish purple. “Call me at any time to make your report and I will return,” she says, and leaves.
    What in the messed up world that is the Institute have I gotten myself into? This is my chance to prove myself. To take on a new challenge, one that will distract me from my sad love life. But I have absolutely no idea what I’m supposed to do.
    Defeated, I lay my head on my hands resting on the table and try to breathe deeply. It isn’t so bad if I fail this test and nothing comes of it. I can always go back to sitting in my room. There’s also the chance I can find Trey and ask him to assign me to a project. I have to admit, though, that I was relieved when Shuman offered me this opportunity. Truthfully, seeking Trey out was never something I wanted to do. It had to do with my ego, which feels like it’s currently being caged and shocked with a cattle prod.
    My anxiety is no good to me, so I push it to the corner of my mind, just how Shuman taught me to do. I clear the blackboard of my mind and allow myself to float in and out of consciousness. This lucid meditation has become second nature for me at this point. And I know that the benefits I’ve garnered from it are worth every second of focus. The practice has kept me sane when I was losing it, guided me when I was lost, and given me courage when I thought I’d die.
    In my mind’s eye I see a flash of red, so bright, so unsettling. Blood. It trickles down a man’s chin. He flicks it away with an arrogant jerk. My vision suddenly blurs, but I still hear everything perfectly, even the unsteady breathing of the battered man. “Is that all you’ve got?” he says.
    A cackle answers his taunt. “Umm…More?” a girl says, her voice high-pitched, sing-song, cloaked in a French accent. “Is ’at what you vant?”
    “What I want is to be left alone. Could you manage that?” the man answers.
    “It appears I cannot,” the girl says, like she’s kissing each word. “I’m certain I can’t be happy unlez you’re dead. And I really do deserve to be happy, don’t you zink? You still vant me to be happy, don’t you?” she says, in one big, flowing breath. The cackle again. It hurts my ears.
    Then all noise fades and my vision returns. The blade racing to the man’s chest is already stained with blood. His blood. But he won’t escape this assault. I know it. I know it with such certainty. The same as I know the man. I’d never forget that voice. That accent.
    My eyes bolt open. “It’s Ren!” I scream. “It’s Ren! He’s in trouble! She’s going to kill him! You’ve got to help him!” I hear myself say. I can’t believe the words are coming from my mouth.
    I hear movement right before Shuman enters. One-way glass sits to the right of the door. I was being watched.
    Shuman strides over to me. “What did you see?”
    “I saw Ren. He’s been attacked. Tortured. By a girl…with a French accent.” Each word sounds wrong in my mouth. But I know what I saw; I stand by it. My breath has escaped me now. I pause to catch it, to understand what I’ve witnessed. “I’m not sure what’s going on with him. I didn’t see his attacker. I only heard her.”
    Shuman nods her head once and exits, leaving me to sit enveloped by my own confusion. Maybe all those solitary hours have caused me to lose my mind. I’ve always had a crazy imagination and now my own lust for Ren’s demise has literally gone to my head. What’s going to happen when Shuman comes back and tells me that I’m dead wrong about my premonition? One thing is for sure, my ego will be branded with the word “LOSER.”
    And still it gets me that in this flash I saw Ren—my nemesis at the Institute. He’s the last person on earth I would save if I had a chance. If the vision was real, then whatever was happening was undoubtedly something he deserved, had brought on himself. If that girl is real, then he’d probably done something corrupt to her. I don’t even