The Alchemy of Forever Read Online Free PDF Page B

pocket. I feel his hand fall away from my arm as he crumples onto the low table, his head making a loud thump as it hits the glass.
    Claudia lets out a scared gasp. “Run!” I whisper. Then I dash toward the balcony doors, and like a bird taking flight, I am free, out into the night.

five
     
    The balcony swirls with fog. I swing my legs over the railing, slippery with marine air. I lose my grip and force myself to focus. One misplaced hand and I will tumble to the concrete below. I do intend to die tonight, but not here. Not like this.
    I can hear Claudia yelling inside and grit my teeth. I should have spiked her drink too. One of my shoes slips off. As it disappears into the fog, I picture it bouncing on the sidewalk. I struggle to find a foothold. Amelia had trained me as an acrobat, but that was a long time ago, and my body is very weak.
    Breathing hard, I kick off the other shoe and ignore a pounding sound above—Jared and Amelia kicking in the door. I can’t afford to dwell on it, so I keep moving. Bit by bit, I make my way down.
    Once on the sidewalk, I can’t hear anything else from above; all other sound is swallowed by the dance music pouring from the club. I shove through the crowd still waiting to get in to Emerald City, then start running up Spear Street.
    Each time my foot lands on the pavement, hot pain shoots up through my body. My breath comes in rasps and my lungs feel as though they’re collapsing. But I know what I’m running toward and push myself forward. It’s 11:17 PM; I have ten minutes before the next train leaves the BART station.
    I hear a shout behind me and whip my head around, nearly losing my balance. It’s only an old homeless man having an argument with a street sign. After that I keep my gaze focused straight ahead, too terrified to glance backward.
    “Sera! Stop!” Jared yells. I run even faster, my dress swishing against my thighs and my hair lifting high behind me in the damp wind. It feels like my skin is falling off my bones, and I know my bare feet are probably bleeding. My failing heart beats erratically in my chest, fluttering like a trapped bird. I pray I have the strength to reach my getaway car. That’s all I need , I plead with my body. Please.
    Finally daring to look behind me, I see Jared gaining on me, Amelia only a few steps behind. He would love nothing more than to drag me back to Cyrus like a puppy who’d gone off leash. Amelia, on the other hand, would probably be happier if I disappeared forever, though loyalty to Cyrus is all the impetus she needs to join the pursuit.
    The BART station sign looms in the distance, its black-and-blue logo illuminated but out of focus in the fog. There’s more foot traffic as I get closer to the Embarcadero stop, and I shove people out of my way. “Watch it!” I hear as I blaze by.
    It’s a game night, and every other person is wearing the Giants’ colors. A woman decked out in an orange-and-black jersey pushes an empty stroller. I misjudge her direction and trip over the stroller, falling to my knees on the sidewalk.
    “Sera! Stay there!” Jared’s voice has an undercurrent of panic. If he goes back empty-handed, Cyrus will surely “have words” with him. I know all about the very real scars those words can leave.
    Scrambling to my feet, I take off again, Jared and Amelia only a block behind me now. I look back once more and make sure they’re watching as I finally reach the BART station entrance, shoving through drunken baseball fans down the escalator. I hop the turnstile without paying, hurrying toward the rising wind and industrial screech of the trains rumbling into the station.
    The platform is packed with Giants fans, all orange and disorganized and jubilant. The arriving train is headed for the East Bay, and the crowd struggles to board. I catch sight of my reflection in a window: wild-eyed, hair a tangled mess, dress torn, blood dribbling down my knees.
    “Seraphina! You need. To. Stop!” Jared’s voice