The Order of the Elements 01 - Breaking Point Read Online Free PDF

because it stretched her imagination, and skeptical because it probably wasn’t at all accurate to anything they had known from their previous life.
    Their previous imagined life. Phoebe had to quit thinking in terms of this being real.
    Glancing around, she saw there was nothing but the silvery fog surrounding her and Ethan. It still didn’t look solid, but they were definitely standing on something. Phoebe stretched out her hand in front of her and watched as it flattened against something invisible. She continued to move her hand through the air to her left and behind. There were solid barriers all around.
    “Is there anything to your right?” she asked Ethan after determining that there was no other way to move.
    Ethan, who had watched Phoebe quietly, stretched out his hand to the right to feel around. He took a couple of tentative steps.
    “No, this way is clear.”
    “Then we go that way.”
    He nodded and swallowed with difficulty. He started tentatively down the only open path. Phoebe didn’t rush him. She was in no hurry to get to the other end of the rainbow, either.
    After a few minutes, Phoebe felt his impatience, and since they met no further obstacles, he started striding along quite confidently ahead of her. She was just beginning to wonder how much further they were going to have to walk when Ethan abruptly disappeared downward. Phoebe registered that he still had a hold of her hand right before she was also pulled down. She filled her lungs with air in preparation to scream only to realize that it wasn’t necessary.
    They were dropping like stones, but they were falling through nothingness. Then, remembering that something solid could come out of anywhere in this mist, Phoebe screamed anyway. Not that screaming ever really helped anything, unless someone was trapped and they thought someone was close enough to help. But what was anyone going to do for her? Phoebe doubted she’d be brave enough to try to catch someone who was falling this fast.
    After about half an hour, she was bored and wondering if they were doomed to free-fall for the rest of their lives. She tried to focus on something else but was distracted by Ethan’s constant shift of emotions.
    Any minute now you’re going to wake up and realize you’re dreaming, Ethan thought to himself. Phoebe found it strange that his emotions had turned so verbal all of a sudden. It’s just a dream. Or a hallucination. At least there’s medication for hallucinations. Of course, I may be locked away somewhere. Although, right now I would prefer the padded room. I wonder if she really believes any of this. She’s way too calm. So, either she believes it, she thinks it’s a dream, or she’s gone completely crazy too.
    Oh, now he was questioning her sanity? Phoebe was perfectly sane, just free falling in a chasm of doom. Good times.
    Or, if I’m dreaming, then she’s just a figment of my imagination, in which case it doesn’t matter what she’s thinking because she isn’t real. How odd. I don’t even remember going to bed. Maybe Mom and Dad drugged me. Strange thing for them to do. Then again they never have been normal.
    Phoebe could tell that Ethan was going to try to rationalize this to himself in any way he could. If she was smart, she’d be doing the same.
    Then all her thoughts came to a sudden halt—had she just heard what he was thinking? Or had she imagined what she thought he would be thinking? Did that even make any sense? Was she the one going crazy?
    Okay, whatever this is, dream, hallucination, drugs, it’s getting really boring. What is the point of falling through all this mist anyway? OUCH! She’s going to break my hand!
    Upon hearing his thoughts, her hand had tightened on his, gripping too tightly. If the situation had been reversed, she didn’t think he would have blamed her. Under normal circumstances, hearing someone’s thoughts was generally cause for alarm.
    Hmmm, I wonder what’s wrong with her. She looks a little