Michael (53 page)

Authors: Aaron Patterson

Then she sees what made the flitting sound. It is small, it moves through the air like a dart, but changing directions at will. It is bright in yellow and blue and sometimes red and has spindly legs and can stand on the ground, but Thea notices it seems to prefer to light on the fantastic things that stand on the dirt and wave in the breeze.

She thinks now and marvels at the things, wondering why she understands so little.

But still, these are not what made the noise she heard in the darkness.

Then she hears the noise: there it is again.

It is a voice.

***

Petrified, she waits, sitting on the ground with her back to it, her breathing gagging her, coming in whiffs. Then she sees it: this is one like her, clothed like she is.

Huddled over in the shadows and mumbling, it rises, approaches her: the one with the voice.

She scrambles upward, trying to get away, increase the distance between them: for this is a thing of which she’s not yet dreamt, and it is wholesale horrific to her mind.

But the one thing like her rushes her, closes the distance, and before she can fly in total fear, the one thing has imprisoned her, pressing her against the box bodily, heavy arms to each side of her head, breath hot in her face, hostilely speaking: “Why is it dangerous outside?”

Thea understands the language. But she is too afraid to answer. Even if she does answer, she doesn’t know what to say.

“Why are you out of the box?”

Thea’s voice, unused, is frail and thin: “I—I was—I was pushed out.”

“Why were you pushed out?” The voice of the one thing is deep and resounding, threatening, scary.

It is unlike her own. She can only answer, “It was a consequence of the boy!”

“This—now—is a consequence of the boy.”

Thea weeps for this, an enshrouded confirmation of her mistake. She cries deeply within her heart for a revocation of it. For a chance to remove the punishment. “I’ll do anything to go back…”

“You can never go back.” Then the one thing like her pushes off the wall, away from her, and steps back, regarding her. There is hair on its face that hangs down in matted wisps of gray.

It is strange, like her and yet not like her. “Can I never go back?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“You ask the wrong questions.”

She looks at the hairy face, confused.

The one thing like her steps away, turns its back to her and begins to walk off.

Suddenly she knows what it will be like to be alone, and for the first time. “Wait!” she calls.

“No. You wait.”

***

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

AARON PATTERSON

Aaron is the father of three kids: Soleil, Kale, and Klayton. He is the author of the bestselling
Mark Appleton
thriller series,
The Airel Saga,
and
The Sarah Steele
thriller series. Aaron worked in the construction field for 11 years and is now a full time writer. Aaron was home schooled and has a bachelors degree in theology. He loves to hike, snowboard, camp, and drink coconut lattes. He is also the founder of StoneHouse Ink and Co-founder of StoneHouse University. He speaks all over the country on the subject of eBooks, writing and the changing publishing world.

Connect with Aaron at his blog: http://theworstbookever.blogspot.com

Friend him on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aaronpatterson

And Twitter: @mstersmith

CHRIS WHITE

Chris White grew up living on an old San Francisco city bus that was converted to an RV, living in almost every state of the Union. He spent most of childhood learning how to make fast friends, reading books and doing heroic skids on his coaster-brake bike. He spent most of adolescence playing the trumpet and being a total nerd, building lots and lots of plastic models. He tried college for a couple years, but interrupted that with four years of service as an infantryman in the U.S. Marines. He finished college later, but the Marines taught him far more. He met his wife in Idaho and then spent six months in South Africa with her shortly after they were married. He’s tried being a truck driver, bicycle mechanic, executive recruiter, drummer in a rock band and call center robot, but he’s always, always been a writer—which he only just realized a few years ago. More recently, Chris took up the trumpet again and is now teaching privately. He has two boys and lives with his family in Idaho.

Look for more eBook titles by Chris White and C.P. White on Amazon.

Connect with Chris at his blog: http://cpwhitemedia.blogspot.com

Friend him on Facebook: www.facebook.com/whatnorthbetrue

And Twitter: @cpwhitemedia

Check out his Great Jammy Adventure series of illustrated books for kids:
http://www.jammyadventures.com

Michael

All rights reserved as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the publisher.

StoneHouse Ink 2012

StoneHouse Ink

Boise, ID 83713

http://www.stonehouseink.net

First eBook Edition: 2012

First Paperback Edition 2012

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to a real person, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

Michael: a novel/by Aaron Patterson & Chris White

Cover design by © Claudia McKinney -
phatpuppyart.com

Model/Jake Rafus

Published in the United States of America

StoneHouse Ink

Table of Contents

Acclaim by Aaron Patterson and Chris White

Title Page

Also by Aaron Patterson and Chris White

PART FIVE: The Curse