Authors: Venessa Kimball
I turn my iPod up loud enough to drown out the sound of my feet hitting the pavement and my rhythmic breathing. I move in time with the music. I exit the gates of The Cloisters and head north. Shadows fall randomly on the sidewalk. The streetlights dance above the overhanging trees and branches.
This is what I needed. The breeze to carry away the chaos and bring clarity to my thoughts. I can’t help but think of Corinna’s family. The loss her parents must feel. The emptiness. Her sister, Isabel. It makes me think of my own sister, Bethany.
Will she be called upon to be a guardian someday?
All of a sudden I’m hit with a knee-weakening vibration. Something fast moved behind me.
I can feel him.
I sense something in the shadow ahead a few feet, beyond the lamppost. I stare hard, trying to confirm what my heart already knows.
Xander.
I blink and Xander is in front of me. I shuffle backwards and crouch, ready to strike.
Xander puts his hands up, surrendering. “Wait! Wait, damn it!” His eyes are full of pain, confusion, and rage. “Please just listen, Jesca. Then I will leave. I promise.”
I feel the honesty in his voice. I straighten my body and fold my arms across my chest. My eyes are watching his every move.
Xander’s sigh is painful sounding. He looks exhausted.
“I am so very sorry about Corrina, Jes. I know you loved her. If I knew what was happening, I would have stopped him. But Sam. Sam betrayed me. I can’t trust him any longer. I don’t know who to trust right now.”
Xander looks at me, then down at the ground. “I don’t know what I am! Who I am! I don’t understand all of these things happening to my mind and body.”
Xander’s voice is rough and tired after his ranting. It reminds me of myself months ago.
“Sam says I’m a Sondian. That Dobrians murdered my parents. But I feel it in me, in my mind, in my bones, that Sam is keeping things from me. He used me like a puppet, Jesca. And he made me do things that I am so ashamed of.”
Tears are falling now on either side of his face.
I move closer to him slowly. “Xander, I know that you have been used. You need to find out who you really are. You need to learn the truth. Get away from here. From Sam and everything. Find yourself.”
Xander reaches for my hands and grabs hold of them. He steps closer and puts his arms around my waist. He pulls me to him. “Come with me, Jes. I don’t know if I can do this on my own.”
In that moment, I want to go with him. I can feel every ounce of sorrow and pain weighing on his heart. I want to take it away from him.
Xander leans in and kisses my lips so tenderly. I lean into him and put my hands on his shoulders. Xander’s hand touches my face as I pull back. His eyes are looking at me with intensity. His thumb brushes over my lips as he holds my chin with his hand.
I whisper breathlessly, “Xander, I see the good in your heart. I want to help heal you. I am tempted to leave here with you right now.”
Xander silences my words by brushing his lips against mine again, more passionately now.
I’m tempted to stay here in his arms and let him carry me away with his intensity. I pull back. “But I can’t.”
I open my eyes to see Xander close his and lower his head.
“I care about you, Xander. But you have to do this on your own. You need to find yourself. You need to find your purpose.”
I try to get into his head. But he has blocked me.
I let him in.
I hope your path leads you back to me someday.
Xander acts quickly and pulls me in to him again. His kiss is intoxicating this time. I grab his shoulders and lean into him. His arms are encircling me, molding me to him.
Then, everything material, his touch, his lips, his presence evaporates into the ethereal.
He is gone.
Miami…
I close my eyes. My breathing slows and takes on a hypnotic rhythm. I listen to every measured intake and release of air. Then I feel serenity wash over me.
My throat constricts with panic. I open my eyes, and I’m sitting in a living room on a sofa. A man with graying hair is sitting in an armchair across from me. His legs are crossed. He is well dressed in a suit. He looks like a psychiatrist studying me.
My voice is thick from sleep. “Am I still sleeping?”
The man responds, “Yes, you are. I’m Sebastian. You are having a vision, Jesca.”
I remember Ezra telling me back at the facility that as I grew as a guardian, Sebastian would begin to visit me in visions as well. I become concerned about the purpose of the visit. Terrible thoughts start racing through my head.
“Why?”
Is it Ezra? Nate? Are they okay?
Sebastian puts his hand up to stop my noticeable panic. “They are fine. I have come to you because it is time for me to show you.”
“Show me what?”
A surge of light flashes and blinds me. I rub my eyes after the flash dulls to try and refocus. But everything is dark. Then, I see two separate, distinct cosmic waves heading toward each other.
The collision of our galaxy and Andromeda.
As they collide, a pulse of light ripples between the two galaxies and spreads within them, through the worlds contained within them, and radiates out beyond them.
Another flash, I’m standing in a city street. I look up to see an orange haze creeping across the sky and a ripple of light trailing behind it. I focus my eyes on the street again. I see Ezra standing across the street motioning for me. He is saying something, but I can’t hear anything. He has a look of panic and fear in his eyes. Someone pulls on my hand. Nate is standing next to me trying to pull me toward Ezra.
I look back to Ezra and see Xander standing in the middle of the crowded street, blocking my view. He is reaching for me to come to him, but I can’t move.
I look down to see what is holding me in place: Corinna. She is holding on to my leg. Her face is contorted, sunken, with hollow, black eyes. She begins to convulse. I reach down to help her, but Nate pulls me from her. We start to run down the street away from all of them. Then there is another flash. I’m back in the room with Sebastian, except I am not sitting. I am perched on the arm of the sofa ready to pounce.
I’m breathless. “What the hell was that?”
“A glimpse of what is to come, Jesca.” Sebastian gets up to leave the room.
“Wait! What do I do now? What does it mean?”
Sebastian turns to me. “You will know, Jesca. You will sense it in every ounce of your being.”
Sebastian opens the door and leaves.
My heart feels like it is pounding out of my chest. The vertigo starts, and I feel like I’m going to throw up. I fall down onto the sofa from dizziness. The spinning of the room increases. I have to shut my eyes.
As soon as I feel a warm hand on my forehead, my eyes open.
I look at Nate. He is sitting over me, holding my hand.
My whimper turns to a sob.
Nate crawls into the bed with me and holds me. “It’s all right, Jes. You’re okay.”
I practically attack him with an embrace. I need to hold onto something real, tangible. Nate is real. Nate is my link.
“No, Nate. It was a vision. It’s not all right.”
Nate pulls back and looks at me with concern. Both of his arms are holding my shaking body steady. I know he feels my fear. I’m letting him feel it.
Nate puts his mouth on my forehead. “I’m afraid too, Jes.”
We hold on to each other tighter, knowing that reality right now is limited, and the altered reality that is to come has no boundaries.
To my family and friends for always encouraging me to never give up, to my husband and children for understanding my passion for creating through the written word, and to God for gifting me with that passion. I strongly believe it takes a village to raise a child. It also takes a village of supporters and fans to raise up an author. I have had some amazing people believe in me and the Piercing the Fold series. BIG thank you to my publishing house, Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly, along side of Hot Ink Press and Vamptasy Press; One House United...what an amazing family of authors! Love ya’ll! (Yep, I said ya’ll...I’m from Texas). Thank you, thank you to all of you for raising this author :).
With that being said, I absolutely love to hear from the readers. Make sure and keep up with my projects, events, giveaways, upcoming releases, or just to chat on my wall by visiting and liking my website and social network pages. Would love to hear from you!
In 2010, Venessa Kimball was struck by an idea, a story that needed telling. Having always been passionate about the written word, Venessa embarked on writing what would become her debut novel, Piercing the Fold: Book 1; a mature young adult/ adult crossover, paranormal, science fiction series. July 2, 2012, Venessa Kimball independently published the first book in the Piercing the Fold series. Book 2, Surfacing the Rim, released March 14, 2013.
In August of 2013, Venessa joined the publishing house, Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly. The Piercing the Fold series will be re-published with them beginning with Piercing the Fold: Book 1 on September 3rd. Surfacing the Rim: Book 2 will be re-published on September 24th and Ascending the Veil: Book 3 will be released for the first time on October 18th. The final book in the series, Book 4 (Title TBD) will release in 2014.
As for the future, Venessa is already filling her Work-In-Progress folder. Two of her future projects are adult contemporary fiction and will reflect her diversity as a writer in other genres. When Venessa is not writing, she is keeping active with her husband and three children, chauffeuring said children to extracurricular activities, catching a movie with her hubby, and staying up way too late reading and writing.
Jesca
I am still in bed. I should be in my car, heading to Ms. Olivia’s in an hour to open the store.
For someone with an acquired ability of stealthy speed, I’m moving like a snail. The sleep issue has gotten worse since leaving the facility and moving to Miami.
Ezra told me the visions would come back with intensity when we left the facility. Being underground at the facility had its perks. He said to tell him when they got bad again, but I haven’t mentioned it to him.
Because of our link to each other, Nate’s the only one who knows how bad they’ve gotten. Ezra says that we are linked, or coupled, because of our abilities. I’m not sure about that, but I know that Nate and I have become inseparable since he became my partner.
When Corinna was taken by Sam, I made sure to let Ezra and Nate know that I didn’t need a babysitter, but I’d do my best to accept a partner. I know that I’m completely capable of protecting, defending, and guarding myself along with those around me. But, I also know that since Nate has been here I’ve felt less vulnerable and less anxious.
After knocking, Nate whispers, “Can I come in?”
I smile a little and whisper back, “Yes.”
It’s still dark in the room with the first light of dawn slowly creeping through the window. Nate peeks around the open door.
His hair is rustled, and he’s wearing a long-sleeve unbuttoned shirt and a pair of boxer shorts. His lean abdomen is peeking through the open shirt. He’s gorgeous, even first thing in the morning.
How can guys do that? He looks amazing and beautiful without even trying. I must look like the Bride of Frankenstein.
I self-consciously brush my hair to the side. He walks over to me, sitting on the side of my bed. He leans in to me and kisses my forehead.
His lips linger on my head. “You do not look like the Bride of Frankenstein, Jes.”
I laugh a little, embarrassed but also humored, because no matter how hard I try, I can’t block my thoughts from him. It just might be that I don’t want to block Nate anymore.
Plus, we’re linked to each other for a purpose. We have to keep our link unaltered and uninterrupted for our safety and for the safety of those around us. Ezra explained it in Ezra-terms, but the gist of it is that we are strongest and safest when we are open to each other’s thoughts.
Nate reaches up to my face, brushing hair away from my forehead. I look up into his eyes—those beautiful blue-green eyes.
Since the night Sam took Corrina and Ezra revealed that he is my father, Nate has been watching over me like a hawk. He doesn’t treat me like I’m a fragile basket case though—mainly because I told him I hated his hovering after enduring it for a week. From then on, he’s been subtle.
Nate whispers, “How did you sleep?”
I am slow to answer and look down briefly. “Okay. You?”
Nate glances down, scratching the top of his head. “Alright.”
I turn my head slightly toward his. I know that he’s had just as bad of a time as I’ve had, sleeping across the hall from one another for the past two months. We can feel each other’s vulnerability. It can weaken us quickly if we let it.
Sometimes, I hear him call out in the night within seconds of me waking up from one of my intense, vivid nightmares. On the nights that I beat him to it, I tiptoe to his room and sit on the side of his bed. I put my hand on his chest, whispering that we will be okay.
Ezra said that our premonitions and telepathy will develop at a quicker pace now that we are trained and use our abilities daily.
As guardians, Nate and I have come to terms with the fact that my lucid dream world will seep into our real world at some point. The lucid dreams always leave us breathless with fear. I don’t think that will ever get better. If anything, the dreams are intensifying.
Nate rubs his eyes, and then he reaches for my hand to reassure me. “I’m good, really. I don’t get all of the images you get. I just get your feelings and thoughts. It’s not bad. I’m listening rather than being a physical participant. I think that’s a lot easier than what you have to see.”
Nate yawns and gives me a shove to scoot over. Moving aside, I give Nate some room on the bed. He lifts the covers back, and I feel a cool draft touch my legs.
The weather has turned cold lately. It’s been cooler than what you would expect for Florida in early fall. Ezra said that we would start seeing some climate changes before the collision and intersection of our galaxy with Andromeda. We don’t know what kind of effect the intersection will have on us. Our world could survive or die when the intersection occurs. Ezra likes to play the devil’s advocate, warning us to be prepared for the worst.
I can’t imagine what worse would look like though. All of a sudden, I feel a bang of dread.
After Nate settles the covers back over us, he turns to face me. His eyes are focused intensely on mine.
Self-consciously, I ask, “What?”
Nate holds my hand. “Don’t try and wrap your mind around it, Jes. I have tried and failed. It just is.”
I look at him, smirking. I know he’s right.
I try to joke. “Wow, look at how smart you are, Nathaniel Sera!”
He lets out a low chuckle. His smile fades a little as he pulls me closer to him, wrapping his arms around my waist.
In a soft voice, he says, “Don’t do that. You do that when you want to make light of something you’re feeling. It’s alright to be scared.”
I’m about to argue with him when he puts his index finger on my lips to hush me. My breath catches with the feel of his touch. Nate leans in, and our lips touch lightly. With his arms still wrapped around my waist, I move my hands to his shoulders, finding the collar of his unbuttoned shirt. My hands quickly slide under it, touching his skin. I push the shirt off of his shoulders, and Nate reacts with quick movements, getting his shirt out of our way.
My hands move to his face, running across the stubble along his strong jawline. With my touch, the kiss deepens instantly. I feel Nate’s hands tighten with urgency around me. My heart feels like it’s pounding out of my chest.
Nate pulls back. He’s as breathless as I am. His hand cups my chin, keeping me from moving too far away.
My breath is fast and uneven. “What?”
His eyes are on my lips. His stare reveals a yearning that makes my heart ache.
Nate’s voice is ragged and breathless. “Ezra. He’s coming to your room.”
Before I can respond, I hear a knock at my door.
“Jes, it’s Ezra. I need to talk with you.”
Nate pulls back from me. His eyes are still intense.
My voice cracks a little. “Um, just a minute.”
Ezra would definitely freak out with the current situation. Nate slowly and quietly stands, picks up his shirt, and moves behind the door.
“Uh, I need to get dressed. I’ll be out in ten minutes, okay?”
Ezra says, “Okay. Hey, have you seen Nate? He wasn’t in his room.”
I answer quickly, “Nope. No, I haven’t. Maybe he went for a run.”
Nate is standing behind the door, rolling his eyes and smiling at my nervous response.
Grabbing the closest thing to me, I throw a tennis shoe at Nate, hitting him below the belt.
He mouths, “Ouch.”
I put my finger to my mouth, gesturing for him to keep quiet.
Ezra asks, “Are you okay in there, Jes?”
I jump off my bed and sprint toward the door instantly, knowing Ezra’s next move.
Ezra starts to open the door, and I lean against it, shutting it back in place.
I look at Nate while I respond to Ezra. “I’m fine. Just stubbed my toe. I’m getting dressed right now. Hey, I have to get to Ms. Olivia’s pretty soon. Will this take long?”
Ezra responds, “I called her to let her know that you and Nate wouldn’t be making it in today. There’s been some development, and we have a change of plans. I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”
As Nate and I continue staring at each other, I hear Ezra walk away from the door.
I peek out the door after a couple of seconds. The hallway is clear. Nate and I shuffle around each other, so he can leave the room. Before he leaves, he wraps both arms around my waist, pulling me into him, and he kisses me deeply, desperately.
He inches back just enough to look into my eyes. “Good morning, Jes,” he whispers.
Our physical proximity leaves me breathless—again. “Good morning, Nate.”
The corners of his mouth turn up in a smile.
I push against Nate’s chest. “Go, go, go.”
He tiptoes down the hall, and I quickly shut the door behind me, leaning against it. My hand immediately goes to my lips, replaying our encounter.
For the past two months, Nate and I have been treading on uneven ground. As Nate and I grow more dependent on our link to help each other, we become more addicted to each other physically. The simplest touch sends us both into an intimate frenzy.
It’s like I crave more of his touch. It’s been one of those things that Nate and I know could potentially bear a problem, but we don’t want to talk about it. Part of me doesn’t want to let go of how safe and secure his touch makes me feel, and I know I make Nate feel just as safe in my arms. But, I worry that the physical security will blur into something that could get one or both of us hurt.
I push the thought out of my mind, and I think about Ezra’s interruption this morning.
What could he be up to?
I dress quickly and head to the kitchen.
Ezra is sitting at the table, reading the paper. “Morning.”
I head straight to the coffee machine and mumble, “Morning.”
I’m stirring creamer into my coffee when Nate walks in. His hair is still wet from the shower, making it appear darker than it really is. I can’t help but think of him in the shower.
Ugh, Jesca!
I add more sweetener to my cup and stir vigorously to distract my drifting thoughts.
Ezra asks, “Nate, where were you? Your door was open when I came by to find you this morning.”
Nate grabs the cereal from the cabinet and turns to the refrigerator to get the milk. I feel his eyes on me the whole time.
“I went for a run. It was amazing.”
I briefly glance over at Nate, who is leaning against the countertop now. Nate winks discreetly at me. I fix my coffee to quickly distract myself from him.
Ezra eyes are still glued to his paper. “That is not breakfast, Jesca.”
I quickly finish mixing up my coffee, creamer, and sweetener and have a seat. “It is until I hear what you have to say, Ezra.”
Nate moves around, sitting next to me at the table.
Ezra puts his paper down and looks up at me. “You look terrible!”
I respond sarcastically, “Thanks so much. You say the nicest things, Dad!”
Leaning his arm on the table, Ezra props his chin on his hand. “Why haven’t you told me the visions have gotten worse?”
“Visions? More like nightmares.” I take a long sip of my coffee.
Nate interjects, “They’re getting worse.”
Clearing my throat, I roll my eyes at Nate’s comment. “Thanks, Nate.”
“Sorry, Jes, but Ezra needs to know.” Nate’s eyes dart back to Ezra. “They’re becoming more intense and vivid. They’re premonitions, aren’t they?”
Ezra’s eyes never leave mine. “Yes, they are. Jesca, with regular training, your abilities will grow. Lucid Dreaming, Telepathy, Qi, Astral Projection—all of your abilities are becoming stronger, and their strength has spawned a hybrid. Your Lucid Dreaming and Telepathy are melding to create an outlet for these premonitions to come to you.”
I get up to refill my empty mug. “Awesome. Just perfect.”
As I come back to the table, Ezra’s voice fills with worry as he says, “Jes, you need to tell us what’s going on with these lucid dreams. Your mother, Anna, had lucid dreams and premonitions of the future before her…” Ezra stops speaking.
I turn to look at him. His eyes are reddening, shining with fresh tears.
He’s right. I need to stop being so flippant with the images I’m getting in my dreams. They can help us.
I put my hand on top of Ezra’s. “Okay, from here on out, I’ll tell you about them. You’re right. They might be able to help guide us when the collision comes.”
I tense when the word “collision” leaves my mouth.
It’s surreal that our world might end within my lifetime because our galaxy could collide with Andromeda.
Ezra reads my mind. “I already told you, Jes. Our scientists have confirmed that our galaxy and Andromeda will collide and intersect without destroying us.”
I sigh. “I know. It’s just what happens
after
the collision that has me worried.”
Within a week after Sam Crest took Corinna Cain, the imminent collision of the Andromeda galaxy with ours was leaked to the mainstream news. Months prior to the leak, scientists had speculated that the climate shift and other global events might have been a result of a gravitational imbalance in the Earth and its atmosphere. They had said a polar shift might be occurring. Then, a reporter from CNN accessed information that confirmed the collision as a scientific fact. He reported that the collision between the two galaxies was inevitable.
Nate insinuated that someone had gotten sloppy, but I could feel that it was someone on the inside—a Sondian. Ezra thought the same, too.
For the past two months, we stayed in the villa, awaiting intelligence from the fellowship’s scientists while we compared notes with the local, national, and global news. Rebel factions already started to sprout up all over the world. Civil riots and protests for government assistance caused worldwide governmental departments to be on high alert. They started shutting down borders between nations, trying to keep the chaos contained within their own countries.
As guardians, our job of protecting humans on this Earth—while also trying to safeguard ourselves—became a million times harder because of this insider leaking information. It was intended to intimidate us. And, it served its purpose. We are only a few saviors in a sea of frightened and confused civilians.