Free Ravens by Kaylie Austen Page A

about it.
    As she slipped out of her skirt, she
went through her musings. All this time, she hoped she would meet her
imaginary, grown up Liam and that he would like her. Well, she got what she
wanted, and then some.
    Kendra pulled up the snug jeans, zipped
them, and tied on the sneakers. Thankfully, Julie’s clothes fit her.
    Another attack of dizziness forced her
to sit down. Minutes passed before the energy from the living room seeped
toward her like a predator. Her stomach lurched and the blood in her veins
curdled. The powers of this world transformed her. She doubled over in pain,
dropped to her knees, wrapped her arms around her, and dug her fingernails into
her sides. Even with her eyes tightly shut and teeth clenched, she couldn’t
imprison her cries any longer. They moved past her lips, a shriek shattering
the calmness, and even startling her.
    Liam ran into the bedroom within a few
seconds to find Kendra curled up on the floor. He immediately went to her,
dropped to his haunches, and pulled her into his arms.
    When the bout of anguish passed long
enough for her to realize Liam held her, she shoved him and grunted, “Don’t
touch me.”
    The pain alleviated and surged back,
burning rivers in her veins. She curled into a ball. She clenched her teeth so
hard she thought they would fall out. Tears dampened her jeans.
    Liam didn’t listen, and took her back
into his arms. She couldn’t ignore the pain long enough to push him again.
    When the pain receded, Kendra collapsed
in his arms and heaved. She searched the room with frantic eyes. Her raspy
breaths collided against the hollow of Liam’s throat. She was exhausted.
    She wiped sweat from a warm brow and
rested in Liam’s arms. As her strength returned, a strange phenomenon washed
through her. Heat, energy, raw power took over. When it filled her, she shoved
harder than ever. Liam didn’t attempt to hold her again.
    “You kissed me,” she hissed.
    “Should I say I’m sorry?” he asked,
almost innocently.
    She choked back words. Yelling “Yes!”
didn’t seem to be enough. Then she recalled the moments before passing. He
cornered her. He pushed her in, somehow. He forced her here. She wanted to help
Julie, but how could she trust this boy?
    She stared at him, incensed.
    A cloud washed over her eyes in a film
of flickering rage. She cringed at first because she felt the entity move
inside of her, prickling her eyes where sparks formed. It felt like a parasitic
invasion and she wanted nothing more than to claw through her face and dig it
out. She imagined thousands of tiny, electric worms gorging on her flesh,
devouring her veins and consuming her muscles. The horrors of this trek just
wouldn’t end, but she tried to control her fears. What had he done to her?
    Kendra stood and Liam followed. She
hissed again, “Don’t ever touch me.”
    “I know you don’t mean it now, darling,
with the pain and all.”
    “You’re unbearable,” she growled. The
whites in her pupils sparked. Kendra cringed at both the pain and the sight of
the sparks in her eyes. She curled her hands into claws, but remembered she
couldn’t try to scratch it out.
    Liam smiled. She grunted. What did he
smile at? Did he enjoy this?
    He tapped his fingers against his thighs
in a rapid beat.
    Kendra clutched her stomach again. This
wasn’t pain, but nausea. She ran out the door, startling the men in the living
room. She sprinted for the bathroom and slammed the door shut. She flipped on
the light and the ventilation, and dropped to her knees.
    “I guess some folks have a visceral
reaction to their transformation,” Liam mused aloud.
    Kendra emptied the contents of her
stomach into the toilet. She flushed and cleaned her mouth, rinsing and
spitting into the sink. She then splashed some cool water on her face. Placing
her palms on the counter, she lowered her head. She’d never been so sick.
    She studied her reflection in the
mirror, no longer startled by the dark eyes that peered