Free Chosen by Kristen Day

curious. “How did you become so cruel?”  I was getting very good at hiding my fear.  Or maybe my growing confidence in my own strength diminished it.  Either way, hatred swirled around in my veins and collected in my tone.
                  She walked over silently and kicked me in the stomach with as much force as a runaway freight train.  The wind swiftly left me and I slumped over onto the floor in excruciating pain.  I closed my eyes, fought to catch my breath, and attempted to return to my body once more to no avail.
                  “How’s that working out for you?” She cackled. “I told you not to test me. It’s not my fault you don’t listen.”
                  I wrenched my eyes open to glare up at her, but was met instead by sliver of moonlight shining through the river above.  I watched as individual rays of light splintered and fractured; shooting into my eyes and spreading throughout my body.  My muscles stiffened with renewed strength and my vision instantly focused.  Taking advantage of this sudden and unexpected turn of events, I once again imagined the smooth sheets beneath me, the warm comforter on top of me.  Chagrin, marked by surprise flashed in Nadia’s eyes as she helplessly watched me fade away. 
                  I sat up quickly and immediately regretted it.  Pain shot through my stomach, along with painful coughs.  Undeterred, I flung the covers aside, and ran next door to Finn’s room, wiping the blood from my nose as I went.  As I ran to his bedside, I realized someone else was already there.
                  “Stasia?” Natasha stood with alarm.
                  “Natasha!” I ran around the bed and threw my arms around her.  “I found him!  I found him!”
                  “Calm down, dear” she gripped my shoulders as I clutched my stomach in agony.  She did her best to hold me upright; allowing me to catch my breath. “Tell me what happened.”

Chapter 8
                 
                  The sun was just starting to make its way over the Mediterranean sea as we gathered around the kitchen table of the villa to discuss my newest reverie.  After relaying the details several more times my nerves were shot, and all I could think about was getting back to the Underworld to get Finn away from Nadia.  I knew he would receive the punishment for my premature departure, and I couldn’t let that happen; especially now that I knew a way into the Underworld.
                  “So how exactly did I get to the Underworld through a random patch of sand at the bottom of the sea?”
                  “There are portals everywhere…for those who can feel them,” Natasha explained as she smoothed down her dark hair and winked at me. “They can be large or small and located just about anywhere - you just happened to find one underwater - which are usually the type Finn prefers.”  Maybe I had been searching for Finn in my reverie after all.
                  “Which ones do you prefer?” I pressed. 
                  “I used to frequent a particular portal near our house on the Isle, but I haven’t been in quite some time.” She observed her hands and inspected a silver ring on her thumb.  Before I could ask more, Charon interrupted our conversation.
                  “She knows we will be coming for him,” he thought out loud and approached the table, his bushy gray eyebrows pulling together in concentration.  Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Natasha send him a smile marked with relief.  “We’ll need to move fast.” 
                  His bright blue eyes searched mine for a long moment. The corner of his mouth lifted as he seemingly found what he was looking for.  As unsettling as his mind reading ability was, I couldn’t help but think how close Finn’s mannerisms were to