Free Betrayal by Mayandree Michel

our devotion?”
    “Keep faith Beth.” There was that enchanting voice again. “The Gods are always guarding over the family, and they will intervene when necessary.” My need to make certain, who in fact possessed the voice, as if it could belong to anyone other than my angel and protector, was crucial to any hopes of maintaining my sanity, at this precise moment. The alluring voice drew me into the unfurnished dining room.
    There the three of them stood in the far right corner of the dining room, facing the large floor to ceiling windows. It was my best friend, my former crush, and the boy of my dreams – in the flesh. I walked to the center of the room, and stood on the once opulent and now worn area rug which adorned the mahogany parquet floor where a dining room table should have stood.
    Neither of them appeared to see or hear me come in, as I had expected since I was a ghost, but they knew I was amongst them. They spun around in unison, and faced me. I wanted to see Bethany’s reaction to my sudden presence in her home, and I had to overcome the urge to hug Nikolas, who I thought of as a big brother, because I was dead, but instead, I instantaneously, like a moth to a flickering flame, locked eyes with Evan, and it happened at once.
    A rush of heat stirred then shook through my soul like a tornado spiraling out of control. The blinding white currents blasted out in long jagged rods from my fingertips the same way they exited my body on the night of the storm. And just like that, with one last loud crackle, the lightning recoiled and diminished to mini stars on the tips of my fingers. My head swayed as the room dimmed. Questions raced through my mindless soul as I began to fall.

    How could this boy, who I created in my mind, stand before me in flesh and bone? Thankfully to Evan's accelerated speed, I never hit the floor, which I believe I probably would have sunk through. In a fraction of a second, Evan dashed across the room, and I lay in his brawny arms. I found the entire scenario to be surreal. I wasn't sure if I had in fact fainted. Could it be deemed fainting if you’re dead? Just another inconceivable question to add to the mounting list.
    Clearly I must be dreaming again, since he was rescuing me again it was the logical answer. It made sense, although not perfect. I gazed up at Evan. He was a vision of perfection, his flawless skin, no longer hidden by the shadows of the pines under the moonlight, made me want to reach up and touch his face. His eyes, turquoise in the slightly dimmed room, had the power to make me melt. He was far more beautiful in person than my memory of him in the dreams. His intense gaze sucked me in as I drowned in it.
    He smiled and stared at me adoringly. Then he turned away from me, and grinned at Bethany and Nikolas, knowingly. Nikolas and Bethany stood gaping at Evan in disbelief. Evan effortlessly carried me into the living room, and laid me down on the long chaise lounge as if I were a breakable and costly piece of sculpture. Then he stood back, and appraised me, automatically making me jumpy.
    “You are as beautiful as the day you left.” Evan said, in the most delicate tone. I couldn’t believe my eyes or my ears, and I couldn't tear my eyes away from him. Was I dreaming? I was speechless, numb, and terrified – a complex combination.
    “… as the day you left” Is what Evan had said, actually speaking to me, a dead person, he, the figment of my imagination. The fact that he had spoken to me made what he meant by the statement somewhat unimportant right now.
    I shut my eyes really tight, and told myself to wake up. When I reopened them a few seconds later, it was as it was before I had closed them.
    Three pair of eyes fixed on me. No, can’t be, I thought. I must be asleep, tucked snug in my warm bed. I had to be dreaming. I never died. But the notion was futile. I knew the certainty of my death.
    “She came to us just as you said she would, Evan.” Bethany said,