Free After Impact: After Impact Trilogy, Book 1 by Nicole Stark Page B

just occurred in this room. Perhaps, she looked too serene. After all, I don’t even know this girl. But no, she is Ilium’s friend.
    Several more suspects swirled around in Avalon’s mind as she struggled to stay awake and not succumb to the heavy fog of sleepiness pushing down on her eyelids. However, sleep won the battle and her eyelids shut.
     

    Avalon dreamed she was back home in her bed with her dad making breakfast downstairs. How she missed the changing of the seasons, the feel of the warm sun on her skin, the whistle of wind through the trees. The smell of real food as it wafted through the house. Real buttermilk pancakes with sorghum syrup, poached eggs, and fresh orange juice. She looked out of the bay window on a crisp fall morning as the white wispy clouds rolled by the bright blue sky, her father sipping his piping hot coffee at the breakfast table while reading the latest news on his iPad.
    Just as she reached out to turn her father around, she was knocked down as the whole Earth shook. A brilliant white light blinded her.
    Avalon began screaming.
    Raleigh shook her. “Avalon! Avalon!”
    Avalon woke up to see Raleigh hovering near her face.
    “Are you okay?” she asked.
    Avalon panted as sweat trickled from her face. “Yes. Just a nightmare.”
    “It’s okay. We all have them. It was about the asteroid wasn’t it?”
    Avalon nodded her head.
    “We’re gonna make it,” Raleigh said.
    Avalon wanted to believe Raleigh’s comforting words, but the fact that Raleigh was in her room meant that last night was real. That a dead girl’s body was in her room.
    “Is it anything you want to share?” Raleigh asked.
    “I am good, thanks,” Avalon answered.
    Raleigh was not convinced.
    “Thanks for keeping me company!” Avalon said.
    “Sure. No problem. As soon as I remember who you remind me of, I will let you know also,” Raleigh said as she left to go grab breakfast.
     
    Avalon took the quickest shower of her life and got dressed in a rush. A million questions bounced around in her head and were about to burst from the seams. Once dressed, she videomessaged Ilium.
    “Hey, how did you sleep last night?” Ilium asked.
    Avalon had bloodshot eyes but she answered, “As well as could be expected. Did last night really happen? Please tell me it was a nightmare.”
    “I wish I could,” Ilium answered, running his hands through his hair.
    “So… Michelle’s dead body was in my bed.”
    Ilium nodded his head.
    Avalon became queasy again. After taking a moment to calm her nerves, she said, “Something isn’t right here. Who would do such a thing! And why? Why was I singled out?”
    “I don’t know. What I do know is, for now, we must play along and act normal like nothing happened. Whoever we are dealing with is obviously very shrewd, and very deadly. We don’t need to give them any reason to kill us. We can meet in the storage room to talk when we need to meet in privacy.”
    Avalon nodded her head and logged off of her videomessage.
    To her surprise, as she opened her door, Ilium stood there.
    “What are you here for?” she smiled.
    “What do you think? Someone has to make sure you make it to your workstation safely,” he said.
    Avalon smirked to herself and enjoyed walking next to Ilium, despite the circumstances.
    “Thank you, my gallant knight,” Avalon said as she entered her workstation.
    “You are more than welcome, my fair lady,” Ilium said as he bowed and rolled his eyes.
    “Some people just can’t help themselves, I guess,” Skylar commented to Xin as Avalon walked up to her blue circle.
    Avalon ignored Skylar’s jealous comment and managed to keep calm, despite the hundreds of questions swarming like locusts within her. Can I trust anyone besides Ilium? Then she remembered the message her father left her. No—I can’t tell anyone else. Everyone else could still be a suspect, no matter how unlikely. Even if they weren’t directly responsible for Michelle’s death,