Eyera (The Eyera Series Book 1) Read online

  “You promised that I will be fine,” she says.

  “And it will,” I coo still trying to stick by it.

  A smile plants growing wider and so does mine, but quickly my smile gets wiped off as a hand crawls on her shoulder making Avra stiff as a statue.

  “There is my beautiful little girl,” a man says with a chilling voice.

  His hands explore her back and then to her shoulder, thumb moving in a circular motion.

  “You’ve been a bad little girl, Avra, what happens to bad little girls?” he says sickly.

  Avra doesn’t speak nor breathe.

  “I said what happens to bad little girls,” he thunders.

  “Don’t make me repeat myself again,” he deepens making her waver.

  “Th-the- they get punished,” Avra falters.

  “Good,” he says dark, brushing her cheek with his rough hands. He goes into the shadows and a buckle clinks together.

  “You know what your punishment is,”

  Avra eyes widen, and shakes, crying.

  “No, please,” she repeats.

  “Shut up,” He silences her by slapping her across the face.

  She holds her cheek and sniffles.

  “I’ll be good, I promise,” she begs.

  “Oh, I know,” he chuckles repugnantly.

  His hands clamp on her shoulder, taking her into darkness, and she screams, her hands find its way into the light and she struggles to find something to hold onto. She disappears, and I hear the man grunt in pain and screeches as something has hit him. A girl steps out and it’s not Avra, it’s Enkara.

  “Where’s Avra?”

  “Safe. That pig got what he deserves, I couldn’t let him do what he did to me,” she says sickly holding her shoulders. Behind her a figure slinks, arms itching to her neck, I try to warn her but silence slips. Enkara is puzzled but then feels the arms around her neck, the figure comes into light and it’s Cyren, soaked in sweat.

  “I told ya ta leave, I don’t want ta do this, but I have ta,” Cyren cries hysterically.

  Enkara pulls away but he holds her tighter, she hangs onto his sturdy arms.

  “It’s this bitches fault, she did this ta us, and now she going ta pay,” Cyren says cutting off her oxygen supply.

  “Wait, Cyren don’t do this, this is not who you are,” I say.

  “The voices in my head are telling me ta do this,” he whispers putting two fingers to his skull. Cyren lets out a breath and screams.

  “Shut up! Shut up! Shut the fuck up!” Cyren punches his head.

  A tear slips down my face seeing him lose control.

  “Ahhh!” he screams.

  Spit dribbles down his chin.

  “I’m sorry Acey, I can't,”

  Cyren pulls Enkara’s hair showing her bare neck, he pulls out a knife and holds it against her throat, making Enkara whimper.

  “Please help me, make it stop, make them stop,” Cyren pleads as more tears fall, his forehead stains with sweat. He put pressure on the knife making blood squirm out. I hit the glass with force; my feet bound to the floor and I can’t move.

  “Oh, God no,” Cyren brawls as he swiftly cuts her neck, he continues to slice from one end to the other, and she gurgles. Enkara’s eyes roll to the back of her head and Cyren drops her, he looks up vague.

  “What have I done? I … I didn’t mean ta, it was them, it’s Eyera, they are inside here,” he cries.

  His bloody hands clamp on his head.

  “They made me do this.”

  Cyren is drenched with more tears and sweat, he looks behind me and his mouth drops.

  “They made me do that,”

  I turn round seeing Raiya, Parrish, Orin and Haston necks sliced open and they lay in a pool of crimson blood. I look back at Cyren, and he’s up close making me jump.

  “I can’t do this anymore,” he says detached.

  Cyren brings the knife to his neck shrieking as he cuts.

  “Cyren no!” I brawl.

  He slides down with blood squeaking. I fall on my heels pushing myself from the horror.

  I scream, blocking them out, guilt and sickness sits in my stomach and I let out warm tears, wishing this nightmare would end. My lips quiver, Sad and subdued. I cradle my knees rocking back and forth, I never wanted any of this, I wanted them to be safe and I couldn’t save them. Whatever I do, people suffer. How do people see courage when I don’t have any? I cry, and cry, and cry till I become numb.

  A light tap touches my shoulder, I raise my head to see Hadrian looking down.

  “Hadrian, please don’t run, not yet,” I say inexpressibly.

  I put my head back on my knees, and I hear Hadrian shuffle and nudges his head on my shoulder, I make space and he places his hand in mine. His cold fingers lace into mine, it’s nice and feels real.

  A question bounces in my skull and I need an answer, even though it isn’t real, but I need something.

  “What did you do to make those guards punish you?” I whisper sorely.

  “For being like you,” he replies wiggling into a comfortable position.

  “What do you mean?”

  Hadrian soulful eyes stare, little freckles dotted over his cheeks and nose bridge like a mask, the Shader trait. Hadrian smiles, and that’s when I see her, our mother smiling back, I miss her and Father more than anything.

  “For being a good person,” Hadrian says impeccably proud.

  “I’m not H. You are wrong,” I say deadpan.

  Hope disappears from him and a look of disappointment follows. He stands agitated and scared as something is troubling him.

  “What is it?” I ask getting worried.

  Hadrian ignores my question and runs through the window disappearing. I pull up my tired and aching body to the window and throw myself at it falling in slow motion, pieces of broken glass follow and I float like I’m in space, my arms move steadily, and legs dangle, and breath hitches. I take a piece of glass putting it on my waist. I feel light and delicate, but it’s soon gone as my body gets sucked down and hitting the freezing floor. I prop myself up, pulling my legs together, I turn around, and my heart freezes. I’m back to the place I fear most, back in Eyera Corporation.

  CHAPTER forty

  I’m numb, exactly how I felt when I first stepped foot in this place. I had dreams about Hadrian being stuck here, and it went on endlessly for months, and the only way to stop it, is to face what I fear most.

  Eyera guards stand in two lines, heads are cocked up high and back dead straight, shoulders are pulled apart and guns pinned to their chest. I take small steps waving in front of them, snapping my fingers and clapping my hands, no one blinks or flinches. I stand in the middle and they march in synch loudly, they change their standing position facing each other and pull out their guns and instantly pull the triggers, shots echo in time piercing into their chests and they fall with blank faces. My ears fill with Hadrian’s screams and I’m automatically darting over bodies. I enter through the doors to see Hadrian forced on his knees along with two other people with white bags over their heads. Looking at their clothes I know who they are, my parents. I stop as Miss Katherine Bennett comes forward on a platform watching me like the hawk she is, smiling sadistically. A guard in a silver uniform with blue stripes on each arm stands by her side, the guard is wearing a mask, and a hood is up. The silver guard walks down the chrome stairs to my family, the guard tilts its head studying them. The silver guard removes the bags and Father is painted in bruises and cheek is swollen, my mother has a few cuts nothing major, but she is crying. The silver guard removes its mask dropping it to the floor, and take off its hood revealing blonde hair spilling over her shoulders, I can’t work out who it is, but from my parent’s reaction, they know who it is. My parents beg her not to follow Eyera’s orders, Hadrian looks to the floor his little heart beating so hard. This is what Hadrian have been doing this whole time, making me follow to come here because he is in danger. I look at the silver guard leg, a grey rib
bon wrapped; I look at mine to see it’s changed to black. The silver guard reaches into her pocket taking out a gun, she raises it nice and slow to my father’s head and pulls the trigger with no problem. I watch terrified as the bullet drills in his skull, and he slumps to the floor, my mother screams at the top of her lungs.

  “Oh God Daxhl, no, no, no!”

  It earns a chuckle from the silver guard.

  “Please,” my mother whimpers.

  No matter how hard my mother pleads, the silver guard raises the gun yet again. I try to move but can’t, it’s like I’m being held against my will. The silver guard pulls the trigger and my mother’s body descends. I push every muscle in my body and I finally break free, and I’m sprinting towards my family. The silver guard raises her gun once more at Hadrian, he’s still looking at the ground, twitching at the pool of blood. Her finger attracts to the trigger and I get there before she can fire the deadly weapon. I pounce tackling the silver guard to the floor, and I grab her hair smashing her face as hard as I can. I hear a crunch, and I turn her around and my eyes widen … no, it can’t be … my heart falls out of my chest, her dark impulsive eyes bore into mine, it’s me, face painted sinisterly.

  “Surprise,” she sings flashing her bloodied teeth.

  “You,” I spit.

  “Of course, who else silly,” she says.

  She notices I’m shaking and shocked.

  “Hold up, you didn’t know? Are you serious? Oh, come on, I thought the ribbon was a dead giveaway,” she chuckles coldly.

  “Wow, you’re slow,”

  I look at Hadrian, and I see the one thing I never want to see on his face. Fear. He’s crying and sniffling. I look back to my mirror-self but she has vanished, and my clothes change into the silver uniform. My hand holds a heavy object fitting perfectly in my palm, the gun. The one she used—I used. I stare at their bodies and no tears hide. I can’t feel my heart beating, it feels like a deep hole has taken place. I feel nothing. Hadrian finally looks up, and he pleads with wet eyes, tears running down his button nose, my gun draws to his head.

  “Don’t kill me please,” he sobs quietly, in Mother and Father’s blood.

  My mirror-self whisks next to me.

  “You know you want to do it,” she sings in my ears.

  My hand begins to shake and I bite my lips blinking rapidly.

  “Come on Acey, pull it, pull it, pull it,” she chants.

  I look to Miss Katherine Bennett. She watches eagerly ushering me to finish the job. I freeze, something is telling me not to do it, and something else tells me to end his life.

  “Do it or I will, and you know I will, and trust me it won’t be pretty,” my mirror-self says.

  I hold the gun steady. I’m not in control anymore. I put the gun to his forehead and he cries louder, I pause my finger on the trigger, not showing any affection.

  “Acelyn don’t. I lov—”

  I cut him off with the bullet. Hadrian’s body falls into slow motion, eyes open wide, free from sadness, free from Love but most of all free from fear. I fall to the floor holding him closely. I don’t feel anything for him. Nothing.

  Miss Katherine Bennett smiles pleasantly like she’s won, flames rise in my eyes; she comes closer and my mirror-self stands behind pretending to shoot a gun at her using her fingers. My mirror-self makes a face as she wraps her hands around her neck and sticks out her tongue, pretending to be choked. I pick up the gun drawing it at Miss Katherine Bennett and pull the trigger, but nothing comes out. I throw the gun on the floor, and I remove the piece of shard from my waist and the throw it slicing her cheek, she gasps and touches blood. Guards charge at me before I can do any more damage, they taser me to my knees, but I’m quick to my feet. I look to see a gun loaded at my face, Miss Katherine Bennett having the upper hand.

  “Shoot,” I say.

  I want her to do it so I can get out of this hell. Miss Katherine Bennett sways her finger tutting.

  “Why would I do that?”

  “Because if you don’t, she will shoot you,” I say pointing to my mirror-self who has a gun facing it at Miss Katherine Bennett and then at me.

  “Trust me, I would love to shoot you Miss Super Bitch,” she laughs toxically.

  Miss Katherine Bennett plays with her options, in a split second the gun echoes ringing in my ears, I look at Miss Katherine Bennett’s gun smoke coming out of the barrel. I look down to see blood oozing from my stomach, and I fall to my knees. Miss Katherine Bennett places the gun on my forehead and cocks it smiling. One gun, one trigger, one bullet, one life in results of death. I crave it.

  In slow motion she pulls the trigger and the bullet drills into my skull, my eyes hide to the back of my head and darkness consumes. Footsteps click closer, and a whisper travels to my ears.

  “Don’t worry, it’s not over yet. Our fun is about to begin,” my mirror-self says deranged.

  CHAPTER forty-one

  Vexing voices faintly disappear as I fall into darkness, my soul leaves me numb and cold; whispers shimmer me awake. I’m in death’s games. A dark aura lies expanding from top to bottom, I pick up my feeble body and regain balance. The cold air lingers to my nose. Something buzzes in my ears, and I trace it to see light shooting in the middle, a spotlight. I gesture forward preparing myself for what the drug has for me. A single light on the far left hits the floor, and a figure stands out revealing themselves to be me. Her eyebrows curled up and lips scrunching fiercely, steam comes out of her ears and face is red as the devil, a red ribbon dangles from her left leg. Another light shines and another one walks out with a massive smile stretching ear to ear, a yellow ribbon on her leg. Another light illuminates, another me steps forward with her face arch down and lips frowning, tears stain her cheeks, she wears a blue ribbon. Another spotlight hits the floor, and another me walks forward shocked and Surprise, she wears a white ribbon. I realise this is the last stage of the Crixgen drug, showing my emotions at once, wanting to eliminate them all together. Two more spotlights come down, empty. Two of me step into the light in synch no expression on their faces. A voice echoes around the room.

  “Guess which one I am?”

  It’s my mirror-self.

  I look at the figures to see both of them wearing a black and grey ribbon on each leg, identical.

  “Come on Acey, it’s easy, pick,” she hovers.

  I dart to both picking to see which is which, but I can’t think straight.

  The one on the left reaches into her silver uniform pulling out a gun, while the other takes a weapon from behind, a bokken. She raises the gun, and I’m slow at thinking, and before I know it she shoots, bullets hammer out and I freeze, closing my eyes waiting for the bullets to hit my skin. I stay like this for a few moments realising something is wrong. I open them back up touching my body looking for wounds, but nothing is there. I look at them both to see the one on the left bleeding from her head, dead on the floor.

  “I’m not going to let her kill you,” my mirror-self says, wiping the blood of her bokken.

  “Finally, the love imposture is gone. Gosh, she was a bore, always wanting to do the right thing, save her parents, save Hadrian, always doing what’s right in her heart. Eurgh,” my mirror-self says pretending to be sick.

  She picks up the gun and removes her grey ribbon, and walks on her heels strutting towards me. Her black ribbon lace through the chilly air; her long serene platinum blonde hair sweeping down her shoulders. A scarlet scarf is tied loosely and she puts the gun inside her jacket revealing a purple T-shirt, she places her bokken in its sheath, her eyes grow darker and into a comfortable position.

  “She put everyone in front of her, not once did she take care of herself, who the hell does that,” she says.

  “It’s you,” I say.

  “No, my friend, it’s you,” she says.

  “Everything you do, people suffer from it. All those words you speak are broken promises, promises that you couldn’t keep, you are a curse,” she says.

&n
bsp; “You couldn’t protect Avra, Cyren, the others, and you can’t protect the one who started all this mess, Hadrian. You keep trying, but you make it worse, they’ll end up dead, and it will be on your hands,”

  She licks her teeth.

  “So tell me, would you protect them now?”

  I don’t answer, she feeds on reaction.

  “You don’t have to say a word, I know how you think,” she laughs tapping her temple.

  “I am you after all.”

  Four steps, three steps, two steps and one last step she is in front, a wicked grin mapped on her face.

  “You do anything for the ones you love, you know what they say, love is the strongest emotion of them all,” she says.

  I stiffen as she comes closer.

  “If we don’t have love we will fall because love is the key to everything, it can unlock many doors, but don’t let that fool you though because they way I see it, love is weakness, and we don’t need weakness. We can contain love and bury it together. Fear is power,” she says.