Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope

The Kinetic Trilogies Book Two

C. M. Zimmer

Published by Rogue Phoenix Press for Smashwords

Copyright © 2016

ISBN 978-1-62420-267-4

Electronic rights reserved by Rogue Phoenix Press, all other rights reserved by the author. The reproduction or other use of any part of this publication without the prior written consent of the rights holder is an infringement of the copyright law. This is a work of fiction. People and locations, even those with real names, have been fictionalized for the purposes of this story.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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Dedication

This book is dedicated to Danny Lee Staten. He was a brother to me, and sometimes, I felt like he was one of my own kids, but always, always part of my family.

His sudden calling to Heaven left us all missing the special qualities he had shared with everyone he came into contact with. Danny's heart and soul was inspiring to all that knew him.

I know you are in a better place and couldn't be happier, but the heart ache you have left behind will linger for many years to come. This first new year without; the first birthday without, the first St. Ignace without…there will be many 'firsts' this year without you, so we ask for your guidance from up above to give us strength and endurance to make it through, because we know…you're higher than most!

Love and miss you, DStat!

Acknowledgements

First of all, thank you to my book reading friends that have purchased the first book in this series, Kinetic. You alone have encouraged me to continue the story with the outpouring of support.

As always, I thank God every day for my husband, Marty. He is and always will be my soul mate. He pushes me to further myself, even when I don't want him to.

Next thanks would go to my girls, Chelsie and Mackenzie. I want to show them that we can do anything we set our minds to. You are always my inspiration.

And I think my biggest fan, my mom, deserves so much more than a thank you. Love you always, Mom.

Last, but definitely not least, a HUGE thank you to my beta readers. You guys are awesome and I wouldn't want to do this without you.

Everything around us is made up of energy.

To attract positive things in your life,

start by giving off positive energy.

-Unknown

Chapter One

Kattlynn

I can taste the fear in the back of my throat as I rush to hide somewhere. Finding a spot in his closet, I back into the farthest corner possible, like a mouse, quiet, scared and shaking all the while, waiting for the predator to pounce. Only this predator wasn't a pussy cat.

Not even close.

I try to slow my breathing down. It sounds like thunder rumbling inside, trying to escape. But I can't let it. My heart is thumping so hard in my chest. It sounds like a million running rabbits' feet pounding the forest floor. I'm terrified he is going to hear.

The footsteps are growing louder, closer and then suddenly, they stop.

A voice rings out in the deafening silence. Kattlynn…Here, kitty, kitty. I know you're here. Come out, come out wherever you are. He calls to me, beckoning me to come out and face him.

An overwhelming feeling of vulnerability cascades over me as I hear him call my name. For a moment, the silence is deafening and while it doesn't seem possible, my fear has escalated and my anxiety is through the roof. Tears are beginning to form at the corners of my eyes, because I know he has finally come for me. He promised he would.

I fear this is the end of me.

I just thought I would have more time.

I wasn't meant to be what everyone thought I was. I carry the soul stone of light inside of me and not in the ring like everyone believes. But now, feeling the moonstone setting on my finger just reminds me of becoming a failure.

And I have failed.

The beast pulls me out from the corner of the closet with a sinister smile on his face. I scream with all the air I've been holding in and hope that someone, anyone can hear me. There is no time left. There is no one to rescue me now. The monster pulls my back to his chest by way of my hair. His left hand is tangled in my long dark locks, pulling it taunt, while his right arm is flexed above my chest. Without a moment's hesitation, he plunges his right hand through my flesh, deep into my heart. My last thought has been etched into oblivion. My last vision before my death, burned into my retinas.

I gasp that one last breath…

I jolted awake, grasping my chest while sitting up. In the darkness, I couldn't tell that the wetness I felt was only sweat as I fumbled for the bedside light. Relief was immediate when I saw nothing red on my white tank top.

The early rush of visitors who heard my screams barreled through the bedroom door.

Cruze was immediately by my side, wrapping me in his arms to settle my racing heart.

My parents, along with his, slowly exited the room after seeing I was not in any danger. They knew Cruze would have me settled down and sleeping soundly soon.

Unfortunately, this was a regular occurrence in the Karson house. Nightmares plagued my sleep as well as Cruze's little sister, Anabelle’s.

I laid my head against Cruze's chest while he stroked my damp hair. I reminded myself it was just a dream and focused on the beating of his heart, which was slowly lulling me back to sleep.

When morning arrived, I slipped out of Cruze's arms and headed to the shower to wash away the memory of the nightmare. I closed my eyes and let the water absorb into my soul. I pictured it cleansing my system. Water was one of the elements I could wield. Each of the elements had a way of restoring energy inside of me if it was depleted. I could feel the process working its way through my body.

I felt better after stepping out of the steamy shower, but the emotional toll was still forefront in my mind. I dressed quietly in my running gear and grabbed my shoes. I quietly closed the door behind me after seeing Cruze still sound asleep.

I needed a moment to myself. It was a great gift to have so much love and support surrounding me, but sometimes it became too much.

I peered at the reflection in the mirror by the front door, and then headed out. Everyone who met me always commented on how extraordinary my eyes were. Not just the violet iris', which seemed to captivate those who looked me in the eye, but the whole package. The almond shapes of my eyes were set symmetrically, perfectly in balance with my nose and mouth. My eyes held compassion and heart. There was no mystery behind them. I was an open book.

Today though, I noticed my best feature looked washed out…washed out from the tears shed day in and day out. There was no sparkle, no humor, no wit and definitely, no happiness. The puffy skin around my eyes made the dark circles stand out against the pallor of my skin. I glanced away, telling myself that the miraculous little green tea bags would be needed by the case to help me at this point.

I walked out the door, ready to tune everyone and- everything out for some one on one time with myself.

Earbuds in.

Press play.

Run.

I gave myself silent instructions because simple, basic steps were even a struggle for me these days. Most days, I didn't get out of bed or even shower, unless I was forced to.

I was in a dark-don't-give-a-shit depression which had swallowed me whole and I felt too tired to fight it ninety percent of the time. I let it consume me. My family, my best friends, they all tried everything they could think of to bring the light back into my world. Despite their efforts, I just couldn't avoid falling deeper into the abyss, where I felt nothing. It felt right to feel completely empty and void of any emotion. Why should I be happy? My life had been turned upside down in a matter of hours.

I couldn't help but recall the nightmares as I started my run. The dream frightened me, because I knew dreams were more than just dreams. I knew the time would be coming when I would actually have to face something similar to what happened to me in those dreams. It scared me and rightfully so.

Some days, I wished the dream were reality. I wished I was gone and with the one person I wanted more than anything. We could be together again. Then reality would quickly rear its head and tell me to knock it off. I still had a great long life ahead of me and people were counting on me. It would be selfish to leave those who loved me, especially after already losing Chase.

I could wash away the bad feelings, but only for a short time, then like an avalanche, they would topple me over and deprive me of air. It was as if someone had pushed the repeat button and it just stuck, not to change ever again.

I ran up and down the main road, more than once, then finally made my way back to the Karson Estate. I hesitantly walked toward the front porch to enter the house, but instead, I felt a calling to head down the narrow path to the backyard.

Recalling the first night when Chase brought me to the garden waterfall, out beyond his backyard on my birthday, I slowly placed one foot in front of the other.

It'd been much warmer that night. Now, the once green grass and abundant colors of fall were covered until spring, with a heavy coat of white powdery fluff which must have just fallen last night. The pathway to the sanctuary had been lit all the way around to the waterfall and back with solar lighting the last time I was here. Now, you couldn't even see them underneath the new snow.

The ever changing lights underneath the waterfall that night had me imagining a colony of fairies, celebrating the last warmth of the season with dancing and fun amongst the serene waters. The splash of water drops in my creative mind represented beautiful fairies gracefully moving from rocks to lily pads before ending with a gracious dive into the clear water, one after another in a continuous motion.

A beautiful memory of the magic that bound us even closer together. Now, I stood here painfully in anguish. In the early morning dawn, I gazed up, remembering the night under the stars, as if it were yesterday. Only now, the lights were covered and there was no waterfall to be heard, as the frozen water lay dormant. No twinkling lights from the pavilion where Chase had vowed his love and gave his promise. No music played to sweep me off my feet. This magical place was no more.

No, just an eerie silence engulfed the garden. Winter settled in, leaving much of everything out here sleeping and hiding, until it could once again breathe the warmth of the next season. Maybe someday, it could bring me joy again.

Right now though, the memories of this place shredded every nerve in my body. I thought this place would be a safe haven for me. A place to remember and help me move past the loss, but instead, my legs gave out, buckling beneath me and sending me to the frozen ground on my hands and knees.

It felt frigid outside, but I was already numb. I couldn't feel the bitter sting of winter seeping into my skin. I might have been shivering, but I doubt it had to do with the cold.

The ballad ringing through the iPod didn't exactly help at this particular moment, either. But I deeply connected with the words as Lifehouse belted out the lyrics, referring to standing under the stars, wishing he were here and missing all the little things.

The little things like a quick kiss, or the way he smiled at me when he caught me admiring him from afar, or even the chocolate mochas he would surprise me with…missing all those things.

I rolled onto my knees with my arms outstretched to the morning sun that had long since peeked over the horizon. I wanted to scream at him for leaving me—again—as I had for so many nights. The promises he made to never left me—it was tearing me to pieces, so deeply, it hurt to breathe most days. I knew he would have kept his promise if it had been his choice. I knew he would've never left me alone to face the monsters in the future without him.

No, not this time, I told myself. I couldn't take it anymore. I needed to tell him it wasn't his fault.

This time, I needed to talk to him. To release the buildup of emotions that I'd stored so tightly inside, so that no one could see.

I pulled the earbuds out of my ears and took a long, deep breath. I then let it out with the words, I thought of you today, Chase, but ahh—you know me—that's nothing new, because I thought about you yesterday and each day before that, too. I think of you in the silence that surrounds me daily. When I'm all alone and say your name, do you hear me? I pause and wait, almost as if I expect an answer would come shooting out from the sky.

Shaking my head, I let out another heavy sigh and continued, "All I have now are memories and the picture of us together from our homecoming dance in a frame that sits next to my bed. Remember that night, Chase? My God, you looked so amazing in your tux. I knew I was the luckiest girl at school to be able to walk in on your