Beautifully Unnatural: A Young Adult Paranormal Boxed Set (102 page)

Curling her toes in the coarse sand, she inhaled salty air. Heat pulsed along her skin and instinctively she rubbed the jagged edges of the circular scar above her knee, a constant reminder of the fatal car accident that had robbed her of her mother when she was only fifteen.

Her father once referred to the scar as her
Mitsubishi branding
—three diamonds joined at their points. Somehow, the car’s logo had branded her skin, yet to this day, she couldn’t figure out how. Everything had happened so fast, like a blur. But she remembered the pain, and the haunting smell of gasoline and burning rubber. While her injuries had healed, the loss tugging at her heart was still raw.

A tremor shot through. She closed her eyes as a dull burn coursed beneath her skin.

She wouldn’t allow the visions back into her head. She’d already been locked up for telling the doctors strange dark creatures caused their car accident, and she wasn’t going back to a psych ward.

Taking a deep breath, she tossed the charcoal stick into her art box and slammed it shut. Hearing the little green
happy
pills she stashed amongst her art supplies rattle in their bottle, she reached for the latch then shook her head and pulled away. They didn’t make the world a better place. They only suppressed the sadness, leaving her feeling hollow and empty. She was tired of avoidance. As sad and scary as it was, she had to start facing her past.

Waves surged up the beach, beckoning to her. She tucked the castoff pages into her sketchpad then set it down on the sand beside her beach towel. The clear ocean rolled onto the beach again. She rose and shuffled across the damp, packed sand, then dove into the cool surf, washing away the memories of that night.

Once beyond the break zone, she floated on the surface, letting the ripples soothe her blazing skin. She stared at the expanse of light blue above her, reminiscent of her mother’s bright eyes. “I miss you,” she whispered.

Droplets of water fell from Gabby’s fingertip as she reached back to trace the other burn mark on her shoulder.

Water swooshed and bubbled in her ears. The bathtub-like temperature of the water massaged the tension from her aching body and she felt each muscle relax. It was a welcome change after being cooped up in the tiny, broken-down shack her dad referred to as home.

Yeah, some home
, she thought. She glanced back at the empty beach. Kemp, Florida, located north of Tampa and south of Tallahassee, but west of nowhere. She was determined to make it work this time.

Dark, swollen clouds rolled toward the Florida coastline, shrouding the warmth of the sun, but she continued to float on her back and ignored the oncoming storm. It was nothing to be concerned about after all. Like clockwork, a storm threatened every other late summer afternoon in this desolate place.

Treading water, she slicked loose strands of her hair back from her face, noticing someone with light hair on the beach watching her with a dog by his side. A wave swelled and she lost sight of them.

She scanned the wave. A shadow swirled through the white-crested water and darted below her. She blinked, narrowing her gaze as her heart pounded against her ribs, thumping in time with the swelling surf. She closed her eyes for a second.
Just your psychotic brain at work again
. She held her breath and forced her gaze back to the water, catching a glimpse of the sea creature before it plunged into the depths of the ocean.

Her lungs clamped down on the air and wouldn’t release it. The hair on her body bristled, feeling like thousands of mosquitoes nipping at her for the last ounce of her blood.

Mouth open wide, she gasped for any oxygen that the vision had trapped inches from her body.
Just your imagination, nothing more
, she reminded herself, willing the pounding in her ears to slow. That was what the shrink had said when she’d told him about the images of monsters and demons she kept seeing.

Forcing her shaking limps to steady, she inhaled deeply, refusing to panic this time. Every little bump in the night had paralyzed her since the dreams had started nearly a year ago, but not this time. A new year was starting, a new phase of her life. It was time she faced her fears and made a plan.

A slight tickle against her feet sent a charge up her leg and she gasped in surprise, but no sharp teeth or fangs pierced her skin.
It’s
just seaweed
. Shaking her head at her own ridiculousness, she calmly started a modified breaststroke toward shore. Her arms still shook, but at least she’d avoided a full-on panic attack, which usually left her in a crippled heap on her bedroom floor. Swimming in the ocean was no place to have one of those.

After four or five strokes, her breathing returned to normal. The waves were picking up, pounding against the back of her head, but she continued to swim, riding the surf and letting it carry her toward shore when possible. The water tugged, pulling at her body from below with each retracting wave. Pushing all her strength and energy into her limbs, she picked up speed, fighting the undertow her father had warned her about.

As she kicked feverishly against the current, something rough, like sandpaper, brushed against her leg. She caught a glimpse of a large shadow as it torpedoed away and turned, just as the next wave crashed over her head, sending her underwater. Water sent her body into a spin, disorienting her. Flailing arms overhead, feet to the side, she twisted and spotted light filtering through the ocean. She swiped her arms propelling herself upward, but her hands were fisted in panic. Forcing her fingers to release, she clawed toward the surface.

Finally breaking through, she gasped, dragging air into her greedy lungs.
What was that thing?
She thought as she rode the waves for a moment, trying to catch her breath. Desperate to be back on the safety of the beach, she kicked against the current. But waves overwhelmed, each stroke taking her farther from the stretch of white sand.

Panic urged her to swim harder. Still nothing. The ocean swelled around her, elongating the distance like the hospital hallway in her recurring nightmare. The clouds merged into a solid sheet of darkness overhead as the wind picked up and the waves surged harder.

Her shoulders ached and her sides cramped, but still she fought onward. Lactic acid burned along the muscles in her back from exhaustion. Salt water caked her eyes, nearly blinding her, but she was afraid to stop swimming long enough to clear away the crust.

I’m going to die out here.
Her limbs weighted her down, dragging her to a stop.
Mom. Help me. I don’t want to die.
She heaved through the crushing pressure in her chest and struggled to push herself further up on the surface as she searched for the beach.

It was gone. She spun in a frantic circle, hoping she’d just gotten turned around. Nothing. No beach. No palm trees. No mysterious light-haired stranger. Only miles and miles of water in all directions.

Just a dream…it’s just a dream
. It had to be one of her nightmares. She tried not to think about how her visions were now invading every aspect of her life. She had to wake, now.

A large wave crashed over her like a kraken emerging from the depths. She choked and spit the seawater from her mouth. The salt singed her throat and nose, the pain confirming this wasn’t a dream.

Her last shred of hope vanished and dread crept in.
Trapped.

Her muscles cramped and paralyzing pain ripped through her.

“Help!” Another wave rolled over her. “H-help, p-please,” she sputtered, but thunder muffled her weak pleas.

The ocean wanted to claim her. She kicked frantically just to keep her chin above the water. Then her ankle caught in something. Panic roared through her and she twisted to free herself but the noose only tightened. Fire shot up her calf, through her thigh, and spread into her abdomen.

She plunged her head underwater, contorting into a ball. As she reached to free her foot, her fingers brushed a bumpy surface. It moved, tightening its grip, pulling on her ankle until she feared it would be ripped off. She cried out, releasing a mass of bubbles, and slammed her other heel into the creature. Its grip loosened and she swam wildly for the surface, spitting and choking. Her entire body trembled and she wanted to scream in frustration and fear but only whimpers escaped between gasping breaths.

A dark mass, the size of a compact car, smashed into her side, knocking what little wind she had from her lungs. Arms encircled her chest and jerked her back down into the churning sea. Water flooded her mouth. She scratched at the vise-grip squeezing her middle. It couldn’t end like this.

Through her terror, she swore she heard sinister laughter reverberating around her. She tried to focus, batting her eyelids through the pain. Four shapes, all different sizes, spun around her tauntingly, in the murky water. Monsters, the ones from her dreams…from the accident.

No, they can’t be real. It’s only an episode.

The mantra she’d tried desperately to cling to faded into a black hole of fear. Her insides thrashed against her skin as if she’d turn inside out.

The largest one circled around her faster and faster, its menacing chuckles growing louder.
The creatures defied the laws of nature the way they twisted in half, shot across the water, flipped, then soared like a torpedo back at her. Their voices sounded like a dolphin being chewed apart by great white sharks.

Her heart continued to thrash against her ribs.

The largest shadow swirled closer, its silhouette resembling a four-horned bull. It clasped her waist then threw her toward another. The four shadows tossed her body back and forth like a basketball.

Searing pain scorched her flesh each time her flight through the water was suddenly halted and redirected. Carbon dioxide fought for escape, pressuring her lungs. Her mouth popped open when she slammed against another shadow, releasing the remaining air, only to suck water back in. Her throat burned, as if she’d swallowed hot lava. Her chest constricted and she spewed water out, only to swallow more.

Darkness curved the corners of her vision as her consciousness started to fade.
Maybe death will be better than trying to live without Mom… but who will take care of Dad?

Amused laughter assaulted her ears as the dark shapes huddled closer.

Her mind, unwilling to give up, warred with her exhausted body. Her body won. Her muscles relaxed, her limbs growing heavy, and her brain finally surrendered to her fate. Sadness and regret still clung to her, but at least now the suffering would end.

Brilliant navy blue light flashed like an explosion around her and the shadows shrank back. There, above her, was her mother, watery and translucent, and the edge of despair surrounding her heart receded, allowing a hint of hope to surge in for the first time in a year. Arms outstretched, Gabby reached skyward, desperate to be with her mother, to melt in her embrace one more time.

****

Gabby choked and coughed, expelling water onto the ground. Her throat felt raw, like she’d swallowed flaming-hot coals, and it hurt to breathe, but she sucked air in greedily.

A warm hand patted her shoulder reassuringly. “You’re okay,” a masculine voice said. “Just take it slow.”

Wiping her mouth with her arm, she drew in slow deep breaths, a musky-wood scent filling her nostrils and soothing her shaking body. Her eyes fluttered open and her surroundings slowly came into focus.

She was lying on the beach, the waves licking calmly at the shore several feet away. Sand covered her legs and crept into her bathing suit, chafing her skin.

“She’s coming round,” he said to someone behind him, his voice easing her remaining tension. Blinking at the falling rain overhead, she wiped the water from her eyes and struggled into a sitting position. It was only then that she saw
him
, kneeling in the sand beside her. Damp sandy blond hair accentuated bronze skin and his denim-blue eyes, flecked with gold, radiated a warm, otherworldly glow. It was
him
. The one she’d seen on the beach.

She blinked several times. Was she still hallucinating? But no matter how many times she tried to focus, nothing changed. A halo of light was indeed surrounding his face, like the Byzantine paintings of saints she’d seen in museums. Confusion filled her.
What’s happening to me?
Shaking her head, she tried to clear it but found it impossible.

“You all right? Maybe we should call an ambulance.”

Her lips moved, but speech escaped her.

Concern etched across his face and he shifted to stand up. “I’m going to call an ambulance.”

Gabby grabbed his pant leg before he could leave and shook her head. “I-I’m fine,” she managed hoarsely, not wanting to have anything to do with people in white coats. “What happened?”

He knelt down again. “Your legs got tangled in some weeds. I heard you screaming from down the beach.” He glanced out toward the water then said, “It took some effort, but I was able to free you.”

Her head spun.
Kelp?
“No, that’s not…” Impossible.
Seaweed doesn’t burn your skin or have cruel laughter.
Did she have another episode? Had she hurt him when he tried to save her?