Hue - Archaic #2 (Sample of Published Book)

Chapter 5 - Part 1

I felt myself float back from the darkness. When I opened my eyes it was dark. I felt a little disorientated then I remembered the panic attack. I tried to sit up I felt a hand gently push me back down.

"Lie down," Jared instructed firmly when I realised I was lying on my bed with my head in his lap.

"I'm sorry. I haven't had a panic attack like that in ages." It showed that I was weak and I hated it but it wasn't something I could control. I'd been able to avoid a full blown panic attack up until now but it wasn't surprising because of the amount of stress I was under.

"It's okay. You're okay," he assured me as he caressed my face gently. The gentle touch of his fingers against my skin was nice.

He held my head up and shifted out from under me before he rested my head on my pillow. I was afraid he was going to leave but instead he shrugged out of his jacket discarding it beside the bed. And he lay on his side as I turned on mine. I tucked my hand under my pillow as his hand gently stroked my arm. It was soothing.

I took a deep breath and expelled it. I hated having panic attacks. His arm tightened around me and pulled me closer. I took another deep breath of him and it calmed me.

"It scares me," he whispered while he held me.

"What scares you?" I asked.

"I have no control over what is happening to you and I can't do anything to stop it." My heart squeezed at his words, the reality is no one could do anything to stop it.

Silence ensued. All we could do was hope I wasn't turning into something worse then a Hue. I thought about Mason.

"Mason will know what I'm changing into," I quietly stated the truth. I heard a sharp in take of breath from him before he let go of me and shifted away when he realized what I was proposing without saying the words out aloud.

"No way!" he insisted as he suddenly sat up.

"Maybe there is a way to get him to tell us," I asked but as soon as the words left my mouth I realized how ludicrous the idea was. If I got anywhere near Mason he would probably try and kill me. I sat up and faced Jared.

"Absolutely not! Do you understand me?" he demanded. I could feel the anger building up at the thought of what I was purposing. "He isn't going to help you. The link between the two of you is gone and there will be nothing stopping him from killing you."

I found his hand in the dark and covered it with mine and said, "Never mind. Forget I said anything." It had been a really stupid idea. There was no way Mason would give me any information that would be able to help me. Jared was right.

He was about to say something when the darkness disappeared. Light emanating from me lit up the room.

"Wow," I said in awe as I studied my left hand. Jared's eyes were fixed on the beautiful light running across my skin. The energy incased my entire left forearm and hand. This was the first time the light had appeared on my left hand.

"This could make it more difficult to hide," he muttered.

"Why?" I asked watching the hypnotizing dance of the energy on the surface of my arm.

"If the energy appears in one specific place it's easier to hide", he said and ran a hand through his already messy hair. It was one of his telltale signs that he was agitated. "But now it's appearing randomly on your body so we have no way of knowing where it'll reappear the next time."

He was right.

I got off the bed and I started pacing up and down. This was awful. I could go to school with long sleeves and jeans but what if my face was the next place the energy appeared? How on earth could I go to school? I'd missed so much time off school already and I really didn't want to have to take anymore time off.

Jared eyes followed me while I pace the length of my room gently rubbing my temple with one hand. I stopped and took a deep breath. I didn't hear him move off the bed then I felt his arms wrap around me and he turned me to face him.

"It'll be okay," he soothed. The light from my arm illuminated his eyes as they stared down into mine. I know he was just saying it to make me feel better and I knew that there was no way he could know everything was going to be okay. And I was pretty sure at this stage everything wasn't going to be all right.

"We'll get through this," he assured with more confidence then I felt.

I wanted to believe him but I had to stifle an urge to laugh hysterically. Just once I wished things in my life would just go smoothly or just settle down into some sort of normality. Then I remembered I had nearly died twice. I should be grateful I was still alive.

I leaned into Jared's embrace and took comfort from the strength he offered. The moment I looked up to him and his eyes met mine I realized for the first time how selfish and self-centered I was being.

Jared had been keeping this secret his whole life. Not only did he have to keep his secret safe he had to worry about everyone else as well. He was responsible for all of the Archaic, I couldn't even comprehend that type of responsibility. I'd just developed a newfound respect for this complicated boy I called my boyfriend.

His eyes still held mine. I rose up on to my tiptoes and pressed my lips to his. My love from him swelled within me. Everyday I loved him a little more. His lips moved possessively over mine. All thoughts about my situation disappeared from my mind as our kiss intensified. At this moment in my little oblivious bubble only Jared and I existed.

The only thing that mattered was the feel of his lips over mine. I felt him wrap his arms around me and lift me off my feet. He carried me to my bed and lay me gently down on the bed. He hovered over me as he continued his assault on my senses. My hands reached up around his neck and tangled into his silky hair as I pulled him desperately against me. I couldn't get enough of him.

I nearly cried out in protest when I felt him break the kiss and pull away from me.

"We need to stop," he said a little out of breath.

"Why?" I whined trying to pull him back to me.

"You're terrible," he teased me. He gently pulled away from my desperate attempts at pulling him back down to me.

"You suck," I muttered emphasizing the frown on my face.