Beyond Her Final Breath (Book 1- Shadowland Duology) | Wattys2015

.Chapter One.

A/N: Please bare with me and my writing! This is for NaNoWriMo and is NOT edited. Once I finish the first draft THEN I'll edit my work.

Please click that little star in the corner and comment to keep me motivated! Let me know what you think... be brutally honest.

Enjoy!

Evelyn was dead.

Her pale figure appeared to glide with every step she took as her combat-clad feet took her wandering through the gray mist. An invisible breeze picked up her untidy chocolate locks and blew them around her face, creating dark tendrils dancing around her body. Her doe eyes scanned the mist with an intense look.

She was searching for something.

Her mind was as clouded and thick as the fog that wrapped its damp tentacles around her body. The only disturbance was a loud bang that echoed against her skull. Each bang made horror weigh down on her and her stomach clench in pain. The sound was oddly familiar to her somehow, but she could place what it was.

She didn't know what she was looking for or why; she just knew that she had to find something.

Her pale blue tank top clung to her like a second skin, a crimson flower staining the cotton. Red stained her long, silk pajama bottoms, the contrast between bright red and orange shocking.

Her fingertips brushed along the top of the fog, idly dipping and weaving themselves in and out of the damp clouds. Her once sun-kissed skin, now pale in color, blended perfectly into the shades of washed-out gray around her. A frown was on her lips as she spun a silver ring around her finger.

The invisible breeze picked up again, whipping her dark tangles to the side and tickling her cheeks as it went. She stopped, as rigid as a stick, when she felt the cold breeze caress her skin. Her dark eyes scanned around her desperately.

The wind was now more urgent, tugging persistently on her hair and silk pajama bottoms. It was luring her even deeper into the rolling mist of the Shadowland.

Evelyn walked along in a trance, oblivious to any other thoughts then to find something. If she would've been aware of her thoughts, she would've stopped dead in her tracks. She would've asked herself where she was, who she was, and what she was. But the wind blew these thoughts aside as easily as it would dust.

How long she spent searching, she had no idea. It could've been a minute, or an hour, or even a whole decade for all she knew. Time seemed to not exist in the shadowy landscape.

With every step she took, the fog grew darker and denser. Evelyn's eyes flicked to the sides as the sound of hollow moaning bounced off the fog. Screams and guttural groans joined the sounds of despair. Dark shapes darted in and out of view.

The surrounding air chilled until the beads of sweat on her forehead froze. Ice crystals formed on her thick eyelashes while frost crept up her feet. Her skin grew paler and clammy and ice white from the layer of frost on her skin.

Warmth bloomed deep inside Evelyn's chest. She reached deep down inside to touch it and gently grazed the warm yellow light with feathered fingers of her consciousness.

Blazing golden light shot outwards from her heart, spreading from the crown of her head to the tips of her fingers. Light radiated from her. It's glow parted the darkness, like the rising sun chasing off the night.

The warmth from within melted the frost off her skin, and the water droplets evaporated into the fog.

She continued along, the light she radiated pushing away the fog and darting shadows.

Up ahead, a pair of heavy iron wrought gates loomed out of the black. The dark metal twisted into intricate swirls and jagged teeth.

Evelyn felt like she should be scared or even wary, but she felt nothing but the need to open the gate.

A pair sat perched on top of the gate.

The female was beautiful. Her rich, dark skin contrasted perfectly with the simple white dress she was wearing. Diamonds and crystals draped along her skin, looping around her neck and down her arm.

The male reminded Evelyn of how angels were supposed to look. He had ice white hair and startling blue eyes and a strong jaw.

And bursting out of both their backs were feathered wings. They were white and downy soft, reminding Evelyn of a pair of oversized dove wings. Each feather caught what little light there was and absorbed it. The angels were bursting with light.

She regarded them with a timid curiosity, but the urge to open the gates pushed the questions out of her mind. Evelyn lifted a hesitant hand and pushed against the cool metal.

It wouldn't budge.

The angels above became restless. Their dove wings fluttered as they whispered in each other's ears. They looked down at Evelyn again.

"You down there," the pretty dark-skinned angel called. "You cannot go through. Your time on Earth is unfinished."

Evelyn's eyes looked up at the radiant angels. "But I have to go through." A deep furrow appeared between her brows.

"You cannot pass on just yet. You have things you have to complete back on Earth."

The white-haired angel looked on from his high perch.

"But I can't remember anything!" Tears of frustration trailed down Evelyn's cheeks. As soon as they fell off her face, they'd evaporated into a wisp of mist. "How am I supposed to know what to do?"

Evelyn wanted to shout. She wanted to act like a child and stomp her foot and demand that they tell her what was happening to her. She wanted to curl in on herself and cry.

The other angel spoke. "You are a Lost." It wasn't a question, but a statement. His face was blank- void of all emotion. His eyes held nothing but calm calculation. "You cannot move on until you kill the person who has wronged you. They have tampered with Fate and need to be punished."

Evelyn frowned. "Kill? Who? Why? Doesn't that make me no better than the person who has wronged me?"

"The line between right and wrong is shadowy and vague. It is determined by Fate, and Fate needs you to fix the Clock." An emotion finally flickered behind his eyes- pity. "I am sorry, Evelyn. You cannot pass. Not yet."

Frustration welled up in her again, like an expanding balloon just waiting to burst. "Well then how do you suppose I get back?" Evelyn asked through clenched teeth.

Evelyn was a mess of emotions and a jumble of thoughts. And there was that faint tickle in the back of her mind that taunted her with her forgotten memories.

"Have patience. Everything will happen in due time."

Evelyn clenched and unclenched her fists. "And how am I even supposed to kill my murderer? I'm not a killer." Her eyebrows scrunched together. "At least I don't think I am. Am I?"

The dark-skinned angel spoke up, an unhappy frown curling her mouth downwards. "I'm afraid we can't answer that." She dropped down from her perch.

The angel lifted a crystal-covered arm and gently touched her fingers to Evelyn's brow. "You will return to Earth, but where you end up is up to you."

A soft thumping filled Evelyn's head. Thu-thump. Thu-thump. Thu-thump.

A heartbeat.

A soft white light flooded her senses. Around her, the fog and the mist and angels dispersed into light.

Straining through the sound of heartbeats came a whisper. "Good luck, Evelyn."

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I know that this is short... but please tell me how I did! Seriously, tell me how I did. *mock threatening glare* Do it. I dare you.

Sophia ^_^