Bloodlines: Everything That Glitters by Myunique C. Green Page A

signs, the nurse obviously didn’t know the child was deaf because she gave him an annoyed look and asked him what he wanted.
    “He’s deaf, genius,” Bethany said, shooting the nurse the same annoyed look, “and he wants you to take a look at his foot, someone stomped on it earlier and he can barely walk,” she continued.
    “I didn’t know you spoke sign language,” I said with mock hand gestures.
    “Have you seriously not been listening to a word I’ve been saying the past thirty minutes? I was just telling you that I teach it down at the community center.”
    Brief flashes of images blinked within my head, I shuffled through the vision-like images that danced across my eyes, they were memories, but not mine. My eyes twitched a little bit as the images sped up and circled around me, “Too fast,” I stuttered, struggling to maintain my balance. The memories continuously circled, I was getting dizzy.
    Stumbling to the office wall, I reached for the arm of the chair but it just seemed too far away and my knees buckled beneath me. The world went black; the last thing I remember is hearing the voice again.
    This is going to be good . It echoed off as I lost all consciousness.

Chapter Eleven
    Psenora
    ( 17 years ago)
     
     
    That day, Hero came to me in a dream because he knew as well as I did that showing up now would surely mean death for all of us. I ran up to him upon a light yellow cloud and threw myself into his arms. “She looks just like you,” I beamed. In this world, I never had to worry about the aftermath a simple smile could have; in this world, we were free.
                  “I can’t wait to meet her,” he replied as he rocked me back and forth.
                  Sorrow replaced happiness as our hunting reality sank in. “That won’t be possible. In order for them to keep our secret, I had to agree not to see you anymore.”
                  He let me go and stepped away. “I will watch from the shadows then.”
    “Let’s leave this place and go to a place where we can be a united family!” I yelled.
    “What do you suppose we do? Run off to live among the humans while you slowly lose your memory and your powers? Then, what, raise our daughter among them?”
    I gently fell back on one of the clouds. “As long as we’re together these powers do not mean anything to me.”
    Hero sighed and fell down to lie beside me. “But their humans,” he cringed, almost like the words tasted foul to him. “Primitive Neanderthals. I hear reports of them killing each other for loaves of bread.”
    My body couldn’t help but shudder as a chill danced through me. “Are we really so different? We kill each other for power. If all they seek is loaves of bread from each other, we’d be better off there. Can we not manifest bread to their desire?”
    “You know what I am trying to say, Psenora. It be more complicated than that,” he answered, running his large fingers through my twisted hair. “What are we going to do when we get there?”
    I took in a deep breath and watched as white birds flew swiftly through the openings of the clouds. “Start fresh,” I whispered.
    Before I could get a reply from him I was awakened by the sounds of a crying baby and the chirping of the nearby birds. “How long did I sleep?” I whispered to myself.
    I slowly looked around the nest; no one else was in it besides my daughter.
    “You were out for several hours, I’ve just returned with something to wear for your baby,” Centure replied as she glided closer to the nest. In her hand she held a small knitted dress and a pair of tiny shoes for the child’s feet. “You are all healed as well,” she continued while dressing the girl. “What shall we call her?”
    “Alizarin,” I replied calmly.
    “As much as she is a part of you, she will be of me as well.” Centure pulled a single strand from her long wavy hair and tied it around Alizarin’s wrist- forming a strong bond