Ever by Darrin Shade Page A

I couldn’t speak so I just nodded, staring around me like I was in a different world. I wondered if things would ever go back to the way they were before. We continued up a steeper path and I felt the energy in my body intensify to the point where I felt like little sparks were shooting out from my toes and fingertips. I stopped for a moment, feeling breathless, like you feel when you are looking down from the top of a very tall building.
    “Take a deep breath and center yourself,” Jaren said softly.
    I realized he had stopped, too, and was inhaling and exhaling deeply. I did the same, but I only felt more buoyant. I was floating away. Part of me, deep inside, was pulling away, detaching. I was going higher and higher…the tugging sensation increased. Something inside me was growing taut—and it was going to snap.
    “Everleigh!” Jaren yanked my hand but I ignored him, wanting the amazing feeling to continue.
    I wanted to go higher, higher…there was something there and I could almost reach it…
    “Imagine that your feet are growing roots into the ground!” He jerked my arm again, hard, and a picture formed in my mind.
    I couldn’t stop the mental image of my feet sprouting little tendrils and hooking into the dirt. I could even feel fresh earth between my sneakers-encased toes. I looked down, half expecting to see roots coming out of my shoes. I shook my head, dazed.
    “How are you going that high already? You need to keep control of yourself!” He looked worried, his grip on my hand tightening.
    “Wha-what’s happening?” I felt floaty and disoriented.
    “You’re in a place of very high energy, Everleigh. You are open to it in a way I’ve never seen before. When you connect to it, your energy rises, too. Yours is going too high. You were floating off, letting your spirit leave your body. Whenever you feel that pulling sensation, you need to ground yourself, the way I just taught you, okay?”
    My spirit? Is he serious?
    That comment challenged a lot of things I hadn’t realized I believed. Was the core of me a spirit that used this body as a sort of shell? Jaren still looked a little concerned as he glanced toward the rest of the group. I could hear their chatter now, as my focus returned.
    “Listen to me.” He took my hand again. “You need to keep centered when we get close to The Tree. It’s super old. I almost passed out the first time I got close to it. Your energy is really high right now, and you don’t have any control yet. Stay close to me, and don’t let go of my hand okay?”
    Hold his hand. No problem.
    Jaren gripped my hand tightly as we resumed walking. I had no idea what he was talking about, but instinctively I knew I could trust him. Besides, holding hands with him felt nice. His hand felt warm and tingly and oh, so right in mine. I wasn’t even sure what I was feeling. It was an affinity, a longing deep within me that begged for his touch, even though I tried desperately to deny it.
    Touching Jaren Wilder made me feel better than I ever had in my entire life.
    It felt like hours had gone by since we had left the bus, but in reality it had probably only been about fifteen minutes. These weird time lapses again, I mused, remembering the weird thing that had happened the day I took Mr. MacFarlane’s dreaded test. That was the day I had first run into Jaren. Man, how things had changed since the day I had literally bumped into him. I looked at him, my unfocused eyes catching the glow that seemed to surround him. He looked down and smiled, dazzling me with his white teeth, and I clung to his hand, as though letting go would interrupt the wonderful dream I was having.
    As we headed to the top of the incline, Jaren kept a tight grip on me. If I had even thought to look around me at this point, I would have noticed quite a few of his female admirers directing a lot of nasty-looking energy smoke toward me. Luckily, I was surrounded in such gratitude and appreciation for my surroundings