Wander Dust
4/5
()
About this ebook
Ever since her sixteenth birthday, strange things keep happening to Seraphina Parrish. Unexplainable premonitions catapult her to faraway cities. A street gang wants to kill her, and a beautiful, mysterious boy stalks her.
But when Sera moves to Chicago, and her aunt reveals their family connection to a centuries old, secret society, she’s immediately thrust into an unbelievable fantasy world, leading her on a quest to unravel the mysteries that plague her. In the end, their meanings crash into an epic struggle of loyalty and betrayal, and she’ll be forced to choose between the boy who has stolen her heart and the thing she desires most.
Wander Dust is the breathtaking fantasy that will catapult you through a story of time, adventure, and love.
Michelle Warren
Michelle lives in New Zealand. She is a mother, a writer, and a doctor. She enjoys debating, and will quite happily explore religion, agnosticism, atheism and science with anyone who’s keen. Raised Anglican, baptized in the Pentecostal church, trained in science, having wrestled with life and death, Christianity, the Church, and God, Michelle has poured the heart of her discoveries into her writing, creating a fictional representation of Jesus and the early church in order to try to unveil and translate Christianity into our setting today. Through this new genre, which is essentially the parable, she has sought to express something of the deepest of our human realities today: our struggles, our flaws, and a potential journey into realizing our full potential.
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Reviews for Wander Dust
31 ratings7 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5When I started getting into the story I guess I didn't realize how much time travel would play a role. It mentioned it in the summary but didn't really realize it until I got into the story. I haven't read many books that include time travel in it and this one was interesting. It was written like a paranormal teen story, but with the addition of time travel gave it a more interesting and unique twist.Although I enjoyed the story and the characters, I didn't feel the gripping power I was hoping for in the writing. I wasn't exactly thinking about the story when I had to put it down, but I did always come back to it until it was finished.The concepts of secret societies and the danger that she faces is all really fascinating and I really like the idea behind the story, I am not sure why I wasn't completely gripped with the story and the characters and root for them as much as I wanted to, but the legend/mythology it touches on and powers and plot is unique and interesting.I would recommend this book to fans of Tempest by Julie Cross
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5((Review originally published at my blog AWordsWorth.blogspot.com))((Review copy of book provided by author))Going into the reading, I had a basic idea of the story, but had no idea how 'edgy' of a read I was getting. It's intense, emotional, involving. Sera has lived her life with one concept of reality, only to have it turned on-end on her sixteenth birthday. Suddenly she's having weird 'moments' or 'visions' that combine to make her question her sanity. Once she learns she is a Wanderer (one who can 'wander' through Time), Sera is enrolled in the Academy, where she will learn to navigate her reality and 'new' identity. At this point, the story takes turn after turn after turn.Before getting into too many details, let me make a quick 'detour' to say that Michelle has definitely created a well-rounded world. With any story, but especially with fantasies, I always appreciate when authors take the time to really think about the world they're creating: fleshing it out, giving it background and context, rather than just scribbling down a setting because it makes their story work. Wander Dust takes place in 'the real world,' but it also features a whole other world as well - and that world is carefully orchestrated, with a history, a mythology, and an uncertain future. It's real. And as we are discovering this mysterious 'second world,' so is Sera. I really appreciated getting to discover the hidden secrets through the eyes and experiences of Sera - it helped add an authenticity to the story, and is a great way to introduce strange concepts (time travel!) without coming across as a manual description or etc.There's a host of characters, and nobody is quite as they seem. Even with mysteries appearing and being solved constantly, Sera is never sure what exactly is going on - and neither was I, as reader. With every new revelation, my internal reader was rethinking all my assumptions. The reading-journey was so much fun, that I'm hesitant to give away too much in my review. If you have too many 'teasers,' it could mess with your brain while reading, and truly: taking every step and misstep along with Sera and Co. is definitely a big part of what makes this such a great read. It's safe to say this one kept me guessing until the end.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5**Review written for an originally posted on my blog, Book Bliss. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased and honest review**Review: 5 starsGeneral: Magic + time travel = fantastic and a read for really any age. This book could have been a disaster for readers to follow once the paranormal elements began to be explained. A books biggest downfall can be it’s worldbuilding. Wander Dust delivered 100%. Along with vivid settings and amusing descriptions of things the explanation of both the magical powers and the ability of time traveling was extremely well done. It was imaginative enough as well that it added the originality needed to keep a reader hooked on another magical YA. I think the romance in the book was age appropriate and not over done to the point where you’re left wondering if it’s appropriate for any of a younger age.I do think my favorite element is the setting. We are still in the world we know and it’s not post apocalyptic or anything, it’s just full of things hiding…like Harry Potter and Mortal Instruments.There were editing issues that did pull me from the story more than once but overall I felt the story compensated for the errors o the extent that I didn’t completely notice them. Also, I felt Sera was a fantastic character but the supporting ones, while interesting, were not as easy to love.Characters: Sera- Sera was a well written character. I do think she felt a little too old for her age but such is always an issue in YA…sometimes they feel too young and sometimes they feel to old. I thought she was intelligent and retained what many traits of how she acted prior to finding hers.Bishop- Bishop is a sexy character that oozes chemistry when put next to Sera. He was a bit hard to read for most of the book and I can’t wait to learn more about him. As of right now I like him, but I wouldn’t say I love him.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Time travel is usually a theme that makes me nervous. I love the science fiction, but I’m always afraid of the choices characters will make because they can change the course of time and completely change the fate of the world. Wander Dust didn’t give me that feeling of impending doom. Michelle Warren adds flare and mystery to time travel and creates a world discreetly separated by Normals on one side and Wanderers, Seers, and Protectors on the other.I pegged Seraphina as a rebel from the very beginning. She loved to spite her father just to get a rise out of him. For someone who didn’t have a great relationship with her father, and never knew the guidance of a mother, Sera turned out to be a pretty well-behaved kid. She wasn’t above breaking the rules, but she wasn’t a wild child either. When Sera moved to Chicago to live with her aunt Mona, a different side of her showed. She’s the kind of character you either love or hate. I love Sera because she thought about the situations she got herself into. She didn’t always make the best choices, but she did what was best based on what little she knew of the Wanderer Society.There’s much learned, and much still to learn, about the Wanderer Society. Readers are really only given a snippet of how students at the Academy, a boarding school for students of the Society, use their powers in the real world. The novel’s pacing is fast, but sometimes it slowed down when Sera needed something explained to her. The characters in lecture mode were not appealing at times, seeming like they were just speaking at Sera to show they knew their information. Wander Dust is a wonderful start for The Seraphina Parrish Trilogy. There are a few unresolved issues in the plot that causes my curiosity to read what happens in the next installment. I have hopes that Book 2 of The Seraphina Parrish Trilogy will still be filled with the humorously outrageous characters and events of Wander Dust.*ebook provided by author in exchange for an honest review*
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Seraphina Parrish’s 16th birthday promises to be an extremely underwhelming event, until a mysterious Lady in Black causes her to see and feel things that shouldn’t be possible. Ever since that strange night, Sera’s world has slowly taken a turn for the weird and unexplainable, especially when she realizes that she herself can do the impossible… wander through time. Confused and uncertain of what her ability means and entails, she fears she may be losing her grip on reality. Then her dad, with whom she’s never been particularly close, decides to send her to finish out the school year with her aunt in Chicago. Chicago just may hold the answers she’s looking for, as well as many dangers she never anticipated. Slightly reminiscent of X-Men, channeling some of the ancient, historically significant feel of Harry Potter but with an interesting Egyptian/Judeo-Christian mythology that’s all her own, Warren has created a fascinating world that exists beneath our very own. In this world, some people are born with super human abilities that allow them to be one of three things: protectors, seers or wanderers. What that entails I’ll leave you, Dear Reader, to discover for yourselves, but I will say that I found the rules of Warren’s universe to be original and creative. The world of the wanderers feels grand in scope, has a good foundational, historical weight to it and an appealing overall aesthetic. Seraphina. Though she is definitely an independent individual, she’s not really what I’d consider a rebel, despite the lengths she may go to to secure her dad’s attention. I found Sera’s relationship with her dad to be very revealing about her character as a whole, and Warren’s introduction to Sera in the context of her relationship to her dad laid a good foundation as to what she really wants and why she does the things she does. It’s also interesting to see her character develop as she becomes more of her own person and as she finds a place of her own in her new situation in Chicago. While I had a little difficulty pinning down aspects of Sera’s personality, there’s no denying that she’s brave, intelligent, determined, perhaps a bit impulsive and has admirable sense of honor. Bishop. After her frightening encounter with the Lady in Black on her sixteenth birthday, Sera receives a cryptic envelope with only the photograph of an unknown boy tucked inside. She’s never met him, but she feels an unexplainable instant connection to him. When she discovers the living, breathing version of the boy at her new school in Chicago, she determines to find out more about him. Though Warren keeps him a largely mysterious character in terms of his back story and personal history, she reveals enough about Max Bishop for the reader to know the important aspects of his character – the things that truly matter. Bishop is level-headed, compassionate, also honorable, loyal, a bit on the quiet side and manages to ride that fine line between being protective but not overbearing. All in all, he’s decidedly dreamy, and though he and Sera have this immediate connection, it makes sense within the context of the story – there is a satisfactory reason behind it. Though I really did enjoy Wander Dust, there are a few things that nagged at me. One in particular being that while the mystery is compelling, Sera makes two specific logical leaps to keep the plot progressing that I just wasn’t able to easily follow. It seemed a bit of a stretch. Also the character of the Lady in Black. I just couldn’t get a bead on her, and maybe I wasn’t supposed to, but I just wish that there had been a bit more development done with her character, mostly because I just wanted to find out more about her and her motivations. On the other hand, there were certain things I really enjoyed about this story, particularly the clever way that Warren handles certain events, and the reasoning behind why those events occur. I apologize, Dear Reader, that I can’t be anymore specific than that. I also love that the characters in this book travel to different places. Weird personal preference, but I prefer movement in my stories – characters on the move, instead of statically remaining in one place. The climax of this book was also worthy of the build up leading up to it, it was exciting, a bit shocking and forces Sera to make some extremely hard decisions. Maybe I’m just a mean person, but I love when characters I root for get backed into a corner, it’s interesting to see how they’ll react or get out of their circumstances — those situations do a lot for character building. The world building and the potential romance already had me hooked, and these few things are several more big points in Wander Dust’s favor. Overall, with wonderful characters and a curious underlying mythology, Wander Dust boasts an alluring and mysterious world full of intrigue, romance, danger, betrayal and beauty.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Seraphina Parrish is a normal (and I use that term loosely) sixteen year old girl who lives in Miami with her father. The story starts out with her sixteenth birthday celebration. It is at a restaurant with her dad, Ray and his girlfriend, Maddi. During this celebration is when Seraphina, who goes by Sera, first encounters the Lady in Black and feels the effects of the lady in black’s fire. This terrifies Sera and she is sure that the Lady in Black will come back to finish the job that she started. The night is almost completely a bust when Ray gives her a birthday present. It is a bracelet that belonged to her mother before she died. This makes the whole night bearable. While trying on this bracelet at school, something strange happens. Sera is transported to another city in another time. Then there is the mysterious letter with a picture of a boy in it. Sera doesn’t know who the boy is, but he makes her feel safe whenever she looks at his picture.After some mishaps in school that end in Sera getting “grounded for life,” Ray decides that it is time to send Sera to her Aunt Mona’s in Chicago. Mona is her mother’s sister and Sera has always loved visiting her and is looking forward moving so she can finally find out things about her mother. When she first arrives in Chicago, she learns that the airline has lost her luggage and all she has is what is on her back. This isn’t nearly enough for the cold Chicago winter. While traveling to Mona’s brownstone, she not only is freezing, but encounters “the grungy gang” who seem to want to kill her. She doesn’t know what to think about this, but knows she needs to run to get away from them. It is on the platform while running that Sera first meets the boy from the photo. She isn’t sure at first whether he is good or bad and thinks he might be with the grungy gang.Mona finally finds her, gets her home and gets her some clothing appropriate for the winter. Even though Sera trusts Mona, she isn’t sure whether she wants to tell her about the things that have been happening. She thinks that she is going crazy and doesn’t want anyone else to think that also. She then starts her “list of weird,” or the things that she cannot explain. Sera is to start at Washington Square Academy, where Mona works. It is the same high school that her mother attended, so she is happy about that. At school, she makes friends and sees the boy standing outside her classroom. Sera tries to be late for class in order to see this boy and ask him what he is doing there. Finally, she gets in contact with him and learns how to wander. Once she does this, she is transferred to the boarding school side of Washington Square Academy. She learns things there that she never could have imagined. Her list of weird still plagues her and as the book goes on, she adds and subtracts things to the list.I thought that this book was a good way to start out a series. It gives you the background information of what “wandering” is, but also leaves enough questions so that you’ll want to read the next book. This book was a good read. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I Like:Seraphina. She is thinking about her list of weird all the time. Even though she doesn’t understand things, she goes on to find out more about her mother, making tough decisions along the way. Sera truly shows her character in the decisions that she is forced to make.Aunt Mona. She tries her best to do things right by Seraphina and is hindered by what she can tell her. Even still, she always puts Sera ahead of other things and she is one that Sera knows she can trust.Macey DuBois. She is Sera’s first friend in Washington Square Academy. Sera doesn’t tell her everything that is going on and Macey is still a good friend to her and helps her out a little when she first arrives at the Academy.Gabe, the activities director at Washington Square Academy. His enthusiasm for the things he has to do is contagious. I just love reading about the things that Gabe has had a part in. He is unpredictable, but that is part of his personality that is so great.Samantha James, Max Bishop. They are in Sera’s team. At first, they don’t seem too pleased to be paired up with Sera, but later on they warm up to her. While in the Washington Square Academy, you live in an “apartment” with your team, attend classes with them, and are basically with them 24 hours a day. With all this time spent together, Sera still doesn’t get to really know them until near the end of the book. Sam and “Bishop” help Sera out in a lot of things that she couldn’t do on her own in her pursuit to find out what happened to her mother.Sera’s list of weird. I like how she adds things that she doesn’t understand or seem weird to her and subtracts things that she figures out. I also like her determination in finding out the answers to her list of weird. I think we all should have this attribute.Ray Parrish. Sera’s father. Even though he acts like a dork at the opening scene, which I understand Sera’s attitude of being grossed out, he does try to do right by Sera. Sending her to live with her Aunt Mona was a tough decision for him. He is a single father who has no idea how to raise a teenage daughter. Throughout the book, Sera mentions how her father wouldn’t have shown her compassion, how he puts his job and girlfriend before her, but in the end, I think he is a good guy.The Washington Square Academy. Holy Crow! If all schools were like how this one is described, I don’t think we would have nearly the dropouts as we do now. Both sides are described and seem wonderful to me. Although, living in an apartment where your every whim is catered to does seem like quite the wonderful thing when you are in high school.I Did Not Like:Some of the other classmates in Sera’s school. I won’t name names or say why I don’t like them because alas, that would spoil the book for you and this is one book that you should definitely read!Terease Ivanov. I didn’t like her before she was introduced in the Academy and I didn’t like her after. She is the one who seems to appear out of nowhere to discipline the students. The description of her seems fitting to her personality.The Grungy gang. The way that they are described as being putrid and smelling like garbage. Yuck! Also the fact that they are after Seraphina, doesn’t help their popularity any.The Cover:I think the girl on the cover is Seraphina although she looks older than sixteen. The Chicago skyline in the background is fitting to the events that happened and the fact that the Academy was in Chicago. I’m not sure what the field has to do with the story, but that is irrelevant. The fact that she is running is integral to the story. I liked the colors in the cover. Overall, I think that this is a very nice cover and it outlines the story well.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Just take a gander at the cover…It’s so pretty! I just love the colors! Anyway, along with that cover and the elusive summary for Wander Dust, I was curious! Plus, it’s set in Chicago and one of my favorite books has that setting and I live 45 minutes outside of Chicago…so I couldn’t pass this one up!I enjoyed this the story! For some reason I had a problem connecting with the story itself, maybe even the characters. I found myself taking a couple of weeks to read this one because I wasn’t worried and constantly thinking about what was going to happen to Seraphina next. What Wander Dust is about, the uniqueness it has, I really enjoyed and I hate that I couldn’t fall in love with this book for reasons really unknown to me…if that sounds totally crazy. Michelle is very descriptive in her writing. I think that’s one reason why I didn’t find a certain part of the book confusing...you can read more about that later in my review. She does a great job of painting a picture with her words to give us a visual of the setting. I felt myself wanting to be in this world. Just gorgeous!Wander Dust stands well on it’s own, but it does have potential to be turned into a trilogy, as the author wants it to. Will I read the rest of the trilogy? Possibly. I am curious to see what else these character’s can get themselves into and to learn more of the world Michelle has built for us to read about.*Possible spoilers ahead, read the bold text to decide if you want to read on**This is the thing. The summary, like I said above, doesn’t tell us much. My review would only be one paragraph (well not, really) if I didn’t tell you what the story ends up being about. If you want to stay clueless, I suggest you not read on.*What is Wander Dust all about? It’s about time travel. It’s done surprisingly well. As soon as this was sprung on me, I was a bit scared. I’ve found out that I’m a person who is totally confused in regards to time traveling stories or I just understand. I’m not sure if I’m the one with the problem or if it’s the way some stories are explained, but that’s just how I feel. I wasn’t confused while reading Wander Dust! I was so happy when the time traveling started happening and I actually GOT it! YES! Plus Michelle Warren wove in some lore…along with Egyptian lore into her story which I really fell in love with! So if you’re a fan of time travel and such, you should read this one!
Book preview
Wander Dust - Michelle Warren
Sixteen candles sparkle in front of me. Guests around the restaurant join in singing Happy Birthday
with our waiter. As the end of the song climbs into a finale, I reposition myself in my chair, grab the table’s edge and lean in, preparing to inhale. Right before I blow, the air around me stirs, suffocating the flames. Each light sputters and then vanishes into darkness.
Shocked, I jerk back in my seat, staring at the cake. No wish?
Everyone breaks into rowdy applause. Perplexed, I glance around at the unfamiliar smiles and cheering faces. I realize, no one but me noticed the flames extinguishing on their own.
This has to be a bad omen.
There’s no way my dad, Ray, noticed the candles because he’s too busy flirting with Maddi, his über-annoying girlfriend. He probably hadn’t even bothered to sing, and I hadn’t bothered to check. With Maddi constantly at his side, he’s had even less time for me.
I want to be jealous of Maddi, but mostly she just annoys me with her plastic looks and superficial personality. The first conversation the woman ever initiated with me was about lip gloss. Then she blew me away with her follow-up discussion about her collection of yard gnomes.
Maddi lifts her hand and traces her long, fluorescent pink fingernail down Ray’s shoulder. Charmed by her attention, he giggles with his entire body. The movement causes his glasses to slip from his nose. He pushes the wire rims back up with a single finger. Then he spins and grabs her bronze hand, planting a sloppy kiss on the back.
When he’s around Maddi, his rigid facade softens to an irritating mush. But when we’re alone, I only see his reserved side, the steel-layered version; the one that only notices me when I do something unacceptable—which in his eyes, is almost all the time.
Disgusted, I look away from them and shake my head, hoping to dislodge the image of adult foreplay. The inappropriateness of this whole scenario isn’t something he’s caught on to quite yet.
Returning to my isolation, I block them out and focus my attention on my cake. Slowly, I pluck off each candle, one by one, and lick the sugary globs of frosting off the ends.
For the final candle, I drag the end through the cream cheese icing, revealing the red velvet cake underneath. When I flip the end of the candle toward my mouth, the wick’s flame suddenly flickers back to life. The small blaze burns my hand.
Startled, I drop it. It lands in my lap and I jump up, pushing my seat away from the table. The burning candle tumbles off my skirt and drops to the floor. I stomp on the small flame, smothering it beneath my shoe.
My heart pounds in my chest at the excitement, but I’m not hurt, just stunned. Without another thought, I pick up the pile of candles on my plate and drop them into my glass of water—just in case. The water splashes out of the glass, over the tabletop, and onto my skirt.
When I look down at myself, I’m not only soaked, but I find a large singe mark on my hem. Great.
Ray is too enthralled with Maddi’s flirting to have noticed my small dramatic event. If the flames had spread, engulfing me, would he have noticed? Of course not. If I’d set the fire myself, the answer would be yes. But in that event, I would have received a lengthy lecture, followed by yet another grounding. I huff in annoyance.
I’m going to the ladies’ room,
I announce, leaning onto the table.
Neither responds. Neither flickers the slightest glance in my direction. I’m invisible to them. I roll my eyes and walk away.
I weave through the tightly packed tables of the restaurant. Farther away, in another room, dance music blares. Behind flowing white curtains, beautiful, scantily dressed people dance around a bar, drinks clenched in their hands. This is Miami Beach after all. I’ve gotten used to everyone looking like models: the men, the women, all perfect, all tall. My small frame shrinks, just standing in their proximity.
Through the undulating crowd, I lock eyes with a woman. Her cropped, jet-black hair frames her pale face, which instantly differentiates her among the tanned bodies. Her red lips contort into a frightening smile that sends uneasy chills racing down my spine.
I scowl and look away.
I push through the crowd and into a long, empty hall. I think I’m alone, but the sound of high heels clicks the tile behind me. This noise puts me on edge, and I turn to look, but no one is there. Strangely, the hall is empty.
I shove open the door marked Damas and walk in. The creaky door swings shut, instantly muffling the dance music.
At the sink, I run water over a paper towel and then repeatedly dab the wet brown blob to my skirt, trying to wipe away the blackened scorch mark. But the burned spot only crumbles into ash under my touch, leaving a gaping hole in the fabric. My favorite skirt is ruined.
Irritated, I launch the balled-up paper towel into a wastebasket. Of course, I miss. After I retrieve it from the floor and try again with better success, I turn my attention to a mirror. Two loose strands of hair have escaped my bobby pin. One strand is dyed purple. Not surprisingly, Ray hasn’t noticed. I wonder when he will and how long he will ground me when he does. At least, eventually, it will make him see me.
The bathroom door crashes open, knocking me out of my personal pity party. Two girls, drunk, fall into the room laughing. They hold each other up as they wobble across the room and smash into a stall.
Deciding nothing more can be done with my skirt, I turn to leave. The lady with red lips stands, guarding the exit. She crosses her arms over her chest and gives me a curious expression.
Even though she makes me nervous, I don’t look away. I know that it’s a sign of weakness, and I’m not weak. At least, I pretend not to be. So I stare back, giving her the expression of defiance I normally reserve for Ray.
Under the flickering lights, her black patent leather jumpsuit shines. It covers everything but her shoulders and long arms. She drops her hands to her sides and steps forward aggressively as though she might hurt me.
Panicked, I step back, trip over the trash can, and stumble into the wall. I look away to catch myself, but when I look forward again, she’s gone, completely disappeared.
Confused, I spin in a circle looking for her, but only the two drunken girls remain. They giggle in their closed stall. One bangs against the dividers, and drops her clutch on the floor. A hand appears and scoops up the purse, and they continue laughing.
Where is she? Am I crazy?
I run for the door and shove it open. On the other side, the music and chaos hit me again. I wind my way back to my table, nudging past dancing models, all the while nervously looking over my shoulder for the Lady in Black, but she never reappears.
Maddi might as well be sitting on Ray’s lap when I return. She kisses his ear and flips his dirty-blond hair, combing it over his bald spot with her fingers. Then she rubs his chest, pawing him like a piece of meat.
I throw myself back into my chair, wishing my friend Beth were here. At least she would have distracted me from Ray and Maddi’s grope-fest.
She’s back!
Ray exclaims from across the table, gesturing toward me.
You’re back. I force a smile.
Sera, did I ever tell you about my collection of holiday hats for Mr. Whiskers,
Maddi asks in her high-pitched, baby voice.
Yes, I believe you have,
I reply. A few hundred times.
This doesn’t stop her from detaching from Ray and pulling her massive, sparkling handbag from the floor. She rummages through the contents, piling the entire inventory of a pharmacy on the dinner table. Finally, a rhinestone-encrusted phone appears in her hand. Her pink claws scratch at the glass buttons, searching for a photo of her cat.
Look how cute!
She holds up her phone, wiggling it around, making it impossible to focus on the photo of the costumed animal. An orange blur is all I can make out.
Nice,
I say through gritted teeth.
My gaze falls to the cake. They cut it without me, and a large portion is now missing. My lips turn down. Across the table, Maddi turns and feeds Ray a small chunk. A puff of icing sticks to his lips. She playfully kisses it off and they giggle, noses touching.
Please, someone, make this night end! My fingers grip the sides of my chair. I want to lash out. I look for the cake candles, this time seriously, halfway, sorta, contemplating setting something on fire. The tablecloth? Myself? Anything that will get me out of here will do.
The thought is quickly replaced with another—disbelief.
The candles submerged in my ice water glow, blazing with flames. I lean in and squint to focus on them because I can’t believe my eyes. Fire flickers from their wicks under water. Fire under water! Smoke breaks through the water’s surface and rises above our table, coiling gracefully through the air.
My eyes quickly scan the room to see if anyone else notices. That’s when I spot her again—the Lady in Black. She sits perched on a bar stool, watching me. She tosses back her head, laughing as though she has something to do with the inexplicable flames. I blink a few times to make sure I really see her. Five blinks later and she’s still there. Staring.
Who is she? And who does she think she is? I grimace. It’s as though she’s trying to scare me. Test me. Annoy me. What bravado I have kicks in, and I intensify the confrontation with an equally menacing stare.
One sculpted eyebrow lifts. The Lady in Black seems intrigued by my response. She slides off her bar stool and saunters toward me. Immediately, the crowd parts away from her, dancing out of her evil path.
When her onyx eyes lock on mine, a vile sensation overcomes me. Golden flames erupt within her eyes, instantaneously igniting matching, excruciating flames within in my own mind. Our eyes, our minds are now somehow bolted together, and I don’t know how it’s possible. When the fire intensifies, throbbing, burning, and racing through my thoughts, I want to hurl my body into the nearby fountain to extinguish the fire, just like I did with the candles. But I’m mysteriously paralyzed—frozen in hell.
The flames sear, crackle, and torment until they’ve reached what they’ve come for. A vague notion tells me they’re intended to obtain information. A secret. But what it is or if the Lady in Black will find it, I can’t tell.
Sparking blazes provoke my memories further, asking them to dance to life, and I try to scream. Help me! But my internal emotions do not mirror my face, which is smooth and lifeless. Inches away, Ray and Maddi sit flirting. They’re utterly ignorant to my suffering. I realize I’m on fire, impossibly burning from the inside out, but Ray still doesn’t notice.
The Lady in Black pauses and cocks her head. Her red lips roll into a malicious smile.
I fight harder to untangle myself from her snare, wrestling for freedom. I want to get away before the fire and pain devour me, but when I mentally tug away from her, the strain leaves me nauseous and faint. Black dots multiply until they consume my sight. My body temperature plummets and, finally, I black out.
Chapter 2: Transfixed
When I wake, I’m on the floor. The person standing over me is our waiter—I think. He’s kind of blurry, and my head throbs with a headache. His manicured eyebrows pinch together as his mouth moves, but I can’t decipher his words. I rub my temples with my fingertips, massaging them until the sounds return.
A moment later, Ray and Maddi stand over me. Maddi snaps a picture of me with her phone. The flash temporarily blinds me, confusing me further. I pray that she won’t post the photo on the Internet, but I know she already has.
Ray looks concerned. Is this what it takes to get his attention? He grabs my arm and pulls me from the floor. He and the waiter drag me onto a chair.
What happened?
Ray asks. My face reflects back from his glasses, and I look as confused as I feel. What happened, Seraphina?
What happened?
I repeat, but more for myself as I try to remember how I blacked out and landed on the floor.
The Lady in Black. The lady!
Launching forward to stand, I scan the restaurant, every crevice, every shadow, but she’s gone. Vanished.
What lady?
Ray jolts, his eyes scour the faces, trying to understand.
Calm down, Raymond.
Maddi giggles, and smoothes down the shirt on his shoulders.
Drained, I collapse back to my seat. The waiter returns with a new glass of water and offers it to me. I drink it, all of it. The hydration seems to subdue my headache. It no longer pounds out of control. When he refills my glass, I chug again.
Ray’s already forgotten about the lady, but I haven’t. Her flaming black eyes are burned into my brain. I wince, recalling the searing pain.
Are you all right?
Ray puts an awkward hand on my shoulder. He doesn’t normally show affection toward me, so this is a breakthrough. And all this time I thought being difficult was the way to get his attention. Now I know I just have to pass out every once in a while. This revelation should make me chuckle a little, but it doesn’t because my relationship with him is a sad one. I don’t hate him for it. It’s just the way things are.
I’m okay.
My voice sounds uncertain, even to my own ears. I exhale, trying to calm my mind. The Lady in Black is not real. What happened, didn’t happen. These are words I want to believe, but I’m still not positive.
Ray hovers for a few moments longer, but Maddi has already returned to her glass of wine on the other side of the table. She sucks icing from each of her long fingernails. Gross. I close my eyes, unable to watch.
I think this will make you feel better.
Through squinted eyes, I see Ray walk back to Maddi. A small birthday bag appears from her handbag. He grabs it and places it on the table in front of me.
Polka-dotted tissue paper sprouts from the top of a hot pink gift bag. I know Maddi wrapped it because the closest Ray has ever come to wrapping something is leaving it in the bag he originally brought it home in.
Even still, Ray is clearly excited for me to open the bag. I can see it in his eyes. It must be the booze that’s relaxing him—the booze and Maddi.
Thanks, Dad.
I called him Ray to his face once, and he grounded me.
It’s something special for your sixteenth birthday.
He steps back and places a hand on Maddi’s shoulder.
What I want is keys to a car. I perk up slightly, but only because the bag is about the right size, and I’ve been dreaming about it for months.
My hand plunges in, and I fish around the tissue paper. My fingers find what they expect—cold metal. I pull the object out as fast as possible. All the protective tissue flutters to the floor.
Uh—thanks.
My gaze drops to the gift, hiding my intense disappointment.
It’s not just any bracelet,
Ray says with a wave of his hand. It belonged to your mother.
He sounds pleased with himself. He sits back down and leans onto the table, gesturing toward my gift.
Oh!
My forehead creases as I scrutinize the bracelet closer. Although unexpected, I’m thrilled to have something, anything, of Mom’s.
Thanks, Dad—it’s perfect.
I feel slightly guilty for hoping for anything else. I didn’t know there was anything left of Mom’s.
Well, your Aunt Mona borrowed it from her sometime before…before…you know. Anyway, she sent it to me last week, so you would have it for your birthday.
I’m caught off guard with Ray’s token—a great gift—not a car, but something better. Sitting in silence for several moments, I study the bracelet, wondering about its previous owner, a person I never had the opportunity to know. Sighing, I tuck the newly cherished prize into the side pocket of my tote where it will be safe; a place where I can steal glances at it without anyone noticing.
My mind barely has time to enjoy the thought of the family heirloom before Maddi brings me back to the issue at hand. Her mouth takes off, lips racing, chatting with Ray about my fainting drama. This marathon continues all night until we exit the restaurant and wait for the valet to bring our car around.
We pile into the car and drive away. Maddi’s finally on to a new subject, but I’m not. She’s sufficiently worked me further into a paranoid frenzy. Now all I can think about is the reason for my blackout: the Lady in Black. The fire in her eyes will not leave my thoughts.
Resting my forehead against the car’s window, I attempt to focus my attention elsewhere. I watch the colorful light display from the roof of the restaurant reflect off the night sky. The neon colors mesmerize me as they switch from blue and green to hot pink and orange, and back again.
Quaint little cafés and gelaterias dot the walkways through Miami Beach. The lush, tropical landscape around them sparkles with a million white twinkling lights. Racing down Alton Road, everything streams by us in a glorious golden light display. But the lights only remind me of the fire and the Lady in Black.
Her image continues to haunt me when we get home.
Instead of sleeping, I’ve nestled myself into the corner of my window seat. I position my body in such a way that I can see both my bedroom door and the front yard, just in case she decides to visit again.
The chair railing jabs through my pillow and into my back. The cushion beneath me constantly slides off the seat and onto the floor. In the middle of the night, I manage to accidentally rip down a curtain. It’s wound tightly around my body like a blanket when I wake early in the morning. My face smashes against the window, drool drips down the glass, and I’m exhausted, stiff with cramps.
Through sleepy eyes, the bed across the room looks more reasonable than before, even though I’ll have to give up my lookout. I take one quick glance out the front window, searching for the Lady in Black before I jump into bed and under the covers. When my head hits the pillow, my muscles instantly relax. Exhausted, I close my eyes, and ever so slowly, I drift to sleep.
•
A slow ache fills my lungs, and I cough several times. When I attempt to breathe again, the tainted air, thick with smoke, forces me to cough once again. My eyes pop open. Black clouds hover in angry swirls above. The snapping and popping of flames crackle nearby. My heart stops and immediately races in one short second. I vault from my bed, realizing our house is on fire.
Darting for the door, my only thought is that I must save Ray. He’s all I have. When I grab the metal doorknob, its searing heat instantly singes my palm. I recoil, hissing, and let out a scream. That’s when a malicious laugh ricochets through my room. When I turn to find its owner, the only thing out of the ordinary is my window, which is now wide open. Smoke races toward it, funneling out into the night sky.
Coughs shudder through my lungs, and I make a run for the window. Doubling over, I heave my body over the sill, retching until my lungs clear, and I breathe fresh air.
When I glance across my front yard, the Lady in Black stands with her head thrown back, sending a wicked laugh through the air. A slight whimper escapes my lips. I know she’s come back, to finally finish me off.
Sera!
Behind me, Ray screams my name.
Knock, knock, knock.
Sera, are you awake?
I suck in an agonizing breath of air and lurch forward. In shock, I grab my bedsheets. They slip between my grasping fingers. My pajama shirt sticks to my drenched back, and sweat-soaked hair coils around my neck. My heart races as though my dream continues.
It was just a dream.
The purple walls of my bedroom come into view after I blink several times. The room is bright with sunlight, not flames. Through a blurry sideways glance, I see Ray standing at my door.
Bad dream?
he asks.
Breathless, I look around, confirming what I know has happened. I’ve dreamed about the Lady in Black.
You were screaming in your sleep,
Ray explains, and leans on the door frame.
Was I?
Do you remember why?
He adjusts his stance and tucks the Sunday newspaper under his arm.
No,
I mumble, even though I do. There’s no sense in alarming him. I swing my legs over the edge of the mattress. My bare toes skim the carpet.
All right. Well, I’m getting ready to run to work for a few hours. What do you have planned for the day?
Just hanging around.
Sure you’re okay?
He raises an eyebrow.
Yeah, sure.
I look over my shoulder and smile, hoping to dismiss his concerns. I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m delusional, and the Lady in Black never really existed.
Okay, I’ll see you in a few hours.
He turns to walk away, but comes back. Oh, I forgot. You’ve got some mail downstairs on the kitchen table—from yesterday.
’Kay.
I nod.
Ray taps the newspaper to the wall a few times as a gesture of good-bye and turns to walk away. His footsteps disappear down the stairs. He opens the front door and leaves.
Yawning, I stretch my arms high above my head, lengthening my muscles and tensing my hands into fists.
Ow!
I yank my hand back down to my eyes. A circular burn mark, red and raw, the same one from my dream, covers my palm. I squint, holding my hand up in disbelief. I gently glide a fingertip over the skin to make sure it’s really there. The burn suddenly fades into a healthy pink, completely disappearing in seconds. I poke at the skin, thinking it will still hurt. But it doesn’t because the burn mark is gone.
Outside, Ray’s car door slams shut.
For some reason I decide I need to talk to him about this, show him my hand, and explain that I need psychiatric help. So I jump up from bed, rush down the hall, the stairs, and finally into the entry hall. By the time I burst through the front door, Ray is driving away. He looks over, honks his horn, and waves goodbye.
Wait!
I yell, but he keeps driving.
I exhale with a moan, telling myself I’m not sure what I would have told him anyway. The conversation doesn’t play well in my head. By the way, Dad, I’m completely insane and see things that aren’t there. Specifically, a lady in black, combustible birthday candles, and now burn marks on my hand.
Another