Shift

Sixty-One

Ava

Natalie. She was the one who had been lurking in the mirrors. She was the girl who had been whispering these awful things to me since I was a girl.

I remembered the first time I heard her. It was the same night I came to my powers with Sammy. He’d arrived at my door, and I fell in love with him instantly. It was as if he could understand me.

It wasn’t until now that I wondered if he could… Understand me, that is.

It was an eerie thought, but, after everything I’ve discovered, nothing seems impossible anymore. I mean, if I could resurrect a freakin’ dog, why shouldn’t I be able to talk to him, too?

“Ava!” called Jace from the door. I crossed my arms, holding myself.

He never loved you. I opened the door, pushing past him and running out the door.

Jace

She slid down the ladder, and Ava began sprinting down the beach, kicking her white flip-flops off, tossing her t-shirt over her head. It was past midnight already, and the moon cast an eerie glow on the ocean’s dark surface.

Ava was a beautiful, exotic cloud of color chasing the moon, running into the ocean’s dark, crashing waves.

“Ava!” I called. “Ava!” I assumed the worst. She could go into the sea and be ripped to shreds by a shark lurking in the ocean’s shallow night waters.

I didn’t know why her eyes were red and puffy, why she had tears down her cheeks, and why she sprinted into the bathroom.

I blamed it on myself. I had probably done something to upset her. I was such a ********* idiot all the time.

Maybe I’m not ready for a mate. I have no idea what I’m doing, I thought, shaking my head. The truth, though, was that I was, most likely, just scared. I was scared because I loved Ava too much to let her go. I needed to complete the ceremony, but I was terrified. What if she got scared? Or, worse, what if she left me forever?

I ran into the ocean, the water splashing up behind me, soaking my jeans. “Ava, stop! *********! Ava!” I cried.

Ava turned around, strands of soaked hair sticking to her face. A look of regret crossed her face before she turned away to face the sliver of the moon and dove into the water.

I let out a scream. I couldn’t let her go. I’d done just what I’d feared most.

Ava was leaving me.

I dove in after her, swimming through the rough currents to follow her. She was obviously not a very strong swimmer. I scooped her into my arms in no time.

She began thrashing around in my arms. I pulled myself back to the shore, pinning her down with my body, exhaustion taking over.

“I love you, Ava. Please don’t leave me,” I whimpered before I felt my whole body go numb.