Page 18 of A Wicked Dance of Obsidian and Light (Echoes of Darkness #1)

I’m in the passenger seat of a car spinning at a startling speed. The smell of burnt rubber is so potent, it burns a hole through my brain. My stomach dips, and a horrible feeling churns in my gut as the car lurches over the side of the road. We start rolling into the canyon on our right, the car making sickening crunching noises.

Pine trees abruptly stop our fall, and my teeth clamp together with the force of the jarring impact. A fresh burst of red-hot pain shoots through me as I hit the side of my head on the window. The airbag unexpectedly inflates and smacks into my face while I try gasping for air. Looking through my window, I take a deep breath and exhale in relief when I see we still have a long way to go until we reach the bottom of the canyon. The car is rolled on its right side, held in place by the trees.

Thank God for the trees!

I turn my head slowly to look at my mother. She’s passed out, her head and nose heavily bleeding. She hit her head on the roof pretty badly when the car was rolling. Grabbing her right shoulder, I try waking her up. “Mom, are you okay? Please wake up! We need to get out of the car,” I say with urgency as tears start falling from my eyes. She doesn’t respond to any of my attempts.

Suddenly, there is a loud crack, and the car jostles violently.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Please don’t!

Panic punches a hole through my chest as the pine trees start snapping under the weight of the car one by one, losing the fight with gravity. With a sickening, loud snapping sound as the last tree splits, we start rolling again into the abyss. Metal crunches and gives way. Terror-filled shrieks rip from my lungs, but I can’t hear anything over the ringing in my ears and the pounding in my chest.

I wake with a violent start, screaming and shaking, my body propelled forward in a sitting position with the force of the terrible nightmare. Sweat covers every inch of my skin.

Oh, God, Mom. I saw Mom.

I can’t believe it.

We were in a car; she was hurt.

My stomach fists into a ball, and the urge to throw up overtakes my entire body as bile floods my mouth. I try to get up as fast as I can, wanting to reach the bathroom in time, but my legs feel weak, disjointed, so I end up vomiting the contents of my stomach all over the rug on my bedroom floor.

After I finish retching my last meal on the fluffy white carpet, I remain there, on my knees, in my underwear, not caring about the mess I made as tears stream down my cheeks mercilessly.

The first year after waking up in that hospital, I would get nightmares as violent as these almost every night. The nightmares dwindled as the years went by. I now get them only a few days a week, two or even one if I’m lucky. One thing is constant, though: I never ever remember what I dreamed about—until now. And it wasn’t just a dream; it was a memory. I’m sure of it. I can feel it in the very fabric of my soul.

My first memory.

While it’s a horrible thing to remember, the car crash that changed the course of my life forever, and even if it made me sick, I’m grateful for it, to be able to have something back from my old life. And the image of my mom, I’m the most grateful for that; even bloody and unconscious, she still looked like an angel.

I don’t know how much time passes while I just sit here, trying to remember every single snippet of the horrible flashback, memorizing my mother’s face. If only I could have more.

Just a little more.

A dull headache blooms in the back of my head, and I hope it won’t get worse. Since the umbra attack, I have been getting headaches every single day. Some more time passes before I sigh and press my palms on the floor to stand up. My legs fell asleep since I spent so much time in the same position, and now they’re full of pins and needles. I do a little dance, trying to shake the weird sensation off. Bending at the waist, I roll the rug, pick it up from the floor, and take it into the kitchen.

Going back to the bedroom, I slip on an oversized T-shirt then shuffle back to the kitchen. After twenty minutes of scrubbing the rug with a brush, I still can’t get the stain off. It’s ruined, the stain permanently marring the pristine white of the fibers, just like the stain left behind by the crash on my life.

With a deep sigh, I make my way to the bathroom and crank the hot water almost to themax before I step into the shower. I need it to scorch my skin. To cleanse not only the tears and sweat from my body but also the awful feeling of guilt that always clings to me whenever I remember I’m the one who survived and my mom suffered a horrible death.

Sadly, when I step out, I don’t feel any better, so I decide to go for a run. The walls of the apartment suddenly feel too small, closing up on me and making me feel claustrophobic. I need some fresh air. Besides, I have to work out anyway. I go through the motions of getting ready, while the fact that Kaiden hasn’t contacted me since sending me those texts gnaws at me.

What is wrong with you? He’s a demon, Iris.

Dark clouds are rolling in on the portion of gray sky visible from my arched windows, so I grab a light jacket from my closet and quickly put it on. I decide to leave my phone at home since I don’t feel like listening to music. I need peace to be able to sift through my feelings.

As I exit the apartment building and stretch my calves a little, the rain starts with a light drizzle. The fine droplets of water stick to my braided hair and eyelashes when I begin running, the soles of my sneakers pounding on the asphalt, making splashing noises as the rain intensifies. Today, the air is cooler. It fills my lungs and burns my nose as I inhale deeply, picking up speed.

Even if it’s raining, people are out and about, huddled under umbrellas or wandering into restaurants or cafes. It’s Saturday, a little past noon, so naturally, everyone wants to enjoy the first day of their weekend.

After lunch with Noah and Tony, Noah walked me home and kissed me sweetly on the forehead, not making any attempts for more, and I haven’t seen him since. He’s probably busy with classified missions from the Kabal. Thankfully, the rest of the week went on without a hitch or any more craziness. I think I had enough in those first few days to last me a lifetime.

Tony also hasn’t shown his face again, but I plan to research his death and see if I can find something about his friend. Sam didn’t get the chance to look into it since she was crazy busy with her flower boutique.

There is one thing that’s still extremely strange, though: the streets are clear of demons. In all the years working for the Order, I have never had multiple nights of not finding even one demon to kill. It’s like the umbra made them go into hiding; at least, that’s one of the theories I came up with. Not like I can ask anyone about this aside from Kaiden; he’s the only person I know who can give me more information about the ancient demons.

My aunt hasn’t found anything about them in the library yet, either. I’ve been texting her multiple times a day about it, and I think she’ll probably want to hurl her phone at my head the next time she sees me, but not finding even one clue about the umbra and who’s behind the trap is making my skin itch.

Taking a turn at the end of the street, following my usual running route to the national park, where I can tap into the hellseeker speed and run faster, deep into the forest with no people around, I remember I promised Sam I would go out with her tonight to Sin. Ugh . I really don’t feel like it; I just want to binge-watch the rest of The Vampire Diaries season, eat until my stomach feels too full, and stuff my face with ice cream.

As soon as I get home from my run, my clothes drenched from the pouring rain dripping on the floorboards of my small apartment, a few missed calls and messages flood the screen of my phone—all of them, of course, from my psycho best friend.

Sam: Iris, you better answer the phone!

Hecate, help me; if you’re ignoring me on purpose, I’m going to hex your fl at ass.

You’re going out with me tonight whether you like it or not!

Iris Harper, you better not be dead in a ditch som ewhere.

If you don’t answer the phone in the next two hours, I’ll send a SWAT team to your apa rtment.

Or better yet, Ms. R obbins.

Iris, I’m getting worried. Seriously, though, let me know you’re safe! Love you! Xx

I guess me almost dying a week ago brought up the mother hen in Sam. She always felt protective of me, though, ever since finding me huddled in a corner of the school’s bathroom eight years ago, crying pathetically because I let Bitchasaurus Rex and her friends bully me. Even if she pushes my buttons and makes me crazy sometimes, I love her to pieces.

She’s my favorite person in the world, the sister I always wished I had. But you don’t need to share blood with someone for them to become your family. I quickly type a reply, not wanting her to be more stressed out than she already is.

Me: I’m alive…just went for a run and left my phone at home. Don’t worry about me. I’ll see you later. Kick ass at the wedding! Love you too! Xx

She works her ass off with the flower arrangements she does for events, and she is now two towns over, making sure everything is perfect at a wedding of a very influential couple. She must be stressed to the max. This is one of the biggest jobs she has ever gotten, and if it all goes well, she will finally be able to open a second flower shop here in Ashville—something she has been wanting to do for a long time now.

I spend the next few hours slumped under a blanket on my couch, laptop perched in my lap as I research every death caused by an animal attack that happened around Halloween. None of the articles I found online mentioned Tony’s death, though. Which is weird since the news covered a few deaths similar to his before and after Halloween about a year and a half ago, all of the victims with their hearts missing. I even go through the obituary section from the past two years. But again, no mention of Tony.

The news anchor’s voice announcing the gruesome death of a woman in the national park following an animal attack is bouncing off the walls of the apartment when Sam barrels through my front door. Her emerald gaze flits to my slumped body on the couch. “You look like shit. Did something happen?” In stark contrast to her words, Sam looks like a million bucks, dressed in a chic chartreuse pantsuit with a cream blouse underneath, her hair in a sleek bun. But I don’t miss the strain evident in the lines around her eyes and the dark circles under them.

“Wow, you’re not mincing words tonight,” I mutter as I pause the old video and place the laptop on the coffee table, closing it. She’s right, though. The last time I caught my reflection in the mirror, I looked like a hot mess. I haven’t been able to shake the dream and the memory of my mother for the first time in eight years. Since coming home from my run, I got into couch potato mode. I’ve only gotten up to receive the pizza delivery and to go to the bathroom.

Sam sighs deeply while she toes off her slingbacks. She drops her designer tote bag on the kitchen table before stopping in front of me. “So, I guess we’re not going out tonight after all?” she asks, pouting.

“I really, really don’t feel like it, Sam. Seriously. Not even for a million dollars, and I still don’t think I can drink alcohol just yet. My stomach is still pissed at me for mixing vodka and wine like a dumbass. I can’t even be in the vicinity of alcohol.”

“C’mon, scoot over and make some room for me,” Sam says bossily as she pushes my legs out of the way. She plops down and steals half of my blanket while narrowing her mossy green eyes at me. “You better have a good reason for not wanting to go out.” She takes off her suit jacket, draping it on the back of the couch. Then she slides her bra off while still keeping her blouse on. “Ugh. This bra was killing me.”

I heave out a deep sigh. “I had a flashback today. My first memory after the accident.”

Her eyes widen, and her eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “Oh my Goddess! What did you remember?”

My throat bobs when I swallow, and sweat slicks my palms as I grip the blanket. “The accident. I saw Mom.” Sam’s face gets blurry through the curtain of tears gathering in my eyes. “The car lurched over the side of the road, and we fell into a canyon. She was hurt; she had blood trickling down from her head and her nose. The trees stopped the car, and then they started snapping under the weight, and we started rolling again into the canyon. That’s when I woke up. It was a nightmare, but I’m telling you, Sam. It felt real, so fucking real,” my voice breaks, and tears run down my face freely.

“Holy shit! I’m so sorry, Iris,” Sam says before throwing her arms around me.

Sniffling, I wipe at my cheeks. “I’m not. It hurt like hell, but I remembered something at least. And I saw Mom. God, Sam…she was so beautiful. The photos don’t do her justice, I’m telling you.” Taking a big breath in and expelling it through my nose, I say, “And…I think I look like her. It was never evident to me before because the photos my aunt gave me are so old, but our eyes tilt at the exact same angle, and our noses look like carbon copies. I know it sounds crazy because I only saw her for a few seconds, but I swear she had the exact same number of freckles I have smattered on the bridge of my nose. She even had the one above her lip that looks like a beauty mark.”

She pulls back and squeezes my hand. “Of course you do, dummy. I’ve been telling you that since I first saw her photos. You’re the spitting image of your mom, sans the hair.” We remain like that for a few moments, Sam holding my clammy, trembling hand in hers as I cry silent, bittersweet tears. After I finally calm down, she grabs the remote and turns on the TV. “What do you want to watch?”

“ The Vampire Diaries .” I chew on my bottom lip, making my best puppy eyes at her. “So…you’re not mad at me? We can go out next weekend.”

“I can’t; I have to leave the country for the rituals I do with Grammie every year before the Summer Solstice, remember?” She gives me a side-eye and takes the remote, searching for the show in my list. “I’m really fucking tired anyway. This wedding kicked my ass.”

“Thank God and baby Jesus,” I sigh dramatically.

There’s a pause before she asks, “What were you watching earlier? Was it something about those animal attacks that happened in the national park?”

“Yeah, I was researching Tony’s death, but I couldn’t find anything. I was sure at first that it had something to do with the attacks that happened a few months before and after Halloween about a year and a half ago given the fact that all of the victims had their hearts missing, exactly like Tony. But I’m now starting to think it might not be related since I couldn’t find anything. He could have died ten years ago, for all we know.”

She taps a finger on her chin pensively. “Hmm, I think he would already be a poltergeist if that were the case. It had to have been recent. Ask him his full name next time you see him. Maybe we can find something about him if we know his surname too.”

“If he doesn’t flip the fuck out on me again. The last time I tried to pry information out of him, he was bouncing off the walls at the speed of light,” I grumble.

“Maybe you could coax it slowly out of him. Try asking for his full name first before you ask him about his friend again.”

“’Kay, I’ll do that…if I ever see him again.”

“Maybe you’re lucky, and it was a one-time thing. A glitch in your brain caused by that umbra attack. You said you keep getting migraines since, right?”

“Yeah, almost every day now.”

“That’s not good. Did the doctor say something after your exam?”

I shrug. “No, he said everything looks good.”

“I’ll brew you something to help alleviate the pain if you get another one. I think you should ask for another exam if things get worse, though,” Sam says as she presses play on the remote. She restarts the series from the beginning, but I don’t mind. “Man, these Salvatore brothers are so freakin’ hot,” she pipes up after a while, getting deeply invested in the show.

After I give Sam some sweats to change into, we spend the rest of the night binge-watching The Vampire Diaries and eating our weight in junk food and ice cream.