Read Online Translucent by Nathaniel Beardsley - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Nathaniel Beardsley
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with their lives normally, but not her. She was destined to see the Sandman. That was her fate, for as long as he decided it was.
She had no idea if she would see Shawn in her next life. All she could do was hope.
19
2 years later…
Karena had an appointment with the Sandman. It had been Shawn’s turn two years before, and now it was her turn.
The last two years s hould have gone by slowly, after all, her living at the orphanage and w ith her desperately wanting out should have made it seem longer, especially with her anxiety building up the whole time. But the years went by as if they were in the snap of a finger, and now the day had arrived.
She was with her friends, like last time. She didn’t know why she was with them. She hardly knew them. She was an outsider, and they probably found her a nuisance, tagging along. But they were friendly , though oftentimes annoyingly friendly, and let her come along. They even asked her where she wanted to go for lunch. She said anywhere but Quencher’s. They had wanted to go there, though they didn’t say that. Karena could tell, but they hid their annoyance. She wasn’t going back to that place. The deja-vu would be too strong. She would feel an even greater dread then she already was feeling if they walked through the front door of Quencher’s. So they went elsewhere, and sat down at a table, and ordered food.
Karena didn’t want to look at her watch, but it was involuntary. She had to look at it. She looked at it. They were earlier than last time. The Sandman wasn’t com ing for 15 more minutes. She broke into a cold sweat.
Her friends asked her if she was okay. She said yes. They ordered their food. The thought of eating made Karena want to throw up, but she ordered a piece of pizza anyway. The food came. Everyone ate, except for Karena. There was hardly any time left until he arrived. Every few seconds she looked back at her watch, and every time it was a little sooner until he came. Her friends were probably asking her something, but Karena was cut off from them, like she was in a parallel universe, an alternate reality. She completely ignored them. Nothing that was around her actually existed, it was merely a fragment of her imagination. Nothing was real except for the Sandman, who was sitting at the table in front of her.
Karena stared. There he was, after all this time, sitting there just like he’d been at Quencher’s over 14 years ago. Exactly like he’d been last time. His hat was pulled far over his face so that she couldn’t see it. But she didn’t need to. The face haunted her nightmares all the time, and she knew it well.
Suddenly, Karena freaked out. Frantically, she stood up and threw her plate at him, but she missed and the plate crashed against the wall and splintered into pieces. Karena picked up a knife, hardly even aware of what she was doing, and charged at him, raising the knife in the air, but a force held her back. She realized her friends had grabbed her, were trying to calm her down. She trashed wildly in their arms. She had to kill him. She had to kill the Sandman before he could start her torment all over again. She raised the knife and threatened to stab her friends, and they backed away. She charged at the Sandman, who continued to sit calmly in the same exact positon , as if nothing was happening at all . People were staring at her, terrified, but she paid them no heed . She only could see the man sitting in front of her.
And then he disappeared. He’ d been there a moment ago, and then he was gone. Karena whirled around, looking for him. There he was, standing outside the window on the opposite wall, with his hat still pulled over his face as if he’d been there all along . Breathless, heart beating furiously, Karena charged once again, picking up a chair along the way. She hurled it in front of her with as much force as she could muster, and t he window smashed into millions of tiny pieces as the chair collided with it,
She had no idea if she would see Shawn in her next life. All she could do was hope.
19
2 years later…
Karena had an appointment with the Sandman. It had been Shawn’s turn two years before, and now it was her turn.
The last two years s hould have gone by slowly, after all, her living at the orphanage and w ith her desperately wanting out should have made it seem longer, especially with her anxiety building up the whole time. But the years went by as if they were in the snap of a finger, and now the day had arrived.
She was with her friends, like last time. She didn’t know why she was with them. She hardly knew them. She was an outsider, and they probably found her a nuisance, tagging along. But they were friendly , though oftentimes annoyingly friendly, and let her come along. They even asked her where she wanted to go for lunch. She said anywhere but Quencher’s. They had wanted to go there, though they didn’t say that. Karena could tell, but they hid their annoyance. She wasn’t going back to that place. The deja-vu would be too strong. She would feel an even greater dread then she already was feeling if they walked through the front door of Quencher’s. So they went elsewhere, and sat down at a table, and ordered food.
Karena didn’t want to look at her watch, but it was involuntary. She had to look at it. She looked at it. They were earlier than last time. The Sandman wasn’t com ing for 15 more minutes. She broke into a cold sweat.
Her friends asked her if she was okay. She said yes. They ordered their food. The thought of eating made Karena want to throw up, but she ordered a piece of pizza anyway. The food came. Everyone ate, except for Karena. There was hardly any time left until he arrived. Every few seconds she looked back at her watch, and every time it was a little sooner until he came. Her friends were probably asking her something, but Karena was cut off from them, like she was in a parallel universe, an alternate reality. She completely ignored them. Nothing that was around her actually existed, it was merely a fragment of her imagination. Nothing was real except for the Sandman, who was sitting at the table in front of her.
Karena stared. There he was, after all this time, sitting there just like he’d been at Quencher’s over 14 years ago. Exactly like he’d been last time. His hat was pulled far over his face so that she couldn’t see it. But she didn’t need to. The face haunted her nightmares all the time, and she knew it well.
Suddenly, Karena freaked out. Frantically, she stood up and threw her plate at him, but she missed and the plate crashed against the wall and splintered into pieces. Karena picked up a knife, hardly even aware of what she was doing, and charged at him, raising the knife in the air, but a force held her back. She realized her friends had grabbed her, were trying to calm her down. She trashed wildly in their arms. She had to kill him. She had to kill the Sandman before he could start her torment all over again. She raised the knife and threatened to stab her friends, and they backed away. She charged at the Sandman, who continued to sit calmly in the same exact positon , as if nothing was happening at all . People were staring at her, terrified, but she paid them no heed . She only could see the man sitting in front of her.
And then he disappeared. He’ d been there a moment ago, and then he was gone. Karena whirled around, looking for him. There he was, standing outside the window on the opposite wall, with his hat still pulled over his face as if he’d been there all along . Breathless, heart beating furiously, Karena charged once again, picking up a chair along the way. She hurled it in front of her with as much force as she could muster, and t he window smashed into millions of tiny pieces as the chair collided with it,
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