Read A Time to Die (Elemental Rage Book 2) for Free Online

This disease was inside her, infecting her mind, affecting her
spirit.  Raven hoped she was strong enough.  She had to be.
    With a sigh, Aunt
Bertha hugged her niece.  She had one more piece of advice, “Honey. You’re
strong with the Empty space where energy and matter are created.  No one, and I
mean, no one, can force you to move from one dimension to the other without
your approval. As a matter of fact, if you find yourself being dragged along,
you can redirect the energy.  Use it to go where you want to go. No one
can take your soul without your permission. This is a fight you can win,
because your soul is powerful. Understand?”
    “Sure, Aunt
Bertha.”
    Raven didn’t
understand at all. Maybe she should have paid more attention in science class. Not
that Void creatures figured prominently in any sphere of education. There was a
time when Raven enjoyed learning about the Universe and her part in it. Maybe
someday she would enjoy it again…if she could just hang onto her soul.
     
     
    ~~ Jade ~~
     
     
    Jade’s serve
smacked into the net.  She avoided a glance at the coach as they rolled the
ball to the other team and ran forward to get in position.  The other team
served and she managed to get under it in time…barely.   Her game was off.
    The coach rotated
her out and Jade took her spot on the bench while one of the other juniors
stepped in.  She usually played longer before sitting the bench.  Some games
she hardly sat at all. 
    She watched with an
unsettling disinterest, her eyes following the ball back and forth across the
net.  Usually her competitive nature would have her eager to get back in the
game, even on her worst night.  She couldn’t stop thinking of the night before
and seeing that strange formless face shadowed under a reaper’s hood.
    “You okay? I heard
Shelly was busted last night.  Your sister wasn’t caught up in that, was she?” 
Cindy Mason sat the bench with Jade.  She was a sophomore, the same grade as
Raven, but they ran in different circles. Cindy was one of the two sophomores
who played varsity.
    Jade shook her
head, “No. She wasn’t.”
    The news had been
the talk of the bus ride.  The cops had raided a party in Barton and arrested
Shelly, Kirk, Paul, Jenny, and Tyler.  Had Raven not left the party when she
did, her name probably would have been added to the list.
    Cindy was an odd
girl.  She had a growth spurt and her pants were all high-water which led to
more teasing and taunting than a girl her age should probably bear.  While they
weren’t exactly friends, Jade didn’t shun her either.  Jade never fit in
herself anyway.  Jade was relieved when Cindy got called forward and subbed
into the game.  Jade wanted the world to fade into silence.  She wondered if it
was something the Void did to her.  She felt so quiet inside.
    They lost that
round. Jade rotated in again.  She did her best, making more mistakes than usual. 
At least they won.  She was returning with her team to the locker room when
Zach ran across the gym, “Hey, Jade?”
    Snapping out of
her reverie, she blinked, “What?”
    “Next Saturday is
a home game.  I thought maybe we could go out to Red’s Steakhouse for dinner?”
Zach was wearing a button-up short-sleeve shirt and new jeans.  Jade tilted her
head.  This was a first.  She was actually being asked out on a date.  Zach’s
cheeks started to flush the longer he stood waiting for an answer.
    Jade was flustered. 
She looked around as if he was talking to someone nearby and said, “Me?”
    Zach had an extra
long bit of hair for bangs that hung a bit over his eyes.  It made him look
cute. He blurted out, “If you want. I mean, if you’re up for it. I don’t want
to get in the middle of any plans or anything.”
    Jade wiped the
sweat from her palms onto her shorts and then realized how stupid that probably
looked.  She said, “No. No plans.  I mean, I’d love to go to dinner with you
next Saturday.”
    If