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Contemporary Romance******
Death.
For some, it’s simply one of life’s certainties, nothing more. For others, it’s
merely a fleeting thought, one often overshadowed by the reckless delusion that
they have been blessed with the gift of immortality.
For Aubrey Miller, death is the definition of her very existence. Overcome with
the guilt resulting from the loss of her beloved family, she alters her
appearance from the once beautiful, blonde-haired, blue-eyed little girl to
that of one shrouded in complete darkness, enveloping herself in her own
unbreakable fortress of solitude as a form of protection for others.
As she enters her first year of college, her goal is simple: Earn a degree with
the least amount of social interaction as possible. What she never anticipates
is the formation of very unlikely relationships with two people who will change
her life in ways she never believed possible: Quinn Matthews, the boisterous
former pageant queen, and Kaeleb McMadden, a childhood friend from her past who
never really let her go.
Over the years, as their connections intertwine and grow, a seemingly
indestructible bond is formed between the three…
But when death painfully reemerges, Aubrey is lost once again, burying herself
deeper than ever before inside the familiar fortification of her fears.
Will the refuge of friendship, the solidarity of life-long bonds, and the power
of unconditional love be enough to do the impossible?
Will they be enough to finally bring about…
The Resurrection of Aubrey Miller?
The memory escapes slowly
from its confinement, almost cautiously, before finally freeing itself, rushing
my mind so quickly I physically wince in response. The pain it will yield is
inevitable and I’m defenseless against it as it begins to replay in my mind:
“I don’t want to go, Kaeleb. I’m scared.” I wipe the endless
streams of tears from my cheeks as I search desperately for the relief of
comfort from his glistening eyes. But there’s nothing that can help me now.
Cold darkness threatens to swallow me as I’m pulled under and barely breathing.
I’m dying. Just like my family.
“Bree,” he responds, quickly removing the salty trails of
sorrow from his own face. “You have to go. You – ”
“I know. I have no one here.” I sigh. “They’re all…gone.”
Kaeleb nods ever so slightly before pulling me into his
arms. Only eight years old, same age as me, yet his hold feels so strong, so
secure. I know he doesn’t want to let me go, and as the pretty lady with the
rose perfume comes to break us apart, the need for us to grasp onto each other
becomes more frantic. She calls for help and as they pry us apart, the tears
continue to roll down our cheeks with the knowledge that this will be our last
moment together. We hold as tightly as
we can, but are eventually broken apart, our fingers the last to let go as we
reach for each other.
“I love you, Kaeleb,” I whisper to myself as they gently
guide me into the back seat of an unknown car. Before they close me in I scream
as loudly as I can. “You’re my best friend!”
His eyes meet mine as they shut the door between us. With
purpose, he stalks to the car and just as they start the engine, he places his
palm flat on the window with his fingers spread as far as they will go.
Slamming my hand against the cool glass, I mirror his gesture, knowing this
will be the last time I will ever be in the presence of my friend. My best
friend.
As we drive away, I watch out the back window as he runs
down the street as long as his weary legs can carry him. They eventually buckle underneath him and his
knees hit the ground, unable to keep up any longer.
Throwing my hand against the back window, the car turns the
corner and I lose sight of him. Not until he’s gone do I allow myself to
surrender to the darkness. I no longer fight for the need to breathe as I let
go. Stepping out of myself, I watch the
pretty, blonde-haired, blue-eyed little girl slowly dying as she sinks,
spiraling lower and lower, until finally disappearing into the bottomless pit
that consumes her.
“Hell-ooooo!” Quinn’s
voice filters slowly through the searing pain of my memory, bringing me back
into the present where I’m still standing on my bed and the damn poster is
still swinging from side-to-side behind me.
But now, instead of the sound barely registering, it’s grating against
my eardrums like nails on a chalkboard.
Grand Prize: Signed Copy of The Resurrection of Aubrey Miller and a 30 Minute Skype Call with L.B. Simmons.
Two Runner’s up will win a $5.00 Amazon Gift Card Each
L.B. Simmons is a
graduate of Texas A&M University and holds a degree in Biomedical Science.
She has been a practicing Chemist for the last 11 years. She lives with her
husband and three daughters in Texas and writes every chance she gets.
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