Chapter 360: Chapter 360: More Than Before

What is it about the power of a heartbeat? A whole lifetime can be lived between one pulse and the next. Or, at least, it felt that way to me.

When I opened my eyes in Mom's quarters, everything came into sharp focus. Her face hovering over mine, fear clear in her blue eyes, the scent of roasted meat mingling with some kind of scented candle burning nearby. The very touch of my clothing was foreign, abrasive in some areas, soft and flexible in others, while the brush of Mom's fingers over my cheek felt like dual paths of fire sending shivers down my spine.

"Syd." Mom's voice was so clear it had edges. How odd. "Sweetheart, how are you feeling?"

Like I'd had some kind of flu? A fainting spell? Her tension hovered around her, anxiety as clear as the glowing blue, green, amber and white aura surrounding her in a shimmering field. How had I never noticed it before?