Death by Tara Brown

her head, "No."
    I climb off the bed and run down the hall and the flights of stairs.
    When I get to the kitchen I see something more horrifying than anything
I've ever seen. A dark skinned girl is standing in the kitchen cooking, but I
can see through her. Her body is see-through.
    I scream. I blink my eyes, panicking. I close my right eye and wink my
left.
    Instantly I'm on the beach. The secret beach. I shake.
    "You okay?"
    I look at Sam and start to cry, "No. No. I'm not okay. I'm never
going to be okay."
    He drops to his knees in front of me and hugs me. His warmth and smell
are more than I can bear. My hands spark. He shoves me suddenly and I'm across
the beach on my back. I groan.
    "You can't do that to me. I could die."
    I moan and sit up. The pain is fading fast. He walks to me and offers me
a hand. "This was why they locked you up in the room last time."
    "Why?"
    "You couldn’t control your powers. Let's go back."
    I take his hand and instantly we are back at the old house. The dark
haired guy is there. The one with the black eyes and dirty smile. He makes me
think things I shouldn’t.
    "Thanks for fetching her, Sam. I'll take over from here." He
walks over like he owns the world and offers his arm. I take it. A spark hits my
hands when he touches me and then we're in a dark room. I gag from the way we
start and stop.
    He slides a hand up into my hair. "You owe me something,
Aimee."
    I pull back, "I don’t know you."
    He grabs me and crashes his lips on mine. My body erupts. My hands slide
up into him. Sparks fly. He grabs my wrists, laughing in my mouth. "Tsk,
tsk, tsk, you naughty thing. If I didn’t know any better I'd think you
remembered more than you’re letting on."
    I jerk my hands out of his, "Why? Did I hate you? Did I want you
dead?"
    He steps into my face, "You wanted me as much as I wanted you. You
were just stubborn."
    I cross my arms, "I'm not stupid. I can feel your effect on me. You
all have it." My stomach aches.
    He grins, "You haven’t been eating."
    I shake my head, "I have. I've eaten a sandwich and some eggs and
some cereal and a bowl of pasta. I've never eat so much in my life but I'm
starved still." Sweat trickles down my face.
    He sighs and grabs my hand. Warm thick air crashes into me like a brick
wall. I pull my hands away, "Okay enough. I'm done with the flashing here
and there and everywhere. Jesus. Stop."
    He puts a hand out, "Pick."
    I look around at the seedy alleyway and dirty concrete. I step closer to
him. He chuckles and puts an arm around me.
    "I'll keep you safe."
    The warmth of his body is comforting. My nose catches something. A smell.
It makes my belly rumble. The dark seedy alley moves with something I never
noticed before. I notice a figure staggering towards us. He trips. My nostrils
flare. A guttural sound rolls through me. I step away from the dark haired guy
and immediately notice the sparks in my hands. I snap my fingers making flashes
of light flicker in the dark alley. As the staggering man gets near enough, my
hand lashes out at his throat. I pull hard and fast. I cry out as the intense
heat and seductive warmth fills me in a rush. I drop to my knees next to the
dead man who has dropped to the ground in a heap.
    "Oh my god." I moan.
    Chuckles fill the alley behind me, "You really are an animal, Aimee."
    I glance back, "What have you done to me?" My heart is aching
but the glorious feeling inside of me is too much. It wins out over my guilt
and pain.
    "Made you something so strong, even time can't change you back
apparently." He sounds like he is in awe of the horror show in front of
him.
    "Where is Shane?" I ask, terrified he has shared the fate of
the man on the ground.
    "He's in Portland. He's safe. Stop worrying about him. You have work
to do. Did Lydia tell you the entire story? About the things we need to
accomplish in the next few months?"
    I nod and look at the ground, "It can't be real. This can't be real.
I must have some kind of tumor. I need an MRI