Incredible, a Paranormal Romance

  By: Jason Letts

  © 2011 by Jason Letts

  All rights reserved: no part of this book may be reproduced by any means without written permission from the author.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any actual person, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  *

  Chapter 1

  It was never meant to happen like this. A single choice had torn away the happy life I was supposed to have with Nathan, and now there was nothing left to do but wait for the darkness of death to descend. And it was all my fault.

  Dreaming, I was covered in a cloak of stars that stretched throughout the universe. The weightlessness of space, the timelessness of infinity, and freedom beyond any I’d ever known wrapped around me in a stellar array so beautiful it took my breath away.

  Nathan was with me, and we were reclining on a nebulous cloud that was giving birth to countless infant suns. Turning his head ever so slightly, he looked at me, and the passion and tenderness in his eyes made my heart skip a beat.

  “Never in my life have I seen anyone so beautiful,” he said, making me blush a shade of crimson that reflected throughout the galaxy.

  He reached over and peeled away my cloak, revealing my soft, shimmering teenage skin underneath. The stars drifted away until I was wholly and unmistakably human, but so was Nathan, and there was no doubt in my mind he would be more than enough.

  His warm fingertips grazed the skin of my arms, each touch a message of love shooting up my spine. His lips broached a calm, comforting smile that was so adorable I couldn’t resist tracing it with my fingers. The feel of his hands brushing along my shoulders, the back of my neck, and through my hair put all of my irrational worries to rest.

  We held each other, my hands gently rubbing his back and his holding me tight against him. Setting my head on his shoulder, I expected to drift off and let this bliss continue for eternity.

  But I glanced at my hand holding the back of his head and noticed a wrinkle forming right where my thumb and index finger met.

  I tried to shut it out of my mind, pretend it wasn’t there, but the wrinkle spread across my skin, blighting it as though it had never known moisture. I shuddered, suddenly so uncomfortable. My entire arm, which was becoming dull and pale, felt so foreign to me. The wrinkles crept past my elbow, consuming me and leaving nothing but flaky, scaly skin in their wake.

  My eyes met Nathan’s, and I fought to conceal the terrifying truth of what was happening to me. Pulling away, I rolled on my side, attempting to hide my withered appendage. I could feel it eating away at me up to my shoulder. What would Nathan think if he found out? I couldn’t let that happen.

  I was breathing so hard, deathly afraid of something I couldn’t prevent. Why did it have to happen now? But Nathan was still so relaxed, even though I writhed and fought against my own body. I gasped and twitched, slapping at the wrinkles that overtook my face, but I felt so weak compared to the fear that bloomed in my chest.

  When I thought they would take me completely, a sudden blinding light swept over everything around me.

  “Oh, good. She’s coming to,” said a deep base voice.

  My eyes started to focus and my racing heart began to calm. I couldn’t see anything but vague outlines for the brightness, but soon I was drawn to a strange purple wisp floating in the air. It looked like a lampshade until I realized there was a face attached. That face, it was Cammie’s, and she’d dyed and cut her hair. It wasn’t like that when I returned from the other world and exited the closet. Where was I? What was going on?

  “How are you feeling, Gladys?” the voice asked.

  “Gladys? I’m not Gladys,” I mumbled, finally able to see my hospital room for what it was. I was in bed near a doctor and a few chairs lining the wall beside me. Cammie occupied one, though she’d shifted away and crossed her arms over her chest. Nathan was in the other, and he seemed suddenly uncomfortable at what I’d said.

  “She must be a little disoriented,” he added, looking at me firmly and nodding.

  His eyes were trying to tell me that I was Gladys, but I wasn’t sure if he was right. Who was I now? I certainly wasn’t Apoxy, the magical spirit from Infinity, who could control fate and jump around between the countless parallel universes. I wasn’t even plain, normal Sarah, a regular teenage girl like any other.

  And then the image of the Gladys I met when I visited the nursing home hit me. She was sickly and helpless, and that was more like who I was now than anything I’d ever seen. I saw Nathan scratch the side of his head with a card in his hand in a way the doctor couldn’t see. Since I’d spent my life in the other world, there would be no record of me here, and so Nathan must’ve told them I was Gladys to get me medical care.

  “I’m feeling better,” I said to the doctor, even though it wasn’t really true. Lots of parts of me were in pain, but I felt like my entire being was squeezed into my head. I just hoped I would appear lucid enough to plaster over my mistake.

  “That’s good to hear. How about we get started then?” he said, pulling a chair toward the foot of my bed so that the four of us were sitting in something of a circle. He was a slight man, but he had an air about him that conveyed great intelligence and sympathy.

  “Even though I’ve been working with you for a few days now, I’m glad we finally get the chance to meet, Gladys. I’m Dr. Myers, and I’m a specialist in what we call palliative care for the National Hospice Foundation. Have any of you ever heard of palliative care?” he asked, offering a kind smile. Nathan shook his head, and Cammie didn’t respond at all.

  “Hospice and palliative treatments attempt to manage symptoms such as pain and disorientation in order to improve the quality of life of the patient and the health of the family as a whole. That’s why I’ve called everyone here today. This is a difficult, emotional process, but I hope we can bring enough understanding and compassion to make it manageable.

  “This type of care is usually employed for patients who suffer from terminal diseases such as cancer, but I’m very pleased to report that you remain cancer free.”

  Dr. Myers spoke slowly and matter-of-factly, often checking with me to make sure I was following along. But it was Nathan who seemed to need the attention. He became increasingly agitated, putting his hand over his mouth and then clenching it into a fist.

  “So if she doesn’t have cancer, what exactly does she have?” he asked, some of his frustration slipping through. The doctor grabbed a clipboard and started flipping through some charts. He could’ve been looking for the answer, or he could’ve just been trying to buy some time.

  “We’ve noticed some advanced deteriorations such as drowsiness, confusion, and loss of appetite that have us concerned. As I said, we can all help to manage these symptoms, but the underlying condition cannot be reversed.”

  As dazed as I was, I could still read between the lines and glean what the doctor was implying. I was dying, but it wasn’t from any kind of disease that they could cure. Good old-fashioned natural causes would be the end of me.

  Nathan slouched in his seat, a surly scowl on his face ready to spit venom at any moment. In a way, it was touching that he would be heartbroken over what had happened to me, but I didn’t need that to prove he cared.

  “How long does she have?” Nathan asked as he peered at the doctor.

  “It’s hard to say,” Dr. Myers offered, managing to sound neither too hopeful nor too pessimistic. “One of the things we like to do is get patients out of the hospital and back in their homes to provide a degree of normalcy and integration with the family, but we’d need to see some encouraging signs for that to happen.”

  “So you have no idea? No ballpark?” Nathan grumbled. It was clear he was hurt, but I had much more trouble figuring out what was going through Cammie’s mind. Despite her colorful appearance, she attempted to blend into the wall. Her eyes were on the floor, focusing on something in her mind, never bothering to show any signs she was acknowledging us.

  “Unfortunately, no one can ever know for sure how much time any of us have, but if we work together we can make sure that the time remaining is as comfortable and pleasant as possible for Gladys. There are some bed exercises we can do to improve circulation and alertness, some programs we can get you involved in that’ll help. I’ll be introducing you to a few more members of our team,” Dr. Myers explained, but Nathan’s frustration was bubbling over. He chewed on his lip and gripped the arm of the chair.

  “Look, that’s great and all, but you don’t understand. It’s not supposed to be like this!” he snapped angrily, making the doctor flinch. As Nathan fumed, Dr. Myers gave him his attention and extended a hand.

  “I understand how tough this is. Believe me,” he said. “But this is the life process we’re dealing with here. Getting angry might shut it out, but it’s not going to make death go away. Instead of looking at this as losing a loved one, let’s cherish the time we have with Gladys while she’s right here with us.”

  The doctor smiled at me, and I managed a weak smile in return. I’m sure he’d faced a lot of raw human fear and anger in his time, and Nathan wasn’t going to show him anything he hadn’t seen before.

  “No, really, she shouldn’t be this old. I don’t know what happened, but just a couple weeks ago she was completely fine. There must be some way to fix it…” Nathan was having trouble getting the words out. He was choking up, and I knew why.

  He wasn’t talking about growing old. For him, only a few days separated when
I left this world as a young woman and when I returned on death’s door. An entire lifetime had passed for me in the other world as I waited for the Cammie there to invent the cure for Huntington’s disease so I could save Nathan. As soon as I had it, Eve brought me back exactly as we had agreed upon.

  Our deal had been to give me what I needed to save Nathan’s life and in exchange I could never be with him. I thought I could find a way to get around that. I mean, if we were near each other, what could keep us from being together? But now the answer was obvious. At this moment, much more than a few feet separated us. Fifty years or more put him so devastatingly out of reach that it made me feel like my chest would cave in. I was so embarrassed by what I’d become, while he was still in the fresh bloom of youth.

  Of course, the doctor didn’t understand any of this. I was sure he just interpreted Nathan’s words as disbelief at a rapid decline.

  “I’m very sorry that things have taken a hard turn lately,” Dr. Myers sympathized. “Medical science has not yet uncovered all of the secrets of the human condition, and that in itself is a great pain to us. The best thing we can all do is be open and honest about our feelings. If we can confront them, we can learn how to understand them without letting them overtake us.”

  Nathan simply nodded. There wasn’t much more he could say on the subject without telling the doctor every horrible thing that had happened.

  “Now I’d be happy to answer any questions any of you might have. Gladys? Cam? Nathan?”

  He asked each of us in turn, but none of us said anything. Cam quickly shook her head, and Nathan released a sigh to express his resignation. Dr. Myers scratched his neck, making me wonder if we were disappointing him somehow.

  “One common question people have is about how best to provide comfort for their loved ones. While Gladys is staying with us here, I recommend you make regular visits, maybe for card games and the like as you would if she were home. Be willing to reminisce. Gladys, let’s treat this like a well-deserved vacation. You don’t have to worry about a thing. Let us handle your responsibilities for a while.”

  Dr. Myers gave us a long, appraising look. For as long as I’ve known them, Nathan and Cammie were always gabbing, and so it surprised me when they both had nothing at all to say.

  “Thank you, doctor,” I said, and he nodded.

  “Ok, I think that’s good for now. I’ll be getting some information to you soon, Nathan, and all of you can contact me at any time with any questions or concerns you might have. Thank you very much,” he said, rising to his feet.

  Instantly, Cammie bolted from her chair and rushed for the door. She moved so fast I could barely even see her leave, but then the door was open and I could hear some commotion in the hall.

  “Thank you,” Nathan said to the doctor, pursing his lips and barely even able to glance at me before he had to race after his younger sister. He barged into the hall, nearly knocking over a cart that one of the nurses was pushing. Bringing his pace to a swift jog, he chased after his sister who strode toward the elevator.

  “Cammie!” he called, but the purple hair, tight jacket, and ripped jeans kept moving away.

  Reaching her, he grabbed her sleeve and spun her around.

  “Oh, were you talking to me? Maybe you should’ve used my name then,” she snarled.

  “Cam!” he wheezed, frustrated and annoyed but forced to give in. “We have to do something. You know it shouldn’t be like this.”

  Cam groaned, rolling her eyes and pursing her lips until she caught the intensity of his stare. Nathan looked on edge, his hair matted and bags blotting below his eyes. He forced his sister to give him her attention, but she had anything but a mind to cooperate with him.

  “There’s nothing to do but listen to the doctor,” she argued. “You heard him. She’s going to die and nothing can change that. Now just find someone else to bother and leave me alone.”

  “You know this isn’t right,” he went on, holding her by the arm. “She’s not supposed to be this old. Eve did this to her.”

  “Let go of me! Eve’s gone. We watched her leave, remember? And now we’re stuck with what she left behind.”

  Flustered, Nathan glanced around at the sterile hospital hallway and the people walking by to try and find the right words.

  “Please,” he begged his sister. “You have to be the hero here, because nothing else is going to help her. I can’t lose her, and that’s why you have to find a way!”

  “I’m not even listening,” she sniped through her teeth, glaring directly into his eyes.

  She spun and started away, hitting one of the buttons to call the elevator. Nathan hobbled over, beside himself.

  “Don’t you care?” he called, practically shouting down a crowded hallway. “Don’t you even care that she’s about to die?”

  Cam wrapped her arms tight around her middle, but she couldn’t fight off his words. Turning, she pointed at him angrily.

  “You’re the one who made the deal with Eve. You knew this would happen! So don’t blame it on me that you’re about to lose her, not when I have my own problems to deal with. Thank you again for them, by the way,” she hissed.

  A ding announced the arrival of the elevator, and Cam stepped inside only enough to block Nathan from joining her. Never taking her scornful eyes off him, she hit one of the buttons, causing the door to conceal her and leaving Nathan alone in the desolate hospital hallway.

  Chapter 2

  “No, I can’t really talk right now, Garrett. I’m here.”

  The “here” Cam referred to was the bustling downtown police precinct, and she was outside the front door letting her boots sink into the slush by the road and holding her new smartphone to her ear. Getting up the nerve to go inside was proving difficult, so instead she just stared blankly through the door windows.

  “I never thought I’d end up getting called into a place like this,” she went on, continuing her conversation. “No, it isn’t cool, and you’d better watch yourself or the same thing’s going to happen to you…I don’t know what they’re going to do…I’m sure if they get even a whiff I was involved in the accident I’ll get charged with something and they’ll take all of Nathan’s money back.”

  Cam sighed and put her hand to her forehead. People were walking by, and she casually glanced around as though she really didn’t have any reason to be where she was. But the seconds were ticking away, and being late would only make things worse.

  “Now I have to go inside, and it’s not going to help that I look like a criminal. I can’t believe I let you talk me into doing this to my hair,” she said, pulling one of the purple locks in front of her eyes as Garrett said something that frustrated her. “Yes, I think it looks good…No, that isn’t all that’s important!

  “Look, I have to go now, but I’ll call you again when it’s over…I know what he wants to do. I just can’t believe you want to do it too…It’s fine. We’ll go over and meet him at the hospital afterward. Are you happy now? Bye.”

  Stuffing the phone in her pocket, Cam took a deep breath and started for the steps leading inside. She yanked open the heavy door and scanned the entryway for the appropriate place to go. There were plenty of desks with busy officers, but she got the attention of one of the receptionists behind a counter.

  “I was told to come and meet with Detective Mitchell,” Cam stated, and the man behind the counter nodded. He picked up the phone, hit some numbers, and then waited impatiently for a moment until he glanced back at one of the offices near the corner.

  “Come with me,” he said, putting down the phone and leading Cam around the counter. She sheepishly followed right behind him, peeking at computer screens and hardened faces on the way. He carefully popped open the door, gave a signal, and left Cam there all by herself.

  “Come in,” a stern female voice demanded.

  All of the windows were frosted, making it impossible to see inside. Cam nudged open the door and got her first glimpse of Detective Mitchell, a woman of substantial height who busily organized the papers cluttering her desk.

  “Go ahead and have a seat, but shut the door first. Ok, sit down,” she jabbered, making Cam jump with each command. When she finally settled into the maroon chair, Mitchell dropped into her seat behind her desk, allowing Cam to notice how her brown curls amplified her piercing glare. It was enough to make Cam think she was already guilty.