Hope your Sunday mornings/afternoons are going great.
I would love to share with you an excerpt from my Soul Collector series.
A scene taken from the first chapter, whereby Ana Maria is heading home after a along day of souls collecting.
Here it is:
I ghost into my room. Everything looks the same: my ancient computer still on the table next to the window, photo frames of my family members lined up on the alongside it. Dust clings on the table and bedside lamps, awaiting my return. I trace my hand along the crochet bedspread, and sigh.
This isn’t my life anymore. I leave.
In the realm of After World of Shadow and Light, I head for my rooms in Grim’s brightly lit gothic castle. I shower and change into a red dress with a drooping back, and gold high heels. I complete the look with a gold sash around my waist, and sprinkle glitter along my arms. I smile, enjoying how the glitter sparkles against my dark skin. After applying eye-liner, I pull my hair back into a knot.
Grim always insists on dressing up for dinner.
Satisfied by my appearance, I descend down the gleaming dark wood stairs, polished to the perfection. The grand staircase is illuminated by dozens of mouth-shaped sconces mounted on the walls, giving the illusion of a gaping mouth breathing out red fire. Shadows flicker all around me. I clutch the brass rail for support, my throat tightens and my heart beats pound loudly and my eyes ache from peering into the shadows.
Outside the arched doorway leading to the dining hall, I pause and take a deep breath, and with my palm brush the thin layer of sweat on my forehead, willing my heart to cease its wild beating. Finally, I take a step forward and enter the enormous hall. The two tables positioned in the middle of the room are decked with gold and black table cloths, crammed full with dinner guests murmuring in low voices.
As if sensing my presence, Grim straightens and looks at me. His date on his right, a Rusalka, follows his gaze. She looks me over as if she’s sizing me for competition. Hasn’t she gotten the newsflash? I am the Grim Reaper’s Novice. I hold her gaze. Her blood red lips tighten, she flicks her wet long golden hair from her face and glares at me. Behind her pale white and translucent face, her disturbing pupil-less eyes glow like green neon fire as our gazes lock. Her eyes seem to convey you’re lucky we don’t have a pond around hear, because I’d just drown you. A shiver slithers along my spine. This is one water-nymph I’ll be avoiding in the future.
I turn my gaze to Grim, who is watching me with a proud fatherly smile, and beckons for me to take a seat opposite him.
I clear my throat, and lower myself on the chair opposite him. “Good evening, Grim.” He frowns. “Er… Ernest.” I correct myself. The first time we met, he introduced himself as Ernest, and said it made him feel friendlier. Honestly, I’ll never get used to calling him Ernest, despite his cheerful disposition.
His unmasked handsome, ageless face lights up, giving me a toothy smile. I almost roll my eyes, then stop myself as we have company.
“Good evening, my Novice,” he says in a deep and cheerful voice.
After settling myself down, I sneak glances at my fellow diners and a giggle escapes my lips. What would my best friends Reiner and Lea think if I told them who my dining guests are?
“Hello,” says a Chimera sitting on my right, and I turn to face her. I’m not sure which of his heads greeted me, as one is flirting with a male Vampire sitting at her other side, and the other two are facing me.
“Hi,” I say, shifting in my chair. “Are you…” I trail off as the two heads lose interest in me.
I sigh. As always, this is going to be one long torturous dinner.
There’s throat clearing on my left. I turn my body to face the Djinn beside me, his smile so bright it’s almost blinding me. The one thousand candle crystal chandelier suspended from the domed ceiling doesn’t make things easier. Candles flicker, shadows dance across his face.
“Hello, I’m Adis,” he says, extending his hand towards me in greeting.
Would love to know what you think. Comments/feedback are highly welcome and appreciated.
