Bear Heart (Book 2)

Chapter 20

…nothing but a coincidence…

…it’s not me…

“Stop! Get out of my head! You’re lying!”

…accept that he’s gone…

…he’s gone…

…gone…

“He’s not gone! You’re not gone! Kenai! Kenai!”

As I stared at myself in the mirror, my hysteria far from coming to an end, I saw something strange. My green eyes, my dark, emerald green eyes, had changed their color. It was quick, it only lasted a few seconds, but they changed to a honey brown. I flung myself away from the mirror, my back against the wall of the bathroom, slowly sliding down to the floor.

Why did they change to that color? Darcy told me that my eyes changed color when she shot Kenai, and I didn’t pay any mind to what she had to say. Sonia mentioned my eyes when I was beating Darcy after she killed Kenai, but I didn’t ask what she meant. Then Kenai also said that they changed colors when we were arguing. I finally started piecing everything together. This had all happened after Kenai died, and it happened every time I had a strong negative emotion. I recognized the color they changed into, and they could be none other than his eyes. Kenai’s eyes. Maybe a piece of him lingered in me, in my soul. Maybe the bear within me showed itself this way.

I brought my knees to my chest, placing my head between them. I was still panting heavily, my heart was beating a mile a minute, and my entire body was trembling. I brought my hands to head, knotting my fingers through my hair. There was a terrible headache pounding away at my temples, and I felt everything stirring. Why was this happening to me? What brought this on?

I began to hear a raven’s caw. Whether it was real or in my head, I didn’t know, but it was loud. It was echoing through the room at a loud volume, making my knees squeeze my head tighter. “Takeena!” I yelled. There was loud barking coming from the other side of the door. Jack was clawing at the door, beginning to whine. He must have sensed that something was wrong with me. Then again, how could he not with all of my screaming?

Suddenly, all of the spinning and echoing stopped, leaving only Jack’s whining and the sound of the telephone ringing downstairs. I gave a deep sigh of relief, picking up my head and running my hand through my knotted hair. “What are you doing to me, Takeena?” I murmured, feeling exhausted after my episode. I did just tell Kenai his whole past life. Maybe Takeena was angry with me.

Kenai’s expression flashed in my mind. He really didn’t believe me. He didn’t believe what I had to say. How could he? At the time, my mind was clouded by rage, refusing to see any reason. Now, I just felt foolish. I let everything out into the open. Now what did I do? How would I confront him the next time I saw him? I thought back to what could have possibly caused me to go on such a rampage. Then, like a harsh slap in the face, I remembered. Kate was now Kenai’s girlfriend. My heart began to sink at the thought.

The phone continued to ring, so I shakily got myself up from the bathroom floor and headed down the stairs. My steps were wobbly, and I still felt short of breath and dizzy. Jack followed closely behind me. It was sweet how he seemed concerned. He was a retired police dog, after all. He knew when someone was in danger.

I finally reached the kitchen table and picked up the phone. “Hello?” I answered, my voice now hoarse from screaming. “Clarina Jordan?” A gruff voice asked. “Yes?” I asked. Maybe my voice wasn’t recognizable right now, since it was very raspy. “This is Officer Petty again from NYPD, I’m calling to notify you that the trial will be taking place in four days, on Wednesday, so I will need you to come to New York. I did tell you during my last call to make the necessary preparations for when the trial takes place, so I trust that you’re ready to leave soon?”