"In nature, water decides when it starts and when it stops. The storm goes where it wants and it's power comes from within. You are the storm, Everly - nothing can hold you back."
Described as a fantastical-romance with fur, The Element is a contemp...
Undo this storm Undo this sto-orm Undo this storm And wait -Of Monsters and Men
Everly
My breath, visible in the cold Ozark Mountain air, spirals above my head. Everything on my body aches. From the patches of exposed scalp on my head to the blisters covering the soles of my feet. Goosebumps litter my battered and bruised skin and holding my wrist close to my body was doing little to ease the aching throb or reduce its swelling, but I push forward.
My determination is what fuels me now. So close to my goal, I refuse to quit.
Grasping the strap of my backpack, I clutch the damaged paper that my mother scribbled Danny's name and address on, along with the map I printed at the Eureka Springs Library. The address my mother had given me rested deep in the Ozark Mountains near the White River, roughly seven miles from town. In a few hours, I would be reunited with my other half.
The cool mountain air whispers through the tall pine and cedar trees that shroud the dirt road in solitude and silence. The mountain mist clings to the fabric of my wet and threadbare hoodie. Gravel crunching beneath tires draws my attention away from my worn sneakers and to an approaching large, black truck. Ensuring that the bruised half of my face is hidden behind my long, blonde hair, I adjust my hood and watch as the colossal vehicle comes to a stop. The doors open and my heart thunders deep in my chest. There's nowhere to run or hide and even if there was, physically I am struggling to remain upright. My breath hitches when three giants climb out of the cab of the pickup. There's no way I can fight back.
These men are young, imposing, and completely solid. The first one to approach me looks like he should be carrying a surfboard and walking the sandy beaches of Southern California. He stops and hooks his thumbs in his jean belt loops. "Afternoon," he greets. "You're awfully far away from town. You lost or something?" He steps closer and I can see the bluish-green tint in his eyes. "You need some help?"
My chest tightens as fear mixes with pain causing my body to tremble.
A second man approaches. He is taller than the surfer and has dark hair that shines from the moisture in the air. As he steps into my personal space, I jerk back. The jarring action causes me to lose traction on the wet ground. My ribs shriek in protest from the sudden movement and I swallow a yelp.
"We ain't gonna hurt ya," he assures me, his palms out in a non-threatening gesture. "There's nothing out this way but trees and the occasional hunting cabin." He motions to the road ahead of me.
I furrow my brows as I begin to wonder if I am indeed lost.
He looks at me with a fierceness in his cobalt blue eyes. "Are you looking for someone?" He asks.
I shouldn't trust him, but there's something about him that disarms me. "My brother," I choke out and hold up the crushed and damp papers.
Slowly, the man steps forward to take my battered documents. As our fingers touch something shifts deep within my soul. An energy passes through me that squeezes my already pulsating heart. The look on his face tells me that he felt the spark too, but before I can wrap my mind around it or ask him what the heck is going on, darkness closes in on my vision. I feel myself falling towards this stranger that, for some unknown reason, feels completely safe.
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