Broken Read Free Page A

The sounds of the party became distant, like a humming and inside of
my head. A loud and very clear voice took over. I wanted to smile but don't
think I managed to do so. It was the singing voice of Aiyana .
She was calling my name.
    “Christian. Christian.”
    It was the sweetest of all sounds. How I had longed to
hear her say my name again.
    I heard Jim talking in the distance but didn't care.
The heat was burning me up inside, but all I cared about was her voice. She
called me again and again. And then just as suddenly as the voice had appeared
it was gone. My sight returned and I was staring directly into Jim's face.
    "Hey there. Are you alright?" he asked.
    I shook my head slightly. "I ... I’m fine. Just a
little dizzy there," I said.
    Jim drew a relieved sigh and laughed. "Boy I
thought for a second you were going to faint there," he said. "It was
crazy. I tell you. Your eyes. They ... They ... it was like they glowed there
for a minute man. It was like the blue in your eyes lit up in the dark for a
second. That's crazy man. Maybe you should have a doctor check you or
something. Your eyes looked weird. It was like they were on fire or something.
I’ve never seen anything like it. Are you sure you're okay? Your eyes are still
glassy. Maybe you have a fever or something."
    "I do feel a little warm," I said.
    Jim touched my forehead. "A little hot!? Man
you're burning up!"
    "I guess I'd better go home," I said.
    Jim put his glass on a table. "I'll take you
home."
    "Thanks man," I said and looked towards
Heather’s direction. The look in her eyes told me she was drunk by now. She was
leaning on some guy who looked like the rest of the company. She was laughing
at everything he said while gently touching him.
    "You want me to tell her that you're going
home?" Jim asked.
    I shook my head. "She won't care by now," I
said. "Probably won't even notice."
    "Come on. We'll take my car," Jim said.
    I threw one last glance at Heather as I left the
ballroom of Regina and Ralph's oversized mansion. As I did she turned and
looked straight into my eyes while touching the man's chest gently. We had been
through this so many times by now. I knew that look in her eyes. She knew I was
going, but she couldn't care less.

Chapter 3
    I was
still burning hot as I paid the sitter and checked on
William. He was sleeping soundly in his bed as I went in to kiss him on the
forehead. I stroked his cheek while feel my love for him rose inside of me. He
was the one thing I had accomplished that I was proud of. The one thing that
kept me sane. Everything else, the house, the cars, the clinic none of it had
anything to do with me. None of that could make my heart pound like the sight
of William breathing heavily under the covers did. I smiled and kissed his
forehead again while wishing that he grow up to have all of his dreams realized
and that he end up with the woman he truly loved.
    I felt a drop of sweat roll down my forehead and saw
it on the tip of my nose as it left my body and landed on Williams cover. I
wiped the rest of the sweat away with the back of my hand. It was hot outside
but I did not normally sweat like this. Plus I had been in air-conditioning all
day. Merely going from Jim’s car to the house would not make me perspire like
that. I felt my forehead and it was still burning. I had to have a fever, I
thought. But why didn't I feel sick? I didn't have that feeble, feverish
feeling. I wasn't even tired. To be perfectly honest I felt even stronger than
usual. I looked at my arms and felt strength rising in them, like the muscles
were literally growing as I watched them from outside the white shirt. What was
going on? Was it muscle-pain caused by the fever? Maybe it was just a cold coming
on or the flu, I thought and got up from William's bed. I didn't want to infect
him if I was contagious.
    I glanced at him for one more second before I
carefully closed the door to his room and went back to the master bedroom. I
stripped off my shirt