The Luminosity Series (Book 1): Luminosity Read Free Page A

turned my head away from him,
hiding the emotion that accompanied his presence. After dragging a chair beside
the bed, he leaned forward to gaze at the floor, contemplating something. His
expression tensed, struggling to witness my fragile spirit. “You’ll be okay
this time. I promise.” He snapped out of scrutiny as he watched my eyes fill to
their capacity.
    “What
happened?” I asked. He took a deep breath, searching for a believable
explanation.
    “You
were in a car accident. I found you lying upside down off the side of the road.
You don’t remember?” His dark eyes threw me a heavy glance. My eyelids
fluttered in denial as I shook my head. “They brought you here not long after I
got to you. You’re lucky to be alive, Aubrey.” He clenched his jaw tightly,
struggling with the emotion that followed. Then, without wanting to, I exploded
into tears in front of him. He shot up from his position, catching me as I
leaned forward, gasping on air. Several moments passed before I collected
myself again.
    “How
long have I been here?”
    “A
week…” He took his seat again.
    “It’s
been that long?” My eyes swelled at his nod.
    “When
they wheeled you into the trauma unit, I thought for sure you wouldn’t make it,
Aubrey…” His voice tapered off to a whisper. My heart raced again at the
flashbacks of the accident, hoping to remember how it happened. “They said you
were lucky to have gotten here when you did.”
    He
released a quick breath.
    “How’d
you know to come after me?”
    “You
never returned my calls or texts.” He turned his head to obscure his emotions.
    “How
did this happen?” I asked in a confused grimace. He rose from his chair hastily
to pace the floor.
    “We
should focus on your recovery right now. We can talk about the details of the
crash later.” His tone startled me as he faced the small, rectangular window
situated high along the wall.
    “Was
this my fault?” My lips trembled.
    “No.
The other driver hit you. He—he died at the scene.”
    “All
I remember were cars pulling over on the highway, and… the sirens...” A tear
fell as I spoke.
    “You
should be fully recovered before I explain.” He raised his voice, letting out a
troubled sigh.
    “Why?
Don’t I deserve to know why I’m here?” His resistance only elevated my
curiosity. With worried eyes, he glanced back up at the window, his breathing accelerating
before its release.
    “Isn’t
knowing you’re alive enough? You could have died, but you didn’t…” He sighed in
frustration, cutting off his sentence. Evan never spoke to me this way—so
rattled, so dismissive, and so insensitive.
    “Evan,
what’s wrong with you?” A tear fell from my grimace. He shook his head, knowing
I wouldn’t quit without a thorough explanation.
    “I
should have opened my mind to the possibility the second I saw it.” He blinked
harshly.
    “Saw
what?” I asked. Then, the memory of it returned—the guard, the helicopters, the
glow in the sky. “Please... just tell me.” He paced back and forth from one end
of the room to the other. Already, I grew tired of his delay.
    “The
rumors about the sun… they’re not a hoax, Aubrey. They’re real. That’s why you
heard the sirens, and why that car hit you… Everything those people warned us about
is coming true.” He focused his attention to me in hesitation, my heart pulsing
at his weighty look.
    “What
do you mean? How is it even possible?”
    “I
don’t know, but it is,” he said. “NASA confirmed the discovery the night of
your accident. The whole world knows now. The President called in the military
to protect against a panic. Obviously that didn’t stop it.” He swallowed with
an afflictive glance. I stared back at him, lifeless, weak, and empty. The
sudden realization paralyzed me as his dreadful eyes reunited with mine. “Aubrey,
they’re giving us about a decade before we have to evacuate,” he said gingerly.
    “What
do you mean a decade? Evacuate