We walked to the area where the portal had taken up residence. The portals in Whispering Woods changed according to moon phases and I had the lucky job of locating where the next one would appear. The identification of a portal had gotten exponentially easier. It pulled at me. Breaking up with Regulus must have helped me to focus my senses on things other than him.
My skin always tingled within a hundred-foot radius of the portal. Not enough to make me break a sweat, but enough to make me feel uneasy. Fifty feet away, I’d taste fizzy cola, the vibrations of the portal seeping into my mouth. Ten feet away, I’d see the shimmer of the envelope around the portal. A beautiful wave of compressed air dressing the portal’s opening.
In different circumstances, it would have been inspirational, vast, or mysterious, like looking into the Grand Canyon with binoculars but with a more powerful lens.
I might even miss this. I sighed and hoped Arizona hadn’t heard it. Portal detection was like scoring extra life points in my favorite video game—easy if you knew the key.
Excerpt #3
The doorbell rang. I leaped off the barstool and hurtled for the door, desperate to relieve the boredom. I flung open the door, not really surprised that the person in front of me would be able to show up at the last minute on Christmas Eve night. The wind blew the door open wide and I hugged my arms around my body.
My ex-boyfriend Regulus stood staring me.
His dark hair curled along the edge of his cream wool turtleneck and a shy smile teased one corner of his mouth. He held a brown box tucked under his arm and had one hand shoved into his jeans pocket.
I knew I was only a synesthete and couldn’t make time stop, but I’d swear the clock hands stood still. In the moment we stood silent, a boa constrictor of jealousy wrapped around my throat.
Was Regulus attracted to that girl Arizona had mentioned? Had he kissed her? Was he dating her?
Arizona shoved him out of the doorway. “Dude, I’m freezing here.” Arizona maneuvered around Regulus’s still body in the doorway. He leaned forward and gave me a hug. Although I generally avoid the touchy feely stuff, I let Arizona give me a friendly squeeze.
“Look what I brought,” Arizona said, holding a piece of mistletoe high in the air.
“In your dreams,” I said and shoved his arm with a laugh.
Dad stood framed in the kitchen doorway. He smiled at Arizona, then looked at Regulus. “Son, come on in.” My stomach twisted when I heard him say ‘son.’ He hadn’t done that before. I didn’t think Dad had cared very much for Regulus while we dated.
I stepped back from the door, embarrassed at the ogling that I’d vowed to never do again with Regulus. Biscuit, who had been glued to Dad’s side begging for food in the kitchen, ran to the door to greet our visitors. He ran circles around them in that happy dog way.
“I’m glad you both could come. At such short notice and everything.” Arizona travelled across the family room, peering around corners. Regulus’s direct stare sent tingly warmth to my face.
“Where is the Christmas tree?” Arizona scouted ahead.
“No tree.” I answered. “We didn’t do that this year.”
Dad came forward and took Arizona’s coat and held out his hand for Regulus’s. “It’s my fault. Mia said she didn’t care whether we had one or not, so we didn’t.”
Arizona looked like a kid who’d lost his best friend. “I thought everyone put one up at Christmas. I was looking forward to it.” He flopped into Dad’s recliner.
Dad gave me a look. His face said that he thought Arizona was a single digit on the IQ scale. I grinned.
Brinda Berry lives in the southern US with her family and two spunky cairn terriers. She has a BSE in English and French and a MEd in Learning Systems Technology. She's terribly fond of chocolate, coffee, and books that take her away from reality. She doesn't mind being called a geek or “crazy dog lady”. When she's not working the day job or writing a novel, she's guilty of surfing the internet for no good reason.
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