Excerpt of Beautifully Broken by Sherry Soule

For as long as I could remember, I'd heard whispers in the shadows. Black, twisting shapes that chilled my blood. Slithering through night, the images flickered, green skin, crimson eyes, sharp claws illuminated even in the dark. Sunlight meant the difference between life and death.

During the day I normally felt safe with the heat of the sun brushing my skin, so that morning when the shadows showed up in my bedroom, I barely recognized their eerie whispering. The desk lamp flickered, startling me. I stared at the last line I'd typed on my essay for English class, my hand hovering over the keyboard. Homework can wait.

I raised my head and closed the laptop. A supernatural hush came over the room. My heart hammered. A hint of chilling menace climbed up my spine. Finishing my homework was the last thing on my mind.

I uncrossed my legs and jumped off the bed, nearly tripping over my long nightgown. I scanned the dark bends and edges of the room. The swirling azure colors of the witch ball suspended over my bed rotated in a slow circle. I got down on my hands and knees to check under the bed. Nothing. The closet door stood open a crack. I stood up and wavered, shoulders hitching.

My gut clenched. My skin prickled. I dragged my feet over to the closet. I pushed the door wider with my bare foot. On tiptoes, I leaned over the threshold, stretching to grasp the brass chain, then gave it a yank. Light bled across dirty laundry, illuminating metal hangers scattered on the floor. Dusty board games littered the shelf, and haphazardly hanging clothes swayed on the bar. My fuzzy, pink bunny slippers stared at me with glassy button eyes. Nothing unusual.

So why am I so freaked?

The feeling, indistinct but ominous, lingered like the remnants of a bad dream. I couldn't isolate the source. But something felt wrong.

The closet light and lamp suddenly went out. As I turned around, my peripheral vision caught a maelstrom of shadows. I saw things in it. Something snaked past my leg. Writhed.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! Forgot to keep my telepathic shield up. Again.