Excerpt from
The Remnant of Eden: In Between Worlds

Excerpt One - Chapter Thirty One

Grant was flabbergasted. What in the world was going on here? No split lip, no bruised face, no tape across the nose, nothing. The second she saw Grant she began moving away, and as inconspicuously as possible, he began to follow her. He didn’t know if she’d had anything to do with what happened today or not, but he had to speak with her. She knew who the muscle man was. Grant tried to remain hidden as he tracked her, he didn’t want to spook her and then lose her in the crowd. She’d already glanced back over her shoulder several times. She was moving quickly, weaving in and out of people, the light of the setting sun was glinting brightly off of something she was wearing, a piece of jewelry perhaps, or a barrette in her hair. It was like a beacon of light that Grant was able to hone in on.

She was picking up speed. Remaining concealed was no longer his priority, if Grant didn’t run he would lose her. He made his way through the crowd as quickly as possible, he accidentally knocked into a young couple, their small boy was sent sprawling and Grant apologized without stopping. He ignored the scowls on the faces of everyone he pushed past, but instead of making progress he began to feel lost, the midway was closing in with people.

There she was. She had reached the far end of the midway and was moving east. Grant moved to the edge of the crowd and was able to get through faster. She was heading for the perimeter fence on the deserted side of the fairgrounds, still walking, until she looked back and caught sight of him. Grant halted, her eyes locked with his. She seemed frozen there for a minute, staring back at him, and then her eyes began to scan the landscape. For what, Grant didn’t know. He held up one hand in a gesture of peace. He hoped it would convey to her that he wasn’t a threat, he just wanted to talk to her. He lifted one arm and motioned for her to come to him.

She turned and ran for all she was worth.

Grant took off like a shot. She had about thirty yards on him but it didn’t deter him, they were approaching open ground and he was game. She was fast but he was faster, it wouldn’t even be a contest. She ran through the break in the fence and soon he followed. They were on the outskirts of the grounds, racing through a short open space and approaching a wooded area at breakneck speed. Grant was gaining on Anna with every step he took. The terrain became a bit rougher and he began to worry about injuring her when he took her down, but he wasn’t about to turn back now. He’d just have to do his best to break her fall.

Ten seconds later he was close enough to hear her breathing, his legs still pumping at full throttle, the uneven ground hadn’t slowed her down a bit. The hair flying out behind her was the first thing within reach, but he pushed past it and tried to snag an arm. She both heard and felt him behind her, she dashed to the side to stay out of his reach, but it did no good. Another two steps and he had her. He caught an elbow, held fast and then reached for her waist and was able to draw her to him. With both of his arms wrapped around her like a vise from behind, he took her down.

Suddenly there was a great flash of light swelling up around them as they flew through the air, and for a split second Grant had the strangest feeling. It was like the light was reaching out to swallow them as they fell. If that were the case, it did nothing to cushion their landing. With Anna clutched against him, Grant spun in the air to be sure he took the brunt of the fall, but they still fell hard. He landed on his back, but then they rolled, and despite his best efforts to minimize damage to her, Grant heard her gasp in pain. They came to rest in a jumbled heap. Grant had at least managed to end up on the bottom. He sat up, with Anna still locked in his iron grip, though for the moment she wasn’t struggling. Simply breathing was an effort, he had knocked the wind out of her. Grant felt mildly dizzy, he attributed it to the fall and was about to speak to Anna, when the words suddenly died on his lips.

The world he was in was no longer his own.

   
The Remnant of Eden: In Between Worlds by Author Saraiah Faith Gracie, Copyright 2010