Unfold

By Allene Angelica

Arianna has lived her forty years thinking she knew who she was. She was shocked to discover the world as she knew it change suddenly in one ordinary day. She discovers a world she never thought existed and in that world dangers abound. She must learn to defend herself and protect the ones she loves.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Allene Angelica
• Release date: Oct 23, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301922741

Allene Angelica

Allene Angelica lives in Cebu City, Cebu Philippines. She is the mother of three beautiful children, loves animals and surrounds herself with friends and family that are genuinely supportive of her endeavors. She is addicted to coffee and can not start a day without at least one cup. She has been known to daydream and you will often catch her looking off into the distance. She loves to read, read and read. Did I mention she loves to read? One of her passions is dancing. She can dance for hours. She wrote her first story and created her first book (even drew the illustrations) when she was around 8 or 9 years of age for her school book fair. She's been writing poems and stories ever since. A few years ago she started posting them on a blog. She hopes you enjoy her poems and would love to hear from you. She welcomes all constructive criticism, keyword constructive. Thank you for giving this new writer a chance to express herself.

Book preview

Unfold

By Allene Angelica

Copyright © Allene Angelica 2012

Published at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. The ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This is a work of fiction. The characters and events of this book are entirely the product of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or to any persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Acknowledgement

I have many people to thank for supporting me in my dream to write. It is something I have always wanted to do since I was a child but of course life gets in the way. A year ago I decided to throw myself into this project with a now or never attitude and I'm glad I did. This book will be the first of many, I hope, now that I know what I can accomplish with my stubborn streak. First of all I'd like to thank my brother, Ray Obenza, for cheering me on and to continually tell me to just keep on writing, Allene no matter how insecure or dejected I felt about what I was putting down on paper. I'd also like to thank Jay, my boyfriend, who has been very supportive and surprised at my imagination and my children, Angelique, Shane and James, for patiently reading my chapters and giving their thoughts about the storyline as I incessantly barraged them with questions as to their opinions. Thank you to my family for their support, without their positive feedback in regards to my project it would have taken me a lot longer to accomplish. I hope you enjoy what I have written. The core of the story is something that has been swimming around in my head for years. I'm happy that I have managed to put it in writing.

Prologue

In a darkened room lit only by a single candlelight a woman lay on a large bed. Her long silver hair fanned out around her. Tears streamed down her beautiful face as around her ominous cloaked figures chanted swaying to and fro to a rhythm of their own making. Their voice at first was a slow even tempo although soft and low it started to accelerate. Faster and faster they chanted the foreign words jumbled together until it sounded as if there was an endless rumble echoing throughout the room. The air stirred and swirled around them the current focused on the writhing woman on the bed, when the resonant growl arrived at the peak of its crescendo she screamed in agony. Her body undulated unnaturally as she felt her unborn child ripped from her body. She continued to scream as she felt the loss, racking sobs shuddering through her. One of the cloaked figures lifted his arm and touched the woman's face softly with long masculine fingers. He gently whispered words of comfort until she fell asleep.

Chapter 1

Clink, clank, clunk...as I brought my sword up and around, I parried and dodged my mother's offensive thrusts and blows, metal screeching against metal.  Sweat pouring down my face as I panted trying to draw a breath.

Mamere!  Stop I need a break!  I'm exhausted.  We've been at this for hours. I begged her as she readied herself for another attack.

Oh come on!  Just one more. she yelled.

No, I can't go on.  My body is exhausted.  I no longer have the strength to lift the sword.  I plopped down on the ground swearing to myself letting the sword fall next to me.  I never want to get up again.  I stared at my mom, petite and strong, standing a few feet in front of me her silver hair swayed gracefully as the breeze combed through it appearing fresh and sprite as if she just stepped out of her bedroom after a refreshing nap with her sword gripped in her small hand ready to do battle with her only child.  Ugh! How does she do it?  Why does she punish me like this every day?

Vrinia, give her a break.  She's been working hard. I heard my father's deep voice rumble behind me.

Whatever, Arion. my mother responded flipping her long silver hair.  If she gets killed in battle I'm blaming you! 

I turned around at my father's chuckle.  My eyes widened in surprise when I saw the most beautiful sight standing next to him.

Papere!  What is that?  Is that for real? I asked in wonder.

My mom and dad both laughed as they gazed at me lovingly.

Yes it's for real and he's all yours.  What will you name him? my mother asked.

I jumped to my feet.  I inspected him all over, around and back again and the first word that came into my head was Oneiro.  That's what he is. He's Oneiro. 

Oneiro I answered excitedly.

He was divine, pure white like the first snow from his pointy ears to his soft feathery wings down to his long silky tail.  I walked around him admiringly.  I watched as his long sinewy muscles elongated and contracted with each of his movements. When I came to his head I stared into his clear silver eyes and touched his forehead with mine. Oneiro.

Go ahead give him a try.  Let's see how you do your first time out. my father encouraged.

Really?  By myself?

Yes, by yourself.  Oneiro knows what to do.  He won't let anything happen to you. my father replied confidently.

Ok... I jumped up in the air and gracefully landed on his back.  Oneiro started running as soon as I grabbed his mane and up we went.  My heart skipped a beat as I watched the ground get further and further away and my parents were soon nothing but a speck on the earth.  We flew high above the clouds for what seemed like hours and I was starting to relax, completely enjoying myself.  

Beep, beep, beep, beep!

Ughhhh...  I slowly opened my blurry eyes and stared at the white popcorn ceiling of my tiny studio apartment, as a feeling of disappointment and loss washed over me again.  I swung my arm over to shut off the blaring alarm clock.  I laid there and listened to the pitter patter of the rain, I thought of how soothing it sounded until I realized I had to drive in it. Crap!

I awkwardly got out of bed, my joints creaked in disapproval, and walked to my small bathroom to take a shower and get ready for work.  I hate my life.  What happened to me? Forty years old and nothing to show for it, no boyfriend, no real friends, no life. As the years flew by it seems my prospects of ever finding true love were becoming slimmer and slimmer as my waistline grew thicker and thicker.  Sigh...

Later that morning seated at my desk at work, my head jerked up irritated when I heard voices. Really? Do they have to stand in front of my office to chit chat? There was a small group of people congregated in front of my open door talking to the CEO of our company, including my boss. Would it be considered impolite if I shut my door? I saw a swish of silver and heard a familiar laugh. My ears tingling, I squinted closer, focused on each individual person and to my complete horror there they were, the couple from my dreams.

I couldn’t believe they were standing there. I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hands. Yups, that is definitely them. I shuddered. The man stood in front of my office looking positively confident. His hair as black as night, eyes the color of the ever changing ocean that twinkled as he smiled, well-built strong golden body and had to be six feet five inches tall.  He was gorgeous. I’m sure all the women in the office had spread the news already via IM after they'd seen him. I work with a bunch of horny sex deprived women. The woman, who stood next to him, was petite and curvy. She was deadly stunning with long straight silver hair and eyes to match. Glowing milky skin, full red lips and the longest blackest lashes I’d ever seen. Next to her, Marilyn Monroe appeared downright dowdy. The men that milled around her, my boss included couldn’t even look at her directly. She seemed so unattainable, unapproachable. Maybe I've seen them here in the office before and my brain incorporated them into my dreams. Hmmm...that's a possibility.

In a state of confusion, I just sat there staring. Random thoughts whirled through my head, Am I dreaming?  Are they real?  Am I being rude? Why are they standing there with the CEO of my company talking to my boss?  The woman turned around and peered at me intently, uh oh, I felt heat rising to the top of my head. Ooops...busted.