Trembling Souls

By Jamie White

As the nightmares that haunted her a year ago return, Fiona Stevens wonders if she is destined for anything more than pain.

Fiona and her boyfriend, Ted Richards, are enjoying their new lives in college when the dreams reemerge. Shaken, she brushes them off but it soon becomes clear that someone she trusts knows about the lives she has tried so hard to forget.

Someone that wants her dead.

Ted suspects there is more going on than he is being told, but Fiona tells him she is fine. As he prepares for a break from school, he can’t shake the feeling that he’ll never see her again. A call to check in with her confirms his suspicions.

Can Ted save Fiona or is he destined to lose her again?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jamie White
• Release date: Feb 26, 2015
• ISBN: 9781938397943

Jamie White

Do you love weird, paranormal stories? GREAT, because I’ve got plenty of them to tell. I can help you journey into the unknown and discover the hidden, yet awesome world out there that most people either don’t see, or don’t want to see. I’ve been exploring that world unofficially since the first Poltergeist movie, and I haven’t lost that love for the paranormal since— that’s why I write about it. That’s right, I’m a paranormal fiction writer. But what sets me apart from other paranormal fiction writers out there is... I actively explore the fascinating hidden world around us through meditation and other practices, like Reiki and chanting. I also work with crystals. These things are part of my world, both real and fictional, and I love sharing them. I hope that, much like I felt after reading Christopher Pike’s work, you’ll feel inspired to explore the weird side of life by getting lost in one of my novels. Who am I? My name’s Jamie White. Aside from being obsessed with all things paranormal and writing about that in my fiction novels I’m also a journalism geek. Before following my ultimate obsession into fiction writing I was an editor of multiple college publications, and interned at a major newspaper. You could say words have accompanied me for a long time. During leisure times, I would role play Buffy the Vampire Slayer and write song spoofs based on that and other things. The fiction bug was biting, but it really got me when I went to my first writing club meeting on a whim (the lesson? Listen to that inner voice). I had some much fun writing that first story, I kept going. And within a year, I had the insane idea to try and write a whole novel in a month. Yes, I was questioning my sanity. Luckily, the muse was with me and her story, “The Life and Times of No One in Particular,” was born. Since then, I have been published by Pagan Writers Press, had a short featured in an anthology, won a library essay contest, and have several more projects coming, including the re-release of the Stains books and my new Lightworker series. On the weird side, I go to crystal classes, chanting classes, give tarot readings, and became a level II Reiki practitioner in February 2015. I'm taking a wild journey, and I'd love for you to join me. Fiction and the unknown? Works for me.

Book preview

Trembling Souls

A Stains Novella

Jamie White

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2015, Jamie White

License Notes: This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this ebook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Edited by Elaine Roughton

Dedication

No one produces a book alone.

It takes a lot of support to bring words to life and I’m lucky enough to have some amazing people in my corner: My husband, CP Bialois, who always supports my writing; Angie, who helped get serious with my publishing; Elaine, who helped me edit the book; Laura, whose help with the first and second book taught me a lot; Michelle Cornwell-Jordan for pushing me to submit the Stains series, and all the incredible friends/readers I have met on Facebook and elsewhere who left reviews, sent me messages, and share my work.

It means more than you know.

Chapter One

A redheaded young woman stood at the edge of a large ship with her companion, watching the water ripple beneath them. They were a couple of weeks into a journey to the New World and she couldn’t wait to arrive. It felt like a lifetime since they’d left their native England to see what this new land had to offer; she hadn’t slept properly since. The feeling of the boat moving beneath her made her uncomfortable and her stomach lurched in protest with every wave.

How much longer do you think it will be until we land?

I wouldn’t think more than another day or so. He stared out into the night, a faraway look in his eyes. The trip clearly took a toll on him as well. His shoulders slumped as he hunched over the railing and stared at the small waves crashing into the ship. He’d always been overly protective of her and hadn’t let her out of his sight the entire trip.

She frowned as she examined the dark circles under his eyes. I don’t think he’s slept one good night since we left. It’ll be exciting to see what all the fuss is about… where do you think we’ll settle?

I don’t know, there are plenty of suitable areas in the New World. I suppose we’ll head west and see where we end up.

Sounds wonderful.

She leaned on the railing, turning her attention back to the water below. She couldn’t help but be struck with the vastness of what stretched before her. It made her and the other passengers on board seem small by comparison. How could you not feel insignificant when surrounded by such power? As she contemplated this, a chill settled in her bones. It wouldn’t take much at all for her to disappear into that water. She wouldn’t be able to see anything around her and would get lost in the waves. The thought caused her to shudder.

What’s the matter? Her husband studied her with concerned eyes as he put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently.

It’s nothing, really. I was just thinking about how big the water is—how much power it holds.

It is pretty magnificent. Does it scare you?

A little.

He stepped back a pace, looking at the ocean again. Good.

She blinked and raised an eyebrow in confusion. I don’t understand…

I mean that you’ll be more careful if you’re fearful of falling overboard.

The very thought horrified her. That wouldn’t happen, would it?

Not if you’re careful. Come, let us find a place to lie down for the night.

The pair turned around and headed further into the deck. After a brief search, they found a quiet spot to rest. She lay her head on his chest as they settled on the ground, his heartbeat offering some comfort in the strange surroundings.

Fiona Stevens mumbled in her sleep, moving restlessly under the covers. A frown crossed her features as the scene shifted in her mind.

The storm raged around them, rocking the boat so hard the girl feared they’d all be thrown over the railing. The sound of the water echoed in her mind, the salt spray hitting her with an intensity she never could have imagined. Back home, she’d never been close enough to an ocean to see the water at its worst and this was a horrifying first lesson. Her husband’s arms wrapped tight around her as he directed her to a small corridor to get some shelter from the storm.

She tried to move as fast as possible, but the rocking boat hampered their progress. Her eyes were wide and fixed straight ahead. She wanted more than anything to be back on dry land and couldn’t remember why they’d left on this insane journey to begin with. Another wave crashed, causing them to tumble to the ground. The woman let out a pained cry as her elbow hit the floor of the ship. Her husband stood again and reached down to pull her back to her feet. Just as the two began to move, a large wave came across the deck with such force, it separated them. In an instant, she was knocked back down to the ground. Instinct forced her to get up before she could be crushed beneath the feet of hundreds of weary travelers seeking to protect themselves from the elements. She called out to him, but he couldn’t hear over the combined noise of the storm and crowd. Minutes later, she spotted him and began frantically waving her arms to get his attention.

Before she could, a fellow passenger bumped her into the railing. At the same moment, another large swell rocked the ship. The combination of the two forced her off her feet and she screamed as she found herself tumbling over the side.

The icy water sliced into her flesh, even through her clothes. She thrashed about in the water, screaming for help and unable to see anything with the salty spray stinging her eyes. The chill of the sea, combined with the heaviness of her wet clothing, drained her strength. She struggled to keep herself afloat, but it was a futile effort. A wave washed over her, pulling her under and causing panic to rise within. The woman clawed for the surface, but she was disoriented and made no progress. Her lungs burned in protest, demanding air, but the young woman was resistant. She knew if she opened her mouth now, she’d have no chance. Even so, the desire to take a breath overpowered her.

Fiona sat up in bed, gasping for air as she shivered from the memory