The Between World

By Stephanie Ingram

Nina Strident was content to continue a successful position in insurance sales until a near fatal car accident changed everything. Although she finds love with her handsome rescuer, their romance comes with a price and there are dire consequences for upsetting the delicate balance between his world and hers.

As Nina recovers, she slowly unravels the mystery of her family’s past and discovers that not everything is as it seems in this world or the next. The alluring stranger from her dreams is real and he’s returned to take the life that he fought so hard to save.

Will Nina accept the secrets her family keeps or will the conspiracy between worlds threaten to destroy them all?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stephanie Ingram
• Release date: Aug 30, 2011
• ISBN: 9781466027312

Stephanie Ingram

Stephanie has always had a passion for language and people. This passion led her to begin writing stories at the age of nine and to later study several languages in junior high and school high. By college, her obsession with language had only grown stronger so she majored in Spanish with a minor in Psychology. She’s fascinated by the ways that words fit together and the ways that people grow, change, and react to the world around them. It’s no wonder that she eventually found her way back to storytelling. Stephanie lives in Pittsburgh. When she isn’t writing or reading, she enjoys yoga, camping, and spending time with her family. Her stories often have a paranormal flavor to them and ghosts are a personal favorite.

Book preview

The Between World

By Stephanie Ingram

Copyright 2011 Stephanie Ingram

All rights reserved.

Smashwords Edition, 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 book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Chapter 1

Even if the whole world were to fall to pieces, the unity of the psyche would never be shattered. And the wider and more numerous the fissures on the surface, the more the unity is strengthened in the depths. --Carl Jung

You’re welcome to ride back with me, Nina said wondering how many drinks Melanie would have before the night was through.

Don’t worry about me, Melanie said eyeing a dark-haired stranger sitting in the corner of the bar staring back at her, I’ve got plans of my own and they don’t involve working all the time like you.

Nina pushed her hands deeper into her pockets trying to overcome a foreboding sense of danger that made her senses tingle. Her long dark red hair partially shielded her vision as she bent forward collecting her belongings. She’d planned to leave as soon as the sales conference ended, but the longer she lingered at the hotel bar with her co-workers, the more she dreaded stepping into the night alone. The others had arranged for rooms to spend the night at the company’s expense but Nina had insisted on waiting for the comfort of her own bed.

Something just didn’t feel right and she knew that it wasn’t Melanie that was making her feel uneasy. Nina resolved to call her friend first thing in the morning to check in and tried to convince herself that she actually preferred to face the long journey home alone but even if that were ordinarily the case, tonight felt anything but ordinary.

He’s got a friend, Melanie whispered in her ear as she wrapped an arm around Nina coaxing her to stay.

And I’ve got a boyfriend at home, Nina reminded her. It was only a half truth but it served its purpose. Melanie didn’t need to know that Nina had broken up with Jake just before she left for the work conference.

Jake? Are you serious? He’s not your boyfriend. You two can’t seem to figure out what you are.

That’s not true, Nina said pulling away feeling slightly hurt at the remark. While it was true that she was still rather ambivalent about her feelings for Jake even after dating him for three months, that didn’t mean he didn’t qualify as boyfriend material.

You can do better, Nina. Jake is sleeping with Emma and you know it as well as everyone else in the office. A few drinks and Melanie had a mean streak that Nina found hard to brush off.

That’s just a rumor. It’s not true, Nina said even though she knew the reality was that she didn’t care.

And you know why he’s sleeping with her? Melanie asked as Nina picked up her handbag and said goodbye to her other friends, Because you won’t.

It’s none of your business what I do or don’t do with Jake, Nina said pausing at the door. She hated to leave her friend this way but the invisible hand was still shoving her forward, compelling her to leave and to do it quickly. Go have another drink and play with your new friend, Nina continued, I’ll call you in the morning.

Maybe if you loosened up once in a while and didn’t spend so much time working, you could keep a boyfriend, Melanie added. Nina felt the hairs bristle on the back of her neck.

Goodbye, Melanie, Nina said biting her tongue from saying what she was really thinking. She’d only regret it later.

Nina said her goodbye to Mike and the others on her way toward the door, each of them too far gone in their own enjoyment to pay much mind to her current mood.

She pushed the door open but lingered before taking a step, turning one last time to see Melanie had made quick progress on her plans for the evening. The dark-haired stranger’s eyes trailed past Melanie and met Nina’s own stare across the room. She had a sudden flash of déjà vu and shuddered. Nina broke the connection and turned her focus back to the door.

Why did she feel as though she were being watched?

She shook off the chills and stepped out into the crisp night air. Once she had managed to move her feet, she didn’t stop until she climbed into the driver’s side of her car, turning only once when she thought she heard footsteps behind her. She slammed the car door closed, locked it, and sat absorbing the silence. She was tired. Her imagination was starting to get the best of her. She pulled her long, red hair into a loose ponytail and rested her elbow against the door rubbing her forehead with her hand. It had been a long day. The sales conference had gone well but staying for dinner and drinks afterward had felt like a really bad idea in hindsight. She couldn’t shake the strange feelings tugging at her. A voice inside her head begged her to stay but she wasn’t going to subject herself to any more of Melanie’s drunken insults. The rest of them could have their fun and she would stick to the familiar routine on which she depended.

Nina sighed into the darkness and turned the key in the ignition. A part of her felt like a fair-weather friend and maybe that’s exactly what she was, leaving like she always did, but she had made it clear from the start that as soon as the conference was over, she’d be heading straight home. She had a lot of catch-up work to finish in the office. Was Melanie right she wondered as she pulled out of the parking spot and eased the car onto the road. There had been plenty of guys interested in her over the past handful of years but she’d never kept one around long enough to make it count. Work always managed to come between her and any long-lasting relationship; work and maybe her own reluctance to get close enough to anyone to try. She reached over and switched on the radio to drown out her own thoughts.

Once she was on the road, she expected the nagging feelings of anxiety to stop lingering like a personal rain cloud over her head, the way all her problems seemed to fade when she had only the open road to clear her mind. But tonight was different; the feelings were getting stronger and pulling her down in an overwhelming spiral of despair. The feelings pushed her past the coffee shop when she considered stopping for something to keep her awake on the long, late night journey. She reasoned that the sooner she got home, the sooner she’d start feeling normal again. It didn’t make sense but she couldn’t convince herself that she was truly all alone. She glanced into the back seat in a panic but it was empty aside for the folders and papers that always seemed to scatter across the seat to remind her of that which occupied her time ninety percent of her waking hours.

She had a lot of time ahead of her to think about life. Everything was exactly as she wanted it to be, she decided. There were things that she could change but ultimately, she was successful and she was self-sufficient. What more did she need? She’d watched Melanie herald the highs and suffer the lows of one relationship after another on an endless quest to find Mr. Right and still never achieve her ultimate goal of settling down and getting married. She’d watched other friends get married only to end up in divorce and start the cycle all over again. She had her career. She didn’t need anything else.

Then why did it feel as though she were always running away from something? She cut the power on the radio in disgust. This late at night, there was never anything decent to listen to and the louder she’d turned up the volume, the more her own anxiety escalated. She embraced the silence that fell over her leaving only the steady hum of the engine and the tires on the road. The monotony and the darkness were almost hypnotic.

Her eyes were growing heavy and she regretted passing the coffee shop. Rain spit down in soft drops which bounced off her windshield. The drops swiftly gave way to a steady rain pouring down over the world. She grumbled under her breath as her windshield wipers struggled to keep up with the sudden onslaught.

She was more tired than she’d earlier acknowledged. The highway stretched into endless darkness and she knew without consulting her map that it would be a long time before she passed another coffee shop, at least not one that would be a convenient stop for her without adding much more time to the journey. She yawned deeply and felt her eyes droop.

Nina … She bolted upright and looked around her.

Is someone there? The downpour was deafening. She cursed herself for drifting off to sleep. The voice could have only been the product of a dream. She shuddered as a cold chill wrapped around her neck and across her shoulders. She reached to turn up the heat wishing that the rain would slow down to a drizzle.

Nina … Nina gasped. That time she was certain of what she heard.

I must be going crazy, she muttered to herself. She passed a sign for an upcoming rest stop and considered pulling over to get some rest before continuing the journey but the fear still clung to her skin like a wet cloth and she couldn’t shake it. She wanted to be at home more than ever.

Whoever you are, leave me alone, she said to the empty space around her, Great. Now I’m talking to myself. I really must be crazy. She laughed nervously.

A mile down the road Nina pulled her car into a small service station and filled the tank with gas. The rain drops quickly soaked her hair and caught in her eyelashes as she stood next to her car, closed her eyes, and inhaled the fresh air deeply. She felt invigorated by the dampness as it traced a path along her skin. More than anything, she just needed the air and the rain to catch her breath and steady her nerves. It wasn’t like her to be so anxious.

She climbed back into the driver seat and laid her head back. The rain obscured her field of vision of the empty service station and she considered whether she should call someone but she wasn’t sure who she would call at this hour. She thought about Melanie drunk and giggling over the dark-haired man and didn’t think that would be such a good idea. She thought about Mike but quickly remembered his joke about destiny waiting for her and shoved the phone aside. She certainly would not call Jake. She brushed off the fears and dread, told herself she was just over reacting.

She eased the car back onto the road. Another car passed traveling in the opposite direction giving her the comfort of not being entirely isolated. She thought of Melanie and the dark haired stranger again. She imagined herself in Melanie’s place tangled in sheets, laughing, engaged in blissful abandon of everything else going on in the world. How long had it been since she’d allowed herself to feel so carefree? She couldn’t remember. Jake had been persistent and she’d lavished in the attention that he gave her until she grew annoyed that he constantly tried to distract her from everything else that she wanted to accomplish. Did she regret that now? She shrugged and reached over to flip on the radio again. Even a talk station would be better than entertaining her own boring drone, she thought. She could try to convince herself that it didn’t matter one way or the other but she’d already lost that argument before.

Her wipers continued their hypnotic dance across her windshield in an endless fight to contain the rain that wouldn’t stop falling. She estimated about two hours left to drive before she was back in the vicinity of Pittsburgh again, another twenty minutes on top of that and she’d be home. Her damp, cold clothes made her long for a hot shower. The scent of dead skunk wafted in through her air vents.

Nina shrieked as something bounced off her windshield. She slammed on the brakes sending her car flying out of control, screeching, and spinning three times like an empty beer bottle as she clamored for control. The car skidded across the opposite lane, broadsided a truck, and broke through the guard rail. She plummeted in a seemingly endless spin snapping tree branches and crushing metal around her before the car finally crashed to a halt on its roof in the woods.

The car groaned as it settled on the ground. Nina tried to claw her way out of her seatbelt as a hot river of blood dripped down her face but she could not move. She tried to scream but she could not make a sound.

Nina, close your eyes. She tried to turn her head toward the source of the voice. It was the same voice that had whispered her name earlier, she was sure of it.

She heard a sound. Help is on the way, she assured herself, even though she had no idea how it could have arrived so quickly. But it wasn’t help, not for her. Whatever force had joined was not friendly. She heard the voice screech and howl as it lunged and toppled with her strange companion into nearby drenched autumn leaves as they each struggled for control. She tried again to scream but the sound came out muted and muffled. Her mouth tasted of blood. Her vision was obscured. They hissed and growled like feral animals as they fought. She shifted her weight to try in vain to turn her body enough to ease the crushing weight against her chest. She could barely breathe. Would they come after her next? She was powerless to defend herself.

Nina sucked in her breath and said a silent prayer before closing her eyes and giving in to the darkness.

You can’t have her. The two creatures continued to snarl and hiss as they rolled in the leaves.

It’s too late. She’s already mine.

Chapter 2

Nina struggled to open her eyes against a blinding light. A firm hand caressed her face, a hand she didn’t recognize, but despite the panic rising within her, she relaxed at the oddly tender sensation.

Where am I? What happened? she whispered. The hand disappeared from her face. She tried to resist opening her eyes, squeezing them tightly against the light, but she wanted to get a glimpse of the stranger to which they belonged.

Try to rest, a tired voice responded, You are safe now.

Who are you? She choked on the words, vaguely aware of a pain deep inside her body. She felt somehow detached. She could still feel his presence beside her but the voice did not respond. She attempted to move again but the gesture seemed hopeless.

The soft hum of an automatic door interrupted her thoughts as she tried to gain a sense of her surroundings. She heard the faint sound of footsteps as at least one new person entered the room. The tension of the stranger sitting next to her was contagious.

Well? the voice beside her asked.

We’re doing everything we can, another voice hesitated to answer, but we’re very close to losing him.

But the girl… he said.

What about the girl? Confusion seeped into his new companion’s voice.

We can’t fail this one. I will not permit it.

Sir, with all due respect, we’re doing everything we can.

A silence lingered between the two men until Nina began to wonder if the other had gone. Then she heard him mutter something unintelligible under his breath, the footsteps retreated, and again she heard the soft hum of the door. The stranger’s hand returned to her forehead and caressed it slowly.

I won’t let them fail, he told her so softly that she wondered if she’d imagined it. She felt as though she were floating in a dream. She should be afraid, she thought, but she’d never felt more at ease as long as he was sitting there beside her. She tried again desperately to open her eyes and almost succeeded in seeing his silhouette against the bright light.

Turn off the light, she tried to say.

Shhh… you must rest.

Tell me what happened to me. Where am I? I won’t rest until I have answers, she responded. The hand stopped and lingered on her cheeks. Had she offended him somehow? There was such gentleness about his touch that she didn’t want him to stop.

There has been an accident, he said at last.

The moment he said it, there was a flash in her memory of her car, the rain, and the headlights from another vehicle moments before the impact. She should have never passed the coffee shop. Did she fall asleep at the wheel? She thought she remembered someone else with her but she was fairly certain she had been traveling alone.

My God, she whispered, am I in a hospital? Are you a doctor?

Not quite, he said reluctantly, I shouldn’t even be here.

What’s happening to me? Why do I feel so strange?

That’s to be expected but you’ll get used to it.

I want to go home.

That isn’t possible right now. You are being preserved until your guardian can be restored and once that has been accomplished, you may return, he said.

My what?

You needn’t worry about it now, he told her.

Nina groaned and tried to muster all the energy she could to move. This was absurd. She had to be dreaming. No matter how hard she struggled, she could not free herself. She fought to open her eyes again despite the searing pain from the light.

Calm yourself! he said in alarm, You don’t know what you’re doing. You’re only going to make things worse.

Tell me what’s going on!

If you don’t calm yourself, we will not be able to help you. You don’t know what you’re doing.

You’re right, I don’t. What is going on? What is this? Some kind of joke?

She strained with the effort but refused to give up. Her eyes were adjusting and she could just about make out his form now sitting in a room bathed in white light. He sat in the middle of the light and was the most stunning person she had ever seen. He had dark hair that fell slightly over brilliant blue eyes. The door opened again and two young people entered the room. Their faces did nothing to hide the shock they felt at seeing Nina who was now standing in the middle of the room determined to fight her way out. She had been momentarily dazed at the sight of her mysterious keeper. From what she could read in his face, the feeling was mutual. She wasn’t the only one who could sense this strange emotion play over his features. The two young people shuffled nervously before finding their words.

Yalen, what are you doing? the first one said in a tone that indicated that whatever he saw before him, he did not approve but was not in a position to say so directly.

I have everything under control, he said although even Nina wasn’t convinced, Do you have news?

He couldn’t be saved.

What do you mean, he couldn’t be saved?

We did everything we could but the damage was too extensive.

What does that mean? Nina asked still looking directly at Yalen. She felt new panic rise in her chest. He tried to smile to cover the sadness in his eyes as he turned his attention away from her and toward the two people standing in the doorway. They both looked away avoiding his direct eye contact, obviously unsure about how to proceed. Nina had the impression that whatever was transpiring in this room, she wasn’t the only one a bit confused by it.

It means you can’t return to the earth, at least not by conventional means.

She forced her gaze away from Yalen to examine herself and realized that the bright light that had seared her eyes was emanating from the place that used to contain her body. The light tried to shape itself in the familiar human form but the lines were fuzzy and distorted. She put her hands up to her face and again, there was only light without distinct form.

What happened to my body? she said feeling as though she were weeping but only sending scattering beads of light through the room.

Your soul is detached from your body. The body is being preserved but has suffered extensive damage. The pain would be too much for you right now. You’re being kept here where you’re safe until we can reunite you or a place is made available in the after life, Yalen said.

We should take her now, one of the young people interrupted.

There is no reason she can’t stay here for now, Yalen persisted.

That isn’t possible.

What place is it of yours to decide what is possible? I am the person in authority in this room, am I not? The two nodded obediently, Then you’ll do as I tell you.

But Yalen, the others…

Not now, Yalen snapped.

But sir, it’s standard procedure. You taught us that yourself…

But nothing, he snapped, What is your big hurry? The glow in his eyes made the two back down. A silent interaction passed between them and whatever conclusions they reached, they gave in to Yalen for the moment. They scurried out of the room without another protest. She could see them mumbling to each other as they disappeared into the distance and wondered what role they played in this strange game.

What do they want to do with me? Nina asked even though she wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer.

It isn’t important right now, Yalen said.

I can’t go home, can I?

Without your guardian, that transition is not impossible but it isn’t advisable either. It would be very difficult.

Do I stay here? With you?

He moved closer to her and even though she had no form or substance, somehow he managed to wrap his arms around her and hold her tightly to his chest. His slender frame must have been entirely muscle. The feel of his warm skin was intoxicating. As long as she was standing beside him, she didn’t want to return to the world from which she came.

We will match you with a new guardian but it will take some time and won’t be easy.

What if I don’t want to go back?

That isn’t an option, he sighed, You won’t survive very long in between worlds. This is not a hospitable place for human life forms and even if somehow you were able to manage it, they would destroy you, he said gesturing toward the door where the others had exited. If death is your option then the gatekeepers will escort you there. That is not up to me. I’m doing everything I can to return you to your home.

So then heaven does exist? she asked tentatively, not sure she was ready to believe or to face the consequences.

Heaven?

Never mind. I must be dreaming, she mused as relief washed over her.

For your sake, I wish you were.

Why were they so afraid of me? she asked.

"We have never seen a human walk in the Between World. There have been rumors but they are only that, rumors, and they do not paint humans

Reviews for The Between World

[carolinerolley · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

After finishing this book, I'm still not sure what the heck was going on! I'm also not sure if it ended or not. If this is a stand alone book, it's a 2 star because it didn't explain ANYTHING that was happening and seemed to make characters appear and disappear without explaination. If it's the beginning of a series or even the first of two books, it's a 4 star because it has me asking "what the heck!? It's not the end, is it!?". I read and re-read and I'm still not sure what I read. I never got attached to the characters, I felt like I was given a "nearly done" novel... all the author has to do go back and elaborate.