Between Worlds: Nekkel Ace

By Yianna Yiannacou

On a distant planet called Caledonia, a young woman named Sophia Amaro embarks on a journey to self-discovery. Living the sheltered life with servants waiting on her hand and foot everyday just isn't enough for her. After an accident which leaves her father in critical condition, it's up to her to save his life. But to find the cure, she must visit the forbidden planet: Earth. Sophia uses the secret portal to journey to Earth. Not only is she trying to save her fathers life, but she also has to figure out what she wants to do with her own along the way. Just when things couldn't get more complicated, she unexpectedly finds love. Sophia has to realize what is more important to her; her fathers life, or the one she loves.

Between Worlds: Nekkel Ace will have you turning the page after every chapter, eager to learn what will happen next.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: May 16, 2011
• ISBN: 9781452056456

Yianna Yiannacou

Yianna Yiannacou is an aspiring writer who was born in Toronto, Ontario. At the age of 22 she got caught up in the writing world. She was inspired to write a novel of her own after realizing her passion for writing fan fiction. With the encouragement from many fans, she took a leap of faith and decided to publish. check out her website: www.yiannayiannacou.webs.com

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Phone: [phone]

© 2011 Yianna Yiannacou. All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse   04/27/2011

ISBN: 978-1-4520-5643-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4520-5644-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4520-5645-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011905998

Printed in the United States of America

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Preface

Chapter 1 - The River

Chapter 2 - Mysterious Boy

Chapter 3 - The Oak Tree

Chapter 4 - How to Swim

Chapter 5 - Birthday Surprise

Chapter 6 – The Unexpected Truth

Chapter 7 – Recap

Chapter 8 – Unsettling Ride

Chapter 9 – Bad News

Chapter 10 – Nekkel Ace

Chapter 11 – Determination

Chapter 12 – Escape

Chapter 13 – New Me

Chapter 14 – Friendly Stranger

Chapter 15 – Disturbed by the Bell

Chapter 16 – Forest Flashback

Chapter 17 – The Journal

Chapter 18 – Fast Forward

Chapter 19 – True Struggle

Chapter 20 – Portal Trouble

Chapter 21 – The Truth

Chapter 22 – Heart on Fire

Chapter 23 - The Whole Truth

Chapter 24 – Fix the Past

Chapter 25 – Determination

Chapter 26 – And Nothing but the Truth

Preface

I stood there; shock filled every part of my body. I had the phone barely in my hand. I felt my whole body go numb; my fingers went limp and the phone slowly fell out from my hand. It hit the marble ground, pieces flying everywhere. I knew the phone fell, but it made no sound. My heartbeat automatically accelerated as I started to process what just happened. This phone call could not be real. How could this have happened? Everything was fine five minutes ago, but now I get this message? I have to go back and find out for myself. Things like this don’t happen to people like me. Does this mean things are clearer now? Or are they even more difficult than ever. I’m stuck. Should I even go back now? I don’t know what to do.

That’s when reality hit me with the force of a thousand ton train. It felt like my heart was clawed out right from the depth of my chest. I finally came to face the truth. The walls and countertops began to blur and spin – nausea and dizziness overpowered me. I didn’t have the energy to stand anymore. It became harder to breathe as I slowly started to fall forward. The floor was coming closer to my face faster than ever. That was when everything went black.

Chapter 1 - The River

I sat there in complete bliss without a care in the world. Sometimes, I wish I could just sit here forever. My eyes were closed but my soul was wide open. Beautiful flowers surrounded me in every direction. There had to be over a thousand different kinds spread around this entire area. Their collective aroma filled the air. I drew in the passing breeze and let the scent overcome me. It filled my lungs and nourished me. It was a smell that can instantly comfort a person. Out of the whole estate, the back garden was my favourite spot. It was quiet and peaceful. The only sound I could hear was the breeze gently touching the flowers and birds chirping above me. I kept to myself mostly so I never had to worry about anyone disturbing me here. This was my sanctuary.

My planet is called Caledonia. It was my home and I loved it. My great grandparents were the first ones to discover Caledonia. It came into orbit with the sun only a few hundred years ago. No one knows how it happened. Its history had been destroyed before I was even born. My parents were now the rulers of Caledonia. If my parents knew the history, they hadn’t told me about it and I don’t think they ever planned to. Caledonia is hidden from view of Earth. It seems that there is an invisible barrier, protecting it. Humans were unaware of our existence, and the Caledonians intended to keep it that way. I knew very little about Earth. My parents never discussed it. I got the impression that Earth was a taboo subject to bring up in my family.

I have a perfect view of Earth from my house. I would always stare at it and daydream. I had hoped to visit someday. My parents said I was too young. I figured they were afraid for me. Nevertheless, I was determined that when my day came, I would go. No one was going to stop me.

Sophia! Mom called from inside. It’s time for lunch.

I guess I did have the occasional disturbance. I looked over my shoulder only to see her walking away from the grand entrance at the back of the house. It wasn’t an ordinary house. It was an enormous mansion not unlike a castle. The size never frightened me though.

Mom’s dress swayed in the breeze as she made her way back into the house. She knew I’d be here. I didn’t want to get up. I would have stayed there forever if I could. I stalled for a few moments, but quickly returned to my senses. I knew that if Mom had to call me twice she would have been upset. The last thing I wanted to do was upset her. I rose sluggishly and patted my dress clean. Wearing white was a bad idea for me. Apparently, dirt loves a white dress - especially if I am the one in it. Most of it came off though, just from standing. I checked myself before I started towards the house – I looked decent enough.

I headed inside for lunch. I looked around at the familiar surroundings of my home. The walls and floors were white marble. If this was my first time coming here I would think it was a very elegant house, but I see this everyday so it’s nothing special to me. Everything was open. If I looked dead ahead, to the entrance, I could see the - very distant - front yard of my house. It was easily recognizable even from the back. There was not one dark room in my house. There were huge windows everywhere. Lights were unnecessary during the day.

I turned right and headed down the hall. I found my parents waiting for me in the dining room. They weren’t alone. I noticed another couple and their son sitting at the table.

I didn’t recognize the couple at first, but as I walked closer and got a better look - I realized it was the Carters. I could never mistaken them for anyone else. They both had pitch black hair and were kind of chubby. They were naturally short people. Mrs. Carter was taller than Mr. Carter. She always wore such high heels. It was as if she went to the store and asked for the tallest pair of heels they had - just so she could stand taller than her husband. They were both snobs.

The Carters were very wealthy as well. They were close friends with my parents. They all grew up together. Mrs. Carter’s name is Emily and Mr. Carter is Paul. The Carters had their only son with them – Paul Jr. I never understood people that named their child after themselves. It’s just plain stupid. Paul Jr. looked like a taller, thinner and more handsome version of his father. I had to admit - even though I didn’t want to – I found him very attractive. I think Paul was two years older than I, making him about seventeen years old. I did not know him that well. Now that I think of it, this was the first time I had ever met him. He was always off in boarding school whenever the Carters were over. I heard so much about him, but never had a face to his name. That is, until now.

Sorry for making you wait, I said, staring at the floor. I couldn’t bear to see the look on their faces. If I had known we had guests I never would have taken my time. That was just bad manners and I felt awful.

Mom quickly got to her feet and slammed her hands on the table. Sophia - look at your dress! How many times do I have to tell you not to sit in the dirt? She stared at me with her eyes wide open. She shook her head in disappointment as she sat back down.

I didn’t bother to respond. My heartbeat accelerated to an abnormal rate. I could feel the blood rushing to my face as I blushed in embarrassment. I felt sick to my stomach. I couldn’t eat. Every inch of my body was aching to turn around and run away. I had to force myself to stay. I didn’t want to show weakness.

The Carters probably wouldn’t have noticed the small spot of dirt on my dress. You could hardly see it! Only Mom would point that out to let everyone know. I wanted to cry. I didn’t like to be embarrassed. Any heightened sense of emotion would normally set me off. I managed to hold it together though.

I took a deep breath as I walked up to my seat as one of the servants pulled out the chair for me to sit. I thanked him and sat down. Massimo was my favourite servant. He was much older than I, but I felt like he really understood me. He was more a big brother figure to me.

I sat and waited for another servant to come around and serve us the food. We had mushroom soup for lunch. I picked up the spoon and tried not to sip it too loud. I tried to remember my manners this time. Sometimes I would slurp my soup just to annoy my parents. But we had guests and I didn’t want to seem rude. I kind of wanted to make a good impression for Paul Jr. We all sat in silence at the table. I didn’t talk to my parents much. I felt like I had nothing in common with them. I never knew what to say to them. I did not react well with guests either. The whole time we ate I could feel the gaze of Paul Jr. burning into my face.

Sophia, Mom said as I looked over to her, Emily and Paul came all this so that Paul Jr. could meet you. Isn’t that nice?

I think they’d be wonderful together! Emily said as she clasped her hands together in joy.

Ugh, I wanted to puke. I just nodded. I was afraid if I opened my mouth I would have nothing nice to say. I hated whenever people bring their sons over and just assume that I was interested in him. This was the third time that had happened. It seemed like my parents were trying to find me a husband. I was only fifteen years old and they were thinking like this? I had no idea what had gotten into them. Is that normal? I never asked my parents how old they were when they got married. I realized I’d never really bothered to ask. Whenever my parents would bring random people - some I didn’t even know - over just to see me, I would feel so betrayed.

My parents were very good people though - don’t get me wrong – but I never felt like I could confide in them. I’ve talked to the servants more than I talked to my parents. They were a bit overprotective. My parents were tall people. Dad had a deep voice and was a man who you would always catch smiling. He smiled more than my mother did. Dad had brown hair and brown eyes. My mother and I, on the other hand, both had blonde hair and blue eyes. Mom’s hair was cut very short because Dad preferred it that way. My hair was very long though. Mom did not want me cutting it. I did not want to cut it either. That was one thing we agreed on.

I quickly finished eating and asked to be excused from the table. My parents knew the only reason I was rushing myself was so I could go back outside. I never liked being indoors- especially when there were people there, trying to set me up with their sons. I only went in to eat and to use the washroom. I also sleep inside - but not by choice. If it were up to me, I would sleep outside every night. We always had great weather. It never went below twenty degrees - even at midnight.

I decided not to go back to the garden. I was going further this time. I didn’t want anyone to find me. I quickly walked out the back entrance and started sprint walking down the long pathway.

Hey Sophia, wait! I heard someone calling from behind me.

I looked over my shoulder to see Paul Jr. running towards me. He stopped right in front of me. I had to look up at him since he towered over me. I stared at him for a few seconds. His features were just so - perfect. His hair was slicked back; he had pale, smooth skin and very good posture. His eyes were blue like the sky and his lips were a perfect shade of pink.

Yes? I asked as my voice cracked. I cleared my throat. I was lost for words. It was as if I had forgotten to speak. I was starting to get flustered. I had never experienced this before! I just stood there and waited for him to say something - anything!

You’re very beautiful, you know. He raised his hand to brush a strand of hair from my face.

I slightly raised my head as he ran his finger under my chin to get a better look at me. I raised my head up a little bit. I still couldn’t think straight. All I could do was smile.

You would be the perfect girl to have my arm and show off to everyone, he said as he dropped his hand. His eyes were fixated on me.

My smile automatically faded.

What did I look like? A damsel in distress, waiting to be rescued by her valiant knight?! I am not a trophy to be put on display! I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! And so, there went my perfect impression of Paul Jr. I should have known that the handsome ones were always self-centered.

No thank-you. You seem very nice but I don’t think that’s right. I tried to be as polite as possible. I clenched my jaw as I turned around and walked away, for I knew that the next words to come out would be unkind ones. It was hard to keep them in.

What do you mean? You can’t do this to me. Come back here! He called out to me.

I turned around abruptly and took two steps towards him. Yes - I can do this, and there is nothing you can do to stop me. You do not own me! I grunted in disgust and started to run away.

You’ll regret this! No one walks away from me! You will be back! You’ll see! he yelled as I ran faster. I didn’t turn back. I just kept running. I ran past my garden and past my lovely pond where many fish swam. I noticed my reflection in the water as I ran. My eyes sparkled in the reflection. They were all watery. Why was I crying? Something inside me just hurt. I don’t know if I was crying out of disgust at what had just happened or because I was still in shock that I was running away from this beautiful man.

I don’t normally wander this far away from the estate but I was scared if I went back, Paul Jr. would be there waiting for me. I wiped my tears with my arm and stopped running. I was feeling adventurous now. I turned around to look at my house. I tried to forget about what has just happened.

The house stood on a mountain. I decided to walk down - something I had never done before. It wasn’t that bad. It was just like a normal walk. There weren’t any weeds. My family owned this land and we had someone tend to it every day. There was no danger walking down the mountain, but as soon as it ended, so did my sense of certainty. I found a grass pathway and followed it. I don’t know who or what made it, but I just kept walking farther and farther. I went deep into the woods. The grass pathway led me to a small river. It was surrounded by large trees. The sun still shone through the trees so I could see everything around me perfectly. I think I actually remember coming here once with my parents. I was much younger though. My memory was hazy, but I was sure of it. Something seemed familiar. Then again, it could have been a dream. Nobody ever came here. They either stayed in their homes or went to someone else’s. There wasn’t much to do around here.

I walked as close as I could to the river without actually going in. I knelt down beside the river’s edge. I could see my reflection in the blue water. I looked so - sad.

Something splashed up and made ripples in my reflection. It was a fish – a beautiful blue fish with a yellow stripe going across it. I stuck one of my fingers in the water to touch it but it swam away. I thought about how I wished I had real friends – someone I could turn to in a time like this. All the other kids my age were so snobby and I didn’t like being around people like that. They all acted like their parents. I did not want to grow up to be like my parents though. Maybe that is why I kept my distance from them.

I sat there as I slowly ran my fingers along the water. I wanted to dip my whole hand in the water. I would be in a lot of trouble if my parents caught me. I looked around and realized my parents were nowhere in sight. They didn’t know where I was. They probably weren’t even looking for me. I didn’t care. I could do whatever I wanted.

A smile rose in the corner of my mouth as I immersed my hand in the water. I rejoiced at the cool feeling it left on my fingertips. The water was so cold, it gave me goose bumps. That did not stop me though. My hand went in deeper. My whole body was leaning over the water now. I placed my other hand in the water as well. Both my arms were elbow deep. The water was shallow. I accidentally touched the mud on the bottom of the river and pulled my fingers up a little bit. I didn’t want to get dirt in my nails. I didn’t particularly mind it. It was way too much work to clean after. Also, I had upset Mom enough for one day.

I don’t know how long I sat there with my arms in the water. I was very relaxed. I didn’t want to move. I had never done anything like this in my life. I listened to the water moving past my arms and all the creatures rustling in the grass.

I figured I had enough fun with the unknown water for one day. So I slowly started to pull my arms out.

I heard a loud, startling noise behind me. It sounded like a branch being stepped on and cracked - hard. I quickly looked over my shoulder to see a boy awkwardly standing there. I was completely shaken and quickly got to my feet. That wasn’t a good idea because I completely lost my balance. I shrieked as I fell right into the cold water - head first.

Chapter 2 - Mysterious Boy

My hands and feet slowly sunk into the mud where I sat under the frigid water. I never thought I would find myself in this situation. My knees were sticking out just above the water’s surface. I stared at this boy as he stared right back at me. I didn’t want to move - I couldn’t move. I was debating the reason; was it because I was cold or because I was scared? Maybe it was both. The water was cold and I was drenched from head to toe.

This was turning out to be the worst day ever. First, I have these unexpected guests trying to marry me off to their son. Then I end up falling into this stupid river with this odd boy staring at me. His appearance was atrocious. His brown hair was all tangled and dirty and he barely had clothes on. His whole body was covered in dry dirt, wet dirt and any other kind of dirt you could think of. I was willing to bet he didn’t smell great either. Underneath all of that grime, he seemed to have an olive complexion. He was fairly tall with broad shoulders. The only thing appealing about him was his blue eyes. He was not alone. He had a little white tiger cub circling his feet the whole time.

I felt something graze my hand under the water and I became startled. I froze for a second. I then screamed as loud as I could and jumped right out of the water without even thinking. I stood on the side of the river looking into the water to see what had touched me. I looked, but I couldn’t see anything. My feet felt a bit strange. I looked down at them only to realize that my shoes were gone! They were still in the water, stuck in the mud.

My jaw dropped in utter shock as I looked down at my dress. I screamed again. My dress! My poor, beautiful shoes! The boy covered his ears. His little white tiger cub hid behind his legs.

From looking towards the pond, I turned to the boy. "Look at what you’ve done! I am completely soaked! I lost my shoes and I’m completely covered in mud!" I yelled at him as my eyes filled with tears. Now I was the mess. I was cold and dirty. My dress was heavy and it stuck to me as I fell to the ground. My dress was already ruined, so I didn’t care. I was sobbing uncontrollably. My face was lost in my hands.

Out of nowhere I heard a splash in the river. I sniffled as I looked up to see what was going on. I realized the boy had gone into the water and retrieved my shoes. With complete ease, he submerged his hands into the water and pulled my shoes right out of the sticky mud. The water and dirt did not bother him. I wasn’t surprised. He walked over to me. There was a blank expression on his face. He placed my shoes in front of me and then sat down. We sat there for a couple of minutes in silence just staring at each other. I tried to hold in my tears so I could see him better. I dried my eyes with my hand. I had unknowingly smeared dirt all over my face.

This was very awkward. He seemed confused; it was as if I looked familiar to him or something. It was like he had never seen a girl before - let alone a wet one. His little tiger cub jumped onto my dress and was rubbing its face onto my arms. He started purring. I couldn’t help but smile. I had never felt anything that soft before.

Aw, he’s so cute. What’s his name? I asked the boy. He didn’t answer me. He just stared.

Does he have a name? He still didn’t respond. Okay, what is your name then?

The boy’s eyebrows creased even more as he kept staring at me. Why wasn’t he answering me? I was getting frustrated. Could he not hear me? Or was he just trying to upset me?

Hello? Do. You. Understand. Me? I carefully sounded out each word.

The white tiger cub jumped off my dress and growled playfully at the boy. The boy growled back at him. It was as if they were talking to each other. The boy crouched down to play with the cub. He was rubbing his head on the cub, mimicking the way the cub was rubbing his head onto my arm. I got up awkwardly. I walked over to the boy and reached out my hand. He just stared at me and then rubbed his head onto my hand. I found myself petting him. This was so strange, but it felt normal at the same time.

He started purring and meowing at me. It was as if he was trying to tell me something, but he only knew tiger language. I felt so helpless. What could I do? I didn’t know how to communicate with him. He looked so sad and lost. He had probably wandered away from his family. I had decided it was time for me to leave. I didn’t want to confuse him even more. I figured if I left, his family would come out and get him.

I bent down and put my shoes on. I took two steps and couldn’t stand the squishy noise my shoes were making and it felt pretty disgusting. I bent back down and took them off. I decided just to carry them instead. I looked