Blank Lover

By Heidy Hardaker

When love only lives in a nightmare, hatred is what the heart craves. Unrequited love burns a hole through Trig's dreams. A lingering kiss that belongs only in his imagination. The object of his obsession is a perfect creature that he knows nothing about. A creature that belongs to his enemy, one that takes a piece of him day by day and destroys it. Eyes that never look at him, a face that never searches for his. One that he cannot take his eyes off. They live in his head but do not understand him. Controlling his actions with a mere whisper. He lives in his mind with the emotions they cannot take from him. Untouchable, ignored, alone, he controls his existence. In the emptiness he excels. Until his emotions break free throwing everything into turmoil. Words so powerful they shake away his camouflage. Seen for the first time and unable to fade back into obscurity, a shadow that lingers even in the darkness. An inescapable whirlwind, a twisted game. Apathy controls Blaze, Cascade, Ember, Phoenix, and Rayne. But there's something different about Shadow which setsTrig's heart aflutter. Whether it's love or hate nothing can stop the tension building between them. An electricity that threats to burn it all down.

 

Create your own character Shadow: e placeholder for the pronoun of your choice or an ethereal creature that is not human. Blaze, Cascade, Ember, Phoenix, Rayne.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Heidy Hardaker
• Release date: Dec 24, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201673932

Heidy Hardaker

Just because your creativity is not valued does not mean that there is no value in the process: in the skills you learn along the way, in the self-awareness you gain and determination that you find within yourself. There is something only you can give. True success is when you are true to yourself. So never give up.

Book preview

Blaze

‘When you’re falling you’re suppose to wake up.’ Trig’s eyes flew open. The beeping noise was embedded deep in his skin. He stared down at the statue and rubbed his eyes. Everything seemed to be warping but he felt like he was floating above it all. One moment his fingertips were touching the freezing statue and the next he was above it. Suffocating in his fear, he clung to the balcony. He was burning from the inside out. The sensations were familiar and intrusive if he did not wake up soon, it would get worse.

He ignored the pain and clung onto the nightmare. Every night he reached the same point, he could never get any further than the statue. It was as if it was taunting him. Flecks of marble dug into his flesh.

The statue was smashed into pieces. It was his fault but his trembling hands were empty, now the room was too. A vortex of emotions stabbed into his heart, filling his stomach with a heavy sensation that was crawling up his throat.

They ejected him from their world.

His eyelids fluttered. Beads of sweat dripped down his cheeks, he could taste the salt. He rolled onto the floor and tried to get up, he could not awaken himself from slumber. The fatigue was pulsating through his limbs, dragging his body to the ground.

‘What if you’ve been falling for a lifetime?’

He gasped. All he could do was blink, the life would not return to him. Stumbling out of the room, he clawed at the balcony. He glanced at the statue and felt numb.

Everything started to blur like he was hovering over it, not really present. Neither up nor down. Unable to differentiate between their world and his, between bitter and sweet.

You can’t tell the difference between your waking nightmares and your terrible dreams. They were reading his thoughts and amplifying them. His mind was not fully awake yet but they were already attacking him. He shuffled through the wall.

The atmosphere was tense, he could feel it before he walked in and now he was in the room it was suffocating him.

‘I overslept. I’m so sorry,’ he mumbled the lie. It took conscious effort to prolong the rest cycle. He could feel anger in the air but did not know who it was coming from. In his peripheral vision he saw Shadow’s eyes fluttering around but never focusing on him. He sighed.

No matter how hydrated he was, his nerves sucked him dry. He tried to swallow but his parched mouth hindered the movement. Their eyes were staring through him. He did not know if anyone was listening, he knew no one cared. The cavernous space felt like it was closing in on him. Trapping him with a hundred pairs of eyes, most of them not physically present. A blank stare, empty colours that held no life behind them.

He chewed his lip. A bitter taste filled his mouth. He swallowed back the pain but the words got caught in the back of his throat. Sweat was dripping through his clothes, he was holding his breath. It was a pervasive habit.

There was no way to calm down his racing heart. His mind was already running through all the possible outcomes especially the negative ones. He would always make a tiny mistake that would draw their scorn, highlighting how imperfect he was in comparison to them.

Laura was fidgeting too. Everyone else was immoveable mass of obedience.

‘Of course there will be very different answers for the ugly selfish takers. And for the ones that are selfless, perfect, ethereal,’ Renton dug into the corners of his eyes but the fake tears would not appear. His job was to exacerbate the situation, even that was too much for the pitiful creature to handle.

‘Teacher, your attitude and actions speak for you and they are unbecoming of someone in your position.’ Before Trig could stop