Promise Me Eternity: Book of Eternity Series, #2

By Ishleen Singh

In a world taught to survive off the basis of a book, a girl makes promises she can't keep. Most of all, to herself.

Leanna Smith thought that she'd have it all by now—her freedom, her old life, and her current relationships. She thought she'd escape Herinfalls by the time she was eligible to leave the treacherous town...

Only it turns out that the world wants her to pay for her sins before she makes it to the age of eighteen. Now, with extraordinary powers, Leanna isn't sure which direction her freedom is, or if it's even in the cards for her anymore. 

After fearing fire for all her life, Leanna isn't sure how much more heat her body could handle before it perishes within the flames.

With past relationships coming to haunt her present, Leanna knows one thing for certain: her super capabilities have become a part of her. It has become both a gift and a curse. Her strength and her weakness. 

Her only choice now? Survive and survive, without losing herself in the process. 

Survive, until she can promise herself a life of living. A life worth living, with the people she loves.

 

_

 

Disclaimer: This book includes intense action, violence, slight gore, and scenes containing religious trauma as well as mental health topics such as panic attacks, PTSD, depression, anxiety, etc. Please read with caution.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ishleen Singh
• Release date: Jun 5, 2023
• ISBN: 9781778082436

Book preview

1 | COLDEN

A BABY WAS BORN seconds after the clock struck midnight on January 1st, 2127.

It was a time of celebration for everyone except Luma Samson and Ross Gerald.

What was meant to be a time of joy... wasn’t.

Colden never saw his mother’s face. He would’ve been too young to remember anyway, but even if he had any recollection of the date, he’d spend the rest of his life trying to forget the memory.

Why?

It would have the face of his dead mother in it.

The mother he killed.

A life for another.

Somehow Colden believed it was his mother’s doing. From up above, she was showing him the world through harsh lenses.

But she didn’t know that the world had changed since she left it.

It turned monstrous, dull, and a place not worth living in.

The first of January was Colden’s first day of living.

But it was also the day he died a million different deaths.

2 | LEANNA

LEANNA’S MIND AWOKE BEFORE her body did, hazy around the edges and... confused.

The last thing she remembered was falling to the ground, meeting a blanket of coldness before everything went black. Pressure built in her head, unrelenting. Slowly, it all came stumbling back. Where it had happened. Why it had happened. Who she was with.

That was a face she’d never forget. It was engraved in her mind, green eyes shining back at her dark brown ones.

Chad.

Her past had caught up to her, after all.

She had no one left.

John was gone. Laurie was gone. Caelum was gone. Ave and

Sapphire were gone, too.

Leanna imagined she winced, but she couldn’t know for sure. Her mind was in the dark, and hopefully, her body wasn’t—hell forbid—ten feet underground.

They wouldn’t have buried her alive, would they?

Leanna cursed violently to herself, as loudly as she could, until someone heard. Anyone.

Silence.

No one did, proving what she already knew from the start.

She really had no one left.

She was all alone.

WAKEY WAKEY... HOW DOES it go again, Hunt?

Hunt.

He sighed. Eggs and bakey.

A snap of fingers. That’s the one. I never really liked bacon, actually—

How much longer until she wakes up?

Silence. She almost dared to peek past her eyelids until a voice spoke, eerily calm.

Not very long, considering she’s already awake.

Drats.

How... do you know that?

She flinched when I called you Hunt.

Double drats.

So that’s why you called me—

Nevermind that. Hand me my belt.

Something clicked. Her eyes shot open—

Bang!

Leanna’s back arched, waves crashing into her from every direction, a torrent of pain colliding against the sides of her skull. Overwhelming heat flooded everywhere, relentless, encasing her body in unshakeable warmth.

Her eyes caught hints of blues and browns before vertigo swamped her vision. A chair creaked, its legs scratching against the rough ground, and two desks juddered, slamming into one another repeatedly. Where were they?

Her palms felt cool against the surface. The world paused, and a weight sat on her forehead, pushing her to the ground. Still, she forced her eyes to travel across her skin.

Gashes of red coloured her bare arms; she imagined there were more under her pants. Bruises in different shades tinted her warm beige skin. Strands of hair floated like dry leaves on her dark juvie uniform. Juvie.

No.

What... did you do? she forced out, despite knowing the answer. Her eyes squeezed shut in pain.

He shot her in the leg. Again.

Chad caught her stare and smirked. Déjà vu?

Leanna mustered up enough strength to spit at his feet.

Can’t say I’m surprised by your reaction, Hunter piped up, emerging from the shadows.

"Can’t say I’m surprised to see you here with him," she spat out. An edge in her throat sent a fit of coughs through her at once. She winced, huddled into a ball on the floor, the side of her hip flat against the cool ground with her ankles overlapping.

Need help?  he asked.

A wave of nostalgia hit her.

Need help?

Not from you.

Not. From. You, she forced out each word with a ragged breath, hoping Chad remembered their conversation not long ago. The brief twinkle in his eyes suggested he did, and Leanna felt sick.

Am I missing something? Hunter glanced back and forth between the two of them.

Chad stared her down for a brief moment, then dusted his pants and safely tucked his gun into his belt’s pocket. No. We’ve had this conversation before, and it won’t be like the last time. No one is coming to take you away. You’re going to show us your special healing power and fix yourself.

And if I don’t?

You bleed to death, Chad stated flatly.

Hunter threw him a rushed side glance, which he ignored. His deep, green eyes were only trained on her.

Leanna swiped at the moisture building around her eyes with shaky fingers. Her healing capabilities were running through her veins, she felt it, but she wouldn’t tell them that. You wouldn’t. You need me too much.

Chad shook his head. "That’s where you’re wrong. I never needed you—my father did. And look where that got him."

Leanna swallowed hard.

He continued, I’m just trying to figure out what he found so special about you, why he was willing to hurt himself to see you face-to-face. If you want to live, do as I say. Got it?

Leanna stared at the ground. She hated this. Being under someone’s control.

But it reminded her that she was alive. Breathing and learning and exploring new things every day. She was too selfish to risk it. Most of all, she wasn’t ready to die.

So she raised her head and nodded. Not because she wanted to but because she needed to. Leanna still wasn’t sure what the Chief had in store for her. She knew it had something to do with the Book of Eternity, but her memory grew hazy beyond that point.

What better way to uncover the truth than from the Chief’s very own son?

It wasn’t a solid plan, but it was the only one she had. And she was in it to survive. Living wasn’t in the cards for her right now.

Chad and Hunter would soon discover what she was made of. Not strength because she was far from it right now. Not just energy and power, which gave jolts in her bones and ignited them with sparks. Not anything in the world she could conceive in her glowing hands except the feeling that came from it.

Warmth.

They would discover the steady warmth nibbling at her insides, desperate to break free.

They would discover who she really was.

3 | JOHN

AY, BOY. WE’RE HERE.

John looked up from his lap, waiting for the driver to unlock the van’s doors. With a tap of a button, the door slid to the right, the tinted windows tucked into rusted metal. He waited a few seconds for the infrared lasers to deactivate around the brims of the opening before stepping out.

John rubbed his face with his good hand, adjusting to the light.

They were in... the middle of nowhere, surrounded by redwood, mountain ash trees and greenery in every direction. Blackbirds chirped in the background over the sound of people.

But that wasn’t the most interesting part.

Several dome-shaped tents were planted on the firm ground, six feet away from one another. Strangers entered in and out of the structures, either with their families or concentratedly by themselves with clipboards in hand, all wearing coats equipped for the chilly weather of October. John glanced down at his arms, layered with goosebumps. Devils. He should probably find better clothing, too. And treatment for his wrist.

The domes were all clear, varying in sizes, with translucent flaps on the ends that almost looked like safeguards for making the orbs non-transparent. They were visible right now, probably for the newcomers arriving, but the flaps appeared well-used.

Clamourous noise echoed from his right. He twisted his head in that direction; food wrapped in foil was stacked and loaded into metal boxes that were transported with black vehicles in every way. Families entered the vans one after another, huddled in tight circles while waiting for their turn. The newcomers waited around the larger dome-shaped pods before being led to individual ones that he assumed were sleeping and storage areas. It looked big enough; a family of four could be perfectly fine in just one of them.

SAL’s logo shone on a flag stationed at the peak of every pod. A tribute, John guessed. He would almost be impressed if it wasn’t for the absence of his own family not being with him to celebrate their escape. His escape. Because they hadn’t, and by some miracle, he did, which only made things worse. How was he supposed to convince a whole resistance to turn around and save two people out of the hundred they were preparing to fight?

It was simple; he couldn’t.

Not yet, at least.

A couple of people in dark clothing waltzed past him, jostling his shoulder. His balance jerked, but he didn’t freeze all over because of that. It was their uniforms—he recognized them immediately. They were administered by juvie.

They were here.

Leanna.

John picked up his pace and ran past heavy-hearted families and angry scouts. He guessed this place was busier than it had been in a long time. Or ever. He pushed through crowds to search for a specific brunette, but it was a lost cause. It would be impossible to search for her in the most populated place of the compound. He released a heavy exhale and spun around. The moment he did, his front collided with someone’s chest.

The person twisted around to face him, a glare set on his face.

My bad, John rushed out, giving him a look-over. Beige skin. Sage-coloured eyes. Dark brown hair, blond in some areas.

Juvie uniform.

I’m looking for someone: Leanna Smith. Have you seen her?

The stranger’s mouth opened a little. How do you know Leanna?

He paused. "How do you know Leanna?"

Answer my question.

John’s voice went eerily low. I asked first. Where is she?

The stranger was silent for a moment, tight-lipped, before the words came out. She helped us escape. I’ve been looking for her too. Haven’t seen her since we left the building.

Who the hell is he? Why are you looking for her—

A screech of feedback bounced off his ears. He flinched, glancing westward until his eyes landed on a stage... which hadn’t been there before. Devils, it almost seemed like it’d been raised from underground. But that didn’t make any sense.

That’s impossible, he heard a couple beside him say in hushed whispers. John’s heart clunked painfully against his chest as a memory resurfaced in his brain.

No, Rose, I won’t do it, he shook his head vehemently.

Rosie giggled, latching onto his arm. Oh, come on, you haven’t even tried it yet!

Because it’s stupid! And impossible.

She gave him a bemused look. Haven’t you heard the saying, ‘nothing is impossible’?

That’s the cheesiest thing you’ve ever said. Are you sure we’re related to each other?

I hope so. You couldn’t survive a day without me.

He rolled his eyes. I think it’s the other way around.

Now it was her time to shake her head. Nope. Without me, you wouldn’t be making impossible things possible.

A smile slipped past John’s lips as he ruffled her hair. Oh, yeah? Like what?

Rosie raised her chin, a determined look on her face. Do it again.

No—

Just do it! It’ll work this time, I... I believe it will.

John stayed silent, then gave a long sigh. Fine.

Standing up from the table, he shook his arms and hands, relieving the tension. Rosie stifled her giggles, and he shot her a glare. With a small cough, she brought her fingers to her mouth, sliding them across her lips like she was locking them shut. Then, she threw him the key, which he pretended to swallow up. Rosie choked on another laugh but forced it to stay inside.

With a smirk, John blew out a breath, then raised his elbow.

And licked it.

His eyes widened a fraction, and Rosie squealed, jumping up from her seat before throwing her small arms around him.

What did I say, J? I believed it, so it happened. Anything can be possible if you don’t think it’s impossible.

Rosie would’ve understood. She hated believing that anything was impossible.

He missed her so much.

John hid his frown and turned toward the stranger, intent on continuing their conversation, but no one was there.

A thudding noise pulsed at the top of his head. More interference rang in the air; John noted it coming from the sound systems attached to the poles stationed beside every other pod.

The crowd shifted a few steps to the side in a flurry of movement. John fell in with the people, shuffling around and getting a hold of his balance—miserably—before his feet sent him toppling on the ground.

A grunt of pain escaped from the girl beside him on the ground holding her ankle, and he steadied her as he raised himself up. Just as she began to recover, a man with heavily tattooed arms and a ginger beard bumped into her shoulder.

The girl jerked, plummeting to the ground once again. John caught her wrist at the last second, throwing a heavy glare at the middle-aged man. Or, well, the person’s head and the distorted smiley face tattoo imprinted where his hair wasn’t. A grunt passed through him. What the hell was happening here?

Are you okay? he asked, refocusing his attention on the person in his arms. The girl nodded and uprighted herself at once, snatching her hand away. Her blonde hair was ruffled and unruly, pulled into a low ponytail that passed her waist. Her cheeks were a deep shade of pink, and her eyes were the most vivid turquoise he had ever seen.

She was in a juvie uniform as well.

Yeah, I’m fine, she mumbled. Before he could ask if she knew Lea, she scurried away and joined the crowd.

Devils. This would take an eternity.

May I have your attention, please? a voice shattered the air. The man belonging to the voice waved a microphone in the air, his feet positioned in a circle carved into the middle of the stage.

The crowd was rowdy and chaotic but quieted down a little. The man took that as his cue. Hello, everyone. You probably don’t know me, but my name is Aeric Morganson. I’m the leader of the Salvation Resistance. To those of you who’ve just arrived, we welcome you to our home. You’ll find many—

Mr. Morganson released a choking sound from his throat, his eyes glued to something on John’s right. He followed the man’s gaze, locating the girl he’d just helped. She was staring at him as well, wide-eyed and terrified.

Dad?

Didn’t see that coming.

The crowd surrounding the stage hushed down, and despite the girl’s voice being soft and mumbled, it caught the ears of everyone nearby.

John almost felt guilty for the girl if it wasn’t for the fact that a new stranger strode toward Mr. Morganson and held his shoulder as he slowly deteriorated in front of hundreds of people. A stranger, a woman, comforting the resistance leader onstage and publicly for everyone to see.

He felt his throat clog with emotion and his mind drift with endless thoughts. How long? What for?

Why?

It was Rosie’s mom, his mom, in the flesh.

4 | COLDEN

A BABY WALKED FOR the first time on April 2nd, 2128.

It was no coincidence; rather, it was another lesson his mother decided to teach him. Another sign he considered fate.

He didn’t remember much, but the stories his dad had depressingly told him every night for years were vivid enough. He told Colden of the first time he’d smiled with teeth and how it had been a sorry sight. He told him of the first time he’d laughed and how it had been the same day he started drinking his life away. He even told Colden of the first time he’d cried and how his voice must’ve shattered his mother’s heart and brought her soul to heaven without a final goodbye.

There were a lot of firsts he had experienced, but many of them soon became his lasts. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed till he couldn’t breathe or smiled with teeth. But he did remember the moment he first walked.

It wasn’t another story from his dad. After all, the man wasn’t even there to see it happen.

His sitter was in the other room, cleaning the dishes while Colden was playing with his only toy. It was a teddy bear with one of his mom’s necklaces tied around its neck. He found it underneath the couch one day and never showed it to his dad. Knowing him, he would’ve crushed it to pieces and simultaneously crushed Colden in the process.

Colden remembered playing with the necklace one second and having it snatched from his hands in the other. The sitter stared at him in disapproval and left it on the java table. He wasn’t sure what triggered his anger, but all he’d felt at that moment was rage. Rage toward the person who stole the only thing that truly belonged to him. Rage toward the object for being so far away.

But that could be solved.

Before he knew it, his body was in the air, and his feet were the only thing holding him to the ground. Suddenly, it wasn’t the air holding onto him, but him holding onto the air.

And he held onto it for dear life.

He held on tight until he reached the table that reached his head. Colden snatched it between his fingers and returned to where he sat, absent-mindedly fidgeting with the necklace in his hand. It felt valuable, even at the age of one.

The sitter returned and stared at him in confusion for what must’ve been ten minutes until the pieces finally connected in her dense brain. She called the man of the house, and the rest was history.

Growing up, Colden did everything alone. He was the person he needed to be because wanting something was a task he left unchecked on every one of his lists. He needed to be his own caregiver, his own support, and his own parent because no one was able to fulfil the role.

Not even his dad, who was the worst parent in the history of neglectful parents. The man was there, but not really. He was a guest in his own home. An uncle, a relative, but not a dad.

A dad wouldn’t have intentionally abandoned his child after one parent had done so unintentionally. A dad wouldn’t have taken the simple route of a self-harm death before his son hit puberty. A dad wouldn’t have fed his son lies for years and made him believe that he was the villain in every one of his bedtime stories.

But that was what Ross Gerald did.

And Colden hated him for it.

5 | LEANNA

HOW IS THE LEG?

Wouldn’t you like to know, Leanna muttered.

I would, actually, Chad said. That’s why I’m asking.

Hunter rolled his eyes. You two are ridiculous.

Leanna shot him a glare. Well, if you have better things to do than babysitting, by all means.

This is not babysitting, Chad spoke harshly. This is an observation.

And have you found what you’re looking for yet?

No—

Well, the answer’s written on my hand. See? Right here. Come a little closer. There—it says you’re wasting your time.

Hunter sighed and looked up at the sky, his eyes closing with impatience. Chad simply stared, a nerve in his neck ready to jump out of his skin.

Did my father like you for your wits? Was that it? Because I can’t seem to find anything else interesting about you.

You think I’m interesting? Well, I’ll be damned. I passed the experiment.

No, you didn’t.

But you said—

That’s not what I was implying—

ENOUGH! Hunter roared, rubbing his temples. Would you two quit it? You’re purposely making this hell for all of us.

"I’ll quit it when he tells me the real reason why I’m here. It can’t just be for my interesting powers."

Chad’s mouth formed a thin line. You’re right. It’s not. Fix my father.

Leanna laughed for the first time in a while. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been captured, but it was long enough to miss the sound of her own throaty laugh swirling with her voice.

She missed others’ laughs more.

You’re insane if you think I’m gonna fix the man who gave me this curse, Leanna said with a scoff, even though her throat itched from saying those words aloud. They were true, weren’t they? These abilities had done nothing but cause destruction in her life and the lives of others she cared about. Her bones felt fragile and raw to the touch, but the pain in her knees wasn’t nearly as excruciating as the tightness in her chest at the mention of the Chief.

He was still in a coma, one that she had put him in.

One that she had no control over.

Even if she did decide to cure him in return for her freedom, Leanna wouldn’t know where to start. Or if there was a start to any of it.

How was she supposed to fix someone broken from the inside? Someone who was lost in another world and searching for a way out?

For the sake of everyone, it’s best if he just stays in hell.

But if he did, so would she.

You’re dead if you don’t do as he says, Hunter threatened. Or at least tried to. Leanna gave him an A for effort, but his menacing tone could use some improvement. And she’d heard worse in her seventeen years of existing. She’d promised herself that her eighteenth year would be the first year she lived. Truly lived, on account of no one and nothing.

She could only hope that she lived to see the next day. Whatever Chad had in store for her was anything but good.

ALMOST TWO HOURS LATER, Leanna’s leg was healed. It was crazy to believe that her body could do what people spend years training for.

But it was cruel to remember that she would never grow up like others.

By now, Leanna was beginning to concentrate on her surroundings. It seemed like a cave, damp and shrouded with murkiness. A fire made from a lighter and two morons were posted near the entrance, inviting moths to hover over the heat and soak in the warmth she’d been missing for as long as she could remember.

Chad and Hunter sat around the flames, huddled together and sheltered under a thin blanket. Goosebumps ran along her spine at the chilly winds that grazed her neck. Where’d they get that from? Were they shopping while she was stuck here?

The smell of meat wafted over, and her stomach betrayed her with a heavy rumble of noise. Damn it.

She shut her eyes in annoyance as she watched Hunter make his way in her direction. He paused and stood a few feet away—which did him good, considering Leanna was more ravenous for a fight than food. Her knuckles clenched under her thighs as she sat cross-legged on the cold surface of the cave, her shoulders bunched together and back angled in a position her mother would’ve disapproved of.

Her mother. It seemed like a lifetime had passed since she last saw her parents, yet their faces still haunted her terrors, like a reminder of the guilt she was forced to face for everything she’d done.

It was pitch black outside, so Leanna estimated it to be around ten at night—on what day, she had no idea. It didn’t matter, though. Her parents still read a passage from the Book of Eternity at this time silently, with the bare toleration of each other in the same room.

They believed that someone up above would’ve wanted it that way.

Leanna still didn’t know who they were talking about because, in her eyes, there was no one worth believing in if no one believed in her.

She believed in herself—or at least tried to these days. That was all she needed.

If the Book really had the answers to every problem, Leanna wondered why so many still existed.

That was why she never believed in the alleged Eternity. The life after this one. Was it an eternity, or did it simply feel that way? Who counted every day, every minute, every second that passed? Why had someone created a book of guidelines for humanity if they never saw Eternity themselves? If they never lived to tell the tale but told others of what they believed was there.

Was any of it true?

So many questions travelled through her mind, but like every other one, it was filed under a folder that wouldn’t be opened until a much later point in her life.

Even then, she wasn’t sure if she’d be ready to see what was inside it.

—hear me? Chad, Leanna’s acting weird, Hunter shouted, bringing her out of her thoughts. He was staring at her, too close to her face.

She blinked, stumbling until her lower hip hit the ground and inched back, creating distance between them. What do you want?

What happened? Chad asked with a yawn, approaching the two of them. Hunter held his hard gaze as if he was trying to peel away the layers she hid behind.

Many have tried and failed, Hunter. You wouldn’t be the first and probably won’t be the last.

Nothing, Hunter mumbled. Her head twisted to the side. Interesting.

Don’t call me again if it’s not an emergency, Chad snapped before retreating to his sleeping bag near the fire.

Hunter watched his back and sat on the ground opposite Leanna. When he didn’t try to say anything, she raised an eyebrow in his direction.

If you wanted to stalk me, you could’ve done it from where you were sitting before.

Hunter sighed, ruffling his ginger hair. He gazed up at the roof of the cave. I don’t know what I’m doing here.

Why are you with Chad? Leanna asked, releasing the urge to ask him that question since she had seen him outside of juvie.

Because I care about him, Hunter stated. And because he cares about me, too.

You sure about that? Leanna asked. Chad, someone who cared about anyone other than himself? That seemed more unlikely than winning the lottery.

Of course I am, he said defensively. We’ve been together for a month, and I know how he feels. He doesn’t say it, but he shows it.

A pang of guilt smacked Leanna straight in the chest, pinching her lungs. It sounded so familiar to her past relationship it made her physically want to throw up, even though she’d eaten nothing.

Hunter and Chad were no different from her and Colden.

Even worse was that Hunter genuinely believed Chad felt the same way when it was clear to everyone that he didn’t. Like you did, except no one was there to tell you the truth because your entire relationship was a secret. A lie.

She felt a wave of nostalgia pound against her bones and numb her insides. She had gotten past the heartache by tuning the world out and reminding herself that no one would ever get the chance to treat her like that again.

But it was wrong to do that, she now realized.

Shutting herself