White Space Season 2

for Sarah to buy since the books usually had titles like, Mysteries, Monsters, and Untold Secrets .
    Despite Cassidy’s insistence, or perhaps fascination, Sarah never saw any evidence of special abilities between them. At least nothing beyond coincidence. But now, as she heard them call for her, she wished to God that Cassidy was right, and that her twin sister could hear her thoughts.
    I’m here, Cass! I can’t move. Help!
    Thunder erupted around her, louder than any thunder she had ever heard before. If Sarah had been able to move, she would have likely leapt several feet in the air. If she could speak, she would have filled the night with her scream.
    Lightning flickered above, preceding a second, even louder round of rolling thunder. It crashed like regular thunder, just louder, but the lightning was weird — not bright white streaks stretching across an angry sky, like usual. This lighting seemed like it was made from a series of pulsing flashes, striping the sky, on and off and on and off, almost with rhythm. Though her body was frozen, Sarah’s heart was pounding so hard she couldn’t tell if she was hearing the sky’s thunder or her own soaring pulse.
    Suddenly, something creaked behind her, a long, rasping groan like a door opening wide in complaint.
    Sarah wanted to turn, desperate to see what was behind her, but still couldn’t move. She realized, to her horror, that she couldn’t even blink. It felt as if invisible fingers were widening her eyelids, forcing her to see whatever was about to happen.
    Her eyes watered, desperate to undo the stretching. Her mind felt frantic as thunder and lightning intensified. And then, all at once, it stopped — draping the world into an immediate darkness and wrapping it in a wicked, eerie quiet.
    The night was still, save for Sarah’s shallow breath. She tried to scream, but couldn’t.
    Finally, she was able to close her eyes, and did, feeling relief, and tears, wash her stinging eyes.
    Help me, PLEASE! Cass?
    Sarah opened her eyes, trying to look around with her still limited movement. The forest was black, the moon obscured by clouds, or something . All was silent.
    A branch snapped behind her, followed by more of the horrible creaking.
    Creeeeeeaaaaak …
    A sudden explosion of blinding white, so bright it was all she could see, bled from everywhere, and all at once.
    Alongside the bright light came a horrible popping.
    Then the light swallowed her.

    **

    Sarah opened her eyes, naked and cold. She was laying on a hard, metal surface with a row of bright lights above her. There were shadows she couldn’t quite make out hovering over her body. They were doing something to her, but she couldn’t distinguish what, or make out much of anything other than the cold, metal table pressed hard against her butt and back.
    Sarah couldn’t feel her arms or legs, just a vague yet insistent pressure close to her torso — a feeling that wasn’t quite like anything she’d ever felt before.
    Sarah tried to move, to cover herself, but couldn’t.
    Help.
    Cassidy!
    Help me.
    She closed her eyes then blinked them back open, trying to make sense of the thick shadows that refused to unblur around her.
    Who are these people? Are they doctors?
    Sarah had the distinct feeling that she was being operated on. She wondered if she had fallen in the woods, and maybe smashed her head on a rock. Maybe this was the danger Mama always warned them about when she ordered them home before dark.
    Sarah cried, or thought she did. It was hard to tell for certain.
    Please don’t let me die.
    Why can’t I see them? Why can’t I feel anything?
    Sarah realized she couldn’t hear them, either. There were sounds — mechanical, something like a dentist’s drill or worse — coming from somewhere nearby, but they didn’t quite sound like anything Sarah ever heard. They were muffled, like she was under water.
    The mechanical sounds faded to a few final distant clicks, then there was a length of silence followed by a whirring. Sarah remembered watching the giant yellow vehicles clearing the forests to build Ulysses Cove. She could hear the saw blades spinning, much like the whirring above her, and pictured herself standing outside the fence with Cassidy, watching as trees crashed down into the dirt.
    Oh, God, are they cutting me?
    The whirring stopped, and the sudden silence was almost painful, slowly building pressure in her ears and head. Sarah longed to hear words, or anything that would