Excerpt: Paradise Burning

Nate is flying.

I'm standing in the middle of the desert, surrounded by miles of yellow sand, blowing into my eyes and stinging my skin. I blink up at the sky, where the gangly boy I knew on the ground has been transformed into a magnificent creature. His wings are huge and white, shimmering faintly with a golden tinge. They beat steady and slow as he swoops low above my head then soars up into the clear blue.

I hear his whoop of joy, and I smile, though I can't help but feel envious, earthbound and alone. I wish I could join him, wish I could touch the sky and fly at his side.

I feel a rush of wind when he zooms past, the tips of those gorgeous wings stirring up the sand, which trails after him like stardust. I reach out, aching to touch the soft feathers, longing to be like the sand, pulled behind him by sheer force.

There are tears on my cheeks and in my eyes, blurring my vision. I can no longer see Nate, and the blue sky has gone suddenly grey and cold. There are clouds moving in, and I can hear a threatening rumble of thunder in the distance.

I sink to my knees, not caring about the sand biting into my knees, or the storm that's coming in fast. I cry harder than I can remember ever doing before, a feeling of loss so profound inside me, I wonder that it doesn't kill me.

As I kneel there, sobbing and heaving, I feel a tingle arc over my left shoulder, then skitter up the right. The tattoo -- the angel wings memorializing my mother -- begins to throb, creating lines of fire that criss-cross my shoulder blades and blaze down my back. I fall forward, catching myself with my hands and letting my hair fall in front of my face. It hurts to have its weight trailing down my back. In fact, my thin t-shirt is beginning to feel like hot lead pressing against my skin. I scrabble to pull it over my head, hissing in pain as it brushes over the tattoo, and toss it far away from me.

My relief is short-lived. There is something inside me, something just under the skin, clawing and scrabbling to get out. Horrified and paralyzed by pain and fear, I can do nothing but sob as whatever it is presses against my spine, stretching and spreading my shoulder blades until I feel as if I'm being ripped in half.

I look up to the dark sky, and I spot a figure just over the horizon. I watch, helpless, as Nate flies away, and all I can do is scream his name.