After being found, inexplicably, standing over a brutal scene involving a pair of recent murder victims, Jade comes to in a hospital with limited memories. Labeled as paranoid by the seedy medical team and locked up, she seems more a victim than a deviant. Promptly drugged and plunged into sleep, she is submerged into a chronic dreamland that seems controlled by another, she soon gives in to a lavish life with a Malum who seems all too eager to see to her every desire. She awakes in yet another reality with no memories of her past, or even herself. Something is making her forget... and just like that she steps into her new life.
Malum is deeply in love with Jade and is only agenda is to give her the world... Or so he claims. Blindly followed by his people, the Luxans, he works tirelessly to keep them safe from the Rebels, with Jade by his side. Surely his motives are pure... yet, the more time Jade spends with him, the further she seems to fall from herself.
All the while, Jade is plagued by vivid dreams of another life... one she struggles to understand while Malum works to make her forget. As Jade struggles to hold onto her soul and discover her past, Malum seeks to possess all that she is.
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I wake in the dark. I’m lying on my back. My body is sore and resists my commands to move. The air around me is dense, causing beads of moisture to form on my feverish skin. There is little relief in the atmosphere, for it feels as hot as the skin I lie in. My parched tongue makes a futile attempt to lick the water droplets from my lips.I realize I need to get up. With no concept of where I am or what is going on, I’m a sitting duck. I also need water. Desperately.
Some deeply rooted instinct stops me from groaning in protest as I push myself up. Every muscle screams its displeasure. I can feel the unyielding ground scrape against my bare skin. Some part of me knows I'm dreaming, but this all feels so real.
My eyes sweep the area around me. There isn't much to see as night embraces the land. I am becoming accustomed to the darkness and soon make out lush vegetation and the outlines of rocks; I’m in a forest. As if someone has turned the volume up, sound evolves around me. Insects chirp and chatter and seem not to heed me at all. That doesn't mean there aren't other things out there that will.
I begin to make my way east, or toward what I think is east. My entire body is singing with tension. Every footfall I make is carefully placed. Giant leaves brush past my bare skin. I suddenly realize I'm naked but find myself not caring. This is how humans were meant to live. Before Eve ate the apple. Stupid bitch.I continue to walk until I notice the moon has risen, casting an eerie glow around the forest. Through the din of insects and nocturnal life, I hear the faint trickling of water. I begin to hurry forward, becoming more aware of my thirst as I draw closer to the sound. Elation fills me, for the dense flora is thinning. In a moment, I find myself at the bank of a stream. I crouch down and use my hand to scoop the icy cold water to my mouth. I've never tasted anything so good.I sit for a time, leaning against the smooth trunk of a tree while I contemplate this reality. It cannot be real. I feel myself dozing only to be jolted awake by an unnatural silence. Abruptly, the noises around me vanish. It is as if the creatures around me have taken a collective breath and held it. The silence is a warning, something is coming.
In between writing, MJ enjoys reading, collecting music and attending concerts. Lux is the first installment in the Veritas series which is MJ's first published work. Facebook * Facebook * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads
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