Defying Destiny (Afterword Academy #3) - Katie May Page 0,41

I forget dying, losing my essence, and traveling to Hell. I’m merely Hadley Jamison once more.

“Mom? Dad?” On the second try, I’m able to scramble completely to my feet, bracing one hand on my nightstand for support. My bedroom looks exactly as I remember it, before I spent week after week in a hospital room with its bleak white walls and the pungent scent of bleach permeating the air.

Opposite my bed, on a shelf devoid of any dust, is Mr. Stuffing, a bear I won at a carnival when I was ten. I remember being so proud of myself, feeling as if I could accomplish anything if I set my mind to it. There was no limit, no restrictions. It’s a heady sensation for a young, cancer survivor to have.

I walk towards the vanity adjacent to the shelf and finger one of the dog-eared photographs resting on the mirror. It’s one of me, my mom, my dad, and my best friend, Ocean. I can’t remember when this picture was taken, but we’re all smiling at the camera, a magnificent forest serving as our backdrop. Almost every year, my dad would take us all camping at the local state park. At first, only my mom and I would go with him. After relentless pressing and begging, Ocean began to tag along.

I had some of my best memories there.

A soft smile erupts on my face, and I exit my bedroom, gliding down the staircase towards the living room and kitchen.

Are my parents here? Is Ocean?

“Mom? Dad?” I move towards the living room first, half expecting to see my dad reclined in his customary armchair with Jeopardy on the television. Instead, I’m greeted with an empty room, the only noise coming from the fan circulating up above. Somehow, I focus on that noise, only that noise, as trepidation skates up my spine like an icy finger caressing my bare skin.

I spin on my heel just in time to see a flash of blue in the kitchen. The color is a soft hue, almost reminding me of the sky during midday, when the sun is high in the sky and painting everything in delicate shades of gold.

Ocean.

I would recognize her vibrant hair anywhere.

Immediately, I hurry in that direction, desperate to see my best friend one more time…

Until the crushing revelation sweeps over me like a tsunami, burying me in oppressive, murky water.

I’m in Hell.

The sixth layer, if my calculations are correct.

And despite how perfect this scene is, despite how realistic, it’s not truly my home. I’m dead, and my family and best friend are still alive somewhere back on Earth.

It’s like an arrow to my gut, and I physically stagger back a step, just as a hand closes on my shoulder.

“Hadley baby?” Braxton says softly, spinning me around to face him. I must still look like a fish out of water, gaping and desperate and struggling to breathe, for he immediately pulls me into a hug.

“For a moment, I forgot we were still in Hell,” I confess, my voice shaky. “I thought… Well, it’s ridiculous.”

“It’s not,” Caius assures me from somewhere behind. “This is Hell, my beloved. It’s designed to play with your emotions. And you’re also extremely weak, which makes you more susceptible to Hell’s influences.”

I pull away from Braxton to see Caius’s shadowy form hovering near the other three brothers.

“You should rest,” Auston urges.

“We need to keep moving,” I counter immediately. Adamantly. Because if we slow down…

If I slow down…

I’m not sure I’ll ever move again.

“We have time for you to take a quick nap,” Caius assures me gently. He glides closer until he’s a hair’s breadth away from me, and despite not having a tangible body, I swear I can feel his breath stirring the hair around my face.

“We don’t know what this level entails,” Braxton announces curtly. “All we know is that we landed in Hadley’s home. But why hers? What’s the purpose? Until we know more about this level, I want all of us to stand guard.” He looks at his brothers pointedly, and they all nod once, even Preston, who looks seconds away from shitting his pants.

“I…” I want to argue again, but they’re right. I’m so incredibly tired and weak, my body heavier than a car. If Caius is correct, the seventh layer of Hell will house all of Hell’s monsters and beasts—all of the creatures that go bump in the night. And if I’m too weak to even stay on my feet, I’ll be more of