Ascending the Veil by Venessa Kimball Page A

so crazed and her movements so feral, like an animal with no soul. She does have a soul though; it had just been caged and warped. But, when her soul is unchained when she wakes, will it remain dormant and broken from the torture she endured or will it renew and heal. I sense Monica watching me. She is wondering if I am up to seeing Corinna still after hearing all of this. I breathe in a cleansing breath and release it slowly. I know what I need to do, so I work hard to push down the fear I have in my heart. “I have to try to help her.”
    Monica looks at Xander and steps toward me. Her eyes narrow on me, “How?”
    “Getting inside her head.”
    Xander snaps at me. “Hell no!”
    I’m not shocked, just angry with his arrogance, thinking he can tell me what I can and cannot do. “I don’t think you have a say in this, Xander. It’s my decision.”
    Xander’s anger gets the best of him as his jaw works from side to side. His voice hides his anger well though. “You would be entering her mind blindly , Jesca. You don’t know if she is the normal Corinna, or the crazy Corinna setting a trap for you.”
    Monica interrupts Xander, basically ignoring him and focusing on what I want to do. “So, you want to enter her mind telepathically and wake her up.”
    My eyes connect with Monica’s and I nod. The light in her eyes quickly returns as she sees a glimmer of hope in my solution.
    Xander steps between Monica and I, looks from me to her and says, “That is insane! You are both insane! You are throwing yourself into a volatile situation , Jes! I can’t let you do that! I am supposed to protect you!”
    Monica claps her hands together loudly. “Then go with her , Xander.”
    Xander and I both look at Monica. “What?”
    Monica repeats, “Follow Jesca into Corinna’s mind. You can read her thoughts, get into her head, right? Well, concentrate on not letting her go if Corinna tries to pull under to trap her.”
    I have to give it to Monica, using Xander is brilliant. I nod my head slowly and look at Xander. “We have to do this , Xander. This is our only chance to try and pull Corinna out.”
    Xander shakes his head and looks at me like I am crazy. “Jes, that is completely crazy.”
    He covers his face with his hands and is mumbling something to himself when I interrupt him. “Xander?”
    Hands still cover his face, he asks, “What?”
    I look at Monica. She rolls her eyes and crosses her arms over her chest. Xander’s drama is definitely getting to her. I grab hold of Xander’s wrists with my hands and pull them away from his face. “I can bring her back, I know it.”
    Xander looks away from m e and I draw his attention back. “Hey,” I say, my eyes lock with his. “I need you with me. Can you help me?”
    Through his crystal clear blue green eyes, I see remnants of his struggle to let me do this. Xander’s voice is low; I can barely hear him when he says, “Fine.”
    With my hands on his wrists, I slide them down to meet his and let our hands intertwine. I squeeze his fingers between mine and smile genuinely. “Thank you, Xander.”
    Monica punches a large red button on the wall, the double doors open, and she starts walking. Xander and I release one hand and hold tight to each other with the other as we follow after Monica.
    We walk past a few doors, each with their own square window on the left side of the doorway. All of the doors to the rooms are open, except for one at the end of the hall. We approach a small nurse station where two nurses look up and nod, letting us pass. Monica only nods back, not breaking stride, as she halts at the closed door in front of her. When she turns to look at us, I immediately sense her concern that Isabel will turn us away and won’t want us near Corinna.
    I step back a little and peer into the window next to the door. I see Isabel leaning over the bed, with only the lower half of Corinna’s body visible to me.
    Monica’s soft knock interrupts Isabel and she