Novel-novel oleh Danielle Carico

Rachel stood in the quiet courtyard for a moment, the heavy silence returning. She turned to her brother, who was staring fixedly at the empty gateway where the van had just been.“What did you think of those two, Allen?” Rachel asked.Allen paused. The silence dragged out for a highly charged moment, his jaw tightening slightly. He didn't answer right away, but the sudden rigidity in his shoulders spoke volumes more than his words ever could.Sensing his sister’s intense, probing stare, Allen finally cleared his throat. “They’re odd. That Joanna is sitting on a mountain of secrets, but she seems honest enough about wanting the jade.”Rachel’s eyebrows arched slightly. She found his response fascinating. He didn't bring up the assistant. Usually, Allen was an unshakeable shadow, staying glued to Rachel’s side during high-stakes transactions to scan for threats. But today, his focus had drifted entirely to Jolie.A small, calculating spark lit up in Rachel’s mind. Maybe she would use t

Outside the glass partition, Joanna leaned casually against the office doorframe, though she caught the low, rhythmic murmur of Jolie and Allen's voices from within. Rachel leaned against the adjacent wall, crossing her arms.“I’m still curious,” Rachel admitted, looking at the bricks of cash being counted. “What does a person do with millions of dollars of unrefined, raw stone? Most buyers won't touch it until it's cut and polished.”Joanna smiled faintly, staring out into the empty warehouse. “Call it an investment for good luck in the future.”Rachel raised an eyebrow, a skeptical amusement in her eyes. “You must be expecting some terrible luck to buy a mountain of jade for protection.”Joanna cleared her throat and turned her full attention to Rachel. The warmth left her expression, replaced by a cold, absolute certainty.“I believe everyone should be preparing right now,” Joanna said, her voice dropping to a quiet, unsettling whisper. “Because there is an entire world of bad luck

She led them through a narrow side hallway out to a secluded rear courtyard where a second vehicle sat. Rachel unlatched the heavy trunk, revealing three massive, reinforced wooden crates. She gripped a black canvas sheet covering the top crate and pulled it back.Joanna’s breath hitched. Her eyes widened, and she swallowed hard against a sudden surge of adrenaline.It was a staggering amount of stone—more than she had ever seen in one place. For a split second, a flash of her dream timeline violently crossed her mind: the agonizing hunger, the cramped, suffocatingly small storage space that could barely hold a single shipping container. But now? Now her pocket dimension was vast, featuring wide, sweeping fields and limitless vacancy.Deep within her chest, she felt a sudden, distinct shiver. It was the space. It was waking up, sending a silent, ravenous pulse through her consciousness: Feed me. Feed me now.“I can see you’re genuinely excited about the quality,” Rachel observed, brea

What Jolie didn't know was that Joanna wasn't planning on winning anything. When Thanksgiving weekend arrived and the world fell into chaotic panic, while everyone else barricaded themselves inside waiting for a government rescue that would never come, Joanna planned to break into these very malls and take everything they needed.They climbed back into the rented van. Joanna pulled out the jewelry clerk's business card and handed it to Jolie.“I need you to call the number on the back of that later,” Joanna said, starting the engine. “We need to fish for information.”Jolie frowned, flipping the card over. “Who is this?”“The necklace I was looking at was commissioned for a woman named Megan Foster,” Joanna explained, navigating the van out of the crowded parking lot. “In my... dreams, I knew her. She was supposed to be a major player later on. But the jeweler says she died in a hiking accident. It doesn't add up.”Jolie stared at her, listening intently.“Call the husband,” Joanna in

Friday arrived with a sudden, heavy finality. Stepping off the plane into Felton, Joanna felt the city pressing in on her. Unlike the flat, open spaces of Aurora, Felton was a labyrinth of steel and glass, its skyscrapers blotting out the sky.To anyone else, it looked like civilization. To Joanna, it looked like a slaughterhouse. Large cities seem to have promised safety for the apocalypse, but high density just meant a concentrated food source for the infected.She leaned close to Jolie as they walked through the terminal, her voice dropping to a sharp whisper. “Don’t let your guard down. This city is dangerous.”After renting a nondescript van, they drove straight to the local mall to kill time before their meeting with Rachel. Joanna needed a distraction, so she split them up. “Go see what the camping store has,” she told Jolie. “I’m going to check out the jewelry section.”Joanna wandered into a high-end jewelry boutique, her eyes tracking the displays until they locked onto a sp

Jolie was well-accustomed to Joanna’s sudden bouts of exhaustion. While she didn't know exactly what Joanna did behind closed doors, she knew the routine by heart: it was always quiet, and she was never, under any circumstances, to disturb Joanna when she retreated to her bedroom.Joanna walked into her room, locked the door, and sat down on the edge of the bed. Breathing deeply, she pushed her remaining mental strength to enter her storage realm. Because she was so fatigued, the transition took much longer than usual, but her consciousness finally broke through.Inside the space, the newly acquired shipping container sat exactly where she had positioned it. She nodded in satisfaction. At least it went where she wanted it to go. Dragging her heavy feet, she peeled off her clothes and stumbled into the warm, glowing waters of her spirit pond.She scooped up a few handfuls of the water and drank deeply, feeling her mind slowly begin to clear. The soothing energy of the spring wrapped ar