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  She grabbed her purse and pulled out her phone. The display showed that Shirley Tomlinson called. Shirl, as she liked to be called, had grown up with Alex at a local Phoenix orphanage. Although Alex was younger than Shirl, they were best friends and as close as sisters. Shirl and Candy, who also grew up with them at the orphanage, were Alex’s only family. The three were connected, at times it felt like they could read each other’s minds.

  Alex had given up on the dream of a real family long before the orphanage stopped parading her in front of perspective parents. Years of couples talking and playing with her, only to have them walk away, had taken their toll. The disappointment she felt at the continual rejection caused her to cry herself to sleep on many occasions. She would find herself blending into the shadows in order not to be passed over again.

  To this day, she had a tendency to blend into the background. Her best friends were always in the spotlight, where Alex tended to be invisible in their presence. Shirl was tall, blond, and stop traffic gorgeous. Candy, on the other hand, had a self-confidence that made her radiant. When they were together, both men and women would flock to Candy.

  Having left her cubical, Alex took the opportunity to listen to Shirl’s voice mail message. “Alex, it’s Shirl. I’ve got a killer migraine and I can’t make it to Sedona this weekend.”

  If anyone else had canceled on her, she would have been angry. However, she knew Shirl got terrible migraines that would down a small elephant. It seemed as though the headaches were growing in frequency and she was concerned about her friend. Alex recently started having migraines herself. She and Shirl were so close, she felt they were probably sympathy headaches.

  When Alex reached the call center’s lobby, she called Shirl before she walked out into the Arizona heat.

  “What?” Shirl growled as the call connected.

  “How are you feeling? Do you need anything?” Alex asked.

  “Can you get me a new brain?”

  “Doubtful, but I’ll look into it. I am so sorry you won’t make it to Sedona with us.”

  “I know, Alex,” Shirl’s voice began to fade. “Candy will stop by before she takes her class on this weekend’s field trip. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

  Shirl hung up before Alex could say anything more. She placed her phone in her purse and walked toward her car in the stifling Arizona heat. The car was all packed and ready to go for the trip up to Sedona. Since she was not picking up Shirl, she immediately got on I-17 and headed north.

  Alex loved Sedona and started thinking about what types of adventures she’d have this weekend. Something unusual always happened when she was there. It was odd, she was never able to put into words what she experienced. Some invisible force always seemed to draw her there.

  Alex made good time. Leaving Phoenix early afternoon was the trick, beating the hordes of commuters heading home after work. She headed straight to her hotel.

  It would be some time before her call center friends would join her. In the meantime, Alex had time to hike in Boynton Canyon. She opened her suitcase, pulled out a T-shirt and shorts.

  The Boynton Canyon Vortex was one of the four vortexes that contributed to the energy felt throughout Sedona. Alex generally hiked Boynton Canyon because she felt the best energy there and enjoyed the trails. A lot was written about Sedona’s vortexes, including the belief the energy was the result of inter-dimensional gateways. She did not believe all that nonsense, but her friend Shirl certainly did. With that thought, Alex felt the loss of Shirl not being there. She could almost visualize her friend standing next to her, clutching her crystal necklaces.

  She walked to her car and made the short trip between the hotel and Boynton Canyon. The parking lot closest to the trail was packed. Fortunately, she had the world’s smallest car and found a spot where someone had parked badly, leaving only three quarters of a space. She easily fit into the spot and patted the dashboard of her beloved car. It was fire engine red, with a white racing stripe down the side. She loved zipping around town in it.

  Alex changed from her sneakers into her hiking boots, locked the car and made her way to the trail head. She loved the sound her boots made against the gravel trail. Alex had just purchased a new pair of hiking boots as a birthday present to herself. The boots almost came up a quarter of her leg and were kind of clunky. She was not going to take any chances if she came across a snake along the trail.

  Although the lot had been full, she didn’t see anyone on the trail. A flash of light caught her eye. It was the reflection coming off a bracelet worn by someone suddenly ahead of her. Her eyes left the cuff bracelet to the man who wore it. He was tall with blond hair, and she couldn’t help but admire his body. The man was oddly dressed for hiking. He appeared he was wearing a tunic and leggings. He had broad shoulders underneath the blue tunic and the leggings were molded to his powerful legs. She could see the muscle definition of his legs even from this distance. He must have decided to take a little hike before performing in a Shakespearean play. Sedona was known for supporting all art forms.

  Alex admired his body, but unfortunately her body was not reacting to his. It never did, regardless how attractive she found the man. Oddly, Shirl and Candy had the same problem. She dated, because girls her age dated. She had not been with a man in over six months. Every relationship was disappointing when it became physical. The guys she dated didn’t want to sustain a relationship if they had to deal with an ice queen in bed.

  As she continued on the path, she kept an eye on the man, closing the gap between them. He was carrying a number of sacks that seemed to slow him down. Another oddity about the man. Who carried sacks on a day hike, rather than a backpack?

  He was in her sight one minute and the next he vanished. Where did he go? Alex ran forward, thinking the man had fallen and needed help. She arrived at the spot where she had last seen him and there was no sign of him.

  An invisible force pulled her forward off her feet. She screamed as the motion continued and her vision went black. Her lungs seized and she fell into what she could only think was an endless void.

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  The Worlds Apart Series

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  About the Author

  When Evelyn Lederman retired from her career as an insurance executive, she cheerfully anticipated the freedom to finally spend as much time reading as she’d always wanted. The twist in her story came when as-yet unwritten characters started cropping up in her thoughts, asking her to tell their stories. Now, she spends her days in Florida on the beach…with her laptop.

  ‘The Chameleon Soul Mate’ is the first book in her Worlds Apart series. She also has authored Nightshade Saga series, a parallel dimension of vampires that was introduced in ‘The Crystal Telepath’, Book 2 in this series. Evelyn also has a Young Adult sci-fi series, The Zaratan Trilogy.

  Visit Evelyn at her website: http://www.evelynlederman.com

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