Hawker’s Hill fell silent once more as Clark’s footsteps faded into the distance.
“I think Clark would do okay as a cop,” Dan thought out loud after a while. He’d spent a few minutes remembering some of the times Clark had gotten into trouble as a kid — many of them starting on Hawker’s Hill with a dare to roll something down or shine his laser pointer at certain targets — but Clark grew out of all that pretty quickly and proved everyone wrong by cutting it in the army until his lungs let him down. “He’s good at protecting people.”
“Have you thought much about what you’re going to do now?” Emma asked.
“Not really.”
“I reckon you could maybe go back to the bookstore in another six months or so when no one is talking about you anymore. Everyone will still know who you are, but it won’t be insane like it has been.”
Dan shook his head. “Nah. I liked working for Mr Wolf, but there were never enough shifts to go round and the other staff need the money. I’ve been thinking about ghostwriting some new articles.” Dan’s tone rose as he expanded on this idea. “I used to have to try to pick subjects that would sell to decent markets, but now I’ll be able to pick what’s interesting. What do you think?”
“Why ghostwrite?”
“I’d want it to stand on its own,” Dan said. “Because right now I could probably smash my face against a keyboard and sell whatever it spelled as long as my name was at the top.”
“Probably,” Emma laughed.
“So what about you? What are you going to do?”
Emma thought for a few seconds. “Maybe manage some campaigns for local politicians. Jack always said I was cut out for that.”
“I don’t know if I could see you doing that stuff.”
“Well, unless you still need an agent…?”
“I don’t know if I could see you doing that stuff,” Dan repeated, using exactly the same tone to mockingly pretend he hadn’t heard the reply.
“Seriously, though,” Emma said, sitting up. “I could get you work as the face of a recruitment campaign for young scientists and engineers. It wouldn’t pay like the ads did, but it would still pay. What do you think?”
“I would do that,” he said. “I’d do that for free.”
“But let’s say they offered us more than nothing…”
“Keep it.”
Emma lay back down on the dry grass. “I knew I was right to like you, Dan McCarthy.”
Dan groaned. “I remember when you used to always call me that. I’d open the door and you’d be like “Hello, Dan McCarthy!” I mean, even I know that’s weird.”
“The info XPR gave me before I arrived here said you were an egotist,” Emma explained while laughing at the memories, “and an egotist always likes hearing his own name.”
“Why would they think I was an ego—”
“Shooting star!” Emma yelled.
“Where?”
“Another one! It’s like a show!”
Dan followed Emma’s finger and focused on an area of the sky to the northeast. “Yeah!” he said excitedly. “I saw one! There must be a meteor shower tonight.”
“You really need to hurry up and buy a telescope,” Emma said.
“First thing tomorrow. Don’t let me forget.”
“Deal.”
As the heavens danced overhead, Emma Ford and Dan McCarthy lay quietly together for the rest of the show; all by themselves, but far from alone.
Author’s Notes
Thanks for reading Not Alone!
I enjoyed writing this book more than anything else I’ve ever written, and I hope that came across. Not Alone has been a huge part of my life for a long time during the writing process and it’s great to finally see it out there in the world finding an audience.
If you enjoyed reading Not Alone and could spare a few moments to leave a review on Amazon, that would be incredibly helpful. Reviews are a great way for readers to find books that might interest them. I don’t have the resources to send out hundreds of review copies, so every kind word really does help. Thanks!
I’ve just released a new story collection in my Sycamore series called Sycamore X and my Terradox series launches in 2016.
If you’d like the chance to get early access to my upcoming books and also receive a free story every month, sign up to my author newsletter.
* * *
@craigafalconer
craigafalconer
www.craigafalconer.com
Contents
Copyright
Books by Craig A. Falconer
Author Newsletter
Dedication
Part 1
Quotation 1
FRIDAY
D minus 99
D minus 98
D minus 97
D minus 96
D minus 95
D minus 94
D minus 93
Part 2
Quotation 2
D minus 92
D minus 91
D minus 90
D minus 89
D minus 88
D minus 87
D minus 86
D minus 85
D minus 84
SATURDAY
D minus 83
D minus 82
D minus 81
D minus 80
D minus 79
D minus 78
D minus 77
D minus 76
D minus 75
D minus 74
D minus 73
SUNDAY
D minus 72
D minus 71
D minus 70
D minus 69
D minus 68
D minus 67
D minus 66
MONDAY
D minus 65
D minus 64
D minus 63
D minus 62
D minus 61
D minus 60
TUESDAY
D minus 59
D minus 58
D minus 57
D minus 56
D minus 55
D minus 54
D minus 53
D minus 52
D minus 51
D minus 50
D minus 49
D minus 48
Part 3
Quotation 3
D minus 47
D minus 46
D minus 45
D minus 44
WEDNESDAY
D minus 43
D minus 42
D minus 41
D minus 40
D minus 39
D minus 38
D minus 37
D minus 36
THURSDAY
D minus 35
D minus 34
D minus 33
D minus 32
FRIDAY
D minus 31
D minus 30
D minus 29
D minus 28
D minus 27
D minus 26
SATURDAY
D minus 25
SUNDAY
D minus 24
D minus 23
Part 4
Quotation 4
MONDAY
D minus 22
D minus 21
D minus 20
D minus 19
TUESDAY
D minus 18
D minus 17
D minus 16
WEDNESDAY
D minus 15
D minus 14
D minus 13
D minus 12
D minus 11
D minus 10
D minus 9
D minus 8
THURSDAY
D minus 7
D minus 6
D minus 5
D minus 4
D minus 3
D minus 2
FRIDAY
D minus 1
D minus 0
impact
Part 5
Quotation 5
D plus 1
SATURDAY
D plus 2
D plus 4
SUNDAY
D plus 5
D plus 6
D plus 7
Part 6
Quotation 6
D plus 8
MONDAY
D plus 9
D plus 10
TUESDAY
D plus 11
WEDNESDAY
D plus 12
THURSDAY
D plus 13
FRIDAY
D plus 14
SATURDAY
D plus 15
SUNDAY
D plus 16
D plus 17
D plus 18
MONDAY
D plus 19
TUESDAY
D plus 20
D plus 21
ONE WEEK LATER
D plus 22
FOUR MONTHS LATER
D plus 23
D plus 24
D plus 25
D plus 26
D plus 27
D plus 28
D plus 29
D plus 30
Part 7
Quotation 7
D plus 31
D plus 32
D plus 33
D plus 34
D plus 35
D plus 36
D plus 37
D plus 38
WEDNESDAY
D plus 39
D plus 40
D plus 41
Part 8
Quotation 8
D plus 42
D plus 43
D plus 44
THURSDAY
D plus 45
D plus 46
D plus 47
FRIDAY
D plus 48
D plus 49
D plus 50
D plus 51
D plus 52
D plus 53
SATURDAY
D plus 54
D plus 55
D plus 56
SUNDAY
D plus 57
D plus 58
Author’s Notes
Not Alone Page 73