Helios Beginnings (The Helios Chronicles #0.5)

by Tawa M. Witko

  “Well, that didn’t take long,” he said with a grin.

  For the next couple of weeks Andrew looked for her. He found himself running into town for all sorts of miscellaneous reasons on the off chance that they might run into each other and today was no exception. He didn’t really need gas, but here he was, filling his almost full tank at the gas station he had seen her at.

  “I can’t wait to go to the lake today. It’s the perfect day for it.”

  “It is, where’s Jimmy?”

  “He said he was running over to see his dad.”

  “Oh, what kind of beer were we supposed to get again?”

  Andrew heard Jimmy’s name and quickly paid and darted out to his bike. He didn’t want any trouble and Jimmy was clearly that. He drove home thinking very briefly about how isolated his life was. Not that he minded, but there were times he wished he could do things like other people did. He suddenly wondered if his mystery woman would be going to the lake as well. He slipped off his shoes and headed back towards his room. Not even thirty minutes later, he heard the phone ring.

  “Andrew,” Olivia called out.

  “Yeah, what’s up?” he asked somewhat distractedly.

  “I just got a call from Grandma Downing. She said her granddaughter came out to a flat tire. I thought maybe you could run over there and fix it for her. Do you mind?”

  “Uhh, no, sure,” he replied nervously.

  “Wonderful. She lives at 255 Sycamore. It’s two streets over from us.”

  “Okay, I’ll go over there right now.”

  “Thank you, Andrew,” she said as he turned around and headed back to the door.

  He slipped on the nearest shoes, in a hurry to get over there. He drove there cautiously not wanting to miss the house. He found it easily. It was a standard trailer, not one of the modular houses his aunt and uncle owned. There was no one outside to greet him, but the jack and tire were already sitting beside the car. He shrugged and started to work. Within minutes he had jacked her car up. He heard the door open and the screen shut. He felt his heart skip a beat. She was outside.

  “Stay calm, focus on the task,” he reminded himself.

  He continued to work, unable to bring himself to turn around. He could feel her eyes on him and he could sense the desire emanating from her presence. After he finished changing the tire, he knew he would need to talk to her but somehow he lacked the courage to do so. He stood up and stretched, lighting a cigarette, taking long slow drags, hoping that it would calm his rapidly beating heart. After a few hits, he turned around and was taken aback by her breathtaking beauty. He had wanted to see her up close and now that he was here he was left spellbound.

  “Holy Shit!” he mumbled around his cigarette.

  She was wearing the shortest shorts he had ever seen, paired with some leather boots that made her legs seem to go on for days. His eyes followed up the milky white skin of her thighs to her see-through blouse, which was starting to stick to her skin, exposing the dark bikini top she was wearing underneath it. Her long chestnut hair flowed way past her shoulders and as he walked closer to her, he could make out the tiny freckles that spread across her cheeks.

  “Stay calm!” he reminded himself internally.

  Andrew was at a loss for words as his body drew nearer to her. He wondered what he could possibly say that would not make him sound like he was some sort of a simpleton living in a trailer park with his aunt and uncle, because no one else would take him in, not with his record. Andrew took quick notice of the cooler sitting by her side, the one she was most likely bringing with her to the lake. He nodded in its direction, trying to be as nonchalant as possible.

  “Can I have a drink?” Andrew asked in a raspy, deep voice that he didn't recognize as his own.

  “What will I get in return?” the woman queried with a flirtatious undertone to her voice.

  Andrew was floored by her boldness, causing his lips to twitch into a crooked smile. “That depends, darlin’,” Andrew replied as he languidly brought his cigarette back to his mouth.

  He took another couple of drags before finally flicking the butt away from the trailer, stepping on it with the sole of his flip flops, immediately regretting putting them on. Andrew was feeling a stirring in his body that he hadn’t felt in years. Realizing that his hands were still dirty from changing the tire, he quickly wiped his greasy palms across his jeans and waited on her response.

  He watched as the woman’s gaze followed the movement of his fingers. She exhaled softly and he saw that her skin began to pebble. He longed to touch her, but held back knowing that would be a bad move on his part. She swallowed, quickly swiping her tongue across her dry lips, which sent a wave of want coursing through him. He shook his head to clear his mind of his desirous thoughts. He then coughed lightly, trying to draw her attention back to him. She raised her eyes to slowly meet his. She took another quick breath before playfully patting the soft blanket next to her.

  “Would you like to sit?” she asked him.

  “Hell yes!” Andrew smiled excitedly.

  He pulled his cigarettes out of his back pocket and dropped them beside her. He then hopped onto the blanket, not believing his luck. She passed him a cold beer from the cooler. He cracked it open and lifted it to his lips. Andrew drew long, slow gulps of the cooling nectar. It had been a long time since he had a beer and as he swallowed it quickly, he felt himself calming down ever so slightly, but it was enough to allow him to gain some momentary control over himself. He glanced at her and could see she was watching him.

  “You’re from New York?” he asked, as he swallowed the rest of his beer.

  She blinked several times. “Ummm, yeah, I work for a large accounting firm out there. Well, I did, at least.”

  Andrew watched as the woman got a faraway look on her face and her brows moved closer together. She was obviously remembering something that bothered her. Without thinking, he placed his finger where her brows creased, touching her lightly and making her gasp. He quickly withdrew his hand, shaking his head at his idiocy.

  “Thanks for the beer, but I should really go,” Andrew said quickly, standing up, anxious to get away before he did anything else.

  There was something about her that made him nervous. He didn’t trust himself in her presence. It was as if all the boundaries he had put in place so long ago to protect himself were being pushed away without his consent. She made him feel like a man, like a normal man, with no baggage. He was desperate to leave, to give himself some distance from this bewitching woman. That was his only solution at this point. He quickly reached his hand down to grab the cigarettes that were lying next to her.

  “Hey wait!” she said, placing her hand on his. “What’s your name?” she stuttered out.

  He smirked and looked down slightly, drawing his bottom lip into his mouth. He contemplated telling her. What harm could come with him telling her his name. She was new in town, so she wouldn’t know anything about him. Besides it wasn’t as if there could be anything between them. That thought alone made him feel a level of sadness he hadn’t expected. He sat back down and leaned against the trailer. After a few moments, he looked over to her and smiled.

  “Andrew,” he said simply.

  She nodded her head. “My name’s Madison,” she finally expelled quickly.

  “That’s a… pretty name,” he said softly.

  Andrew closed his eyes, slightly flustered. He had always been able to talk to women. It was an art that he had perfected while living on the streets, yet here he was stumbling over his words. He breathed out deeply as she smiled widely at him.

  “I was headed to the lake. Would you like to tag along?” she asked with an air of playfulness in her voice.

  Andrew stood up completely, breaking their connection and stared at the beauty before him. Wondering if it was a good idea to be so close to her and whether she would even want him to be so close if she really knew him and what he had done, what he had been imprisoned for. Unfortuna
tely for Andrew, his body spoke for him before his brain had a chance to catch up to what was happening.

  “I’d like that,” he heard himself say.

  Madison smiled and pushed herself up and off the ground. “Come on, Andrew. Let’s get the hell out of here!”

  He shook his head again, grinning wildly as he reached down to pick up the cooler. He knew that going with her was likely a mistake, but a part of him was pushing him forward nonetheless. What could go wrong? He wondered and then thought nervously, everything.

  Photo illustration © Alex Marin

  Author Note

  I want to thank you for reading this tale of Helios’ beginnings. He lived a difficult life and I hope that after reading this you will understand him a bit more as well as the decisions that he’s made. He is one of my all-time favorite characters because he makes so many mistakes in his life but underneath it all he’s just this lost little boy that needs to feel worthy of being loved. His tale also reminds us to not judge a book by its cover, but to always dig deeper, looking for the reasoning’s within the pages of the book itself.

  It’s was interesting for me to write this as the premise of this story rung true in a lot of ways. I have known many individuals in my life as a practicing psychologist who have experienced these types of horrific upbringings, some don’t survive as well as our Helios did, some don’t end up with the support that he receives from his caring aunt and uncle.

  At this point I would imagine that you are all excited for Book 1 in the series, Helios Awakened, right? It will be out on August 23rd and in it you will find out how things go when Andrew and Madison connect with one another. Something tells me they won’t be able to resist one another in the slightest. The second book in the series, Helios Exposed, will be released in December and the third book in the series, Helios Renewed, will be released in April 2017, finally the conclusion of the series, Helios Forever, will be released in May 2017.

  Once again, thank you for your support and for reading and reviewing my stories. Please be sure to contact me if you have any questions.

  About the Author

  Author Tawa Witko lives on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation with her children, Adam and Deanna. They are accompanied by their many animals, which includes an Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix named Bella, a couple of ornery cats (Edward and Lil Bit) and their horses, Eagle Bear and Wild Spirit. She and her family enjoy attending wacipis, participating in tribal ceremonies, and living a quiet life without the hustle and bustle of the cities.

  Ms. Witko is a licensed clinical psychologist, a full time writer/editor and the co-founder of Winyan Press, LLC, an independent publishing house geared at helping female writers find their voice. She is a multi-genre author who writes Young Adult Fiction, Crime/Suspense Stories, Adult Romance and Native American Fiction. She has put together a collection of short stories called SNAPSHOTS which is geared at giving readers a sample of her various writing styles. Look for it on Wattpad and as a FREE e-book in Fall, 2016.

  Helios Awakened is the first book in an Adult Romance series that will chronicle the life of Andrew ‘Helios’ Harrison and Madison Ellis as they fight for their love in a world set on tearing them apart. The prequel novella, Helios Beginnings is also currently available, and the second book in the series, Helios Exposed, will be released December 2016.

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  The Helios Chronicles

  By

  T.M. Witko

  Helios Beginnings (August 2016)

  Helios Awakened (August 2016)

  Helios Exposed (December 2016)

  Helios Renewed (April 2017)

  Helios Forever (May 2017)

  HELIOS: AWAKENED

  Book 1 in the Helios chronicles

  In Book 1 of The Helios Chronicles, Helios Awakened, Madison moves from New York City to the California desert to care for her ailing grandmother. She never expected that she would meet the man of her dreams while there, a man that would set her heart, body and soul on fire. However, this man comes with a price, a heavy price. Is she willing to pay it?

  Available on Paperback and Kindle