“That’s true. Although I am kind of rethinking that 30 rule.”
“Oh really? Because you’ve had that rule for as long as I’ve known you.”
“Yeah. But in case you haven’t noticed, I’ve changed. I’m not the same person I used to be.”
“I noticed.” He smiled. “And I love you even more than before.”
“I love you, too.”
I glanced down at the ring Colin had given me, twisting it around my finger. I took it off to read the inscription again.
“I guess we’ll have to keep working on the whole save the world thing, huh?”
Colin took the ring and slid it back on my finger. “How about we just try to get through college first?”
“Deal,” I said.
He laced his hand in mine as I rested against his shoulder. After everything I’d been through, I couldn’t believe how happy I felt. It didn’t even make sense that I could feel that way after experiencing so many horrible events.
I knew that bad things could still happen. I knew that GlobalLife could take an interest in Erik and me again. Or that people connected to Owens could come looking for revenge. But I’d worry about that another day. Or maybe I’d never have to.
From the bedroom I could hear Brittany and Dave laughing in the other room. Erik and his dad were talking sports. For once, things seemed normal. I smiled, realizing how thankful I was to have that one moment. I wished that I could freeze it forever, knowing that a moment like that might never come again. It was a snapshot in time when everything was going well. When everyone I loved was safe. I savored it, capturing each tiny detail in my mind. Because I knew from experience that life can change in an instant.
From the Author
Thank you for reading The Samantha Project series. When I started it, I had no idea it would end up being a trilogy. But the story just kept going in my head so I let it. The initial idea came from a dream I had a few years ago. The dream was the scene from book 1 where Samantha wakes up in the all-white room at GlobalLife after being captured. In the dream, I knew she’d had this genetic enhancement and was in danger from the people who were holding her in that room. When I woke up, I came up with an entire back story for how Samantha ended up there.
I didn’t do anything with the story until years later. When I finally decided to make it into a book, I set the story in current times because the technology described throughout the series isn’t as futuristic as you might think. When I was researching the science behind genetic engineering, brain waves, and other things in the book, I found that many of the things I considered to be science fiction were actually not science fiction at all. For instance, scientists are trying to alter genes to allow people to go days without sleep, a trait that could be useful during military missions. There’s already technology developed that makes it possible to read and interpret brain waves. And the brain wave fingerprint technology in book 2? It actually exists!
If you want to learn more about the science behind The Samantha Project books, check out my blog (stephaniekarpinske.com). There you’ll also find some Samantha Project “extras” such as Erik’s point of view in different scenes, information about the golden ratio from book 2, and other fun stuff. And you’ll get news about the books (blog tours, giveaways, etc).
Although I haven’t planned on writing another book for this series, I haven’t ruled it out either. I have pages of notes with ideas about where Samantha and the gang might be years from now. Will Sam and Colin really go to Stanford? Will they get married? Where will Erik end up? Will Samantha and Erik be in danger again? Will they get new powers? If you’re interested in reading more about these characters, let me know!
Thanks again for reading Samantha’s story. If you liked it, please leave a review or tell a friend. Indie authors like me really appreciate it!
Stephanie Karpinske
I love to hear from readers so connect with me at:
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My blog, stephaniekarpinske.com
A Chosen Destiny (The Samantha Project Series #3) Page 29