Stop. Please stop with the 'Piper Willow' stuff. Just call me Piper. Where are we, why can't I see?
Open your eyes…Piper.
I do as I'm told, feeling my eyelashes lift off of my cheeks as I hesitantly squint at my surroundings. There is nothing to see.
Where are we? Why is it so dark?
Something soft and warm slowly wraps around my hand and at the same time, I feel a tug forward…into the complete darkness that envelops me. I flex my fingers…opening and closing them against the soft, yet stable presence that has enclosed around them. I realize it is Rush's hand that I'm feeling.
Is that you?
Of course, who else would be here with you at this moment?
When I was little, I used to swim a lot in my grandmother's pool. She would sit on her plastic lawn chair with the tattered seat straps, underneath the over-sized brim of her cracked straw hat and sip from a large glass of her favorite boxed wine, watching me with a smile. I loved her pool. There was nothing special about it, but it was large and round and perfect for floating in. That sensation of being weightless but still feeling your limbs was exactly what I felt like now. But I am dry, and not floating in water.
Will you tell me where we are?
Come with me…you'll see soon.
After another tug, I drift effortlessly behind Rush and eventually the blackness begins to turn grey. As the grey becomes spotted with different colors I clamp down onto Rush's relaxed grip.
Do not be afraid.
I don't know what's happening.
We are arriving. Keep your eyes open, Piper. This is my favorite part.
A mere second later a burst of light fractures around us, splintering the darkness with bright pin-pricks of reds, oranges and yellows. As I continue to drift along with Rush, purple and blue streaks flash by me like lightning. I jump a little, afraid of the light display that goes off around us like a firework show.
I sense, rather than feel, something soft beneath my feet. Wiggling my toes, the weight of my legs returns and I'm aware I am standing on an uneven ground of some sort. As the shape of Rush's body forms in the light beside me, I blink back the dazzling starbursts from my vision to focus on him.
We are here.
Where is 'here'?
Rush lets go of my hand, and I just barely resist the urge to snatch it back. I don't want to break my connection with him and dissipate into molecules again. The memory of the blackness and the way I separated from my own being make the hairs stand straight up along my arms. I rub at them, eager to hide my body's reaction from Rush. A gentle breeze lifts my hair off my shoulders, shifting my bangs along my forehead.
He smiles down at me and steps aside, slowly moving his arm out in front of him with his palm facing up. No longer caring how I look, my mouth flies open in shock as I take in the view before us. We stand at the edge of a sloped hill; our bare feet nestled into the finest grass I have ever seen. Below us runs the jagged edge of sea-side cliffs that drop down several hundred feet. Narrow waterfalls pour over the ledges from various heights and I blink at the rush of white water that pools into the bluest ocean ever. It's so clear that I can see into the depths below. Under the water line, the rocky enclaves teem with sea-life, yet I can't name any of the creatures. As I stare in awe back up the rock faces and along the slopes we stand upon, I turn to look behind me and find mountains as tall as city skyscrapers in the distance.
It seems to be mid-day, as what appears to be not one, but two suns brilliantly light up the elevated island-shaped land mass I over-look. The sky is an ultramarine color…a dark blue with hints of purple. And while I breathe deeply, my lungs fill with oxygen so pure I get light-headed and dizzy.
Rush gestures out before us with a contented sigh, and speaks aloud for the first time, "Piper. This is my home."
The Story Continues…
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book would not be possible without the ongoing support of my family and friends. Shane, Rory and Foxx - you are my sunshine's. I thank you for your patience and support. Mommy loves you all very much! To the rest of my family - thank you for believing in me and wishing me the best, you have been my building blocks. Without your foundation, I would not be where I am today.
For my friends: you all know who you are, but a special thanks goes out to those who have been an ongoing support system while I travel along this writing journey (in person and online). Thank you so much! I couldn't possibly name you all, or I know I'd forget someone and feel horrible about it…so please know that I love and appreciate each one of you.
I would NEVER have survived the summer and writing this book if not for the M-7. I thank you all tremendously for your endless support, friendship and love. I am SO grateful to have found my writing soul mates. Truth.
For those of you that relate to the hardships that my characters endure in The Station series: Remember - you are never alone. Be sure to reach out for help when you need it. This does not make you weak - it makes you strong. It makes you a fighter. We all have one life to live - so live it well.
A huge THANK YOU must go out to my Beta Reader's! Allison Case, Allison Cosgrove, Bobi Robbins, Cat Alley, Cyndee Swanson and Tracy Jackson Clark…thank you for spending your time reading this book in its infancy and giving me your honest feedback. I do hope you enjoy the final version as much as the first!
To my wonderful readers: You are amazing and you will never know how much I love your support. Writing would not be as rewarding if NO ONE read my work, so the positive feedback you have shown for The Station series and the Find Me series as well as the 'Once Upon A Twisted Time' Anthology piece: Hawke & the Beast, has been mind-blowing. You rock my world. I hope I continue to keep you reading.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Trish was born and mostly raised in San Diego, California where she lives now with her family and pets. She's been writing short stories and poetry since high school and began her first book, 'I Hope You Find Me' in December of 2011.
When Trish isn't writing, she's homeschooling her amazing daughter and mildly Autistic son, reading whatever she can get her hands on, or enjoying the Southern California sun. As a strict Vegetarian, Trish holds a special place in her heart for animal rights and dashes into the backyard weekly to rescue lizards and mice from Zoey, the dog.
TRISH'S BOOKS & COLLABORATIONS:
FIND ME Series
I Hope You Find Me
Lost & Found (Coming Soon)
THE STATION Series
Dying to Forget
Dying to Remember
Dying to Return (Coming Soon)
ANTHOLOGIES
Via Moon Rose Publishing: Once Upon A Twisted Time (Hawke & the Beast)
You Can Follow Trish Here:
Twitter at: https://twitter.com/Trish_Dawson
Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/WriterTrishMarieDawson
Trish's Blog: http://writertrishmdawson.wordpress.com
Trish's eBooks can be found online on Amazon as well as in print. Please support your favorite Indie Author's by buying their books and leaving them honest reviews.
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Dying to Remember (The Station #2) Page 13