Dying to Remember (The Station #2) (17 page)

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…

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.

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.

Say NO to book piracy!