Two weeks remain until the next Super Six! Evolution: SAGE is coming, people! Are you ready?
Today, I thought I’d share a little scene from book 2 with you. Be warned, if you have not read the first in the series, here be spoilers! Proceed at your own risk!
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“And how are we doing today, Miss Bristol?” the tiny old man asked as Candace settled into the easy chair.
Every day of the last week was the same. “Meaning, what? Have I crawled back into bed and decided to give up today? No, I haven’t.”
“Excellent. And how did you sleep last night? You look better rested than yesterday.”
She sighed and resigned herself to going over all of this again. “About the same. Tossed and turned. Had a nightmare or two. I don’t think that’s going to change any time soon.”
“Tell me about them.”
“What?”
“The nightmares. What did you see?”
She leaned forward on her knees and pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes. “The same thing as yesterday. And the day before. And the day before that.”
The dreams were always the same. Adrian was frozen before her, Candace pleading with him to give up the poisonous power he was draining away from his victims. But, unlike that night, she couldn’t turn away from him as she sucked the life, the water, from his body. He transformed, shriveling into a desiccated, screaming corpse, reaching for her, accusing her. She awoke in a cold sweat every few hours, still feeling his electric fingers closing around her throat.
“Your mind has twisted those events into grotesque visions, Miss Bristol. You must learn to let go of the guilt.”
“Oh, that’s all?” she asked, eyes wide. “Well, you should have said so in the first place! I’ll just wave my magic wand and… Oh, wait. That’s right. This isn’t a fairytale where I can snap my fingers and just get over it.”
The shrink frowned at her. “Sarcasm will get you nowhere, Miss Bristol.”
She flopped backwards in the chair, frustrated. “Neither will these sessions. You ask me the same questions every day. Nothing changes. The only thing that makes me feel any better is when I’m swimming or training, but no one will let me anywhere near the practice rooms. I’m all but living in the pool now because I’m not allowed to do the only other damn thing that gives me any sense of purpose. So you’ll pardon me if I’m a little irritable.”
He pushed up his glasses and entered something into his tablet computer. “So you wish to continue training then?”
“What else could I possibly do with myself, Doc? Seriously? It’s not like I can walk out of here and go back to a normal life now. This is it for me. There are no other options.”
“And you believe you’re ready to work with other ANGELs again?”
“I’m ready to not be sitting around twiddling my thumbs anymore.”
He was quiet then, studying her. Candace sighed. She shouldn’t be so disrespectful, really. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to be rude or anything, but I’m bored out of my mind. All I’m doing is sitting around stewing in my own head. I need something else. I need a reason to keep going, and, right now, I’m running on empty.”
Tapping a finger to his lips, he continued to weigh her words. Finally, he set the tablet aside and leaned towards her. “You truly believe you’re ready?”
“I won’t truly believe anything until I’ve been given the chance to try.”
“A valid point,” he said. “All right, Miss Bristol. I’m willing to give you your chance, but on one condition.”
To her surprise, a small spark of hope flared to life. She didn’t know she had any of those left. “Which is?”
“We will continue to meet twice a week so I can monitor your recovery. No one wakes up one day and is miraculously recovered from a traumatic experience. I want to make sure you continue down the path to good mental health.”
It was about the best she could ask for given the situation. Candace thanked him and was allowed to leave. As she left the office, her hands shook. Was she ready? Could she actually do this? What if something else happened and she totally lost it?
Swallowing, she took a deep breath and pushed the fear aside. Fear got her into this mess in the first place. Doubt drove her to make mistakes she couldn’t fix now. If she was going to do this, she couldn’t let those things derail her again.
Tomorrow she would be back on track. Maybe there was a superhero in her yet.
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May 6th is right around the corner! Catch up with the first book in the Evolution series here.
Thoughts. We needs them, Precious.