Waiting to Begin: Book 2 in The Waiting Series Read online

  Wait No More

  - Book Two in the Waiting Series -

  Samantha Peterson

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  This book was originally published in paperback and eBook by Samantha Peterson.

  Copyright © 2016 by Samantha Peterson

  All rights reserved. Published by Samantha Peterson and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Samantha Peterson.

  Printed in the U.S.A.

  Chapter 1

  I stop counting the days waiting see Degory again. After six months go by without a word or visit from him, counting became too painful. I know that he’s busy with Captain responsibilities and what not, but I can’t help feeling as if a piece of my heart is missing.

  The edges where it has broken off keeps jabbing into my lungs and making them ache. My heart and lungs never feel relief from the hole the waiting has created.

  When the light from the door enveloped him, I have hope. Seeing him pass through it, I was positive we would be okay and that I can wait. I have, but I can’t stop the sadness and loneliness from creeping into my heart.

  I do what I promised him I would: I train every weekend at his cabin to hone my abilities. I even visit the park he returned to Eden through every day after school for four months afterwards. It became more of a burden than a happy memory, though.

  The cabin has been starting to do that for me, too. I thought about spending the whole summer there to train, but that was months ago. It is so lonely there without Degory. I already feel lonely, what would it be like there thinking about him all the time?

  I don’t want to put myself through that. I thought about not going at all, but I don’t have anywhere else to train. Maybe instead of every weekend I can tone it down to once every couple of weeks? That would but less of a strain on my heart.

  Either way, it will have to start after this weekend. I have already told Dad that I would be away the whole time. He will wonder what happened with my ‘friend’ from school I have been spending so many weekends with if I suddenly cancel and say I’m not going anywhere.

  I don’t know where else I can go to waste my time. Training is the best option. It is my responsibility. I promised to get strong so that Degory won’t have to protect me anymore.

  Tugging on my hair a little, I wish I could stop feeling so down. It has only grown a few inches since getting burned away.

  Since I don’t follow in Ian’s footsteps and don’t spend so much time in my room, dad bought me a car for my birthday. It is my baby. A small, used, black Kia Rio. It isn’t that great of a car, but it gets me where I need to go.

  I have been able to drive myself to school, to the cabin, wherever I want for the past two months, now. It is really nice. It makes going to school easier, too. I don’t have the chance to linger near the alley that used to belong to Becky.

  Now, I can go a different way entirely and not have to worry about being late for school, or sad that I don’t get to visit her anymore. It helps a lot in that sense.

  Having my own car to drive to the cabin, though, is perfect. I was spending a lot of money taking bus trips back and forth from the cabin.

  Plus, walking from the bus station to the cabin is a huge pain in the ass. With the closest town being twenty miles away, makes for quite a hike. I would spend all of Friday evening on the bus and be walking for several hours into the night before I got to my destination.

  I would only have time for half a day of training before I have to start my trek back home. With a car, I can spend all of Saturday and part of Sunday training and still be home in time for dinner Sunday night.

  This weekend, I pack my car the same as I have been: an extra blanket, a few pairs of clothes, a couple books, and a couple food items. I usually have ramen for lunch and dinner and pop-tarts for breakfast, if I’m awake in the morning.

  With all the money I spend on traveling back and forth before dad bought me a car, I do my best not to spend a lot. I save my money for gas now.

  I shut the trunk after making sure I have everything. Walking back into the house, Ian is playing Call of Duty in front of the living room TV. I ignore him and walk into the kitchen where dad and Lana are making dinner.

  I love watching them together. Dad is singing to the radio cooking, while my sister is dancing. I laugh. I love seeing them so happy.

  “Hey dad,” I call.

  He stops singing and looks over at me.

  “All packed up and ready to go, kiddo?” he asks.

  “Yep, just came to say good bye!”

  “Alright!”

  Lana stops dancing hearing that I’m leaving and runs to give me a hug. She almost tackles me with the force of her hug. I squeeze her tight, kissing her on the head before whispering bye and letting her go.

  I walk up to dad and hug him around the waist. He leans over, still cooking, and kisses my cheek. We have all gotten much closer since Degory has left. I am actually going to miss them all this weekend.

  “Bye, dad,” I say.

  “Bye, sweetheart,” he smiles. “Be careful, okay?”

  “I’ll do my best,” I grin.

  I haven’t had any ‘accidents’ at the cabin in the past six months, but that doesn’t stop dad from worrying after coming home with a hole in my stomach. I turn and walk back into the living room in time to see Ian get killed.

  “Damnit!” he curses.

  “Bye, Ian,” I comment.

  He looks away from the TV and smiles at me.

  “Bye, Sunny,” he responds. “Have a good weekend.”

  “Thanks!”

  I wave at him, before he goes back to shooting people on his game. He started trying harder to act like a real brother rather than like I don’t exist after I got back from Eden. I don’t have my best friend back, but I have my brother and it is better than nothing.

  Leaving the house, I begin the drive towards the cabin. I have to deal with dinner rush traffic on my way out of town, but it thins once I leave the city limits. I have the radio up and let it dull my emotions so I can enjoy the ride.

  It is peaceful. I can listen to whatever I want without complaints, even sing if I want, and don’t have to deal with any stupid drivers. Normally it takes two hours to get to the cabin when I have to worry about slow people, but with the roads being so clear outside of town, it only takes me an hour and a half.

  I use to have problems getting in between the trees with the car, but about a month ago I found a really good trail that leads straight to the little cabin without having to worry about whether my car will get scraped by a tree.

  Parking on the side of the house, I grab all the stuff out of the trunk and carry everything inside in one trip. I hate making several trips. The first night I always like to spend relaxing in front of the fire and reading a book. The quicker I got everything inside, the faster I will be able to start a fire. I have to set some stuff on the ground while I shut the trunk, but quickly make my way into the cozy cabin.

  Placing everything on the couch, I take off my shoes. I set them next to the door and lock it before putting everything away. No one ever comes out here so it isn’t really necessary to keep it locked, I just feel better that way.

  I never get used to being out in the forest alone. I have watc
hed too many horror movies to not make sure the door is locked.

  I’m grateful that the cupboard next to the fireplace had plenty of fire when Degory left. I have never chopped wood before, so I have no idea how to go about it. I’m starting to get low, though. I have enough for another couple weekends.

  If the woods weren’t so dense, I wouldn’t need the fire, but the canopy blocks out the sun and the heat so nights are pretty chilly. Not like wintertime, but cold enough to require the extra warmth.

  Once I have placed the wood into the fireplace, I back up a few paces and the cabin lights up from the flames produced out of thin air. I don’t even have to try anymore to create fire where and when I want. I only have to will it.

  When I first started training alone, I almost burned the forest and cabin down several times before I was finally able to control it. I taught myself discipline, so that I can have complete control over my abilities. It has taken me six months but I did it.

  The room warms almost immediately. I sit down on the couch with my feet up, remembering how Degory used to sit there with his arm across my ankles. I keep telling myself that I just have to hold out a little longer, he will come back soon. Just a little longer and I will be whole again.

  I lift my hand and touch the locket he gave me so long ago. Using both hands to open it, I can see the picture he left me. It has been a while since I looked inside. The image of him making me smile. It doesn’t make me feel any less alone, but it is nice seeing his smirk. I bit my lower lip and shut the locket back up before I started to cry.

  Damn, I miss him.

  I wonder if he is feeling the same ache I am.

  How often do he think of me?

  I steady my breathing so I won’t shed a tear and pick up a book I placed on the table in front of the couch. Spending the rest of the night reading, I decide to lose myself in the world of the latest book in the Lux series.

  Reading for several hours, I begin to feel tired. I stretch out my limbs and place the book back on the small table. I sigh, getting up from the couch. I’m going to snap my fingers and put the fire out, but I like the warmth it brings to the cabin. It makes it feel less cold and lonely. I want to let it burn out on its own while I sleep, like it did when Degory was with me.

  Retiring to the bedroom, I change into the same blue pair of flannel pajamas that he picked out for me the night we made love for the first time. I leave the bedroom door open so that I can see the fire as I fell asleep.

  I crawled into bed, lying on my usual side. No matter how many days, weeks, or months pass, I can never seem to sleep on any other part of the bed, even at home. I snuggle under the blanket that is always here and the down comforter I brought from home.

  Staring into the fire, my eyelids started to droop. I watch the flames dance just like how Degory and I have. I fall asleep dreaming about parties and balls, waltzing around with him.

  Chapter 2

  When I wake, the air is frigid. It is almost as if the seasons have changed from summertime to winter. I open my eyes to see the fire has gone out while I slept. The coals are still burning a bit, but it does nothing to warm the room.

  I, sort of, wish I had telekinetic powers so I don’t have to get out of bed to put more wood on the fire. I half-hope Degory will show up and fix the fire for me – it is cold enough for his liking. I look over at the digital clock on the nightstand to see that it is a little past ten in the morning.

  With a sigh, I toss the covers off me and lean my legs over the side of the bed. I force myself up and slip my feet into the light blue pair of slippers I bought months ago, when it was still snowy outside. I left them here after finding out how cold it is year-round.

  I shuffle lazily to the cabinet and take out a few large logs, placing them inside the fireplace. Normally that would snuff out the coals from lack of oxygen, but that isn’t a problem for me. It isn’t necessary, but I blow on the logs and the fire burst back to life. It is always fun playing with my powers.

  Within moments the floor has even warmed back up.

  Wanting to go back to bed, I decide against it. I put on some yoga pants, a sports bra, and tank top to get ready to train. Pushing the couch to the opposite wall from the fireplace, I take my place in the middle of the room.

  Training outside would be ideal, but the ground always seems damp, even if it hasn’t rained in weeks. I start with doing a half an hour of some basic yoga positions to stretch out my muscles.

  Over the past few months, it has really helped me become more balanced and stronger. If I want to be on the same level as Degory, then I know I have to buff up my body, not just strengthen my mind.

  When my body is adequately warmed up, I sit down on the floor with my legs crossed. I can create and disperse fire without any problems, but maintaining it on my own, without wood to sustain it, is more difficult. I can hold it for several minutes, but I feel like I should be able to hold it forever, if need be.

  If you’re good with what you have, you should be able to maintain it without much effort, right? That’s how I feel, anyway.

  Concentrating long enough to keep the flames going takes a lot of energy out of me, though. It has gotten easier, and I can produce fire for much longer than even a month ago, but I need to do better.

  I rest my hands on my knees, palms facing each other. Taking a deep breath, I make sure my shoulders are back and relaxed before exhaling. I keep my back straight while I look down into the space between my hands.

  Willing the fire that is concentrated in my hands to appear, flames begin swirling and licking the air. I keep my fingers, hands, and the rest of my body as relaxed as possible. Pushing the energy from my hands to the fire between them, I make the flames large and create a ball the size of my fist, the tips of the flames reaching up just about eye level.

  I hate this part of the training. Now I just have to wait. Keep my body relaxed for as long as possible, because once I start tensing up, I know am reaching my limits. I keep my breathing steady and in turn, it helps my body remain loose.

  After fifteen minutes I am still going strong. The ball of fire hasn’t changed shape and the flame is still reaching up to eye level. Even when I reach the half an hour mark, there is no difference in the fire that stays between my palms.

  It is only after forty-five minutes do my concentration and meditation start to waver. I can see it in the flames. The tip of the fire is getting lower and lower every second. My legs and arms begin to tense up. Within seconds, the ball has diminished to half its size before burning out completely, leaving only gray smoke in its wake.

  Frustrated, I get up and make my way to the kitchen to get a drink of water. I’m breathing heavily, and sweat beads my forehead. I fill a glass and down it without coming up for air.

  Wiping my mouth, I place the cup on the counter, and return to the living area, pacing. I shake out my limbs to try and rid them of the remaining tension. Then, I sit back down and meditate until my head is clear and I can relax again.

  I repeat this process several times. Over eight hours pass before I decide to work on something else. I have managed to hold onto the ball for an hour and fifteen minutes before it dissipates, but I am still disappointed in my progress.

  After another water break, I put a pair of socks on, followed by my shoes, and step out into the cool, dark forest outside the cabin. I snap my fingers and a small dragon made of fire appears in front of me.

  Snapping again, a second appears. They nip at each other before taking flight, dodging trees, attacking and playing. I twitch my fingers, manipulating their directionality to test my reaction time.

  They weave beautifully between trees and branches, charring leaves as they soar around the canopy. The two small dragonlings even fly in circles around my head, nuzzling against my face before dissipating in a puff of smoke.

  I sigh, breathing heavily. I haven’t even noticed an hour has pass while I watch the creatures flying freely. I’m going to try again once I catch my breath, but m
y stomach starts growling. I have to think back about the day’s events before I remember I haven’t eaten anything yet today.

  Returning to the cabin, I take a quick shower before making myself some ramen. I have a hard time waiting for the soup to cook. All I can think about is the time Degory and I danced in the kitchen after he made us some.

  I quickly eat the food and move the couch back to its usual position. By the time I am able to sit down and relax in front of the low-burning fire, it is already near eight pm. I haven’t gotten a lot of training done today, which bothers me. There are other exercises I want to complete before I quit for the day, but I can’t turn back time.

  Following my usual routine, I read one of my books for a few hours before retiring to bed for the night.

  I crawl under the blanket, getting comfortable. Running my hand over Degory’s spot, the cold emptiness reminds me of him. It isn’t as cool as his skin, but it is comforting all the same. I, then, run my hand over the pillow, but it only makes my heart ache.

  Rolling onto my back, I stare up at the ceiling trying to hold back tears. I lift my hand and close my grasp around the locket. I hope he will visit soon. I miss his touch, his eyes, and his smile. I need to taste his lips again, feel the strength in his arms as he holds me.

  I decide I to visit Ms. Kingsley when I get home to see if there is a way to contact someone in Eden from the Living World.

  The thought comforts me enough so I can sleep. It isn’t all that restful, but it is sleeping all the same. I toss and turn, staying close to the wall. I dream of the time Arensmeier took me out of the Research and Development building and used me to escape Eden. The scar on my belly where he created the hole still stings sometimes.

  Phantom pain since there isn’t anything wrong anymore, but I can’t ignore or stop it from happening. That pain comes to me while I sleep. It wakes me several times throughout the night, too. Finally, at around eight in the morning, I decide that it is useless to keep trying to sleep.