The Awakening: A Sisterhood of Spirits Novel Read Online Free Page A

nervous.
    Sunny went downstairs and saw her mother with her arm around the young woman. Offering comfort or reassurance? Probably a little of both. “Hi,” she said brightly. “I’m Sunny. It’s so nice to meet you.”
    “Eve.” She held out a hand and laughed nervously. “I’m so giddy. I don’t know why.” Then her eyes filled. “I’m such a mess.”
    “Would you like a bottle of water? Then we’ll go on up.”
    Her mother went to the kitchen and came back with a cold bottle. “It’s okay, dear.”
    Eve smiled at her over her shoulder as they went upstairs, looking for all the world like she wanted to run back out the door.
    Sunny shut the door. “We can sit at the table or in the chairs, whichever you prefer.”
    “Which is best?” Her uncertainty filled the air laced with a ribbon of fear.
    Sunny gestured toward the wide, comfy seats by the window. Her mind’s eye perceived the young man holding red roses standing behind the one Eve had chosen.
    Grief was heavy and sharp in the room, and she felt her heart contract painfully. Sunny mentally pulled herself back a step and telepathically told the young man to ease up a little because he was hurting her.
    Eve was sitting so still, it was almost as if she weren’t there at all, but for the emotion that rolled in waves toward Sunny.
    “Okay,” she said. “This is how it works. I’m not in charge. Spirit is. I have a whole speech about not always getting a reading from the person you may want to hear from, but I don’t think that applies here, since it’s already clear to me what this is about.”
    Eve sat with her hands clutched tightly in her lap. “Spirit?”
    “You could think of them as angels, God energy, or guides. I choose to call the energy Spirit or other, because for me, the terms cover all of them without all the religious connotations.”
    Sunny switched on the recorder and stated the date, time, and Eve’s name. “Please try to relax.” She patted Eve’s knee. “Take three deep breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Better?” Sunny smiled.
    Eve nodded.
    “Okay, there’s a man here eager to talk with you. He’s showing me a wedding ring to indicate husband? His name starts with a D. Donny or Danny?”
    “Donny,” Eve whispered hoarsely before covering her face with her hands, and she began to cry. “Is it really him?”
    “It’s okay. He wants to say he loves you and he’s sorry that you hurt so much.” Sunny waited for Eve to gather herself a bit. “He wants you to know that it didn’t hurt.” An image of a car accident flashed in her mind. “He says he was out of his body like that.” Sunny snapped her fingers. “And that there was no pain.”
    Relief showed on Eve’s face. “I couldn’t bear the thought that he suffered and I wasn’t there.”
    “He’s showing me a basketball and he’s high-jumping the rim to score through the net. Does this mean anything to you?”
    “Oh,” Eve said and laughed. “Donny loved to play, but he was so short, he was terrible at it. When he was growing up, he wanted to be a professional ball player.”
    “Well, he’s showing me that he’s very good now. Actually, he’s showing off.”
    “That’s Donny. It’s really him!”
    “Okay, now I’m seeing a Ferris wheel and a stuffed pink gorilla.”
    “Our first date.” Fresh tears ran down her cheeks. “Oh God, I miss him so much.”
    “He wants to tell you that he’s okay and not to cry so much. It makes him sad to see you so unhappy.” Sunny paused. “He’s sorry that he didn’t get to say good-bye but that he’s with you. He’s not gone, just in a different place.”
    Still choked up, Eve nodded.
    Sunny continued. “There’s a young woman next to him holding his hand. She looks a lot like him. Sister?”
    Eve’s eyes widened. “How did you? Never mind, yes. She died very young of leukemia.”
    “She wants to tell you that she’s taking good care of him, okay?”
    “Yes.”
    “She’s