Arise (Cruel and Beautiful World Book 3)
Page 63
“Goodbye, Deryn.”
Deryn shook her head. “Not goodbye. I’ll be back.”
“When?” he asked, his voice cracking.
She shrugged and said, “When I’m ready to fly home.”
Deryn hugged her big brother, holding on like she never wanted to let him go. But, this time, she had to.
She kissed him on the cheek and turned away. She knew this wasn’t going to be easy, but it was something she had to do.
Behind her, she heard Sam whisper to Talon, “Don’t worry. I’ll look after her.”
When she approached the ramp, Dakota looked at her over his father’s shoulder as he gave him one last hug goodbye.
“Are you two really sure you want to do this?” asked Laramie, who was standing on his little brother’s other side.
“No,” said Dakota. “But we won’t know until we try.” He was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet, clearly excited despite his answer.
“Take care of each other,” said Piz, giving Deryn a hug. Laramie did the same.
With one last hug each for Dakota, the two men walked up the beach to where Talon and Nita were still standing. Sam was now at the ramp, taking Deryn and Dakota by the arm and dragging them up.
When they reached the top, Deryn looked back at Talon and waved.
The first thing they saw when they stepped onto the ship was Finley, who was discussing the care of her father with the head of the janitorial staff. Stuart was good at remedial tasks and seemed excited about the job. He was currently dancing with a mop.
Dakota hurried forward and scooped up Finley with one arm. She giggled and smacked him until he put her down, then swiveled and kissed him. When Dakota had decided he was going with Deryn, he took a chance and asked Finley to come with him. She hadn’t even hesitated before saying yes.
“That’s going to get old really fast.”
Deryn smiled as Luka walked up beside her. “It’s already old,” she said.
“Get a room!” shouted Quigley, who was sitting on some crates with Evangeline and April. He and Finley wouldn’t start training to be Peace Ops officers until their legs were fully healed, but the rest of them would start first thing in the morning.
Something clicked and Deryn noticed the ramp was gone. She grabbed the handrail and stared at the small speck she knew was her brother. The ship was already moving and Talon kept getting smaller. Never in her life had she been so frightened and excited all at once.
“FINLEY!”
Finley pushed Dakota away and ran to the edge. Odette and Neo were running down the beach. They had disappeared the day after the battle, sticking around just long enough to bury Lona beside her mother in the Von family plot. They traveled up the coast while Odette grieved the loss of her sister. Finley had contacted them to tell them she was leaving. She hadn’t expected them to race back for her.
“We love you, Finley!” Odette screamed at the top of her lungs.
“I love you!” Finley screamed back, tears pouring from her eyes as she waved madly. Stuart and his mop came up beside her, waving just as madly.
“Enough looking back,” said Sam, grabbing hold of Deryn and Finley’s shoulders, guiding them away from the railing. “You need to look forward.”
Everyone followed as Sam led them to the front of the ship. When they were close, he released them. Deryn kept going, not stopping until she was at the bow of the ship.
She dropped her rucksack and gripped the handrail. The wind stung her cheeks and filled her nostrils with the scent of salty sea air.
For a brief moment she thought about looking back, a feeling of doubt growing inside of her. But then she heard a sound. A chirp. She glanced to her side and there, just a little farther down on the railing, was a blackbird.
Deryn watched the small bird, her thumb instinctively rubbing the tattoo on her middle finger. And she knew in that moment that she’d made the right decision. Xander was still with her, no matter where she went. It was because of him that she had this chance at all.
Xander had brought her back to life and it would be wrong to take that gift for granted.
She glanced at Luka, who was leaning against the railing on the other side of the bird, and smiled. He smiled back and whistled. The bird danced its way over to him, chirping a few times before fluttering into the air.
Deryn watched it fly away, Xander’s last words coming back to her.
It’s never too late to start over.
As the ship moved forward, a familiar song filled her head. She sang the words quietly, the sound of them drifting into the heavy wind.
All her life she’d been waiting for this moment to arise, and she couldn’t wait to see what came next.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First, I need to thank my family. Dad, Mom, Bob, Nathaniel and Caitlin, you have all been so supportive throughout this process and never fail to brag about me to strangers, even when they very clearly have no interest. Also, my kitty Milo, for always reminding me I need to take breaks by lying on my keyboard.
To my BFFL Ball Julie, who has always believed in me. You are the one who lifts me up whenever I’m feeling down and I love you forever and ever and ever.
To my Salty Sisters and Adventure Squad, who drag me out and help me clear my mind. If it weren’t for you I just might overwork myself to death. Also, wine.
And to my super salty bitch Autumn, who gave up nacho fries for six months so that she could die brutally in Arise. You go eat those nacho fries and wash them down with the blood of your enemies!
A big thank you to my bookstagram babes, Kelley, Katie and Kori. Your support (and beautiful photos) have gotten me many new readers and I am eternally grateful. Also, your DMs and texts yelling at me to finish the damn book because you neeeeeeed it always make my day.
To my fellow Wandlorians who always have my back. And an extra big thank you to Kayla, for being sweet and amazing and bringing me into that community.
And last but certainly not least, to all of the amazing readers who have supported and stuck with me since the beginning. Without your love and encouragement this series would have never been possible.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
L. Stoddard Hancock is the bestselling author of the Cruel and Beautiful World trilogy - Broken Wings, Sunken Eyes, and Arise. She has been writing books for as long as she can remember and still owns several hand-written stories from her youth. A California native, she currently lives in Portland, OR with her cat Milo.
www.lstoddardhancock.com
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