Nathan Returns
Page 12
Nathan smiled and looked into her eyes.
“Nathan, your powers are astonishing, but they do not make you who you are. Whatever happens, always be Nathan.”
“I will,” he said.
The two stood silently for a moment.
“Well,” Adia said, just to break the silence. “I do believe you owe me an ice cream.” She spun around and walked away at a normal pace.
“I do?” Nathan said, hustling to catch her.
“Yes, new rule: anytime you come to the city, I not only expect you to stop and say ‘hi,’ but you also need to treat me to ice cream,” Adia said with a grin.
“Really?”
“Yes. New city ordinance. If you fail to obey then I’ll have to arrest you.”
Nathan bumped her shoulder and Adia bumped back.
***
A short while later, the pair left the ice cream shop, and Nathan walked Adia home. They spent the time talking about work, life, and other mundane things, and the simplicity of it all made Nathan happy.
After leaving her there, he turned to walk away from her apartment complex. When he’d looked down at the time, he hustled back over to Madison Square Park.
Once there, he scanned about the park and found what he was looking for—the street vendor he’d met outside the courthouse.
The man got up from his seat when Nathan approached. Nathan took the hundred-dollar bill from his pocket.
“You made it,” Nathan called out and shook his hand.
“Of course, Mr. Nathan. You never ask anything of anyone, but if you do, we need to step up.”
Nathan handed the man the money, and he looked at him sheepishly.
“Take it,” Nathan said. “I had you specially make and design these two shirts, and I owe you for the last one.”
“I feel funny about it,” the man said, wiping his forehead with one hand and getting the bag with the other.
“Don’t feel funny about it,” Nathan said with a tone of assurance in his voice. “You have a little enterprise here, and you need to eat. I understand. When the time came in the emergency, you did the right thing. I’m doing the same right thing now, given the lack of an emergency.”
The man smiled and took one of the t-shirts out of the bag. “So, just like before, they’re not licensed works from EarthWorld comics, but the kid who does the artwork is fantastic.”
Nathan looked over the shirt. “It’s perfect.”
“The kid was excited too,” the man said. “He had always wanted to do a picture with all twelve members of the Omega Alliance International on it. When I told him you wanted the artwork on a shirt, he got so excited. He said, ‘I can’t wait to tell my mother; Nathan will be wearing my Omega Alliance International t-shirt.’ He just couldn’t contain himself.”
Nathan looked over the t-shirt and smiled.
Nathan and Rebecca will return in
I Hero: Phases (Expected first half 2016)
A six-chapter, ALPHA excerpt of the story follows the book blurbs.
ABOUT JASON ZANDRI
Jason has been working in the information technology field in one form or the other since 1996. He is currently employed full time at Bloomberg LP as a Systems Engineer in the R&D group. Jason lives in Wallingford Connecticut, with his wife Renata. He is the father to four children, three boys and 1 girl—11 years (Andrew), 9 years (Angela), 7 years (Adam), and 6 years old (Alex).
Social Media links
Twitter – @GUNDERSTONE https://twitter.com/gunderstone/
Facebook Author page – https://www.facebook.com/jzandri
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonzandri
Google+ – https://plus.google.com/+JasonZandri/
Author blog – The GUNDERSTONE Review https://gunderstone.wordpress.com/
Books and links
Before Another Sunset (The Sunset Series Book 1)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T11GKYE
Another Sunset (The Sunset Series Book 2)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QD2FQU8/
I Hero: The Beginning
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Y3LA41M/
I Hero: Nathan Returns
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B011AOPE64
I Hero: Phases (Expected first half 2016)
I Hero: The Strom (Expected second half 2016)
I Hero: Untitled Book 5 (Expected first half 2017)
As Life Goes: Elementary
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZXVB7SK/
As Life Goes: The End of the Innocence – (expected November 2015)
As Life Goes: The Reunion – (expected April 2016)
As Life Goes: The Wedding (expected July 2016)
As Life Goes: The Funeral (expected October 2016)
Another Sunset
David Stephenson is a kind drifter who comes to settle in the small Texas town of Westville. His sense, empathy, and awareness are well received by the residents of the failing town as they welcome and befriend him. During his stay he helps a small local girl try to realize her dream and while doing so excites and energizes the whole town to help out. Lives change as fate takes a critical turn. The local would-be reporter, tasked by David’s longtime friend, takes off on a mission to unravel the mystery of his travels, where he came from, and discovers why he is on his journey.
Another Sunset Reviews – (see all on Amazon.com) - http://amzn.to/1RHrdES
“The author has a nice way of weaving together a touching story that definitely tugged at those heartstrings”
http://www.amazon.com/review/RE23H0HC4YBXY/
“Endearing characters, well-paced dialogue, and valuable lessons...all the components of fantastic book”
http://www.amazon.com/review/R3KETK9GVPLVIV
“Instead of the fast pace of stories that tell too much, too soon, Another Sunset moved its pace along with detail that helped really form its characters. It gave plenty of time to delve into the story and not be able to fully discern where the story was going (which I like - I don't like to be able to script out what's going to happen! Surprise me!)”
http://www.amazon.com/review/R3DJBKJG5DVFM1/
Before Another Sunset - Second Edition
Before Another Sunset
by Jason Zandri
Book Sampler - Titles include:
Another Sunset
I, Hero: The Beginning
I, Hero: Nathan Returns
I, Hero: Phases
As Life Goes: Elementary
As Life Goes: The End of the Innocence
Before Another Sunset is the complete prequel novella short to “Another Sunset” and it is included here in its entirety.
Along with that, I have included the first six chapters to six of my other titles:
Another Sunset
I, Hero: The Beginning
I, Hero: Nathan Returns
I, Hero: Phases (current work in progress)
As Life Goes: Elementary
As Life Goes: The End of the Innocence
I, Hero – The Beginning
The story that started it all
An everyday man, living less than ordinary life in New York City, simply makes his way about his work life and one at home. A kind heart and an empathetic soul, who tended to think of others before he thought of himself.
With his childhood totally left behind and gone with the final resting of his father, Nathan has come to terms with his past as he forges his life in the present, unaware of what lies ahead.
An unlikely friendship, a random act of violence, a budding romance, all part of a life changed.
“When it’s your time, there’s nothing you can do to change that outcome. The only thing you can do is meet it head on. You have to hope that the life you had with others, while you were here, has made a positive impact.” – Brian Devron
“Where there is darkness, you are light. Where others know fear, you will be brave. When there are setbacks, you will persevere. Where others find weakness, you bring strength. Where there is desp
air, you are hope. Where cowardice falls, you rise courageously. Where others do not have the ability to believe, you have faith. You will suffer, so that others will endure. You will triumph where others would fall." - Cici Johnson
“This is it; it all changes tonight. Anything I do tonight, at a minimum, is going to at least expose all of this to the world." - Nathan Devron.
I, Hero: The Beginning – Order on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Y3LA41M/
“I, Hero – The Beginning” – Excerpt I
http://bit.ly/1MKrwsF
“I, Hero – The Beginning” – Excerpt II
http://bit.ly/1CCp4Sl
“I, Hero – The Beginning” – Excerpt III
http://bit.ly/1HlZEYo
“I, Hero – The Beginning” – Excerpt IV
http://bit.ly/1CwNg3l
All my free excerpts from my books can be found on my blog via
https://gunderstone.wordpress.com/category/excerpt/
As Life Goes: Elementary
“Every new beginning starts from nothing. Understanding that you can have everything in the love of one person, isn’t that worth the risk of personal capital? Isn’t that kind of love worth it?” – Diane Wakeford
“Have I ever told you, you’re the nicest boy I’ve ever met?” – Melissa Bancroft
“I will have the friends I want. I don’t care what boy likes me or what boy I like. You’re an awesome friend. I am not giving you up because we’re going to different schools or for any one person either.” – Elizabeth Wellsworth
Mark Sanford returns to his hometown with his son Matthew in tow to rebuild their lives. Recently divorced, and with the mother totally abandoning her parental responsibilities, both father and son are beginning their fresh start together.
Matthew begins to make new friends in the neighborhood and at school while he tries to find his place among people that have been friends with one another for years at elementary school.
Mark takes over the reins of the former family corner store with the help of a young woman looking for work. The ability to love and trust that woman entering his life is difficult for him because of all he has lost. For Matthew, that “first love” is difficult to understand without a motherly influence and with a father that has been deeply hurt.
As Life Goes: Elementary – Links to Excerpts
As Life Goes: Elementary – Excerpt I
https://gunderstone.wordpress.com/2015/07/07/as-life-goes-elementary-excerpt-i/
As Life Goes: Elementary – Excerpt II
https://gunderstone.wordpress.com/2015/07/09/as-life-goes-elementary-excerpt-ii/
As Life Goes: Elementary – Excerpt III
https://gunderstone.wordpress.com/2015/07/13/as-life-goes-elementary-excerpt-iii-author-jason-zandri/
All my free excerpts from my books can be found on my blog via
https://gunderstone.wordpress.com/category/excerpt/
As Life Goes: The End of the Innocence
“You have to let things happen and be there for the ones you care about. When they slip, you try to catch them to break their fall. You can’t always be there for everyone; when you’re not and if they should fall, you help them back up.” – Matthew Sanford.
“Now and for the rest of my life, I want to spend the time trying to make you as happy as you’ve made me.”
“There’s no way to know all things with absolute certainty. If you want to love that much, if you want the chance to be Matthew’s entire world, and have him be yours, you’re going to have to risk everything.” – Diane Wakeford.
The one constant in the universe is change.
Matthew, Tim, Melissa, Liz and the gang come to the end of their youth as they turn eighteen and prepare to leave high school.
Old friends and new come together as their lives shift from the moment they are in to the future that is coming at them.
One love is discovered and then lost. Another is never fully revealed. Others are put forward to stand against the tests of life, time, and circumstance.
At a time of letting go, they do their best to hang on, realizing that yesterday is gone and what they have to look forward to is everything that tomorrow offers.
As Life Goes: The End of the Innocence
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B017TBSD42/
(BOOK TWO of the As Life Goes series) – Links to Excerpts
As Life Goes: The End of the Innocence – Excerpt I
http://bit.ly/1knbsVe
As Life Goes: The End of the Innocence – Excerpt II
http://bit.ly/1MycCaG
As Life Goes: The End of the Innocence – Excerpt III
http://bit.ly/1M4duT0
I, HERO: PHASES
SIX CHAPTER EXCERPT
PROLOGUE
Hephaestus stepped into the chamber and made his way toward Ares. “I make the assumption we are alone in here?”
“We are; is there some concern that you have?” Ares asked turning casually towards him.
“I always have concerns where your schemes are concerned; especially the ones that fly in the face of agreements with Zeus.” Hephaestus said lumbering into a seat near a large table.
Ares walked past him and around to the far side and sat. “You and I both know Ahzeem Ama’s eternal soul is still trapped between the Ethereal and Astral planes of existence. The evil essence that consumed him in the Prime Plane…”
“Is trapped within the mortal called Rebecca Farnsmith,” Hephaestus said, cutting him off. “The Olympians are aware of this. We are also aware that Lachesis finished her measuring work; that thread in now in Atropos’ hands.”
“Yes,” Hades proclaimed softly. “The issue is, the Hero Nathan.”
“Yes. He has become unpredictable to the point where the Watchers are confused and The Fates have been moved, continually, something that has never been seen before. Even The Fates themselves are unsure of what force is re-guiding their hands.” Hephaestus replied.
“What is more likely is what has been seen regarding Rebecca Farnsmith. What we need to do is to be prepared for that end game.” Hades countered. “I do not have enough power alone; are you prepared to commit?”
“I am,” Hephaestus answered. “I will be here and ready when that time comes.”
“Are you also prepared to deal with Zeus?” Ares asked. “The time is near when the choice to close the circle is to be made; it will be the only way to eliminate Nathan.”
“The powers of the gods were meant for the gods; if a champion be needed I was always fine to go along with Zeus because it was never a permanent thing. I made one exception with Ahzeem Ama and we all know how that went. The total strain on the tie to the realms… I know that another will likely end our ability to hold our powers and our existence. The beings in the Prime Universe… as much as I find them interesting… I am not willing to end my existence in favor of allowing theirs,” Hephaestus said.
Ares nodded and said nothing further.
CHAPTER ONE
Nathan moved uncomfortably in his seat looking around the room at all of the cabinet members in their formal dress. He was uncomfortable being casually dressed in his Captain Delta polo shirt and black pants but he had learned the hard way once before about scheduled appearances in civilian clothing. In addition to how he was dressed, the formal line of questioning was very pointed and nearly accusatory which kept him from being at ease while he continued to answer their questions.
Nathan looked up quickly at Rebecca who was now in the gallery as she looked on wearily.
“Mister Nathan,” the elderly gentleman speaker continued, “we do understand your comments based on the limited explanation of your powers; we are still unsure of why you are unwilling to try and assist with this effort when your powers are active. Also, in consideration of the nature of Miss Rebecca’s powers, being totally based from the elements and the Earth itself, as you’ve each described, it just doesn’t make any sense for the two of you to decline this.”
“As I indicated prior,” Nathan continued more confidently, “when I travelled up to the Greenland ice sheet to survey the scientific stations on the global melt project, and attempted to do the small scale re-freeze adjustments for the scientific review, my powers cut out. I have learned that for all their peculiarities in how they function, they activate or deactivate, generally, for a specific reason. I often cannot tell why and I can’t circumvent that. I have also learned it is very dangerous to ignore.”