Shannon's New Destiny

by Melissa Smith

Genres: YA Romance; YA Science Fiction

Synopsis

Terrified. Anxious. Guilt-ridden. Heartbroken.

Shannon and Maya feel the same despite being torn apart by light-years.

Taken together from Earth by The Reapers years ago, they were sold together as slaves. Unfortunate events saw Shannon returned as Maya became a personal slave to a very evil, rich man.

Freed by Charlie and Ethan, Shannon now has the strength and help she needs to rescue Maya and start their life over together.

Will Shannon be able to rescue Maya alive and bring her home, or will she be too late?

*This book is the 4th in a series that must be read in order. It has mentions of rape and abuse as well as a hostage standoff with weapons, and murder. There are heavy topics of trauma recovery and deep emotional pain in this book as well. Read at your own risk.*

Release date: August 6, 2022

Content advisory: This book contains mentions to rape and abuse as well as hostage situations and a weapon standoff with murder.

Sample

3 months later

After eating way too many snickerdoodle cookies by myself and thinking over what Ethan said, I decided he was right. I needed to start moving forward and building some sort of future for Maya to come home to. Not only does it help me, but it helps her too. 

It hasn’t been easy for me, though. I’m forcing myself to open up to people I barely know. The only thing that makes me feel better about it is the fact that I know they only want to help. I know that in some way, these people love me and care that I’m healthy in every way. 

Virrokk is always asking what I like to eat and going out of his way to make things I mention or learn how so I’m happy and have a full tummy. Margareta and Kalvin make sure that I have all the essentials I need and enough money to get anything I don’t have so that all my needs are met. Charlie and his friends are trying to bond with me and teach me things I need to know to get by living here, giving me a support system of peers. It’s all very sweet and overwhelming at times, but I appreciate it nonetheless. 

Walking along down the hill from the Varquetta mansion to the park, I gaze around as I try to keep my nerves calm. I’ve been making these trips regularly to meet with Areyvah and Layanna. It started out with just Areyvah, helping me to understand my emotions, what my real feelings were and what was perceived as mine based on the situation. She’s been helping me analyze each emotion and subsequent thought to help me find my balance and sort through them to find the truth. 

The guilt has been a real struggle. It took us a few weeks to get past my guilt of leaving Maya, well, being forced to leave, and the guilt that followed everything I did after. She reassured me that the guilt was my heart and mind's way of showing concern for my friend, but the truth is, I need to realize that guilt is also the negatives trying to blame me for things I had no control over. I have nothing to be guilty for, and moving forward is something I have to do. 

That was a really big hurdle for me. I struggled quite hard with the concept of moving on because I believed it meant that I no longer cared for Maya, no longer worried about her. I believed it showed that she didn’t matter to me anymore, that she wasn’t important, when it’s the exact opposite. The thing I had to realize was that wallowing and doing nothing wouldn’t help us find her, and it most certainly wouldn’t give her anything to come home to. Me being a lump of tears and guilt would only make her hurt more when she came home, making her feel terrible for my pain. 

Moving forward gives me the opportunity to be strong for Maya. I can show her that she has a home, she has someone who can carry her when she needs it, someone who can listen and not fall apart. She’s going to need strength too, and not just her own. I’m her support, now and forever, and if I want to do that successfully, I have to find my own strength now, before she comes back to me. 

Once my emotions were under better control, Layanna began joining our sessions to help me with my negative thoughts. Sorting through my emotions and realizing what was meant to hurt and what was really me was easy. The hard part was handling those negatives. They can eat away at you, make you believe them and damage your confidence and self-worth. Layanna helps me find ways to turn those negative thoughts around, finding the positive in them or a positive that comes from them so I can push through. 

It’s not always easy, but when I start to feel guilty, start to worry that I’m not enough, I remind myself that I may not be enough right now, but I will be. Strength build-up takes time. Perseverance is my best friend right now, and the more I work, the more I push, the stronger I’ll be in the end.

There’s something that Arey told me that sticks with me when I truly begin to struggle. She told me that moving on is about adapting, adjusting to a new situation, no matter what it is. We all have to adapt or we die, and sometimes it’s all we can do. We simply adapt until the opportunity to live and thrive comes along. The opportunity for Maya and I to live and thrive is coming. I just know it.