Sequel to Fearfully UnMade
In another time, Aisea Taite had imagined a future full of adventure and freedom. But that time had gone. That freedom had vanished. Now, the only future Taite could envision was grim. Her dreams were dead, along with nearly everyone she cared about. Transplanted to another planet and stripped of her identity, things seemed to get worse every day. Though her friend, Baylin, had saved her from dissection at the hands of Governor Faren, her life had come at a price. Baylin was gone. Was he alive? It was impossible to say. But even without him, there were choices to be made.
Taite, in the company of the rebel group, Duratio, was on the run. The only place left to flee toward was little more than a myth, a desert mirage. But if they could reach the mysterious desert citadel, would they find new friends or new enemies? Taite was willing to take the risk, even if it threw her into the path of her adversaries. Because it was the only hope of survival, and it could be the only chance to find out what had become of Baylin.
Falling snow. A stranger. A needle. A world turned upside down.
That’s all Taite can remember when she wakes up alone and disoriented in a desert. Lost and confused, Taite is desperate to return home to her over-protective father and the dull life she had once hoped to escape. Crossing paths with a suspicious girl, Taite accepts an invitation to join her as she travels to meet her brother. A means to an end, Taite’s only goal is to find a way home as soon as possible. A goal she may never reach.
Entrenched in their own rebellion, the brother and sister lead Taite on a journey that will change her forever. She doesn’t know if she can trust them, but believing them means accepting her life has been a lie. Believing them means home may be light years away. Believing them might be the only way she can survive past seventeen.
In the first half of this diptych, a teenage girl in the not-so distant future finds herself in a new reality where her own identity and sanity is under question. Previously published under the title Duratio under a pseudonym before undergoing revisions.
I have always had stories living in my head. For much of my life, in my head is where they stayed. I have found the best way to get them out of there is to write them down.
J.M. Rutherford 