Fates Hands by Lori Ameling

Chapter 99

Chapter 1–Book Three

“Desert King“ (Archer’s story}

Rachel Stevens worked hard all her life, she worked two jobs and was raising her 17-year-old little

sister Anna. It wasn’t easy but she was doing it.

Their father died in a car accident when Rachel was just 12 and Anna was 7. Their mother died from

cancer three years later.

Rachel at 15 knew that Anna could be taken away and they would be separated in different homes.

Their mother left a life insurance policy it wasn’t a lot but it was enough to pay the bills, food, and other

expenses.

It wasn’t easy and they had a few close calls when a well-meaning neighbor would start checking

things

out.

Rachel also started to work after school in their home babysitting for extra money. Soon though Rachel

realized that they were not going to be able to pay the mortgage on the house much longer.

So Rachel started looking for other places to live. She found a little trailer park just outside of town. It

was mostly older people in their retirement years.

Their trailer was a normal size and they would each have their separate rooms. It wasn’t anything

glamorous but it was clean and affordable. It was also comfortable, they made it their

own.

Anna never complained about not

having what other kids in her school had. She always told Rachel that being together was far more

important.

The fact that there were two other families there with children Anna’s age helped out a lot as well.

They did keep their mom’s car, Rachel could have sold it but she used it as a cover, to give the look

that adults were there living with them.

She also learned how to drive and got her license. It was mostly though, for emergencies, they couldn’t

afford to have insurance and pay for the gas.

Now that she is older and working two jobs the car went from emergency use only, to everyday use.

It was a good thing because at the moment Rachel had to work two jobs. Her sister though is a major

nerd,

still, she is 17 years old, and at that age, they are bound to do a little exploring with things.

She was grateful that Anna turned out so smart and not so wild. Still, Rachel did worry.

She had enough time in her schedule to see her before she got on the bus for school and to pick her

up at school. They would have dinner before she had to go to work again. Sleep and repeat.

Her jobs were not glamorous but they paid the bills and the second job was going for Anna’s college

fund. During the day she worked as a maid in a fancy hotel uptown. Her second was a janitor at night

for a trade school.

She only had a GED education, she had to stop school in her last year because she had to get a job.

The funds left from her mother’s

insurance policy were running out.

There was no other choice. So she did her online school work from the library between taking care of

Anna and working.

She promised herself that when Anna was off to college that she would focus on herself and what she

wanted to do in the future.

To be honest, she hasn’t had much time to give any real thought as to what she wanted to do with her

future. She never had a complete day off work.

She was just getting off from her night job, it was a little after one am. She had to walk to the other side

of the parking lot to get to her car.

Janitorial staff was not allowed to park in the closer parking spots, they were reserved for students and

faculty only.

She hated it because it was always so dark getting to her car, especially since there was an industrial

park just on the other side of the campus.

She was just about halfway to her car when she heard a strange noise. It wasn’t very loud it sounded

like a snarl and then there was a whimper and a moan.

She looked around to see where the sounds were coming from. In the distance, she saw two shadows

that appeared to be fighting,

One was a man, the other looked to be a really big animal. It was too dark to tell though. She was

about to shout out to the man to look out when a hand covered her mouth.

She tried to get away but whoever it was, they were too strong for her to fight. Just as she was about to

bite

their hand. The person behind her whispered in her ear.

“Be silent, I am going to take you with me back into the shadows so it doesn’t see you.”

She felt shivers going across her skin and heat welling up between her thighs. She had never had this

kind of reaction before. 2 novelbin

She had tingles every place that he touched her.

Rachel went still and let the man take her back towards the campus and into the shadow of some

trees.