SPIRIT WARRIOR MAIDEN'S PATH

Susan, a recent college graduate working retail at Barnes & Noble, is dissatisfied with her mundane life. She finds solace in books and sees them as a form of escape. Susan meets Tameka, a woman who is interested in her and compliments her passion for books. They connect over their shared love for literature. Thank you for listening to this audio sample, read by Julie Forrester. If you would like a sample of your book to appear free on my website, head to julieforresterbooks.simdiff.com where you can find the details. Enjoy listening. Maiden's Path by Tracy Love It wasn't as if she wanted to live in a cabin, deep in the forest, summoning woodland creatures, but Susan had certainly imagined something far more magical than working retail at Barnes & Noble. Still, shelving fresh titles with that new book smell always made her feel better, no matter how bad her day had been. She clacked them as hard as she could against the back of the shelf today, finding it difficult to fight her crabby mood. The store had been hectic, and familiar thoughts to escape filled her head, not just from Barnes & Noble, but nearly every part of her mundane life. She stood back, she saw the end result. A row of rainbow spines on the Pride Month display, all in perfect order. Books gave her something that therapy never had. They let her escape the world and offered her a mirror that allowed her to see herself more clearly. She looked around the store at the people milling about, and shook her head. How the hell had she ended up in Worcester, Massachusetts? As much as she loved books, working retail would never bring her joy. There were far more adventurous possibilities out there than the confines of this little world she was living in at the moment. At the same time, she recognised the irony. She had gotten exactly what she'd asked for, a life surrounded by books. Maybe she needed to be a little more specific when she lit a candle and asked the universe for what she wanted. From the time she was very young, she'd been perplexed by how the world worked, especially about people and the things they did. But she couldn't remember a time when she hadn't dreamt of escape. Even starting kindergarten had felt like a ridiculous concept. It made no sense why she should go to a noisy place where everything scared her. She had her mum and grandma at home to keep her safe, and the outdoors offered her all the adventure she could ever dream of. But now, at twenty-three, a recent graduate at the Worcester State College, class of 1997, nothing was different. If anything, the feelings just seemed to intensify as she got older. She played the game, earned a college degree with a plan of living a better life with more security than her mum or grandma had known. But she still couldn't say what the English degree had done for her other than the value of the learning itself. The vast world view, which the small-town life she'd lived never could have provided, was still something. But the degree certainly hadn't delivered the security or happiness that the world had led her to believe it would. It was naive to think that college could have ever given her direction. Only her soul could provide that. But here she was, locked into a full-time retail job where she had to interact with people just so she could pay off her student loans and pay rent. So much for adventure. "'Scuse me, could you tell me where I could find the poetry section? I could swear it used to be right there." Susan looked up, locking eyes with the woman who had just spoken to her. As if her weakness for a woman with dreadlocks wasn't enough, the wide, beaming smile drew Susan in even more. Heart-thumping, she attempted to speak without letting her awkward nature come spilling out. "'Oh, yeah, we just did some rearranging," she paused, looking away. Although her gaydar was spiking, she resisted the urge to add that the changes had been to make room for the Pride Month display. "'You have to play it safe in a world filled with hate.' "'We have people all confused,' she fidgeted, making sure to pull her dark green polo shirt down over her gut. "'Good, it's not just me,' the woman smiled, a single dimple emerging. "'Come on, I'll show you where we hid the poetry,' Susan smiled back, pleased with herself for getting the thought out without tripping on her words. "'Well, at least that's one perk,' the woman said, smirking. Susan looked at her, puzzled. "'I have a beautiful woman to escort me to the poetry. Get to talk to you for a few minutes.' Susan felt her cheeks flush. People had always told her that her every feeling showed in her hazel-green eyes. So she turned away, to hide the shyness mixed with giddy pleasure that ran through her. It took great focus to remember where she was headed. Was this gorgeous woman actually flirting, or was she just charming? Susan had made that painful mistake before. "'I've seen you here a few times and wanted to talk to you,' the woman said. In awe, Susan turned to look at her, meeting her deep brown eyes for a quick moment, and then willing herself to speak. "'Me?' the woman laughed. "'Yeah, you. You're the manager here, right?' "'Assistant manager,' Susan replied. "'Well, I've seen you doing your thing here. I know you're good at what you do. "'This is more than just a job for you.' "'Thanks. I love it most days. Just being with the books,' Susan smiled, but shifted her eyes down to the floor. "'What a book nerd!' "'I know a lot of things. "'I'm Tameka, by the way.' "'I'm Susan.' Neither of them seemed to notice that they'd stopped walking, and had arrived at the poetry section. "'Well, Susan, I can tell that you like books more than you like people, but you have a good heart. "'I can tell that you can be serious if you have to be, but you prefer to let go, to be a little more... free.' "'Wow, that's just plain witchcraft. "'Are you sure you aren't looking for a book on improving your psychic work?' Susan laughed, feeling herself soften a bit, and allowing herself to meet Tameka's eyes again.