And just like that she’s just Elsey again. My sister. Not my crippled sister. Despite myself, I laugh, although not as long or as loud as I’d like to for her sake. “You could never scare me,” I say, putting my arm around her so she can lean on me. When I feel her minimal weight against my chest I feel complete.
We lay there together for over an hour, sharing memories of Dad, of Mom, of life, sometimes laughing, sometimes crying—always loving. When she falls asleep I slip my arm from behind her head, covering her to her neck with the white spread.
“Goodbye, Elsey,” I say, kissing my hand and touching it to her forehead.
* * *
The Resistance is full of surprises. We stand on a large overhang high atop the cavern walls in subchapter 1. The Dome looks like a giant bulge from up here, sticking out amongst the toy buildings around it. We’re all sweating from the exertion of the climb. At least this time we got to use ropes.
We’re shoulder to shoulder on the ledge, Tawni, then Roc, then Tristan, then me. My mom insisted on accompanying us this far. I take one last look at the Moon Realm, perhaps the last time I’ll see it ever, and then turn around to where Mom is pulling away a big gray tarp from the mountainside, revealing a hidden ink-black tunnel into the rock. Like I said, the Resistance is full of surprises.
“We built this during the Uprising, but never had a chance to use it,” she says.
“We’re using it now,” I say.
When she turns, her eyes are full of conviction. “You will succeed,” she says.
“Of course we will,” I say, trying to make it sound like the truth.
She hugs Tawni first, holding her for a long time without saying anything. Then she hugs Roc and says, “Elsey’s sure going to miss you.”
“And I her,” Roc replies. He winks. “Don’t worry, we’ll see you again soon.” It seems Elsey’s optimism is rubbing off on him.
Next up is Tristan and she whispers something in his ear as she pulls him close. He just smiles and nods.
I’m last and we hug the longest. After all, she’s my mom, and I’m going to miss her. Just as I’m pulling away, she tugs my ear close to her lips and whispers sharply, “It’s no accident that you and Tristan met.”
My eyes widen and I open my mouth to speak, to ask her what she means, but it’s too late, because she’s pushed me into the thin tunnel and corralled the others behind me, blocking the path.
I grit my teeth, frustrated at my mom’s cryptic message, but trying to focus on the task at hand: find the President; kill the President. I lead the way into the tunnel, flicking my flashlight on with one hand and gripping my mother’s emerald necklace in the other.
###
Keep reading for a peek into the heart-stopping third installment in The Dwellers Saga, The Sun Dwellers, which will be published in December 2012.
Acknowledgments
This time around I’m most thankful to all the readers who bought The Moon Dwellers and wrote the most wonderful reviews that helped inspire me to write the sequel. Your words of encouragement and your feedback mean so much to me, I can’t even put it into words. I was literally tearing up as I read some of your reviews. I can’t thank you enough for your support and for your willingness to take a chance on my books.
To my editor, Christine LePorte, thank you for helping me take my ideas and writing to the next level—the pearls of wisdom you provide do not go unnoticed.
A HUGE thanks to my marketing team at shareAread, particularly Nicole Passante and Karla Calzada, without whom there would be no buzz. You’ve taught me so much.
As always, thanks to my incredible team of beta readers who embraced The Star Dwellers from the very beginning and who have been so encouraging the whole way through. You are truly an inspiration. Without your feedback, The Star Dwellers wouldn’t have been nearly as good! So thank you, Laurie Love, Alexandria Nicole, Karla Calzada, Christie Rich, Kayleigh-Marie Gore, Nicole Passante, Kerri Hughes, Terri Thomas, Lolita Verroen, Zuleeza Ahmad, and Kaitlin Metz. And of course, the biggest thanks to my ultimate beta reader, my always-honest wife, Adele.
To my friends in my Goodreads fan group, you are all amazing, I hope you know how highly I think of you, and I appreciate all your jokes, kindness, and comments. You brighten my life every day that you’re in it.
I like to wait till near the end of the acknowledgments to recognize my awesome cover artists/designers at Winkipop Designs, because they are the first impression everyone gets, and so they should be the last two. Thank you for all your hard work within challenging deadlines and for finding a way to sum up an entire story in a single image. As one of my readers said, “After reading the book I realized what a work of art the cover is.” I couldn’t have said it better.
The saga continues in other books by David Estes available through the author’s official website:
http://davidestes100.blogspot.com
or through select online retailers including Smashwords.com.
Young-Adult Books by David Estes
The Dwellers Saga:
Book One—The Moon Dwellers
Book Two—The Star Dwellers
Book Three—The Sun Dwellers (coming in December 2012!)
The Evolution Trilogy:
Book One—Angel Evolution
Book Two—Demon Evolution
Book Three—Archangel Evolution
Children’s Books by David Estes
The Nikki Powergloves Adventures:
Nikki Powergloves- A Hero is Born
Nikki Powergloves and the Power Council
Nikki Powergloves and the Power Trappers
Nikki Powergloves and the Great Adventure
Nikki Powergloves vs. the Power Outlaws (Coming in 2013!)
Connect with David Estes Online
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/David-Estes/130852990343920
Author’s blog: http://davidestesbooks.blogspot.com
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/davidestes100
Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/davidestesbooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/davidestesbooks
About the Author
After growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, David Estes moved to Sydney, Australia, where he met his wife, Adele. Now they travel the world writing and reading and taking photographs.
A SNEAK PEEK
THE SUN DWELLERS
BOOK 3 OF THE DWELLERS SAGA
Available anywhere e-books are sold in December 2012!
Prologue
Subchapter 14 of the Moon Realm
Two years ago
Despite her nondescript gray tunic, the woman sticks out like a sparkling diamond in a coal mine, her shiny blond hair peeking out from beneath her dark hood. But it’s not her hair, or her face—which is remarkably beautiful beneath the dark shadows—that identifies her as a foreigner in the Moon Realm. Instead, it’s her gait, the way she carries herself: straight-backed and graceful and regal. Next to her the passing moon dwellers look hunched, their backs question marks and their faces turned to the dust.
She’s knows it’s the middle of the day—thus ensuring the girl will be at school—but the amount of light afforded by the overhead cavern lights is appallingly minimal, the near-equivalent of a Sun Realm dawn, or perhaps twilight.