Operation Z-Day (The Raven Falconer Chronicles) Read Free Page A

bedroom.
    Weeks from this night, Mick would look back on her question and wonder if hell itself had taken a special interest in the lives of the four friends, creating chaos and pain where calm and joy had existed.

Chapter 2
    Raven awoke before sunrise and was on the road, headed west toward the mountains before the sun’s early morning rays caught up to her.  The extra light was welcome, especially as she hit the foothills where deer, elk and even bear could be milling about on the highway.  Fatigue had set in minutes after leaving Calgary’s city limits but she’d managed to fight it off with sheer will and an icy cold soft drink she’d pulled from the cooler.  It had been a tough trade off, a blast of caffeine for a bathroom break she’d hoped to avoid.
    Her mind swirled with a mix of book ideas, characters and the thought of roommates she’d left behind.  A sneaking inadequacy was already rearing its appalling head, inserting doubt into the corridors of her confidence.  She tried dodging the negative barbs but couldn’t help creating a mental list of meager excuses, explaining why she was unable to succeed.  As she drove, her mind continued to play an unrehearsed 70’s version of good cop – bad cop, entertaining her at times but almost pushing her to despair.  Through those early morning hours, and above it all, she strained to remember her mother’s words.  “Raven, you are gifted and talented beyond what you know.  Believe in yourself and don’t let anything hold you back from becoming your dream.”  Her mother had said it often, and even as a little girl she trusted in what she had said.
    She missed her mom, taken far too early by an aggressive, silent killer, leaving her and her father to fend for themselves at a time when a girl needed a mother.  Eli Falconer had done his best to raise his daughter, acting as both a mother and father.  He’d chosen not to remarry, tel ling Raven the right woman just hadn’t come along, but the maturing young lady suspected it had more to do with his continued love and devotion to her departed mother.  Raven's father was her strength and unmovable anchor through some difficult years.  His influence and push for excellence helped to propel the striking young girl to the top of her class, where she earned honors in almost every subject.  “The sky’s the limit,” he’d assured her, listing a litany of possibilities, including doctor, lawyer or accountant, which was his chosen profession.
    She remembered the day she’d come home from her first year of college, her mind made up with what she aspired to be.  He’d been less than thrilled but sweet in his feigned enthusiasm.  “That’s great dear, your mother would be proud.”  Those words rang in her ears now as they did then.  Lilith Falconer was the artsy member of the family, encouraging her daughter to explore the creative side of her personality.  It was Eli who fostered a more realistic view of the world and kept the young woman grounded and balanced.  In their early years, Raven had spent days at museums and libraries, and nights cuddled up reading with her mom.  The little Falconer girl had cut her literary teeth on Dr. Seuss , Boxcar Children and Nancy Drew before she advanced to better-known stories such as Little Women and Pride and Prejudice .  An author’s ability to create, as well as destroy, had left a lasting impression with the young Raven, and she'd held nothing back in expressing her desires to her father.
    Raven, on this lonely morning, couldn’t help but feel she was fulfilling the last words she’d heard escape from her mother’s lips.  “Rave,” she’d breathlessly whispered above the sound of the machines keeping her alive, “take care of your dad . . . he loves you so, . . . so much.”  Her mom’s eyes had closed for what Raven thought would be the last time, but then, with heroic effort, Lilith had summoned the strength to impart her final thought. “Be