Agent mother other, p.36
Agent. Mother. Other., page 36
The white, low-hulled water taxi pulled up at our little dock and my lips curled into a cheeky smile as I saw Cari pull Aidan in for a goodbye kiss. Cari seemed like the perfect mix of humour, smarts and guts. Aidan was lucky to have met her during a work experience placement at Rimre. I was so proud of him when he was one of five Uishka University students selected for the four-week placement in the research department of the most advanced tech company on Tir-na. Then, for him to meet someone like her while on placement, well, a mother couldn’t ask for more than that.
The taxi pulled away and Aidan waved farewell, as Cari’s long blonde hair streamed out behind her.
‘Cup of tea?’ I called out to him as he walked back up the path.
‘Yeah, why not? We have practice scheduled for tonight so I could use it.’ We walked into the homey kitchen, and I began the automatic movements of making tea, reaching for the cups and leaf mix without a thought.
‘She’s really nice,’ I said to Aidan while pouring his cup.
‘I think I’m going to break up with her.’
‘What?’
‘I don’t know. It’s just not right. I don’t feel like we click. She’s nice and all, very pretty and smart too, but it’s not right.’
‘Since we moved here, you’ve brought two other girls here to meet me, and none of them were right either.’ I took a sip of my tea, then decided to be brave and say what I was really thinking. ‘None of them are going to be like Lilli, if that’s what you’re looking for.’ I saw Aidan’s body visibly slump. It hadn’t even been a year and a half since we left the Wastes, and so much of it was still so raw and real. I was also scared he had taken Mrs Zinke’s advice a little too much to heart and was now forcing himself to get out there when he wasn’t ready.
‘I know no one will be like Lilli, Mum. I promised I would try to live and do normal things a guy my age does. But it’s not easy having to pretend none of that happened.’
‘You should never pretend it didn’t happen.’
‘I know, but Aidan has never experienced watching his girlfriend die in front of him. That was Sam, and Sam doesn’t exist here.’
‘I understand what you mean. It wasn’t easy for me either when I had to start over after Miles died, having to constantly explain away your absent father to everyone I met, as though I hadn’t watched him die in front of me. I get it, sweetie. I just…I think you should be kinder to yourself and give yourself more time. There’s no rush when it comes to this stuff, and you need to do what’s right for you.’
‘Thanks, Mum.’
We both sipped our tea, lost in our own painful thoughts and memories.
‘Alright. Enough moping around. We better get to work so we have better control over this stuff,’ I said, sending a tiny spark of power off the end of my finger that sailed through the air and extinguished itself mid-flight.
‘Are you teaching the early class in the morning?’ he asked as we headed out of the kitchen to the basement door.
‘No, not tomorrow, so we can make it a late one if you like.’
‘I do have a lot of energy to burn off.’
I nodded and flicked on the lights in the basement before descending the stairs into the cosy underground room we had set up. It was our hidden place, our sanctuary, a place we could be ourselves and practice controlling our powers in secret.
‘Where do you want to start today?’ asked Aidan.
‘Why don’t we begin with some slow, focused practice? I think we could both use that.’
We sat and began creating balls of pure energy that floated in front of us. Aidan created hundreds of small balls that floated around three large ones that I had formed. The balls of energy lit up the room like it was filled with hundreds of tiny stars. It was mesmerising, watching the beautiful dance of the stars that echoed the beauty of the universe itself. It was magical. Smile lines crinkled my face, deepening the wrinkles around my eyes in just the right place.
My wrist-comm rang with a sharp chirp, breaking my concentration and causing the energy spheres I had created to disappear. I looked at the screen and saw an unknown caller ID.
‘Hello?’ I answered, unsure. I made a habit of not giving out my contact details, so I could count on one hand the number of people who knew how to get hold of me.
‘Rach? It’s Megan. We need to talk.’
Acknowledgments
Well, that’s it. We got there! My first novel done and dusted. I hope you enjoyed reading Agent. Mother. Other. I can’t express how thankful I am to everyone who has taken time out of their lives to enjoy Rachel’s story.
Rachel emerged from an assignment for an Australian Writers Centre course I completed and quickly took on a life of her own. I needed to know more about this strong, complex, and layered woman and the terrible thing that had happened to her to spur her into action. In many ways, Rachel became a means to explore the strange experience after becoming a mother of losing what I thought composed my identity. I felt like I was thrown into a situation where I had to become a different version of myself, one I didn’t recognise and was called “mother.” It took time and work to reconcile the different parts of myself and accept that I am composed of various aspects, but all of them are essential to form the complex tapestry that is me. I’m sure I’m not the only woman to experience this after becoming a mother, so in many ways, this is a story for all of you. You can change who you are multiple times, but you should never hide parts of yourself. Without them, you wouldn’t be who you are, and you, my friend, are perfect, just as you are.
This isn’t the end of the road, though. I am currently working on book two of the Tir-na Saga, with everyone’s favourite kick-arse woman, Megan, front and centre this time. Stay tuned to my socials to know when book two is good to go (apologies, I’m a slow writer, but I will get it to you as soon as I can!).
Thank you to everyone who has been with me on this journey. So many friends and family have supported me over the last few years. Sometimes it was just by asking how the book’s going, and I am so grateful to all of you.
Thank you to the other half of Invoke Creations, Andy Mac. You gave me the required kick in the butt to actually start taking myself seriously, and to sit myself down and do the work. You should all check out his story Star Ranger! It’s a wild and fun ride!
To my breakfast writers’ club whose common and supportive goals made it possible to get the words down on the page, while enjoying some delicious poached eggs on toast.
Huge thank you to my amazing cover designer Nikki. You really helped capture the feeling of the story and made it look so much cooler than I could have imagined.
To my fantastic editor Beth, whose input helped tighten the plot to make the story shine.
Thank you to my kids with their endless energy and joy. I wouldn’t understand the crazy journey of motherhood without you. And finally, thank you to my alpha reader and husband, David. You always have my back and you definitely have more belief in me than I have in myself. I couldn’t have done this without your unwavering support, so thank you to the moon and back and beyond.
Writing and publishing my first book has definitely been a wild ride, but I hope it is the first of many. See you all on the other side of book two!
About the Author
Sharn Lee is an Australian author, who lives, works, and dreams on Ngunnawal Ngambri land in Canberra, along with her husband, two boys, and an overly spoilt doggy fur baby. She has held various roles across both government and industry organisations throughout her career, and in her spare time, between writing and working, she is also a keen D&D player, music hobbyist, and podcaster. Sharn is currently hard at work on the second book in the Tir-na Saga.
To stay updated with Sharn’s latest adventures, follow her on X @SharnLeeCreator. You can also catch her co-hosting the podcast ‘Bards Lost in the Metaverse,’ available on your favourite podcast streaming platforms.
Also By
For more details about Sharn’s work head to www.invokecreations.com
To keep up to date with all the happenings in Sharn’s creative life, follow Shan Lee and Invoke Creations on Facebook.
To chill out and relax with Sharn’s musical creations, either head to Invoke Sounds’ YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@invokesounds,
or check Sharn out on your favourite music streaming service.
To hear about Sharn and her creative partner in crime, Andy, talk about creative processes, self-publishing and the emerging world of Web3 technologies, check out our podcast Bards Lost in the Metaverse. Available now on your favourite streaming service (Spotify, Apple Music, etc).
Or follow the podcast on X @invokecreations to get alerted when new episodes are released and see some behind-the-scenes details or extra content.
Sharn Lee, Agent. Mother. Other.
