The Many Lives of Avery Snow Read online

  The Many Lives of Avery Snow

  Past Lives Series

  Book 1

  Written by Christy Sloat

  Copyright 2011

  Published by Anchor Group

  Edited by Melissa Ringsted

  All rights reserved. Published by Anchor Group. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher.

  Copyright 2011Christy Sloat

  Published by Anchor Group

  Edited by Melissa Ringsted

  ISBN: 978-0-9852663-0-1

  Dedication

  I dedicate this book to my grandmother, Theda Arlotti.

  You believed in me from the very beginning, that I could become an author. You wanted to publish my first book when I was only twelve. Grandma, I thank you from the depths of my heart for your undying love and dedication. I will forever miss our talks on the front porch while we drank coffee. Till we meet again my sweet grandma.

  Acknowledgements

  This book would not be possible if my husband didn’t ask me one day, “What do you want to do with your life?” Joe, thank you for always believing that I can do great things. You are my support system and without you I would be lost. To my little girls, Kendyl and Kyleigh, you’re my sunshine’s on gray days and my little angels.

  Thanks to my parents Sue and Ernie for letting me just be me. I couldn’t have asked for better parents.

  To my awesome big sis, Desiree, for all the nights out and for the great sister talks. To my little bro, Torey, thanks for the support and for telling all your college friends to buy my books.

  Thank you to Anchor Group, cheers to new beginnings!

  Eye Candy thank you for my beautiful book cover! You made my vision come true.

  To my friends Jennifer, Kate, Angie, Kathy, and Debbie you girls have been there for me at the very start of this book. I appreciate all the long discussions and the great advice.

  Finally to the fans, I hope you will continue to follow my journey and read my books. I hope they inspire you!

  Chapter 1

  Lucy O’Shea

  The moon shone down through my living room window and I could hear the loons on the bay. I was sure this was the night I would sleep, I hoped the loons would put me to sleep with their eerie call. It had been three months since I slept through the night. I had resorted to sleeping on my couch, where I thought it would be more comforting. Sadly, it didn’t matter where I was, nothing would get me to that dream land that I so longed for. I started thinking about everyone in my apartment building, jealous that they were all sleeping and dreaming and I was not.

  Nothing worked, and trust me I had tried everything: chamomile tea, warm milk, and even prescription drugs that my doctor was sure would get me at least seven hours sleep. Well doc, no luck. I was lucky to get at least three hours. When I woke up I would be drenched in sweat and I feel like I never slept at all. I would always wake with the feeling that I left something behind in a dream I couldn’t even remember. The feeling would stay with me all day long. I can never shake it. It lingers in my mind like a bad memory or a feeling of overwhelming sadness.

  Maybe my Aunt Paulina is right I need professional help again. I swore I would never see another shrink. I’ve seen several doctors in the past. The first time was when I was five. Yes, five. My father left us. Well, he was never ours to begin with.

  Richard Snow was a lawyer in Laguna Beach, California. My mother, Bridgette, started working for his firm in 1982. She had never worked as a secretary before but she thought, “How hard could it be?” At the time good old Richard was married to his first wife Mary Lynn. A sweet, innocent lady who had no clue that Richard and Bridgette were starting a love affair behind her back. My mom said that they were drawn to each other, that there was nothing either of them could do to stop it, they were meant to be with each other. A year later she was pregnant with me. Richard left poor Mary Lynn and started a family with mom and I. We moved to Monterey to start our little family. They didn’t marry but mom said she didn’t need a piece of paper to tell her that they were to be together forever. Richard got a job at a smaller firm so he could be home by dinner and mom started teaching at the local college. I remember he was a good father when he was around. He would read to me every night, Good Night Moon was my favorite book. I would ask him to read it over and over and he would each time I asked.

  When I was four that’s when the arguing started. Mom and Richard fought over his sudden late hours at work. She suspected he was seeing his new secretary, Rachel. Of course my mother was right. He packed his stuff one day and told mom he was moving back to Laguna Beach to be with Rachel.

  “Someday you will understand why I left. But right now it’s hard for you to comprehend. I love you kid. Be good for your mom,” he told me when he said goodbye, and he kissed me coldly on the forehead.

  Not too long after that I started to sleep walk. I stopped eating and I went into a state of depression. Mom was very concerned for me so that’s when I started seeing my first shrink, Dr. Pasao. He was very helpful to me. I saw him until I was six or seven. Soon after that I didn’t really think of Richard again. Mom told me he married Rachel and they were having a baby. I didn’t really know what to think about that news. I know mom was very upset because she cried that night. That’s when I started to refer to him as Richard instead of Father.

  The second psychiatrist was Dr. Adams. I saw him after my mom died. I had just moved to my Aunt Paulina’s home and I was in a state of shock. Aunt Paul thought it was best for me to talk to a professional about my feelings. She felt she was not able to help me on her own.

  Unfortunately this isn’t working trying it my way, thinking that this will pass and any day now I will be back to normal and sleeping like a baby again. It’s way more than I can control. On top of that, these feelings of despair after I do sleep are way too strong. They must have meaning, but I just don’t know what it is.

  This all started when one of the residents at work, Lucy O’Shea, died in my arms. She was a sweet old lady and a dear friend to me. I really enjoyed reading to her and talking about her life. Her stories always fascinated me, the places she had been and things she and her late husband had seen in their lifetime. I hoped to do as much as they had by eighty-seven. I hope to live that long as well.

  She was in good shape for her age. Always dancing or going for walks with the other residents. Our program always stressed the importance of keeping fit, so we have dancing lessons for our seniors along with many other activities. I always took her calls when she had problems in her apartment. When I would arrive she would keep me there for quite some time talking. I think she was happy when I would show up because her face always lit up when she opened the door. That particular evening she called the main office and sounded like someone I did not recognize. Her happy, cheerful voice was muted and I could barely understand her.

  “Avery, I have been pushed, I fell hard. I need your help.” She said it so quietly I could tell she was in pain.

  “Lucy, I’ll be right there,” I said as I ran out the office door. My office was not too far from her apartment but I still needed the golf cart to reach her in time just in case it was a bad fall. Kerri, my best friend and manager at the residence, was doing her nightly rounds when I called out to her from the courtyard.

  “Kerri its Mrs. O’Shea. She fell, call 911.”

  Kerri ran in my direction and I reached Lucy’s door only seconds later. It was unlocked and I rushed in finding her slumped in her kitchen against the refrigerator. She looked bad, her face was
covered in blood and there was a large gash on her head. Her arm was definitely broken and possibly her hip. I could see the contorted way she laid there and I knew it wasn’t right.

  “Lucy, I’m here and you’re okay. Kerri is calling 911.” I grabbed a dishtowel and placed it on her head. While trying to comfort her with my other hand I put as much pressure on the gash as possible.

  Just then Kerri came in and made me aware that help was on its way and the staff nurse, Ellie, was coming over. Lucy grabbed my arm tightly.

  “He’s coming back for you Avery. She told me to tell you that he knows where you are at all times and he is always watching you.” My skin crawled, was there someone watching me at this very moment or was she delirious and she wasn’t sure what she was saying?

  “What? Who is this the person that you said pushed you? Who is watching me Lucy? Is that person here right now, is he watching me, did he push you?” I asked, trying to stay calm. This made no sense! I couldn’t really stay calm either, I didn’t like seeing her this way.

  “No, she pushed me,” she replied, pointing behind me. As I turned to look I saw no one there. Who did she mean? Was there someone in here besides us?

  “Kerri, check the apartment. Lucy says someone is in here and they pushed her.” Kerri nodded and ran through the rooms checking everything.

  “There’s no one else here and all the windows are locked shut, maybe she hit her head too hard and is seeing things,” she suggested. Even though I felt this was a little rude of her to say it was possibly right.

  “Cooper, that’s what she said his name was Avery. She said he was with you always. You are meant to be…”And then she took a large breath in and her eyes glazed over. She looked so peaceful as she took her last breath. I had never wanted to see her die, especially this way.

  “I think she is gone, Kerri. She’s dead.” I said with a large lump in my throat. Why would a fall kill her? I’m no doctor but I didn’t think she lost that much blood. I was in total shock.

  “What was she saying to you Avery, who pushed her?” Kerri asked.

  “I don’t know Kerri. She said a lot of weird things just now, I’m a little freaked out,” I said as I let Ellie take over. She checked her pulse and confirmed that Lucy was gone.

  Once the ambulance pulled out of the driveway Kerri came to find me in the office. I was drinking a cup of chamomile tea, trying to calm my nerves. Kerri had a pale face, which is so unlike her normal complexion. She is beautiful. She has long brown hair that is rich and full, unlike my blondish-brown dull locks. Her green eyes peer into your soul. She is very exotic looking and always gets the guy. I’ve never seen her without a hot guy on her arm. Not only are her looks great, she is a blast to be with and is the life of the party. She is very outgoing and talkative. In other words, she is the total opposite if me. Sometimes I wonder what she sees in me as a friend since I’m usually quiet and shy.

  I have only dated one guy in my twenty-six years of life. I’m not ugly, but I don’t think I am attractive. I have never been told that I’m ugly or unattractive, so my theory is because I lost my father and mother at a young age I have a complex about my looks. Kerri tells me she would die for my skin, that it’s like ivory. I would die to be her some days, I would love to be as outgoing and beautiful.

  We met here at work, a residence for seniors called Sunrise Estates. I was hired four years ago. I thought helping people would be a good career choice for me. I love my job, so obviously it was a good choice. Our campus, as we call it, is made up of three wings.

  Wing A is the Independent Living, where seniors can pretty much take care of themselves and they don’t need much help. They’re just not able to live on their own outside. That is where Lucy was. Even though she was eighty-seven she did not need much help. No assistance except housekeeping and some medical overseeing.

  Wing B is Assisted Living, where the seniors need help with activities of daily living. Bathing, dressing, eating and stuff like that.

  Wing C is the Temporary Care. When a family needs, what I call a “baby sitter”, to watch their loved ones. Their stay is usually a couple weeks while the family goes on vacation or a business trip. I mostly work in wing A. I’m a caregiver. I help out with their chores, I do the housekeeping, and I also visit and spend time with them. Like I did with Lucy.

  It’s a nice campus. The apartments are actually pretty nice. I hope someday someone cares enough about me to put me in here. But at the present time I have no one. Just my Aunt Paulina and Kerri.

  “You okay?” Kerri asks me as she grabs my hand and tenderly rubs it. “I know you were close with her.” Not only is she beautiful, she is very caring and sweet. She is taking this pretty hard herself, which explained the pale, drained face.

  “I’m okay, I just get too close with all of them. It sucks, it’s like losing a good friend,” I said. I’ve lost a lot of people in my life, but I try not to think of that too often. “How did she die from a fall Kerri?”

  “I think they said she might have had a heart attack and that’s what caused the fall. But they were just EMT’s, you know they can’t make the final conclusion.”

  I looked out the window and saw the ambulance drive away. Later that night, before my shift ended, Kerri asked if I want to go out for drinks.

  “Nah, I’m tired and I just want to sleep.” Little did I know that this would be the first night of no sleep.

  I usually get home around 12:30 a.m. and I stay up for about an hour trying to get myself prepared for sleep. This particular night though I started to think of all the things Lucy said. Who is Cooper and why did she say he’s watching me? She must have thought I was someone else, someone in her past maybe? Although, she did say, “He loves you Avery.” She did say me, that he loves me. Ha, very funny. No love here. I haven’t had a boyfriend since Michael the lying cheating scumbag. That was five years ago. I was young and I fell for all his tricks. I swore never again and I kept that promise to myself. So much so that I don’t talk to any guys. I have major trust issues.

  Kerri is always trying to hook me up with her boyfriend’s friends but I don’t go for it. It’s ok though, they don’t seem too interested in me either. I have not really noticed any flirting on their part. There was Dave, he was friends with Kerri’s last boyfriend Aaron. Aaron was my favorite of her boyfriends. He treated her so nice and he was fun to be around, unlike her current fling, Gavin. Gavin is cute and all, but looks aren’t everything. He is not the most trustworthy guy I’ve met. I’ve seen him at the bookstore where he works really chatting up the customers but not in the usual customer service kind of way. I have also seen him give his number to several girls. I still have not told Kerri, I figure she will find out on her own. A little part of me thinks she already knows.

  Aaron and Kerri were a good match. She said he was boring, but really he was just more of an introvert and less like outgoing Kerri. Aaron’s friend Dave said he wanted to take me out for drinks. He told Kerri he liked my style and wanted to get to know me better. I didn’t take the bait, no way, not interested. There was something about him that I didn’t trust. And what about my style did he like? I don’t think I have style. I can’t dress, in a fashionable sense anyway. Kerri is always trying to take me shopping and buy me clothes. I like tee shirts and a cute pair of jeans. In my opinion, comfort is the key.

  She is always telling me to cut my hair or wear make-up. She thinks it will accent my grayish-blue eyes. I have long blondish-brown hair and I like it long. That way I can hide behind it. I don’t have time to mess with makeup. I’m au naturel, I just get up and go. No fuss, no muss.

  There is one guy I really like, Dallas. He is a bartender at our hangout, a little Mexican food restaurant and bar right around the corner from work. It’s called La Costa and it has good scenery, meaning Dallas. He is smoking hot! I mean to die for. I’m sure he doesn’t feel the same for me, he goes for girls like Kerri. Even though she isn’t interested in him, she says she is too good for him. She wants
a man with a real job and he isn’t her type. What confuses me is that all Gavin does is manage a bookstore. I think she knows I like Dallas and she won’t cross that line. It’s nice of her, but I don’t stand a chance. Every time I try to talk to him he asks me about her. He is real nice to me, never rude, but I want him to ask about me instead.

  Dallas is tall, about six feet six, not that I am measuring him or anything. He has brown hair, piercing hazel eyes and he is very athletic and fit. His tight black shirts make me sweat. And to top it all off he can make a real good drink. He always knows what my drink is for the night, every night it’s something different. He can read my mood and know exactly what I want. In a perfect world he will stop going for Kerri and look at me and ask me out. Yeah right.

  That night I tossed and turned, thinking about all Lucy had said. Who was it that pushed her? A ghost? Did I really believe in that sort of thing? I was glad she was so happy to go. It made it somehow better for me to cope with the loss. From that night on I could not sleep and weird things started to happen to me. Like seeing my dead mother in my bathroom. She was putting on her makeup. This could not be possible. I just pulled the covers over my head and cried.

  And tonight, as I listen to the loons outside, it’s just as bad as all the others before. I’m trying to lull myself to sleep on my couch, knowing it will not happen. I think back now on the past three months and I think maybe a psychiatrist is the best thing for me. Wow, who thinks that? A sane person or a crazy person?

  Chapter 2

  Landon

  I sat on my balcony and watched the sun rise the next morning. It was sort of nice. I got no sleep last night, just like the nights before. Not one wink. Thankfully I was off of work today. Kerri had given me the day off so I could rest. It was Sunday and my Aunt Paulina and I had plans to eat breakfast together today. She comes to visit me about once every two months or so. She lives about six hours away, in Monterey. She says she doesn’t mind the drive, that it’s peaceful and helps her think. But I don’t know how much longer she will be making the trip. I really think it’s getting to be too much for her, but she insists on coming. She usually stays with me, or her friend that lives up here as well, Barbara. Just as I’m done showering and getting dressed the phone rings and I know it’s my aunt.