Natural Awakening

By Sandra Carmel

Travel into the past to rescue the future...

Brook, a nature-loving scientist from a bleak future, develops a time travel tablet to investigate organic farming practices from the past. But just before she leaves, a necromancer curses her with a sleep and travel spell to move her into another time every four weeks, for eternity. During her pressured journey of discovery, she stumbles across Sawyer, an orchardist specializing in Biodynamic and Organic Agriculture, and falls in love.

Before their precious time together runs out, can they break the evil spell and save the doomed environment?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Evernight
• Release date: Feb 2, 2022
• ISBN: 9780369505583

Sandra Carmel

Sandra Carmel is an Australian author of racy, flirty and downright-dirty romance novels, novellas, short stories and poetry, who enjoys stimulating herself and others with words. An obsession with classic romance novels, particularly Jane Eyre, and her infatuation with Mr Rochester were key motivators in commencing her romance writing journey. So far, she has taken the scenic route from steamy paranormal to sci-fi to contemporary, creating provocative stories that delve beneath the surface of desire. She reads and writes a lot, frequently disrupted by her ever-attentive, cheeky cats, and sinfully amorous array of book boyfriends.

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Published by EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ® at Smashwords

www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright© 2022 Sandra Carmel

ISBN: 978-0-3695-0558-3

Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

Editor: Melissa Hosack

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DEDICATION

I want to do something very important. Like fly into the past and make it come out right.

—Marge Piercy

NATURAL AWAKENING

Sandra Carmel

Copyright © 2022

Chapter One

Travel Tampering

The Dandenongs, Victoria, Australia 2106

Brook reached into her sleek, silver morphdrobe and pulled out her newest expensive but awesome asset—a long, black, sexy number. It personified timeless. Not just the outfit, but its name. This was her third purchase in the morphfabric series and the most up-to-date model.

Pressing on the hem and highlighting a year and occasion, changed it into an appropriate outfit, including underwear, shoes, and handbag. The innovative product also had durable, self-cleaning and climate-control properties. She couldn’t pass it up. The awesome creation would be perfect not only for her secret soiree tonight, but also for her travels.

She finished her getting-ready glass of sparkling wine, set the empty, created-crystal flute on her vanity unit, and slid into the slinky dress. The material clung to her like painted-on PVC. The look was way too exclusive-evening-wear, bordering on BDSM, for a home do.

Once again, she pressed on the closest hem, selected 1950’s party and voilà—flouncy, purple party dress with black pumps. She did one last, quick check in her full-length mirror and strode out her bedroom door, a woman on a world-changing quest.

Evol Corp could go screw themselves. If anyone saw her now, a self-satisfied grin on her face and gliding down the stairs, they’d think she’d just had the most magnificent orgasm of her life and was striving for a second. And it had everything to do with the upcoming trip and pre-celebratory champagne bubbling in her stomach.

Tonight was her fuck-you debut into the natural science world. Her mobile TARDIS-style invention would shove it up them and their science-and-technology-trumps-nature bullshit motto. Look where their closed-minded, money-skewed thinking had gotten them so far—destruction of the environment and digging a deeper hole each day.

She stepped off the staircase and swept into the large, antique-style lounge room, her parents’ camouflaged collection of forbidden natural history books lining the shelves in amongst their stash of now-extinct paperbacks from the early 2000s.

Brook had initially turned to the internet to do her travel research; however, Evol weren’t stupid. They’d restricted access to anything controversial, taboo. The usual suspects—sex, politics, religion—were banned. But also anything on nature. They’d prohibited any investigation into the natural environment.

Ridiculous.

So much for the freedom of information the internet was renowned for back in the early days. Evol made sure to censor just about everything of interest, everything that may undermine their mission.

The fireplace flared with flames. Real log flames. Totally retro in their current community. Smokeless, oxygen-producing, self-rejuvenating timber may be black market, though thankfully her resourceful parents remained within the underground scientist scene.

They still had connections to the concealed, self-sustaining plantation they’d discovered before her birth. Nothing beat the warmth and refreshing eucalyptus scent from the special wood-fueled fire.

Her parents entered through the door leading to the kitchen, holding hands and smiling. What do you think? Does the room have enough festive ambience? her dad asked.

It’s perfect. Thank you so much for your guidance, support, and encouragement. For everything. The sudden spring of tears stung the backs of her eyes, and unexpected emotion clogged her throat. She’d be leaving home, leaving her parents for the first time, to journey into the unknown.

You’re an amazing scientist, darling, and we’re so very proud of you. Her mum’s moist eyes matched her own. And Brook hadn’t even given her official thank-you speech yet. Not until all the guests arrived. Not until she’d prepared herself to go.

Her dad wrapped his arm around her mum’s small waist. When will you take your first trip?

The sudden, loud crackle and hiss of fire consuming wood made Brook jump. Tonight. Midnight. Before Evol could get their dirty hands on her Honors invention and brutalize it. Censor it. Shut it down. She couldn’t wait any longer. A month had already passed. Her feet were beyond itchy, just short of psoriasis scratchy.

Her parents had arranged a little, covert, celebratory get-together with no idea of the urgency of her plans. Tonight? Worry invaded her mum’s face, like the first time Brook told her she wanted to follow in her parents’ research footsteps and pursue natural science, back in 2099.

She probably shouldn’t have sprung this on them. They deserved better than that. But she wanted to avoid a battle, to avoid anything that could delay her departure, delay her ability to positively impact on the future.

Mum, don’t stress. I’m determined to fix things, and this is the only way. Evol have ruined the environment, and I’m scared it’s beyond repair. When was the last time you even saw a bee or ate a naturally grown piece of fruit?

Observation, stats, data—they all pointed to destruction. Evol had spent an excess of funds on laboratory-produced fruit, vegetables, and meat, which meant farmers went out of business, unable to compete with the prices.

Cutting costs and making money, along with encouraging supposed societal progress, drove the manic market, yet the instances of disease and burden on hospitals had reached catastrophic levels. The whole situation was fucked up.

Her dad glanced at her mum, then back at Brook, understanding in his eyes. Hopefully you’ll have better luck than we had.

They’d spent years trying the educational approach, to show the benefits of working with nature for long-term sustainability. And although the results were conclusive, Evol knocked back the research findings due to the small sample size and their own political and financial agenda.

Did Evol commission a larger study to officially confirm or deny what her parents had found? No. Instead, the organization’s tunnel-visioned, corner-cutting, profit-focused thinking overruled logic. And in 2083, the year of her birth, the Evol board of management enacted a total abuse of their powerful position and outlawed natural research.

The doorbell rang, re-grounding her in the present. The grandfather clock chimed in time with the tune. Seven strikes, 7 PM.

I’ll get it. Brook hurried to the door, desperate to let the guests in before drawing too much attention to them, too much attention to her home, too much attention to her dream.

Davina! Her best friend, science whiz and dux of her secondary school, shot in the door and squeezed her into a super-tight hug. Thanks so much for coming.

I had to. Davina pulled back, her chocolate brown eyes sad and serious. I’m going to miss you like autumn leaves.

Deciduous trees became extinct when they were in early primary school, and they had always fantasized about seeing the fresh gold, amber, and ruby-toned leaves again someday. Since then, they’d only read about them in prohibited books. Another Evol casualty.

Me too. But my journey is for the greater good. I promise I’m going to do everything I can to make my absence worthwhile. Resurrect the environment, improve health outcomes, make autumn leaves a seasonal stalwart again.

I know. Her friend’s stare shone with faith and sincerity.

Brook clasped Davina’s hand and directed her in front of the warm, crackling fireplace.

Where will you go first? Davina asked, her long, auburn hair glowing like the burnt-orange embers.

Nineteen thirties, before pesticides were overused, then work my way up. Wood popped like a starter pistol, spiking Brook’s already-hammering heartbeat.

Whoa. Culture shock. Sure you’re … equipped?

No. It’ll be a challenge. But we’re scientists. We’re used to challenges. Cop-out answer, though her statement held some truth.

More guests arrived, and Brook flitted from group to group, thanking them for their quiet, steady, reliable allegiance, while her mum and dad moved through the room with drinks, canapés, and finger food.

The clock struck ten and her dad wolf whistled, drawing everyone’s attention. "Thanks for coming to help celebrate Brook’s ground-breaking achievement. I don’t want to put pressure on her, however, we have high hopes her endeavors will be the impetus we need for positive change.

I wish I could propose a less risky solution. I wish I could convince her to stay, but I can’t. As a scientist, I understand the desire for results. It would be wrong of me to stifle her growth, to snuff out her passion.

Brook’s mum joined him, and he tethered her to his side like a lifeline. We are so proud of our daughter. Please raise your glasses for a toast. To safe travels and future success.

Brook swallowed her champagne, and it did nothing to settle her sprinting heart. "Thank you, everyone. The time travel pills wouldn’t be possible without your support and belief in me. I am so grateful for your feedback, which helped me devise an all-natural formula. I’m nervous and excited to trial it, but am looking forward to bringing you back data, useful information to turn things around and create wholesome, self-sustaining outcomes.

Please join me at midnight for my send off. Although she hadn’t tried the concoction on herself, her thorough preparation and recorded data filled her with confidence of its success. Mice and rat trials were extremely promising, with no side effects upon re-entry into the present.

At 11:45 PM, Brook left the guests mingling and took the stairs to the cellar-come-private-lab to grab her time travel pills. Small vitamin jar in hand, she filled it with twenty tablets. If her calculations were correct, she should only require a single dose per journey.

Thanks to seeds and samples of ash, thyme, clove, anise, elder, fennel, cat’s claw, paprika, peppermint, calamus root, queen of the meadow, and a pro-biotic Brook had borrowed from the university’s archived stores, she’d developed a batch of tiny, glowing blue tablets. A potentially