Broken (Endurance)
Read Broken (Endurance) Online
Authors: April Thomas
Broken
Some things were meant to be broken
By April Thomas
Second book of The Endurance Series
The Endurance series is a unique adventure story that lives out side of the box. We hope you enjoy reading this series.
Copyright © 2010 April Thomas
No part of this book may be reproduced in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.
Thank you
Book Cover Model:
Ali Said
Interior Models:
Katia DeLormé, Dina Green, Ali Said
Acknowledgement
God the Father for getting me through my second book and sending me so many cherished angels to help me through the rough times in my life. Katia, my little angel for being my number one fan your encouragement, love and support also inspired me to keep going.
Denyse my sister thank you so much for always believing in me, not allowing me to give into giving up when time became to difficult.
Ali Said, for the amazing support you have showered me with and for being such a great cover model for this book.
Judy, I am grateful to have you in my life, I feel blessed to have a life long friend who is such a beautiful sister to me, thank you for being there for me.
To an amazing editor for such wonderful support and encouragement, thank you again. I look forward to working with you on future projects.
To all my friends thank you for your support. God bless
BROKEN
Broken is my heart, for you
Each year that passed, I longed for you
Broken is my soul, for you
I realize now, your love was true
Broken is my dream, of us
Nights of passion, nights of lust
Broken is my body, for you
The feel of my skin, under you
Broken is my tattered world
Because you've found, another girl
Table Of Contents
Survival
The waves crashed against the ocean’s shore while the moon cascaded along the beach, creating a breathtaking vision. Exhausted, Mei stood by her husband with their sleeping son in her arms. It was after midnight and the seventy-two hours of traveling had left them all drained.
They had flown on a private jet to a small island off the coast of South Africa. From there, they’d boarded a luxury cruise ship for a full day and a half of smooth seas. In the middle of the night, they’d been awakened by security guards and led to a helicopter, which had brought them to this deserted shore on this faraway, private island.
Now, as they stood on the sand and waited for an instructor to walk them to a dorm for the night, Max looked at the gentle waves, his mind miles away.
“Stop frowning, Max,” Mei said, nudging him with her elbow. “We belong here.”
This was the last place he wanted to be
at
, but for the past year Mei had insisted on attending this faraway college. Max felt certain his father had persuaded her to make this decision. He’d always wanted them to go to this college.
“Do you know what coming here means?” she asked.
He knew the speech by heart: King Solomon University, an elite private college, had been founded in 1952 by Max’s grandfather, Maximilian Martinez Jr. and had remained hidden from the public for over fifty-eight years. While the Martinez family would always be the founders and respected as the leaders of the organization, Maximilian had created a college school board consisting of nine dedicated families. His own as well as the families of Koroma, Pennington, Jameson, Sizemoore, Ortiz, Witfields, Eagelfeather and Hamptons. Each family had at least one member who attended all meetings.
“The university was designed for people who wish to learn the art of spiritual warfare and study the wisdom of King Solomon,” Mei went on, continuing his line of thought. “The wisest man to have ever lived.”
Max knew the college offered all the same classes as any topnotch college, only with a location that was difficult to reach. The only way board members could ensure the school remained secret was to make it so difficult to find. They’d also paid large amounts of money to maintain the college’s privacy.
The island had nine private vacation homes, one for each of the board members’ families. Situated in the middle of the island, the college had numerous large buildings and all the amenities students could need.
“I know you have some reservations, but I’m happy you finally gave in,” Mei said.
Max offered her a dry smile. She always knew just how to make him say yes and it drove him crazy.
"Let me take him. You look tired," Max said walking towards his wife and picking up his sleeping son.
"Okay." Mei looked past the shore and through the forest to see lights far off in the distance. "Should we walk over there or should we wait?"
An image of the security guard yelling at them moments earlier to stay put on the island replayed in Max's mind. "No, let
'
s just stay here."
"What if nobody shows? How do they know we’re here?" Mei asked as she pulled her backpack off her shoulders, letting it hit the sand with a muffled thud.
"Yeah, well, you’re the one who wanted to be here, Mei. Welcome," Max said sarcastically.
"You’re still mad?" Mei snapped, whipping her head around to face him.
Max instantly regretted his comment. In no mood to argue, he rolled his eyes and sighed. "All I’m saying is that this is what I was trying to tell you. This is not your regular college. I love my grandfather, but the man was crazy. This school will challenge you on every level."
"Don't you think that’s important?" Mei retorted.
"Babe, please not now, not here."
"If not now, then when? Makayla said you should never go to bed angry."
"Look around you, babe. Do you see a bed?" Max growled.
"Oh, we're doing this?" Mei said, nodded.
Max knew exactly what she meant. He laughed remembering the quiet Mei of a year ago. Now he had created a monster. "Come here. I don't want to fight, but yes, I'm mad about being here," he admitted.
Mei stood her ground, visibly still upset by his comment. "Shouldn't someone be here by now?"
She’d changed the subject and turned away from him. Max got the message and dropped the matter. "Dad told me they might do this." Max pulled the baby bag off of his shoulders dropped it on the sand. "Let’s make a bed for our little angel and gather some wood to make a fire."
"What? Why? I thought someone would be coming." Mei responded.
"Okay, welcome to crazy land. This, my dear, is your first class. Survival 101 or one on one depending how the night goes," Max teased.
Mei bit down on a laugh, but couldn't stop the giggle that escaped her lips. "Max, they just said..."
"I was standing right next to you. Dad said they might do this...leave us stranded for a night, just to see how we handle the situation."
Mei frowned and her lips tugged into a worried line as she looked at their son sleeping in his father’s arms. She felt bad for forcing Max to come here. Although she had been warned by every one of the hardships they’d face on the island.
Max and Mei had also been told that if they could survive the next four years here, nothing would be impossible for them. That's what had inspired her to attend this college. She understood what they were up against spiritually and wanted to make sure they would be able to handle anything that came their way.
“Hey, together we can do what?" Max said attempting to rally her up.
"Anything," Mei mumbled looking around nervously.
"Sit down, babe, and hold Uriel. I'll go get a fire started," Max instructed.
Mei sat on the sand while Max laid Uriel in her arms. "Max, I'm sorry," she whispered.
Max looked into her eyes, lifted her chin and kissed her lips. "I love you. I know why you wanted to be here. I just can't help but want to protect you from the world."
"Sweetie, you can't."
"I know, but I will die trying." Max stood and walked off into the darkness.
"So stubborn," Mei spoke under her breath as she brushed a curl away from Uriel's face. She leaned over to kiss her son’s forehead and nuzzle her nose against his cheek.
Thirty minutes later Max returned with dry old wood and palm fronds. He dropped everything and headed back into the woods to retrieve more. After a few armloads of firewood, Max finally made his last trip into the forest, returning with two long logs to build a temporary hut to shield them from the elements. He started a fire while Mei tended to a now awake Uriel who was cranky from the long trip. Max worked quickly to build a temporary shelter. They used Uriel's baby blankets and a variety of clothes to make a comfortable bed for the three of them.