The Godsend is the 2nd book of Innerscape and continues the story of Miira Tahn and the digital world she now inhabits.
In this short excerpt, Miira gets to meet Jaimie Watson for the first time. Despite his youth and apparent rudeness, Jaimie will become a pivotal character in The Godsend.
* * *
Miira stepped out into the Tokyo HUB and stopped, stunned by the sheer volume of people crowding the vast, circular concourse. There must have been thousands of them.
Shaking her head in bemusement, she was scanning the crowd for her next guide when she caught sight of a young man with shoulder-length blond hair and wild blue eyes. His long black coat reminded her of dark wings as he pushed his way through the crowd.
Stopping to watch the bright angel run past, she was caught off guard when he suddenly changed direction and barreled towards her. She managed to step out of the way, but her bags were not quite quick enough.
The young man tripped over the bags and grabbed at Miira on the way down. For one timeless moment, they teetered together, then momentum sent them both crashing to the ground.
“Oouw!” Miira yelped as her head hit the tiles. The yelp was followed by an ouff as an elbow knocked the breath from her body.
“Shit, shit, shit!” the young man muttered as he pushed himself to his knees and tried to help Miira sit up. “Just my fucking luck…are you okay?”
“I…think so,” Miira wheezed, one hand going to the back of her head where a small but uncomfortable bump was growing beneath her fingers. “Sometimes reality could be a little less real.”
“Yeah,” the young man said with a frown. “Look. I’m really sorry. I thought you were just a, you know, NRA.”
“Because I look Asian?” Miira snapped, shock giving way to anger.
“I didn’t mean it that way!” the young man protested. “I just… Ah, crap.”
Bending from the waist, he bowed in a very Asian way and murmured, “Gomenasai…”
Maybe he wasn’t being racist after all, Miira thought, impressed despite herself. She probably had looked like all the other NRAs milling around.
“So what did that mean?” she asked, her tone marginally less hostile.
“It means ‘I’m sorry’.”
“Okay. But is your Japanese good enough to get me a taxi?”
The young man’s lip curled in a sneer, as if offended by the very thought that his Japanese might not be fluent.
“Of course. Where do you want to go?”
That’s a good question, Miira thought. After being dwarfed by the Hilton in Aqaba, she had no desire to go to one of the big international hotels. Unfortunately, they were likely to be the only places where her own lack of Japanese would not matter.
“Do you know of any traditional hotels here in Tokyo where the staff still speak some English?”
“Hmmm… You’re not going to get traditional anything in Tokyo,” the young man said with a frown. “But I know a great ryokan in Kyoto where you can do the whole traditional shi-thing, and the staff all speak English.”
“Rio-kan? What’s that?”
“Boy, you really don’t know anything do you?” he retorted, his tone superior.
Miira just raised an eyebrow at him. Her head still hurt, and she was in no mood to be talked down to.
“Okay, okay!” he cried, throwing up his hands. “A ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn dating back to the time when this place was still called Edo. Happy now?”
“Yes, thank you,” Miira said. Kyoto was where she intended to go the next day anyway, so it was not out of the question. “Would I have to go through the HUB again to get there?”
“No, Kyoto is part of Tokyo HUB.”
“Fine, in that case, you get me a taxi to this ryo-kan of yours, and I promise not to sue for grievous bodily harm.”
“Har de hah hah,” he replied, but his lips quirked as if he were trying to restrain a real smile. “C’mon then.”
“Wait!” Miira said to his retreating back. “I can’t keep calling you ‘hey you’. What’s your name?”
“Jaimie. Now c’mon, I haven’t got all day.”
Jaimie? As in Jaimie Watson? Miira wondered as she started after her bad-tempered young guide.
Now that she thought about it, he was certainly rude enough to be eighteen. But there was also a vitality about him she had not seen in many other Residents.
Maybe Nour was right? Maybe young Jaimie Watson had discovered the way to live a good life in Innerscape?
“Let’s go, bags,” Miira said with a shrug. “Our guide is definitely not going to wait.”
cheers
Meeks
January 26th, 2021 at 2:30 pm
Well..you have certainly got my attention. Meeks the more I read the more I am pulled into your world 🙂 x
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January 26th, 2021 at 7:57 pm
-hugs- welcome. It can be grim, but it also has some uplifting bits, I think. 🙂
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January 26th, 2021 at 8:19 pm
If grim has its place in the story it adds to the realism which is good xx
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January 26th, 2021 at 9:40 pm
The story told itself. I don’t think I could have written it any other way. 🙂
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January 26th, 2021 at 11:50 pm
And why should you… It is brilliant.. Xx
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January 27th, 2021 at 7:29 am
-big hugs-
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December 23rd, 2018 at 10:18 am
Nice extract, Meeks. It has a good flow to the story. Sorry I haven’t read the set yet. On the list.
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December 23rd, 2018 at 10:26 am
-grin- You’re the PoetryMan. I honestly don’t expect you to read sci-fi /prose/!!
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December 23rd, 2018 at 10:49 am
Its a preferred genre. That and crime fiction. Escapism for pleasure. That’s me.
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December 23rd, 2018 at 1:24 pm
Seriously? OMG…you’ve made my pre-Christmas. 😀 Btw, if you enjoy crime, you really should give Carol E Wyer’s books a try. They’re all good, but the DI Natalie Ward books are my current favourites. Carol is an Indie, and a friend, but I wouldn’t recommend her work if it weren’t really good. 🙂
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December 23rd, 2018 at 1:27 pm
I’ll keep an eye out. I really enjoy good Space Opera. Stuff where I can separate from reality a little. I’ve had more than enough lived reality over the journey to not want it in my reading, as well. Entertainment not grit.
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December 23rd, 2018 at 11:06 pm
lol – my sentiments exactly!
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December 24th, 2018 at 12:18 am
You are very kind to mention my books. Thank you.
Natalie says thanks too – she’s very pleased you are enjoying the series (Oh dear – these characters are becoming too real!) 😉 xx
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December 24th, 2018 at 8:43 am
-giggles- They do, don’t they?
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December 23rd, 2018 at 8:49 am
[…] via The Godsend – Introducing Jaimie […]
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December 23rd, 2018 at 8:48 am
Reblogged this on Loleta Abi.
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December 23rd, 2018 at 9:17 am
Thanks, Traci. I really appreciate your help. -hugs-
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December 24th, 2018 at 10:55 am
You’re welcome, Meeka!
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December 23rd, 2018 at 4:48 am
Dangit, Meeka, now I gotta buy another book! And right before Christmas, too! 😀
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December 23rd, 2018 at 9:20 am
I’m sawwy….-dance-…give yourself a big hug from me and hugs to Chickie and Tipper from my furkids. Oh and Mogi-the-dog. 🙂
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December 29th, 2018 at 10:01 pm
you’ll love it 😉
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December 30th, 2018 at 8:48 am
God I love you guys! -massive hugs-
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December 30th, 2018 at 8:51 am
😂
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December 22nd, 2018 at 3:13 pm
The reminder was enough to prompt me that the book was fantastic and it’s about time I reread it.
Hugs
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December 22nd, 2018 at 7:32 pm
Aww….-huge hugs-!!!!!
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