Synopsis:
I am different. I have always been different, but no one can know or my life will be in danger. So I hide in plain sight, wearing drab clothes and thick glasses and trying to be invisible. I’m so good at hiding, no one has ever noticed me. Until Ian…the mysterious and oh-so-cute boy I know I need to avoid.
Now I have been seen. And more terrifying still, I am wanted—by those who would protect me and those who would destroy everything and everyone I love. But if they’re all terrified about who I am, wait until they see what I can do…
A part of me
wondered what good it would do to run. One look at him, and I knew he was
faster than me. The other part of me, the fighter part, wasn't going to go
quietly.
I yanked free of
him and turned back the way we’d come. In two strides I was running at top
speed. Behind me, I heard Ian yell, “Jeez, Brandy, could you be less subtle!”
My best option
was a flat out run for the safety of onlookers. Hot desert air filled my lungs
as I ran full tilt toward the gates we’d come through. I had no idea how I was
going to get over them before Ian caught me. I only knew I was going give it
everything I had.
Halfway there, I
tried to throw him off by cutting sharply between a cactus and a wiry bush. He
let me make it just far enough so that we were shielded from the view of
traffic. Then he tackled me.
“Get off,” I
yelled when I found myself pinned to the rocky ground.
“It’s not what you think,” he said.
“We're not the bad guys. We want to help you.”
I punched him in the mouth. He swore
but didn't let me go.
“I don't believe
you,” I yelled, winding up for another punch.
He pinned my free arm down. “Think
about it, Alison. Either you trust us, or you face the dewing who’s been
following you for three days on your own. I'm sure you’re strong, given who
your mother was, but you won't last long against him.”
I stopped struggling, partly because
I feared he was right, and partly because he'd mentioned my mother. “Get off!”
I yelled again.
He complied but sat near enough to
throw me down again if necessary. When he touched his lip, his fingers came
away bloody. “You hit hard.”
“Good,” I replied. Then I sat up and
scooted a couple of inches away from him.
“Come on,
Alison. You can try running again, but I think we both know how that will end.
All I want is for you to listen to me. Just hear what I have to say, and then
you’re free to go if you want.”
He stood and
offered me a hand. I continued to sit in the rocks unsure of what I should do.
I decided to stall. “You said, given who my mother was. Does that mean
she’s dead?”
His response wasn’t immediate. He
looked back the way we’d come, like he was trying to decide what to say.
“Is she dead?” I
repeated.
“Yes,” he
replied quietly.
Gloria Craw grew up in the desert southwest, inspired every day by the wide skies and rich colors around her. After high school, she attended the University of Utah where she majored and got a degree in anthropology. These days, she lives in the ‘burbs’ just outside of Seattle, Washington where she is the shepherd of a husband, four daughters and a very hairy dog.
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Thank you so much for participating in this blitz. The book looks really good and I look forward to reading it.
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