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Synopsis: The most dangerous secrets are the ones that kill.
When a surprising mental breakdown draws too much attention from a secret government group call the Order, 17-year-old Dakota discovers that her so-called boring life isn’t so boring after all. Between the lies, secrets and assassins out to kill her family, Dakota discovers there’s more to paranormal activity than ghosts and cheap mind tricks. Now she must uncover the truth before a new breed of terrorism takes everything away – including her life.
SNEAK PEEK
Nothing
ever happens in Cambria. Maybe that’s
why I can’t wait to get out of here, the sheer boredom
of my life. One-hundred-and-fourteen days
until I’m gone. Mom won’t be able to stop me. Josh can’t play the school card
anymore. I’ll be a high school graduate, eighteen years old. There’s no way
they can make me stay.
I
stare out of the window of the old Coffee Café and watch the clouds swirl,
their dark shades of grey broadcasting a warning of the rain to come. February
storms, March storms, April storms; always the same.
One-hundred-and-fourteen
days click down in my thoughts, bringing me closer to freedom and a life with
more meaning than the tedium of this place. Brushing my blonde layers from my
face, I take a sip of my warm chai tea latte, so perfect on this dreary day. An
involuntary shudder passes over me as the time continues to beat on, ever
slowly, in my head.
“Dakota,
hey, you okay? You look lost in your thoughts again.” Elaine’s voice pulls me
to the present as she slips into the chair across from me. “Dakota?”
“Yeah,
sorry. I was thinking about graduation.”
“And
your escape, I’m guessing?” Ever since first grade, she’s always been able to
tell what’s really on my mind.
That’s
the only nice thing about this small town. Elaine.
“I
guess so,” I say. She’s sick of my complaining by now.
“Why
do you hate it here so much?”
“What’s
not to hate?” Elaine and I will never agree on the let’s-live-in-Cambria-forever
issue. “Why do you like it here so much?”
An
awkward distance fills the spaces left by our words. The white noise of the
crowded coffee bar with people sipping their hot coffees and discussing their
big day in Boresville surrounds our silence.
“I’m
sorry. I don’t mean to criticize everything. I just want something more than
the same old, same old routine. I what an adventure, something I can feel
passionate about. I hate the monotony of this place. Don’t you?”
“I
like the predictability. But you need more. You always have.” Her words come
out too fast. “I just . . . I’ll miss you.”
I
grab Elaine’s hands in mine and release a heavy sigh.
“I’m
not leaving for one-hundred-and—”
“Fourteen
days. I know.” A smile forms on her lips. “I’m not the only one who’s going to
miss you.”
“What
are you talking about?” I ask as I push back the uneven strands of hair that
refuse to stay clipped, and finish my latte.
“Gabe.”
“Whatever!”
I choke on the words. “He made his position quite clear, I think. Homecoming?
Gracie? I doubt he’ll give two thoughts to me after graduation.”
“Give
him another chance. Yes, he was an idiot. But he likes you.”
My
thoughts wander to him, the time we spent together. In a breath, my heart
speeds up and the unwelcome feelings of longing rush forward. “Way too late for
that. Now, if David suddenly came back, that’d be a different story.”
David. My first real love. Or at least, that’s
what I’d thought. We met after Gabe’s drama at Homecoming. There was something
so familiar about him, so perfect, like we’d known each other all of our lives.
We went to Winter Formal together, he gave me a necklace and a promise of
forever. And then he left. Seriously. Moved away with no text, no email, no explanations.
Nothing.
“Tall,
dark and mysterious? Oh yeah, he was just secretive enough to make him
interesting. Just your type.”
“Yeah,”
I say as I get up. Just my type. “If he’d stayed around long enough.”
“I
guess some secrets aren’t supposed to be known.”
“Guess
not.” I chuckle as I walk to the counter, drink in hand. “Can I get a refill?”
I ask the barista.
Memories
of David’s thick black hair, cream-colored skin and soft green eyes that could
see straight through me eclipse my thoughts. My skin erupts in gooseflesh and
for a moment, I can’t breathe.
The
barista takes my cup and turns away. My face begins to flush. Get it together,
I think, willing my body to forget everything associated with David Jennings.
My head pounds.
The
pain increases the harder I work to push aside the thoughts of him, of us.
White-hot lightning streaks across my vision as bile churns up my throat. I grip
the counter. My hands cramp with the strain. My vision blurs and the images of
David’s lips on mine are replaced with a dark garage, the smell of exhaust and
excruciating pain.
“Miss?
Are you okay?”
The
voice, her words, they float around me, meaningless. I grab my head and
squeeze, desperate to keep it from splitting in two. Panic seizes my lungs and
a scream escapes my lips.
“Dakota?”
“No!”
I yell. “Leave me alone!” I take the coffee cup and toss the scalding contents
at the noises that won’t stop. “Get away from me!” Too many voices surround me,
taunting, teasing. The room spins, spins, spins . . .
My
world explodes.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Critically acclaimed nonfiction and YA author Christine Fonseca is dedicated to helping children of all ages find their voice in the world. Drawing on her expertise as an educational psychologist, her nonfiction titles address issues of emotional intensity, resiliency and giftedness. In fiction, she explores the darker aspects of humanity and delivers gothic thrillers that take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. In life, she teaches her own children to embrace their unique talents and find their voice by being a force of positive change in the world.
When she’s not writing or developing programs to support children with exceptional needs, she can be found spending time with her family, sipping too many skinny vanilla lattes at her favorite coffee house or playing around on Facebook and Twitter.
Where to Stalk Christine!
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