Kindle Edition
Amazon
Category:
Young Adult/Teen
Publisher: CHBB
ISBN-10: 1939769213
Type: Fiction
Pages: 390
Copyright: December 14, 2013
ISBN-13: 9781939769213
Price: $0.99 (eBook)
When strange things start to happen, Emma is thrown into the middle of an ongoing battle between good and evil, where she has to fight for her life and her new found family.
What happens when Darkness and Light collide?
Seventeen is a life changing age for Emma Wise.
As her family's sole survivor in a car crash, she is left with a broken arm, and a few scrapes and bruises. But these are only outward marks; inside, her heart is broken and the pieces scattered.
Whisked away to Alaska, to an aunt she’s never met, Emma starts over. Secrets unveil themselves and now…she doesn't even know who or what she is.
A centuries old prophecy places Emma in the heart of danger. Creatures of horrifying and evil proportions are after her, and it will take Emma, her aunt, and six, gorgeously, captivating Guardians to keep her safe. But, if she can survive until her eighteenth birthday... things will change.
****Descent, a Hidden Wings Novella, is included in this version of Hidden Wings****
Excerpt
CHAPTER 1:
My eyes snapped open. I was on my back, disoriented. Strangers surrounded me.
“Seventeen. She’s fading in and out,” a short-winded voice briefed the others.
A red sign glowed as we passed through a set of double doors.
EMERGENCY
What the hell happened?
My heart pounded furiously against my chest. There was excruciating pain, but I couldn’t pinpoint it. It was everywhere. I tried to raise my right arm, but it was fastened to some kind of board, and twisted at an abnormal angle. Strong hands held me down as I tried to sit up.
“Just stay still,” a low voice instructed.
Hot tears streamed from my burning, swollen eyes. With every breath, sharp pains shot through my chest, and every beat of my heart sent throbbing pulses through the rest of my body.
I was pulled into a small room and carefully lifted onto a bed, where warm blankets quickly replaced the cold, bloodied ones. A bright light blaring down on me made my eyes ache. Faces in white and blue masks scrambled all around me. I tried to speak, but my voice was too weak.
“She’s lost a lot of blood.”
Where are my parents?
I focused on the faces surrounding me, but none were familiar.
“We need to start a transfusion, ASAP,” someone instructed from a hidden corner.
I felt a prick on my left arm.
“Blood type?” a nurse asked.
“AB negative,” another answered.
“AB negative?” a distressed voice countered. He was hushed and the voices became muffled.
“It’s alright sweetheart. You’ll be just fine,” a female voice whispered from behind her white mask. Her bright, blue eyes fixed on mine, offering a glimmer of hope.
A mask was placed over my nose and mouth just as the pain started to numb. Voices soon trailed of, and I faded into darkness.
*****
Before my eyes opened I felt pain, and slowly peeled my lids back to reveal a hazy world. My right arm was casted, and places I never thought existed, ached. My head throbbed and acid raced through my stomach, making me nauseated. The scents of bleach didn’t help much.
I was in an unfamiliar room. The walls were painted in light pink, with a thin strip of pastel wallpaper lining the top. A TV hung from the wall, and to the side, was a large bay window with white blinds pulled halfway shut. Wires attached to my arms and face, were connected to a machine next to my bedside.
I glanced around, but there were no signs of my parents. Maybe they’d stepped out for a while, or went to get a bite to eat.
Something happened. Something horrible. But I couldn’t remember. My mind was dark and blank, like a fresh canvas waiting to be painted on.
“Knock-knock,” a voice called from the doorway. “Is it alright if I come in?”
A tall, blonde woman with hair pulled back into a long ponytail, dressed in a black, pin-striped suit stood in the doorway. Her face was warm, donning wide, green eyes.
I nodded, returning a weak smile.
She stepped into the room and pulled a stray chair from the corner, setting it next to my bedside. After placing her leather briefcase on the floor she reached over and laid her soft, warm hand over mine.
“Hello. My name is Abigail Reed. I’m a social worker assigned to you by the state of California. I’m here to help you.”
Social worker? Assigned to me? Shouldn’t she be talking with my parents?
“Can you tell me your name?” she asked, gently squeezing my hand.
“Emma,” my voice exited in a whisper. At least I remembered that much.
“Do you remember anything about the accident?”
“Accident?” I questioned, shaking my head. “I can’t… I don’t remember anything. Where are my parents?” My mother would usually be glued to me if I was hurt or sick, and my dad was always a glancing distance away.
Miss Reed’s eyes flitted downward.
“Emma,” she started, then paused. Her brow furrowed. “I’m so sorry, Emma. There’s no easy way to tell you—”
“Where are my parents?” I demanded.
A pang of fear surged through me. My heart constricted and doubt rushed over me like a tidal wave. What if they were injured? I needed to know. I needed to see them. Now.
She took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “Emma… your parents were killed in the accident.”
It took a few moments for my brain to absorb her information.
Your parents were killed.
The horrifying words echoed, over and over, through my mind. And then it slammed me… shattering pain, quickly spreading like a brush fire. My body trembled, as hot tears of horror and panic sprang from my eyes.
“No. It’s not true. It can’t be true,” I cried, shaking my head. This had to be a nightmare.
“You’re going to be alright, Emma,” Miss Reed said in a calming voice, gently rubbing my hand.
“How will I ever be alright?”
I suddenly realized I was alone; an only child – no aunts, no uncles, no grandparents, no surviving kin.
My world spiraled uncontrollably, and my mind became completely numb. “How… how did it happen?” I sobbed, looking at her for answers.
“Well, it seems the car you were in, swerved off an embankment and hit a tree, while traveling at a very high speed. There were no other cars involved, so the police are running an investigation. They think it could’ve been an animal, but they aren’t certain. If it’s any consolation, your parents didn’t suffer. It was a complete miracle that you survived,” she said softly.
I couldn’t think. I could barely hear anything above my loud sobbing sounds.
“So what now? What happens to me?” I asked, swiping the tears from my soaked face. Would I be placed in foster care? I was too old for adoption and would never let that happen anyway.
Maybe my friends would take me in. In a year, I’d be eighteen anyway, and could technically take care of myself. But the mere thought of being alone sent my burning acid to my stomach.
Abigail cleared her throat. “Well, Emma. We’ve been contacted by a woman,” she said cautiously. “Her name is Alaine Gray, and she’s asked the courts to appoint her full guardianship.”
“Alaine Gray? I’ve never heard of her.” I tried to think of my parents’ acquaintances, and couldn’t recall anyone named Alaine Gray. I was sure this was the first time I’d heard that name.
“She is your aunt.”
“Aunt?” I shrieked. “There’s no way she can be my aunt. I don’t have any living relatives… Well, not anymore.”
She paused and glanced down to her briefcase on the floor, but didn’t say anything.
“Well, I hope the courts have looked into this. I hope they’re looking out for my interests, and not just sending me away to some stranger because it’s the easiest thing to do. What if this lady is a kook? Has anyone done any research on her… checked her background?”
I was angry, my words were trembling, and new tears flooded my eyes.
“Emma,” she said, leaning forward. “I’ve personally looked into this matter, and have undoubtedly confirmed that Alaine Gray is your mother’s half-sister. She is positively a blood relative and genuinely wants to take care of you. I spoke to her on the phone, and she has already prepared a room for you.”
“Why haven’t I ever heard of her? My mother never mentioned she had a half-sister. Not once. Why would she hide a relative from me?”
“I don’t know, sweetheart. Maybe your mother had a good reason. Sometimes things in life are better kept secret.”
Great. Family secrets. I never thought my family would have any secrets. We were a seemingly normal family. A happy family.
I needed my mom. I needed her to hug me and tell me everything was going to be alright. I wanted my dad to kiss me on the forehead, and give me some encouraging words. At this moment, I wished I’d died with them in the accident because the thought of living without them was too much to bear.
I turned away from Ms. Reed, as hot tears poured from my eyes. She placed her warm hand on my back.
“Your Aunt Alaine is widowed. Her husband passed away a few years ago from some sort of illness, but he left her with a sizeable inheritance. She has a beautiful home in Alaska.”
“Alaska?” God, wake me from this nightmare!
I kept my back to her and wept. This couldn’t be happening to me. The once beautifully, quilted fabric of my life was quickly unraveling into one giant, tangled mess.
“What if I don’t want to go?” I sobbed. Maybe there was a better way. There had to be another way to get out of this.
“Because your parents hadn’t appointed a guardian for you, the court has granted full custody to Mrs. Gray. It’s only until you’re eighteen, Emma,” she sympathized. “One year is really not that long. It will come and go before you know it.”
There was another long pause, and just when I thought she was done, she spoke again.
“Your Aunt will be working closely with the state and your parent’s lawyers to take care of all the details. She is also sending an escort to take you to your new home tomorrow. I know it’s soon, but she insisted, assuring us you’ll be given the greatest care. Don’t worry, Emma. Everything will be alright,” she expressed in an optimistic tone.
Yeah, right. How could she know? She was getting paid for delivering news like this to who-knows-how-many countless kids. Miss Reed paused and then the warmth of her hand left my back. A few moments later, footsteps exited the room.
I couldn’t think. My brain hurt too much, throbbing to the brink of explosion. I was glad she left. I wanted to be alone. I wanted everything around me to completely disappear.
“Mom. Dad,” I whispered to myself. Muscles in my stomach tightened as I gripped my pillow and pulled it to my face to muffle the uncontrollable cries. My world was quaking beneath me, opening up, sending me falling into a dark, endless abyss.
For the first time in my life I felt completely and utterly alone.
Helpless. Abandoned. Lost.
Why were my parents taken from me? Why did I survive? Unanswered questions pierced my already fragile heart. I hoped this was all just a nightmare. I prayed that when I opened my eyes again, everything would be back to the way it was.
I pulled the blanket up, covering my face and cried so hard it hurt.
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