Kate Triumph by Shari Arnold
Publication date: October 16th 2014
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
Synopsis:
Normal is so overrated. At least that’s what seventeen-year-old Kate Triumph tells herself everyday. But the truth is she lives in constant fear that someone will discover how not normal she really is. With her startling speed and her unusual ability to heal, Kate believes she’s something of a freak.
Then Andrew Shore arrives.
He claims he’s her father, sticks around for a few days and leaves her a plane ticket. “Come to Mercer Island,” he says. “Give me a chance to get to know you.” Soon Kate is floundering in a world of new: new address, new car, new high school and, of course, new father. Not to mention Zack, her intriguing new neighbor, who makes her want to abandon her steadfast rule of never allowing anyone to get too close. But when she discovers someone is trying to kill her, life for Kate gets a bit more complicated. And a lot less normal.
EXCERPT
I’m not used to the wetness of
the road, the slick gravel under my feet. I concentrate on the neighborhood
around me, memorizing each street sign I pass so I can find my way back to
Andrew’s house. But soon the fog moves in, swallowing first the houses and then
each and every last street sign. It closes in on me like a cocoon of white and
my chest tightens with alarm.
I have no idea where I am. Or how
to get home.
I pull my cell phone out of my
pocket but it’s dead. I forgot to charge it last night.
I’m cursing my stupidity when
just off in the distance I hear it.
Footsteps.
I turn around and wait for a
figure to arrive — hopefully someone who might know where Andrew lives — but the
footsteps stop.
All I can hear is my breathing
and a bird chirping somewhere in the neighborhood.
I take a few more steps and when
I hear them echo back I pause again.
Tiny tingles of unease trickle
down my back but the fog continues to keep its secrets.
I wait for the footsteps to catch
up, still convinced they’re helpful rather than dangerous. They’re moving
slowly, almost hesitant, as they close the gap between us.
I have to admit as much as I want
to see whoever is out there, the idea of someone breaking out of the fog so
close to me kind of freaks me out.
I start walking faster this time,
almost a jog, but with each step I take, the footsteps echo back twice. Finally,
when our steps are in sync I stop and peer through the fog.
“Hello? Is anyone there?” I call
out. I grip my arms around me, suddenly cold.
But no one answers me.
I imagined it. That’s the only
explanation. I shake it off and start running again, my pace much slower than
normal. Then I stop. Nothing. I take four more steps. Silence. A couple more. More
silence.
I take a deep breath and relax.
This was a stupid idea, running in fog. Next time I’ll know better.
Something sharp is poking my foot
from inside my shoe and when I bend down to investigate I find a small white
pebble has wedged itself between my shoe and sock. It only takes a second to
dig it out and toss it into the road, but when I straighten up I hear it again.
Footsteps. Slow at first and then
they quicken to a run.
Are these footsteps new? Or are they
the same ones from before? I decide to wait it out before I start moving again.
A twig snaps directly behind me and
then the footsteps stop.
I spin around. Nothing. No face,
no motion in the fog.
I open my mouth to call out once
more but something tells me to stay silent.
A low guttural laugh breaks
through the fog directly behind my right ear and my heart stops altogether.
AUTHOR BIO:
Shari Arnold grew up in California and Utah but now resides in Connecticut, with her husband and two kids, where she finds it difficult to trust a beach without waves. She writes Young Adult fiction because it's her favorite. And occasionally she takes photographs.
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