Heather Frost
For Kate Bennet, surviving the car wreck that killed her parents means big changes and even bigger problems. As she begins to see auras and invisible people, Kate must learn to trust Patrick O'Donnell, a handsome Guardian, or risk her life being overrun with Demons. She soon realizes that both she and her heart are in big-time trouble.
So how good does that sound?!? I think it sounds like a great story! This is my first tour with BTS Tours, so I am very excited to welcome you all to Fictional Candy! Plus we have a giveaway of a print copy of Seers! That is an awesome prize, so I hope you stick by after the excerpt and enter the Rafflecopter to win! This prize is US only, sorry to my International friends! Ok, so here is the excerpt. Enjoy!
*~*~*~*~*
Excerpt from Seers, by Heather Frost
Lee had been my best friend since second grade, when my
family first moved into the neighborhood. Though our personalities were as
different as night and day, we understood each other. Lee always made me find
something to laugh about, which was an invaluable talent lately. Her parents
were divorced, and she lived with her mom. Every couple of months or so Lee
would go through a new fashion phase. Summer had been the ‘70s for her, with the
occasional ‘60s outfit thrown in. (She actually made a really good hippie.)
This month she was rocking the Gothic style. Next time? No one really knew. My
personal favorite had been the ‘20s. Lee had not only worn the beads and
dresses, but even the hats. She looked like she'd just stepped out of an old
silent movie. That bespoke the type of dedication people just don't see
today—except maybe in terrorists, or nuns.
I
pulled up to the familiar house and in seconds Lee was closing her front door
and crossing the yard. Her hair had once been brown; of course, it had also
been blond, white, blue, purple, and magenta. Today it was black as pitch. It
hung in long sheets on either side of her face, which looked unnaturally pale
due to all the makeup. She'd applied her makeup religiously, smearing black
lipstick over her usually pink lips, and the shadows around her eyes were
impressive. She'd even gone so far as to get a nose ring, which I thought was
taking it a bit too far, personally. But that was Lee—she loved to make people
stare.
Her
clothes were also perfect for the part—the leggings, the boots, the black
sleeveless top. She never did anything halfway. But unlike most goths, who were
surrounded by gray auras, Lee was surrounded by a mixture of blue and yellow.
She
opened the passenger door, nodded wordlessly at the twins, then sank into the
seat.
“Hey,”
she greeted me, slamming the door and instantly reaching for the iPod to find a
new song. The twins were so deep in their argument they didn't even notice.
“Hey,”
I returned, cautiously pulling away from the curb and into the empty street.
“The nose ring is . . . a good touch.”
“Hurts
like a mother,” Lee informed me, starting a song with lots of thudding bass.
She turned up the volume, settled back in her seat and then looked at me for
the first time. “In a word, don't. Ever.”
“I
wasn't planning on it,” I assured her, cracking a small smile.
“So,”
Lee gusted, slapping her hands on her knees. “Here we are—seniors. Weird, huh?”
“Yeah.
It really hit me this morning.”
She
bobbed her head, but didn't say anything. Aside from the music and the twins,
we drove in silence. But things were never awkward with Lee. She always knew
exactly what I needed.
I
dropped the girls off at the nearby elementary school and wished them good
luck. Josie didn't say anything, only shouldered her bag and walked quickly
toward the soccer field. I decided not to mention that the bell would be
ringing soon.
Jenna
sighed and shoved her novel into her backpack. “You too, Kate. And don't worry,
I'll have a good day, as long as the Nameless One stays away from me.”
With that she slipped out of the car, shut the door, and walked toward the
school.
Lee
whistled lowly. “Were we ever like that at that age?”
“I
think we were worse,” I said simply. I glanced out my window, searching for a
break in the traffic so I could pull away from the curb. A van rolled slowly
past and I found my opportunity to slide in behind.
As I
started inching toward the parking lot exit Lee turned in her seat to stare at
me, quieting the music as she did so. “So, how you doing?”
I
shrugged a little, keeping my eyes on the maneuvering cars around us. “I'm
still psychic, if that's what you mean.”
“I
wasn't meaning that,” she hinted delicately.
I
nodded once, braking as the SUV in front of us stopped to let some obnoxious
boys dart towards the school. “I know.”
“Are
you at least talking to Aaron again?” She persisted, unwilling to drop
the subject. Best friends could be annoying that way.
I
exhaled loudly. “We texted for an hour last night.” I shrugged a single
shoulder. “I guess we'll see what happens in person.”
“You're
just going through a rough patch. It happens in all relationships.”
“He
said I was taking too long to recover,” I said stiffly, my voice pained despite
my best efforts. “He said they're gone, and I should just move on. Focus on us.
On now.”
“So he
was a selfish idiot. So are all guys. At least Aaron isn't always a jerk. He's
actually a decent guy most of the time.”
“I
know,” I said, inching past a slowly turning car. The moment the car had
completed the turn and we were clear, I lurched quickly past them. “We'll just
have to see how today—”
My
words clogged in my throat and I gasped, fiercely slamming in the brake and
clutch. The car stopped violently and Lee screamed, grabbing for the dash. My
seatbelt bit into my body painfully, reminding me of old bruises. I blinked
rapidly and stared at the idiot standing in front of the hood—the one who had
caused my gut-wrenching panic.
He was
too old to be a student here. Probably in his early twenties—maybe twenty-one.
He had dark brown hair, and the brown skin of a Hispanic. He was dressed in
jeans and a blue T-shirt. He was peering directly into my eyes through the
windshield, looking calm though just a split second before he'd stepped right
in front of a moving car.
Lee was
cursing in her seat, slipping back into a habit she'd been struggling to break
since she was fifteen. For once, I wanted to join her. I could have killed him!
“What's
wrong with you?” Lee panted, her voice mixed with fear and some anger. “Warn me
the next time you decide to randomly test out your brakes, okay?”
“What?”
I gaped at her, breaking my gaze with the idiot so I could exclusively regard
my best friend. “But didn't you—” I couldn't think of what else to say—the
words seemed crazy enough in my head. I gaped at her a second, then glanced
back out the windshield. I completely lost my breath.
The man
was gone.
*~*~*~*~*
In her own words...
