It was 2004, a nice evening at home, my mom made dinner. Chicken, Mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and greens. Everything was so delicious, I went to put some Louisiana hot sauce on my chicken, because hot sauce adds an excellent flavor, I was generous with it and took a bite and was in heaven, it was very tasty, I love my mothers cooking. As I was working on my plate, my brother Steven got up from the table finishing his dinner, it was his turn to do the dishes..my other brother Travis finished and went onto play in the other room. I’m almost done, before I can finish all of my food I start to get hot, sweaty, and a sharp stinging in my mouth. I must’ve put too much on my chicken because my mouth was on fire. I went over to the kitchen sink to get some water, messing with me, my brother wouldn’t let me, causing me to freak out due to the heat in my mouth.

So I did the best and absolute worst thing I could do. I went to the refrigerator moved everything to the side that was in it, threw half my body in there and placed my tongue on the back wall of the fridge. I felt immediate relief. It was so nice, that soon ended the second I tried to pull myself out of the fridge. I found myself, well, can you picture the Christmas story scene where the kid got his tongue stuck to the pole. Well, that was me in the refrigerator. I went into full freak out mode, scared, crying, and shouting for help.

My brother Travis comes over and asks what I’m doing in there, I couldn’t talk very well but I was asking for help. He then went to pull me out because he wanted to get in there and that caused me to scream out loud. My mom and stepped came in and started asking what I’m doing, once they realized I was stuck my step dad went and got some hot water, poured it over my tongue and freed me from the refrigerator. Everyone started laughing, asking what I was thinking. I lost my tastebuds for a week, and have never lived that day down since.

There was a time when we lived on the land, long ago before the water submerged everything in its path. Life on land was the way of living, humans were born from their mothers wombs, brought into the world screaming, raised by their parents, went to school, made friends, had relationships, grew older, survived on their own, and started their own families.

That’s been over hundreds of thousands of years ago. Since the water, none of us know that life, we live and survive in the water. They say humans adapted to the sea, some say it was the magic of science, others say a witch cast a spell. We don’t age past 35, and some of us have gifts.

My gift, I can’t quite figure out. “Raelyn, I need you in the kitchen please.” My mother called out. As I swim down, I notice my mother getting ready to hand me a list. “ I need you to go to pick up some things for me from Ms. Fins, she knows your coming. “Okay mom, I’ll be back later.” As I race to the door my mom brings me to a hault “ah ah, I need you to promise me, you won’t go to the surface! Ms. Fins and back! You know how your father gets.” “Yes! Mother I know, I won’t get distracted, I have no interest in the surface whatsoever. Love you bye.”

Pondering whether or not I want to sneak away from this camp. Mother sent me here to “adjust my attitude.” As she would put it. Says I’m getting out of control and I need to get a handle on the gift I was born with.

My name is Mara. Im telepathic, and my powers began at the age of 15. My mother and father thought they could help me. They said that my powers were different though, said that I was out of control and I couldn’t go to a regular school or stay at home until I was able to get them under control.

So here I am, at a wilderness camp for the outcasts and misfits. What do they think they can teach me? I’m 17 now, if my own parents can’t even handle me, how in the world am I suppose to handle myself?

In my room lying in bed, thinking of the long day I just had. I just got off the phone with my boyfriend, and once again after the calls end I’m thinking to myself, “ why do I put up with this?, why do I let him do this to me?”

I’m so in love with him but now I feel like love just isn’t enough anymore. all the pain he has caused, the physical, mental, and verbal abuse he has brought upon me. Yet, I can’t leave him? There is the me that wants to fight for him, wait for him, the me that never wants to give up on him, the me that wants to give my all to him. Then there’s the me that washes her hands, packs up her things, walks out the door, and says, “I never belonged here anyway.”

In doing so, he is informed of confidential information regarding the United States presidential election. Secrets from both parties are starting to surface, someone is plotting to take the source out! The protagonist has a great deal of history in the US army, a particular set of skills, and must protect this source at all costs!