Synopsis
Anni doesn't know about Elementals, Funk, Zephyrs, excited talking Bat-Rat creatures, and, least of all, Dragons. All that changes when her best friend, Lexi, is kidnapped and forces beyond Anni’s control trap her on a hidden, floating island in the Elemental world.
In a race against time, Anni sets out to save her friend. Along the way she finds allies among the Elementals, but she is also presented with a choice, one that might help save Lexi. If Anni agrees to an ancient, open-ended contract, will her sacrifice cost her more than she’s bargained for? Or will it land her in the middle of an age-old war between the humans, the Elementals, and the dreaded Fectus?
And here is an excerpt-
The tiptop of Mabel’s apartment building, the only pink building on the block, came
into view. The corners of Anni’s mouth tilted up. She burst out from the thicket and
something dive-bombed her head.
“Go back! Go back! Anni Moon, you’re breaking your oath! You promised!”
No. This was impossible, she told herself. The flying rat/bat thing wasn’t real, but
there he was. Brat kept on dive-bombing her head and wouldn’t let up.
“You don’t understand. Stop it. Go away,” she said, swatting at him. “Stop it!”
“No, Anni Moon. I can’t let you break your oath.”
Standing still was a mistake. Anni ran up the park’s path, trying to outrun him. A few
people dotted the park. This was hard, keeping track of suspicious people and now Brat, too.
Anni spotted three joggers, a biker, a boy standing next to a tree, a lady pushing a baby
carriage, and a little old man sitting on a bench feeding the pigeons. They all looked normal,
but she didn’t slow down long enough to make sure.
Five buildings stood between her and the Edgewater Apartments. Anni counted
them down and picked up her pace.
“You’ll get me in trouble. You’ll be in trouble. You must go back,” said Brat. “I’ve
never in all my years left an assignment incomplete. Please go back.”
“Can’t,” she panted. “Lexi’s in trouble. I need to find her!”
Four buildings.
“Lexi?” Brat’s voice faltered. “Moppins, is she safe? She always follows the
directions. This isn’t good. Two mistakes, very bad, very, very bad. She has to be safe.
There’s the Funk to think of, not to mention the squatters, and…”
Three buildings.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I’m going to find her. She left me a
message and that’s where I’m going! So you go away. You’re not helping!”
Two buildings.
Brat darted less at Anni’s head, which she appreciated, but he still flew alongside her,
which she didn’t. To her left, she saw another boy next to a tree. He stared at her. Or, did he
glare? It was hard to tell. His soured face looked almost identical to the boy she saw earlier—
he had the same tart expression. It unnerved her.
One building.
“Moppins, moppins, this is a kerfuffled mess…Oh, what to do? I suppose I will have
to help you find Lexi. Yes, yes, and when we do, then you can go back!”
Anni ignored his last comment. Edgewater’s garden fence came into view, and it couldn’t
come soon enough. Her plan didn’t involve entering the apartment building through the
front entrance; the doorman would detain her in the lobby until Egbert got back—
Edgewater’s residence rules. No. She would travel underground through the garage without being detected by the cameras. It was all about timing.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
In kindergarten my life's goal was to become a teacher who wore only pink and ate French fries all day long. Now that I've matured, my goal in life is to become a Miss Marple-Sherlockian-Jedi Knight--I'm totally serious, it's a real thing.
I love stories, and I've had the privilege of working in Hollywood for over a decade in many different capacities, working with celebrities, directors (I'm married to one, plus he's my illustrator), and a few executives (the head-honcho types that I can't talk about because I signed confidentiality waivers). I'm not sure any of these people would have hired me if they knew I had a closet full of mint condition Star Wars toys...
However, the life of a freelancer is not for the faint of heart. I've kept myself busy with my extracurricular activities, from skydiving to scuba diving, a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, a degree in Fine Art, an M.A. in Psychology (with a focus in Neuroscience), and a few other things that I like to keep top secret. ...Some people think I'm a spy, but I'll never tell!
WEBSITE: http://www.melanieabed.com/
TWITTER: @Melanie_Abed
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8647877.Melanie_Abed
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Melanie-Abed/783780501644430
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