Schism (Illirin #1)
Release
Date: 04/28/15
Muse
It Up Publishing
Art
therapy hasn’t done squat for Gabe Jones. A thousand sketches of his fiancée
can’t bring his memory, or her, back to him. Nothing on Earth can. His past
lies in another dimension, a world just out of sight.
Another student on campus, Lea Huckley, unknowingly shares Gabe’s obsession with the fourth dimension. The monsters from the other side attacked her parents and fled, getting her folks locked up in the loony bin. Proving this other world exists is the only way to free them. Lea and Gabe strike a deal to help each other, and together they manage to open a door to the world of Gabe’s true origin. She’d use him for proof—if she didn’t already care too much.
While Gabe tries to reconcile his feelings for Lea and his rediscovered memories of his fiancée, a much more sinister plot unravels. He uncovers his history just in time to become the unwilling lynchpin in a conspiracy to start a war. His memory holds the secret to the final riddle the would-be conqueror needs to get the upper hand. Gabe must protect the riddle at all costs, even if that means leaving Earth, and Lea, behind forever.
Another student on campus, Lea Huckley, unknowingly shares Gabe’s obsession with the fourth dimension. The monsters from the other side attacked her parents and fled, getting her folks locked up in the loony bin. Proving this other world exists is the only way to free them. Lea and Gabe strike a deal to help each other, and together they manage to open a door to the world of Gabe’s true origin. She’d use him for proof—if she didn’t already care too much.
While Gabe tries to reconcile his feelings for Lea and his rediscovered memories of his fiancée, a much more sinister plot unravels. He uncovers his history just in time to become the unwilling lynchpin in a conspiracy to start a war. His memory holds the secret to the final riddle the would-be conqueror needs to get the upper hand. Gabe must protect the riddle at all costs, even if that means leaving Earth, and Lea, behind forever.
Excerpt
Lea
packed light. Other than her phone’s GPS and a flashlight, she kept
a small notepad, her lucky pencil, and the thermometer in her cargo
pocket. She didn’t need to find data, now she needed proof.
She
led the way down the alley where skyscrapers blocked the glowing moon
and the lamps from the highway. Yellowed fixtures above each back
entrance threw faint cones of light onto the cement, like holes in
Swiss cheese.
Lea
checked the coordinates on her phone while she walked, and the little
red arrow crept closer to the flag icon she placed to mark the
interaction point.
Gabe
spent his time surveying the area for anything that might be a
danger. He kept fidgeting behind her and turning around every few
seconds, a twitchy meerkat on patrol.
“We’re
only between buildings. It’s not the end of the world.” Lea
checked her phone again to make sure they were headed in the right
direction.
He
glanced over his shoulder. “I still don’t like it. It’s night,
people do get mugged, you know.”
“The
statistics of that are so low. We’re really not in any danger,
considering the population and how many times that sorta thing
happens.”
He
shifted uneasily behind her. “Whatever, we’re raising the chances
by being out here at night.”
Lea
rolled her eyes. “I’m not missing this opportunity.”
“I
know that. Neither am I.”
“Good.”
They
came to a cross section behind two major offices where the loading
docks and dumpsters sat for both of them. A stream of water trickled
down the concave cement into the large sewer grate. Old garbage left
a fume hanging around, and the humidity only made it worse.
Lea
double- and triple-checked her coordinates, cross-checking with her
notes. “This is it. Within I’d say, a fifteen foot diameter, low
to the ground.” She shoved the phone in her cargo pocket.
“Perfect.”
“How
long?”
“Roughly
ten minutes.”
Ten
minutes may as well have been six hours. She paced back and
This
interaction provided no shining lights or obvious movement. Not much
stood out visually, except maybe the air glistening like summer heat
waves if she squinted hard enough, but her digital thermometer found
the coldest point.
“Here,”
she whispered, not wanting anyone or anything on the other side to
hear. She stretched her arms forward, and Gabe did likewise.
“On
the count of three.” She waited for him to nod. “One…two…three.”
They
both reached through the
interaction point and grabbed at the thicker air. Nothing. They tried
again, pulling, grasping, and making any sort of motion to trigger a
rip. Finally, Gabe leaned in and pulled out at just the right angle,
because the light tore across like a jagged line. Lea grabbed the
edge of it and tugged, opening the tear wider until they both fell
through.
forth,
her sneakers scuffing the gritty pavement.
Gabe
continued to keep a watchful eye out for muggers or vagrants. What a
dork.
She
snickered quietly. For someone who didn’t know his own experiences,
he sure seemed paranoid. She watched him standing straight, darting
his eyes to the entrance and even up to the windows above them. Watch
out bad guys, Gabe’s on to you. She smiled and turned to see what
looked like heat waves rising from the cold cement. Crap. The
interaction had already started.
“Gabe…”
She waved him over next to the loading dock.
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About
the Author
Laura
has an MA in Technical writing and is a Senior Editor at Anaiah Press for their
YA/NA Christian Fiction. She’s excited to release her debut YA Urban Fantasy
SCHISM April 28, 2015, and during the wait, she’s working on the sequel UNITY.
Her gamer husband and amazing daughter give support and inspiration every day. Their cats, Talyn and Moya, provide entertainment through living room battles and phantom-dust-mote hunting. Somehow, they all manage to survive living in Texas where it is hotter than any human being should have to endure. Check out her blog at LauraMaisano.blogspot.com.
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