by Suzy Vadori
Release Date: December 8th 2015
Summary from Goodreads:
Careful what you wish for. It just might come true.
In the forbidden West Woods, Ava stumbles on the secret fountain that has granted wishes to St. Augustus students for generations. Unknowingly, she watches the coin she tosses disappear and with it the world around her as she knows it.
In a quest to undo the damage she’s done, she and alumni kid Ethan break every campus rule unravelling a tangled web of history. Ava discovers that what’s right isn’t always clear and finds herself torn between a love she’s always known and one she has yet to explore.
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CHAPTER
ONE
“I’m
terrified of expulsion,” Ava hissed at Ethan, “but this isn’t negotiable. Go
back if you’re scared.
I never asked you to come.”
Ava turned her back,
blinking to clear his cowed expression from her sight. She pushed
deeper into the dark of the West Woods, walking as
quickly as she dared, pushing branches aside
that blocked the path as she went. The fountain
waited out there, and it was getting late. The
sooner she undid her wish, the sooner everything
could go back to the way it was supposed to be.
She could tell by the
sound of footsteps that Ethan followed, though he seemed to be
keeping his distance. Gritting her teeth, she wished
she’d brought her phone. The thin beam from
Ethan’s flashlight, shining from behind, wasn’t
strong enough to show the roots that lay ahead in
her path. Turning toward him, she waited. Despite
his teasing, she was really glad he was here.
She looked at him
smiling awkwardly at her through the gloom as he approached. Her own
thin smile felt forced. They’d be missed by now. The
New England wind found the holes in the
weave of her sweater, sending a chill up her back.
I
wish to undo the wish I made here on September 14th that made Courtney
disappear.
I
wish to undo the wish I made here on September 14th that made Courtney disappear.
Ava fiddled with the
coin in her sweater pocket, shivering against the cold. The fountain had
already granted her one wish. She needed it to work
again.
She watched as Ethan
sidestepped the roots at his feet. His ball cap hid the coal-black shock
of hair she’d grown used to. His dark eyes met hers
from beneath the veil of his cap. Did he want to
believe her story as much as she wanted him to?
Averting her eyes to
watch her feet, she continued along the path. Ethan walked easily
beside her. Ava heard her own breath rise and fall.
Ethan’s hand nearly brushed hers as they
walked, the narrow path pushing them together. Ava
flexed her fingers, toward the heat of his hand.
One slight move and she could clasp the security
that he offered. Could it really be that simple?
“We’re almost there,”
Ava announced, her voice breaking a little.
She cleared her throat
and took a small step sideways, away from him on the path.
She noticed him
withdraw, stuffing the hand she’d almost grabbed into his jeans pocket.
Ava felt a sinking
feeling. She couldn’t leave St. Augustus yet. There was so much she
needed to explore.
She’d managed to lead
Ethan right into the clearing. The beam from his flashlight shone
before them in a wide arc.
Ava dropped the coin
she’d been fiddling with, her hand hanging slack at her side. The coin
sank into the long grass at her feet without making
a sound. The clearing blurred in front of her.
She felt Ethan move quickly, his warm arm suddenly
pressed against her waist, keeping her
from collapsing onto the ground.
Ava reeled. This was
definitely the clearing where she’d made her wish.
So, where was the
fountain?
Suzy’s first Young Adult Novel, The Fountain was released December 8, 2015 with Evil Alter Ego Press.
Suzy’s long career building companies lends her a unique perspective in the literary world.
Suzy lives in Calgary, Canada with her husband and three children and is an involved community member. Currently, she is the Program Manager, Young Adult/Children’s Programming for When Words Collide (WWC), a literary Festival held in Calgary annually in August.
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GIVEAWAY:
Those fountains ought to have a coin return slot. Otherwise you have to fill out paperwork and complain to the management and nothing ever comes of it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for informing me about this book.
ReplyDeleteNice excerpt. Nothing is ever (or should be) that simple. Would love to read how she "fixes" things.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading the excerpt. This book sounds like a very interesting read. Also, I really like the book cover! Very intriguing! Looking forward to reading this book!
ReplyDelete