A Want So Wicked (19 page)

Authors: Suzanne Young

T
here is noise around me, the shuffling of feet and the jangling of bracelets. Murmurs are unfamiliar until the words begin to make sense. “Am I dead?” I manage to ask.

“Oh, heavens no,” Marceline's ragged voice answers with a laugh. “Although I'm not sure you want to see what's left.”

There's a sinking feeling in my gut, and I wonder if I'm stuck in some kind of purgatory with an old psychic as my only companion. My entire body hurts as if it's burned and blistered.

“Don't move, child,” Marceline says. “You stay right there and rest a minute.” As she talks, my skin begins to tingle, much like the Need. But I'm too weak to bring it on. This is something else. There's a touch as Marceline brushes back my hair, intertwining her fingers as she braids the ends.

“You really would have done it,” she says. “Even with a new body, you'd still give up everything.”

My eyelids flutter open, but I'm surrounded in a blinding glow. I bring up my palm to shade my eyes, but it doesn't help. I'm not sure where I am, but it's soÂ .Â .Â . beautiful. “What's that light?” I ask, blinking against it.

“That's you, child,” Marceline says, her image only a silhouette among the gold surrounding us. “But don't worry, we have time.”

“Time for what?”

“Tell me,” she continues, ignoring my question. “How many times would you do it, you think? How many times would you sacrifice yourself for good?”

“Every time,” I answer automatically. I watch as Marceline pulls a long strip of fabric from her pocket, a ribbon, before tying it on the end of my braid. The movement is familiar, and I wonder what other secrets Marceline has kept about my past.

The light continues to grow, and Marceline leans closer, her face finally coming into focus. “You are hope,” she murmurs. “You can restore balance, but it won't be easy.”

“It never was,” I say, struggling to sit up. I realize then that I'm filled with memories, both mine and Charlotte's. It's like I've lived one full life and not two separate ones.

“Not yet,” Marceline says, gently pushing me down. She's quiet for a while, rubbing my arms, my hands. “Harlin needs you,” she whispers. “He loves you too much.”

I smile a little. “I know. But I like that about him.”

“As a Seer, he has so much left to do,” Marceline says. “Both of you do.”

I pause then, digesting her words. “Again?” I ask. Sadness spikes through me. I'm not sure my boyfriend can take much more loss. “Harlin will have to watch me leave again? It'll kill him.”

“No,” Marceline responds, as if I should know better. “Your time for crossing is over. Now you must help Harlin find the Forgotten and lead them to their destinies. And, of course, extinguish the Shadows where you can.”

“My sister?”

“Lucy, too.” She pauses. “Unless you find another way.”

“I will.”

She smiles. “You really are such a brave soul. Your father will be happy to see you again.” Her bracelets clink together as she moves away. “Well then, Elise,” Marceline says, using my name for the first time since I've known her. “I guess it's time for you to wake up.”

There is still so much I want to know, want to ask. But before I can say anything else, the world stops. There's silence around me.

I wait a beat, and when I finally sit up, I find Harlin waiting for meâready to start again.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

T
his book is in large part due to the brilliance of my editor, Donna Bray. Thank you to the team at Balzer + Bray and HarperCollins. Thank you to my brave and fearless agent, Jim McCarthy, who has to put up with so much more from me than any human should. Thanks to Michael Bourret, Alice Pope, and SCBWI.

I want to acknowledge my dear friends and support system: Michael (Andy) Strother, Amanda Morgan, Bethany Griffin, Heather Hansen, Trish Doller, Kari Olson, Sara Gundell, Lisa Schroeder, Kimberly Derting, Daisy Whitney, Vania Stoyanova, Amber Morris, Nova Ren Suma, and my muser besties. There are countless others to thank, but I'm trying to keep this short. And failing.

Thanks to my mother, Connie. My sisters, Natalie and Alex, and my brothers, David and Jason, plus all of my cousins and other family members. Thank you to Portland, Oregon; Utica, New York; and the entire state of Arizona. And, most of all, thank you to my husband, Jesse, and my kids, Joseph and Sophia. You are all wicked awesome.

As always, this is for you, Gram!

About the Author

SUZANNE YOUNG
currently lives in Portland, Oregon, where she uses the rainy weather as an excuse to stay inside and write obsessively. After earning her degree in creative writing, Suzanne spent several years teaching middle school language arts. Now she can be found at home chasing after her two children and poorly behaved dogs. She is the author of
A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL
as well as several other novels for teens. You can visit her online at www.suzanne-young.blogspot.com.

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Credits

Cover design by Sarah Hoy

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A Want So Wicked
Copyright Â© 2012 by Suzanne Young
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins ebooks.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
ISBN 978-0-06-200826-8
Epub Edition Â© MAY 2012 ISBN: 9780062114648

12Â Â 13Â Â 14Â Â 15Â Â 16Â Â Â LP/RRDHÂ Â Â 10Â Â 9Â Â 8Â Â 7Â Â 6Â Â 5Â Â 4Â Â 3Â Â 2Â Â 1

FIRST EDITION

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