Suspending Reality (97 page)

I wasn’t worried about food anymore. Mike and I could catch fish with our bare hands, and Jack could skin them. We had water to drink, plus a fire to stay warm at night and cook with. The flames reached into the air like long fingers as I turned the crackling logs with a stick. Sparks danced like erratic fireflies. The rising heat scorched my arms, and I stepped back. “I’ll start looking for some bigger logs so we can—”

A loud sound in the distance interrupted our conversation. The wailing shriek echoed, like a cry from some savage beast. I whipped my head around as I jumped. “What was that?” Shivers ran down my spine, and Mike and Jack exchanged worried glances.

“Hey, Jack. You’ve been around the rainforest with your mom on all those photo shoots,” said Mike. “What kind of animal was that?”

“Can’t be sure. I need to hear it again.”

Mike shook my shoulder. “Dude! It sounded like a lion.” 

That was something I didn’t want to hear. The hair on the back of my neck stood at attention again. “No, it can’t be. They’re only found in Africa or India…aren’t they, Jack?”

Eyebrows raised, Jack stared at the direction of the sound. “Pretty much."

Mike bounded toward the jungle without a second thought.

I shot Jack a look, and he just shook his head and shrugged.
Why does Mike always have to prove something? Or does he really crave excitement and risk that much?

“Yo, Mike!” I yelled. “Where the heck are you going?”

“To check things out!” he yelled back.

Jack huffed out a breath. “We better go get him.”

“Yeah, or he’ll hunt that thing deep into who-knows-where.” I ran after Mike, twigs and branches snapping under my feet as I trailed through the tropical foliage. He didn’t get far before I reached him and pulled at his shirt to get his attention. The last time he’d tried something so idiotic, he was four years old. He’d chased two deer into the woods, and a search party found him six hours later. I guessed he hadn’t changed his thrill-seeking ways, or maybe it was just bred into his DNA. “Are you insane?” I gripped his arm to draw him closer, but he quickly pulled away. “This isn’t the time or place for playing big game hunter. Listen, we need to stay close to the fires.”

Mike pushed branches aside, took another step into the dense vegetation, and then straightened to listen. “I can’t see anything.”

I stepped in between the towering tropical plants that sported large elephant ear-like leaves. I scanned past the black and green, splotched vegetation. “I don’t see anything either.”

Another roar. I swallowed, my pulse drumming. “What is it?”

“I think it’s a howler monkey.” Jack shifted his stance as he peered through the giant leaves. “I heard them in Brazil. You can hear them from miles away, and their calls sound more like a roar than a howl. I bet it’s fighting over territory.”

I blew out a loud breath. “So why’s it over here? We’re not in South America.”

Jack shrugged. “I have no idea. Mike, whatcha think?”

“Maybe a pet got loose.” 

I placed a hand over my racing heart. “Anything’s possible. If it’s nothing but a monkey, then I’m not going to get all stressed out over it.” The chirping of birds intensified, overshadowing the rhythmical crashing of waves against the shore, and I took that to be a good sign. I knew wildlife usually clams up when a predator approaches. The birds were just more proof everything was A-okay. 

I touched Mike’s shoulder. “I can’t believe you’re out here chasing wild animals. Do you have a screw loose?”

He smiled, shaking his head. “You make me sound like a lunatic.”

“Aren’t you?” I asked, playfully slugging him.

“As one of my ex-girlfriends put it…” He winked. “I’m beautifully flawed.”

I laughed. Beth used to say that about him all the time. Every guy at their school dreamt of dating
the gorgeous Beth
. It was funny that he labeled her a “girlfriend” when they’d called it quits after only two months. But that was a record for Mike.
If Beth couldn’t hold onto Mike,
I thought,
then how could I possibly tame him?
Beth was right about him being “beautifully flawed,” as those flaws made him individual and unique. “How do you stay so calm, anyway?”

“I think of something funny, like Jack’s haircut,” Mike whispered in my ear.

I smirked, staring at Jack.
What girl wouldn’t want to run a hand through Jack’s wild tangle of dark hair?
With that hair, those blue eyes, and that athletic build of his, he was definitely a catch. But then again, so was Mike, complete with his shaggy surfer hair that girls love so much. 

Another thunderous roar echoed through the jungle. This time, everything became silent, except for the ocean.

Mike’s eyes widened, and his head slowly turned to face the direction of the roar. “I’m really hoping that monkey has had its rabies shots.”

My heart leapt at the noise. It didn’t sound like any monkey I’d ever heard. My imaginings of what it might be twisted my stomach into knots. I so much wanted to believe Jack—that it was just a harmless monkey, howling from miles away—but in a world of two suns, colored water, monster dragonflies, glowing sand, and basketball-sized spiders, who knew what kind of crazy creature was out there waiting to attack?

To be continued…

Amazon link to book 2
:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009O5H20I

UK Link:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009O5H20I

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Book Trailer for the series:
http://youtu.be/viwT0M8Ms_g

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Meet one of my very favorite authors. Her book is FREE in the US and UK! It’s PG 13.

4 (and a half) thrilling fantasy/romance novels in one! 
From bestselling author W.J. May - each shade is a different genre of the fantasy, paranormal and romance – all from different series! 
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How hard do you have to shake the family tree to find the truth about the past? 
Fifteen year-old Rae Kerrigan never really knew her family's history. Her mother and father died when she was young and it is only when she accepts a scholarship to the prestigious Guilder Boarding School in England that a mysterious family secret is revealed. 
Will the sins of the father be the sins of the daughter? 
As Rae struggles with new friends, a new school and a star-struck forbidden love, she must also face the ultimate challenge: receive a tattoo on her sixteenth birthday with specific powers that may bind her to an unspeakable darkness. It's up to Rae to undo the dark evil in her family's past and have a ray of hope for her future. 
SEVENTH MARK Part 1 – THE HIDDEN SECRETS SAGA 

Like most teenagers, Rouge is trying to figure out who she is and what she wants to be. With little knowledge about her past, she has questions but has never tried to find the answers. Everything changes when she befriends a strangely intoxicating family. Siblings Grace and Michael, appear to have secrets which seem connected to Rouge. Her hunch is confirmed when a horrible incident occurs at an outdoor party. Rouge may be the only one who can find the answer. 
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All secrets have a cost and Rouge’s determination to find the truth can only lead to trouble…or something even more sinister. 
SHADOW OF DOUBT – Part 1 

What happens when you fall for the one you are forbidden to love? 
Erebus is a bit of a lost soul. He's a guy so he should be out to have fun but unlike the rest of his kind, he is solemn and withdrawn. That is, until he meets Aurora, a law student at Cornell University. His entire world is shaken. Feelings he's never had and urges he’s never understood take over. These strange longings drive him to question everything about himself. 
When a jealous ex stalks back into his life, he must decide if he is willing to risk everything to be with Aurora. His desire for her could destroy her, or worse, erase his own existence forever. 
RADIUM HALOS – THE SENSELESS CHRONICLES 

Everyone needs to be a hero at one point in their life. 
The small town of Elliot Lake will never be the same again. 
Caught in a sudden thunderstorm, Zoe, a high school senior from Elliot Lake, and five of her friends take shelter in an abandoned uranium mine. Over the next few days, Zoe’s hearing sharpens drastically, beyond what any normal human being can detect. She tells her friends, only to learn that four others have an increased sense as well. Only Kieran, the new boy from Scotland, wasn’t affected. 
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An incredulous group of heroes. A traitor in their midst. Some dreams are written in blood. 
COURAGE RUNS RED – Except from the BLOOD RED SERIES