Rae of Hope
The Chronicles of Kerrigan
Book One
W.J. May
Book Description:
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.
Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/gILAwXxx8MU
For the Rae of Hope review, CLICK HERE!
Dark Nebula
The Chronicles of Kerrigan
Book Two
W.J. May
Genre: Young Adult – Fantasy (Paranormal, Romance, Suspense)
Word count: 85,000
Page count: 265 pages
Book Description:
Nothing is as it
seems anymore.
Leery from the
horrifying incident at the end of her first year at Guilder Boarding School,
Rae Kerrigan is determined to learn more about her new tattoo. Her expectations
are high, an easy senior year and a happy reunion with Devon, the boy she’s not
supposed to date. All hopes of happiness turn into shattered dreams the moment
she steps back on campus.
Lies and secrets
are everywhere, and a betrayal cuts Rae deeply. Among her conflicts and
enemies, it appears as if her father is reaching out from beyond the grave to
ruin her life. With no one to trust, Rae doesn’t know where or who to turn to
for help.
Has her destiny
been written? Or will she become the one thing she hates the most—her father’s
prodigy.
Book Trailer - http://youtu.be/Ca24STi_bFM
Excerpt from Dark Nebula:
About the Author:
Tatù
A lifespan is spent, seeking success and
happiness. People chase after dreams, careers, ambitions, faith, partners, and
money; all in the hope of finding the success and contentment they so long for.
The only place we need to search is within ourselves. Our inner powers will
move us forward--we must show the world our tatùs. Our capabilities and
potential are far greater than anything man has ever done, or will do. We are
above mankind--above the law which rules over them.
Notes from Simon Kerrigan’s Journal—two
decades ago
“The motto of the Privy Council is ‘to
protect at all costs’.” Devon walked a little taller and straighter than he had
the last time Rae had seen him, his chest puffed with pride.
“The what? Who?” Rae raced to keep pace
with Devon’s long strides as the two of them wove their way through the
airport’s parked cars with the sun beating down on them.
Devon stopped, let go of one of the
suitcases he pulled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “The Privy
Council. I know it sounds old-fashioned, but trust me, it isn’t.” He slipped
the sunglasses off the top of his head and onto his nose before he started
walking again. “It’s the elite of the elite tatùs.”
Rae hustled to keep up. “I get that there’s
a company that works with our…talents.” It had been a year since she had
learned about the unique group of individuals that she was now a part of. When
she had turned sixteen the previous year, she had woken up with a tatù. A fairy
covered her lower back with Celtic design and a sun inset throughout. In
certain light, the fairy’s wings appeared to sparkle. Different from a tattoo,
it had gifted her with supernatural power. Devon was also gifted with a tatù, a
fennec fox, giving him heightened senses, super speed, and agility. However,
Rae’s power was unique, even in their already exclusive and insular world. She
could mimic another individual’s tatù. No one else could do that. Huge,
big-time ability. Because of her singular ability, Rae knew she was “of
interest” to the shadowy Privy Council, the ruling body of the tatù community.
Everyone knew “of” it but no one actually knew anything about it. To have Devon
suddenly working for them gave Rae pause. They’d barely emailed or talked over
the summer. Strange for two people just starting a relationship…then again, the
pesky societal rules against tatùs and romantic relationships might have
hampered the communication also. Unsure whether to outright ask Devon why he
had been so distant over the summer or leave it be, Rae squinted and tucked a
curly highlighted strand behind her ear to buy herself some time. “I don’t
understand what the company does, or why you’re working for them now. You’re
only eighteen. Are you an intern or something?”
He grinned. “You’ve barely learned about
your tatù, while most of us have known before we started school. It’s totally
understandable you’re confused.” His warm hand grazed the small of her back.
It sent tingles across the fairy tatù,
making it feel like the fairy’s wings were actually fluttering. A pleasant
shiver ran up her spine from the contact, and Rae paused to enjoy it.
Devon, who probably knew exactly how his
touch made her feel, winked at her before he turned serious. “The agency works
to protect those of us tatùed and, if needed, Britain. It kinda works like the
James Bond movies. Did you know that the prime minister and government have no
idea what the Privy Council actually represents? They only know that it does a
darn good job. We seldom, if ever, make a mistake.”
We? Rae nodded, not sure if she liked that
her boyfriend considered himself part of this group already, when he had told
her nothing about it. Don’t normal dating couples talk about stuff that excites
them? Boys are supposed to drone on and on about manly things and girls are
supposed to—oh I don’t know—something. He’s so different, it’s like he changed
without me. Feeling insecurity rise up, Rae shifted uncomfortably and fought to
push the emotion out of her way. She scolded herself, Don’t be so sensitive.
Just be glad to be back. She had missed everything at school, not just Devon.
Well, mostly Devon, but not only him.
She followed him, zigzagging through the
parked cars, trying to keep her heavy suitcase on its little wheels. They
stopped in front of a shiny, sleek, black car, which had obviously been created
for speed.
“What do you think?” Devon let go of the
two suitcases and spread his arms. He looked up and down the car, a smile
playing on his lips.
“Whose is this?” She tilted her head
sideways, pretending to admire it, all the while trying to figure out the make
of the car.
Devon laughed, “It’s mine. My dad and I
made a deal. I could pick out a car I liked, and he’d pay for it.”
“I doubt your dad, the new dean of Guilder,
would agree to this.” She laughed, playfully elbowing him in the ribs.
“Well, you’re half right.” He held his
hands up in mock defense. “I paid for half of it with the money I made working
with the Privy Council this summer. My dad offered to pay the other half. A
graduation gift, he said.”
“What kind of car is it?” It looked like he
had taken it right off some futuristic race track.
“It’s a Lotus.”
“A Lotus?” Rae squinted, trying to place
the name.
“They make formula cars and a few road
ones. It’s a Lotus Exige Cup two-six-zero.” He stood grinning like a kid in a
candy store.
Big boy needs an expensive toy. Rae gently
touched the black paint, careful not to let her fingernail scratch it. She half
expected Devon to pull out the bottom of his shirt to buff her fingerprints out
of his paint job. Instead, he just winked at her and moved to the back of the
car.
Devon began loading her suitcases into the
boot and back of the car. “If I recall, you only had half this amount of
luggage last year.”
Rae shrugged and stretched the kinks out of
her back from the long flight, ready for the drive to Guilder Boarding School.
To the rest of the world, Guilder was an ultra-exclusive, all-male boarding
school deep in the unpopulated English countryside, which had only opened its
doors to women the previous year. What they didn’t know, was that Guilder
catered only to the tatùed community. Rae had successfully navigated the tricky
waters of both a new school and a totally new way of life, despite being the
focus of almost everyone’s attention, be it for good or ill. She actually had friends
at Guilder, something she could not say of her old school in New York. It helps
that everyone at Guilder’s kinda like me. Maybe not exactly like her, but
enough that they had something in common. She had missed that over the summer,
the sense of camaraderie. It felt good to be back— in England and with Devon.
“What can I say?” She held up her palms, trying to make her face look innocent.
“Molly taught me how to shop, so I took advantage of the great sales in New
York this summer.” She opened the passenger door and climbed in. The expected
new-car smell mingled pleasantly with the scent of expensive leather. Molly had
been her roommate the previous year, and they had become best friends.
“Speaking of new changes…I know we’re keeping our boyfriend-girlfriend-thing a
secret,” to say any romantic relationship between tatùed individuals was taboo
would be a categorical understatement, “but how come you didn’t email me a pic
of the car…Or something?” Anything. Or contacted me more than twice this
summer? Two short and basically meaningless emails had been his only attempt at
communication. She didn’t say it, but even seeing him now didn’t erase her
disappointment. Typical guy.
“I wanted to surprise you with something
cool when you flew in. You know how hard it is to get a Lotus?” He leaned over
and planted a quick, hard kiss on her lips before starting the engine. “Missed
you. I’m glad you’re back.” He drove out of the airport and onto the motorway
with precision and ease.
Either you really wanted to surprise me or
you just made that up and you’re avoiding the loaded question. Rae straightened
in her seat. Why do I always have to notice and question everything? I’m only
making myself miserable. She forced herself to change the subject. “You just
graduated last year and already you’re working for this Privy Council?” She
still couldn’t grasp his job description. Maybe some sort of private eye or
intern superhero? It wasn’t like he had actually answered the question either.
“Hey, what can I tell you? I aced all the
tests; they offered me the job. They know at Guilder I’m acting as your mentor,
so I got the green light to continue here. Your protection is one of their top
priorities.”
Rae stared at him. Part of her was happy to
know he would be around. The other part was stunned that the Privy Council
would be that interested in her welfare. It creeped her out a little. “You’re
pulling my leg. How’d they know about me?”
“Come on, the daughter of the infamous
Simon Kerrigan?” He glanced at her and reached over to pat her knee when she
rolled her head to look out the window. Fabulous, the one thing about me I want
most to forget is the one thing that makes me interesting to the secret
squirrels. Devon, mistaking her reasons for withdrawing from the conversation,
set out to reassure her. “Don’t worry. No one knows about our relationship, so
it’s all good. If the Privy Council found out, they’d definitely send me far
away from you.” He shrugged. “Look, this is something I’ve dreamed about doing.
Who wouldn’t want to help their country? I’ve spent my entire life following
the rules others have set out. Now it’s fun bending them to save the day.”
“It sounds dangerous.” Even with the
abilities of his tatù. Not to mention, these dreams of his weren’t something
they’d ever talked about. She didn’t understand the fascination or the
inclination.
A deep chuckle erupted from his throat.
“Now you sound like my mother.”
Ohhh, I can’t resist this one. “I don’t
think she wants to protect the same body parts I’m interested in.” She gave him
a sly look, fighting back the urge to smile.
“Yuck!” He pretended to gag. “I hope not.”
Rae chuckled, despite her worry. “I don’t
want any part of you getting hurt, or in danger. Your mother doesn’t know half
of what this world is capable of–”
“Any more than you do. You’re sixteen,
newly initiated and only beginning to grasp a hint of your talent. I can take
care of myself, and I’ll take care of you as well. It’s my responsibility and
my job now…though I can’t consider hanging out with you, work.” He grinned. The
adorable dimple Rae loved appeared on his cheek. Yup, definitely missed that.
“Fine.” She breathed out through her nose,
a calming technique she had learned long ago. She had just returned and didn’t
want to argue. “You win.” She shifted in her seat, taking in his thin, muscular
outline. He looked even more handsome since she had gotten off the plane. “Tell
me more about the jobs you’ve done over the summer. It all sounds pretty cool.”
“The rush is amazing, and the pay,
incredible. Bet I’ll be loaded before I’m twenty.”
Not if you spend money on cars like this.
Devon grinned, his thumbs tapping against
the steering wheel. He talked the rest of the drive about the training he and
Julian, their friend, had done over the summer.
Rae listened, fascinated, but also noticed
he didn’t give specifics about anything. Either the jobs were a secret or he
had just spent the summer training and there were no specifics to give.
Hopefully it’s the latter of the two.
The motorway turned into a slip road and
soon they were driving along the countryside, towards the familiar grounds of
Guilder College.
The football fields were full of male
students scrimmaging. The oriel windows on the old Tudor buildings were wide
open, airing out the rooms in preparation for the arrival of the students who
would live there for the next school year. The ivy on the red brick and wood
danced in the wind, as though in anticipation. Rae could not wait to get to
Aumbry House and to her dorm room. She wanted to see who had already arrived. Molly
had e-mailed to say she would arrive the next day. Finally emerging from her
own reverie, she realized her cheeks hurt because she had been grinning for a
while.
“Happy to be back?” Devon teased.
“Maybe a little.” She shrugged and tried to
act like she didn’t care, but the look on Devon’s face told her he didn’t buy
it. “Okay, I’m very excited to be back.”
“You’re all right?” Devon tugged at his
ear. “You know…with everything that happened… with Lanford, before the summer?”
Rae’s smile slipped and she turned silent,
staring out the window as they drove under the bridge that connected the two
round towers of the main building. She fought the sense of betrayal and fear
that she had kept a lid on all summer long, determined not to think about it. I
don’t want to feel like this. She tried to laugh, but it came out wrong, more
like a harrumph. “You mean, the headmaster who fooled me into trusting him and
let me believe he was on my side?” She didn’t wait for a reply and pointed at
one of the towers they’d just passed. “Or do you mean the part where he trapped
me in there and tried to force me to finish something my good-for-nothing
father started? Or the part where he tried to shoot me and ended up slipping on
ice and breaking his head?” She forced herself to stop talking, feeling a tide
of emotion starting to well up inside her and fearing the consequences of
letting it out.
Devon’s raised eyebrows and hanging mouth
made her realize what she had just said.
She reached over and touched his leg. “I’m
okay, honestly. I was trying to make a joke; and apparently, I failed. After
everything I learned last year, I shouldn’t have let my guard down for anyone.”
Tucking an escaped curl behind her ear again, she added, “Except for you, and
Julian… and Molls.”
“You’ve just ranted like that, and then say
you’re totally fine?” Devon’s voice carried nothing but gentle concern and the
promise of support. She had missed him over the summer.
She sighed, pushing her shoulders back and
sitting up straighter, mentally pulling herself up by the bootstraps. She
needed to reassure Devon that everything was fine. Fake it ‘til you make it,
right?
“I can still hear my father’s stupid voice
in my head, but I’m going to be fine.” We are above mankind--above the law
which rules over them. She dropped her head and squeezed her eyes shut tight
for a moment forcing her father’s words out of her thoughts. “Who knows, maybe
I’ll be able to get a job with the Privy Council, or act as some secret agent
for the government, like you.” And make up for my father being the Hitler of
the tatù world. Great job, being the daughter of the world’s evil genius.
Devon chuckled. “I think being away made
you a bit crazy. How about you get that massive talent of yours under control
before you decide to save the world? And for the record, that’s my job at the
moment.” Devon grabbed her hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze.
“You can keep the job…for now. When I
graduate, I’ll let you work with me.” She stuck her tongue out at him. She
hated to admit it, even to herself, but he was right. My tatù ability is
powerful and I barely know how to use it. I might be able to mimic other tatùs,
but using them properly is the challenge.
“Thanks for the offer, but secretly dating
you is all I can handle at the moment. I don’t know if I could handle working
side by side day in and day out and pretend I didn’t have feelings for you.”
Devon pulled into the parking area by Aumbry House. He jumped out of the car
and opened Rae’s door before she unbuckled her seat belt.
Now that’s the kind a thing a girl likes to
hear “Thanks. I–”
“Devon! Ms. Kerrigan!” A pleasant-sounding
male voice shouted from across the parking lot, near the Refectory Hall. Rae
turned and saw the new dean, Devon’s father, waving as he walked over.
“Hey, Dad.”
Devon stiffened and moved a few inches from
her.
“Hello, Mr. Wardell. I mean, Dean Wardell.
Congratulations on the new position.” She shifted her weight, making a
conscious effort not to look at Devon.
Dean Wardell raised his eyebrows, his gaze
shooting back and forth between them. He smiled and rubbed his hands together.
“Glad you brought our star student back in one piece. I just wanted to say
hello and let you know Headmaster Carter wants to speak with you both, as soon
as you’ve unloaded Ms. Kerrigan’s suitcases.”
Rae nodded, still afraid to look at Devon.
He had gotten his fennec fox tatù from his father so sharp eyes ran in the
family. The last thing she and Devon needed was for anyone to guess at their
relationship. Instead, she looked straight at his father. He looks
uncomfortable. I must be making it obvious how hard I’m trying not to look at
Devon. Have to think of something else. So Carter is staying around as
headmaster? That’s…interesting…I guess. She felt her head tilt to the side as
she tried to figure out her feelings about Carter’s continued presence on the
campus. She had spent most of the previous year convinced he was the enemy,
until he had come to rescue her from Lanford. The Dean seemed to relax as she
pondered. Crisis averted.
“Julian’s looking for you, Devon. He’s in
the room opposite yours. He arrived earlier today.” Dean Wardell turned and
smiled purposefully at Rae before heading across the football pitches. “Have a
nice afternoon.” Hmm…maybe not so much averted just yet.
Devon and Rae pulled her suitcases from the
boot of the car. They walked towards Aumbry House.
“Is it going to be this awkward every time
we’re in public together?” Rae whispered.
“I bloody hope not.” He rolled his eyes.
“It’s probably ‘cause it’s my dad. he would kill me if he knew there was
anything more going on between the two of us besides mentoring.”
My thoughts exactly. But we need positive
reinforcement, not agreement on future mutual destruction. “You do have an
excellent track record of being the faithful, obedient son. I doubt he’ll
suspect a thing.” Rae nudged him with her elbow.
He bent forward towards her, but
instinctively straightened up a second before Madame Elpis entered the main
lobby.
“Welcome back, Ms. Kerrigan.” Madame Elpis
smiled genuinely, her voice a pleasant, almost sing-song tone. “You’re the
first here, so you can pick a room on the third floor. I’ll see you both at
dinner.” Madame Elpis whistled as she strolled outdoors.
Rae’s eyebrows went up and her mouth hung
open. She watched the tall, hawk-nosed, normally austere and perfunctory woman
walk with a light skip down the path outside until she disappeared from sight.
It’s the twilight zone. I’m in the twilight
zone. Any second now, I’m going to hear that theme music. “What the –?” Rae
sputtered. Madame Elpis had been rigid with her strict demeanor the previous
year, and her magpie-crow tatù suited her to a tee. She had always been “in the
know” and quite cranky at the best of times. Now it seemed as if someone had
switched her personality for a that of a happy little songbird.
Devon gently put his fingers on Rae’s chin
and closed her mouth. He smiled as he leaned forward and kissed her quickly on
the lips. Rae closed her eyes to savor the feeling, Madame Elpis completely
forgotten.
“She fell in love.” Devon pulled away. He
grabbed two suitcases, dragging them towards the black and white marble
staircase.
“She did, and she’s waiting for another
kiss.” Rae puckered her lips, eyes still closed.
“Not you, silly. I’m talking about Madame
Elpis.” Devon laughed from several feet away.
Rae opened her eyes, heat rising to her
face. She grabbed the remaining case and ran to catch up with him. he had
already gone halfway up the first set of stairs.
“Holy smokes, Rae. Is half of New York in
these suitcases?”
She ignored his question. “Who’s the lucky,
or not so lucky, guy?”
“Madame Elpis? Do you remember the English
Professor from your first term?”
“Professor Lockheed?” Rae stared at him
incredulously. She knew she and Devon were breaking the rules of the tatù world
by dating but she simply could not imagine the ornery Madame Elpis stepping
even one toe out of line.
“Yeah. Well, not him, but his brother
Donald.”
“Donald?” Rae repeated then started
smirking.
“What’s so funny?”
“Do you know Madame Elpis’ first name?”
“Not off the top of my head.”
“It’s Daisy.” She had to stop when they
reached the first landing, she couldn’t stop laughing.
“I don’t get it.” Devon shifted his weight,
one foot on the next set of stairs.
“Donald and Daisy.” She raised her eyebrows.
“You know, on Disney? Donald Duck?”
Devon still seemed lost. “She’s got a
magpie, not a duck.”
“I can’t believe you’ve never watched
cartoons as a kid,” Rae muttered under her breath before following him up the
next flight with her head down. She might as well keep quiet. How come no one
ever gets my jokes? They’re not that bad. She brought her head up about to
explain the joke.
What the—? She froze midstride, startled
when a blurry picture began to flash behind her eyes. Small choking noises
escaped as her breath caught in her throat. She squinted, trying to get a
clearer glimpse of the fuzzy scene. She felt the handle of her suitcase slip
from her hand but barely noticed it tumble down the stairs. This had never
happened before. Could someone be trying to kill me? Or contact me?
Devon rushed to her side. “What’s wrong?
Are you hurt?”
She heard the fear in his voice but could
not reply. She gave her head a slight shake and focused on the mental picture.
The old dean, now new headmaster, Carter, paced in his office, his hand
nervously running through his dark hair as he talked on the phone. Rae could
not hear what he said, but the agitation in his body language worried her. The
caller on the other end must not be giving him good news.
She blinked. As fast as the image had
appeared, it disappeared. Dazed, she realized Devon had an arm wrapped tightly
around her waist, gently shaking her shoulder with his free hand.
“Rae…Rae…Can you hear me? Kerrigan! What’s
going on?” Alarm filled his voice.
Slowly she turned her head to focus on him.
“Sorry. I’m okay. I—it—” She pressed her lips, trying to make sense of what had
just happened. Then something clicked. “I had some vision-thing of Carter.
That’s never happened before. Right out of the blue, it popped up. I saw him—just
now—” She swallowed, wondering if it would happen again. Taking several deep
breaths, she relaxed and let her shoulders drop. “I don’t know where I picked
the tatù ability up. Not sure if it’s new or a development of another I already
have. It was freaky.” She reached her hand around his neck and stroked her
fingers through his hair. She had really missed him this summer, and now here
he was. He smelled and felt so good. Focus girl, focus. “I didn’t expect it.”
His bright blue eyes stared deeply into
hers. After a few moments, he released his hold on her waist and slowly stepped
back.
She knew he was not convinced. “Honest, I’m
fine. I’m not gonna pass out, or anything.” As she spoke, her mind replayed the
mental picture of Carter. He had gotten his haircut, and almost appeared a bit
younger.
“What did you see? Is Carter okay?”
“He seemed angry or upset, or maybe both.”
She closed her eyes, trying to remember every detail, but it was like trying to
remember the details of a dream. She could taste the fear from the vision but
could not remember where it had come from. “I don’t know if the image is
happening now, if it’s in the past or something that hasn’t happened yet. I
don’t get it.”
“I got a bad feeling.” Devon shook his
head, his forehead creasing with lines. “Let’s toss your suitcases in a room
and go see him right away. Something’s going on, and I’m willing to bet it’s
pretty important.” Quick as a flash, Devon ran down the stairs to grab the
fallen suitcase and back up ahead of her before Rae could reply.
About the Author:
Wanita May grew up in the fruit belt of Ontario -
St.Catharines. Crazy-happy childhood, she always has had a vivid imagination
and loads of energy.
The youngest of six -- four older brothers, and a
sister -- taught her at a young age to be competitive in all aspects of life.
At sixteen, she began competing in athletics
(track and field) and before she turned seventeen, she was representing Canada
in high jump. She continued to compete, breaking Canada's JR High Jump record
(1.92m - 6' 3 1/2" for those metric-ly challenged). She attented
University of Toronto, and Kansas State University - winning CIAU's and
becoming All-American 6x - NCAA Indoors Runner Up + more.
But you're not interested in her athletic career -
unless of course you're curious to know she stands 1.70m (5'7") and has
jumped 20cm over her head on more than one occassion. She's represented Canada
at the World Championships, World Jrs., won Francophone Games, and loved every
minute of every competition. From the grueling workouts, the crazy weights she
lifted on her back, the days she thought her lungs were going to spit out of
her mouth for lack of oxygen, the travelling around the world and the
opportunity to read - her favourite past time.
Wanita and her husband now run an online business,
dealing in antiques and collectables - particularly jewelry and porcelain.
After her father passed away in 2009, from a
six-year battle with cancer (which she still believes he won the fight
against), she began to write again. A passion she'd loved for years, but realized
life was too short to keep putting it off.
She is currently represented by Dawn Dowdle of
Blue Ridge Literary Agency. Wanita is a writer of Young Adult, Fantasy Fiction
and where ever else her little muses take her.
Twitter: @wanitajump
Happy Reading!
Cana
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