by April Marcom
“Let’s get back to the interview, then we can both go home,” Ms. Ploom said halfway through the instrumental song.
I opened my eyes to her running a hand through her perfect brown hair, then pulling me away from Ty so I would stand next to her.
I smiled at Ty once more before I put on my own serious, TV-presence face and turned to the camera for what would end up being the first of countless TV interviews.
49
I took my head off Ty’s shoulder when my phone buzzed for the umpteenth time during our flight to New York.
“You should just turn that thing off,” Ty said, putting down his MMA magazine.
“That’s a really good idea, actually. I just don’t want to miss—Nicole!”
“What? Did she finally text you about the baby?!” Brittany sat up and turned around so she could look at me over the worn, blue fabric of her seat.
“Hey, I think Nicole texted Hadley,” Stephanie said from beside her to Lavender and Zaniah, who were sitting in the two seats in front of them.
We’d been anxiously waiting on her text for a good twenty minutes. “She’s having a boy.” I held my phone out so Ty could see the fuzzy image of her baby.
“Wow. I didn’t realize they could find out the gender this early. She’s only three months pregnant, isn’t she?”
“OMG!” Brittany grabbed the phone and it disappeared into the two rows of airplane seats in front of us. “Look, there’s her baby.”
I could hear Zaniah let out a little squeal of excitement, and all their girly voices fussing over the pic.
“Something about the new 3D ultrasound lets you find out sooner, I guess,” I told Ty. “Nicole still has no idea what she’s gonna do.”
Nearly a month had passed since that crazy Friday when Ty and I got back together. Nicole told her parents about the pregnancy that same night and was immediately enrolled in homeschool. She also posted a video of herself on the Clash of the Cheerleaders website apologizing and announcing her pregnancy a few days after everything went down, so it wasn’t a secret anymore.
Underground accused her of using the unborn baby like a human shield to stop the threats and make people feel sorry for her. She’d never admit it, but I think there was probably some truth to his statement. Most of the school already despised her so much, all it really did was fuel their fires of hatred. But at least no-one had attacked her since her public apology. Nothing ever changed with the baby’s daddy.
Brittany, Stephanie, Zaniah, and Lavender still weren’t speaking to her, but they’d all backed off on bashing her online or at school. Nicole and I weren’t hanging out, either. We were texting each other on occasion, though. I still couldn’t say we’d ever patch up the shattered pieces of what was once a forever friendship, but I wouldn’t say it could never happen.
“Here, Hadley.” Brittany leaned around her seat into the isle to return my phone to me. “I bet he’s gonna be so cute. Too bad his mom’s so awful.” She turned around and disappeared to the other side of her seat.
Well, they’d backed off outside our little circle, anyway. Brittany and Steph still couldn’t say anything nice about Nicole, period, and they seemed to feel the need to vent to me about her now and then.
Hard 2 tell, but I think he looks lk u,
I texted to Nicole.
Thanx 4 the pic!
I powered off my phone and lifted my legs so I could fold them over Ty’s lap. He put both arms around me and held me close. The plane was small enough, our side had rows of two seats each.
“It’s nice to finally get a break from all the craziness,” he said, kissing my temple.
“Definitely.”
Ms. Nordik made me cheer captain when Nicole unenrolled from SWHS. That was a huge popularity booster. Then there were the online and news interviews I was always appearing in, making me seem famous to the kids at school. This week was really insane, though. My phone had become little more than a flood of texts pouring in from my four besties and anyone else who had my number with questions and excited rambling about what Ty and I were about to do.
My mom got a call from the producer of The Abbot Files last weekend wanting to create an entire special episode on me and the Clash of the Cheerleaders. It’s this great national TV show where Tonya Abbot takes a totally dramatic real story and spends an hour laying it out. She doesn’t hold back any punches, either. It was a no-brainer for Steph and the others. They were in!
Ty was a harder sell. It took a TON of convincing, but I finally got him to agree to do his first interview with me. The producer was really excited, because anyone who knew anything about the Clash of the Cheerleaders was gonna go nuts to finally hear him speak out. My four BFFs had done a few interviews with me, especially the ones online, but never Ty. If it weren’t for the super fun, long weekend we were about to have, I probably never would have gotten him to tag along.
My mom was already in New York City, so we would spend all day tomorrow working on the TV special. Then, as long as we were finished, she was planning to take us sightseeing for the next three days. I’d been to New York lots of times with my mom, but seeing it with Ty would be really special.
Zaniah and the others were only staying for one day of sightseeing, since their moms just weren’t onboard with them being let loose on New York without them being there.
“So what do you want to do in NYC first?” I asked Ty.
“First, I want to get The Abbot Files over with.”
I reached an arm across his chest so I could lay it on his shoulder. “Aren’t you even a little excited to be on a national TV show?”
“You know I don’t like that kind of attention. I’m just here for you, Hadley.”
“Aw.” I nestled my head into his chest. “You’re the best boyfriend ever, Ty. Seriously, how’d I ever get so lucky?”
He slid one hand up to the back of my head and kissed the top of it. “If I remember right, it all began with a dare.”
I laughed and looked up at him. It had become a joke with us, how a dare had made both our lives so perfect because it gave us each other. “The most wonderful dare anyone’s ever been given.”
“I think that makes me the lucky one. If Nicole hadn’t dared you to ask me out, I never would have ended up with the girl of my dreams.”
“And none of this would have ever happened. Central Park. The Statue of Liberty. Walking over the Brooklyn Bridge, and Broadway shows.” Me becoming head cheerleader. My face all over TV. Me and Ty and all my girls flying to New York City to be on The Abbot Files. “I might thank Nicole if it wouldn’t be so mean.”
Ty cocked his head to one side, his eyes softening. “Someday it’ll all blow over, you know. We’ll just be two regular people again. And I’ll still love you, Hadley. That’s what I’m really looking forward to.”
“Oh my gosh, Ty.” It was like—could he get any more perfect. “I’ll still love you, too. And, yeah, that’s definitely something to look forward to.”
He smiled and leaned over to kiss me, really kiss me. A true love-forever and ever kind of kiss. My legs lifted slightly higher so I could turn my body to face him, putting both hands around his neck. I was more than happy to kiss him and kiss him and kiss him.
It felt good to know that when all the excitement and attention wore off, I’d still have Ty to look forward to. Every single day. For me, that was better than being cheer captain, better than a BFF trip to New York, and better than being the star of an Abbot Files episode.
After losing him for even such a brief time, I knew I would never take him for granted, and nothing, not even a mega-Clash of the Cheerleaders, would come between Ty and me ever again.
Meet The Author
April Marcom works as a Pre-K teacher's assistant, but her true passion is writing. When she's not teaching or creating stories, she's enjoying the country life with her car-obsessed husband and three fabulous children. She also enjoys rainy days, traveling, and her very rowdy dogs. April grew up a southern b
elle in Mississippi, but is now a proud Oklahoman.
We hope that you liked this release from
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Please enjoy the following excerpt from
Starseer by April Marcom,
available now at 5PrinceBooks.com
STARSEER – by April Marcom
It was on the night of my youngest sister’s birth that my dangerous obsession was also born.
The wind blew softly through the warm air, ruffling the hem of my dress. The stars shone like flecks of gold against the velvet black sky, a bright silver moon keeping watch over them all.
It was the perfect night for those gifted with star-seership. I was just returning home from a long night at school for the youngest star-readers of my people. We had to attend classes late at night, since it was the only time the stars were available for this specialized form of studying.
The moment my circular house came into view, I knew something was wrong. Men in dark cloaks were just entering the dwelling. Their hoods waved carelessly behind them, ready to shroud the natural light cast by their pale skin and pure white hair when they reached the Surface.
Light cast by my own body must have shone brighter at the realization of what was happening: my mother had just given birth to a defect.
My feet raced over the bridge connecting the tops of two valor trees. Our entire city was set at the highest boughs of these giants, older and stronger than anything else of our world, simply to keep us guarded from the savage defects living on the ground below.
“Sleigh, wait!” Auree, my elder sister, called after me when I followed the last man into our house. I noticed her sitting against the outside of our house with my little sister before I disappeared inside.
It was the sound of my mother’s voice coming from her bedroom that stopped me dead in my tracks. It broke and came out in painful shards. “Don’t let them take her, Devin. She’s our daughter.”
“I know…” my father’s voice came just as strangely, laced with sadness, something he had never displayed before. “Auree was right to send for them, though. Think of the danger we would be putting our daughters in if we kept her.”
“She is our daughter.”
“I’m sorry, Bloom.” The last transporter disappeared into my parents’ room. “Every defect poses a great threat to us all. That’s the entire reason the Avarice had this city built in the sky, to keep them away from us.”
I wanted to follow the transporters into the room. I had never seen a defect before.
“But she’s only a baby,” my mother pleaded.
A new cry rang out. Our house began to quake. My arms swung around wildly as I fought to catch myself, falling back against the curved hallway wall. A crack split through the wall right behind me. I scooted across the floor to the opposite side of the hall. The baby’s cries grew louder, a burst of fiery light erupting from my parents’ doorway.
“Give this to her,” one of the transporters said, raising his voice.
A moment later the baby became silent. The trembling became still and the light went out.
“You see, Bloom? To keep her here could destroy everything we’ve worked so hard to build. She must be delivered to the Surface. The other defects will know how to care for her.”
“She’s my child,” my mother said.
“You know the Avarice would never allow it.”
“There’s not anything I wouldn’t do to change this.” My Father’s voice was so gentle; I scarcely recognized it. “But we can’t put our girls at risk by upsetting the Avarice.”
I wondered what he meant. The Avarice was a group of six men who lived in a tree-castle at the heart of our city, surrounded by guards. They were in charge of keeping peace and order. They made certain everyone had a house and all the things they needed. They wouldn’t harm anyone.
“Can’t I just finish giving her this bottle?” my mother sobbed. “It’s the only chance I’ll ever have to feed her.”
“There’s a powerful sleep aid in what she’s drinking that will keep her from waking until she’s reached the Surface,” a transporter said. “She won’t be aware enough to keep drinking it for much longer.”
No-one spoke after that. My mother kept crying. I could scarcely make out her muttering to my baby sister about how much she loved her.
I stayed where I was in the hallway, still wanting to see my defect sister but too afraid to move.
The terrible images I’d conjured since childhood of what a defect might look like danced through my mind as I waited. A tiny body with four long arms. A giant forehead and crooked fangs. Eyes red as blood that filled your soul with evil and ice. I’d never managed to discover anything about them, because it was a forbidden subject to discuss.
I stood when I heard footsteps crossing my parents’ room. The transporters were coming. The defect would be with them.
“I don’t want them to take her,” my mother cried desperately. There was suddenly a lot of scuffling.
“Call for the guards,” a transporter shouted.
“NO!” my father shouted back. “I’ll take care of her. Just leave us be.”
“It isn’t fair,” my mother moaned.
My father shushed her soothingly and began whispering so I couldn’t understand anything he was saying.
Our translucent roof let in the first feeble traces of morning’s light. It was enough to reveal the transporters filing out of the room in a straight line, like ghoulish apparitions come to harvest my sister’s spirit. The first three only held a bag at their side. The fourth held a bundle of blankets to his chest, concealing my sister from me.
I wanted so badly to ask them if I could see her. But the men transporting her were so grave and so haunting. Their faces were solemn and filled with shadows cast by the hoods now hiding them. Even their skins’ natural light did nothing to detract from this disturbing effect.
Three more men walked past me after the carrier of the baby. None of them acknowledged me in any way. The first exited our house, then the second and so on.
My mind was racing, though my body had suddenly become immobile.
I had to see my sister. Nothing could make me want to face the transporters, though. They were, perhaps, my greatest fear.
Secretly, I had always wanted to visit the Surface, if only to see what the world below was like. At fourteen years old, I was young but not afraid. There had simply never been a reason good enough to risk trying to sneak down the only passageway connecting the two worlds.
Until now.
Henna’s grandfather was a transporter. As her best friend I was her keeper of secrets. Therefore, I knew she had one of her grandfather’s old cloaks hidden beneath her bed due to her own curiosity about the Surface. It was one of the reasons we’ve always gotten along so well, the forbidden wish we shared.
She kept the cloak in case she should ever find the courage to sneak down through the passageway. It was only a dream, though. I knew she would never do it.
But I would.
My non-defective sisters were crying where I’d left them when I walked outside our house. No doubt the loss of Blush had hit them hard. That would have been the baby’s name.
“D-did you see her?” Eve, the youngest of the three of us, asked.
I shook my head, then walked quickly toward the short bridge connecting our house to a neighbor’s. Every house and building was constructed alongside a valor tree, with a decent-sized landing running all the way around the structure.
“You just got home. Where are you going?” Auree called to me.
“For a walk,” I called back before quickening my pace to a jog, then to a run.
The night still offered enough cover that I felt well-hidden racing around houses, over bridges, and under irrigation pipes.
We lived in the section of our city most heavily populated by star-seers, those who can see forthcoming events by reading the stars. Since we’re most active at night, this was the most challenging area. The
other four talents would still be resting, or just barely waking up, not likely thinking of coming outside just yet.
Builder housing lay just past our area, where those primarily responsible for constructing, repairing, and adding on to our city resided. It was the only part of my city separating me from the weavers, who provided us with fabric and clothing. This was where I would find Henna. Although she was also a seer, both her parents were brilliant weavers.
There were also irrigators to supply our people with fresh water and healers to care for our ill and prepare medicines. I was grateful there was no need to tear through their housing, too.
I was especially careful to avoid the Avarice castle, since the most watchful eyes surrounded it both day and night.
I couldn’t stop thinking of Blush as I ran. My other two sisters looked so much alike. Blush was supposed to be my little replica. That would never happen now.
The branches became thicker. A pink and blue sunrise began to peek over them. I knew I was close.
Then, there it was, branches hanging all around it. The overgrowth near Henna’s house was always a mess. Her parents preferred it that way.
Henna’s window was staring right at me when I reached the open walkway around her home. I found myself out of breath as I pushed the heavy cloth covering aside and climbed into her room. She was already in bed fast asleep, her skin’s light dimmed slightly by slumber. She was a star-reader, as well, so she’d been at school all night. Star-readers generally slept through the early hours of the day.
There was no reason to disturb her. She wouldn’t notice if the cloak disappeared for a day or two. And I knew she wouldn’t be angry when I told her what I’d done.
I crossed the open space slowly, careful not to make a sound. There was only a short bench on the side of her room opposite her bed. Quite a few simple dresses had been laid over it. The scrolls she’d taken notes on at school rested upon them. Two pairs of soft slippers were placed neatly underneath the bench. Henna managed to keep her room tidy by hiding nearly everything she owned under her bed.
