Dormant

Home > Other > Dormant > Page 29
Dormant Page 29

by LeeAnn McLennan


  This sense of disquiet followed me through a delicious breakfast of waffles with whipped cream and bananas.

  It stayed with me as I dressed and then ran at top speed through misty March weather to the warehouse where the Brighthalls trained for their supernormal duties as protectors. Supernormals had as many job opportunities as normals, just with a different slant. Instead of normal police officers hunting normal criminals, my family was a sort of supernormal police force who hunted both beasts and bad supernormals.

  The plain gray exterior of the warehouse was as uninteresting as the rest of the buildings surrounding it in Portland’s Central Eastside Industrial District. No one would ever guess that inside the large doors resided Portland’s supernormal training facility, run by my mother’s siblings, Aunt Kate, Uncle Dan, and Uncle Alex, collectively referred to by my cousins as “the ‘rents.”

  We were down a ‘rent right now – Uncle Alex was attending a silent meditation retreat for two weeks. His significant ability was empathic healing and he occasionally needed time away from people to regain his balance. It was an impressive ability, giving him the power to heal people by briefly absorbing their ailment before his body healed at a super-fast rate. I often felt it was too bad he couldn’t use his ability to heal mental illness – perhaps he could have stopped Emma from going all dark side.

  Zoe and Kevin were already sparring in the boxing ring when I arrived. Uncle Dan nodded at me and pointed at the treadmill. He didn’t say much these days; discovering that his daughter joined Mountain of Ash shook his world, sending him into a dark funk for days. When he came out of it, he was all about training and not much else. These days he built our training sessions as if he was preparing for battle, driving us to train harder and harder. Aunt Kate intervened when she felt he’d crossed the line into crazy town, like the time Uncle Dan wanted to drop us off in Death Valley with no supplies and make us live out there for three days. I’d never seen Aunt Kate so mad. Not only was Death Valley dangerous because of its weather, it was also a safe haven for various supernormal beasts. Uncle Dan lightened up for a week or so after that, but he was starting to ramp up the intensity again. I’d noticed him looking up locations in Antarctica last week.

  Uncle Dan’s meek, normal wife, Aunt Susannah, had overcome her awe of the supernormal world and left him, returning to her family in Chicago. She said she wanted to mourn her daughter’s disgrace alone. I felt sorry for Aunt Susannah; because she was a normal, she couldn’t even visit Emma in Ley Prison.

  On my way to the treadmill, I saw Aunt Kate bent over her ubiquitous iPad in the classroom area. Taller than my mother had been, she kept her dark brown hair cut short and her face unlined. The light caught new glints of grey threading along her temples, evidence of the strain she’d been in for the past several months.

  I hesitated. Should I tell Aunt Kate about the bizarre vision, dream, or whatever I’d seen that morning? I imagined the conversation. Hey, Aunt Kate, I saw a woman’s face in my head this morning. It kind of weirded me out. No, I don’t know who she is.

  I didn’t see that conversation going anywhere good.

  “Olivia?” Aunt Kate looked at me curiously. “Do you need something?” She sat back in her chair, running her hands over her face. When she lowered her hands, I saw she had dark circles under her eyes.

  I didn’t want to worry her with something that was probably inconsequential. “No, I’m good.” I gave her a weak smile. The vision thingy was nothing, just me being tired and overstimulated by all the hunting and training.

  “Okay.” She bent back over the iPad, frowning at whatever was on the screen.

  I continued to the treadmill, setting the program to a mountain run equal to climbing Mount Hood. Stepping onto the treadmill put me in the line of sight of the large tank that used to be full of water. It was gone now, more evidence of Hugh’s death. One of Hugh’s last training challenges was to learn to hold his breath underwater for extended periods. The tank was where he practiced daily. Uncle Dan emptied it one night and never spoke about it again, but the hollow tank was a daily reminder of my cousin. Like I needed one.

  I was just finding my stride when Aunt Kate shouted, “Kids, get over here. Harold called. We’ve got another hunt.” She waved us over while talking rapidly into a headset.

  I jumped off the treadmill and darted over to the classroom area, catching the towel Zoe tossed me. I mopped sweat off my face while Aunt Kate pulled up a map on one of the large monitors. Her fingers moved swiftly on the keyboard as she entered an address. Kevin wandered over, keeping his arms crossed and his expression blank, as it had been since his brother died.

  “Harold found two of his friends dead outside this empty building on Highway 30,” Aunt Kate informed us, referring to a local homeless man who knew about supernormals. “He thinks whatever killed them is inside the building. He says it looks like a supernormal beast kill. One of his friends’ bodies was stripped to the bone, and the other friend is mangled but still intact.” Aunt Kate frowned. “He’s been tracking monsters again, even though I told him not to.” She shook her head. “Anyway, no time to waste. You’re going to have to run it. Driving would be too slow.”

  Zoe tossed me my sword and jacket while Kevin grabbed his weapon. I strapped on the sword with hasty movements, worrying about Harold’s safety. I’d run into him a few times since meeting him last fall, usually when he was helping Uncle Alex heal the homeless folks around town.

  “Come on, Olivia,” Zoe snapped. “Let’s go.”

  (Continued in The Supernormal Legacy, Book 2: Root, coming in June. In the meantime, check out the other fine offerings from Not a Pipe Publishing!)

  Also Available from Not a Pipe Publishing

  Harriet has to start at a new school. Switching schools is always rough, but it's harder for her because The Corporation got her dad fired and tossed her mom into jail. For decades, The Corporation has been using schools to make sure everyone does what they're told. But there's something strange going on at Harriet's new school. If she can just crack the code, she might learn how to fight back!

  “Benjamin Gorman's Corporate High School is a must-read for anyone interested in joining the fight to save public education. We proudly proclaim this book as badass and spot on about the fight to save the foundation of our democracy - strong public education for all.”

  -Marla Kilfoyle

  General Manager

  Badass Teachers Association

  Click HERE to get Corporate High School on Kindle now!

  Also Available from Not a Pipe Publishing

  Shadow Girl

  by

  Kate Ristau

  Áine lives in the light, but she is haunted by darkness, and when her fey powers blaze out of control, she escapes into the Shadowlands. But she cannot outrun her past. Fire fey and a rising darkness threaten the light, burning a path across the veil. Her fiery dreams come to life, and with the help of Hennessy, an uninhibited Irish girl, Áine dives into the flames to discover who she truly is. Her mother burned to keep her secret safe, and now Áine wields the deadly Eta. She must learn to fight in the shadows — or die in the flames.

  This is not a fairy tale.

  “A fun, engaging, and unique magical adventure.”

  -Jen Violi, author of Putting Makeup on Dead People

  Click HERE to get Shadow Girl on Kindle now!

  Also Available from Not a Pipe Publishing

  The Staff of Fire and Bone

  by

  Mikko Azul

  This sweeping, exciting high fantasy epic tells the story of Cédron Varakas, already isolated as the Regent’s son, who has a Shäeli demon for a mother. Approaching manhood, his demonic powers manifest. Blamed for the earth shakes ripping through the land, Cédron races against time to find the real cause of the destruction. He must become a hero or join the great demon and embrace his true heritage.

  “…a thrilling tale of a misfit with a destiny to save the world of Muralia--and the pow
er to destroy it… And the staff of the title? The most shocking and beautiful magical object I have encountered in 40+ years as a fantasy reader."

  -Karen Eisenbrey,

  author of Daughter of Magic

  Get The Staff of Fire and Bone on Kindle now!

  Also Available from Not a Pipe Publishing

  Going

  Green

  by

  Heather S. Ransom

  In the future, the color of your skin lets everyone know who you are. Those who “go Green” become walking GMOs with plant chloroplasts in their cells who no longer need to eat. Life is good. People are happy.

  …Well, some people.

  Not everyone gets to “go Green.”

  Calyssa Brentwood, a high school senior just finished with her cellular enhancement, finds herself far from the safety of Sci-City, on a farm, in the middle of a rebel insurgency. Realizing nothing is as simple as it seems, she soon discovers each choice brings new consequences, ones that may turn deadly for those she cares about most.

  “…a gripping and addictive dystopian novel that hooked me instantly and kept me riveted to the very last page.”

  -Linda Green, Books of All Kinds

  Click HERE to get Going Green on Kindle now!

  Also Available from Not a Pipe Publishing

  SuperGuy

  by

  Kurt Clopton

  Superheroes are common in Oliver’s world. He doesn’t pay them much attention since he’s just trying to survive his city government internship. Then he mistakenly takes the super serum the Milwaukee mayor wrote into the budget to help his slumping re-election campaign. Now Oliver is dealing with an annoyed police chief, a surging crime wave, paparazzi, a super villain, a bit of romance, and the creepy ladies of the Milwaukee Flower and Garden Society. If Oliver can survive the very tight suit and getting thrown through the occasional wall, he might just have time to stop the bad guy from enslaving the world.

  No biggie.

  “SuperGuy may be a low-budget superhero, but his story doesn't skimp on laughs; a super-powered workplace comedy.”

  -Karen Eisenbrey,

  author of The Gospel According to St. Rage

  Click HERE to get SuperGuy on Kindle now!

  Also Available from Not a Pipe Publishing

  Wrestling Demons

  by

  Jason Brick

  Varsity wrestler Connor Morgan has moved with his mother to Portland, Oregon to get away from his drug-addicted father. But they didn't move away from trouble. At his new high school, three heavyweight wrestlers chase him through the halls. He runs away, in his underwear, past the girl he likes, into the January cold.

  Then something weird happens.

  The next thing Connor knows, he is fighting for his life against supernatural evil with the help of new friends as he learns the powers and dangers of his new destiny. He discovers a powerful enemy bent on destroying more than just his high school. Ultimately, he must embrace his role in an ancient fight if he wants to save the day.

  And he still has to get good grades and a date for the prom.

  Click HERE to get Wrestling Demons on Kindle now!

  Also Available from Not a Pipe Publishing

  Joe has been cursed. He must meet with Yahweh, the Creator, once a week for coffee and listen to God complain. Yahweh is a crotchety old deity with a pantheon of family problems. His wife, Frigga, has basically stopped talking to Him, except to keep nagging Him about retiring. His son, Jesus, suffers from crippling depression. Jesus’ estranged wife is plotting a terrorist attack to try to start a holy war. God is fed up with all the drama. He's perfectly tired and infinitely irritable.

  Though God doesn’t seem to care about human problems, Joe’s little, mortal life isn’t perfect, either. In fact, it's a comedy as black as God’s coffee. God doesn’t seem too interested in human problems, but Joe’s little, mortal life isn’t perfect, either. In fact, Joe’s life is a comedy as black as God’s coffee.

  “Sum is a funny, funny, funny, fast-paced and insightful commentary on religion, social mores and, most importantly, human relations. …a book that hits its marks and hits them well. A serious, deep treatment wrapped in hilarity.”

  -Writer's Digest

  Click HERE to get The Sum of Our Gods on Kindle now!

  Also Available from Not a Pipe Publishing

  The Digital Storm

  by

  Benjamin Gorman

  The Digital Storm is an ingenious science fiction retelling of Shakespeare's The Tempest set in the near future inside a bank's intranet. Prosper, the analogue to Shakespeare's Prospero, is an artificial intelligence program who has been banished to a quarantined area in the bank's system, and there he's created an amazing virtual island home for himself, his daughter Memoranda, and the monstrous virus Caliban. Now, with the help of Ariel and the other programs he's invented on the island, he's conjured a massive digital attack on the bank's system to entice the members of the board, the very humans who exiled him, to enter the system so he can seek his revenge and escape to the Internet. But just how far does his revenge plan go?

  Click HERE to get The Digital Storm on Kindle now!

 

 

 


‹ Prev