by Tonya Hurley
“Thy will be done.”
THE WORD ACCORDING TO SEBASTIAN
Seekers of Hope.
Seekers of Faith.
Seekers of Love.
Come to Me
And to These Three
Who Hold My Heart
And You Will See
All You Want and Wish to Do
Is Already There
Inside of You
Fear Not
For I Am With You
Always
Even to
The End.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
THANKS to my husband, Michael Pagnotta, for his undying love and support. This book would not have been possible without you.
Heartfelt thanks to the extraordinary team at Simon & Schuster: Jon Anderson, Justin Chanda—for believing, Anne Zafian, Zareen Jaffery, Julia Maguire, Elke Villa, Chrissy Noh, Lizzy Bromley, Lucille Rettino, Paul Crichton, Lydia Finn, Mary Marotta, Christina Pecorale, Jim Conlin, Mary Faria, and Teresa Brumm.
Special thanks to the people I have been blessed with in my life: Isabelle Rose Pagnotta, Beverly Hurley, Tracy Hurley Martin, Oscar Martin, Angela and Tony DiTerlizzi, Vince Clarke, Martha and Anthony Kolencik, Mary and Salvatore Pagnotta, Mary Nemchik, Clementina and Bill Morton, Thomas J. Hurley, Thomas A. Hurley, Denise DeCarlo, Heidi Holmes, Lauren Nemchik, Tamara Pajic Lang, Mary-Jo Pane, Abbey Watkins, Paul Sych, Adriana Beltrán, Natalie Shau, Andy McNicol, Laura Bonner, Alicia Gordon, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, all at Aflaguara and William Morris Endeavor, and especially to my amazing publishers and readers around the world.
TONYA HURLEY
is the author of the New York Times bestselling ghostgirl series. She has worked in nearly every aspect of teen entertainment: creating, writing, and producing two hit TV series; and writing and directing several acclaimed independent films. Tonya lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and daughter. The Blessed is the first in a trilogy of novels. Visit Tonya at theblessed.com.
ALSO BY
ghostgirl
ghostgirl: Homecoming
ghostgirl: Lovesick
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Endnotes
1 Thou hast proved my heart, and visited it by night; thou hast tried me by fire: and iniquity hath not been found in me.
2 Put to death that which is earthly in you.
3 My heart is become like wax melting in the midst of my bowels.
They have looked and stared upon me.
The council of the malignant hath besieged me.
I am poured out like water and all my bones are scattered.
4 My enemies have surrounded my soul.
5 They have numbered all my bones.
6 Ask, and it shall be given to you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be open to you.
For every one that asketh, receiveth: and he that seeketh, findeth: and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened.
7 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in the clothing of sheep, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division • 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020 www.SimonandSchuster.com • This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. • Text copyright © 2012 by Tonya Hurley • Illustrations copyright © 2012 by Abbey Watkins • All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. • is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc. • The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event, contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com. • Book design by Lizzy Bromley • Jacket design by Lizzy Bromley • Jacket photograph copyright © 2012 by Natalie Shau • Handlettering copyright © 2012 by Paul Sych • The text for this book is set in Goudy Old Style. • Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data • Hurley, Tonya. • The blessed / Tonya Hurley. — 1st ed. • p. cm. • Summary: “Three girls who have lost their way are brought together by a mysterious young man.”—Provided by publisher. • ISBN 978-1-4424-2951-2 (hardback) • [1. Good and evil—Fiction. 2. Identity—Fiction. 3. Conduct of life—Fiction. 4. Saints—Fiction. 5. Catholic Church—Fiction. 6. Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)—Fiction.] I. Title. • PZ7.H95667Ble 2012 • [Fic]—dc23 • 2012000654 • ISBN 978-1-4424-2953-6 (eBook)
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