(Sage Hannigan Book #1)
Peggy Martinez
THIS book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
NO part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
FATED
Copyright ©2015 Peggy Martinez
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-63422-118-4
Cover Design by: Marya Heiman
Typography by: Courtney Nuckels
Editing by: Chelsea Brimmer
For more information about our content disclosure,
please utilize the QR code above with your smart phone or visit us at
www.CleanTeenPublishing.com.
For Mom…
Always in my heart and never forgotten.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
About the Author
Prologue
Today I woke up a hundred years younger. That’s a hard thing to accomplish since I’m only eighteen years old. I’d like to think that if I fudge up and accidently come across one of my ancestors I won’t somehow screw up the time stream and… then what? Would I ever be born? Would I wake up one day in this century and just cease to exist? Sheesh… that would probably top my worst-days-ever list.
I should probably back up and begin my story from yesterday… or would it still be considered yesterday when my yesterday takes place a hundred years from now?
See? So confusing!
So let me start over from the beginning, from the day I woke up a normal teenager and went to bed a… time warper.
Chapter One
MINTON’S USED BOOKSTORE WAS NEW, and from the street, I could tell it was just my kind of place. A low glow came from the inside, casting light on the shelves and shelves of used books, random antique paintings, and knickknacks. As I pushed through the door, a small bell chimed above me—a real bell, not one of those digital ones most stores have now. I inhaled deeply, pulling in the faint scent of old paper and spices through my nostrils. Nothing could beat the smell of old books.
“Can I help you?” The voice came from a headless cashier sitting behind the counter, his face buried in a Star Wars novel.
“Umm, no thank you, I’m just going to browse a bit,” I said to the cover of the book.
“Cool. Let me know if you need anything,” the guy behind the counter called after me.
I’d already moved down an aisle, lost in a booklover’s euphoria. I quickly realized the used bookstore was a genuine treasure trove of old books—not just used ones, but also books that were decades old, some of them even older. I came across a particularly beautiful copy of Jane Eyre, and after a long inner debate, I left it on the shelf with a soft sigh. I did have several copies of it, after all, not to mention the three different DVD versions of the movie I’d also collected.
I walked back to the front of the store and headed toward the only glass case in the shop. There were several lovely pieces—some in gaudy art deco, some more delicate and closer to my taste—but nothing that I couldn’t live without. I was just about to turn and head for the door when something in the far corner of the case caught my eye.
A gray stone pendant, half covered in black satin, claimed my attention. I glanced up and found the cashier still ensconced in his place behind the cash register, totally engrossed in a galactic adventure of epic proportions. I kind of hated to interrupt him.
“Is there any way I can see something from this case?” I asked into the silence.
The cashier held up a finger as he finished the paragraph he was reading. When he placed a bookmark in his book and set it down, I was pleased to discover the dude did, in fact, have a head. He reached over, grabbed a set of keys, and moved to stand near the glass case. His black-rimmed glasses were large and should have been dorky, but his blue eyes shone from behind them. Taking into account how well put together his clothing was and the way his hair was meticulously done, I was sure he wore those glasses to complete his look. Nerdy was the new cool.
“Which piece did you want to see?” he asked.
“That one in the corner,” I said, pointing to the pendant. I could feel anticipation building inside of me. I couldn’t wait to hold the beautiful stone in my hand.
He pulled the pendant out of the cabinet, and I was pleased to see it was attached to a long, silver chain. He set it on top of the counter, and I marveled at how lovely it was. The light gray stone was about the size of a quarter and shaped like a teardrop. An intricate pattern of thin silver wire wrapped around the top of the stone, forming a loop for the chain to hang through. It was beautifully crafted. I reached out and picked it up, running my thumb along its smooth surface. My pulse fluttered wildly, and I could have sworn the stone warmed to my touch. Frowning down at the pendant in my hand for a moment, I set it back down.
The clerk picked the necklace up and opened the back of the cabinet, preparing to put it away. It didn’t feel right; I knew I couldn’t leave without it. I wanted that pendant more than anything. It was meant for me—I was sure of it—even if I didn’t understand it.
What an odd thing to think.
But it didn’t matter how odd the thought was; I still wanted the pendant.
“No. I want it,” I said quickly.
The clerk glanced up at me, his eyes searching mine. “You didn’t even ask how much it is,” he answered.
The truth was, I didn’t care how much it was. It was mine, and I was going to buy it. Luckily for me, it didn’t cost much.
I walked out of the bookstore with my impromptu purchase and smiled to myself, feeling happier than I had in a long time. I pulled the necklace out of its small, white box as I walked past the glass window of the store, staring at my reflection. My red hair was blowing softly in the breeze, my cheeks were lightly flushed, and my brown eyes were brighter than normal. I clasped the chain about my neck, and as soon as the stone lay against my skin, I felt… right. But how could that be? How could a piece of jewelry make me feel whole?
Nearby, a streetlamp flickered on, rousing me from my confusing thoughts and feelings. I looked around and frowned; I was out later than I’d planned. Hitching my messenger bag higher up on my shoulder, I walked quickly in the direction of my apartment building in the falling darkness.
I’d walked home alone many times over the last few weeks, but this time was different. There was more than a shadow moving in my peripheral vision, and something other
than the nippy breeze was tickling the fine hairs at the base of my neck. An icy dread settled into my heart, and a shiver shook my body as if a cold, clammy finger had caressed my spine.
I picked up my pace, still distracted by the necklace that hung about my neck and all my confusing thoughts. I turned a corner and promptly collided with someone. Grabbing my messenger bag with both hands, I prepared myself to whack the crap out of the assailant, when I realized the perpetrator was a little old lady who stood nearly three inches shorter than my own five-and-a-half feet. The poor woman had no idea how close she’d come to being squashed like a roach.
“Whoa,” I said breathlessly. “I’m so sorry—I didn’t see you. I hope I didn’t hurt you.”
I put a hand over my heart and berated myself for being such a girl. I’d almost assaulted an old lady, for God’s sake.
The old woman still hadn’t spoken, and when her eerie, translucent blue eyes searched mine, I took a step back. Those eyes were odd—a little creepy, even. The corner of the old woman’s mouth twitched just a bit, and I absently wondered if she’d heard my thoughts. If it were at all possible, this old lady could accomplish it. I shivered involuntarily and rolled my eyes at my own stupidity.
“Okie dokie then.” I shrugged. “If you’re okay, I’m okay.”
Still, she said nothing, and that was my cue to move along. I’d had enough weird for one night.
“Well, I’ll see you ‘round, then,” I said, edging around her to go home.
As I passed her, the aged woman latched onto my arm and pulled me to an abrupt halt. The air around us immediately crackled to life, charged with some strange energy. My hair began to float around my face as if someone had chafed a big balloon all over my head. Her eyes glowed brightly, lighting up her wrinkled face.
I wanted to jerk my arm free, to turn away from her and run, but I found myself unable to do either. Caught in some kind of energy bubble, I couldn’t regain control of myself. It was a horrifying feeling of helplessness, and deep down, I recognized that something was happening in that moment that would change my life forever… whether I wanted it to or not.
She gave a slight nod, as if she’d made up her mind about something, and closed her eyes. For a brief moment, I thought that everything would be okay—she’d let me go, and all would be right in my little world. But then she spoke, and everything changed.
Words tumbled from her mouth, a rough-sounding brogue of some ancient dialect I’d never heard before. I didn’t know how I knew it was an ancient language, but there it was. The words were powerful. Terrifying. And even though the language she spoke was foreign to my ears, the meaning of her words echoed in my mind, searing themselves within my soul.
Blessed of Amerach, cursed by time’s fate.
Rise up. Warrior. Priestess. Embrace the powers that await.
My pounding heart echoed loudly in my ears along with the words she spoke, causing my head to grow fuzzy. The laws of time and gravity seemed all but suspended, and in that moment, nothing existed outside of our bubble.
A brilliant light exploded all around us, and I felt a searing pain bite into the sensitive skin behind my left ear, tearing a gasp from my throat. Suddenly, I was on my hands and knees on the sidewalk, my heart racing out of control. I glanced up quickly to where the woman had been standing, but she was nowhere to be seen. Trying to gain control over the fear I felt, I squeezed my eyes shut and focused on getting my trembling legs to cooperate. A few minutes later, I pushed myself off the pavement. My ears popped as I stumbled to my feet, reeling from everything that had just happened.
Opening my eyes, I glanced around the neighborhood, expecting to find wreckage from the explosion I’d just felt, but everything looked perfectly normal. I wiped the sweat off my forehead with the palm of my hand and squeezed my eyes shut again, trying to piece everything together. None of it made sense, and the harder I tried to rationalize everything, the larger my headache grew.
I brushed my hands off on my jeans and reached up with trembling fingers to touch the side of my neck. There was nothing there to explain the burning pain I’d felt only a few moments earlier. Grabbing my messenger bag off the ground, I headed to my apartment building on shaky legs.
What had just happened to me? Was I losing my mind?
When I finally made it home, I kicked my shoes off and plopped down on my sofa to try and wrap my pounding head around everything that had just taken place. I rubbed behind my ear where I’d felt the burning sensation earlier and shook my head.
What the hell?
I tried to remember the old woman’s features—anything about her, really—but found I couldn’t capture any details except her eerie, pale blue eyes. Everything was a blur, a fast-fading memory. Maybe I was going insane. What was I supposed to do? Call the police? And… what? Report an attack that I had no witnesses to? Tell them there had been an explosion, or that some freaky old lady had burned me… even though I had no burn marks? I was pretty sure that wouldn’t go well.
With a weary sigh, I heaved myself off the couch and headed to the bathroom. A hot shower sounded like a good idea. I stayed in the shower a long time, thinking through all the things that had happened to me that evening, trying to sort it all out in my mind and come up with a reasonable explanation. Nothing came to me. Zilch. Nada.
When my skin had endured entirely too much hot water, I dried off and slipped a nightgown on before sitting on my bed. I stared at the pendant that I’d bought that evening as it sat on my dresser. The more I thought about it, the more I became convinced it was another weird part of my day. I’d never felt so strongly about anything as I had when I bought the pendant. It was almost as if I couldn’t have left it even if I’d wanted to.
Frowning, I walked over and picked up the stone, feeling better as soon as I touched it. Clasping the necklace about my neck, I sighed deeply. My thoughts calmed as soon as it lay against my skin. I decided, as I slid into bed and turned out the lamp, that I could think everything through the next morning. Maybe by then, everything would make more sense. Maybe I would be able to figure out what had happened to me. Or maybe just pretending like nothing had ever happened would be a better plan. Maybe.
As I drifted off to sleep, my mind still swirled around what I should do. Vivid dreaming was not a part of my plan, but then again, nightmares rarely were.
I ran through the fog-laced forest, aware that I was being chased by someone who meant to kill me. I knew if I were caught I would die—my predator could taste my fear, and he liked it. I knew without a doubt my death was what the predator desired above all else. It growled, and the sound raised the hairs on my arms, pushing me to move even quicker. My bare feet flew over the uneven ground, and branches reached out their arms to snag and tear the hem of my gown, leaving fresh cuts along my pale legs.
And still, I ran.
Somewhere close by, I could hear the tick-tock of a clock—a soft reminder that time was running out. It kept pace with the frantic beating of my heart.
I turned my head just a fraction—just the slightest of movements, really—but the motion cost me dearly. I rebounded off an invisible barrier and landed on the forest floor in a heap. Scrambling to get my feet under me and flee into the night once again, I moved as quickly as possible, but I wasn’t quick enough. I stood on tired legs, trying to move, but I was ensnared in some sort of invisible trap. No sound would come from my screaming lips. The trap pulsed. Pulsed again. And then it began constricting tighter and tighter around me.
I gasped, trying to pull in a much-needed breath of air into my lungs, but nothing happened. My head spun as my oxygen was cut off. I became frantic—my lungs were burning, my vision was dimming, and still, the invisible cocoon tightened around me. The more I pushed, the more I struggled, the more the invisible trap squeezed the life out of me.
Before long, I welcomed the darkness.
Time Warper: Fated, A Sage Hannigan Novel Page 1
