Fif15teen
Page 33
Acknowledgements
Although it was my hand that put these words to paper, I didn’t bring Fif15teen to life alone. I’d like to mention so many people but just don’t have enough room here, however, I must give a special thanks to a special few.
First, thank you reader for taking a chance on Fif15teen! I hope you truly enjoyed it. Thanks to Big Head Books and Martique and Tyrone Jackson for all that you do. A big thank you to my editor, Toisan Craigg. Thanks to my daughter’s Norvonee and Kiana who were the first to sample Fif15teen after which Kiana said, “Wow Mom, that was really awesome. It’s like you’re a real author!” Thanks to Natalia Whalen (Goodbye Boogs), Melissa Provencher and Melissa Nace who loved Akeem from the beginning and much love to the Taylor’s. Most importantly, thanks to my better half, Jimmy Hall who was sole chef, housekeeper, chauffer, sounding board, creative advisor, master encourager and especially for being a single parent and spouseless even though I was just in the other room writing. Last but never least; my love to Terrell, Cotye and Jimmy Jr. Can’t forget my boys!
About the Author
Nik Davies has been making up stories since the first day of kindergarten when the teacher asked why there was a turtle and two tree frogs in her lunchbox instead of an actual lunch. Since then, she has spent most of her available time dreaming up stories and writing them down. She lives alone in the Berkshires, unless you count her husband, children, and the ghosts of Fred and Bob, their dearly departed tree frogs.
Afterword
Thanks again for reading Fifteen and getting to know Akeem, Quinn and the wild kids of the Cube. If you would like to know about Still Fifteen, the second release in the Cube Series or when I release a new book, please connect with me online. I’d love to hear from you and keep you posted on my upcoming projects. Stop by and say ‘Hi’ and if you really love Fifteen, don’t be shy, let the world know!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/enterniksmind
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/AuthorNikDavies
Coming soon from Nik Davies
In paperback and e-reader:
Still Fifteen - Cube Series Book 2
Quest for the Keys
Quest for the Keys -Trials of Sai’ Theron
Bad Lucky
Bad Lucky-er
FREE PREVIEW
Quest for the Keys
By Nik Davies
The letter carrier sighed with relief as he stood in front of the final house on his route. He slid through the hedges and hurried across the lawn toward the backdoor. A small white dog charged out of a doggie door, zipped down the steps and through his legs, nearly knocking him over.
“Hey, where are you going, and what’s in your mouth?” he watched the speeding dog dash through the hedges and out of view. “Even the dog’s crazy!” he mumbled, shaking his head. Before letting himself in, he tapped lightly on the backdoor. “Penelope, I have a package for you,” he said as he walked into the kitchen and grabbed a warm cookie from a plate on the counter.
“Penelope?” he called with his mouth full of chocolate chips. There was no response. “Hello? I can’t leave this package without a signature.” He stepped through the long swinging doors leading into the main house. He had never come this far into Penelope’s house before. It was much larger than he expected, a good deal darker and unusually quiet. He could hear his own heart beating as he walked slowly into the foyer.
This was unusual. The house was never empty—most of the time Penelope knew he was coming before he knew himself. He began to worry; after all, the woman could be absentminded at times. What was she thinking living alone in this enormous old house all by herself anyway? Please, just let her be all right.
The soles of his shoes squeaked as he walked across the marble floor to the staircase, and gazed up. “Hello?” his voice was barely a whisper. Something flickered at the corner of his eye; he turned quickly only to find a curtain moving in the breeze from an open window. “Penelope?” he called again, this time much louder. He thought he heard a noise on the landing above so he followed the sound, jogging quickly up the long flight of stairs. At the top, he called again but received no response.
He noticed a strange door at the opposite end of the long hallway that seemed oddly familiar. The door stood slightly open with a hint of light seeping through the crack. Something about the door made the hair stand up on the back of his neck. It disturbed him in ways he could not explain and it made him a bit reluctant to continue his search for Penelope. Then he shook his head and chuckled, silently cursing his love for horror movies. He peeked into empty rooms along the hallway and before he knew it he was there, standing in front of the odd door. It looked ancient and out of place as if stolen and randomly stashed in Penelope’s house. The dark wood was worn, craggy and crisscrossed with deep grooves and dark lines. Heavy swirling ironwork spiraled and crawled from the door’s center, reaching towards its edges as if trying to escape what was within. Strangely, the dark door had no knob or handle so he slid his hands into the crack and pulled, surprised at how heavy the old wood was. Finally, he took a step into the room.
“Penelo—” the name stuck in his throat. What he saw was impossible. His heart thundered in his chest as he worried if he had lost his mind. A thousand thoughts flashed through his head in the moment before he decided to turn and run for his life, but it was too late. He tilted forward. His arms pin-wheeled as he reached frantically for something to stop his fall but his fingertips found only air as he fell through the strange door. They were on him in seconds.