Ascension #1
by Heather Letto
Published: March 9th 2015
Genres: Dystopia, Young Adult
Synopsis:
The residents of Impervious are the remnant, the survivors of the war of Annihilation. And though the city is chockfull of pleasures to tantalize and entertain, a beast lurks in the corners, haunting the residents with its presence. The Beast, a mysterious and terminal illness killed off most of Generations One, Two, and Three. And as Gen-Four prepares to take the stage, a provocative, yet questionable, new method to avoid an untimely death incites a cultural rage. But Fran lives counter-culture, off the grid in true rebel fashion. With a life far from opulent, she scurries through dark tunnels, searching for hot meals with Pete while ditching the holographic security team. To her, it's a healthy trade-off. Unaccountability means The Council can't steal her sliver of hope, a belief that she'll see The Epoch arrive before The Beast can pull her into its Fetid embrace.
Published: March 9th 2015
Genres: Dystopia, Young Adult
Synopsis:
The residents of Impervious are the remnant, the survivors of the war of Annihilation. And though the city is chockfull of pleasures to tantalize and entertain, a beast lurks in the corners, haunting the residents with its presence. The Beast, a mysterious and terminal illness killed off most of Generations One, Two, and Three. And as Gen-Four prepares to take the stage, a provocative, yet questionable, new method to avoid an untimely death incites a cultural rage. But Fran lives counter-culture, off the grid in true rebel fashion. With a life far from opulent, she scurries through dark tunnels, searching for hot meals with Pete while ditching the holographic security team. To her, it's a healthy trade-off. Unaccountability means The Council can't steal her sliver of hope, a belief that she'll see The Epoch arrive before The Beast can pull her into its Fetid embrace.
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Excerpt:
Fran spied Gillius, third in line,
in front of a girl with a sleek chestnut mane. Like the others, Gillius’ left
fist rested on his chest, pinky pointed upward as he gave honor to the great
city of Impervious. His glassy stare screamed of the venom already snaking
through his veins, soon to bring an end to his life.
A shudder shook Fran as she
wondered about corporeal termination. Rumors spoke of an excruciating end where
the forfeitures dropped into agonizing spasms of death during the final
pageant. Fran shivered again and reminded herself that sensationalism stemmed
from useless gossip which, in turn, always led to melodrama. Then again, the
entire event was absurd, so why not?
She questioned whether she and Pete
should even be there, gawking like a typical resident as the parade worked
their way down the stairs from center stage to the outside rim of the circle.
They began an official promenade moving as one unit, soundlessly, like a snake
slithers through tall grasses. Right behind Gillius, the girl—what’s her name?—moved with the grace of
a dancer, while glowing hair cascaded about her shoulders like the velvety
train of her robe.
Chestnut
Peak―that was it.
As the procession moved closer,
Fran could make out their facial features with better clarity. Chestnut’s
obvious youth surprised her. As far as she knew, no one under twenty-five had
ever forfeited, yet this girl still had the look of a mid-lifer, like Fran.
The line swayed with rhythmic
motion, and soon snaked only fifteen feet or so away from the venting where
Fran and Pete hid. The eerie silence which enshrouding the promenade morphed
into the sound of rushing air. A dozen pairs of slippers moved in a whisper
just a few inches from Fran’s eyes.
When the fourth set of feet swished into
her line of vision, Fran noticed a hesitation.
“Ladies and gentlemen, would you
please bow your heads as Sasha Lee Dees surrenders, and we give honor to her
name.”
Sasha?
Fran sucked in her breath.
The entire march halted. A
deafening silence reverberated through the courts followed by horrific gurgling
sounds. Then, Sasha dropped to the floor. Not more than a few feet from where
Fran sat tucked into the venting, her chestnut head rolled from side to side
and her eyes shone like polished black orbs.
Back when Fran still lived in the
Old East Wing, Sasha had visited their pod once or twice to work with Ted on
his macros. Fran remembered spying on them from her doorway, hoping to catch
her brother making a move or something. She could almost hear Sasha’s easy laughter
and witty remarks.
Now, however, her eyes locked onto
Fran’s as if screaming for help. Her face contorted, and her body trembled.
Fran felt a vibration move through her own body as her nerves quivered in
sympathetic pain. Sasha’s arms and legs splayed and spasmed as her back arched
and head thrashed about. A sickening, acrid odor, like a mix of poison and
death, wafted from the velvety robe, and bile rose in Fran’s throat. Finally,
Sasha’s eyes rolled back into her head, and her movement terminated.
A cheer erupted from the crowd who
loitered on overhead balconies and platforms, and Fran clasped her hands over
her mouth stifle the scream that roared through her body. All Accountable
residents of legal viewing age watched the event. It was a big deal. Although
some probably scrutinized from a small screen in the comfort of their living
pods, too many just couldn’t resist the sick urge to watch it live.
The cheers finally died down, and
when reverence returned, the swishing slippers resumed. The seven forfeitures
in line behind Sasha tiptoed over the fallen body and continued the march,
leaving Sasha where she dropped.
Character Interview with Fran and Ted Monde
“Hey there, Fran. We
have an audience just dying to meet you. Say howdy!”
“Hey.”
*Waves.*
“Word around town is that you’re a Rebel…
what’s up with that?”
*Snorts.*
“Yeah, I’m a Rebel.
But, whatever. You might be too, if you had to live down here.”
“Yeah? Why?”
“Well… I suppose if you like the Council nosing around in
your business, and if you like the idea of dying without hope and the
shenanigans that go along with living like a moron, you’d be fine. But, if you
knew in your gut that there was something else and couldn’t stomach the idea of
giving up the search for whatever that something was… then, yeah, you’d be a
Rebel, too.”
“Wow. That’s a
mouthful. Apparently, you have some strong feelings about that. So tell us,
Fran, who did you bring along with you today?”
*Looks out the corner
of her eye.*
“This is my brother,
Ted. He’s one of those morons I was telling you about.”
“Woah!” *Ted joins in
with laughter.* “Settle down Wickworm!”
“Yeah. A little harsh, there, Fran. Why ‘moron’?”
“Well, let’s just say,
we used to see eye-to-eye. But, now?” *Shrugs.* “Now he looks at life through
the lens of a “Westie.”
“And Westies are bad?”
“No, not bad…” *Fran Smirks.*
“Just moronic.”
*Ted shakes his head in
silent laughter.*
So what’s your story, Ted?
“Nothing
spectacular. Unless you think rags to
riches is cool.”
“Rags to riches?”
“Yes. My wife and I
have done very well for ourselves.”
*Winks at me before
taking a sip from a water bottle.*
*Fran rolls her eyes
and huffs.*
“Hmm. Looks like there are some family issues to work out here. How
about I leave you two alone to work through those.”
*Fran holds up a peace
sign.*
*Ted grabs his sister
in a side-hug before flashing a blinding-white smile.*
“Thanks for having
us,” They say in unsion.
AUTHOR BIO:
I’m a book-writing, selfie-taking, latte-drinking, social
media gal. I’m living a good life on the road as a full-fledged Bedouin (Well,
except, my tent is actually a fully-equipped RV.) Me and my
partner-in-crime (Benj) tend to hunker down wherever the skies are clear and
the temps stay in the 70’s. We call ourselves Gypsy Nerds because we
aimlessly wander the U.S. with glasses perched upon our noses and faces jammed
into computer screens (for the first half the day... The second half of
the day is typically devoted to playing because we’re also somewhat immature.)
Like most authors, the characters I create are my extended family. And like most readers, when the story ends, I get a little sad. In real life, I have two handsome, hardworking, grown-up boys who know how to make their Mama proud! *Waves to Joey and Mike!*
The Ascension Series is my debut into the world of YA fiction.
I’m living what I love and loving what I live!
Like most authors, the characters I create are my extended family. And like most readers, when the story ends, I get a little sad. In real life, I have two handsome, hardworking, grown-up boys who know how to make their Mama proud! *Waves to Joey and Mike!*
The Ascension Series is my debut into the world of YA fiction.
I’m living what I love and loving what I live!
Author links:
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1 comments:
Hiya, Nancy! Thanks for hosting today! God bless. :-)
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