nodded.
“Mom,” I said, reaching for her as she brushed past me. She yanked her arm from my grasp, leveled her lightly blood shot eyes on me and said, “Goodbye, Arcadia.”
The odd formality in her tone rooted me to the spot, keeping me from following them out the door, down the steps and to the car.
I crossed the hall to the guest bedroom and watched from the window. In the driveway, Aaron hugged Mom tightly and Dad tucked her into the passenger seat of his truck as if she were fragile cargo. Aaron waved until the truck turned out of sight.
I slumped down to the floor, drawing my knees to my chest, too upset to even cry. I never had temper problems before, but for the second time since the accident, I found myself feeling guilty and embarrassed by a sudden outburst. It wasn’t like me at all.
A long sigh from the doorway made me look up.
“So now what?” Aaron asked.
“Huh?”
He entered the room and sat down on the carpet near me. “Well, one of my sisters is gone, and I can’t do anything about it. My mother has a drug problem and is headed to rehab, and I can’t do anything about it. My other sister,” he cut his eyes to me, “has turned into some sort of psychic healer, and I probably can’t do anything about that either, but well, I’m here and so are you, so I guess that means we’re in this together. So again, what do we do now?”
“Now,” I shrugged. “It’s time to figure out what in the hell happened last night.”
Aaron’s head nodded in agreement. “Okay. Where do we start?”
I grinned. “I think it’s time for you to meet the neighbor.”
Acknowledgements
If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes at least an apartment building filled with an eclectic bunch of neighbors to publish a book. I give my appreciation and thanks to the following people who played a part in Arcadia’s Gift.
First and foremost, I’d like to thank my writing group Mercy Loomis, R. Scott Steele and Joe “Zombie Joe” Alfano. They saw the most horrendous versions of this story and still chose to support me. Thank you for your input and peer pressure. Sometimes, not wanting to show up empty-handed on Tuesday night was all that kept me going. A special thanks to you, ZJ, for helping me out of my title crisis and for your phenomenal baking. Seriously, your cupcakes are like ambrosia.
Thank you to my editor, Vicki Keire. Your comments, suggestions and support were valuable to me. I look forward to working with you again in the future.
Even with a fabulous editor, it is essential to gather input from others. Thank you to all of those who beta read for me: Victoria Grundle, Elyse Rector, Mercy Loomis, Jennifer Lowe, Tammy Treleven and Ashlyn Rae —who helped me with getting the teen perspective right.
Thank you to Phatpuppy Art for my gorgeous cover. Every time I look at it I feel like Cady is alive and not just a fictional character born of my imagination.
On a personal level, I need to thank my longsuffering husband, Steve Riggles. You never complain about the time I spend in front of my laptop or running around with my bookish friends. I couldn’t wish for a more supportive man in my life.
Speaking of bookish friends...thank you to Victoria Grundle, Lindsey Hebel, Jamie Annear-Feyrer, Laura Kate Leibelt and Mercy Loomis for our book club. That one night each month has kept me sane through this whole process. I love you all like sisters!
Lastly, I want to thank Eleah, Eliesha and Michael Dickenson for educating me on what it means to be a twin and how powerful the connection between twins can be. I don’t think those of us who are not a twin can fully understand the relationship. I hope this story in some small way honors that special bond.
Okay, enough of the love fest. I have another book to write.
~Jesi Lea Ryan
Arcadia’s Gift Play List
Music is powerful inspiration for writers. The following are the songs that provided fuel for my imagination during the writing of Arcadia’s Gift. They are also the music most likely to be on Cady’s iPod. (In no particular order.)
Teenage Love - Lee MacDougall
Hurricane Drunk - Florence + the Machine
If I Die Young - The Band Perry
Handlebars - Flobots
Run - Snow Patrol
Mad World - Gary Jules
I Lay My Head - Fallulah
Return - Ok Go
Bizarre Love Triangle - New Order
Calling You - Blue October
End of the Dream - Evanescence
Shadow of the Day - Linkin Park
How - Regina Spektor
Trumpet Vine - A Stick and A Stone
Kiss Me - Ed Sheeran
Sleep - The Dandy Warhols
About the Author
Jesi Lea Ryan grew up in the Mississippi River town of Dubuque, IA. She holds bachelor degrees in creative writing and literature and a masters degree in business. She considers herself a well-rounded nerd who can spend hours on the internet researching things like British history, anthropology of ancient people, geography of random parts of the world, bad tattoos and the paranormal. She currently lives in Madison, WI with her husband and sassy kitty. This is her second novel.
Table of Contents
Prologue
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
Acknowledgements
Arcadia’s Gift Play List
About the Author
Table of Contents
Prologue
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
Acknowledgements
Arcadia’s Gift Play List
About the Author