make sense, or at least a way to make me feel better about it. I open my mouth to explain. To simply say his name.
Before I can get the words out, my cellphone dies. Just dies, without an explanation. There’s no power, even though I’m sure I charged it up this morning. It won’t turn on, it won’t light up, and it certainly won’t let me say anything to the one person who might be able to help me. I stand there, just staring at it dumbly, for a second after a second.
The main house phone starts to ring in the kitchen. It’s an old thing my dad liked the look of and had rewired, even though we all have individual cellphones. The ring is harsh, cutting through the silence of the house in a way that only emphasizes it.
Has Grayson called me back on the house number, guessing what has happened to my phone? That must be it. I rush through to the kitchen, knowing that I have to talk to someone about this, or I’m going to burst. I snatch up the handset, cutting off that sharp ringing.
“Hello?”
“Celestra Caine?”
A man’s voice. It’s not Grayson. It’s not anyone I know. And yet, whoever he is, he obviously knows me. Coming here and now, I know the call has to have something to do with whatever is going on.
“Who is this?” I ask.
“Celestra Caine, you are about to fade.”
******
FADE (Book 1: FADE Series)
Available Now
Excerpt from Kailin Gow’s Dystopian Series
DESIRE
Book 1
kailin gow
Prologue
Perfection. That was how best to described the day. Blue skies with the hint of lilac and buttercream, fat fluffy white clouds gliding by added to the beautiful day. It was the perfect way to end a sunny school day. With my hand nestled warmly in Liam’s, I walked at his side, my face tilted up to the sun, my nostrils breathing in the fresh air that smelled like Spring lavenders and fresh linen. The fragrant air made me think of Spring formals, garden parties, and outdoor barbeques. The day could not be more enjoyable if it’d been planned that way. If I had not grown up anywhere else besides the state of Arcadia, I would have thought this was the way it always was everywhere.
School had gone well, tests and exams had been passed with flying colors and the birds seemed to be singing perfectly. Like every day in Arcadia.
As we approached Nellie’s Diner, I caught a glimpse of myself in a store window and was pleased with the reflection I saw. My long blonde hair cascaded down my back, freshly brushed and tidy. The lustrous locks fluttered in the breeze in a way that always made Liam smile, and it all added a bounce to my step.
That morning I’d chosen to wear my pale green smock dress, the one that he always complimented me on.
“That dress sure does make those hazel eyes of yours pop,” he’d always say.
Always told I was a pretty girl, I never really believed it until Liam and I began dating in high school. At his side I felt beautiful. Was it his striking features that enhanced my sense of beauty or was it simply the look of adoration I saw in his eyes every time he looked at me that made me feel so beautiful?
“How’d you do on your math test?” he asked.
Though I’d always managed to get good grades, I never failed to get nervous and edgy when test time came around. “I think it went well,” I said, smiling at him and adoring him all the more for the concern he always showed for me and my studies.
“I think I pretty much aced that History exam this morning,” he said with pride.
He was so handsome, his fair curls so angelic. It never failed to amaze me how sweet, kind and generous he could be. A guy as handsome as Liam could easily break a thousand hearts, yet he was thoughtful and considerate in the way he treated every woman he met, and he was particularly attentive, loving and caring with me.
“Maybe my Life’s Plan should have been to become a history professor,” he added as he opened the door to the diner, his bright blue eyes twinkling with laughter and amusement.
I shared his hope and promise, and questioned what my own Life’s Plan would be. With my eighteenth birthday quickly approaching, I would know all too soon. It was as though I had been waiting all my life to find out