Praise for T he Ascension Series— “An engaging and captivating YA paranormal story you will want to read nonstop until the very last page […]. Fans of the genre, both young and old, will enjoy this incredible story of the Asterian race.” —Faridah Nassozi, Readers’ Favorite
About the Author
Two-time Independent Author of the Year Lauren Hudson’s Ascension Series has garnered more than a dozen awards including Mom’s Choice Gold, Readers’ Favorite, and Book Festival wins in Hollywood, New York, Paris, and London. Lauren is a sophomore at the University of Kentucky, majoring in Neuroscience and Biology as a Singletary Scholar. Her published works, which include books, articles, and columns, address a wide-range of subjects like medicine, fitness, ethics, and business.
Redemption
Lauren Hudson
“The whole book was nail-biting […]. The final few chapters were riveting with a superb twist that I never saw coming. —Lesley Jones, Readers' Favorite
The Redemption
All the tears have dried. All the words have been spoken. All the feelings have gone numb. After their sister’s betrayal, Desdemona and Felix Anchor are left to pick up the pieces of their broken family. With their evil mother, Jane, gaining power with each passing moment, time is of the essence if Felix and Desdemona want to save the world as they know it. They must prove their cause worthy to not only other Asterians, but to the Asterian Council. Discovering how to rebuild their futures, their happiness, and their identities in the wake of Jinx’s deception and Jane’s destruction is a must. As they work to protect humans and Asterians alike, will they salvage their family, or will they fall to Jane’s reign once and for all?
The
Lauren Hudson 2018 Independent Author of the Year
Lauren Hudson
Publisher Page
an imprint of Headline Books, Inc.
Terra Alta, WV
The Redemption by Lauren Hudson copyright Š2020 Lauren Hudson All rights reserved. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents, except where noted otherwise, are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any other resemblance to actual people, places or events is entirely coincidental. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any other form or for any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage system, without written permission from Publisher Page. To order additional copies of this book or for book publishing information, or to contact the author: Publisher Page P.O. Box 52, Terra Alta, WV 26764 Tel: 304-789-3001 Email: mybook@headlinebooks.com www.HeadlineBooks.com Publisher Page is an imprint of Headline Books Cover design by Kevin T. Kelly / www.kevintkelly.com ISBN 13: 9781951556167
Library of Congress Control Number: 2020935527
P R I N T E D I N T H E U N I T E D S T AT E S O F A M E R I C A
To my oldest friend, my other half, my roommate, and my sister. Lauren, I couldn’t do any of this without you. I love you always.
1 All the tears have dried. All the words have been spoken. All the feelings have gone numb. The world seems to be swirling around Desdemona and Felix as they take their first steps into the House after returning from Las Vegas. Somewhere in the corner of her mind, Desdemona hears her own footsteps as she wanders toward the elevator. She gazes up at the hundreds of floors rising above her, but the normal rush of exhilaration doesn’t come. Dragging her suitcase, she hardly cares when it catches on a chip in the wooden floor. With a half-hearted tug, she returns her gaze to the tattered booties on her feet. The idea of coming back to the House for another year would normally thrill the Anchor family, but not today. Today, the Anchor triplets have been reduced to twins. To Desdemona and Felix, Jinx may as well be dead. She has completely and utterly betrayed everything they built together over the past year. An emotionless Felix, acting on autopilot, pushes the elevator button to the 111th floor. Over the past few hours spent traveling, Felix and Desdemona have fallen into a thoughtless silence. Neither knows exactly what to say. All they do know is that they can say nothing that will make their situation better. It just isn’t going to get any better. The elevator arrives and a group of chatty Asterians exit, blind to the plight of misery unfolding in front of them. After Jinx pledged herself to Jane with a blood bond, Desdemona and Felix fled as far and as fast as possible from Las Vegas. Without telling anyone what went on underneath the Treasure Island 5
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Hotel, they hopped on the next flight with the hopes of creating a new normal for their small family. Kade, forever strongest in the group, stayed back in Vegas to attend the ceremony naming the newest Asterian Council member. Whether he told other Asterians about Jinx’s betrayal or not, Desdemona neither knows nor cares. As long as someone doesn’t ask them about what happened with Jinx, she thinks they can make it through the night. Maybe. Finally, Felix and Desdemona reach their room. Felix, hands shaking, places his palm on the wood and whispers, “Anchor.” Instead of swinging open as it usually does, the door creeps ajar, mirroring their despondency. Felix enters the hallway first, glancing at the three doors to his right. Jinx’s, the first door, is open entirely, giving the pair a glimpse of her dark lava lamp. Felix considers going in and turning the lamp on, as if doing this will make the situation seem less real, allowing himself to imagine for a moment that Jinx could return and tell them it was just one of her mean-spirited, cruel-hearted jokes. But before he can move, Desdemona takes one big step in front of him and grabs the doorknob, squeezing it tightly. She pulls back on the door, slamming it shut with all the might in her petite body. She storms into her room, her hand resting on the doorknob as she debates whether to close it. She leaves it open. Felix, taking this as a sign that she wants some company, props his suitcase up on the wall and follows her. Desdemona sits on the edge of her bed, hands lying limp in her lap and feet flat on the floor. Felix gingerly sits down next to her and lets out a deep breath. The old-fashioned, furry quilt feels rough under his fingertips, and the purple walls seem less inviting than before they left. “What do we do now?” Desdemona asks in a whisper so soft Felix almost can’t hear her. Even if he hadn’t been able to understand her, he doesn’t need to. She’s verbalizing the question they’ve both been struggling with internally all day. “What do we do?” Desdemona asks again, this time with a little more desperation. “I can’t just sit here and go to class and 6
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talk to everyone like nothing happened. And I definitely can’t answer any questions about her ….” Felix opens his mouth to console Desdemona, but no words come out. For the first time in his life, he has no advice to give. Instead, he allows his eyes to wander around the room in a desperate attempt to find something, anything, that will fix this. His gaze finally settles on her wooden desk, which sits to the right of the bed. Felix isn’t sure he’s ever seen Desdemona doing work at that desk, but she does love to display her knick-knacks on it. Miniature potted plants, jewelry trays, and pictures of family and friends cover nearly every square inch of the desk. A sequin-studded frame with a photo of five-year-old Desdemona, with blonde hair down to her waist and a smile so big it must’ve hurt her cheeks, sits just in front of her baby blue bicycle clock. Stacy holds onto her shoulders from behind in a moment of pure bliss. Unlike Desdemona, Stacy has her eyes fixed away from the camera and toward the little girl below her. For a moment, Felix can’t help but smile at the sweet love and devotion evident between the mother-daughter duo, but his smile fades as he remembers how Asterian law prohibits them from seeing their “parents” during training. Once Desdemona, Jinx, and Felix found out they were Asterians, they promised to leave Stacy, Hilga, and Marcus for the duration of their education at the House. It almost broke Desdemona’s heart to leave Stacy that day, and Felix can only imagine how she must miss her. Especially now. “Hey …,” Felix voices, an idea popping into his head. “You know, only three other people in the world know exactly what we’re going through.” Desdemona shoots Felix a weird look, obviously not catching onto his train of thought. Felix gestures to the photo sitting on her desk, and Desdemona turns to look at it. “Think about it,” Felix explains. He gets up to reach for the photo, the fake diamonds rough under the palm of his hand. “Jane betrayed Stacy and Marcus all those years ago. Stacy and Marcus loved Jane like we loved …,” Felix pauses, not wanting to say her name. 7
The Redemption
Reaching for the photo in his hand, Desdemona nods. Her eyes linger on the photo too long, and Felix notices a pale tear drift down her rosy cheek. “Yeah, but we can’t see them. It’s against the rules, Felix.” Although he is usually a stickler for rules, Felix can’t think of a better time than right now to break them. Moving to sit back next to Desdemona, Felix argues. “Mona, the Asterian Council makes rules for the Asterian world, for the normal Asterian world. When have we ever been normal Asterians?” Just when she thought she had cried all she could, Desdemona surprises herself again as more tears begin to flow. “Just because we’re Jane’s kids doesn’t make us an exception to the rule.” “Actually … I think it does,” Felix says, shocking even himself. Despite spending the past year trying to fit in as typical Asterians, Felix knows they’re going to have to stop lying to themselves eventually. “What normal Asterian has a mother who tries to kill them with every encounter? What normal Asterian has traveled to Santa Fe and Las Vegas to fight said mother and protect the Asterian race?” Felix pauses, weighing his next words. “What normal Asterian has their sister betray them in the midst of a competition founded on family unity?” By now, Desdemona isn’t trying to stop the tears. Even Felix finds his cheeks wet without intention. “I want to see Stacy … ,” Desdemona voice cracks slightly. Felix nods, agreeing. “Then let’s do it now.” “Shouldn’t we ask Mr. Belton before we go? He’ll probably say yes if we just ask.” “No,” Felix insists. “Asking would mean we have to explain the situation to him, and neither of us wants to do that.” He stands up from the bed, and Desdemona, wiping the tears from her face, follows. “And let’s admit it,” Desdemona lowers her voice to a whisper as they exit the room again, obviously avoiding even so much as a glance at Jinx’s closed door. “Mr. Belton is more of a basket case than a headmaster anyway. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”
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Felix raises his hand for a half-hearted high-five and lets out what almost resembles a laugh. “Finally, someone said it. I’ve been thinking that since we met him!” They ride the elevator back down to the ground floor and step out onto the wooden planks of the lobby. “Maybe I didn’t think this through,” Felix squints his eyes and looks around the large, round lobby area. “How are we supposed to get out of here? Students aren’t supposed to leave without permission or an escort.” “We can’t leave if we haven’t come back yet,” Desdemona notes bluntly. When Felix raises his eyebrows at her, Desdemona explains. “We weren’t supposed to be back until tomorrow morning. No one even really knows we’re here.” “So … we just walk out then?” Felix looks around nervously, searching for an Asterian who may be spying on their escape. Desdemona nods and strides toward the door. “Yep. We walk out and pretend to be normal humans. I mean, we did it for fifteen years before this, didn’t we?” With a shrug, Felix follows his sister out of the House. As she begins to search for a bus route schedule to read or a taxi to hail, her shoulders dip slightly, an indication of fatigue setting in. After Jinx sided with Jane, Desdemona became the most explosive of them all. She seemed to feel every negative emotion possible all at once: rage, desperation, grief, despair, and betrayal. She cried the entire way back to the hotel, shamelessly sobbing all over the tattered taxi seat cover. The tears didn’t stop while they packed to leave their Las Vegas hotel room. Felix knew he had to be strong for her. Desdemona dreamt of having a sister her entire childhood, and Jinx had finally begun to warm up to the idea of being a triplet. After what felt like forever, they had finally become a family. That’s what really crushed her …. Felix thinks to himself as he watches Desdemona read a bus route posted on the street corner. Thinking back, Felix remembers the expression of pure joy on Desdemona’s face when Jinx agreed to let Desdemona make her up before her date with Kade. Or the look of triumph when Desdemona retrieved the second replica and Jinx praised 9
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her “handy work.” Or how Desdemona felt genuinely happy for her sister when Kade came to meet Jinx under Treasure Island. Just when Desdemona finally got a sister, Jane stole her. “Okay, so we’re out of the House, but now we have another problem,” Desdemona states, hands on her hips. “How are we supposed to get back home?” Felix takes a step closer to the bus map and studies it closely. Although busses travel all around the city of Boston, their routes end within the city. There’s no way they can possibly travel from this part of Boston all the way back to their childhood homes in New Haven, Connecticut by bus. Felix’s eyes wander aimlessly around the city street until they land on a large, blue metal box. A corded phone—old and rusty, but otherwise functional—connects to the box. Before he can fully consider his actions, Felix rummages through his pocket and scrounges up enough change to make a call. He grabs the phone and dials the only number he knows by heart. “Hello?” A deep, bellowing tone echoes through the phone and Felix finds himself instantly calmed by his father’s voice. “Dad, it’s me,” Felix announces, urgency seeping from his words. “Felix?” Marcus’s tone becomes rigid. “You’re not supposed to call here. I’m going to hang up.” “WAIT!” Felix nearly screams into the phone. Felix, hearing his father sigh on the other end of the line, knows that he has his attention for at least the next few moments. “This is important.” “You’ve got two minutes,” Marcus tells Felix in a stern tone. Where to start? Felix wonders to himself as he takes a deep, settling breath. How does he go about telling his father that their family has been ripped apart just like his was? “It’s Jinx …,” Felix pauses. “She’s gone with Jane… and we need your advice.” If Marcus is at all rattled by his son’s words, he doesn’t show it. His tone is unfailingly steady and stern. “Isn’t there someone at the House who can help you with this? You’ve got a thousand other Asterians and Mr. Belton there for you.” “Okay, you and I both know Mr. Belton is of no help in any situation,” Felix lets out a half-hearted chuckle. “But you and 10
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Stacy are the only ones who know what this kind of … this … betrayal feels like.” “Do you know the consequences for unauthorized interactions with old family members before you leave the House? You’ll have a trial in front of a board of elders chosen by the Council.” Marcus reminds him. “First, that’s a stupid, ancient rule,” Felix states. “Second, I dare someone on the Council to tell me and Mona that we don’t deserve some advice and solace in this situation.” “Just because you’re Jane Anchor’s kids doesn’t make you an exception to the Asterian law.” Felix shakes his head, hardly believing that his father has chosen now to lecture him about the rules. “But having a sister who has joined the person trying to kill us just might.” When Marcus doesn’t respond, Felix lets out a frustrated breath and glances at Desdemona, who is still studying the map with the utmost concentration. He lowers his voice to a whisper. “Listen, Dad, don’t do it for me. Do it for Mona. She lost her only sister yesterday.” Marcus pauses, and Felix knows he’s won. “I’m going to call Stacy. We’ll be there as soon as we can. For now, just try to blend in.” Felix nods, as if his father can see him. “Oh, and Felix, try to stay as far away from the House as possible.” Felix thanks Marcus and hangs up the phone, banging it on the rusty metal. “Let’s go,” Felix announces to Desdemona, immediately starting in the direction away from the House. “Where are you going?” Desdemona shouts after him, rushing to match his brisk pace. Felix shrugs. “Anywhere. Away from here.” Desdemona notes Felix’s short tone and falls silent for a few moments. Above her head, she can hear birds chirping in the crisp fall air as the wind whips around the city block. A couple of bikers pass on the road to their left, ringing their bells as they approach. For a moment, Desdemona remembers the silent, simple life at home in New Haven. With its streetlamps and old shops, Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood, like New Haven, almost feels like something out of a storybook. 11
The Redemption
As they pass a row of federalist-style homes, Desdemona can’t help but wish she had the opportunity to explore the city a little more. Mr. Belton and the Council keep the House a secret from the outside by restricting access. In fact, she’s left the House walls only twice since their arrival - once to find Jane at Truchas Peak and again to travel to Las Vegas for the Asterian Council competition. Well, and right now too, but this trip - unlike their past adventures - is unauthorized. A flash of pink out of the corner of Desdemona’s eye catches her attention, making her pause and face a quaint cottage tucked in between two vintage antique stores. With its faded baby pink wood and flickering blue light hanging above its door, sounds of classical music drift from the cottage. A sign adorns the slightly crooked door that reads “Hansel and Gretel’s Coffee House Open” in purple cursive lettering. “Think they’re going to try to cook us into a scone if we go in?” Desdemona jokes. “There’s only one way to find out,” Felix plays along, moving to the door. He grabs the rusted handle and pulls the door open, its hinges groaning the whole way. Instantly, a mixed aroma of chocolate and coffee grounds fills their senses, making Desdemona sigh in pleasure. In contrast to the rundown exterior, on the inside, plush chairs and tasseled pillows of every color have been placed perfectly around stained-glass tables. Coffee cups of all shapes and sizes line the wall behind a cobblestone counter. A plump woman whose head barely reaches past the top of the stone stands behind the counter. Desdemona’s power Embellishment to see into the past enables her to identify the word “AGREEABLE,” marked in big black letters, across the woman’s wrinkly forehead. This woman, whatever her past may be, tends to be more amiable and flexible than most. Feeling strangely relaxed, Desdemona approaches the counter and asks, “Excuse me, Ma’am, what kind of coffee do you serve?” The woman’s face disappears under the counter, emerging a few seconds later with two menus printed on bright yellow 12
Lauren Hudson
construction paper. She hands one to each Desdemona and Felix with a smile. As Felix looks over the menu’s assortment of hot chocolate, lattes, and cappuccinos, he realizes something important they forgot to grab before leaving the house. “Mona, do you happen to have any cash?” Felix whispers. Desdemona scrunches her nose, thinking, before reaching down to her shoes. She rummages around in her bootie for a minute before pulling out a bag filled with various bills. Felix chuckles. “Why do you keep it in there?” “Um, have you seen the size of girls’ pants pockets? They’re ridiculously small,” Desdemona responds as she pulls out the bills and begins to count. “$24. We have $24 to last us until Marcus gets here.” Felix surveys the menu once more, this time paying closer attention to the prices, before settling on the cheapest option: black coffee. “Have you two decided what you’d like to order?” The woman asks from behind the counter. Just as her words register in Desdemona’s head, a familiar feeling in the pit of her stomach returns. Their training with Kade helped the Anchors control their powers to the best of their ability, but it doesn’t stop visions from coming on at the spur of the moment. It’s an unspoken rule between them that if you can safely accept a vision, never reject it. If their Creator thinks this is a vision Desdemona needs to see right now, it must be important. “Get me a hot chocolate,” Desdemona tells Felix, shoving the money into his hand and wandering over to one of the fluffy chairs. Desdemona rubs the tassels of one of the pillows between her thumb and pointed finger, her sense of touch allowing the vision to flood into her mind. Familiar wooden planks line the walls as Desdemona toys with the crooked nails sticking out of the floorboards. Her fingernails, unusually short and stubby, click on the metal as she and two other boys huddle around a game of monopoly. With his neatly kept dark hair, she easily recognizes one of the boys as a younger version of Marcus. Desdemona, noticing her 1970s 13
The Redemption
style sweater and mom jeans, knows that she can be embodying only one person: Stacy. “Hey, where did all that money come from?” Marcus accuses the other boy, pointing his finger at the stack of monopoly money now stacked neatly by the boy’s leg. “What’da’ya mean?” The boy snickers playfully. “I own the boardwalk and two railroads!” Desdemona hears herself sigh and feels giddiness running up her spine as she hears him laugh. “Chase, we already told you! No using your powers to win monopoly, okay?” Chase continues to chuckle, and he places the money back into the “bank,” knowing his plan has been foiled. As he does so, Desdemona takes a few more looks around the room and notices an ugly orange couch, one she has seen before and one she will never forget. This is the exact recreation room in the House where the Anchors went during the Hunt, the House’s annual event to encourage power development through friendly competition. Desdemona smiles as she pictures the golden plaque in the House with their name on it, commemorating their triumphant win last year. Suddenly, Desdemona’s attention turns back to the moment as she hears a quick rap on the wooden door. The door opens slightly and a head pokes through that Desdemona doesn’t recognize. “Marcus and Stacy, Mr. Belton says he wants to talk to you for a minute,” the boy says. Marcus rises to his feet in response, but Desdemona finds herself wanting to stay here with Chase for a little longer. “We’re in the middle of Monopoly. Can it wait?” Desdemona asks, hoping the boy agrees and leaves them in peace. “No, actually, it can’t,” the boy retorts. “When your headmaster says that he wants to speak to you, you speak with him.” When they finally arrive outside of Mr. Belton’s office, Desdemona knocks lightly on the mahogany door. “Mr. Belton, it’s Stacy and Marcus.” “Come in, come in, come in!” Mr. Belton yells from inside his office. Desdemona turns the doorknob and enters Mr. Belton’s 14
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office, which looks almost identical to how it looks today, with one glaring exception. In the rear left corner of the office, a large stain glass window allows in a few colored beams of sunlight. Right below the window, a large, plush pillow houses a sleeping dog with light gold fur like sand. It lifts its head from slumber, making Desdemona realize she has it all wrong. With its deep brown eyes and paws as big as her head, the animal is not a dog at all, but a lioness. “Please take a seat,” Mr. Belton suggests, tearing Desdemona’s attention away from the wild animal in the corner. He extends his hand to Desdemona as a greeting and Desdemona shakes it promptly. Mr. Belton, unlike his office, looks nothing like his current day self. His full head of thick, black hair and flawless, tan skin tells Desdemona that he wasn’t always the wrinkled, kooky old man he is today. Even more so, he entirely lacks his current aura of wackiness. His steady gaze and unwavering handshake project an image of a put-together leader, someone who can take care of and control his students. The strangest thing of all, however, is that Desdemona notices a feeling of utmost respect for the man. Instead of feeling like she should just brush his crazy advice right off her shoulder, she readies herself to listen and think about what he has to say. And it’s a good thing she does because what he says isn’t at all what she was expecting. “It’s Jane …,” Mr. Belton whispers, suddenly very serious. “What?” Marcus asks. “Have you seen her recently? We haven’t been able to find her since last night.” “She didn’t come back to the room after her last class,” Desdemona adds with worry infiltrating her tone. Out of the corner of her eye, she notices the lion rise and begin to pace around the office. Her eyes follow it, aware of every movement. “I know, and I don’t expect her to be coming back for some time now,” Mr. Belton adds. “Do you know what happened to her?” Marcus asks, obviously just as distressed as Desdemona. As he says this, the lion begins to growl from within the back of its throat.
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Mr. Belton turns his attention to the golden beast and holds his hand up. “Dr. Ricci, this is not their fault.” The lion’s growling ceases, but the pacing continues. Marcus shares an alarmed glance with Desdemona, apparently just as confused as she is. “What’s going on, Mr. Belton?” Desdemona asks as she gulps down the lump in her throat. “Last night around 3:00 a.m. Jane tried to leave the House. She thought everyone was asleep, but she forgot that we always have a professor on duty. Last night, Dr. Ricci was monitoring the door.” Mr. Belton stops, glancing back at the lion. Its large shoulder muscles flex as it maneuvers around Mr. Belton’s desk. “Because we ask our professors to be prepared for an intrusion on the night shifts, Dr. Ricci assumed her most dangerous form: a lion.” It takes Desdemona a moment to realize Dr. Ricci’s gift must be transforming into different animals … or maybe just a lion? She’s not entirely sure. “When Jane tried to leave, Dr. Ricci tried to stop her calmly, but Jane took her lion form as a threat and … she touched her.” Desdemona finds her mind reeling a million miles per hour, finally realizing what she is experiencing. Jane, in her first act as a traitor, stole the powers from a House professor and fled. Desdemona gasps and notices a familiar feeling of betrayal creep into the pit of her stomach. “Is she stuck like this?” Marcus whispers with a head nod to Dr. Ricci, who now growls at full force. She shakes her massive, golden head in a nod. Yes, she is stuck, and it is all Jane’s fault. Desdemona sucks a big breath of air as she re-enters the present. Felix, now sitting across from her with two mugs, passes a cup with piping hot chocolate across the table to her. “Are you okay?” Felix asks after seeing Desdemona’s shocked expression. Desdemona shakes her head, trying to fully make sense of what she just saw. She fills Felix in on her vision as the warm hot chocolate eases her flustered mind. “So that was it? She just left after that?” Felix asks when Desdemona finishes. 16
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Desdemona nods. “I guess so. But I still don’t understand why she felt it necessary to take Dr. Ricci’s powers. Couldn’t Jane have found another way around her? “Mona, this is Jane we’re talking about,” Felix reminds her. “She only cares about power. She’ll take whatever she wants whenever she wants it.” Desdemona pauses for a moment, recalling Stacy’s view of Mr. Belton’s office and comparing it to what she knows from her past visits to his office. “But what happened to Dr. Ricci? We’ve never seen a lion in Mr. Belton’s office before. Or in the House at all, for that matter.” Felix shrugs. He doesn’t know more than she does. In fact, they may never know what happened to Dr. Ricci after she became stuck in lioness form. Suddenly, Felix hears shuffling from the back of the restaurant and turns to find the shopkeeper making her way over to where the Anchors sit. Realizing Desdemona recalled her vision with a very loud voice in a very silent coffee shop, Felix knows the woman heard something she wasn’t supposed to hear. Felix, his eyes darting from left to right, begins looking for a quick way out of the restaurant. We need to get out of here. She knows too much, Felix thinks to his sister. Desdemona, who has entirely forgotten about the woman since her vision, stands up abruptly and makes a move to the door just as the woman reaches them. Hoping Felix will follow her lead, Desdemona feels a clammy hand on her shoulder. “No need to rush out so quickly, sweetie. I am like you,” the woman’s voice comes out shaky, but whimsical. Hesitating still, Desdemona turns on her heel and looks quizzically down at the short woman. “This coffee shop serves as one of a dozen or so safe houses designed for Asterians around the country. I am only called to open it once in a blue moon when a Council member says I should. Apparently, something about you two made a Council member think you needed a smidgen of help.” “A smidgen is an understatement,” Desdemona tells the woman, with a heavy heart. 17
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“So does the shop just sit here closed for the rest of the time?” Felix asks, confused about the whole concept. “Not quite. To humans, the shop looks like a deserted bed and breakfast. It’s enchanted to make people stay away from it. But when an Asterian in need passes by, it’s enchanted to lure ‘em in and give ‘em a much-needed break.” Desdemona turns to Felix in realization. “Mr. Belton may not know we left, but someone on the Council sure does. And they probably even know we called Marcus.” The woman nods. “Oh, they know for sure. Their messenger mentioned it when he told me all about the three ….” The woman pauses. “Well - two - of you.” Desdemona inwardly groans and outwardly sighs. “Great, just what we need - twelve cranky Asterian Council members breathing down our necks and watching our every move.” Something about the way Desdemona phrased that sentence reminds Felix of something Jinx would say. He feels a pang in his stomach, almost like someone punched him in the gut. He allows himself to wallow for a moment before suppressing it because he knows that now isn’t the time to mope. He turns his thoughts back to the Asterian Council and wonders aloud, “They’re probably angry.” The woman shakes her plump head, swinging her low grey ponytail across her neck. “They aren’t as heartless as you two make them seem. They just want happiness for the Asterian world. And even though they don’t usually condone breaking the rules … your situation is really something unique.” Comforted by the fact that they probably won’t be getting into any trouble from the Asterian Council, Desdemona turns her thoughts to something she’s been wondering about since they returned. Right after meeting Jane in the pirate ship, they left on the next flight back home and didn’t even stay for the award ceremony. They left Jason and Hazel behind. Kade may have left his sister Hazel to find Jinx, but in the competition for the Council spot, Hazel might have still been competing and she would have given Jason a run for his money. 18
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“I’m not sure if you know the answer to this, but …,” Desdemona let her voice trail off, not sure she wants to hear the answer to her own question. If Hazel won, that means Jason has returned to his own Asterian training facility. Considering Desdemona has no idea where that is, she might never see him again. But if Jason won, he could be watching her every move. “Who won the last spot on the Asterian Council?” She finally managed. The woman’s face lights up. “Oh! It was that boy. Golly, what’s his name? The one with blonde hair. Oh, he is just so handsome!” That was all Desdemona needs to answer her question. Jason took the last seat on the Council and no doubt knows everything, including this conversation. Desdemona takes a huge gulp of her hot chocolate, feeling it sit like a ball in her throat. That’s a good thing, right? Felix thinks to Desdemona. We’ve got a friend on the Council who can help us. Yeah. Friend, Desdemona thinks back in sarcasm. After the strangely enjoyable kiss they shared under Caesar’s Palace, they became much more than friends. But he’s now one of the twelve most influential Asterians in their world, which means they definitely aren’t a couple. We’re in limbo, Desdemona notes factually. And I don’t expect that to be changing anytime soon. The woman suddenly looks down at the floor with squinted eyes, appearing deep in thought. Desdemona looks at Felix with raised eyebrows as Felix shakes his head. He’s stopped trying to guess why Asterians act the way they do. In a few moments, she emerges from her silence. “Oh, you two, I’ve just been told that your ride is out front.” Although neither understands how or why she knows this information, Desdemona and Felix decide not to question it. They thank her time and again for providing them the protection they needed.
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“Be safe, you two,” the shopkeeper wishes them well as she leads them out the front door. “You may be our only hope for a peaceful existence.” Without offering anything more, she shuts the door to Hansel and Gretel’s Coffee Shop, leaving Desdemona and Felix to greet their adoptive parents for the first time in nearly a year.
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We hope you enjoyed this Zoom Inside the Book Excerpt of The Redemption by Lauren Hudson Purchase the book here! Headline Books https://headlinebooks.com/product/the-redemption/ Amazon https://amzn.to/2T2zJDJ
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Praise for T he Ascension Series— “An engaging and captivating YA paranormal story you will want to read nonstop until the very last page […]. Fans of the genre, both young and old, will enjoy this incredible story of the Asterian race.” —Faridah Nassozi, Readers’ Favorite
About the Author
Two-time Independent Author of the Year Lauren Hudson’s Ascension Series has garnered more than a dozen awards including Mom’s Choice Gold, Readers’ Favorite, and Book Festival wins in Hollywood, New York, Paris, and London. Lauren is a sophomore at the University of Kentucky, majoring in Neuroscience and Biology as a Singletary Scholar. Her published works, which include books, articles, and columns, address a wide-range of subjects like medicine, fitness, ethics, and business.
Redemption
Lauren Hudson
“The whole book was nail-biting […]. The final few chapters were riveting with a superb twist that I never saw coming. —Lesley Jones, Readers' Favorite
The Redemption
All the tears have dried. All the words have been spoken. All the feelings have gone numb. After their sister’s betrayal, Desdemona and Felix Anchor are left to pick up the pieces of their broken family. With their evil mother, Jane, gaining power with each passing moment, time is of the essence if Felix and Desdemona want to save the world as they know it. They must prove their cause worthy to not only other Asterians, but to the Asterian Council. Discovering how to rebuild their futures, their happiness, and their identities in the wake of Jinx’s deception and Jane’s destruction is a must. As they work to protect humans and Asterians alike, will they salvage their family, or will they fall to Jane’s reign once and for all?
The
Lauren Hudson 2018 Independent Author of the Year