Month: August 2018

Auschwitz Lullaby by Mario Escobar

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Book Look in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Auschwitz Lullaby by Mario Escobar was an amazing book, but it was hard for me to get through during parts of the book.  It was hard because of how the author truly made me understand what was going on in the book and that left me feeling sad.  I have read a ton of books like his one and I would put this one at the top of my favorites list.  I know that the author did his job when I am holding back tears as I am reading.  I felt so bad for Helene, but I did respect the fact that she didn’t let her children and husband go without her.  I would have also understood if had stand behind because a lot of people would rather stay behind than get shipped off.  As I was reading this book I am always left sad because I know that the things that happened in this book happened to thousands and thousands of people.  If you love WWII fiction or historical fiction I would give this book a shot because I think most people would enjoy this book.

About The Book

In 1943 Germany, Helene is just about to wake up her children to go to school when a group of policemen break into her house. The policemen want to haul away her gypsy husband and their five children. The police tell Helene that as a German she does not have to go with them, but she decides to share the fate of her family. After convincing her children that they are going off to a vacation place, so as to calm them, the entire family is deported to Auschwitz.

For being German, they are settled in the first barracks of the Gypsy Camp. The living conditions are extremely harsh, but at least she is with her five children. A few days after their arrival, Doctor Mengele comes to pay her a visit, having noticed on her entry card that she is a nurse. He proposes that she direct the camp’s nursery. The facilities would be set up in Barrack 29 and Barrack 31, one of which would be the nursery for newborn infants and the other for children over six years old.

Helene, with the help of two Polish Jewish prisoners and four gypsy mothers, organizes the buildings. Though Mengele provides them with swings, Disney movies, school supplies, and food, the people are living in crowded conditions under extreme conditions. And less than 400 yards away, two gas chambers are exterminating thousands of people daily.

For sixteen months, Helene lives with this reality, desperately trying to find a way to save her children. Auschwitz Lullaby is a story of perseverance, of hope, and of strength in one of the most horrific times in history.

About The Author

Mario Escobar Golderos has a degree in History, with an advanced studies diploma in Modern History. He has written numerous books and articles about the Inquisition, the Protestant Reformation, and religious sects. He is the executive director of an NGO and directs the magazine Nueva historia para el debate, in addition to being a contributing columnist in various publications. Passionate about history and its mysteries, Escobar has delved into the depths of church history, the different sectarian groups that have struggled therein, and the discovery and colonization of the Americas. He specializes in the lives of unorthodox Spaniards and Americans. Books

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2018 Margaret Margaret

The Gentle Revolutionaries by Don Lord

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Book Look in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

The Gentle Revolutionaries by Don Lord I found that I had a really hard time staying interested in this book and I know it is probably because I am not as interested in this type of book right now.  This book was slow moving for me, so I am sure that is a big part of why I had a hard time with this book.  Books like this one aren’t for everyone so just because it didn’t work out for me doesn’t mean that I won’t work out for other people.  If you love learning about things that most people don’t know that I know you will love this book because even though I was bored I still learned a ton from the book.  That is the only reason that finished it because I had to know how it all ended and what happened.  This is a book that I would read along with other books so that I didn’t get super bored with this book.

About The Book

prominent American missionaries, Dan and Emelie Bradley, who became close friends with the famous monk, later King Mongkut. They arrived in Thailand (Siam) in 1835 and made significant contributions to Thailand’s medical, social and intellectual history. Their diaries and letters, as well as the Thai’s evaluation of them, destroys the false image of Thailand an English writer had created. The Bradleys and their missionary coworkers came from New York’s “Burned Over District,” famous for its policy of accepting women as social equals. Thai nobles basically treated missionary women as their husbands did, respectfully and warmly.

Anna Leonowens, who served as an English teacher for the children and wives of King Mongkut, later fabricated two novels about him that were bestsellers. Unfortunately, these books were innocently used as the basis for Margaret Landon’s novel, Anna and the King of Siam, which was made into successful Broadway and Hollywood musicals.

The Thai and the missionaries were so close that two missionaries negotiated Thailand’s treaties with the United States and England. Missionaries also led the battle against smallpox and inspired the Thai to replace their antiquated educational system with one similar to Western schools. The best example of the Thai/missionary mutual respect came when an American ambassador to Thailand was shocked to discover at a royal dinner with King Chulalongkorn, that not he, but a missionary wife sat at the right hand of the king.

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2018 Margaret Margaret

Catch Him If You Can by Jennifer Shirks

In Jennifer Shirk’s newest installment in her Accidentally Yours series, town widower Wade Roberts is being bombarded by Cape Harmony’s matchmaking mamas. His only way to stop them: pretend to be in a relationship with his sister’s best friend, Arden Pearson. But when what started as an act begins to shift into something more, it might take a village to convince Wade that Arden’s his perfect match.

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About Catch Him If You Can:

Title: Catch Him If You Can

Author: Jennifer Shirk

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: August 13, 2018

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Series: Accidentally Yours

Format: Digital eBook

Digital ISBN: 9781640636156

Veterinarian Wade Roberts is done with love. But try convincing the elderly folk of Cape Harmony who are determined to play matchmaker. Now the young single women in town are bombarding him with baked goods and love notes, and being “taken” is the only way to stop the meddling grannies—which is why he needs a fake fiancée. Fast.

Arden Pearson loves planning weddings. Other people’s weddings, that is. After her own engagement ended in disaster, she prefers to live vicariously through her work. But when she needs to persuade a big client that she’s capable of planning the celebrity wedding of the year, she’s willing to go as far as pretending to be engaged herself to her best friend’s older brother.

Soon their ruse has everyone in town believing they make the perfect couple—including Arden. She’s always been nothing more than a kid sister to Wade, and it might take a village to convince him otherwise…

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Excerpt:

Copyright© 2018 Catch Him If You Can

Jennifer Shirk

Wade stood in line at the Drip N Sip, about seven people back, mentally warming up to let good old matchmaking Judy Tavish have an earful. What a friggin’ exhausting morning he’d had at work on Saturday, combating the flirting, the date requests, and the come-ons. Becky was right. His office had served more like a singles bar than a veterinary clinic. Well, no more. He was done with that, but mostly he was done with the meddling gray-haired coffee barista, looking over at him now and shooting him that wide, cheery-assed smile of hers.

“Oh, hello, Wade!” Judy waved, all sunny and good-natured, which ironically had the direct opposite effect on his already foul mood. He gritted his teeth and didn’t wave back.

“And what animal peed on your parade?” a feminine voice asked beside him.

He glanced to his right. Arden Pearson stood next to him with arms folded and an amused grin on her glistening pink-glossed lips. Arden was his sister’s best friend and all-around town sass-mouth—at least to him. He’d known her since high school when she had braces and blond hair down to her butt. Her mouth was still as sassy—maybe more so—but the braces were gone and her straight hair was cut shoulder length in a mature, professional style now. He’d always thought she was a cute girl back then, but as an adult, she was pretty damn stunning—when she wasn’t ribbing him. She had moved back to Cape Harmony about five years ago to open up her wedding planning business. Wade rarely ran into her in town unless she was with Kinsley, which made this day all the more agitating.

He turned away. “Right now, I’d actually welcome being peed on,” he muttered.

She made a tsk tsk sound. “Wow, you are having a bad day. Well, join the club.”

“Join the club?” Wade turned back to her and blinked. Damn, she had the prettiest eyes. The most unique kind of blue he’d ever seen. He immediately looked away. “Are you being bombarded at work and at home by hordes of single marriage-minded women?”

“Well, no— Wait.” She laughed. “Hold on. Are you?”

Yes. And it’s all Judy Tavish’s fault,” he said, jerking his thumb in Judy’s direction. “She’s taken it upon herself to become my own personal walking, talking Tinder account.”

“Hmm…” Arden’s delicate brows drew together. “So, does this mean you want to book me ahead of schedule for a discount, or do you want to wait until the actual wedding proposal?” she said with a chuckle.

“I knew you wouldn’t see the seriousness in the situation.”

“You’re right. I don’t.” She shrugged. “I mean, so what if Judy thought you should get out and have some fun and gave your number to a few nice women. Oh, boo-hoo.”

He looked her dead in the eye. “Twenty-six women, Arden. Twenty-six. Not including the crowd that showed up at the clinic on Saturday with their fake sick pets. And did you know that when I got home from work there were brownies and half a baked chicken left on my doorstep.”

Arden whistled. “Damn. Remind me to use Judy when I’m looking for a date. Or need a snack.”

About Jennifer Shirk:

Jennifer Shirk is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of sweet (and sometimes even funny) romances for Montlake Romance and Entangled Publishing. Her novel, FIANCE BY FATE—a 2015 Readers’ Crown Finalist—became an Amazon #1 best seller for Series Romance. And recently, Wrong Brother, Right Match, WON the Sweet Traditional category of the 2017 Golden Quill Contest and became a #1 Amazon bestseller for Holiday Romance.

She resides in a beach resort in NJ, so when she’s not writing or working on her tan, she’s taking care of her most treasured possessions: her husband, daughter and puppy (Sox).

Check out her website for News and Links: http://www.jennifershirk.com

And don’t forget to join her mailing list for a chance to win monthly giveaways and free ARCs: eepurl.com/Q6TH1

Connect with Jennifer:  Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  |  Amazon  |  BookBub

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2018 Margaret Margaret

Raven’s Eye by Adam Gowans

 

Adam Gowans is the youngest of five Air Force brats, out of which his siblings have voted him the weirdest. He loves anything that deals with stories, including movies, novels, television dramas, music, video games, manga/manhwa, and webtoons.
In his mid-twenties, he lived and taught English in South Korea for four years before returning to the States to live, like many LDS authors, in Utah.
His first novel is On Angelic Wings, which has a planned sequel, but the sequel will be released after two other novels that are calling for his attention.

 

Ever since magic caused his mother’s death, Ha-Neul, crown prince of Balhae, hates witches and the magic they wield. He has instituted harsh laws against all magic users.
 

 

Lisa is a young witch working undercover as a servant in his palace, hoping to gain freedom for her people. The last thing the two expect is to fall in love. But when Ha-Neul learns that Lisa is not only a witch, but the daughter of the Prince of Vires, land of witches, he banishes her. Distracted by heartbreak, he is caught off-guard by a military coup.
In hiding and on the run, Ha-Neul swallows his pride and travels with his siblings to Vires, planning to beg Lisa’s aid, only to learn that she has mysteriously vanished.
Now his only hope in reclaiming his kingdom and reuniting with Lisa lies in the remote Northern Mountains, a country no one has ever penetrated and rumored home of a powerful magic source. There, Ha-Neul learns that a being powerful beyond comprehension has been carefully guiding his destiny. But if Ha-Neul can’t let go of his hatred of all things magic, and accept the new path offered to him, it will mean the destruction of his entire world.

 

 

 Lisa made her way through the palace hallways with her head down but her eyes as straight ahead as possible, just as any musuri was supposed to do. When she stepped out of the elevator into the royal children’s wing, she hoped she wouldn’t run into the princess again. They had enough run-ins that Lisa didn’t want to repeat them, and she was more concerned than ever that she might lose her temper, considering the princess had just dishonorably dismissed her favorite nain, or personal assistant, for donating half her wages to support those in need of welfare in Vires, a land of witches.

Due to the splashes of color on her hanbok, the Balhaen traditional clothing, her faint reflection in the glass enclosing the garden caught her eye as she walked by. Navy blue colored the trim on the apron and the sash that bound it to her long skirt, or chima—also the same color as the trim and sash.

Lisa refocused on her duties and stopped at a tapestry to run her finger down its left side, allowing it to pop forward and slide to the right to reveal a storage closet filled with cleaning supplies and a cart. Lisa took the cart laden with cleaners, fresh rags, and dusters, then closed the door. She walked a little farther and stopped at a wooden sliding door beautifully carved with cranes flying low near water. She knelt beside it and knocked.

“Eorin Wangja-Mama,” she called to the prince in a humble tone using Hasoseoche, the palace speech. “May I enter?”

Lisa listened for a few moments, but no response came from within. She slid the door open a crack. She couldn’t see the prince in the large living room. Lisa opened the door the rest of the way, stood, and wheeled in her cart. The room was a mess. Toys—mostly action figures, vehicles, and large toy stations from several popular children’s programs—clothes, and blankets were strewn around the floor or, in the blankets’ case, hung to form a fort.

“Wangja-Mama, are you not here?” she said with a playful lilt now that she was in the safety of his room.

Silence answered her.

Lisa picked the clothes up off the floor and tossed them into three different woven baskets in the corner of the room: one for shirts, one for pants, and one for everything else. As she worked, she whistled a merry tune, one with lots of notes so she sounded like a cartoon bird as it flew, just as the prince liked her to, because she didn’t believe for a single moment that she was alone in the room. She approached the fort—taking care of where she stepped, moving toys around with her toes so she didn’t smash them—to gather a suspiciously large pile of discarded shirts. When she bent down, a hand shot out of the fort and snatched her wrist. Lisa laughed in response.

“You almost scared me that time, Eorin Wangja-Mama.”

A childish giggle she recognized as the prince’s came from the fort.

“Come out, Wangja-Mama.”

The finely dressed thirteen-year-old boy—though his clothes had wrinkles—crawled out of the fort. His short, neatly trimmed black hair stood up in odd places. His chocolate-brown eyes shone brightly against his dark, caramel-cream skin. The childlike demeanor surrounding him testified to his being mentally young.

“I really didn’t scare you?” His voice came out breathy and childish as he spoke to her in Hapsyoche, the speech of the wangsil, or royal family, reserved for palace servants and among themselves.

She smiled. “Almost, Eorin Wangja-Mama, almost.”

He smiled in return, showing perfectly straight teeth. “Can I help again?”

“Can I stop you from helping, Wangja-Mama?” Even as Lisa spoke, he grabbed a rag and bottle from the cart. She added in a whisper, “I’m going to get in trouble again.”

He started dusting the top of his giant wardrobe. Lisa shook her head and resumed gathering the dirty clothes.

 

 

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2018 Margaret Margaret

Siren’s Curse by Katee Robert

SIREN’S CURSE, a dark and haunting standalone novel in the multi-author series, The Sea King’s Daughters is LIVE!

In SIREN’S CURSE by NYT Bestselling Author, Katee Robert, a cursed mermaid has lost her powers and her ability to shapeshift and the only creature that can help her reclaim herself is one who may mean her the most harm…

Add SIREN’S CURSE to your TBR pile on Goodreads then keep reading to get a sneak peek excerpt and your chance enter the giveaway to win one of TEN (10) eBook copies of SIREN’S CURSE!

Title: Siren’s Curse

Author: Katee Robert

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Release Date: August 13, 2018

Publisher: Indie

Series: The Sea King’s Daughters

Page Count: 76 pages

Format: Digital

ASIN: B07DJK2HQR

Lorelei Fischer is cursed. A mermaid who can’t shapeshift, can’t create portals, and is no longer fully who she was meant to be. Too ashamed to admit how badly she failed to her sisters, she takes refuge in a small town in northern California and opens a used bookstore. With no way to regain what she’s lost, she resigns herself to a life half-lived.

After nearly drowning under the dark of the new moon, there’s no escaping the truth. She’s being hunted, and this enemy will stop at nothing to take her.

Lorelei must find a way to reclaim her birthright and her abilities before it’s too late. Because the sea holds more monsters than she could have dreamed—and one of them wants her dead.

Look for other stories in this exciting Urban Fantasy series from Philippa Ballantine, Stacia D. Kelly, Lauren Harris, and Asa Maria Bradley.

Available at: 

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2syiT2e

 

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Siren’s Curse Excerpt

Copyright © 2018 Katee Robert

I start for home, the wind and water turning my hair into blond snakes that whip around my head. Less than a quarter mile to my house and it might as well be on the moon. I pull my jacket tighter around my body and pick up my pace. Each harsh breath makes my chest ache, reminding me about the way this morning started.

I shouldn’t be alive.

There’s no other way to say it. When I closed my eyes, parted my lips, and inhaled… I made my choice. That I hadn’t died. That I woke up on the beach… Someone put me there, though I can’t begin to guess their purpose.

Lorelei.

I jump and spin in a circle, searching for the source of the voice. There’s no one in sight. There isn’t even a single pair of headlights on the road. Just the trees whipping back and forth in front of me and the beach at my back. I turn slowly to face the beach—the water—and squint into the driving rain. No part of me is dry at this point, so I might as well investigate.

Lorelei.

There it is again, barely more than a whisper on the wind. Calling me back to the water.

I take a step before what’s left of my self-preservation kicks in. “No.” I don’t mean to say the word aloud, but it settles something inside me. I am not some weak-willed creature to be drawn in by curiosity. Whatever has the power to reach me here on dry land is something I want no part of. “Get the fuck out of my head.” That’s where I must be hearing him. There’s no way he’s actually speaking to me on the wind.

Whoever he is.

I have something you want.

I freeze. The faintest tugging in my stomach dials it up a notch. It never really goes away, even when I’m sequestered in the bookstore and surrounded by earth instead of sea. That tug tells me the exact direction my necklace—my powers—lay. I never get more than a hint of water that’s such a dark blue, it might as well be black, or an intense pressure that conveys exactly how far from the surface my necklace is kept. Too deep for humans and their machines.

Too deep for me.

I start for the beach before I can think better of it. For over two years, I’ve been missing a vital piece of myself, walking around as only half of a whole. I might not be completely helpless in my current state, but I’m easy pickings for any supernatural creature who decides to gun for me. Last night more than proved that the sea will take me, one way or another

It might as well be on my terms.

Lightning flashes, bright enough that spots dance over my vision for the several seconds of silence before thunder rattles my bones. The storm isn’t directly overhead yet, but it will be soon. I’m a damn fool if I’m still out by that point.

I yank off my boots and socks and toss them onto the beach just out of reach of the waves coming faster and faster. One step, maybe two, and I’ll be submerged up to my ankles. My finding power will spiral out of me, instinctively seeking the one item I want more than anything in this goddamn world.

Not my sisters.

Not even the portal home.

No, what I want more than anything is to be whole again.

I should just turn around and go home. Whoever this voice belongs to, they mean nothing good for me. There’s a proper way to reach out, and it’s not by drawing a finless one of the merfolk into the ocean and nearly drowning her human body. Stepping into the ocean will boost what little magic I have left, and it will create a clear channel for him to speak to me.

I take that first step, and then the second. My power streaks out into the deep and then rebounds, slamming me with a vision of my necklace. It’s different than it’s been in the past. Barely any pressure to speak of. Blue-gray water that stretches for miles and miles and miles around without encountering land. A vaguely fishy taste on my tongue.

Tentacles.

And then his voice is in my head, curling through me in a way that’s just shy of being invasive. Hello, pretty.

Telepathy isn’t one of my skills, but apparently his is so strong that it allows me to fire off a reply. Tell me what you want and get out of my head.

His chuckle is pure predator. More like I have something you want.

Surely not. The Deep Dwellers, sworn enemy to my people, wouldn’t be so foolish as to lose a coup like my necklace. In the endless history of wars between our kind, I can’t think of a single instance when they’ve managed to steal the very essence of what one of the merfolk is—to sever one of us from our power. It’s priceless. They wouldn’t have traded it—would have, in fact, guarded it with their lives. So why does this monster in my head have access to it?

I cross my arms over my chest and tell myself that the shiver racking my body is from the cold. I’m listening.

Come to me.

That surprises a laugh out of me. Pass.

You’d turn down a chance to regain yourself?

I’d turn down a chance to walk into a trap like an idiot. I shake my head. This is a waste of time. I turn for the shore when power slams into me, sending me to my knees. The water rushes in—or maybe I rush out—and the next thing I know, I’m up to my chest.

Don’t be a fool.

This deep, I finally have a sense of him. He must have held himself back up to this point, because he’s positively ancient. Older than anything I’ve ever felt—even my father—and so powerful that pain lances through my head. It would be so easy to give him what he wants, to stop fighting, to…

“Get the fuck out of my head!” I sprint for dry land. This deep, it’s more of a fast wade, but I curse and spit and fight the pull of the magic current trying to yank me off my feet. “No, no, no, no, get your stupid magic off me!

He releases me all at once and I fly the last few feet and land in a heap just past the now-normal waves. I sit up and scrub sand from my face. Even without the water connection, his dark amusement slithers through me. Another time, pretty. His presence recedes faster than any tide, leaving the storm just a normal storm.

It’s official—I’m in even worse trouble than I could have imagined.

 

About Katee Robert

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Katee Robert learned to tell her stories at her grandpa’s knee. Her 2015 title, The Marriage Contract, was a RITA finalist, and RT Book Reviews named it ‘a compulsively readable book with just the right amount of suspense and tension.”  When not writing sexy contemporary and romantic suspense, she spends her time playing imaginary games with her children, driving her husband batty with what-if questions, and planning for the inevitable zombie apocalypse.

Connect with Katee at: Website | Facebook | Twitter| GoodReads | Instagram | BookBub

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2018 Margaret Margaret

The Immundus by Christia Enquist

Would you sacrifice your humanity to save mankind?
 
IT’S THE YEAR 2828, and Domus is the last remaining country. Divided into twelve walled cities known as genuses, Domus spans what’s known as the purist lands—lands unaffected by the genetic modifications that killed all other species of mammals. But outside the walls of each genus the Immundus threaten the welfare of those within. From a young age, all citizens of Domus are trained for combat against these intruders.
 

 

At sixteen, Nia Luna knows little of the Immundus, except for the citywide alarms that ring any time an Immundus nears the genus walls. What she does know is that her own species is dying—their numbers dwindling as a mysterious disease called allagine kills many before their eleventh birthday. The same disease that ravaged her family when it took her sister.
 
When Nia is recruited into Genesis, a research company pioneering the path to a cure, she knows that her dream to find a cure for allagine is finally within her grasp. But within weeks of starting at Genesis, Nia witnesses something she shouldn’t have—something that changes everything. As she sets down a dangerous path that uncovers national secrets, Nia will have to decide not only what kind of person she wants to be but also how far she’s willing to go to save humanity.
In addition to the Amazing Give away below Author Christina Enquist is offering another chance to win $50!!! 
Find the flyer with all detail, terms and conditions, below the Giveaway!

 

 

I grew up in Salinas, California, the same hometown of John Steinbeck, one of America’s greatest writers. I loved to read (and still do) and frequented the John Steinbeck Library as a child. I discovered at an early age that I also enjoyed writing. In sixth grade, my teacher, Mr. Graham gave the class an assignment to write a story for a contest. The contest required that we create our book binding as well, which we did with cardboard, glue, and wallpaper. My book was called “Mully Mully” about a creature who lived in an underwater lake city. I was sad when I didn’t win, but I cherished my book so I kept it all these years. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I decided to put other stories, roaming around in my mind, down on paper again, or actually, in my case, into a computer.
I took a non-traditional route to writing, considering I have a doctorate in Educational Leadership. Aside from writing, I work full-time as a Training & Development Coordinator at Kaweah Delta, a  teaching hospital, and some semesters I also teach at College of the Sequoias in Visalia, California, where I currently live. When I’m not at my full-time and part-time job, I enjoy writing, reading, watching TV, and spending time with my husband and pets (cat-Smokey, dog-Princess).
The Immundus is my debut novel.

 

Just outside the door, a gray-haired but young-looking man, is speaking with Dr. Matus. Derek is by her side.

“Nia.” She puts her hand out to stop me from passing her. “This is Mr. Dyer. He would like to speak to you and Derek for a moment.”

“About?”

“A problem you may have experienced with an elevator this morning.”

“No problem,” Derek responds. “We made it to the lab on time. Didn’t we, Dr. Matus?”

“Yes, they did.” She shoots a concerned look at Mr. Dyer.

“I understand you went to the ostrich floor.”

“No. A man who was in the elevator went there. We were headed here,” I say.

“Nevertheless, I must take you to administration for further questioning.”

“Why can’t you ask them here?” Dr. Matus asks, her tone thick with confusion.

“That is beyond your level.”

She stabs him with a look of disdain. He walks us through the lab to the elevator. All eyes are on us.

On the administration floor, we’re directed to a room at the end of the hall, where the light appears dimmer than the light on the other end. The room is bare, with white walls and a table with chairs in the center.

“What did you hear and see on the ostrich floor?”

“Nothing.” The word bursts from Derek’s and my mouth simultaneously.

“Don’t lie to me.” His words were razor sharp, cutting into my conscience. “I have video.” The room begins to feel more like a cell.

“Then why are you even asking us?” Derek says. “You saw whatever we saw. Why are you questioning us like this?”

“I want to hear from you what you think you saw and heard.”

“I told you. Nothing. I don’t know what I saw or heard,” I say.

His eyes are deep and dark, shaped like pumpkin seeds, but with a

narrow lid.

“Tell me what you saw now!”

“We saw the man. He pressed the ostrich button and scanned his hand and arm. He got out on the floor. We heard a scream. There was a flash of color. That’s it. You know what we saw, and it was nothing, and we did nothing. Why are we here?! Tell us!” Derek explodes before snapping his mouth shut, breathing heavily through his nose.

Sweat forms in a single thin layer on my hands. “Are we in trouble?”

“Depends.”

“On what?” Derek asks.

“On whether you’re both true—” The media light on Mr. Dyer’s

temple flashes. “I need to take this call.” He steps outside and shuts the glass door. My father’s hologram appears. Derek and I watch the interaction. I’m unable to hear the conversation, but I catch one word—Immundus. Mr. Dyer notices we can see him and touches the door, changing it from see-through to white.

“He’s getting chewed out. I wonder who that is.”

“My father,” I admit.

“What floor does he work on?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know anything.”

“Well, he looks like he has more authority than Mr. Dyer. Maybe he’ll get us out of here.” Derek and I wait impatiently for Mr. Dyer to return.

He walks in, chagrinned, holding the door open. “You’re free to go.” He sends Derek a devious smirk. “For now.”

 

 

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