Pinnacle
Chapter One Excerpt
Engulfed in a cascade of euphoric emotion, Kaya was alone in her room. At seventeen she’d made a rite of passage, the first kiss. She’d always heard about the first kiss being like fireworks, but that didn’t describe her experience at all. It had felt more like lightening streaking through her body, heated, raw, and with the seamless flow of a rising tide. She’d thought that nothing could steal this moment of happiness but Kaya’s Aunt Di screaming her name in alarm had ripped Kaya out of her happy place. Her eyes flew open and with one look down fear swallowed her whole.
“Di what’s going on? Help me get down!” Kaya screamed.
Kaya found herself floating three feet above her bedroom floor. She didn’t know how she’d gotten into this particular jam but she was very quickly losing her cool. She could feel the panic rising in her faster than sea water fills a sinking ship. She looked to where her aunt stood. Di had regained her composure and was leaning comfortably against the door frame, grinning like a fool.
“This isn’t funny damn it…. squawk, squawk!”
Kaya darted over Di’s head. That had gotten her aunt’s attention! She was staring at Kaya in shock as she flew into wall after wall. Di knew that Kaya would hurt herself seriously if she didn’t do something to help Kaya.
“Kaya you need to calm down.” Diana said to her telepathically.
Kaya knew it was Di talking; only her mouth wasn’t moving. Di was just gazing at her niece in the way she did when using her gift. She held out her arm and Kaya flew over to perch on it.
“Ouch Kay, please loosen the talons, that’s my arm you’re tearing up.”
Di walked to the bed and Kaya hopped onto the comforter. She stared at Kaya in disbelief and wondered how they were going to get out of this peculiar situation. Kaya had somehow turned into a Red tailed hawk. While Di appreciated the bird Kaya had become, with its earthy brown tones and vibrant red tail feathers, she preferred her niece’s natural form.
“Now listen Kay, I’m going to try something. There are no guarantees it’ll work. It’s just a hunch.”
Kaya felt the transformation take hold and was returned to her natural state. Di was gifted with Telepathy, but only with animals. She could hear animal thoughts and they her’s. But her gift didn’t stop there. She could also bend animals to her will, but she rarely ever did. She had an unwavering respect for every living creature.
“Yes it worked! Whatever was going on with you right before I came up here flipped the switch for your gift’s manifestation. The levitating I understand but the transformation is out of my realm of expertise. That is not a gift that’s in our bloodline. You must’ve gotten that from your father’s side.”
“Yea morphing is ability, not a gift. Dad said that only men acquire that ability. I don’t understand how I am able to do it.” Kaya said confused.
“Well you have crossed blood lines and that could change the rules.” Di said thoughtfully.
Kaya couldn’t stand still but her aunt had become amazingly serene about the whole thing. Di had already gone through this stage in her life when she was twelve. So she was fully aware of how Kaya was feeling. Manifestation was something that every natural mystic underwent at some point during their adolescent years. Kaya’s had just come much later than most. So late, in fact, that no one thought she was going to manifest at all. Sometimes children born to natural mystic families didn’t manifest, especially if one of the parents was an, “ordinary” human. But that wasn’t the case with Kaya. Her father had belonged to a tribe of natives in Washington State. They had supernatural abilities that were more directly tied to the Earth but they weren’t natural mystics.
“How can you be so calm about this Di?”
Kaya gestured her hand in a dismissive motion and Di went slamming into the wall on the other side of the bed. She made contact with so much force that it had knocked the breath out of her.
“Aunt Diana, Oh crap, you Ok? I didn’t mean to! I’m so sorry!”
It wasn’t in Kaya’s nature to be aggressive, but then it wasn’t something she’d done intentionally. Still, she couldn’t help the guilt that was creeping over her.
“Kay calm down! This is normal. You just need to learn how to control your powers. If I ever had any questions about you being your mama’s child, well I don’t now! That was one of her gifts you just used, only with an extra kick. Colleen was manipulation gifted but wasn’t able to use it on people or animals. It would appear that you can! There’s no way it’s safe for you to go to school until you get this under control. Especially with you being in an emotional whirlwind like you are.”
Whirlwind was an understatement. What Kaya was going through was more akin to a typhoon. In three short months her parents were murdered, she’d moved from Washington to Oklahoma, and now she’d just manifested powers that she’d thought were never going to come! If all that wasn’t enough, she’d also met a guy that challenged everything she thought she knew about her emotional side. Kenneth spiked a rampage of feelings so strong; she didn’t know what to do about it. She’d told herself that staying friends was best because of her, “Unique” family. But she couldn’t help the powerful attraction they shared. She sat on her bed looking depressed when her aunt Di took a seat next to her.
“Kaya, honey, it’s going to be ok. You’ll get a hold on your powers. I promise. I’ll be here to help you until you have absolute control. It won’t take as long as you may think.”
“That’s not what’s bothering me Aunt Di. I am officially a freak! Kenneth and I just started dating and now I either have to lie to him or break up with him.” Kaya said close to tears.
“Oh I don’t think it is going to go quite the way you think where Kenneth is concerned. While it is endearing that your relationship placed first on your list of priorities it needs to be bumped down to the second order of business. Getting your powers under control has to be top priority.”
It was well into the middle of the night by the time Di and Kaya went to bed. Kaya had gotten an earful of the dos and don’ts. There was significant force behind her manipulation because Di had two nasty, muscle deep bruises from when she had hit the bedroom wall. When Kaya finally fell into bed exhausted she experienced yet another first. She’d spent all her sleeping hours with her father teaching her how to control the morphing ability. It was surreal but she’d felt it was really him and not just a dream. Kaya was changing from form to form with ease and it seemed there were no limits on the type of animal she could become. Kaya was feeling a stronger control over the ability when the phone ringing tore her from the slumbering lessons. She opened her eyes and was blinded by the rays of sun peeking through the blinds. She got out of bed and answered the phone with an irritated tone in her voice. It came out sounding incredibly rude.
“Kays are you ok? I dropped by this morning to pick you up and your aunt said you were sick and couldn’t go to school today. I got the distinct feeling she was not telling me the truth. I’m not going to call your aunt a liar but that’s exactly what she was doing, lying. What’s going on?” Kenneth asked clearly worried.
Kaya let the nick name Kenneth liked using slide. She was starting to see that constantly telling him, “Kays,” wasn’t her name was pointless. She sighed dreading the inevitable.
“I am just under the weather Kenneth.” she lied and instantly felt ashamed.
. “What exactly is it that you’ve got?”
Kenneth definitely knew she was fibbing, but calling her a liar was not an option. To his way of thinking there had to be a good reason why she was being dishonest.
“Well can I see you? Unless you’re contagious, and even then I’m not sure that would be enough to keep me away.”
“I’m sure that isn’t a good idea Kenneth.”
Kaya wanted nothing more than to see him. The pull he had on her emotions was nerve wracking, but she couldn’t help that. She was starting to tell him another day would be better when he cut her off.
“Kays, please, I need to see you. I’m not going to take no for an answer.”
Kaya found it hard to tell him no when he put it like that. She sighed realizing that he wasn’t going to budge until she agreed to see him. So she told him he could come over.
“Great, cause I’m outside right now.” He said.
She peered out the window and there he was, staring up at her. Kaya couldn’t believe how much she already cared about Kenneth. It was irritating. He was getting off his motorcycle and she ran down stairs to meet him at the door. If Kaya had any questions about how much she wanted to be with him she didn’t anymore. That had really hurt her in light of what had happened the night before. Kaya Hunt was no longer an ordinary seventeen year old girl. She opened the door before he could knock. Kenneth pulled her to him and didn’t let go for a long time. He smelled of fresh air from his ride over.
“I missed you Kays.”
She could tell he had worried about her. She snuggled into him, drawing in the comfort he provided. She felt safe like this. He was bigger than other boys his age, by a lot. It wasn’t so much that he was a whole lot taller, he wasn’t. He was just a considerable amount broader. He stepped back from Kaya to look at her and all she could think about was kissing him again. She looked away wondering what the hell was wrong with her!
“By the way, Anissa told me to tell you that she’ll call you tonight. You don’t look sick to me Kays, but there is something different about you.” he said somberly.
Anissa had been the first friend Kaya had made upon arriving in Tangent back in May. They saw a lot of each other because Josh was Anissa’s boyfriend and Kenneth’s best friend. Kenneth and Josh had known each other their whole lives. Where you saw one you usually saw the other.
“I wish I could tell you what’s going on with me but I can’t. You wouldn’t understand, or worse, you wouldn’t believe me.” Kaya said.
“Try me Kays.”
“I can’t Kenneth, I’m sorry.”
“Kays, you can tell me. You can tell me anything! Nothing you say can change how I feel about you.” he said lifting her face to look him in the eye.
She could just barely hear herself questioning the level that he and she had already reached in such a short time. Was it insanity? Definitely; or at least that was what the rational voice in her mind was saying. The rest of her wasn’t pulling any stops though. They definitely had a drawing hold on each other.
“You say that now, but you don’t know what you’re talking about. I have secrets Kenneth. These secrets are new to me, but old to my family.”
“Everyone has secrets Kays, even me. Some secrets are more outrageous than others. I have a really outrageous secret and I’m ready to share it with you. It’s something you need to know if we’re going to be together. You want to be with me right?” he asked uncertainly.
Kaya sighed because he had to know by now that for her, he was more than just a passing infatuation. He was her very first boyfriend after all. That said something, didn’t it?
“You know I do or you wouldn’t be standing here right now.” Kaya told him.
The yellow hue Kaya had seen in his eyes so many times was back. She was starting to realize it only happened when Kenneth was in the heat of an emotion. She’d seen it when he’d been happy, sad, and even mad. But she’d seen it the most when his thoughts toward her were passionate. He looked away sighing in defeat.
“Only very few people can see the yellow. Apparently you’re one of those people. The fact that you can tells me you’re different. I think it is also one of the reasons we’re so drawn to each other. I’ll share mine if you share yours. I’ll even share mine first if it’ll make you feel better.” he said sincerely.
“Ok Kenneth, maybe you’re right.”
“I’ll come back later tonight and pick you up. Make sure it’s ok with your aunt alright? Everything is going to be ok. Whatever is going on with you, we’ll get through it together. See you later Kays.”
He ran his fingertips down the side of her face then left. Kaya wished she knew what was going through his mind; because the way he had looked at her had put her on edge just the slightest bit. She was still standing in the middle of the front landing when Di came through the door looking over her shoulder. Her voice broke Kaya’s deep thoughts.
“Kay how long was Kenneth here?”
“Only a few minutes, he came by to check on me. He wants to see me tonight because there is something he says he needs to share with me. Something I need to know if we’re going to be together.” Kaya told her absently.
“Hmm, you two are getting serious aren’t you? Give me a hand with these groceries will you?” Di said as she brushed past Kaya.
“What makes you say that?” Kaya asked just a little more defensively than she’d intended.
“Kay I just know these things. If that boy wants to share a secret with you then he is as serious as a heart attack.”
“Ok Di, spill it, what do you know and don’t you dare say nothing.” Kaya said resentfully.
“It’s not my place to tell you that boy’s family histories so you are just going to have to wait; and yes you can go with him tonight.”
Kaya looked at her aunt sideways. She hated it when Di got that all knowing, smug, and superior tone in her voice. Didn’t she realize that it was condescending not to mention totally offensive? Kaya felt her metaphoric hackles rise and had to mentally steel herself to keep from flying off the handle. She didn’t have time to worry about her aunt’s self-righteous antics. After all they were on a time schedule. Kaya was in desperate need of getting her powers under control. She couldn’t keep missing school forever.
“Whatever, anyhow my dad came and visited me in my sleep today, or rather last night, and was giving me lessons on my morphing.” Kaya said irritated.
She had said it with complete calm, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Kaya knew Di would lose her marbles with that statement and she wasn’t terribly far off. She knew it was petty but she felt she’d just evened the score board between herself and her aunt. Di was not the only one that knew how to get a rise out of someone!
“Say what!” Di half squealed.
Kaya chuckled on the inside and for the first time since her manifestation, felt real amusement. Kaya cast a devilish grin at her Aunt. Di gave her a critical look and Kaya laughed.
“I know it sounds crazy Di, but I swear it was really him. I feel like I have a handle on my ability now, but I wanted you here before I tried anything. So do you have a moment?”
“Yea but let’s take this up to your room ok.” Di said looking around at her numerous breakable belongings.
For the second time in less than five minutes, Kaya found herself laughing. It wasn’t every day that her Aunt could be found wearing anything but a smile.
“Alright I’ll meet you upstairs. I’m just grabbing a pot of water.” Kaya said, disappearing through the doorway to the laundry room that was off the kitchen.
“Why on earth do you need that?” Di asked bewildered
“You’ll see in a minute.”
Kaya was thinking a stock pot was about the size. She grabbed one and filled it. It was heavier than she’d thought it would be, so getting up the stairs had been a chore.
“Are you ready Di?” Kaya said as she walked into the bedroom and set the pot down with a thud.
“As ready as I can be.”
“Well here goes nothing!”
Kaya closed the door and turned into a mallard duck. She waddled to the stock pot and jumped in. Di was laughing in Kaya’s mind. Before Kaya could change into her next animal she found herself hopping back out of the stockpot and waddling over to Di.
“What are you doing?” Kaya demanded irately.
That’s what she found herself quacking anyway. No matter, she knew Di understood her. Di laughed at Kaya in her telepathic way.
“Well aren’t you the prettiest duck ever!”
“Stop it Di! I need to make sure I have this right before tonight! Release your hold on me!”
“In a second, I promise.” she said reaching out for Kaya.
“No right now!” Kaya shouted at her.
Kaya changed form and Di was staring at herself. Kaya looked exactly like Di and could tell it unnerved her.
“Oh boy, so you are not just limited to animals.” Di said stunned.
“If you’re done toying with me, can we get back to what we came up here for?” Kaya said still furious.
“Uh, yea Kay, sure thing.”
Kaya turned back into the mallard, waddled to the stockpot and jumped in. A goldfish was her next choice. She swam around happily, turned back into the mallard, hopped out of the pot, and assumed her natural form. It seemed that it really had been her father teaching her.
“Well it looks to me like you got it under control Kaya.”
“Yea I think I do. Can you help me with the manipulation?”
“The best advice I can give you for both of your gifts is to be calm in both your emotions and your thoughts when you try to use them. Give it a shot. Try to move your jewelry box from your dresser to the bed.”
Kaya focused on the jewelry box and tried moving it off the dresser. It moved alright, into her mirrored closet door. She was about to start ranting when Di spoke.
“Kaya you are still upset with me for messing with you. You need to clear that out. Balance your emotions and thoughts. That way your frustration is not the driving force behind your power. Try again with the bowl of beads.”
Kaya took a deep breath and let go of her resentment. She tried again. The bowl shook on the dresser but then lifted off the wood. It floated unsteadily across the room and landed with a plunk in Di’s lap.
“That’s much better. Now try to put it back on the dresser.”
Kaya tried again with the bowl. It rattled around and lifted off Di’s lap. The journey from the bed to the dresser was much smoother.
“That’s the way Kay, just remember practice makes perfect and levitation works the same way.”
Di went down stairs leaving Kaya alone with her thoughts. Kaya’s emotions reflected the absolute sense of accomplishment she felt. She had a strong hold on her powers. Content that she’d succeeded in that arena she turned her thoughts to something much more troubling. Kenneth! It was very possible that she would not get through the upcoming evening and still be able to call him her’s. She couldn’t imagine what she’d do if he walked away from her forever.
Genre: YA Fantasy Realism/Romance
Target Audience: 12 -17 years old
Word Count: 90K
Hook: Two natural mystic’s, a Kunoichi , and a Lycan family set out to hunt down a malicious mythical creature that's bent on killing them all.
Mini Synopsis:
Kaya unexpectedly finds herself as a target of the ancient predator that murdered her parents to steal their magical souls. To preserve her life and ensure her safety, she’s whisked away from her home in Washington State and relocated in the remote Midwestern town of Tangent. In a time when abilities are manifesting, Kaya feels lost and out of touch with the new things her body can do. With a deceiving notion that she is finally safe, Kaya tries to regain some semblance of her old life only to find that she has been tracked to her new home. Her life takes a twist when she starts getting attacked at every turn and narrowly survives each encounter. Kaya feels the absolute need to avenge her parent’s deaths and put an end to her own likely demise. Even so, she finds it exceedingly hard to kill a creature that can change its appearance and disappear without a trace. Kaya receives the support and edge she needs to potentially defeat her foe in her small group of extraordinary friends. Like so many things in this town, they are much more than what they seem. All that stands between Kaya and imminent death are her friends and a mysterious senior named Kenneth.