Author: Heather Letto
Date Published: April 29th, 2014
Publisher: Bookfish Books
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 302
The residents of Impervious are the remnant—the survivors of the War of Annihilation. And though the city is chock-full of pleasures to tantalize and entertain, a beast lurks in the corners, haunting the residents with its presence.
The Beast—a mysterious and terminal illness killed off most of Generations One, Two, and Three. And as Gen-Four prepares to take the stage, a provocative, yet questionable, new method to avoid an untimely death incites a cultural rage.
But Fran lives counter-culture, off the grid in true rebel fashion. With a life far from opulent, she scurries through dark tunnels, searching for hot meals with Pete while ditching the holographic security team. To her, it’s a healthy trade-off. Unaccountability means The Council can’t steal her sliver of hope―a belief that she’ll see The Epoch arrive before The Beast can pull her into its fetid embrace.
After losing her mother and then her Rebel mentor, Fran stumbles upon a miraculous discovery that may save the residents of Impervious. That is, if she can outrun The Beast…
An (Almost) Agora Tour with Pete
_______________________________________________________________________________
“Hey,
thanks, Pete, for agreeing to take us on a tour of the Agora. What an interesting
place this is, can you tell me where we’re standing (and thus where our tour
begins?)”
“No
problem-o. My old stomping grounds, right?” Pete waggles a brow before
opening his arms in a grand gesture. “Welcome
to The Agora, where the food is plenty and the entertainment never sleeps!”
“Wow, this certainly is fascinating.”
I laugh at his grandeur and then turn in a
slow circle to pan the landscape. Gaming stands are dotted here and there and
crowds of teens in spandex and glitter cheer on various avatars. The air is
charged with techy-sounding music (with way too much bass in my humble
opinion.)
“Wow,
and loud! How do you hear anything over the music and all the craziness?”
Pete shrugs. “I’dunno. I just do. Come on, follow me.”
He pushes his way through a small crowd and
I follow--although rather tentatively, as I notice several pairs of
thick-lined-eyes scanning me up and down. Apparently, this crowd isn’t too
impressed by my mom-jeans. Pete sidles up to a low counter and places his
elbows on the smooth acrylic surface. A holograph pixelates behind the bar and
greets us – the first welcoming face besides Pete’s I’ve since arriving in the
Agora.
“Welcome to the lunch hut! What can I serve you
today?!”
While recoiling from the
extreme-pleasantness oozing from the eyes and mouth of the ghostly figure, I
gaze up at a translucent screen with menu items scrolling past. Unfortunately,
it moves too fast and all I catch is ‘coffee’… which works just for me.
“I
would like a coffee pl--.”
Before I finish my sentence, a bright light
flashes, nearly blinding me, followed by a computer-sounding voice.
“Unidentified
resident.”
“Oh,
Man. I hadn’t thought of that. Come on.”
Pete grabs my hand. We plow through a throng of residents and get caught
up in a people-current. I squeal and then hold my breath as I feel a prickly
sensation move up and down my body. Pete gives me a yank and finally we’re spit
from the flow of pedestrians into an area lined with potted palm-trees.
“Come
on, we’re going to have hit the air vents.”
My heart screeches to a halt. I designed these vents. I
know what awaits. And I’m sure they’re no place for my fresh mani/pedi. I back
up a little.
“Hey, I think I’ll
just go now.”
I smile and a small twitch erupts on the upper left side of my mouth.
Pete scrambles inside the vent. “Are you sure? I could show you The Ranch.”
I place a hand over my twitchy lip.
“No that’s fine.
But thank you, Pete. I think I’ll just hang out on the other side of this
story.”
Pete gives me a thumbs-up. “Suit yourself and Sayonara!”
Pete disappears as the vent hums to a
close.
I stand up a little straighter and wonder
who would design such a horrid place, as I step back through the portal and
land safely at my keyboard.
About the Author
_______________________________________________________________________________
Heather considers
herself but a worker in the field with a desire to share truth through the art
of good story. In real life, she’s the
proud mother of two grown sons and lives part-time in Northern Illinois with
her husband, but scurries off to warmer climates when the mercury takes a dive
on the thermometer. As well as The Ascension Series, Heather contributes to WHOAwomen magazine, The Fit Christian, Tween
Girls and God, Devotion Magazine
as well as Swagga for Christ Ministry.
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