From the shadow of a tangled thorn bush, and soft, padding footsteps shuffled in the late afternoon gloom. My breathing went ragged with fear. Maybe it was a raccoon or an angry squirrel.
Athena.
Whipping around, I stared hard into the murk. A voice. It sounded gentle, but at the same time it sent chills down my arms. I glanced up through the hooded canopy of tree branches and tried to see heaven.
God?
There was a growl, and the terror I’d been holding at bay zipped up my spine into my skull. I was sure my long hair stood on end, like when kids touched the electrostatic generator at the science museum.
Something was coming for me, and it wasn’t something from the woods. It’d been following me all day. Maybe even my entire life.
Athena Gray lives vicariously through her sister because people in general avoid her. Whether it’s strange things like dead butterflies fluttering to life, or the time she saved her dying grandpapa just by willing him to live, Athena knows that she is different. The only person who doesn’t seem to think so is Dan, the most popular boy on Omega High School’s baseball team. But even Dan can’t understand the reason she acts haunted, until a spirit roaming the local historic burial mounds takes an interest in people Athena cares about.
Title: Death Cheater
Author: Danielle Thorne
Publisher: Desert Breeze Publishing
Release Date: February 13, 2012
ISBN: NA
Size: 178 pages, eBook
Genre: YA Paranormal
This story had some unique elements. I liked the idea of the main character being able to see spirits and how she could comfort and help. I also liked some of the concepts of dark vs. light. There were a few things that were confusing and I didn’t think were explained very well. But overall, I enjoyed it!