Freelance Exorcists Book Series

An excerpt from: The Library Table A short story b y Janie St. Clair The sound of heavy breathing and pounding feet filled the stairwell. Chiara’s pulse thundered in her head. “They’re closing in!” she yelled over her shoulder. “Hurry!” On the third floor landing, Slick suddenly stopped, bending over with a hand on the wall. “I can’t make it,” he panted. “Go on without me.” “No, no! No, no, no!” Chiara said desperately as she backtracked and grabbed his hand. “I am not leaving you behind.” She caught his eyes with a serious gaze. “We’re partners.” He flipped his gloriously shiny blond hair out of his eyes and chuckled through his exhaustion. “Whatever you say, fearless leader,” he told her. She took a brief moment to appreciate his hair flip and his smile before she reminded herself how crucial their situation was. They raced the rest of the way holding hands. Chiara could barely believe she had the guts to hold his hand. But desperate times called for desper

An excerpt from: Fruitless A short story by Janie St. Clair “I’m completely serious about these chocolate farms,” Alicia ranted, leaning against the locker next to Gina’s. “The poor kids are kidnapped, enslaved, and beaten just so corporate CEOs can have a bigger salary.” “That’s disgusting,” Gina reacted as she arranged her books between her locker and book bag. She couldn’t imagine enduring something so horrific. She made a mental note to put those poor kids on her prayer list. “How is that even legal?” “There have been a handful of court cases, but none of the major candy companies plan to change their chocolate sources any time soon.” Gina loved how Alicia’s blue eyes became fiery every time she tried to spread awareness on some injustice. Gina had dreams that she and her bestie would grow up to be kick-butt humanitarian activists and take on all these injustices, one by one. “Anyway,” Alicia sighed and rested her head against the lockers. “So like I was say

An excerpt from: Fighting Destiny A short story by Janie St. Clair “Hey, do you guys know why Helen Keller couldn’t drive?” Reuben joked on their way out of school one day. “Because she was a woman!” Jeremy, Reuben, and Scott all laughed. They were in their first year of high school and had been friends ever since junior high. A lot changed over the years, but these guys had always had his back. Then a vision of golden hair caught his attention. There she was, standing in line for her bus. Jeremy couldn’t help but stare. He always had fantasies that they would end up together, but just a little over a week ago, she had started dating Peter and it tore his heart in two. Now, whenever Jeremy saw her, he felt like there was a wild animal clawing his chest from the inside. “Hey dude, there’s Alicia,” Scott pointed. “And no Peter in sight. You might have a chance to talk to her.” “Dude, they’re dating now,” Jeremy complained. “So?” Reuben challenged him. “Don