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Chiara Marino, Excerpt #6: The Blue Boy

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Excerpt #6: The Blue Boy      The fighters landed on the street, paused in their battle. One of the fighters was a man in a business suit who looked like he had been swallowed by a dark cloud. The other was probably close to her age, wearing sweatpants, combat gloves, and a t-shirt. He looked like a normal teen boy, except that his whole body glowed blue.      The cloud-man jumped and flew through the air, landing behind the blue boy and grabbing him around the neck. The boy used gravity to throw himself through the man’s legs, consequently flipping the man forwards. The man landed on his back.       The boy placed a hand on the man’s head and said, “Be swept clean.”       Chiara saw the black smoke peel away from the man. It quickly surrounded the boy, enshrouding him in darkness. Then an explosion of blue swirling wind ripped the cloud apart until only the boy remained.       Now that he was facing her, Chiara saw clearly that the Blue Boy was Peter. She gasped and his

Chiara Marino, Excerpt #5: Dewey Belong Together?

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Excerpt #5: Dewey Belong Together? “What are you working on?” he asked, peering at her notecards from across the table. “’What’s Beethoven’s favorite fruit?’” She looked up and smiled. “Ba-na-na-na!” she sang softly to the tune of Beethoven’s fifth symphony. He stared at her, just blinking. She suddenly felt stupid. “It’s like the post-its,” she explained sheepishly. “I put jokes in random books for people to find while they’re studying. I like to think it might help relieve their stress. Cheesy, right?” His eyes squinted as he studied her. Then he grabbed a card from her pile, jotted something down quickly, and handed it back. She read to herself, “Why did the karate master sneeze? He had the Kung Flu.” She covered her mouth to hold back her giggles. He smiled at last and moved to the seat next to her. They wrote jokes side by side and the pressure of trying to be quiet made their laughter even stronger. Peter peered over her shoulder to read her notecard. “’Wh

Chiara Marino, Excerpt #4: Un-Boo-Lievable

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Excerpt #4: Un-Boo-lievable “So get this,” Zeke interrupted. “Did you guys know that the Catholic Church still appoints exorcists? Isn’t that weird? I mean, you’d think if people were getting possessed, it’d be all over the news or something.” Chiara stole a glance at Peter, watching for his reaction. “In this day and age?” Mac mocked. Then she smiled. “I think anyone who believes in ghosts and demons is just ghoul -able.” “That’s the spirit !” Cosmo agreed. “It’s un- boo -lievable.” “Those beliefs are dangerous and can lead to pan- demon -ium.” “Really? Pandemonium?” Cosmo shook his head. “I ex- spector -ed more from you.” “I believe in demons,” Chiara told Zeke. She couldn’t contain herself any longer. If Peter wasn’t going to give her any hints, maybe she would give him some. “And I think they can possess people.” Cosmo shook his head. “I cite Ockham’s Razor. The simplest explanation is most often the truest.” “Yeah,” Mac agreed. “Whenever I h

Peter Hunter, Excerpt #1: You're Next

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Excerpt #1: You're Next “Do you believe in spirits?” Sensei asked him. Peter felt a shiver up his spine. “Like ghosts and stuff?” he asked. Sensei Rob nodded. “Almost every world religion has some belief in spirits, either good or bad, who interfere with our lives. Even in Buddhism, there’s Mara – for all intents and purposes, the devil – and his minions, called the asuras. They tempt humans to make choices that distract them from the way of enlightenment.” “Do you really believe that?” Peter asked. “Judge later,” Rob reminded him. “Listen now.” Then he took a breath. “When I was younger, I took a year to study in India. While I was there, I met this guy. A Tibetan shaman or guru – like a spiritual expert. I witnessed him perform a ritual and save someone’s life. Afterwards, he told me that the spirits don’t just tempt people. Sometimes they take over their bodies.” A fresh wave of goosebumps prickled Peter’s skin and he sincerely wished Sensei Charlie were still

Chiara Marino, Excerpt #1: Living With Demons

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Excerpt #1: Living With Demons The morning sun cascaded through the windows of the suburban home as Chiara Marino studied herself in the mirror. Her dark, curly hair was impossibly frizzy, her hazel eyes were too small, and her smile showed too much of her teeth. She looked like a boring, plain mouse. No,  she stopped herself.  Today is going to be great. She finished by pulling her hair into her signature style of a messy twist held in place with a pen. Simple and practical. “It’s okay to admit defeat sometimes,” her older brother’s voice sounded from behind her. “Especially when something is a lost cause.” He was standing in her doorway with his arms folded casually and his dark hair smoothed back with gel. His appearance was tall and dominating, muscular from years of athletics. She fixed him with a scowl. “What do you want, Adrian?” She nearly jumped when she saw a dark billowing cloud of smoke appear on his shoulder. As she tried not to watch, the cloud shifte

Chiara Marino, Excerpt #3: Stay Safe

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Excerpt #3: Stay Safe As she approached the school doors, she saw a group of popular sophomore girls huddled and giggling on the steps. A demon occupied each girl’s shoulder. Another sophomore girl walked by with poor posture, an ill-fitted uniform, and a bag decorated for an obscure science fiction show . One of the demons swirled, planting a thought into its host’s ear. “Why doesn’t she just kill herself?” the sophomore said loud enough for the other girl to hear. The gaggle laughed boisterously and the demon hopped over and attached itself to the girl with the sci-fi backpack. Her shoulders drooped even lower. Chiara glared at the monster. This was a fight she could take on. She caught up to the girl just inside the school doors. “Morning,” Chiara greeted with a warm smile. “You don’t know me, but I was wondering where you got that bag. I love Cowboys in Space .” The girl’s shoulders relaxed. “It’s one of my favorites,” she said with a shrug. “Too bad they ca

Chiara Marino, Excerpt #2: Real Life Superheroes

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       Excerpt #2: Real Life Superheroes       “So get this!” Zeke exploded as Chiara sat at their cafeteria table. “Buckle your utility belts,” Mac warned everyone. “Did you know,” Zeke said, punctuating all his syllables, “that there are real life superheroes out there?” Chiara perked up. She watched Peter as he took his seat next to Zeke. She was disappointed that his muscles didn’t even tense. “There are all these normal, everyday people who dress up and do vigilante work in their cities,” Zeke explained. Chiara had come across this information in her extensive research, but she had never found any information on people like Peter. “That is so exciting!” Mac exclaimed. “Cool,” Peter nodded. Chiara studied his reaction or lack thereof. She would be blushing and nervously avoiding the topic, if she were him. Maybe he had forgotten the previous night’s events just like the man had. “I’m sure some have actual super powers,” Zeke speculated. “Mainly because I