Now I have been seen - Atlantis Rising by Gloria Craw

"The characters are believable, even with their special talents. Their emotions, reactions and experiences are related in a manner which helps readers empathise with them. The storyline is powerful and it is a real page turner story which I didn’t want to put down." - Goodreads

Description:

I am different. I have always been different, but no one can know or my life will be in danger. So I hide in plain sight, wearing drab clothes and thick glasses and trying to be invisible. I’m so good at hiding, no one has ever noticed me. Until Ian…the mysterious and oh-so-cute boy I know I need to avoid.

Now I have been seen. And more terrifying still, I am wanted—by those who would protect me and those who would destroy everything and everyone I love. But if they’re all terrified about who I am, wait until they see what I can do…

Honestly I adored this book!!!! That is simply the only way to put how I feel about it. Gloria craw did a spectacular job of taking an old myth and Turing it into something new a intriguing. As a compliance reader who has read a great deal of books in her lifetime this will probably become one of my favorites. I highly recomend this book to anyone looking for a fun, captivating, I-can't-put-this-down book to read!!!!! - Goodreads

EXCERPT

Atlantis Rising Excerpt (Tackle Scene)

A part of me wondered what good it would do to run. One look at him, and I knew he was faster than me. The other part of me, the fighter part, wasn't going to go quietly.

I yanked free of him and turned back the way we’d come. In two strides I was running at top speed. Behind me, I heard Ian yell, “Jeez, Brandy, could you be less subtle!”

My best option was a flat out run for the safety of onlookers. Hot desert air filled my lungs as I ran full tilt toward the gates we’d come through. I had no idea how I was going to get over them before Ian caught me. I only knew I was going give it everything I had.

Halfway there, I tried to throw him off by cutting sharply between a cactus and a wiry bush. He let me make it just far enough so that we were shielded from the view of traffic. Then he tackled me.

“Get off,” I yelled when I found myself pinned to the rocky ground.

“It’s not what you think,” he said. “We're not the bad guys. We want to help you.”

I punched him in the mouth. He swore but didn't let me go.

“I don't believe you,” I yelled, winding up for another punch.

He pinned my free arm down. “Think about it, Alison. Either you trust us, or you face the dewing who’s been following you for three days on your own. I'm sure you’re strong, given who your mother was, but you won't last long against him.”

I stopped struggling, partly because I feared he was right, and partly because he'd mentioned my mother. “Get off!” I yelled again.

He complied but sat near enough to throw me down again if necessary. When he touched his lip, his fingers came away bloody. “You hit hard.”

“Good,” I replied. Then I sat up and scooted a couple of inches away from him.

“Come on, Alison. You can try running again, but I think we both know how that will end. All I want is for you to listen to me. Just hear what I have to say, and then you’re free to go if you want.”

He stood and offered me a hand. I continued to sit in the rocks unsure of what I should do. I decided to stall. “You said, given who my mother was. Does that mean she’s dead?”

His response wasn’t immediate. He looked back the way we’d come, like he was trying to decide what to say.

“Is she dead?” I repeated.

“Yes,” he replied quietly.


Atlantis Rising Excerpt (Alison at her locker)

“What’s up?” he asked conversationally.

Where should I start? My life has spun completely out of control, or someone broke into my locker during lunch and took some of my stuff, or better yet, surprise, I'm not human.

I leaned my back against my locker, closed my eyes and slid down the length of it to the floor. A second later I felt Ian next to me. He didn't touch me or say anything comforting. Which in my messed up state, I took as a sweet gesture. I was so overrun with dread and fear that I started to shake. I wrapped my arms tight over my chest and fought to pull myself together.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“It’s just been a really bad day,” I replied.

“Looks like more than just a bad day.”

“I shouldn’t be freaking out,” I said. “It’s really not that serious. Someone went through my locker while we were at lunch. You were right earlier when you said I was hiding. I’m a private person, and I don’t like that someone poked around in my things.”

I expected his reaction to be a shrug or some reassurance that it had been a harmless prank. Instead, he took a deep breath and looked me straight in the eye. “I think someone has been following you,” he stated.

That startled me. Could he really know about the black car that tailed me last night. I couldn’t see how. I tried to play it off by laughing. “Why would someone follow me?” I asked.

“Maybe its the guy who stole your book.” I started to object, but he stopped me. “It’s okay, Alison. You’re not in this alone.”

I wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but I wanted to get away from him and his concern as quickly as possible. I tried to get up, but he put a hand on my shoulder and held me back. “There's a lot I need to tell you,” he continued, “but not here.”

“You have a lot to tell me about what?” I asked lightly.

He bent his head to meet my gaze straight on. “You can trust me,” he whispered. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

I shook my head at the absurdity of it all. It sounded like he was repeating words from a movie. Was this really my life?

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About the author:

Gloria Craw grew up in the desert southwest, inspired every day by the wide skies and rich colors around her. After high school, she attended the University of Utah where she majored and got a degree in anthropology. These days, she lives in the ‘burbs’ just outside of Seattle, Washington where she is the shepherd of a husband, four daughters and a very hairy dog. 

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