Excerpt and Giveaway Beyond (Beyond) by S.P. van der Lee

Published: November 25th, 2013

Description:

Sixteen-year-old Raven desperately wants to fit in, but after using a Ouija Board, her already overwhelming hallucinations take a turn for the worse. A ghostly figure named Sam begins to haunt Raven and seems eager to kill her.

She’s saved by a reclusive biker named Damian who goes to the same school and appears to have an interest in her. Raven can’t help but feel drawn to him. Determined to uncover Damian’s connection to the ghost, Raven sets out to discover his secret and the reason Sam started haunting her. However, there’s more at stake than just her reputation. Raven’s choice between unveiling Damian’s true intentions, and living a normal life will put everyone she cares about at risk. To save them, she'll have to go beyond.

Lives are ruined.

Hearts are shattered.

Death lurks at every corner.

PRAISE:

"I loved the premise of the book & I loved the characters. The ending left me wanting more..." ~ Lisa W.

“Finally this ends my dry spell of unsatisfying fantasy novels! I loved the plot! I can't help but get hooked into it as the story unfolds.” ~ Poecilia from Goodreads

“The book is very good. It has really good mystery in it and a cliffhanger in the end that leaves you screaming for the second book.” ~ Katie from Goodreads

EXCERPT:

Never before have I felt such fear, suffocating and unrelenting. If my heart continues to beat the way it is, I might die. My hallucinations have never taken the form of a humanlike figure before. Just thinking about the smoke he emitted makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

The only things I’ve ever seen were items being moved around or floating lights, which made people think I was nuts. But just now, at the party, I saw a real shady figure, and he moved the wooden arrow.

I pedal as fast as I can. I can’t look back, because I’m afraid I might see something that will make my heart stop. I have to get out of here.

Simon and Emma are yelling at me from Lillian’s home, but I’m not listening to what they’re saying. I just tell myself that everything has been a fantasy, even though it still bothers me. Hallucinations should only affect me, not my surroundings. They’re not supposed to be able to touch a Ouija board.

Calm down, Raven. Maybe my pills will work.

I pull the brakes and come to a stop so quick that I have to put both feet on the ground so I don’t fall over. I grab my bag and rummage through it, looking for the bottle. The pills that reduce the intensity of my hallucinations should be in there. My mom always makes me take them along wherever I go.

But they’re not in my bag. How could I have forgotten them? How could I have been so stupid? In my haste to get to the party I must’ve forgotten to pack them. What do I do without my meds?

I throw my bag on the ground and exhale a few times before picking it up again. I snort and brush away the sweat from my forehead. Well, nothing I can do about it now. I’ll have to get home as quick as I can.

I hop on my mountain bike again and force myself to pedal. It isn’t real. My head is playing tricks. I’m me, not my delusions.

They’re all fake.

I bike across the road and swallow a couple of times. Maybe the anxiety will go away then. I check my surroundings to assure myself that everything I see is beyond a doubt there and not all in my head.

Then I see them, a group of figures in the cemetery.

Only they aren’t just figures. Shadows are watching me.

Their faces are smooth and unwavering. Their eyes are hollow. Surrounding them is a black and white mist-like fog. The people all look different, but with one similarity; I can see right through them.

I shriek and peddle as hard as my feet will allow me, past the cemetery. I’m going nuts. I see things that aren’t really there. Delusions that are so terrifying I feel like I’m going to faint again. This isn’t real. It can´t be! I’m trying to convince myself.

Tears roll down my face, and my lungs burn. The warmth of my overheated body makes my soaking wet clothes prickle against my skin. I’m heaving, totally out of breath.

In the forest beside me, I spot the shades again. They’re everywhere. At least, I think, but they don’t look like just shadows anymore. They look like real people.

Am I hallucinating about ghosts? Their black and white glow is as clear as daylight in the darkness. The lampposts light the cement path. At first I think the entities are staring into nothing, but then they chase after me.

I bike even harder, but my thighs burn. I’m already past my limit. I steal a glimpse, and the floating ghosts are still following me, floating.

“Stop! Stop it!” I scream and close my eyes, hoping they will disappear, but when I open them again they’re still there.

One of the ghosts drifts closer. It moves so fast, I’m unable to spot it until it’s in my face with its mouth open.

I shriek and flap my hands, hoping to push the attacker away, but it doesn’t work. It’s already gone. The shadow went right through me.

I’m wobbling so much I lose my balance and fall off my bike. My head hits the asphalt, surging burning pain to the side of my skull. I’m dizzy, and everything around me fades to black.

***************

This has to be another illusion.

Sam flies to my door, and something invisible latches onto him. He wriggles in mid-air, unable to move forward. I watch in horror as the smoky shadow turns about in his invisible prison.

Another entity drifts through the wall.

This one is much faster and blue, and moves with flexibility through my room. He looks human. This is unbelievable, unimaginable and insane.

I can’t comprehend what’s happening. The blue ghost follows the black ghost, who’s still wriggling around. Then he breaks loose from his invisible prison, and his arms go toward the door. The blue entity comes closer and looks as though he’s pursuing the black one.

I watch as Sam flees through my door, just before the blue ghost captures him. Sam’s gone. The blue ghost is too late.

The blue entity turns around to look at me.

His body is transparent, accompanied by smoke. His face is unrecognizable, but he has human traits. My desk and the paintings on the wall are visible right through him. Motionless and with my teeth clenched, I stare back at him. 

I can’t believe what I’m seeing. This has to be another ridiculous hallucination.

He stands frozen in my room. Even his eyes are translucent, but they’re there, because they have a lighter color than the rest of his body. It’s as if he’s wearing clothes, but only the soft outlines are visible. His body looks like it consists of a million little stars that glisten as he moves. He reminds me of a reflection of the cosmos.

This ghost isn’t like the others. This one seems more like a real human and less like a horrifying shade. He glows, just like the others, but I sense something that can be trusted in his aura. His body radiates warmth and power, and it doesn’t strike me with fear. What is he?

Then the mysterious stranger leaves just as quick as he came.

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About the author:

I am a writer and reader of YA Paranormal Romance novels and aspire to be a well known author. I love reading the same genre, as well as Dystopian and an occasional fantasy book. In my spare time, when I'm not reading books, I like to play games such as RPG's.

I have a bachelor in Digital Communication and enjoy pretty much anything that has to do with technology :)

BEYOND will be published on November 25th 2013. I'm currently available for Promos, spotlights, reviews, interviews, guest posts, you name it! Just send me a message :)

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