They bind themselves to the human brain and replace the pathways for all thoughts and actions. The creatures then morph their hosts into grotesque monsters with extraordinary strengths.
Description:
Publication date: April 23rd, 2015
Sixteen-year-old Marci Guerrero is one of the best teen hackers in Seattle. However, she’d give up all her talents to know she isn’t crazy.
Marci feels possessed by what she perceives as shadowy spectres that take control of her body and make her do crazy things. While spying on the clandestine group known as IgNiTe, she’s confronted by the leader, James McCray. His presence stirs the spectres inside her brain into a maddening frenzy. Her symptoms and ability to control them don’t go unnoticed by James, who soon recruits her and shows her the awful truth.
Half of the world’s population is infected by sentient parasites. They bind themselves to the human brain and replace the pathways for all thoughts and actions. The creatures then morph their hosts into grotesque monsters with extraordinary strengths. Winged, clawed, fanged half-humans become living nightmares. Now Marci wishes she was crazy, because the truth is worse.
She’s infected.
EXCERPT
Inside the house, everything is dark. Shapes dance on the
living room wall visible from the foyer, where I stand watching them shift.
Blue, white, gray … the changing frames from the TV screen reflected on the
white paint.
I stand there, hypnotized by them, listening to the hum of
the refrigerator and Mom’s rhythmic breathing. I sigh, weighted down by all the
sadness that hangs like a haze inside this house, a haze that obscures
everything, even ourselves. Out there, I hide from the world and put on a tough
exterior. In here, I hide from Mom and wish for so much more than I’m given.
The only place where I don’t have to hide is my bedroom. My
sanctuary, where I can listen to heavy metal, read poetry, hack computers and
cry my eyes out all in the same hour, without anyone thinking I’m a basket
case. I want to run in there, lock the door and, for a short time, just be who
I really am, but Mom’s been waiting for me. I should at least let her know I’m
home.
After a moment, I walk into the living room and watch her
sleep on the sofa in front of the muted television. She looks sad, even in her
sleep. Her hands are sandwiched between her face and a cushion. Her sandy blond
hair spills over the sofa’s dark fabric, and her pale skin serves as witness to
how little time she spends outside. Her job at a small fashion magazine keeps
her tied to a desk. She’s still wearing her fashionable clothes and, for some
reason, that brings a knot to my throat. She used to model and desperately
clings to that prettier, younger version of herself. She takes a deep breath
and her face turns my way a little, as if some part of her knows I’m watching.
Her long lashes flutter, then her eyes open.
She looks unsurprised by my presence. She sits up, arches
her back and rubs her eyes. Aided by the coffee table, she stands and walks
toward me.
“You’re home,” she says. Her tone suggests she wishes I
wasn’t. Her blue eyes are cold and expressionless, but I can still see the
disappointment in them. Why does she wait for me? So I can see in her gaze how
much I let her down? She leans in and gives the mandatory kiss. I close my eyes
as her lips touch my cheek and wish for so much more than this formality. Mom
turns toward the hall, pats my shoulder and heads off to bed.
So much pain, so little to say to each other. She used to
yell at me when I was late. It still didn’t mean she cared, though. She was
only worried the neighbors would gossip. These days she doesn’t even care about
that.
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About the author:
Ingrid Seymour is the author of IGNITE THE SHADOWS (Harper Voyager, April 23rd, 2015). When she’s not writing books, she spends her time working as a software engineer, cooking exotic recipes, hanging out with her family and working out. She writes young adult and new adult fiction in a variety of genres, including Sci-Fi, urban fantasy, romance, paranormal and horror.
Her favorite outings involve a trip to the library or bookstore where she immediately gravitates toward the YA section. She’s an avid reader and fangirl of many amazing books. She is a dreamer and a fighter who believes perseverance and hard work can make dreams come true.
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