Heartbroken, grief-stricken, and wracked with guilt, seventeen-year-old Evan Taylor returned to the Union, leaving behind the boy she loved.
Now, she and her friends must find a way to do the impossible – warn the citizens of the Union about an impending rebel attack without alerting the government and risking retaliation against her friends in the Ruins.
When every move Evan makes is thwarted, it soon becomes clear she's being watched. Faced with a daily fight to stay one step ahead of her pursuers, she returns to the Ruins. But life in the Ruins has its own dangers, and soon she’s fighting a different battle – to stay alive long enough to discover the truth.
THE RUINS is the second book in THE UNION series, a young adult romantic adventure set in the near future.
Now, she and her friends must find a way to do the impossible – warn the citizens of the Union about an impending rebel attack without alerting the government and risking retaliation against her friends in the Ruins.
When every move Evan makes is thwarted, it soon becomes clear she's being watched. Faced with a daily fight to stay one step ahead of her pursuers, she returns to the Ruins. But life in the Ruins has its own dangers, and soon she’s fighting a different battle – to stay alive long enough to discover the truth.
THE RUINS is the second book in THE UNION series, a young adult romantic adventure set in the near future.
Excerpt
Bryce paces the room like a caged wildcat, mumbling to himself, while I
sit on my bed, pulling at the threads of the blanket, watching him. He finally
stops his manic laps around the tiny room and faces me, both of his hands
flying to the top of his head.
“I’m worried about
your uncle.”
“I thought you
weren’t.”
“Benton’s up to
something, I know it.”
I’ve never seen
him like this and he’s sort of freaking me out. “Okay…” I push off the bed and
walk over to him. “What besides him talking to kitchen staff makes you think
that?”
“Earlier this
year, when I was investigating him, he was into all kinds of shit.” He takes in
a deep breath, his hands falling to his sides. “Small stuff that wasn’t as
important as the weapons smuggling. But what your uncle said, about people
being reassigned…What if your uncle’s a target? What if Benton’s planting
people inside his administration?”
“Yeah, that
thought occurred to me, too. But at least now my uncle has a heads-up.”
He shakes his
head. “I need to follow up on this, Evan. I’ve got to find out what Benton’s up
to.”
“Okay.” I grab my
jacket off the back of the chair.
“No,” he says,
putting his hands on my shoulders. “Too many people in this Borough know you.”
“I’m not letting
you go alone, Bryce.”
“This is what I
do, I’m a detective.” He shrugs into his coat and makes his way to the door.
“I’ll be back in a few hours.”
“Okay. But be
careful.” He gives me a look like I’d told him not to eat food he found on the
sidewalk. “I get you know what you’re doing, but people are trying to kill us.”
He walks back to
me and pulls me into his arms. “I will.” He gives me a quick kiss and heads out
the door.
After locking the
door behind him, I flop on the bed and turn on the display wall. I flip through
programs absently, my mind too wrapped up in what Bryce is doing and concern
for my uncle to focus on anything else. Before long, this tiny excuse for a
room, with its dank air and lack of sunlight, becomes even more cave-like until
I feel as if the walls are collapsing around me.
I write Bryce a
quick note, grab my jacket, and head outside to fresh air and open space. Dark
gray clouds push in from the coast, threatening rain, and I tug my zipper up to
my chin to ward off the wind gusting down the alley. A hot drink sounds perfect
right about now. I make my way to the nearest cafe, pushing through the door,
triggering a chime.
A middle-aged
barista with dark hair and a nose ring glances up and smiles. “What can I get
you?” she asks.
“Caramel latte,
please.”
I take off my
jacket, draping it across the back of a chair, and turn when the door chimes
again. A couple enters, their cheeks and noses pink from the cold. The barista
delivers my drink before going to take the couple’s order. I pull out my tablet
and get engrossed in a thriller, losing track of time and place.
“Is someone
sitting here?”
I glance up and
see a boy about my age, indicating the chair across from me. “Oh, no. You can
take it.”
Although based on
the overwhelming lack of people here, I’m not sure why he doesn’t take a chair
from an unoccupied table. Until he drops into the chair flashing a charming
smile. He’s cute and he knows it.
“Hi, I’m Simon.”
He thrusts his hand at me, his blue eyes alive with humor.
“Uh…hi.” I take
his hand, it’s rough, calloused. “Delilah.”
“Do people call you
Lila or Dee for short?”
“Nope, just
Delilah.”
“Okay, De-li-lah.”
He drags out my name, making it sound like musical notes. “What’re you
reading?”
“Oh, umm…a book.”
I turn off my tablet and study him. Something about him seems almost familiar,
although I’m sure I’ve never met him. “Where are you from, Simon?”
“Here and there. A
little bit of everywhere, I guess.”
I glance at his
fingernails and they’re ragged and dirty. He pulls his hands back, shoving them
under the table. Chewing on my bottom lip, I try to put the pieces into place.
He hides it well, but I detected a slight slow drawl when he spoke. Simon is
rugged and evasive. He’s from the Ruins.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
When not visiting the imaginary worlds inside my head, I live in San Diego, California, with one husband, three children, two cats, and one dog. In addition to my day job as a technical writer and editor, I write young adult fiction. I love the intensity of teen emotions and the way they're still figuring out life. When I'm not writing, you can find me with my nose in a book, hanging out with family and friends, hiking, or knitting. I'm obsessed with Facebook, young adult novels, bad lip reading videos, pumpkin spice lattes, microbrewed beers, and the San Diego Chargers.
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