Shimmer (Riley Bloom #2)(36)

I nodded, aware of the words, noting the warning they contained, but still too entranced by my own reflection to really pay them much notice. Seeing the way the deeper, richer shade of green glowed and swirled all around me, and knowing it was the direct result of the choices I’d made.

“Remember what I told you,” he said, his gaze signaling that he did not trust my ability to not say a word, to not blow it, to let him handle things—not for a moment.

I frowned, started to push past him, watching my glow wave and retreat as he stood to the side and ushered me in.

“In case you haven’t noticed,” I said, pausing to look at him, “I’ve totally got my glow on. So really, how bad can it be?”

I checked my reflection again, convinced that no matter what happened, no matter what the Council might say, my glow would be with me. It was something I’d earned. It wasn’t going anywhere.

The thought instantly canceled by Bodhi’s voice at my ear, saying, “Wrong again, Riley. Whatever the Council gives, they can also take away. And now, thanks to you, by the time we get out of here, we may never glow again.”





author’s note While the characters and the situations they find themselves in are fictional, the story itself was loosely inspired by the 1733 slave revolt in the Danish West Indies (now known as St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands). In Africa, a number of noblemen and -women, as well as wealthy merchants, had been sold into slavery after a revolt against them, then brought to the Caribbean to work as slaves. Eventually, they rebelled against the plantation owners and managers with the purpose of retaining other African slaves from different tribes to do their labor.

Purported to be among the first of those killed was a plantation owner and his young stepdaughter.

Also, the sadistic game of “beach bowling” is alleged to be true.





Coming in Fall 2011

Riley’s adventures continue in

Dreamland

The second I laid eyes on Aurora my shoulders slunk, my face unsquinched, and I heaved a deep sigh of relief knowing I had an ally, a friend on my side.

I was sure it would all be okay.

It was the way her hair shimmered and shone, transforming from yellow to brown to black to red before starting the sequence all over again.

Her skin did the same, changing from the palest white to the darkest ebony, and every possible hue in between.

And her gown, her gorgeous yellow gown, sparkled and gleamed and swished at her feet like a crush of shooting stars.

Even though I no longer mistook her for an angel like I did the first time I saw her, still, the whole glistening sight of her calmed me in a major way.

But as it turns out, I’d misread the whole thing.

As soon as I took one look at her aura—as soon as I noted the way its usual bright popping purple had dimmed to a much duller violet—well, that’s when I knew we were on opposite sides.

It was just like Bodhi had said.

I had a heckuva lot to explain.

My shoulders drooped, my head hung in shame, and it was all I could do to shuffle along behind him, my scraggly blond hair hanging limply before me like some flimsy, useless shield.

But it was no use.

Nothing could spare me from what was clearly inevitable.

So I used those last remaining moments to run a frantic search through my best, most plausible excuses—mentally rehearsing my story again and again like a panicky actor on opening night.

Even though I knew I’d done the right thing, even though I was one hundred percent sure that a failure to act would’ve resulted in disaster of monumental scale, even though I’d totally succeeded in my job as a Soul Catcher by convincing a whole lot of ghosts, including one particularly evil one, to cross the bridge to where they belonged, even though I knew all of that, there was no doubt that I was also one hundred percent responsible for causing the problem in the first place.

I’d been told to look the other way.

I’d been warned to mind my own business.

To not get involved by sticking my semi-stubby nose in places where it most certainly didn’t belong.

But did I listen?

Uh, not exactly.

Instead I charged full speed ahead into a heap of trouble.

And yet, if I do say so myself, despite the danger I put us all in, the end result was impressive.

Exceedingly, undeniably impressive.

I just hoped the Council would agree.

I followed Bodhi toward the stage, his back so stiff and his hands so clenched I was glad I couldn’t see his face. Though, if I had to guess, I’d be willing to bet that his mouth, free of the long green straw he usually chomped on when the Council wasn’t around, was pinched into a thin, grim line, while his green eyes, heavily shadowed by his insanely thick fringe of lashes, were sparking and flaring as he tried to concoct the best way to get rid of me. And though I couldn’t hear his thoughts, couldn’t get the slightest inkling of just what he might be thinking, I decided to be glad for that too. It was clear his annoyance with me had pretty much scaled the summit.

I peered out from under my bangs, my gaze performing a quick sweep of the audience, seeing Aurora taking her place next to Claude, who sat next to Samson, who was right beside Celia, who was so tiny and petite she was able to share an armrest with Royce without either one of them having to compromise or fight for equal space. And seeing them all assembled like that, waiting for one good reason why our little Caribbean vacation had gone so tragically wrong (or, as I liked to see it, heroically right—it was all a matter of perspective), well, that’s when I remembered the most important evidence of all.