Teaser Tuesday

Hey guys, happy Tuesday! Here's a peek at the first chapter of PARALLEL SOULS, the first book in my new trilogy! It will release on or before Friday this week, so stay tuned for that announcement 😉 anyway, here it is! 

HELLO

Before walking through the gates of Paran University, I had no idea that it was full of paranormals who expected me to save their world. My sister, on the other hand? She knew and didn’t even mention it.

“You are going to love it here.” Jessie’s arms wrapped around me tightly.

“I know.” I laughed, pushing her away. “You can let go now.” 

“Alright, alright.” She finally released me, stepping back beside her husband, my brother-in-law. “Mom and Dad would be so proud of you.” 

“They would, wouldn’t they?” I looked up at the tall, metal gates that separated my new school and home from the rest of the world. 

Paran University was one of the most elite colleges in the world, and even just getting accepted was nearly unheard of. Getting a full-ride scholarship? That was a miracle, one that only happened to me because my sister had gone there first.

“I wish we could come inside and see your room.” Jessie sighed.

The university had a strict no-outsider rule. It was so private they rarely even did tours, and we hadn’t been able to make it up for one so I had never seen where I was going to live. 

“I’ll send pictures.” I promised.

My sister threw her arms around me again, and when I felt the tears on her cheeks, my own eyes started to water.

“Remember, don’t open your present until 12:19.” She sniffled.

“I know the tradition.” I reminded her.

“Fine, I’ll let you go inside.” When she pulled away, she didn’t bother wiping her face. The waterworks were flowing, and they weren’t going to stop anytime soon. “I love you.” 

“I love you too.”

“I’m sure we’ll hear from you soon.” Oscar smiled, wrapping his arms around me for a quick hug.

“You’ll hear from me more than you want to.” I assured him. Jessie laughed, and then started crying harder when I stepped away from her and Oscar, grabbing my suitcases. 

I hurried to wipe my face.

“Bye. I love you guys.” 

And then I made my way up to the security booth, swiping the ID card I’d gotten in the mail. The guy in the booth opened a short gate to let me in, and I turned to wave at my sister. She was bawling in Oscar’s arms, but he waved back.

My hands were shaking when I pulled my suitcases through the gate and stepped onto the school grounds. Pushing my tangle of dark curls away from my face, I looked around what I could see of the campus.

Trees towered above the tall stone and glass buildings that went on further than I could see, and the sound of waves crashing against rocks was like background music to the school. Paran’s fancy metal gates were nestled tightly into the forest on three sides, and the fourth was a massive cliff that dropped off to meet the ocean.

The campus somehow managed to look both old and brand new. Gray stone mixed with massive glass windows created buildings that were so large they could’ve been castles, and thick green grass met neatly-trimmed trees, bushes, and flowers. 

There were people everywhere, pulling suitcases and holding boxes, carrying duffel bags on their shoulders. I stopped for a moment to just watch all of them, in a hurry to get moved in and find where their classes were. Some of the people were talking and laughing together, and others were focused on getting to wherever they were going. 

There was this energy around the crowd, like it was a moving and breathing creature rather than a group of individuals. While I wasn’t sure I wanted to be a part of the group, I’d determined to put down my books and spend time with people when I went away to college.

“Hi, are you new?” a cheery girl grabbed my arm, pulling my attention away from the campus and rushing people. Her shiny white smile was so huge I thought it would pop off her face. Everything from her pink lips to her tight, purple crop-top shouted “cheerleader”, until you looked at her hair.

Her hair was the exact same color as the grass on the ground, and it fell in long waves down to her waist. There was variation in the color that resembled the natural highlights anyone who spent the summer in the sun would have, almost like green was her natural hair color. That was plain ridiculous, though. 

“What? Oh, yeah.” I let go of one of my suitcases and held out my hand. “Adrie Lane.” 

“I’m Briar.” She gave my hand a funny look and hit it with a quick high-five.

The gesture was so strange I barely choked back a laugh. 

“Do you know where to go?” she checked, back to cheerful.

“Not really.” I admitted, reaching into the large, floppy gray purse that fell over my shoulders and to my hip. Jessie had always told me I looked like a hobo when I wore it, but I liked it so I kept it. “I have some papers though.” 

The thick cuff bracelet I’d been wearing for as long as I could remember caught on my bag as I reached in, and I winced as it yanked against my skin. Easing away from the side it had caught on, I grabbed the thick yellow packet of papers and pulled it out. 

“Oh, you don’t need those.” Briar brushed it off. “What are you?” 

“Um…” I frowned, not really sure how to answer that question. “I’m a freshman.” 

Briar laughed, and her light gray eyes lit up. Green hair and grey eyes… not something I’d seen before, but you know, she made it work.

“You’re funny. I’m a nymph, so I’m in the Maple building. Weres are in Willow, Sirens in Palm. What are you?” 

I didn’t know what she meant by nymphs, weres, and sirens, but I could kind of see it as stoners, jocks, and pretty people. I didn’t really fit into any of those basic categories, but every building she named was a type of tree, and I remembered reading something about a tree in my packet.

“Are you talking about, like, social classes? I’m kind of a loner, I don’t know if that’s like vampire or something, but my packet says…” 

My finger trailed down the words, looking for the tree thing.

“Okay, I’m in Redwood, unit 1001. What group is that?” 

When I looked back at her, there was shock in her eyes.

“What did you say your name was?” 

“Adrie Lane. Am I supposed to be somewhere else?” I looked back at the front gate. “My ID card worked, so I assumed…”

“You’re in the right place. Sorry, I just um, forgot where Redwood was for a second. Let me show you where to go.” 

Her big, cheery smile was back, but this time it didn’t reach her eyes.

Something about her was definitely weird, but I chalked it up to her being a part of the stoner, nymph group. 

We crossed the campus, stepping through the crowd instead of joining it. People called out to Briar as we went, and she smiled and waved but didn’t stop to say hi as she did. 

I felt a little self-conscious, worried that she wasn’t stopping to chat because I was cramping her vibes or something, but I was distracted enough by the new scenery not to care too much. Growing up in the suburbs near Phoenix, Arizona hadn’t exactly prepared me for forests and glass buildings.

As we moved further into the campus, the buildings were progressively more glass and less stone, and there were less trees and more flowers. Because I was there on scholarship, I half expected Briar to do an about-face and take me back toward the older looking buildings.

We were at the far edge of the campus when Briar finally stopped. I could see where the gates met the trees, marking the edge of the school.

“Okay, this is the Redwood building.” She gestured to the tallest, most modern-looking building I’d seen. It was the largest and shiniest by far, almost looking like an office building, and while the other ones had rivers of students going in and out, there wasn’t a single person within forty feet of the Redwood building.

“You forgot where this building was?” I looked to her with raised eyebrows.

“Yep.”

So she was sticking with that lie. Interesting.

“Can you show me where my room is?” I checked, more to prod for information than because I wanted help finding my dorm.

 “I’m not allowed inside.” She apologized, tucking her hair behind her ear and then untucking it. 

She was nervous. Hmm. 

“If I go in there is someone going to kill me?” I checked, only half-joking.

Briar smiled, and it didn’t seem like a nervous smile that time.

“Oh, no. This building is for important people, it’s supposed to be fancy and expensive. There are three security guards just in the lobby, so this is the safest place on campus.” 

My eyebrows shot into my forehead, and I looked back to the mirrored glass of the Redwood building. Three security guards in one building on an already-private campus? Why would they want me in there?

“I’m here on a scholarship. There must be some kind of mistake.” 

“It’s not a mistake.” Briar promised, reaching out to touch my arm. “You belong in the Redwood building, Adrie Lane.” 

And then she walked away, leaving me standing there stunned, confused, and slightly afraid.

But I was the one dumb enough to accept a full-ride scholarship to a school I’d never visited before, so I had no choice but to go inside.

When I scanned my ID card the sleek, glass door automatically slid open. My eyebrows lifted at the small but fancy lobby. Between the long fireplace that had been built into a metal-looking wall, modern but uncomfortable-looking chairs, and the security guards, I felt entirely out of place.

My gaze hit the elevator, and I headed toward it. Every hotel I’d ever been in used the room number to designate which floor it was on, and the Redwood building seemed enough like a hotel that I figured the same would be true.

I pressed the button for the tenth floor—the top one—and stood alone in the elevator until it dinged when it stopped. Getting out, I walked up and down the halls until I found my room number.

There were only fifteen doors on the entire floor, and one of them led to the roof. Room 1001 was at the end of the hallway to my right, directly across from 1002. The closest other room was at the end of an entirely different hallway 

I slid my ID card yet again, and then entered the room.

When I saw it, my mouth fell open.

I’d been expecting a tiny dorm room, and I was staring at a massive loft apartment, complete with black-framed glass walls to separate the bedroom area from the kitchen and living room. Everything was modern and shiny, with windows taking up two entire walls and a sectional that could’ve fit eight people comfortably.

 “What is going on?” I asked the air.

And then I had to explore, of course. 

There was a desk with a huge computer in one of the corners, and a washer and dryer in one of the three coat closets.

I checked out the kitchen—stocked with dishes and pans and silverware, condiments in the fridge, and dish towels in a drawer.

The walk-in closet was bigger than all three of the closets in my childhood home combined, and the bathroom? Between a gigantic bath tub with jets and one of those showers that’s so fancy it doesn’t even have a door, it was fit for a king.

Not a girl who couldn’t afford to go to college at all without a full-ride scholarship.

I decided to go check out the rest of the building before unpacking, just to make sure there really hadn’t been a mistake. It wasn’t until the door was shut that I realized I’d forgotten my ID card.

Swearing under my breath, I began wandering the halls.

Happy Reading! 

-Sara Summers