Who will Arise?

Chapter 1 & 2

Dear Reader,

Thanks so much for choosing Who will Arise! Just a quick note before you start Chapter 1.

Though I've been writing most of my life, this is my first attempt at a novel. If I knew beforehand how much fun I'd have writing a novel— and fantasy at that!—I'd have started decades ago...oops, did I just give away my age? If you like what you read, please let me know! I appreciate every single moment you spend giving me feedback (I know you gain nothing from it!) or just hitting a star if you enjoyed a particular chapter. Heartfelt encouragement is what keeps writers going most days! If this book doesn't do it for you, PLEASE, please let me know too. Though I am thrilled when people love my work (who isn't, hey?) it means so much when people take the time to tell me where and how I can improve!

I'm from beautiful Cape Town, South Africa and would love to hear a little about you! Where are you from, what age group do you fall in, gender and anything else quirky about you? Enjoy every second of cuddled-up downtime with a book!  Mash

Chapter One

True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize

how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us. Socrates

* * *

"Let's get Amber to plant one on 'em, maybe he'll wake up as a frog."

"I'm awake." Quinn mumbled to his best friend, Spike.

His slitted eyes performed a covert search for the female in question. Being no different from other sixteen-year-old guys, he wasn't averse to the idea of some lip locking at all, especially if they looked like Amber Bateman. Still, girls like Amber—who made no secret of the fact that she was into him—scared him a little. As far as the fairer sex was concerned, he preferred at least some measure of subtlety, even mystery. And that girl was as subtle as a red nose on a clown. Quinn was relieved to see no sign of enthusiastic Amber as he gathered his long limbs at length.

He'd been dozing in the shade of a tree and checked the time on his phone as he stood. He frowned at Spike currently holding up a lamppost with his wiry frame. "What took you so long? Class's been out almost...twenty minutes. Where's Jackson?"

Spike gestured with his head in Jackson's direction. Quinn spotted Jackson standing with his back to them, peeping through the hedge. He yelled at Jackson to quit spying on the beautiful Ava Dawson like a twelve-year-old and snorted.

Mortified, Jackson hurried to join them,  scowling at Quinn. "Could you shout that any louder?" Quinn and Spike roared. As they walked off Spike couldn't resist ripping Jackson off about his peeping habits .

The three exited the school grounds as Spike and Jackson switched gears to make plans for the week-end ahead. Quinn's cheerful mood evaporated instantly. His face darkened and a scowl transformed his care-free features.

It's not that he'd really been looking forward to the dance that night—not the same way his two buddies walking next to him were practically salivating just thinking about getting close to certain girls.

No, it was that thing keeping him from other things guys his age did on weekends that irritated him this afternoon. The seminar his parents had planned for him this weekend had totally slipped his mind until Spike had reminded him a few hours before. He dreaded going. Maybe getting rid of some emotion with a five mile run would help ease his rage over the matter—a run usually did the trick. It was like running was all he had left that was his choice lately. But still, his long run would be followed by three longer hours of Science-drivel tonight—that wasn't his choice. He ground his teeth. He'd been looking forward to some down time with his two friends for a change. It wasn't about the dance—Quinn just needed the breather this weekend, maybe tame a few down-hills on their mountain bikes, catch a movie... Anything to have a break from the scholarship pressure he'd been under recently—that boa constrictor, slithering even into his dreams lately, squeezing the breath from him, whether asleep or wide-awake. How many times has he woken up, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily just these past weeks.