"What the hell?" I took a step closer to the mirror, staring at my reflection in disbelief. The person looking back was still me, but at the same time it wasn't. I had the same thick, dark, curly hair. The same hazel eyes. The same olive skin with a light dusting of freckles (ugh) scattered across the bridge of my nose. But my curls were now streaked with highlights. And not the subtle, golden-brown ones that sometimes appeared during the summer. No, these were an aggressive, dazzling blond that went from the roots of my hair all the way to the tips. It looked like I had spent a full day getting my hair done in some upscale salon. Never mind that I had never set foot in such a place since the day I was born. My eyes appeared somehow wider and more luminous. The colour brighter, my eyelashes darker up against them. And, when I looked closely, my pupils seemed to be slitted almost like a cat. I looked down at my body. My skinny arms-which had always refused to gain any definition no matter how hard I exercised-were lined with flat, wiry muscles. My bony shoulders were now curved and smooth. My scrawny legs were toned like a dancer. I reached down and lifted my shirt, revealing two subtle lines running vertically down my perfectly flat stomach, hinting at the rock-hard abs underneath. My whole body was rippling with strength. Like liquid steel.

Enter the year 2099AD - a living hell of industrial wastes, a dying planet, poverty, and high tech crime. When a mismatched group of youths are thrown together under dire circumstances, they learn that Time will be reset. They are the Octad - the eight mortals with Divine Blood, prophesied to save the world from a dismal end. With help from a benevolent Olympian god, they struggle to learn everything they need to know in the new Earth. The Age of Man is coming to a close, and Time will be reset... © Gina Maye Millar 2013 - 2017 Cover image by Darshelle Stevens (www.darshellestevensphotography.com)