Rocked: A Chelsie Valdar Saga, 1
Brief Synopsis:
The Apocalypse is coming…in one week. Chelsie Valdar and her
brother are modern-day Viking warrior teenagers. They must find a mystical
sword belonging to their ancient ancestor and flee to safety at a secret
shelter, if they hope to survive. As the clock ticks, several Bigfoot and an
outcast werecat become invaluable friends helping with the search for the sword
and offering supernatural protection. Misfortune haunts their every move.
Conflicts delay their progress. Especially when a devious and deranged enemy is
infatuated with Chelsie and hungers for the sword, desperate to escape to the
shelter with Chelsie by his side. Time is running out.
~~~~~
Excerpt
from
Rocked: A Chelsie Valdar Saga, 1
Chapter 1
By
Gina Marie Long
The ground
trembles under my feet. I pause on the nature trail, forcing Gator to stop,
too. I wonder if it's an earthquake but each tremor is short and separate from
the next one. Not how a quake's rumbling feels. Maybe something heavy dropped
on the ground or exploded nearby.
Or it could be
something else…
I look at Gator
for his opinion. Whatever caused the disturbance stopped. His head tilts from
side to side as he makes eye contact then sneezes. I smile at his cuteness,
shrug my shoulders and we take off walking fast and steady.
Staying in shape
is a priority to me and even though it is the first day of summer vacation, I
refuse to ease up on my workouts.
Besides, I need
to burn off some restless energy and vent my anger from Dean breaking up with
me yesterday. The last day of school is supposed to be fun and carefree.
Especially now that I'll be a high school senior when school starts again in
August. But no, Dean ruined that. At my locker, before first hour, he caught me
and whispered he wanted to breakup. He claims I need an attitude adjustment and
that I keep secrets from him. Well, maybe. Screw him. Whatever.
The temperature
feels perfect for early June. Blue skies and a nice breeze. The nature trails
at Milo McIver State Park are next to my hometown of Estacada, Oregon, close to
where I live with my dad and brother. This place is peaceful but motivates me
to walk my butt off.
Boom, boom,
boom. I freeze again. The pounding echoes from all around and the shuddering of
the earth travels through my feet and up my legs. Gator strains at the end of
his leash, not moving, quiet, ears alert, and eyes searching for the invader.
A savage roar
rises from within the dense woods. Birds screech and fly from the surrounding
trees in fright. A young deer bolts over the trail, not even noticing us as it
flees from the commotion.
From the tree
line on my left, someone large hurtles through the tangled branches directly at
Gator and me. The window of opportunity to move out of the way is gone. He
slams into my body, blasting me backwards through the air almost ten feet
before I hit the ground. Flat on my back, I try to breathe in but struggle as
my lungs and stomach protest in pain, refusing to function yet.
I am embarrassed
and annoyed with myself. Years of grueling training have prepared me to be on
the lookout for this sort of situation. "Plan A" is to avoid trouble.
Don't get involved. (I've never been good at following that advice.) If slipping
away fails, try negotiating. Or conning my way out of a tight spot. If all else
fails, I fight.
I did nothing.
Except lose focus on my environment from dwelling on Dean's rejection, and
become the victim. I lie out of breath in the dirt and wonder what my attacker
plans to do next.
During the
tackle, I lost my grip on Gator's leash. I never let him run loose and here he
is – free as a bird. The rustling of leaves and his barking signal he is close.
Why doesn't he run to my face, brush against my hand, or jump on my belly? I
hope I can snatch the leash before he decides to dash into the woods and
explore.
I rub my fingers
across my eyes, trying to remove dirt from the corner of the left one. My
ponytail presses into the back of my head, creating a painful ache. Sucking in
a shallow breath of dusty air and blinking rapidly, I am aware I need to
recover now and be on the defense.
My vision clears and I partially rise, propping my upper
body on my elbows. I realize I have company standing spread-eagle over my legs.
Shock and panic ricochet through me as I stare up into the daunting, coal-black
eyes of a Bigfoot.
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