The Forbidden Trilogy (104 page)

"I'd love to."

Arm in arm they strolled down a trail, as the sun set over
them, drenching them in the hues of another day ending, leaving them with the
promise of a new day yet to come.

One more stroke of red and—done! My cramped fingers
reluctantly released the paintbrush as I admired my husband on the most
beautiful beach in Hawaii. The painting wasn't the masterpiece I'd lost in the
fire, but maybe it was better. It had a certain kind of beauty that had been
lacking in my old work, a stillness that I hoped to bring to people when they
looked at this new work.

Drake walked over and wrapped his arms around me. "It's
amazing." He kissed my cheek. "You're amazing."

I turned my body into him. Our new summer home was still
being built, so we had chosen to stay in a private beach house for our honeymoon.
Already I loved married life, and my husband, though I missed Ana, who had
stayed with Robyn and the gang in Washington.

Robyn had cried when I asked her to be the primary care
person, showing her that I did, in fact, trust her.

We had plans, wonderful plans—art school in Washington;
summers in Hawaii, with Drake teaching the kids to surf; a life of following
our dreams and doing what we loved.

Drake nuzzled my neck. "You're happy. I love feeling
you so happy."

His new powers were still untapped, unexplored, and it was a
lot for him to take in, but I was so proud of how well he'd adapted. "I
love you, my husband."

"I love you, my wife."

He lifted me up and I squealed as he carried me into our
bedroom and dropped me onto the bed.

"Now, what were our plans today?"

I pulled him closer to me and covered his mouth with mine,
as I showed him exactly what our plans were for the day, and for the rest of
our lives.

---THE END---

FORBIDDEN MIND

1.
Forbidden Mind begins with
Sam completing a painting for an art contest. All of her hopes and dreams
depend on her getting into a great art school, but her plans change when she
finds out that the people who run her school have been lying to her. Could you
relate to Sam's plight as she fought to discover the truth of her life? Have
you ever felt like the life you'd been living was a lie? Did you handle it
differently then Sam?

2.
Rent-A-Kid uses teens to
make a lot of money as paranormal spies. This is a form of human trafficking,
though they seem to live a nice life until they turn eighteen. How do you feel
about humans used and sold like tools? Can you think of other ways our society
does this to people everyday?

3.
Sam and her friends never
had cause to question their lives before Sam's art studio was burned down and
she met Drake. Do you think you would have questioned more had you been raised
in the same world as them? What areas of your own life do you take for granted
just because that's what you're used to?

4.
How do you think growing
up without any parents or family structure has affected the Rent-A-Kids? Do you
think they would be scarred by this lack, or is this made up for by the fact
that they had teachers and each other?

5.
On Sam's assignment to spy
on Mr. Beaumont, she breaks a few Rent-A-Kid rules. First, she threatened a
client. Then she reported Mr. Beaumont to the authorities rather than just
leaving the information with her client. Finally, she gave Tommy a picture of
them together and took a camera that didn't belong to her. How do you feel
about her actions in this section? Do you think she acted with moral authority
or that she was wrong for what she did?

6.
Throughout this book, Sam
breaks several rules and ultimately escapes from her captors. Would you have
done things differently? Is it ever okay to break the rules? How do you know
when it's 'right' to break rules and when it's 'wrong'?

7.
Sam and Drake meet
telepathically before they ever meet in person, but she comes to trust him
quickly. If you and your friends all had paranormal powers, would you be
freaked out if someone started communicating with you mentally? Would you trust
them? Would you tell your friends and try to get them to help you figure out
what is happening?

8.
Do you think people have
to meet in person before they can really fall in love? Did you find the romance
between Drake and Sam believable? Why or why not? Would it change your opinion
if you knew the author met her husband online and they fell in love before they
ever met in person?

9.
In the book, Sam is
impregnated against her will and without her knowledge in order to breed
stronger paranormal babies. Some have likened this to rape. Do you think the
two are the same? Why or why not? If not rape, how would you describe this kind
of violation?

10.
Sam and Drake both have
very strong powers. Sam can read minds and Drake can control minds. Which power
would you prefer? Do you think it's unethical to read or control minds? Would
you feel violated if someone did that to you?

11.
Sam and her friends
believed they needed Rent-A-Kid to keep them safe from a world that wouldn't
understand their gift. What do you think? Do you think our society and world
would accept people with different abilities, or do think mass fear would put those
with special powers in danger? Can you think of other examples of how people
who are different than the status quo are treated?

12.
When Sam is released from
the hospital, she is expected to attend her going away party. She acts like she
doesn't know what's happening while trying to plan what to do with her friends.
Would you have been able to keep up pretense, or would you have challenged your
captors before they took you away? What else could Sam and her friends have
done to try and escape?

13.
Sam confides in her
guard, Gar, as they are leaving Rent-A-Kid and he becomes an ally in trying to
help her escape. Would you have trusted him in that moment? Would you have been
wiling to put his life at risk in asking him to help you? When he dies, Sam feels
guilty, like it's her fault. Do you think his death is her fault, or is the
fact that he made his own choice enough to absolve her? How much should we try
to protect or control others in order to keep them safe?

14.
When Sam realizes that
Ana is Luke and Lucy's mom, she works out a way to reconnect them. When Ana
dies, once again Sam feels guilty. How do you think she handles her guilt? What
do you think this will change in her as she moves forward?

15.
When Sam and Drake are
escaping, Sam refuses to leave Ana, even though she's already dead. Drake uses
mind control on her so that he doesn't have to physically move her and risk
hurting her or the baby. Sam has a hard time forgiving Drake for this. How
would you feel if the same thing had happened to you? Do you think it was wrong
of Drake to control her in that way, or were his actions justified because she
could have died otherwise?

FORBIDDEN FIRE

1.
At the beginning of
Forbidden Fire, Sam becomes very sick and finds out she's been drugged her
entire life in order for Rent-A-Kid to control her more easily. How would you
react if you found out you'd been drugged against your will on top of
everything else? Would you still feel guilty for your actions, even if you had
no control of them because of the drugs? (I.e. not questioning your
circumstances… )

2.
Drake never had a family,
and the only father figure he had was the old priest. With Sam pregnant, Drake
struggles with his responsibilities of fatherhood, afraid that he won't be the
man his child needs. What do you think makes a good father, or healthy family?
What could Drake do to prepare for life as a father? Do you think his
para-powers help him or hurt him in this regard?

3.
Back at Rent-A-Kid, Luke
and Lucy must adjust to a whole new regime as familiar faces are replaced by
impersonal guards. Still, they refuse to tell Mr. Black anything about Sam. How
would you have handled being questioned by authority in this manner? Do you
agree with the revolt that started because of these changes?

4.
Sam can sense someone is
following them, and when they discover their apartment has been broken into,
Drake leaves her to attack the man inside. Do you think Drake used too much
force in subduing this man? What about when he killed the man who was about to
kill Sam? Were Drake's actions justified, or do you think he should be held
responsible for that death? Is it ever okay to take another person's life? If
so, when?

5.
Sam can control minds now,
but she doesn't like to do it. Do you think she should be using her powers
more, regardless of her personal ethics, in order to keep herself and her
family safe? Or do you agree that those powers shouldn’t be messed with?

6.
There are several villains
in this book: The men who are after Sam and Drake, Mr. Black, at the Rent-A-Kid
school, and ultimately the Seeker, who is controlling everything. At first,
they all seem evil to the core, but Mr. Black and the Seeker have their own
stories that have made them who they are. Did discovering more about their past
change your feelings about them? Did it allow you to relate to them better?

7.
Were you surprised to
discover that Sam and the Seeker were related? How do you think this changes
Sam's role in Rent-A-Kid and the bigger picture? Would that information have
inspired you to think differently about your situation, if you'd been her?

8.
When Sam, Drake and Brad
are with Professor Shaw, he reveals his own involvement in trying to discover
the secrets behind this organization. Does his desire to drop out of the public
eye and become a reclusive make sense to you? Would you have responded
differently had that happened to you?

9.
At Rent-A-Kid, Mr. Black
kills one young man when he discovers them dueling with their para-powers, and
he beats up Lucy for failing at her mission. Given how powerful these teens
are, and how dangerous their powers could be if they ever lost control, do you
think there was any justification to his behavior? How else could he have
handled the situation and still kept control of the school?

10.
While in Russia, Luke and
Lucy discovered a secret lab with some mutated creatures. Lucy befriended Adam
and he saved her life and gave her a gift of the sphere. How do you feel about
this friendship? Would you have trusted him in her position? What do you think Adam's
motivation for helping her was?

11.
When Sam and Drake are
captured, Drake wants to push to break the Seeker's control over Mary. When he
puts Mary at risk, Sam fights him and breaks the link, but also destroys
Drake's powers in the process. Would you have risked your relationship to save
someone who had spent years torturing you at school? Do you agree with Drake,
that it was worth the risk to push Mary like that?

12.
In the end, Drake
disappears and leaves Sam and the unborn baby. What do you think his
motivations were for leaving? Could you relate to him and his loss, or did you
feel more strongly for Sam?

13.
In the process of
breaking free of Rent-A-Kid's control, Sam and her friends lose everything:
their home, their belongings, other friends who perished in the fight. Was
their fight for freedom worth so much loss? Why or why not?

FORBIDDEN LIFE

1.
Each character in this
book is put into a situation where they have to make some tough decisions that
test their own moral compass. Which choices did you agree with? Which did you
disagree with? Discuss (or consider) some examples of these choices.

2.
In Forbidden Life, some
'bad' guys become 'good' guys, and some 'good' guys become 'bad' guys. What
does this say about the nature of evil? Does this make morality ambiguous? Can
you relate to the motivations behind the choices of Mr. Steele, Agent Simmons
and Beleth? Who did you relate to the most?

3.
Beleth didn't have a
choice when Steele took control of him. Drake also found himself controlled by
Steele at one point, and sabotaged Sam's attempt to kill her father. Should
they be held responsible for their actions under these circumstances? Why or
why not?

4.
Lucy used her powers to
keep Mr. K from telling her friends about the sphere. IPI used their influence
to keep the truth of paranormals from the public. Were these choices right or
wrong? Is it ever okay to censor others or prevent people from learning the
truth about something? Did Mr. K have the right to tell Luke and Hunter about
the sphere? Does IPI have the right to decide who knows about paranormals and
who doesn't?

5.
Sam is ready to give up on
Drake. He betrayed her too deeply and she didn't know if she could trust him
again. Susie offers her wisdom that people deserve second chances to win back
trust. Do you agree with this? Do you think Sam was right in ultimately
forgiving Drake and marrying him? Can people change and redeem themselves?

6.
Hunter's past is not
revealed much in this book. He doesn't believe it's relevant to who he is now,
and he encourages Lucy to judge him by the man he is today, not who he was. Do
you agree with him? Do you think the past is only useful in regards to how it
shaped us, but isn't worth talking about beyond that?