Hunters of Chaos (27 page)

As Shani started typing, Doli called Jason and asked if he could come by, and Lin brought the cat over and dropped her in my lap. I felt a wave of gratitude so strong it almost set me crying again. I wasn't alone anymore. My world had been turned upside down in a matter of weeks, and nothing would ever be the same. But at least I had friends I could count on . . . and one wildcat. I had no idea where my search for my aunt and uncle would take me, but Ixchel had told me to have faith in my powers. I would have to let them lead me to Aunt Teppy and Uncle Mec and hope that I reached them in time. I took a deep breath. Whatever came next, I was ready.

I
WOULD LOVE TO TAKE
all the credit for this book, but like Harry Potter said, I must not tell lies. The truth is, there were many people without whom the Wildcats would have never come to be. First and foremost, I'd like to thank the team of incredible editors who worked their magic on
Hunters of Chaos
: Brendan Duffy, Stephanie Lane Elliott, William Severs, and Ali Standish at Working Partners, Ltd., and Fiona Simpson at Simon & Schuster. Thank you all for your creativity, your great ideas, your knack for knowing what to cut and what to keep, and—most important—your patience every time I said I needed “just one more week.” Thanks, also, for showing so much interest in and support for diversity in children's literature. Seriously, you guys are brilliant, and I am so, so lucky to get to work with you. I would gush more, but I don't want to embarrass you.

Huge thanks to publicity assistant Kelsey Dickson; designer Laura Lyn DiSiena; production editor Kayley Hoffman; production manager Kara Reilly; everyone in sales, marketing, and promotion; and the entire Aladdin team at Simon & Schuster. Special shout-out to Wylie Beckert for creating such an
awesome
cover. (Which features a young girl who bears a striking resemblance to my niece, Jasmine.
How did you do that?
) Thanks to my good friend Jeannie Ng, I've been a freelance proofreader for Simon & Schuster Children's Books for years, so I know firsthand how hard everyone there works on each book—even while juggling a million other things with intense schedules. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you do and for showing my book (my first hardcover!) so much love.

Thank you to all the librarians, teachers, bookstore owners, and bloggers who have supported me over the years or who helped get the word out about this book. Just to name a few, Betsy Bird, Darren and Theresa Androsiglio-Fitzpatrick, Christine Freglette, Kathy Gerber, Wendi Pela-Giuliano, Tonya Johnson, Latricia Markle, Arlene Sahraie, Bina Valenzano, Ron Ventola, and Tanya Manning-Yarde. Also a big thanks to Latinos in Kid Lit, who mentioned me in their round-up for this year. I'm honored to be included!

And finally, a deep, sincere thank-you to my friends and family, who are endlessly supportive, especially my mom and dad, Madelin and Eliezer Velasquez; my grandfather, David White; and my grandmother, Guillermina White, who taught me everything I need to know about having pride in my culture and being a force for good in the world.
Te extraño, Abuela
.

This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

ALADDIN

An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division

1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020

www.SimonandSchuster.com

First Aladdin hardcover edition June 2015

Text copyright © 2015 by Working Partners Ltd.

Jacket illustration copyright © 2015 by Wylie Beckert

Jacket designed by Laura Lyn DiSiena

All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

ALADDIN is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc., and the related logo is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or
[email protected]
.

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.

Designed by Laura Lyn DiSiena

The text of this book was set in Warnock Pro.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Velasquez, Crystal.

Hunters of Chaos / by Crystal Velasquez. —First Aladdin hardcover edition.

pages cm

Summary: “Four girls discover that they are part of a timeless battle that pits good against evil. They have the ability to turn into large cats and an ancient duty to protect civilization from evil demons who want to rule”—Provided by publisher.

ISBN 978-1-4814-2452-3 (hc)

[1. Shapeshifting—Fiction. 2. Demonology—Fiction. 3. Good and evil—Fiction.] I. Title.

PZ7.V4877Hu 2015

[Fic]—dc23

2014030041

ISBN 978-1-4814-2454-7 (eBook)