Marrow (33 page)
Authors: Preston Norton
“Why would I catch it with a mitt when I can catch it with my mind? That’s completely ineffective. I’d have to physically exert myself.”
“Physically exert yourself? Are you kidding me? Oh my gosh, Nero, I’m the one with asthma here! Just throw me the ball already.”
Nero blinked and the ball shot across the beach in a straight line.
“Ow! I meant throw it with your hand, Nero!”
Sapphire giggled as she nudged my shoulder. “Looks like they’re getting along.”
I snickered but didn’t say anything. This moment was too perfect. Sitting atop the mound surrounding Cosmo Beach, the sunset was a blur of red and orange streaks glazed together on a painted horizon. The Gaia Comet and the glass spheres of the Tartarus wreckage glimmered below. The rising tide slapped against the slanted structure and then withdrew with a sigh. The scene looked just like the evening it had crashed here. Maybe that’s why I was so insistent on coming back. It was that first moment, standing on top of this mound, that I knew everything was going to be alright.
“What are you thinking?” said Sapphire.
Yes, what are you thinking?
said Gaia.
Your thought processes are very quiet lately. It’s most unusual.
“I’m thinking that I’ve got a talkative alien living inside my head,” I said.
I’m merely inquisitive,
said Gaia.
Remember, my kind is doing this research in behalf of the entire universe.
“Gaia?” said Sapphire. “What’s it saying?”
“Meh, just talking about the universe and stuff,” I said.
Sapphire smiled and leaned into my shoulder. “You must feel pretty powerful having something like Gaia living inside your head. Has he told you any secrets about the universe lately?”
I turned my head, my lips hovering only an inch from hers. Then I kissed her.
“All I need to know about the universe is right here,” I said.
What is power, really?
In a world of heroes and villains and clashing superpowers—a world where so much seems to end in blood and hate and tears—I can’t claim to know all the answers. But I can tell you what I believe. I don’t think true power has anything to do with these Super abilities we have as a result of Gaia. Even Gaia itself with all its energy and the secrets of the universe at its fingertips…
I don’t believe that is power at all.
I believe true power is what drives someone who’s been hurt to forgive his friend, helping him when he needs it the most. It’s what drives a man to sacrifice his life for some kid he barely met. It’s what drives a father to fight for the son he never knew.
This is the power that makes us heroes.
Thanks for reading Marrow. We hope that the fast pace kept you turning the pages. Our editor Helena was really excited when Preston Norton’s manuscript dropped into our submission pile.
We aim to bring you books full of excitement, and intrigue, that are just a little bit new and different from what you might read anywhere else.
Since you read Marrow, we think you’ll like another one of our books:
If your heart rate goes over 140 beats per minute, you die.
Fifteen-year-old Nik Granjer hates the Bug. It was the Bug that destroyed the world when it wiped out over ninety percent of humanity a hundred years ago. Even now, the Bug kills anyone whose heart rate goes over 140 beats per minute. That’s why the Prime Administrator gave everyone the Papas – digital wrist monitors that put people to sleep when their heart rate gets too high. The Papas saved humankind.
But one night on the border of New Frisko, when Nik tampers with his Papa and discovers there is more to the Bug than he thought, a brutal enforcement squad from the city suddenly forces Nik into hiding.
On the run and searching for allies, Nik’s only hope is to escape with his life and discover the truth about the Prime Administrator’s regime and the origins of the Bug. But can Nik and his friends keep their heart rates under 140 when it matters most?
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Welcome to our library,
Adam, Helena, Ami, Ryan
The Future House Publishing Team
Preston Norton has been reading superhero comics since he was old enough to look at pictures. And then he learned to actually read words, and they became a gazillion times better. Among Preston’s impossible achievements, he once ate thirteen slices of French toast in one sitting, he read the entirety of
To Kill a Mockingbird
when he was twelve years old, assuming from the title that it would turn into a suspense/thriller murder mystery, and he somehow managed to receive an impressive scar from a pillow fight with his five-year-old little sister. He has a degree in English Education and has taught seventh and ninth grade English.
Connect with Preston:
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/prestonnortonauthor
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/PrestonSNorton
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Marrow
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