Kindred Chapter Two

    Here is Chapter Two of Kindred- book two of the Earthshaker Series. This excerpt does contain information from Tracker so if you haven't read Tracker yet and don't want to be spoiled, you may not want to read on. Just know that I am working on editing Kindred and that Tracker is available for sale on amazon. If you have read Tracker, or don't mind reading stuff out of order, read on :-)

TWO- Kindred:

            Gratitude. To be grateful. I was familiar with the concept, but my life hadn't given many instances where I could use that particular emotion. Anger. Hatred. Fear. Those were more familiar, and easier to deal with. I had been...trained excessively in those emotions. Trevor Mason had taught them to me to such an extent that I could hardly feel anything else.

            So when the Tracker had killed my master, I had been confused by the emotion I'd felt. I was finally free of my tormenter. For once, I could use my skills for me, and not because I was forced to use them. And any profit that came would go to me and me alone. I sat on the edge of the bed in the dirty motel room and ran a cloth over the blade I held, relishing the freedom I had discovered. I had been liberated and was free to thank the person responsible for my sudden ability to choose my own actions.

            Finding the Tracker's father had been easy. Mason had a phone number, and it was only a matter of calling him and setting up a meeting. He knew ‘John Doe’ from his previous contact with Mason, and hadn’t flinched at setting up a meeting. When he’d arrived, the John he knew—a quiet but intense Goth kid—had disappeared. What he’d seen instead was my true form. The assassin who’d been trained in the art of pain and fear. Kindred. The man I’d become after Mason had been through with me. McCoy’s fate had been sealed with the first sign of hesitation when he’d seen me change in front of him. Too easy. But still fun.

His friend had been harder to find, but I had finally succeeded. I took away his ability to trap or hurt the Tracker...Jason, again. My mind drifted as I idly flipped the knife in my hand. There had been another emotion that had been brought out when I had seen the young street kid hanging from the ceiling of Mason's shed: sympathy, and also some regret.

            I regretted that the Tracker had to go through what I'd been through. It had seemed like a waste. The kid had people who cared about him. Mason's actions would have kept him from his loved ones, and changed him into someone they wouldn't even recognize.

            Exactly as he'd done to me. I don't remember my life previous to working for Mason, but I don’t think I was ever completely on the side of legality. However, I did suspect that I'd had a family at some point. Perhaps they had even looked for me. Now I would be unrecognizable to them. I am no longer who I was before, and now I also was not enslaved to anyone. Therefore I am no longer exactly what Mason made me. Perhaps with time the person I was before would emerge and reveal the secret of my past.

            There was a knock on the door and I slipped the knife into the sheath I wore under my shirt and opened the door. "May I help you?" I asked the overweight deliveryman.

            "Mr. Smith?" he asked, consulting the envelope he held and his clipboard.

            "Yes."

            He held out the large envelope. "Have a good day," He said as I took the delivery.

            I nodded absently, staring down at the envelope as I closed the door. I slid the picture out of the envelope, and committed the face to memory. Flipping the picture over, I saw the information I would need to find the man in the picture. There was also a phone number to call when the job was done. I slid the last thing out: a smaller envelope containing ten thousand dollars in cash. I would receive the rest when I called after the job was finished. My client had made contact: it was time to move.

            I stuffed my few belongings into my bag with my clothes, put on a pair of latex gloves, and wiped down the entire room. Covering my tracks had become second nature to me after several years in Mason's service. My other talents came in handy for that as well. The woman at the check-in counter might remember a nondescript white man with light brown hair and dark eyes, while the delivery man would swear in court that the man he'd given the envelope to had been Latino. Neither would be correct. Covering my identity had become like breathing; it came automatically. That had been the main reason for the warning I'd placed in the last gift I'd given the Tracker. He might be the only one in the world who could find me, and I didn't want him to try.

            I swept my gaze over the room once more, making sure I left nothing behind. It was clean, as far as motel rooms go, so I pulled the door shut and tried to decide where to go next. The man in the photograph lived on the other side of town, so I'd go there, find a motel, and follow my prey until I found my opportunity to strike. I felt a spike of adrenaline as I drove away from the dingy motel, and a smile appeared on my face. All thoughts of my past fled with the excitement I felt now. There was nothing like a good hunting trip to make the blood flow.

End of Chapter two- Please let me know what you think!

My Saturday:

    Today was a busy day by my normal Saturday standards. This morning I went to town to run some errands, including picking up new riding boots, which I proceeded to not use when I rode my horse this afternoon because I rode bareback and used my normal shoes. After riding Rory, my mare, I had Chance, my mom's gelding, in the round pen to run.
 

My mare- Rory

Mom's gelding- Chance

    Once the horses were put away and fed, I was able to edit a decent amount of Kindred- book two of the Earthshaker series. I am about halfway through right now, and am still planning to go over some more this evening before I go to bed. Still not quite sure on even an estimated release date for Kindred, but as I get further in the editing I may have a better idea of how long it will take to have it fully ready. As always I will continue to update as I make progress

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Author Page

    I have been working this evening on making a page on Facebook for the Earthshaker series. It is up and ready now, and I will be posting updates there along with posting on my blog. Please feel free to check it out! Thank you :-)

Character Information: Dan Carstens

    Dan Carstens is a senior detective with the Crandal County Police Department. He has been Alice's partner since she became a detective, and worked with her on a couple cases prior to becoming her partner. He is wary of runaways and other street kids in general, but has grown to care about Jason and the children he protects-due in large part to the fact that they stay away from the vices street kids often turn to.
    Another part of why Dan cares about the children is that he and his wife, June, have always wanted children and were unable to have any. He has a soft spot for children in general, and more so for those who have had troubled and abusive homes. When Jason and his kids are in trouble, Dan is right beside Alice to help them out. Dan is hurt by Jason's complete distrust of him, but eventually grows to understand the reason behind it.

Character Information: Hannah

    Hannah Farrow is the sister of Detective Alice Farrow. She is eighteen during the events of Tracker, and has a hard time balancing her college class schedule with spending time with her sister and Jason. She sees that they both need extra support with the difficult events surrounding the case with Trevor Mason, so she often puts her own desires on hold in order to be there for her loved ones. She has known Jason since he first helped Alice with a missing person's case, and has always been a little bit in love with him. However, she is smart enough to know that he is not ready for a relationship, so she doesn't push him to reveal his feelings.
    When Jason's group of street kids comes to stay at her house Hannah becomes a role model for them, especially for Ginny, who has never had a good female mentor. Hannah is generally soft-spoken, but she doesn't hesitate to speak up if she feels strongly about something. For instance, after the situation with Mason, she pushes Sam (the youngest child in the group) and Jason to talk to someone about what they went through. She urges Jason to not push everyone away, but instead to let them help him heal.

 

Kindred Chapter One:

Here is chapter one of Kindred, book two of the Earthshaker Series- Does contain information from Tracker- book one- so if you don't want any spoilers for that, you may not want to read this. If you have read Tracker, read on! 

ONE- Jason:

            I slowly lowered myself into the computer chair, staring at the note card and picture that were identical to what I'd received nearly six months ago. The basement bedroom, which had seemed so cozy and safe a few minutes earlier, suddenly seemed to hold an ominous chill. I shivered slightly as I looked at the picture. The man was familiar. According to the note, the victim had been with my father six months ago when he'd tried to abduct me. He and my father were guilty of so much more, and I wasn't sorry they were dead. There had been times when I’d dreamed of killing my father myself. At the same time, I couldn't allow the man known as Kindred to keep killing people to thank me.

            Kindred, the mysterious ‘ghost’, who’d been at the Farm when I was abducted last November, obviously appreciated that I'd freed him from Trevor Mason the previous fall, but how long would he haunt me? The steps creaked and I jumped slightly when Hannah called, "Jason? Can I come down?"

            I sighed. Despite the time that had passed since my ordeal at Trevor's hands, I still needed advance warning any time someone came downstairs. My nerves were raw and I had very little control of my abilities once I got startled. "Jason?" Hannah's voice came again, and I realized I hadn't answered her yet.

Hannah and Alice Farrow were my closest friends, and I’d known them since I was thirteen, only a few months after I’d run away from my father. They were the first people I’d told about my abilities, and it had been the first time I’d called myself a Tracker. My brother and the children I’d protected while living in the streets were the next to find out, followed by more people than I wanted to know, unfortunately including Trevor Mason. Last November he tried to make me into something I do not want to be; a slave to use as he wanted. He’d even given me a new nickname, one I wasn’t very fond of: the Earthshaker. Unlike me, he focused on the more destructive aspect of my abilities, the power that allowed me to destroy buildings and cause earthquakes.

            "Come on down, Hannah," I yelled back. It bothered me that Hannah and Alice could no longer move freely in their own house, but they wouldn't listen any time I mentioned the possibility of leaving. For my little brother Sam’s sake, I was grateful. For my own…well, that was slightly more complicated.

            Hannah entered my room and sat on the edge of the bed. "Are you okay, Jason? You disappeared down here after getting the mail, and you look like you've seen a ghost," she pushed a strand of long hair behind her ear and looked at me in concern.

            It was a look I'd become familiar with over the last few months. I'd seen it from all of my friends since last fall, more so since I'd admitted my inability to watch out for the kids. It had been one of the hardest decisions of my life, but with Alice and Dan's help we'd been able to get Paul, Jeffrey and Ginny placed with Dan and his wife as a semi-permanent foster situation. The captain at their precinct had helped smooth the way for them with Social Services, so they hadn’t gone through too much trouble to get the placement Okayed. The children wouldn't be moved as long as Dan and Judy were willing to care for them.

My brother, Sam, was the only one to remain with me at Alice and Hannah's home. I refused to be separated from him, and he practically threw a fit when the possibility was mentioned. It wouldn't happen...ever. "Jason?" Hannah's voice showed no impatience; only her worry that I still wasn't back to normal.

            "I'm okay, Hannah," I assured her apologetically. "I just need to go talk to Alice. Could you keep an eye on Sam for me?" My brother was upstairs, getting things ready for when he and the other kids would begin attending school the next week. They'd been getting tested to see what level they were at, and would be entering the school right after the fourth quarter, when summer school was in session. They were a bit behind, but I had confidence that my kids would catch up by the time school started in the fall. Jeffrey was my only real concern. He had some kind of learning disorder, or so it seemed to me.

            Hannah nodded. "I'll watch him, but we're supposed to be meeting Dustin down at the park to study."

            "Right," I said with a wince. Dustin and Agent Mark Jones were the most recent people who’d learned about my powers. Both had been through necessity, since my abilities had been out of control after my ordeal at Mason’s hands. Control was something I worked on in my free time. I didn’t want to ever accidentally damage property just because I was afraid or angry.

In addition to practicing with my more dangerous abilities, I'd started taking a couple classes through the college this semester, one of which was with Dustin and Hannah. It was my own attempt to get to some semblance of normal, but it was so different from what I was used to that it only highlighted the contrast between me and everyone else. Nobody there knew what I’d been through except Hannah and Dustin. I spent a lot of time trying to cover up my scars to avoid the other students seeing them. "I'll try to get there, but I'll probably be late. Could you bring Sam down to the park with you? He'd love to play some basketball or catch with Dustin."

            "Sure. You feel like telling me what's going on?" Hannah asked with narrowed eyes.

            I hesitated. "Maybe after I talk to Alice." She looked at me skeptically. Based on my behavior lately, I couldn't blame her. Despite moving forward with my life I had to admit­­­—even if only to myself—that I had not dealt with what had happened to me. Instead I tried to push it down and ignore it, pretending to everyone else that everything was back to normal. Apparently my acting needed work. Everyone around me could still tell that I wasn't really okay. "I'll tell you later," I repeated, grabbing a light spring jacket and moving to the stairs.

            "Sure. See ya," She said with a sigh. I stopped in the living room to tell Sam where I was going. My little brother had been kidnapped and beaten by Trevor's gang a few days before they'd gotten to me. An undercover FBI agent, Mark Jones, had saved his life, but he'd still been in bad shape. Jones had also been the one to find me after Kindred had dragged me out of the shed and into the woods at the Farm.

Somehow Sam had gotten through his ordeal with less mental anguish than I had. It could have something to do with all the time he'd been spending with Dustin. He was in school studying Psychology, and was a stable male role model for my brother. Sam talked to him, and Dustin did what he could to talk him through his issues.

            He'd offered the same option to me, but...I just couldn't. I didn't want to air my problems to someone I'd only met a few months ago. My brother didn't have nearly the same trust issues as I did; a fact for which I was extremely grateful. Sometimes I was a bit envious of his ability to open up and share his feelings with others.

            "Jase?" Sam was looking at me curiously, and I realized that once again I had zoned out.

            "Sorry, Sammy. I'm back. You're going to go to the park with Hannah and Dustin. Maybe if you ask nicely he'll play some basketball with you."

            Sam's face lit up, his concern from a few moments ago was gone. I felt a flash of jealousy that someone else could put that happy look on my brother's face. All I'd managed lately was to get looks of confusion or concern. Sam ran up and gave me a hug.

            "What was that for?" I asked with a chuckle.

            Sam shrugged. "Just wanted to make you smile, you looked really serious and a little sad."

            My smile dropped slightly, but I allowed it to show again when he looked up at me. "Thanks bud," I said ruffling his curly brown hair. "I'm gonna get going now. The bus will be at the corner soon."

            "Okay. Love ya, Jase!" My brother grinned and ran into his room, most likely to grab the basketball Dustin had bought for him a few weeks back.

            "Love you too, little brother," I said softly as I pushed the door open to leave the house.

            I barely made it to the bus stop in time, but I rushed on just as the driver was closing the doors. The bus was nearly empty, and the few people there were ignored me as I moved to the back of the bus. I knew from experience that if I hadn't pulled the jacket on before leaving the house, I'd have gotten quite a few looks. The scars from what Mason had done were very visible, and even when I wore a T-shirt, the burn scar from the brand showed under the left sleeve. Because of that, and a multitude of other scars, I rarely went outside without wearing long sleeves.

            I forced myself to stop thinking about that event, and focused on the current problem. Alice and Dan would not be happy. We'd spent the last five months trying to find out who my father's accomplice had been, and find him before Kindred got to him. Because of my belief that he'd been in jail, Zach Bierman had not even entered my thoughts as a possibility.

            The bus pulled up in front of the Police Station and I got off, getting a few curious looks from passengers who wondered why I needed to go to the police. The sun was quite warm, so entering the cool lobby was a relief. I went straight to Alice's desk, where she was bent over paperwork. She rubbed her neck and glanced up at me before I could say anything. "Jason," the detective said, searching my face for clues to why I was there. "What happened?"

            I fished the card and picture out of my pocket and Alice visibly paled. "Kindred again?" she asked. I had told her about the enigmatic man who'd dragged me out of Trevor's shed of horrors and to the woods. After he'd killed my father, she had tried to get me to stay out of the investigation, but I couldn't. Eventually she stopped objecting.

            "Yeah. He got to my father's accomplice before us," I said with a shrug. I saw the look Alice exchanged with her partner, but I couldn't pretend to care that my childhood tormentors were dead. I also couldn't allow Kindred to continue killing people as thank you gifts. It was really starting to freak me out. Where would he stop? Was he done?

            "He also added a warning to this note," Dan added, coming up behind Alice and reading over her shoulder. "Do not look for me, or there will be consequences," he read with a frown. "Not very specific, but oddly formal."

            "It's clear enough," I said. "We need to catch him."

            Alice frowned, and I guessed at what she was about to say. "You don't need to be involved," she said, confirming my suspicion. "You should try to relax and work on your classes..." her voice trailed off as I shook my head.

            "You have a better shot with my help. This guy is dangerous and he needs to be stopped." I clenched my fist at my side and the ground under the station rumbled in agreement as my power manifested from my anger.

            "So where do you want to start?" Alice asked me. Dan looked at her in surprise. He'd heard the rumble, and obviously saw it as a reason for me to not be involved. The older man and I had come to an understanding. I trusted him to take care of the kids, but it was Alice’s opinion I valued more than his. When she voiced a concern about my involvement, I might listen. Or not. It really depends what kind of mood I’m in. Most of the time, I preferred to do my own thing. I ignored him and considered Alice's question carefully.

            Unfortunately, as of yet, I had no clear idea of how to proceed. "I have no idea. But I'm sure we'll think of something."

            "But will it be in time?" Alice asked. "Will we come up with a plan before or after Kindred kills again?"

End of chapter one- Please let me know what you think :-)

Editing

    I got through several chapters of Kindred today, and plan to go through more tomorrow. So far there haven't been any major changes, so I may be posting chapter one tomorrow. Kindred is book two of the Earthshaker series and follows Tracker, which is available now on amazon.com on both kindle and paperback. Take a look here:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ES5XIGG/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_dp_b5jnsb1YWKPF2

Funny Story

    So I haven't gotten as much done this week as I'd been hoping. Other things (work, allergies, neck/back pain, etc.) have gotten in the way a bit so I haven't done much editing on Kindred yet, but I plan to do some of it tonight and more this weekend. I plan to hopefully post Kindred chapter one later this weekend or early next week.
    Here is a fun story that happened to me this morning before work: My dog, Dundee, a Golden Retriever/Australian Shepherd mix, came into the front yard carrying something in his mouth. I went outside to see what it was and when he dropped it to greet me it turned out what he had was a little ground squirrel. Without touching it, I tried to look it over a bit to see if it was injured, and it started creeping toward me. I was holding Dundee and couldn't back away very quickly as it approached. After a moment it stopped creeping and launched itself onto my pant leg and climbed up my clothes up to my armpit! Dancing around like an idiot I tried to get it off, and the poor thing ended up in Dundee's mouth again. I made him drop it and it ran off without a hitch! He was full of dog slobber, and a little shaken up, but otherwise seemed unharmed. I guess he'll have an interesting story to tell his little squirrel friends today. :-)

Updated Link

Amazon now has the paperback and kindle connected on their site. Here is the link that will get you to both options:

 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ES5XIGG/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_dp_b5jnsb1YWKPF2

Take a look, and don't forget- if you read the book, please leave me a review! Thanks.

Tracker: Chapter Two

Here is chapter two of Tracker. Give it a read and let me know what you think! Thanks :)

TWO- Alice:

            My partner, senior detective Dan Carstens, was walking ahead of me as I approached the precinct where we worked. I caught up with him and we stood talking about the paperwork we had to do on a case we’d just finished up. It was a beautiful day, and we were both hesitant to go indoors to write up reports. We had a couple minutes before we had to be at our desks, so we took advantage.

            It was a good thing, as it turned out. I looked past Dan when I noticed something moving on the ground in one of the flowerbeds. When I looked closer, I realized the dirt was actually forming into letters. I managed to mask my reaction of surprise and worry enough to finish talking to Dan, and he headed into the building. I told him I’d be in shortly. “Cover me for the first couple minutes?” I asked him sweetly.

            He grunted, narrowing his eyes at me. “What’s in it for me, partner?”

            “I’ll get you a donut on our lunch break,” I said with a straight face.

            Dan growled. “Dang it! You know the wife won’t let me eat those any more. Says they’re bad for me.”

            “I won’t tell your wife. One donut won’t hurt. Maybe we’ll just have to make it a small one.”

            His blue eyes rolled, the motion exaggerated. “Fine. I’ll cover ya. Don’t be too long. I know you’re just trying to get out of that paperwork.”

            I laughed. “Right. That’s what I do. See you in a bit.” I said, waving him away.

            He finally went to the building, but I guessed that he suspected there was more to my request than just spending a couple minutes in the sunshine. My partner had about ten years on me when it came to being a detective, so I glanced around before heading back to where I’d seen the message. No one else reacted to it, so I assumed that the dirt suddenly coming alive had not been noticed. Jason was usually more careful, so he’d never sent me a message this close to work before. He was paranoid about his powers being discovered, and being captured for scientific study. That he had risked it today scared me.

 The fact that his message had reached me meant he was within about a two mile radius of the station and it could have taken anywhere from less than a minute to about fifteen minutes to get to me. I bent down, pretending to smell one of the flowers. “Oh, no.” I said, my hand coming up to my mouth in dismay as I read what he’d been able to send. I suspected immediately that something had happened to him because of the case he was helping me on.

            Jason was trying to help me catch a man who had his finger in nearly every major crime that happened in this city, including murder and kidnapping. Unfortunately we’d had no luck pinning anything on him, so I had asked Jason to attempt to find and memorize footsteps and people involved with some of the activities. I had hoped that with Jason’s ability to blend in and the fact that most people ignore street kids, that he’d be safe. But the message he’d sent had dashed that hope. It was a very short message that simply read: SOS.

            I chewed on my lower lip, a nervous habit I’d had since childhood when I’d had to give my first oral report in school, as I tried to figure out how to get backup to help my informant when there was no logical way for me to know he was in trouble. My indecision was brief as I realized I could claim the knowledge had come from one of the street kids.

            With my plan in place, I rushed into the building to grab my partner. “Dan!” I called as I neared his desk, passing other officers without a glance as I hurried through the building.

            “What’s up, Alice?” he asked, sounding confused. I hadn’t been worked up outside, so he was probably wondering what could have happened in the one minute since he’d left to upset me.

            “One of Jason’s kids just contacted me,” I said. “He’s in trouble.” Dan knew Jason’s kids wouldn’t contact a police officer unless he was in serious trouble, so I hoped that would give him more motivation to help.

            Dan had mixed feelings about Jason. On one hand, the kid had helped us locate several people over the years. On the other hand, he looked at most cops as if they were the enemy, and Dan was among the worst. When I’d tried to introduce the two, Jason had taken one look at the older man and took off. He still refused to talk to me if Dan was with me.

            Despite his mixed feelings, Dan was my partner and knew that I cared about Jason. He would help me and hope that Jason would look at him with less suspicion if he helped to rescue the kid. Dan had a soft spot for street kids- at least the ones with legitimate reasons for being on the streets. Jason had never been into drugs or theft, so Dan wanted to be able to help him.

            “What kind of trouble?” he asked as he grabbed his gun and badge from the drawer where he’d just finished putting them.

            I shrugged. “The kid didn’t know, he just said we needed to help him.”

            Dan nodded and followed me as I walked back out onto the parking lot. “We’ll start at his normal alley,” I said. “We might be better able to follow his tracks from there.” The irony of that statement struck me and I realized that without more help from Jason, we might not find him. Not knowing anything about Jason’s abilities, Dan simply followed me to the car, the irony lost on him.

            The trip to Jason’s alley was short and I immediately saw two of the kids Jason watched over sitting on an old mattress at the back of the dead end alley, a second mattress was leaned against the brick wall, making it more comfortable for sitting. Both seemed upset. “Erin, Ginny, what happened?” I asked, rushing to them. Dan stayed near the car, but we were parked close enough that he could hear everything.

            “Sam’s gone!” Ginny exclaimed, tears streaming down her face.

            “So is Jason,” Erin said more calmly than her friend. Erin, at fourteen, was older than Ginny by about a year, and sometimes took on the role of big sister. Both were too young for life on the street.

My partner approached slowly, crouching down a few feet away from the two frightened girls. “Do you have any idea where they are?” Dan asked gently. He was aware that the girls, like Jason, distrusted most authority figures. Only Jason’s trust in me allowed them to come to me for help.

            The two exchanged a glance then looked at me. “I think it’s something to do with whatever Jase is helping you with,” Erin said, her brown eyes narrowing.

            I accepted the mild rebuke and tried to hide my anxiety. “Mason?” I asked quietly, afraid to know the answer.

            Both girls nodded, clinging to each other tightly. Erin’s light brown hair mingling with Ginny’s blond as they leaned their heads together. Their hair was long and dirty, but kept combed. “Jase told us all to stick together, but Sammy wandered off. The other boys went to look for him. Paul sent Jeffrey back to tell us that they saw Sam get grabbed.”

            “Where are the boys now?” I asked, trying to keep the edge out of my voice.

            “I told Jeff to get them and come back here,” Erin said, sounding like more of a mother than any fourteen-year-old had the right to. She and Paul were the oldest of the children Jason protected. All had horror stories from home and Jason helped to keep them away from the bad stuff that often plagued kids on the street. Paul was a couple months older than Erin, and the two of them helped Jason look after the younger kids. Sam was the youngest and all of them were very protective of him.

            “He left a little while before you got here,” Ginny piped up, her blue eyes shining with tears. “They should be back soon.”

            “Alright. Thank you Ginny.” I turned to my partner. “Dan, we should wait here and see if the boys can add anything helpful.”

            “No problem,” He answered. His expression showed his concern. Trevor Mason was a dangerous man, and now it seemed he had both Jason and Sam in his grasp.

Next Step

Hey everybody! Now that Tracker is available on both Kindle and Paperback, my next step is to continue the editing on Kindred- Earthshaker Series book two. I also have a couple other projects in the works, and will keep adding information and extras to this site.

It's Done!

I finalized the proof for Tracker this evening and it is now available for sale at this link:  https://www.createspace.com/4417638
It will also be available on Amazon in 5-7 business days. I will keep checking so when it becomes available I can post a link. Also, with some of the formatting changes I've made I was able to lower the cost of Tracker from  $11 to $8.99. Check it out and let me know what you think!

New Information

So, unfortunately I did discover a couple of errors that I need to correct before finalizing my proof. I should be able to make the corrections tonight and submit them, then it's just a matter of waiting for the review process again. I still hope to be able to approve the proof this week sometime, but I will post again if I am unable to do so for any reason.

New update

Hey everybody, sorry about the wait. It's been a busy weekend so I haven't had as much time to go over my proof as I would have liked. I have it with me tonight, so I will be looking it over before I go to bed. Hopefully I will not find any errors and will be able to approve it tomorrow, but I will let everyone know if I need to fix anything and resubmit. It will be nice to be done with this portion of the publishing, so I can get back to work editing Kindred, book two of the Earthshaker Series.

Received Proof!

I just got the updated proof in the mail today, so I will spend part of the weekend looking it over for any errors. It is very possible that I will be approving it by Sunday night or Monday! Very much looking forward to it being done and ready to sell :)

Proof for Tracker

I got an email today that my proof is in the mail! So, hopefully I'll have it by early next week and be able to look it over for any errors. If it is ready to go, then I will hopefully be able to approve the final copy for publication and get it available by the end of next week! Looking forward to having it available as more than just an e-book :)

Short Story #2-- Stray

 Please let me know what you think! I would appreciate it! Thank you.

STRAY

A Story of the Earthshaker Series

By Adrianne Lemke

            My ears rang with the laughter and taunting of the children I’d seen at the playground. I had been hiding behind a tree watching for a long time before I’d gotten up enough courage to see if I could join them for a game of basketball. Before I’d even gotten a word out, they began throwing insults. I’d hoped—despite my appearance—that kids would be kinder than the adults who ignored my presence on the streets. But only one of the boys seemed inclined to ignore my uncombed and greasy hair, and the clothes I’d been stuck wearing for the better part of the month.

            His protests were mild in the face of the larger boys’ torments, and I began my retreat. “You’re nothing but a stray, and you should be put down like one!” The biggest bully had yelled before stooping to pick up a stone. I was behind the tree when he threw it, but the message was clear: I did not fit in. Something I should have been aware of after almost two years on the street, but still remained oddly hopeful would change.

            I made my way out of the park, keeping behind trees to prevent the bully throwing more rocks, and keeping my senses aware of any approaching footsteps. If they chose to follow me, I would know. Their game had been going long enough that I had all four boys’ footsteps memorized and locked away for future use. They were to be avoided at all costs. With the possible exception of the one who had tried to defend my right to play.

            When I reached my current home—a space behind a recently abandoned house—I slouched on the torn cushion I used as a bed and felt sorry for myself. Since my friend Ally and her family had moved over a year ago, I hadn’t found anyone I could talk to. And they had moved so soon after she had been snatched from her house that I had hardly been able to speak to her once she’d been rescued.

            I could talk to Detective Alice, but she was an authority figure. Someone who wanted to make sure I stayed safe but wasn’t around enough to ensure that safety. I couldn’t trust her enough to live in her home, and I wasn’t telling her more about my father than I absolutely had to. I’d been avoiding her because eventually she’d have to ask questions I had no desire to answer. If she decided to look into my past, there was a good chance my father would re-enter the picture, and I would not risk that for anything.

            My thoughts were interrupted by a whine, and my head shot up in surprise. So far I’d been the only person to discover this location, and if that had changed I might need to leave. The whining continued and I cautiously moved toward the shed, ready to bolt if someone was hiding inside.

            The lock was still intact, and my face crinkled in confusion. If it was still locked, who, or what, was inside? I dropped to my knees, prepared to practice something I’d only done once before. Plunging my hand into the dirt I concentrated and pushed my energy, letting it flow through my hand into the dirt under the door. There was some vibration and the ground pushed up into the crack between the door and the frame. I kept the flow of energy going, and poured more dirt into the space, little by little pushing the door and frame further apart until the door swung open.

            My breath let out in a sigh, and I raised my hands triumphantly. It had worked! The whining had paused while I worked on the door, but seconds after the door opened there was a pile of fur jumping on me, attacking me with a wet tongue. After the shock wore off, I laughed. The previous owners of this house had left a dog! I had a friend!

            I reached up and scratched his neck. “Hiya fella!” There was a collar, but only a tag that showed the name ‘Buster’ was attached. “Did they leave any food?” I asked, wrinkling my nose at the smell as I entered what had been the dog’s prison. There was an old mildew covered dog bed and a big bowl with a little water. A big rubber garbage can was in the corner and I peered into it, happy to see a bag of dog food inside. As long as that food lasted, my new friend and I could stay together. “We’re alike, Buster. Nobody wants us. We’re both strays,” my voice held a wistful tone I couldn’t help. I’d been an outsider my entire life, and it was unlikely that would change anytime soon. The black and white dog whined and stuck his head under my hand so I’d pet him.

            “Don’t worry, boy. You can stay with me, and when I can’t take care of you anymore, I’ll find someone who can,” I promised. I knelt and gave the dog a hug around the neck, feeling the mats from a lack of grooming.

            “Another thing we have in common,” I said with a wry smile, patting my own tangled hair. A brush caught my eye, and I grabbed it from the old shelf. “Looks like we can get cleaned up a little,” I said eying the water that was left in the dish. “But not with that,” I grimaced at the idea of trying to wash with drool infested water.

            However, I did not hesitate to use the old dog brush to work through the tangles, first on me and then on Buster. I’d only found this place the previous night, so I decided to look around and was thrilled to discover the water hadn’t been shut off. The outside faucet still worked and I was able to run the water over my hair until it no longer felt gritty and greasy. Removing my stained and dirty shirt, I cleaned it as best I could before laying it on the grass to dry. The afternoon passed with as much cleaning as I could take with the cold water, and I finally felt more human again.

            I was human. I was a person. And those boys in the park had treated me like something…less. “You deserve better, and you’re a dog,” I said to Buster. “I’m a person, don’t I deserve some fun in my life too?” he cocked his head as if trying to figure out what I was saying, his ears flopping awkwardly and I laughed at his confused expression.

            Dogs don’t judge. He didn’t look at me and my scars—self-inflicted and otherwise—and determine that I wasn’t worthwhile. Instead he saw me as…what? His liberator? His friend? All I knew was he liked me, and wasn’t rushing off to someone else or attacking me as if I were a threat.

            Hours passed and he still remained by my side as I snuck out of the yard to search for my evening meal. It was the first time in my two years on the street that I hadn’t felt alone. “Hey kid!” my body stiffened and I slowly turned to face the bully from the park.

            “What?” I asked, trying to sound tough, but failing when my voice came out barely above a whisper. Clearing my throat I tried again, my voice stronger the second time.

            “Nice mutt,” he sneered. “You strays gotta stick together…”          

            “You’re right about that,” another voice broke in. “Leave him alone!” A boy, probably about a year or two younger than my fifteen years, had appeared out of an alley. His anger was plain, as was the bruise on his face and the scrape on his elbow.

            “Paul,” the bully sneered. “Didn’t get enough yesterday huh? Beat it, or I beat you.” Buster growled at the bully, the fur along his back prickling up in anger.

            I glanced between the bully, the new boy and the dog. This was getting out of control. “Look,” I addressed the bully, no longer afraid of him for some reason. “I don’t know who you are, or what your problem is, but you need to go. I don’t know this kid, and I don’t know you, but I do know this dog is about two seconds from ripping your face off, and I don’t know if I can stop him.”

            The bully warily eyed the dog that was slowly approaching him, growling all along. “Fine,” he said. “You aren’t worth it anyway.” He backed away and Buster stopped growling, only relaxing his aggressive posture when he was out of sight.

            “Nicely handled,” the newcomer said, no sign of his earlier anger. “I’m Paul.”

            I wanted to leave, but there was fear and suspicion in the boy’s eyes that matched my own and I felt an instant connection. “I’m Jason,” I felt no guilt at the lie. It had been my name for the last two years, and would be until my father discovered it. “You know, you should learn to back off when the bullies attack, or you’re just going to get hurt.”

Paul glared at me for several seconds before responding, “Yeah? Why do you care? I don’t even know you.”

            Why did I care? It was the first time I’d ever seen this boy, but for some reason I felt the urge to protect him. “Maybe because no one else does,” I said. “Everyone needs someone to care about what happens to them, right?”

            The other boy looked confused. “You’re like me, right?” he asked. “You don’t have a family either, do you?” I shook my head. “So how can you care? Everyone else I’ve met have been mostly out for themselves. Even if they acted like they cared, it was to benefit themselves somehow.”

            My desire to keep this boy safe was growing. “You haven’t done anything…illegal, since you’ve been on the streets, have you?”

            “Just stole some food. Mostly I’ve been trying to avoid everyone, but that jerk from the park…well, he just needs someone to teach him a lesson. And I think you and your dog may have helped,” he smiled, probably thinking of the look on the bully’s face when Buster had growled at him.

            “His name is Buster, I found him earlier today. We have a place, at least for now. You could come and stay with us for a while. I can keep you safe.”

            “How?” for the first time Paul allowed some vulnerability to show through his tough exterior and I wondered what had happened to land him in the streets.

            Still, I was a bit hesitant to trust him with all of my secrets. “That’s something I can explain to you when we trust each other a little more. But for now, that bully was right.”

            Paul’s vulnerability transformed to confusion and a little anger, “About what?”

            I gestured at the three of us; Paul, Buster, and myself and said, “We strays need to stick together.”

Kindle Update and a Question

   There isn't much to report today in the progress of Tracker on paperback. Just waiting for the proof copy. I have updated Tracker on Kindle so the interior and cover now match the files I submitted for the paperback. Here's the link if you want to check out the new cover design:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ES5XIGG/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_dp_TNLjsb10CP97V

    And now I would like to ask a question of my readers: Which would you prefer to see posted next; the second chapter of Tracker or another short story? Let me know! I will be at work all day tomorrow, but I will be checking for responses when I get home tomorrow night and will post whichever one gets the most votes. Thanks!

Trust- Short Story

Hey- Here is the first of the short stories I have for my Earthshaker series. Please let me know what you think!

TRUST

A Story of the Earthshaker Series

By: Adrianne Lemke

            Nights on the street were long, filled with fitful sleep and flinching back to hide in the shadows anytime footsteps came near. It had been several months, and still the sleeping conditions wore on me. Anyway, it didn't matter how bad it got out here, there was no way I was going back to my father.

            The little sleep I did manage was filled with nightmares of what he’d put me through, and the freshly healed scars on my arms bore evidence of what I was willing to do—even at the age of thirteen—to get away.

            My ability to track people’s footsteps helped turn my desire for solitude and safety into a reality, and I’d had few problems with the other street dwellers. There were only a few I bothered to talk to, and of them I trusted none. After my first time at a shelter, when a nosy worker had tried to pry into my past to find my parents, I had refused to enter another. There was no doubt in my mind that my father would kill me if he ever found me.

            The person I came closest to trusting was a girl my age, named Ally, who lived near an alley I frequented. We’d met only a few weeks after I’d run away, and she often snuck food out of her house for me, never telling her parents about the runaway boy she was helping.

            Whenever my nights got really bad, instead of staying in an alley I’d sneak into her playhouse to sleep. Tonight was one of those nights. Gang initiations were on in full-force, and I’d been warned away from the streets by several of the other homeless people staying in the same area. I risked injury or death if I tried staying on the streets. Even sleeping in Ally’s playhouse I only slept in short bursts, concerned I’d be discovered whenever her parent’s footsteps echoed through the dirt floor. I relaxed only when they finally went inside, and I opened one of the pink plastic shutters so Ally would know I was there.

            Several hours before dawn, when I knew it was too early for anyone in the house to be awake, I woke to the feeling of unfamiliar footsteps treading quietly through the yard. The steps disappeared into the house, and I assumed they were welcome since they hadn't had any trouble getting in. Ally had mentioned an older brother who was in college, and I’d never seen him, so it could be that he was home for a break.

            Or so I thought up until those same footsteps reappeared, the treads going deeper into the earth casting more solid prints. When I looked out the tiny playhouse window, the struggling and scared girl in the man’s arms proved me wrong. Her frightened eyes cast desperately around the yard for help, finally landing on the open shutter where I was hidden from view. She wouldn't be able to see me, or even know if I was awake because it was too dark. And I knew there was nothing I could do to help her without getting in trouble myself, so I put my hand onto the dirt in the playhouse, concentrating on the shadow man’s footsteps as he carried my only friend away from her home.

            I stood only when I had the prints memorized. For the time being I was unsure how the knowledge would be useful, but maybe at some point I’d be able to help. The first thing I could do, now that the shadow man was out of the yard was to inform her parents that she was gone without them getting to curious about the boy who’d been sleeping in their backyard.

            I crept cautiously out of the little house, keeping constant contact with the ground to make sure no one was approaching. Then I made my way to the backdoor, noting the open window as I hesitantly approached. Taking a deep breath I pounded loudly on the door several times, yelling, “HEY!” until someone finally opened the door. It was Ally’s dad, looking quite upset and I flinched away from the anger on his face. I stood, cowering under his anger as I told him, “Someone just took Ally! They went that way,” I pointed off to the left of the house through the neighbor’s yard.

            He didn't bother asking questions, but only rushed back into the house. I assumed to check Ally’s room, but I didn't stick around. The only thing that scared me more than what had happened to Ally was getting sent back to my father when the police got involved.

            It was hours later, and I felt footsteps approaching the alley where I was sleeping. I rolled as far under the dumpster as I could get, hoping the dark and grime would keep people from looking. The hope was in vain as a woman’s head peered under the dumpster. “You can come out,” she said gently. “No one is going to hurt you. I just have a few questions.”

            I stayed pressed against the wall and she sat next to the dumpster waiting. “Your friend Ally needs you to be brave,” she said after a moment. “Her father has seen you around and knows you would not hurt her. No one blames you for anything. What’s your name?”

            My name was James, in my previous life. But I wanted no connection to that so I whispered. “Jason.”

            “Jason, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Alice. I’m a police officer, and I want to help your friend. Will you help me?”

            I rolled out from under the dumpster, my clothes sticky and stained and my hair too long and tangled. “I didn't see them,” I said quietly, not looking at the detective. “But I can find them again.”

            A quick glance at her face showed her confusion, and possibly some concern for the missing girl. “Jason, why don’t you come with me and we can get something to eat while you tell me how you can find them again.”

            I backed away quickly, shaking my head. “Easy, kid. I’m not going to hurt you. Just tell me, was life at home so bad that this is better?”

            For the first time I met her eyes with mine. “Yes.” Her look softened and she said, “I won’t try to get you to tell me anything you don’t want to. You don’t need to worry about me sending you back there. Just let me find you some nicer clothes and get you a meal in exchange for your help.”

            My eyes narrowed suspiciously. “You’re a cop. Don’t you have to call social services about runaways?”

            “If they’re a danger to themselves or others,” Alice answered. “Are you?” when I shook my head she nodded. “That’s the feeling I got. Ally’s dad followed her once and saw you with her. You’ve never tried to do anything to harm her or to steal anything from their home or yard when you’ve stayed there. Jason, will you come with me?”

            My mouth turned up in a half-smile, and I nodded slowly. “You won’t believe me,” I warned.

            She smiled warmly as I followed her out of the alley. “You let me worry about that.”

            Strangely, she wouldn’t let me say anything until she’d found me a pair of jeans that wasn’t full of holes and stained, and a long-sleeved T-shirt that was lightweight enough for the warm weather. She’d tried to steer me to the short sleeves, but I refused. She’d accepted that I wasn’t a danger to myself or others. If I wore the T-shirt, she’d be proven wrong about one of those.

            We stopped at a deli, and she made me get vegetables on my sandwich. “You’re on your own a lot, kid,” she said. “I just want to make sure you don’t get sick.”

            Her actions were confusing. I’d never had an adult take care of me this way, and I wasn’t really sure how to respond, so I went along with it wordlessly. We walked out in the park after eating and I knelt along the path. I was about to show her what I could do to help her find Ally.

            “Officer Alice,” I said when she stayed on the path. “I need to show you how I can help. It’s the only way you’ll believe me, but first you need to promise you won’t tell.”

            “Tell who?” she asked.

            “Anyone. Don’t tell anyone.” I waited for her nod. My hands shook as I prepared to give away my secret to a near-stranger, but I took a deep breath and plunged my hand through the ground until it was wrist deep. The detective was watching intently, already showing her disbelief before I poured energy through my hand into the dirt, a few feet away the dirt began to move and it formed the words: I AM A TRACKER.

            Her eyes widened in shock while she watched the hardened earth move around seemingly on its own, and the look changed to one of confusion as she read what I’d written. She opened her mouth, most likely to ask what a Tracker was, when I felt the footsteps of one of the guys who’d grabbed Ally. “Officer Alice, he’s here. One of the bad guys is here!” I wanted to run, but she knelt by me.

            “How do you know?”

            “I feel his footsteps. He’s close. Standing in the park over by the bathrooms. I think he’s a big guy, the footsteps are heavy.” I closed my eyes to concentrate. “He’s stomping around, but he seems off-balance, drunk and angry,” I shivered. “He wants to hurt someone.”

            Alice looked at me in confusion. “How can you tell all that?”

            I winced, but answered, “His steps feel like my father’s after a bad day at work.” Hopefully she’d leave it at that.

            “Come with me, but stay hidden. I need you to tell me which person it is, and then I’m going to get him, okay?” I nodded and followed her, concentrating on the man’s steps as we went, changing her direction as needed. “He’s there,” I said, pointing to the large man pacing outside the maintenance shed next to the bathroom. I concentrated harder. “There’s someone moving in the shed,” I told her. “I can’t tell who.”

            The detective wanted to ask me questions, but she waved me down, and I crouched behind a garbage can. “Excuse me,” Alice called. “Crandal County police, do you work here?” the man nodded and she continued. “I got a call about suspicious activity over here, and I was wondering if I could take a look in the shed…” before she finished speaking the man began to run, but she was too fast, and somehow had him down on the ground within a few moments.

            My eyes were wide as I watched her place handcuffs on him, making him lie on his stomach in the grass. She got on her radio and called for backup, specifically requesting someone named Dan. She stood outside the shed, making sure the big guy stayed quiet as she waited for more police. “Stay down,” she warned when I tried to join her. “I can’t go in without backup,” she spoke quietly.

            “No one’s moving in there anymore,” I told her quietly from my hiding spot. She nodded and motioned for me to keep quiet. It took only a few minutes for a couple men in uniforms to join the detective outside the shed, none of them seemed aware that I was there. They pushed the door open, using a key detective Alice had found on the big guy and rushed in.

            I waited, barely breathing as I hoped to hear good news about my friend. They emerged, backing out of the shed as a man appeared, holding a gun to Ally’s head. Everyone was shouting while she was crying and I stood, unable to stay hiding while my friend was in distress. “Ally!” I yelled. I felt a rush of energy and knelt down behind a tree, pounding the ground and aiming my anger at the man holding Ally. The packed down dirt under his feet growled and shifted and the man stepped back, waving his gun away from Ally’s head as he tried to keep his balance, I shifted the ground once more and he dropped the gun, falling backwards with Ally still in his grip.

            The officers rushed him, Alice grabbed Ally out of his arms and held her, murmuring into her ear quietly. I stayed down while the guy got arrested and both men were loaded into police cars. Alice joined me by the tree, watching with me as an ambulance crew checked Ally. “You saved her life, Jason. Thank you for leading me here.”

            “I made him fall,” I said in confusion. “I’ve only moved that much once before, it made my father really mad, and he didn’t even know I’d done it.” I tried to stand, but I swayed and almost fell. She caught me.

“Do you want to sleep in a bed tonight, Jason? I think you deserve to after what you’ve done, and maybe you can explain to me how you were able to do that.”

            I shook my head, “I can’t. It just happens. You really won’t make me go back to my father?”

            “What did he do?” she asked quietly.

            “We disagreed on how I should be raised, so I left. I’m not going back,” I stuck my lip out stubbornly, and tried to hide how anxious and fearful I was to be sent back to him.

            She watched me closely for a moment, probably seeing more than I wanted her to, and she sighed. “I won’t make you. Come on,” she said. “You can stay at my house tonight. My sister will be home today, since it’s a Saturday. I’ll leave you with her while I finish up my report at work.”

            “You won’t tell, right? You promised.” She shook her head and crossed her heart. “I won’t tell anyone unless you say I can.”

            When we got to her car a man approached. “Alice,” his voice was deep and booming, softening slightly when he noticed me. “Who’s this?” he asked. I looked between him and Alice my eyes widening fearfully as I pivoted away from them and ran. I didn’t stop when Alice tried to call to me, and I kept running until I got to my spot under the dumpster. His voice and his build, he was my father all over again. I cowered under the dumpster, breathing frantically and hugging my knees.

            A man approached the alley several hours later, and I recognized the steps as those of Ally’s father. “Are you in here?” he called softly. “She said you helped save her. Jason?”

            I rolled slowly out from my hiding spot. “Thank you for helping my little girl.”

            “Is she okay?” I asked softly, slightly more confident due to his soft tone and the lack of aggression.

            “Scared, and a little bruised, but she’s going to be okay,” he said. “I brought you a few sandwiches. If there’s anything else you need within the next couple weeks, just ask. I should tell you, we’re moving after that.”

            My eyes filled with tears that I wouldn’t allow to fall. My only friend was leaving. “I’m good. Thank you for the sandwiches.”

            His hand hovered over my shoulder and I tensed and took a step back, so he backed off. “Anything at all, son. Just name it.”

            “Let me say goodbye to her before you leave,” I said, not meeting his gaze. “Please.”

            “Of course. I have a blanket in the car…”

            I shook my head. “Someone will take it. Thank you.” He nodded and awkwardly left the alley. If only my father had been as kind, I never would have left. It wasn’t fair. Why did some kids get nice attentive parents while I ended up with a monster to run and hide from? What had I done wrong that my own father hated me, only touching me in punishment and a twisted version of love? My shoulders hunched and I sat against the wall, tears quietly streaming down my face.

            Several minutes later, after my tears had dried, Alice showed up. “Jason, are you okay? You rushed off in such a hurry,” she sat where she’d been when I first met her.

            “I’m okay.”

            “That man by the car is a detective. His name is Dan, and he won’t harm you any more than I would. He’d like to meet you, whenever you’re comfortable with it.”

            I shook my head frantically. “Just you. You helped me get Ally back.”

            “You helped us too. But you should know that was a big risk you took, shaking the ground under someone holding a gun. He could have pulled the trigger.”  

            “But he didn’t,” I said defensively.

            Shaking her head she agreed. “This time. Just keep it in mind for the future. If I ask you to lead us to someone, and you agree to help, I don’t want you to use your…ability like that. It might make others realize what you can do, and I may not be able to protect you.”     

            “Thank you, Alice,” I said. “Is the bed offer still available?” I asked shyly, taking only quick glances at her face.

            “If you want it,” she said with a nod. I nodded and followed her out of the alley. She held out her hand, and I allowed her to take my hand in hers. “Remember, Jason. If you need anything, you can ask me, and if you ever see anything that would require police involvement, get in touch. I’ll try my hardest to show up whenever you need me.”

            I wasn’t sure how to respond so I allowed her to lead me to her car and take me home. “I will,” I told her quietly. “I trust you.”

News on the paperback release for Tracker

My files were all accepted and I am once again waiting on a proof so I can make sure there aren't any errors in the actual printing of it. So hopefully within the next few days I will receive the new copy and be able to accept it for publishing. The next update for the paperback will hopefully be able to tell you when it is available for purchase. :)

Tracker- Paperback Update

Well, I went through and fixed the formatting problems from the original proof. Now the files are resubmitted for approval. Hopefully there won't be any major problems with the next version and I should be able to approve the proof within the next day or so, but I may have to wait for another physical copy. It depends on how it looks on the digital proof. Keep watching for more updates!

Character Information: Jason:

  Jason's abilities began shortly after he attempted suicide at age thirteen because of extreme abuse by his father. When he discovered he could sense his father's movements, he used the ability in his escape. He met Alice Farrow, not yet a detective, a few months later and helped her find a kidnapped child. This case led to Alice using Jason as an informant and began the slow buildup of trust between the two. After being on the streets for over a year, Jason began to gather other cast-away children that he would protect, not wanting to see them fall to the violence and crime so many others turned to. No matter what situation he found himself in, Jason always put their safety before anything. In order to be able to protect them better, he told them about his ability to sense the vibrations of their movements and taught them a code they could tap into the ground if they needed anything from him.
    Those he is closest to also know Jason's abilities go beyond feeling vibrations through the ground. He can also manipulate the motions of the earth around him and cause it to rise for protection. When he is truly upset he can cause earthquakes. These abilities frighten him, and he is not always able to control them, sometimes causing minor tremors by accident when he is angry. But when those he cares about are threatened, he will not hesitate to use them.
  Keep watching for Trust the Earthshaker series short story when Jason meets Alice. Also watch for Strays another Earthshaker series short story when Jason meets the first of the children he wants to protect.