Welcome to Snippet Sunday on Darkling Dreams!

Where writers come together to share a few sentences (8-10) of their current project — whether it’s a recently released novel, a WIP (work in progress), or an older manuscript that’s being revived. Intended to hook readers, gather feedback and build an author’s fan base, Snippet Sunday is the FB group that does all three.

This is going to be my last snippet from Fated to Darkness for awhile. Starting May I will be sharing from a different WiP novel of mine. I’ve been sharing from FtD for a long time now so it’s time I moved onto to something you guys haven’t seen yet.

Previously on Sunday Snippets: Four year old Heather had been kidnapped from her home by a woman clad in black and whisked off to another realm where she found her kidnapper wanted her to be her Heir. But not just any Heir. After being locked up and put through a ritual that has changed her and her life forever — though she does not yet know it — she has found herself in a small bare essential room with a tiny bathroom, and her new mentor has instructed her to clean herself up and be ready in ten minutes. Having talked of what Ciara finally wants of her, she has now gone through three trying lessons under her mentor’s thumb, and has since passed out. Since then Ciara has finally begun to explain what it is she really wants of Heather.

I’m skipping ahead a few pages from last week’s snippet. Heather is now downstairs for breakfast after quick instruction from Ciara. Her mother however has noticed her off behavior and is trying to prompt her back to bubbly old self.

(Some sentences may have been creatively edited and punctuated to try to fit the ten sentence limit. I’m over, again. Can we just agree that my snippets will always be a little longer but not too long?)

~*~*~*~

“We could play in the snow?” her mother suggested hopefully.

Heather shrugged again, drawing patterns on the table with her fingers. Subconsciously, she ended up drawing the same markings that had been drawn — or rather carved — on her: the star inside a circle.

“Heather dear, what is wrong? Please, talk to me.”

Her mother’s voice had turned pleading and she hated herself for it. She couldn’t tell her mother a thing, could she? The one person she had always been told she could rely on, she was finding she couldn’t rely on any longer.

“Just bad–” The bracelet sent a shock of pain through her like she had been electrocuted, causing her to jump in her chair. She rubbed at her wrist, waiting for the pain to fade away. It almost made a buzzing sound in her ears and she heard Ciara’s furious booming voice echo in her mind, blocking out all else.

You are not listening! Is this what you call lying and deceiving? Pathetic! Cowardly fool, hide those emotions and act as if nothing had happened. Learn to let the lie roll off your tongue with no second thought.

Her chastising voice made Heather cringe even as the pain finally faded away along with Ciara’s voice. Only then did she hear her mother’s panicked voice calling to her, though it sounded distant at first from the waning buzzing in her ears.

“…Heather? Heather! Answer me, please. What is going on with you?”

She shook her head, trying to listen to Ciara’s instructions and wipe all thoughts from her mind, showing none of the emotion and defeat she was feeling. It made such anger boil within her to not be able to say anything, to be so neglected. She thought mother’s knew everything about their darling dears. She should be able to guess!

“Nothing, mommy. Just got startled.” She frowned to herself. Startled? She wasn’t even entirely sure what that word meant. It was another of those instances she couldn’t place or understand from the past few days. Things she shouldn’t know what they were, understanding of something she had never learned, better grammar, more knowledge… She had no idea what it all meant, or how she suddenly knew half of it.

~*~*~*~

And you are all getting a cliffhanger on what she’s referring to. *Cackles* That’s it for Fated to Darkness for awhile! I might pick it back up in July for next Camp’s session, depending how far I’ve gotten in the book by then.

This story is not yet on Wattpad because it is my baby that I hope to publish one day, and if no one will publish me, I am self publishing. But it’s also not on Wattpad because it’s in first draft phases yet. So there will be no “if you wish to read more…”

However! If you wish to read anything else that I do have finished, you can hop on over to  my profile on Wattpad and check out what I have to offer. I love to hear any and all feedback on my work as well. Comments are greatly appreciated, as are the reads.

And if you’re looking for some other great snippets of fellow authors,
hop on over to Facebook and check out Snippet Sunday!