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Payback (Secret Life of Samantha McGregor, Band 4) - Softcover

Buch 4 von 4: Secret Life of Samantha McGregor

Carlson, Melody

 
9781590529348: Payback (Secret Life of Samantha McGregor, Band 4)
Softcover
ISBN 10: 1590529340 ISBN 13: 9781590529348
Verlag: Random House Children's Books, 2008

Inhaltsangabe


If your vision asked you to risk your life to save others, would you have the courage?

When Samantha McGregor tells her friend Detective Ebony Hamilton of her disturbing visions of a brutal murder at a high school, Ebony asks her to go undercover to help identify the shooter before it’s too late. The stakes are raised when Ebony discovers that the potential crime may be connected to a larger terrorism threat!

Meanwhile, Samantha realizes that her mother’s new boyfriend is a little too good to be true. Her unsettling visions, combined with Ebony’s investigation of Steven’s past, reveal him to be more interested in her mother’s money than her heart.

To make matters worse, Samantha has been having visions of an unknown boy who is mercilessly being bullied by his peers. Who is this teen? Can she help him?

This fourth and final installment in The Secret Life of Samantha McGregor series brings Samantha her biggest challenges yet, as she works against the clock to stop a mass murder, help a troubled youth, and save her mother from making a terrible mistake!

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Melody Carlson is an award-winning, bestselling author of more than one hundred books for teens, women, and children. She and her husband enjoy an active lifestyle of hiking, camping, and biking in the beautiful yet mysterious Pacific Northwest, where she says, “A new story seems to lurk around every corner.”

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

With arms spread wide, the blonde steps back, staring down at her mint green formal gown now splattered with spots of bright red blood. When she looks up, her eyes widen in horror. She sees her date, a dark-haired young man in a neat black tux, his face twisted in pain as his fists tighten and he crumples down. He curls into a prenatal ball…and a dark shiny pool of blood stains the clean white floor all around him. Music blares in the background, the bass thumping a fast beat. It’s a Pretty Ricky song, but the only sound the pretty blonde hears is coming from her boyfriend as he lets out a low growl followed by a gurgle. Then he jerks suddenly, convulsing, drawing a final gasping breath. ]

The girl bends over, reaches out her hand as if she wants to help him and then, as if sensing danger or perhaps she sees someone now threatening her, she stands and backs away with a horrified look and turns, desperately dashing in the opposite direction, tripping over her spiky high heels but continuing on…as if she is running for her life. But it’s too late. More shots ring out in fast repetition and more screams of terror. All I can see is red now–blood is everywhere.

It’s a massacre.

I wake up clinging to my comforter and still shaking. My heart pounds with a very real sense of fear, as if I too am in grave danger. It takes a long moment to realize that this was only a dream. Just a dream. But a very realistic and horribly tragic dream. Without turning on the bedside lamp, I reach for the notebook that I keep handy for times like this, and in the gray dawn light, I take several deep calming breaths and begin to write.

I’m trying to capture all the still vivid details, the style of the mint green gown (beaded with spaghetti straps, form-fitting, the girl had a good figure) and those metallic-toned shoes (were they bronze or gold?). I try to recall the pretty girl’s facial features (what made her so pretty?). I do recall what appeared to be diamond earrings, three piercings in one ear, smallest on top, largest on the bottom. But was it only one ear? And if so, which ear was it? Right or left? I close my eyes and try to see her again. Left. I believe it was left.

I remember the boy’s hairstyle, short and neat as if he might be into athletics. I try to describe his tux, but other than black, I draw a blank. I can’t even remember his shoes, but I think they were black as well. I write down a description of the floor as I remember it, large square tiles of white with streaks of gray throughout…marble perhaps? I describe what the music sounded like (I don’t even know why I think Pretty Ricky since I’m not a fan, but it’s what went through my head). And then I remember strings of lights, glowing blurrily in the background. Like a party going on. A wedding perhaps?

I pause, searching my memory for more, trying to figure out if I’ve missed an important detail. Another person? A sound? A smell? Who had the gun? Or was the guy even killed with a gun? Perhaps it was a knife. I don’t remember that part at all. Did I even see what happened? Is it possible that the girl was responsible? No, she seemed too shocked, too frightened. And yet, if she’d committed a crime, perhaps in the heat of the moment, it would make sense that she’d be shocked and scared. I make note of this too. But there must be more. Is there some little detail I missed? Did I forget something? I shut my eyes again and just sit there in bed, trying to remember. But that seems to be it.

I close my notebook and set it back on the bedside table. I will tell Ebony about this dream later today. I lie back down in bed, breathing deeply to calm myself, but who can sleep after a dream like that? I wish I could call Olivia and run it past her. I’m sure she’d have some thoughts. But it’s not even six yet. Instead, I go to the kitchen and try to be quiet as I make coffee.

It must’ve been a prom, I decide as I pour water into the coffee maker. And that makes sense because it’s spring and already people are starting to pair off and plan for prom at my school. Even Olivia is starting to talk about it. She’s pretty sure that Alex is going to ask her. Naturally, she thinks Conrad will ask me as well. And I think it’d be fun to go to prom. It’d be a first for me, for sure. But what if there’s going to be a murder that night? Still, I didn’t recognize either of the people in my dream. And the girl, especially, had the kind of looks that a person would remember. She looked like the kind of girl who would be well known. But I’ve never seen her before. I am certain of that. Still, I suppose she could be someone new at school…or possibly she hasn’t started going there yet. Maybe today will be her first day. But the guy was unfamiliar too. Still, I didn’t get a very good look at his face. But for some reason, he struck me as athletic. But that might’ve just been the hair. Although it seems he was tall, well built. I better make a note of that.

Our prom is still a month away. So that gives me time. Unless it’s not our prom. What if it’s another school’s prom? Who knows what dates that might include? I know that schools like to stagger the dates so that all the local restaurants aren’t overwhelmed with high school students going out to dinner before going to prom. It’s possible another high school could have a prom as soon as next weekend. I will have to mention this to Ebony ASAP.

I pour a cup of coffee, add some milk, and go into the living room and sit by the window and watch as the morning slowly comes. I think about Zach now. And as I often do in the morning, I pray for him. He’s back in rehab again. The good thing is that he actually wanted to go this time. Even though it was not optional, he was happy to go. He knew that he needed it, that he was lucky to get this second chance. And he promised Mom and me that things were really going to be different when he comes back this time. But that won’t be for six months now. Still, he didn’t complain. I know he was thinking it was better than doing prison time. And that was a very real possibility. If Zach hadn’t fully cooperated with the DA and police like he did, I’m sure he would be in prison right now. As it was, he spent several weeks in jail. That in itself was sobering–in more than one way. And although I’m still sad–for Zach’s sake–I am so thankful that he is alive. Things could’ve gone so differently. I’m thankful for something else too. Zach is finally returning to God. He told me that right before he left. He asked me to look for his old Bible and send it to him. I promised to send him a Bible, whether or not I found his old one. But I did find his old one, and I sent it just last week.

“You’re up early,” Mom says as she comes down the stairs still wearing her bathrobe.

“Yeah…” I consider telling her about my dream, but it still bothers her that I get these dreams and visions. Despite making some baby-steps of progress, she still has a long way to go before she completely accepts my unusual gift. I figure it will come when she returns fully to God. In the meantime, I need to be patient and careful not to overload her. And I need to pray.

Mom gets her coffee and comes into the living room to join me. “Spring really seems to be here,” she says, looking out the window. “Are you making any plans for summer yet?”

I shrug. “Not really. I mean, sure, I’d love to head to Europe with some girlfriends and have a good time,
but I don’t think it’s likely.” I laugh and try not to feel...

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Verlag
Random House Children's Books
Erscheinungsdatum
2008
Sprache
Englisch
ISBN 10 
1590529340
ISBN 13 
9781590529348
Einband
Taschenbuch
Anzahl der Seiten
240
Kontakt zum Hersteller
Nicht verfügbar
Verantwortliche Person
gpsr@libri.de
gpsr@libri.de

Europaallee 1
Bad Hersfeld
36244
Deutschland