AWAKENING
In the near future, the course of humanity is driven by the Matters family and their monopoly over the Solar System’s natural resources. For an impoverished teen, the course of her life is driven by the granddaughter of the Matters’ patriarch and her monopoly over their mutual high school.
Then one day the teen discovers an out-of-this-world secret about herself that could shatter not only her nemesis’ influence, but the entire Matters’ stranglehold, only to have her memories erased. Four years later, she’s a young woman struggling to recall her own past as she helps a couple escape The Facility, a secret paramilitary training camp. To save the couple, she must forsake all she knows to be right and proper to rediscover her truth. How far will she go in order to make sense of the voices in her head? Why are her senses more acute than any human’s should be? Who are The Sisters and their relation to her? What, even, is her real name?
As she seeks out the answers to these questions, she uncovers a family dynamic deeper than she could have ever imagined, one full of secrets and deceit--and some pleasant surprises--that unknowingly domineered the person she is and ultimately unlock the person she'd never have anticipated she becomes.
A near-future science fiction adventure
Just finished your book. Wow! Your story was such a page turner, I started limiting myself to one chapter a day, then it turned into two, and I finished it before I knew it. It was truly a book I could have binged and read nonstop.
-- Jerry G.
Praise for AWAKENING...
Personalities and Places
Katie Matters
Born: January 23, 2047
With five feet five inches of pure muscle from years of playing field hockey and the brains to put her at the top of her high school senior class, no one challenges the granddaughter of the Matters' family patriarch. She's commanding, domineering, manipulative, and the type of beauty everyone wants to be or wants to be with.
And like all bullies... always afraid someone stronger, smarter, and sexier will come along.
The Facility
A once-upon-a-time secret World War Two-era internment camp, The Facility is now the hidden experimental training ground for an elite para-military organization. Located on a tiny, barren island somewhere in the South Pacific and given its façade of abandonment, the encampment is close to impossible find and easily overlooked if happened upon. It's the perfect place to hide anything, and anyone, you never want the world to know about.
So be careful that you don't stumble upon the place... and join those never heard from again.
Paul Kilford
Born: May 8, 2040
The epitome of a guy’s guy, he has the chiseled body, the gracious charisma, and just the right amount of swagger that you can’t not want to be around him. They’re a combination of traits he hesitates not in taking full advantage of, for all that window dressing is the ideal camouflage for the cunning man beneath.
He’ll give you the shirt off his back, literally… or, maybe, he just wants to entice you with those abs.
The Rogers' Home
Repeated failures through the first third of the 2000s to effectively address rising costs, rising divisiveness, and rising seas accelerated the ever growing socioeconomic gap between the haves and have nots, resulting in the middle-class sub-divided between the affluent and the less so. Stuck in the latter grouping, the Rogers family--like so many others--find themselves forced to call the ancient houses of rundown city neighborhoods "home".
Mr. Rogers and his daughter do what they can to keep-up the aesthetics of the place, but the high-brow demands of his wife leave little money for home improvement.
Xiomara Duarte
Born: (Her lips are sealed.)
Known as “Zee” to her closest friends, if her striking glacial white-blonde hair doesn’t give you pause, her piercing bluish-gray eyes will. She is gracious, generous, and true to her word, all garnering her the utmost respect from friends and foes alike. And should you fall into the latter, beware: she’ll stop at nothing to right your wrong.
A woman her age shoulders many secrets… the least of which is when she was born.
Xiomara's Apartment
Its precise location known to only the most trusted allies, this apartment is more than just a place to live. Taking up two entire floors of the building within which it resides, the space contains an elaborate collection of gymnastic apparatus, workout equipment, and an arsenal of exotic weapons that'd make even the most tame of hoplophiles salivate. Beyond such utilitarian purposes, though, this home is tailored for its owner's relaxation, restoration, and rehabilitation... a sanctuary from the demands of a guardian's life.
Mahoney
Born: March 7, 2037
He’s as much a wanna-squeeze-him-tight teddy bear as a don’t-get-in-his-way warrior. The man lives in the realm of facts and truths. Well-traveled, he’s wise to the ways of the world and not easily fooled or deceived. And those few that do manage to pull one over on him quickly find themselves challenged in ever doing so again.
Stay on his friendly side, though, and delectable meal after delectable meal shall you enjoy from this chef extraordinaire.
MissyAnn Delvilo
Born: September 3, 2045
Her personality is as fiery as her spiked, copper-red hair, but don’t let that stop you from getting to know this fun and flirtatious young woman. She radiates a level of self-confidence that may be off-putting to some, but those that embrace her candor gain a loyal friend for life.
Oh, and need a party planned? Or a rescue? She’s the one to get it done.
The Caves
Formed long before any human walked the planet, these hollowed tubes and caverns now serve as a sanctuary for those few fortunate enough to escape the grasp of The Facility. Made up of a dizzying array of interconnecting tunnels, slippery slopes, and disorienting turns, even the most skilled of spelunkers could be lost for days. Those less skilled are never heard from again. In another words, they're the perfect place to make home when you need to hide and you've nowhere else to go.
Giselle Rogers
Born: September 11th, 2021
Mom. The very definition of love and compassion. At least, if you are her son, for you can do no ill in her book. But her daughter… well, the little attention she gives you is rarely attention you want, and that’s if you’ve done nothing wrong. How the woman can be so tender in one moment, yet so demanding and judgmental in the next is so confusing. But all that is just a sign of how deeply she cares… right?
Angelica (Geli) Woo
Born: February 24, 2049
No one could be a more dependable, trustworthy, and loving best friend. She has a bubbly, easy to like personality and will fiercely protect those closest to her heart, no mater the odds or degree of self-sacrifice. She gives no leeway to liars, cheats, and BSers, hesitating not in standing for what is decent and right. Though she may be blunt at times, her naked honesty is refreshing when so many others seek to deceive and manipulate.
Interstellar Industries
Founded by the Matters family patriarch, Interstellar Industries was--at best--a minor player in the space race for many decades. Near to bankruptcy, a chance discovery of the Universe's ultimate secret propelled the company, and family, not only past their immediate peers, but allowed them to consume all the major commercial and national space agencies. The company quickly came to dominate the Solar System, controlling access to all the natural resources of the system and, ultimately, the nations of Earth. Such singular power, though, yields an array of enemies, many of whom strive to undermine the company and its owners from the shadows.
Claudia Vasquez
Born: April 23, 2056
Living a life no person should have to, this preteen is eager to break out of the cocoon her parents have wrapped her in. Resourceful and eager to learn, she secretly trained into a skilled bows-woman and is ready to prove her value to her family. Despite the rawness of the world in which she resides, this girl has remained bubbly, lively, and full of happy dreams.
