Table of Contents
Author’s Note
Shadow of a Girl
Sang
Also By C. L. Stone
Author’s Note
Dear Reader,
Not a day goes by that I don’t get e-mails asking what my characters—especially the boys—are thinking at certain parts in the books. My fans seem to be endlessly interested in the thoughts and feelings of these fascinating boys, especially in relation to their new friend, Sang Sorenson.
To that end, Meeting Sang is the answer to this huge fan demand of wanting to get inside the boys’ heads. This alternate point of view version of Introductions, the first book in my The Academy: Ghost Bird Series, starts with Kota, then Victor, and will continue on in a series of shorts that will follow all the boys.
I hope you enjoy these peeks into the minds of Kota, Victor, Silas, Nathan, Gabriel, Luke, North, Dr. Green, and Mr. Blackbourne as they meet Sang Sorenson for the first time.
I will be releasing these stories as newsletter exclusives first, so make sure you’re a subscriber:
If you’re new to my books, you may want to start with Introductions, which is free for download.
Welcome to The Academy
C. L. Stone
The Academy
The Ghost Bird Series
Meeting Sang
♥
Book One – Alternate Opening
The Boys’ Version
♥
Written by C. L. Stone
Published by
Arcato Publishing
Published by Arcato Publishing
Copyright © 2015, 2016 C. L. Stone
All rights reserved.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
Shadow of a Girl
Sunnyvale Court was just as Dakota Lee left it, except for the lone figure hovering just inside a neighbor’s open garage.
It was darkness against a deeper darkness, but the moment he saw it, he was sure it was human.
Kota flicked the headlights off, staring hard out the windshield just in front of his house. The deeper shadow didn’t move. He counted the seconds.
One, one-thousand
Two, one-thousand.
Three...
Nothing.
Maybe he was wrong. Maybe it was...what could it be? Maybe they’d moved the trash bin, and left something on top of it?
Maybe his eyes were playing tricks on him. Clouds were rolling overhead. It could have been a trick of the light.
He rolled the sedan forward slowly, keeping the lights off, and parked in the far corner of his own driveway. He climbed out, closed the door, and looked over the top of the car, waiting.
The two story gray house, a couple of homes down from his own, was quiet. The shadow he’d spotted had gone. Still, he didn’t move, keeping his eyes on the darkness, sure he’d seen something.
He didn’t like shadows.
He knew the family in the gray house...well, knew was a pretty strong word to use. The two teenage girls and their parents had only moved in a few weeks ago. The only one he’d seen for more than a few moments was the younger daughter.
One beautiful girl with bright green eyes and dirty blond hair.
It was her he was worried about when it came to this shadow hanging out in the garage. The house didn’t have a security system to speak of. If it was someone looking to break into the house...
Rain sprinkled against the windshield. As the moments dragged by, and the shadow didn’t re-appear, Kota forced himself to turn toward his own house. He hit the garage door opener and waited for the door to rise.
A short bark sounded from inside. Max, his golden retriever, had been put up for the night. Max pawed at the door.
“Sit,” Kota said, using a strong tone.
Max instantly sat down, as still as could be.
Kota smiled and bent over, unlocking the crate and opening the door. Max padded out, shook his body and then panted.
“Come on,” Kota said, softer this time. “And keep quiet. You’ll wake mom and Jessica.”
Max nudged Kota’s leg, like he understood every word.
Since Kota was gone so late, his mother, Erica, must have put Max out in the garage. Otherwise, Max tended to whine if it was real late and not everyone was home.
It made it difficult for Kota to sneak out late, doing what he needed. The Academy required odd hours for different jobs. He preferred if he was gone that Max stay in the house. He felt his family was safer that way.
Kota hopped up the steps to the door, using his key to unlock it. He opened the door slowly to minimize the creaking. A fresh wave of cool air hit him, and he stepped inside.
Max followed, and then instantly marched down the hallway toward the living room. The dog sniffed the air as he went. He’d sweep the house, making sure everything was okay. If someone was out of bed, he’d yip. If someone was there who wasn’t supposed to be, he’d bark.
Kota left the garage door open for the moment. He suspected he’d be back out with Max in a few minutes. He wasn’t sure how long Max had been put in, but now that he was awake and moving, he’d probably want outside in a little while.
When Max yipped and then returned without a further sound, Kota tiptoed down the hall and opened another door, revealing a set of stairs. Max shot up the stairs ahead of him, climbing to the top and sitting down, waiting.
“Lay down,” Kota said, as he climbed. Max went for a spot near the bed and curled up on the floor. Kota was tired, and needed to catch some sleep before tomorrow. He had to go to the mall, and was expected to be up early to finish a few chores before he could take off.
Rain tapped against the window. Kota sat on the bed, taking off his tennis shoes.
The shadow was still on his mind. It wasn’t that he was paranoid. Maybe he was, but when he had a feeling something wasn’t right, he wasn’t usually wrong.
Something felt wrong now.
He moved to the window, squinting through the drops that splashed against the glass. He checked the street, and studied the house up the road.
For a moment, he
