Hullo, everyone! ARE YOU EXCITED??? Because I’m MORE than excited!!!!! đ You guys have been so awesome and supportive of Twinepathy, and I’m thrilled to be able to share the cover with you! And because you guys are sooooo awesome, I’m not even going to stall before I show you the cover. (And also because I’m too excited to stall. :P)
HERE IT IS!!!!
Doesn’t it look WONDERFUL??? *cough* If I do say so myself, that is. đ It took me twelve tries before I got a cover that I was actually happy with, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on it! Does this make you even MORE excited for the book? I hope so! đ And now, part eight…
Part 8: Lemonade
Brooklyn inhales sharply. Maddie looks at me, unsure of whether she should be happy or scared. I place a gentle hand on her shoulder. âThatâs neat,â I tell her. âSo you have⌠umâŚâ I wrack my brain for the word I know is there. âTelekinesis,â I finally say.
âWell, here theyââ That same annoying voice breaks off mid-sentence. I whirl around to see Blaze standing just a few feet away, this time without his mask. Next to him is a tall girl, probably in her mid-twenties. Her brown hair is cut short, and her eyes are full of⌠of something, making you think she might know everything about you. But she looks friendly enough as she runs her gaze over us.
âAlbany, Brooklyn,â she says with a slight smile. âItâs a pleasure to officially meet you.â
I probably look like a frozen rabbit because Iâm so freaked out. How does she know our names? I donât recognize her. She doesnât even look vaguely familiar. Her eyes come to rest on the kitchen. âDo you have any coffee or tea? Explaining might take a while.â
âLemonade,â Brooklyn squeaks.
Sheâs offering lemonade to a creepy stranger lady who knows our names and just got teleported to our house. âWho are you?â I manage to find my voice, but it sounds much less threatening than Iâd hoped.
âIâm Database. You can call me Data,â she says, going into the kitchen.
I exchange glances with Brooklyn. âThereâs no way thatâs your real name,â I growl.
âYouâre right,â she comments, coming back in with a glass of lemonade. âBut usually we tend to stick with our codenames at first.â
We? I open my mouth to ask a question, then close it. She focuses on Madison. âWho are you, sweetie?â Her voice is calm and soothing, but Maddie still cowers behind me. Data sighs and reaches towards Maddie.
âWait, sheâsââ I use this as an excuse to grab her arm. I use the physical contact to boost my mental connection to her and then go in to read her mind.
Nothing.
Itâs not the same kind of nothing as Maddieâs. Itâs not like walking into a mostly empty warehouse. Itâs more like walking straight into a brick wall. Sheâs watching me curiously, then her mouth quirks into a smile. âYouâre trying to read my mind, arenât you? I remember that physical contact helped youâŚâ
I shove her away, making her stumble back a few steps. Sheâs older than me, taller, and probably stronger, too, but Iâve done a little bit of martial arts and strength training. âI donât know who you are, but youâd better explain yourself or leave before Denver gets down here. He wonât be happy to see you here.â
Blaze grins impishly. âOh, I can make sure he wonât see us, if he does come down.â
Data gives him a glare, then turns to us. âListen,â she starts gently. âWe have a lot to discuss. Why donât we head to the coffee shop down the road, Lava Java? We can talk there, and we wonât have to be worried about being interrupted.â
I exchange glances with Brooklyn. I can tell she doesnât want to go, and she keeps glancing nervously up the stairs towards Denverâs room. In spite of not wanting them here, my curiosity has definitely been piqued. And when my curiosityâs involved⌠well, thereâs no way anyone can sway me any differently.
âHow will we handle Denver and our parents?â I ask.
Data nods, pleased. âYou can either go tell him youâre leaving or you can leave a note. We wonât be gone too long, so you shouldnât have to worry about your parents, depending on when theyâre going to come back here.â
Brooklyn makes a sound that tells me sheâs not pleased at all, but I ignore her. âWe can leave a note.â
Brooklyn makes the sound again. âNo, Iâll go tell him,â she growls, giving me a look. She hurries upstairs, and in a minute she comes back down, grumbling under her breath.
âAll clear?â I ask.
She nods. âHeâs so distracted I donât think he even heard me. I told him we were going shopping. He was putting on a flannel shirt. Flannel. I canât even believeâŚâ
I roll my eyes and nod at Data. I grab Maddieâs hand, which she squeezes tightly, and we follow Blaze and Data out the door, Brooklyn trailing, as we leave possible safety behind.
SO THE COVER!!!!!!! What do you think? And the part? Database seems like an interesting character… should the twins trust her and Blaze? Guess we’ll find out!