Electrified: YA Paranormal Urban Fantasy

By Carolyn Chambers Clark

This young adult urban fantasy features a female protagonist with electrifying powers in the same vein as Kim Harrison's FISTFUL OF CHARMS.

Seventeen-year-old Mira's on a mission to the Otherworld of New York City to find her missing brother who's in danger. The streets there are filled with green-skinned aliens called Seducca and teens are disappearing daily. Good thing Mira has special powers in her hands because someone’s sent a two-headed demon, androids, a deceitful sorcerer, and a super-strong guy who's on her tail after she stole an ancient medallion capable of finding missing persons. But the clock is ticking, and every minute lost means she might not be able to save her brother and thousands of other teens who’ve disappeared.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Carolyn Chambers Clark
• Release date: Oct 11, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465724373

Carolyn Chambers Clark

Carolyn Chambers Clark is a board-certified advanced holistic nurse practitioner with a master's degree in mental health nursing and a doctorate in education. She is a faculty member in the Health Services Doctoral Program at Walden University, and she hosts http://home.earthlink.net/~cccwellness and http://HolisticHealth.bellaonline.com.

Book preview

1

My younger brother, Jake, disappeared yesterday after he got an assignment from his teacher to come here. What happened to him, I had no idea, but I intended to find out and this was the last place he’d been.

My heart beat double time when I stared at the big red letters on the sign on the wall of New York Electric. I hoped this wasn't somebody's idea of a joke.

Employees Only: High Voltage Area

High voltage meant danger, maybe death, and I pictured myself going in there and getting electrocuted. Not funny. I still didn't want to go inside, but I talked myself into it. From the table by the entrance, I grabbed a helmet and mask and used every ounce of my 130 pounds and all my nerve to push open the heavy metal door. Once inside, my ears ached from the noise, and even with the mask on, the air reeked of smoldering iron and oil.

Hands shaking, I struggled to slide the hardhat onto my head. Jake? Are you in here? Jake? I jumped back when my voice echoed in the gargantuan room.

A circular railing enclosed at least a dozen huge generators. They roared and squeaked to life. Metal parts clanked and whizzed inside their casings. I ducked when sparks crackled and flew, but I kept going, peeking between the machines for a glimpse of my brother. A junior, and only a year younger than me, Jake could be a pain, and I hated the way he teased me, but he was my only living relative, and I refused to lose him, too.

Jake? I didn't find him in the NYE's offices and he probably wasn't here either, but I had to look, even if it meant being jailed if somebody caught me.

My boots scraped along the grated floor and the fumes from the generators made me gasp, but I forced myself to keep moving and not turn and run. I'd called the police and they told me they couldn't do a thing to find him for at least forty-eight hours. By then, it could be too late. The way I figured it, finding Jake was up to me now.

While I made a quick sketch of the room in my journalism notebook to give the police, the idea he'd been kidnapped before he got to NYE darted through my mind.

One of the giant machines kicked in with a loud screech, and the notebook flew out of my hand and down through the railing, sucked away. I gasped when I saw what I'd written on the front—Mira Cunningham, Eleanor Roosevelt High School. I had to get that notebook. If whoever took Jake found it, they'd be after me, too.

The whole room vibrated. I held onto the rail and reached down to grab the incriminating evidence. Electricity poured into my hand. I screamed from the pain when my fingers stuck, fused to the metal. My body shook and everything went blank.

*

I opened my eyes and saw a man and a woman in green scrubs and gloves standing over me.

How bad was I hurt? I couldn't remember a thing, and when I tried to move my hand, it just lay there, tingling.

The man picked up two paddles they use to shock people. Before he came anywhere close to my chest, a violent charge surged through me. That jolt lifted my body up at least six inches before I dropped down with a thud onto the hard hospital bed

What happened? The woman opened her eyes wide, making her eyebrows pop halfway up her forehead.

The guy backed up and dropped the paddles on the floor. He held up his hands in surrender. I don't know. I didn't touch her yet. The charge just went through her, and I didn't even turn on the machine.

The woman stared at me. She got a charge from somewhere. Look at her hair. It' s standing out all around her head.

*

A doctor in a white lab coat peered at me, his weird project for today. What were you doing at New York Electric?

It took every bit of effort to speak, and when I did, my voice sounded nothing like it had before. I spoke an octave lower and although I'd been a soprano in the school choir before, I'd turned into an alto. Trying to find my brother. He went there to meet someone and disappeared.

The doctor and nurse exchanged looks, the kind medical personnel give each other when they think you ought to be sent to a psychiatric unit.

It's the truth. Jake was writing an expose on NYE's use of illegal aliens and dirty fuels. His teacher told me that. From the shocked looks on their faces, I realized I'd been talking too much, possibly even putting Jake in jeopardy, so I clammed up and pretended to fall asleep.

They stopped asking questions after that, but a nurse checked in on me every fifteen minutes like I was a suicide risk or worse.

After being zapped, my hands started to tingle at weird times, like when I was on the toilet, or when I was angry because the nurse told me I had to stay overnight so they could check me out. About an hour later, my hands not only tingled. When I picked up my water glass, little sparks came out of my fingertips.

When I asked the nurse about it, she said, You may be getting a few aftershocks. It should disappear in a couple of hours.

Only it didn't disappear. I could feel electricity flowing out of my fingertips when I tried to read a magazine or eat with a fork. I aimed my hands in her direction and tried to zap the woman in the corner bed who was snoring like a beached whale, but nothing happened. That's when I realized I didn't have any control over my electrified hands.

When the nurse brought me Jell-O, I gave her a little zap. Nothing to really hurt, just wanted to let her know I'd prefer cake or pie. She jumped back like I'd used 2,000 volts on her. What was that? She had a shocked look on her face.

I don't know. I really didn't. Static electricity?

That time in the machine room at New York Electric had done something to my body and my brain structure, probably nothing medical science even knew about.

As far as my hands went, I was still a work in progress. I had to keep my power hands a secret from my teachers, but that wasn't going to be easy. I'd shoot out sparks and zaps at the weirdest times. That's when I figured that high school wasn't the place for me anymore.

I called Thaddeus, the one guy who'd understand. A geek, into mythology and demons and all that kind of stuff, I'd met him in the main library in the ancient book section a year ago, and we'd hit it off. He told me if I ever needed help to call him. 

When I did contact him, he sounded excited. Mira! Am I glad you called. I just found out about a special medallion with the power to reunite people and their life force.

That's nice. Listen, I've got to find my brother before they find me. He's been missing for two days now and the police just keep telling me he probably ran away from home. But, he'd never do that. Not without telling me.

Maybe he would. Anyway, this medallion resides in an old building on the outskirts of Kroy Wen, and I plan to get it. How'd you like to help?

Kroy Wen? Where's that?

You may not have heard of it, but it's part of the ugly underbelly of New York City. It's where the Seducca are taking over.

Ugly under belly? Have you been drinking?

Or course not. You'll see.

And who are the Seducca?

Green-faced aliens with lots of powers. You don't want to tangle with them.

Don't plan to.

Somebody is. Thousands of our brothers and sisters disappeared from the city already.

I knew my brother had, but I tried to make a joke to cover up my worry. Haven't people always been disappearing from New York? I mean according to 'Law and Order,' just about everybody's either dead, disappeared, or in jail for killing somebody.

Yuk, yuk, but some of them have come back, and they're different.

What do you mean, different? I didn't want my brother coming back weird, at least no weirder than he already was.

If you help me get this medallion, I'll help you find your brother.

Can't turn that deal down. Come to Met Hospital and sign me out.

You're in the hospital?

Yeah, but I'm okay. A little more electric than before, but okay.

Electric?

Just come and I'll show you. Tell them you're my brother.

Thaddeus arrived a half an hour later. He looked the part of younger brother. He reminded me a little bit of Mr. Gambino, my music teacher. They both had square faces, way too much stringy hair, and skinny bodies.

Only Mr. G. wore suits and Thaddeus wore ripped jeans, leather boots, and an Eagles tee-shirt. He had all their CDs. How that fit in with his love of the ancient and mysterious was beyond me.

He gave me a quizzical stare. Okay, you're signed out. So, show me electric.

I waved my hands over the curtain around my bed and it started to smoke."

Wow! You did that?

Yeah, and that's not all. I can zap people, too, and knock them out, so beware. Say something I don't like and zap!

He took a step back. Sure, sure, just good stuff comes out of my mouth.

I found my jeans in the closet and pulled my jacket on over them. We walked out of the hospital like two siblings that didn't quite match up in the DNA department.

He undid the chain he'd locked his motorbike from a streetlight, and we climbed on board. A few loud revs and a backfire or two later, and off we went into the night.

It didn't take long to get to the building. I glanced around. Is this Kroy Wen?

"Close. It's down the street there. See where it says Tunnel Closed? That's the entrance."

When we got off his bike, he told me his theory about the ancient medallion and what it was doing here. Somebody from the government packed the medallion away with other priceless relics, and put it into a wooden case stamped Top Secret.He chuckled and hid his motorbike in the bushes in front of the building. Those fools have no idea what they had.

Good thing we do. So give me a rundown on this medallion. What's so great about it? I listened while thinking how glad I was that I'd worn boots and stretch black pants that day. Something told me I was in for some climbing.

Thaddeus talked with his hands like he always did. The medallion exhibits many mystical qualities, including finding essences or entities across dimensions. When we get inside, look for a burnished gold medallion with a single crystal stone set near the top of the piece. The whole thing only weighs about 18 ounces, but yields results many times its weight in gold.

That shouldn't be hard to find. I took the gold studs out of my earlobes, and deposited them in my bag. Where I was going, I didn't want any lights shining on them, making me more visible.

Just be careful. He stroked his chin. We're going to a dangerous place that probably has cutting edge security.

I pushed my hair back and secured it with a clip behind my head. Umm hmm, careful. Like I ever was.

I've got the floor design of the building somewhere and a picture of the medallion.

He pulled out his electronic tablet and clicked onto a screen. See, the floor plan's a little tricky.

The moon made phantom shadows on the surface of the building, and the smell of car exhaust and an odor I associated with decaying things wove up my nose.

When Thaddeus moved the pages, a small colored picture slid into view, and he pointed to it. This is the medallion. See how beautiful and shiny. And it's got a crystal at the top.

He took out a pair of contact lenses and put them into his eyes.

What are those for?

Pupil recognition. I told you they had a state-of-the-art security system. These should be able to fool the computer into believing I should be admitted. Once we get past that hurdle, we can relax a little.

We can? I was beginning to think I should just run out into the street and yell, Come and take me, I'm electrified!

Thaddeus was oblivious to my plight. I could tell by the way he kept going on and on about security.

Sooner or later we'll face armed guards if we hope to retrieve the medallion.

Don't worry. I stared at my hands, my confidence returning. I have something that will do the trick with armed guards.

If my hands weren't enough, I had a few other surprises planned.

2

Thaddeus and I stood on the ground outside the five-story, red stone building that housed the medallion we needed. A yellow moon rose over a line of fir trees, so close, I could almost make out the outline of a man's face on its surface.

The idea of breaking into a building started to appeal to me. I had my electrified hands and I'd taken Jiu Jitsu lessons since I was a little kid. My dad also taught me some kickboxing moves. Sure, I was rusty in two of them and totally out of control in the other, but still, it ought to be enough to handle whatever came our way.

Thaddeus? I didn't think he had a clue what he'd do to protect himself.

Come on, let's go. I motioned to him.

He had a sick look on his face like he'd just eaten a bowl of beetles by mistake.

Don't get all scared on me. I can be mean when I'm nervous.

I am not scared. He shuffled over to his vehicle.

The rappelling ropes that hung on the back of his motorbike felt cold and stiff under my fingers, especially the anchors and locking carabiners. I draped the ropes over one shoulder and grabbed a pair of gloves to protect my hands.

Hours of rock climbing in upstate New York kept me in shape for this kind of feat. We needed the rappelling ropes to move down into rooms without tripping alarms.

Take a weapon from that bag behind your seat. Thaddeus started firing directions, a calmer look on his face, as if he'd finally overcome his fear.

I rummaged around in his weapons bag and chose a small sword. It slid easily into my belt. I patted the weapon, realizing this could turn into a dangerous escapade if I wasn't careful.

Thaddeus gave me a nod of approval. Good choice. You may need it to cut any ropes or pry open any doors that get in our way. He grabbed a small knife and slipped it into a holder on his belt.

We helped each other secure the rappelling harness around ourselves, checked the anchor and buckles, tightened the carabiner gates closed, and made sure the descending device was rigged the right way. Thaddeus was also an expert climber. He told me it came in handy when he was searching for treasures.

At the last minute, he grabbed the electronic tablet and a strap-on flashlight from inside his jacket. He slung the bag from behind my seat over his shoulders and secured the clasp in front. If anything happens to me, be sure and take this bag with you to put the medallion in.

Just what I wanted to hear. The idea something might happen to Thaddeus, leaving me alone in that dark building with high security, made my hands and feet turn cold as the Arctic flow. And I'd just got them warmed up, too.

While Thaddeus fiddled with the strap on his backpack, I touched up my lipstick, checked my reflection, and started toward the entrance. Thaddeus came running behind.

I saw no lights shining in the building. The structure was an architectural classic with its tall pillars and decorative bands of metal. The moon lit the upper floors, while at ground level, I moved around in chilled darkness. Tugging at the rappelling hook to disentangle it from my shoulder, I threw the rope up to the roof. I jiggled it until the hooks felt secured in place, and then started to crawl up the side of the building, hand over hand. This was hard work.

Thaddeus scrambled behind me, struggling to keep up. I had a very flexible back from Yoga that allowed me to maneuver up and down safely, and also to be very acrobatic should the need arise or a circus hiring tumblers pass by. I didn't know who to thank in my family for my flexibility, but I did appreciate it. My legs and arms started to cramp halfway up the building, but I kept going, seeing moonlight flood across my body. That made me an easy target for anyone watching. I scampered up the rest of the gritty surface, and twisted my body up and over the ledge to safety.

My vantage point gave me a panoramic view of the city and its skyscrapers. I stood at the edge of the rooftop for a moment, catching my breath and looking out. Layers of fog and murkiness in the lower regions competed with the dazzling lights of downtown.

I turned around and eyed the ancient building, telling myself to pay attention to the task at hand. After Thaddeus tried to open the window, I pushed him aside and used an electrical charge from my hands to disable the lock on the window.

Mouth wide open, he stared at me. Wow! When did you get that?

I'll tell you later, just don't let anyone else know about my secret, okay?

I wouldn't let him make a move until he promised. After he did, we crawled inside. That's when I realized there could be no turning back.

For an instant I thought I heard someone behind me. I glanced around but saw no one.

The dark could play tricks with vision, but that knowledge didn't stop a sick feeling from starting up in my stomach. The shadows up here made me imagine almost anything could be following me.

With the help of Thaddeus' flashlight, we located the air shaft that would take us down to the next floor without passing through security measures. Looking into the blue-black, I saw nothing below, but that didn't mean the floor wasn't there. It just might be quite a distance down, invisible from up here.

After a quick test to make sure the anchor provided a fixed line, I threw the excess rope down the shaft, grabbed the line with my right hand, and wrapped it around my right hip.

Here goes. I hoped for the best and grasped the rope above the rappel device with my other hand.

Footsteps echoed behind us, coming in our direction. I put my hands to my lips and we both froze and listened to the sound coming closer. While my heart pounded, I told myself I couldn't afford to be caught. Without delay, I jumped into the shaft and slid down, using my right hand as a brake. Thaddeus followed.

The inside of the vent smelled of trapped air and dust but it gave me a safe feeling as if no one could possibly stop me. I kicked the vent screen open and jumped down the last few feet onto the floor.

Thaddeus reached bottom an instant later. Let me take a peek at the blueprints. We have to find the central electrical. A quick glance must have reassured him because he tapped me on the arm. We made a left and almost ran into it.

I took out my hand sword and silenced forever the important wires that touched off security bells. The juice went out with a groan just before the lights did. That didn't bother me. I had my own source of power.

The door to the hallway clicked open without a hint of resistance when I pushed on it. Once inside, my nose prickled from the smell of plaster dust. A small scuffling sound near the window brought a raw tightness to my stomach. I spun around at the sound of the metal shutters clanging.

One quick glance at the moving shadow told me someone could be outside, trying to get in. Somebody's outside. I pointed to the window.

I doubt it can be a security guard climbing the walls. It has to be someone else interested in the medallion, he whispered back.

That bit of information sent a shot of adrenalin through me, and told me we had to move faster or risk being caught.

We dashed down the stairs and stopped at the next level to check the building plans. According to the drawings, the medallion resided in a crypt a couple of floors below. Making our way to the door, we found another security system in front of us. Thaddeus started toward it.

Wait. See those barbs and razors?

Thaddeus halted. You're right. They'll be released if we enter the range of its tracking system. Why didn't it show up on the blueprints?

I don't know. How old are those prints? Maybe they added additional security from another source or maybe you're not quite as good as I thought. I can be very mean when I get bad news.

He scowled at me like I'd asked him to eat Brussels sprouts. Let's consider our options.

I have considered my options. Hunting around for a shaft is a waste of precious time. That's when I held up my hands and sent electricity into the contraption. I waited a few agonizing seconds before the system shut down, this time with a small squeal and a rasp. That's better, I mumbled. Recess for all robots.

Thaddeus chuckled and gazed at me with something between awe and fear in his eyes.

Holding my breath, I scanned the area around me, feeling the pressure building inside because unwanted company could be just one step behind. Being first was a good thing, but we'd done all the work, which could turn to their advantage if we didn't hurry.

The door clicked open to my touch and we slipped out. My eyes accustom to the blue-black, and saw my grandmother's basement. The room even had the same dank smell.

Before I had time to wax sentimental, a robot with a huge monitor for a head clattered up to Thaddeus and started to scan his eyeballs. He stared in the robot's direction, letting it take in his contact lenses. Instead of clicking off, an error message flashed across the screen: You are not authorized to enter this vault. If you continue, deadly force will be used. Have a nice day.

I hate illogical machines.

Lights lit up on the robot and an emergency bell went off. Something on his shoulder started to flash, and I knew we had to get out of there fast. I turned and started to run the other way. The sound of the robot clattering behind me made me move even faster.

An open room ahead called out to me. I dashed inside and hid behind the door. When the robot passed by, I opened the box in its back with one jolt of electricity and disabled the wires. The lights went out and the bell stopped ringing.

When I checked the monitor, it now read, You are free to enter the vault. Have a good evening! I ducked out of the room, motioned to Thaddeus to follow, and pulled the door locked behind, leaving the robot inside. That first message from the robot proved the contact lenses suck. Where'd you get them anyway? They hadn't fooled the robot into thinking Thaddeus belonged.

A former friend, Thaddeus said, with more anger in his voice than I thought he was capable of. "Once this is over, I'll settle with the packrat who sold them to me.

Down the hall, we searched left and right for an exit route. My body started to stiffen. What if I never got out of here? A shaft high in the ceiling and a row of prison-like bars on the opposite wall appeared out of nowhere. They looked capable of keeping out even the strongest intruders.

Before I could investigate, footsteps outside the door sent my pulse into double time. It could be security, or a thief, hoping to steal the medallion. I'd rather tangle with security. They often used older men with little upper body strength or cops not on the take, working an extra shift to buy holiday gifts for their kids. Either way, my strength and the advantage of surprise, not to mention my hands should be able to knock somebody down, if not out.

A blue uniformed sleeve came into view through the door first, then black-rimmed glasses, and a brown face. Who's there?

Gut-wrenching fear swept through me and I didn't answer, just waited and listened to my breath come out in shaky bursts. I tried to stay calm despite the pounding of my heart. Somehow we had to get past him or those creatures behind us might catch up, and I didn't want a major showdown with them.

Watching the security guard move away from us, I sensed one fatal flaw in his makeup. He couldn't see out of the back of his head. A crazy mixture of hope and fear tore through me.

Once the guard started to shine his flashlight across the wall, I ran up behind him and shouted, Watch out.

He jerked his head in my direction and pointed a lamp toward me. Thaddeus grabbed a lamp off the wall and hit the guard over the head with it. We pulled him into a small closet, took his keys, and locked him inside. Just to make sure he wasn't badly hurt, I dialed 911 on the wall phone and told the woman who answered where to find the guard.

Thaddeus consulted the floor plan. Almost there. The room below contains the treasure room. It has electronically-controlled security bars. Do you think you can open them?

I'll try. We hurried to an air shaft above the treasure room, opened the trapdoor, and looked down.

That's when I heard Thaddeus groan and swear.

I whirled around. What happened?

Twisted my ankle or something. You'll have to go down and get the medallion. Can you do that? He handed me the backpack.

Why not? I secured the pack on my back and hoped I knew what I was doing.

Concentrating on my hands, I plunged them into the space below, sending lines of power beams out through my fingers and into the room below. The lines I produced wouldn't affect me, but they would surely stop other intruders, zapping them if they tried to get through. At least that was my theory.

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