Shades of Grey III: See No Evil (Book Three in the Shades of Grey Series)

By Amanda M. Holt

Book Three in the Shades of Grey Series

When Crystal Grey, a teenager with dark secrets, disappears from her Vancouver home, her family is tormented by questions:

Where has Crystal gone?
Why hasn't she returned?
Who is she with?
What is she doing?
Why did she leave?
When is she coming back?

Involved in the drug trade and running with a fast crowd, Crystal is now being exploited by some very sinister people - facts that the Vancouver Police Department are reluctant to reveal to her family.

When her sister, Eve is alerted that Crystal may have been spotted at a nightclub run by the Strikers biker gang, she decides to take matters into her own hands.

Eve refuses to sit idly by and watch her sister become some kind of statistic. However, the strain of the situation is taking its toll...

You see, Eve has a few dark secrets of her own.

Secrets from the past, secrets born of madness and violence that whisper seductively to Eve in waking and in dream, calling her to action, calling her to punish the people who have hurt her baby sister, who are using her for their own criminal gain.

These nightmarish voices, thought to have been silenced by a team of mental health professionals years before, seem as though they are back and more vicious than ever before.

Will Eve once again give in to their siren song and take justice into her own hands? Even if it's at the cost of her very sanity?

This anger inside of her is so wrathful, so unnatural, so all-consuming, so...hungry.

Sometimes, she just doesn't feel like herself...

....sometimes, it's as if she doesn't feel human at all...

With her multiple personalities wrestling with Eve for control of Their conscious mind and shared body, Eve is finding the exhaustive tug-of-war situation to be more taxing than ever.

What's to become of her?

Worse still --- what's to become of Crystal?

__________________________________

Look for Book Four ~ Shades of Grey: Speak No Evil in September/October of 2012

The Shades of Grey Series:

Shades of Grey: Prologue (November 2011)
Shades of Grey: Hear No Evil (December 2011)
Shades of Grey: See No Evil (August 2012)
Shades of Grey: Speak No Evil (September/October 2012)
Shades of Grey: Epilogue (December 2012)
Shades of Grey: Do No Evil (Spring 2013)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Amanda M. Holt
• Release date: Aug 3, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476031385

Amanda M. Holt

Let's see... I was born in Revelstoke, British Columbia. Raised in Small Town, Manitoba and spent my adult life in different Manitoban locales: Dauphin, Ste. Rose du Lac, Ochre River, The Pas, and now - Thompson! I'm the oldest daughter of an oldest daughter. I believe that guns don't kill people: people kill people. I also believe that, contrary to the behavior of the main character in my Shades of Grey Series, people with mental illness are not typically violent (read the statistics, it's true...and besides, if you make it to Book 4 of Shades of Grey, you will be [spoiler alert] wondering if she is ill, or not ill, or...? What the-? I intend to keep you guessing! Until I leave you quivering and satisfied, that is!) I've worked many JOBS over the years, but am now in a CAREER in Health Care that I find very gratifying. That being said, as you would likely hear from any aspiring author, if there comes a day that my first love (writing) enables me to write from day thru night without having to worry about making the rent or putting groceries on the table (anotherwords, a steady writing income), then of course I would consider retirement from my "real world" career. My first and forever true love? Writing! And there is SO much that I want to write about! Working on about seven projects in regular intervals at the moment, plus some novellas and the six completed projects that are in revision/editing...all of which will appear here on Smashwords, if they meet with their (Smashwords') standards for quality that is. At the time of writing this, I am childless (thank Heavens), seeing someone who is very special to me, and I've no pets and no houseplants. I enjoy chocolate, chai tea with a lot of milk, and coffee dolled up the same way. I eat too much ketchup (Heinz, there ain't no other kinds) and not enough sushi... I have more journals than i know what to do with, but they seem to have a starring role in keeping me sane...if not for them, if not for reflecting on my goals and motives fairly regularly, I'm certain that I would have made some very poor choices in bedpartners, purchases, habits and careers. My advice to anyone literate? Journal. Write down your thoughts, goals, aspirations and reflect on them at least once a month. If I am on a track, on a path, it seems to me as though journalling seems to keep me on it. My advice to anyone who wants to write a book? If you can carry on a conversation during a coffee break and tell a well-spun tale or joke, you are entirely capable of writing a book...especially if you have some noteable life experiences to draw from. There's inspiration for that book (or books) all around you. Don't look: SEE!!! And don't procrastinate: DO!!! (Now if I can just follow my own advice :) ). I've had 15+ stories (novellas and full length novels) published at publishers other than Smashwords, but I don't think that it's in good taste to print the names of those companies here, where i'm supposed to be promoting Smashwords novels. Suffice to say, they are small publishing houses, not New York publishing house giants! All that being said, i'll update this if/when anything noteworthy happens in my life. Sincere regards and happy reading! Amanda M. Holt NOTEWORTHY NOTE: All of my titles that were available as Kindle format at Amazon will soon (all) be available here at Smashwords. I just have to hurry up and do the formatting, and ideally they will pass the Smashwords standards review. Thank you for your patience, understanding and support of both my work and my chosen charities, which benefit from a portion of my royalties/sales. Future works will feature donations to other charities near and dear to my heart. Writing has taken a back-seat to other pursuits... will increase writing productivity soon. Sincere regards & happy reading, Amanda M. Holt July, 2013

Book preview

THE SHADES OF GREY SERIES

Shades of Grey: Prologue

(Released December 2011)

Shades of Grey: Hear No Evil

(Released December 2011)

Shades of Grey: See No Evil

(Released August 2012)

Shades of Grey: Speak No Evil

(Estimated release October 2012)

Shades of Grey: Epilogue

(In Late Development)

Shades of Grey: Do No Evil

(In Early Development)

Shades of Grey: See No Evil

(Book Three in the Shades of Grey Series)

Amanda M. Holt

Published by Amanda M. Holt at Smashwords

Copyright 2012 Amanda M. Holt

Discover other titles by Amanda M. Holt at Smashwords.com Summer 2012

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold

or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person,

please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did

not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to

Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Dedication:

"For my readers: you are the sole reason I do this. Without you, these words would just be meaningless electrons on my laptop. Your interpretation of my tales, the imagery you create in your mind as you read my little projects, is what truly brings my characters to life – and they do enjoy living!

Happy reading!

A.M.H"

Donation Pledge:

Hello Reader!

By purchasing this eBook you have made possible a donation to Child Find Manitoba. Every book title that I release through Kindle and Smashwords will result in a donation to a local charity that is near and dear to my heart.

Child Find Manitoba is one such charity. In their noble attempt to locate missing children and support the families of missing children, they provide education, intervention and prevention programs.

For more information on their services, you can visit their website at http://www.childfind.mb.ca

SHADES OF GREY: SEE NO EVIL

(Book Three in the Shades of Grey Series)

Amanda M. Holt

RECAP

(To reflect changes I made to the end of Book Two: thank you for your patience…)

June 14 7:50 a.m.

… it had a body, but she had yet to see its face, this creature from her childhood dreams.

With proportions that were decidedly female, it was prepubescent at that: small breasts, without nipples, the skin of its hairless body as grey as the cloud-ridden sky overhead.

There were no folds to its sex, no organs – a mound of grey skin where labia or phallus should have been.

This was the creature who had stalked her enemies in dream.

As a child, this creature had told her to punish a dog who was too quick to decide to bite pedestrians like her.

This creature had told her to flush her mother’s cigarettes down the toilet.

This creature who had, at age seven, told her to slap Crystal for being a brat…

Assorted other things…

Little things…

Big things…

The really bad thing in Montreal…

It always told her to do bad things…

Instinctively, Eve knew that it was female.

Knew…what its purpose was, though vague that purpose was.

The closer she came to seeing its face, the quicker it sped on swift toeless feet toward its destination, toward its…prey?

Yes, prey.

Further down their trek, she could hear the sounds of a man running, as though running to save himself from a terrible fate.

Footfall after footfall sounded his fleeing path, betraying his location to the hairless creature with the heightened senses and pressing hunger – who relayed that information to Eve, in turn.

Though far she ran, Eve knew no weariness.

Her stride didn’t falter.

Not once, even in this rough and unpredictable terrain.

She followed the skyclad girl-thing intently, with her eyes as much as with her person, as though the creature’s destination was her own.

It seemed as though mile after mile of moist earth and rotting leaves passed beneath her fleeting feet…

Finally, it appeared that the pace of their pursuit was slowing some.

The grey creature slowed as the man slowed, seeming to want to prolong the chase, prolong this hunt…

The slowing trot and exhausted breath sounds of their prey implied that there would be a swift end to this cat-and-mouse game of besting him.

There were the telltale sounds of him dragging his feet, stumbling a short distance before collapsing from exhaustion and then a cry of surprise, cut off as though by strangulation.

In the clearing ahead, beyond the evergreen tangle, she saw him lying in the midst of browned grass, bound to the earth by snaking grey vines of unknown origin.

He struggled to get up but the grey vines held him like animated rope.

The vines writhed and tightened like boa constrictors with a deviant otherworldly purpose.

The man tried to cry out.

The vine around his throat tightened, making his face contort with shock and agnony.

His blond hair was dirtied by his fruitless run through the swamp land.

There were smudges of dirt and blood on his tattered gym shorts and sweat slickened skin, his dry, cracked lips.

The grey vines continued to choke him cruelly, binding him so tight that Eve heard the muffled snap of ribs cracking in his chest.

Eve was sickened by the crimson that was running from his torn lips – sickened and excited…

She recognized him immediately: it was Dallas.

Dallas Wainright.

The first of many who would be punished for their crimes against Crystal.

For their crimes against society as a whole…

Who are you? She asked as she approached the creature, trying to remember its name.

~You know my name…~ The Greyling stood guard at Dallas’ feet, seemingly awaiting Eve’s arrival with unhurried patience.

Eve noticed, with some trepidation, that she and the creature were breathing alike.

It could speak.

It could breathe.

The thing must, then, have a mouth, she decided, longing to see its face, to know its eyes.

Eyes that she knew would be familiar, but could not remember why.

Although she was afraid of seeing its face, she wanted to know what it looked like.

The wanting was like a compulsion.

Let me see your face…

She reached a hand out to the creature then, willing her hand to touch the grey skin of its shoulder, in support as much as summons. The creature stopped breathing then, lifted its head up in alarm.

Startled, Eve began to pull her hand away, only to find that she couldn’t.

A grey, paint-like substance was crawling over her fingers, spreading up her hand.

It was stronger than superglue, binding her to the creature.

She felt the muscles of the creatures shoulders contract into her hand as they began to merge. It began to turn around to face her.

Not again, Eve pleaded, of the Fates that could be so cruel. "I don’t want to see, Greyling – I don’t want to see your face! I changed my mind!"

A silent scream rose up in her throat as she was soon made privy to a face that was her own, only years younger, with grey skin.

There were the eyes that were Eve’s own, staring back at her intently.

Her lips, the lips of the Greyling, were smiling anxiously, expectantly.

~ It’s too late. You summoned me…~

I don’t want to be sick again! Her plea came out as a sob in her terrified throat.

Eve was suddenly aware of her own nudity, as the grey matter spread up over her forearm, her bicep and armpit, the cleft of her breast…

The creature put her smaller hand on Eve’s naked shoulder and the transformation began there as well. She observed in horror her the journey of grey unto her own ivory skin as it spread from the Greyling’s hand, like hot wax given a mind, given intent and direction.

She felt the muscles of the Greyling’s hand, the very bones, merging with her own, digging painfully into her neck, adding to their joined mass.

She and Greyling were fusing, coming together as one – the prospect terrified Eve.

Terrified her greatly.

The Greyling was the most merciless, most powerful, most ruthless of her Others.

If they were to bind inseparably…there would be no return to sanity for Eve.

Would the Greyling overtake her?

Would it become the dominant voice, the dominant personality…what would happen to Eve herself?

They were chest to chest now, smaller breast and larger merging into a single form, a single being…

~Don’t fight it…~ Came the plea of the Greyling in the voice of a younger Eve, its breath like a frozen whisper on her cheek..

Eve unleashed a scream at the sight of the Greylings’ teeth.

They were as vampiric chrome, pointed, carnivorous, long and spiny and nightmarish.

The Greyling’s tongue and gums were the grey of her skin, skin that was quickly becoming Eve’s own.

~Eve, please don’t fight it. Don’t fight Us. Love Us. Be Us… Be Us again…~

Stop it! Eve shrieked, struggling as best as she could against the change.

~We can’t. You’ve needed Us for too long – Our reunion has been far too long in coming…~

Why? She sobbed, her voice shrill from the scream.

Her neck was becoming the creatures own.

Its stomach, hers…

Its heart beating in her ribcage…

~Why?~ Was the creatures reply, as their legs began to join, the change going quickly now, ribbons of skin and flesh wrapping about them, embracing them as though a cocoon, in which they would grow, incubate, perfect themselves, this new organism that they were becoming… ~Because you need Us!~

Eve caught sight of Lilith shying behind a cluster of willows, her eyes round with awe,