Jessie Stern and the Time Shifters

By Kim Merrill

Jessie Stern's life has taken a turn to the weird. It started out great. On her 13th birthday she discovered she was going on a scientific expedition with her dad to document the death of a star and rescue the priestess that waits for them on the planet Shilona. But before they even leave Earth Jessie is chased by beings she never thought existed – the Time Shifters – a race that can control time. She learns she has a mission to stop the Time Shifters from killing the priestess. She also learns that the Time Shifters will kill anyone who gets in their way. In the mists of the danger that surrounds her Jessie learns the power of knowledge and the importance of family. Along with her cousin Daniel, Jessie tries to stop the Time Shifters before they stop her.

Jessie Sterns and the Time Shifters is an action packed mix of science fiction and science fact. The reader even has a chance to "learn more about" the science facts with a glossary and hyperlinks to other sites. This is a great book for science fiction fans and science lovers alike. It is an entertaining way for children, youths, and even adults to learn science facts in the classroom, in the home school, or just for fun.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kim Merrill
• Release date: Jan 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301847402

Kim Merrill

I have always had an interest in science fact and science fiction. It fascinates me the way the two intertwine while also often times giving a subtle message. My hope is that we someday are able to travel to the stars. I also believe the best way to teach both children and adults is to convey information in an entertaining fashion. That is what I have tried to do in my children's book. My favorite authors are: Ray Bradbury, Anne Rice, and Neil Gaiman because their writing contains such vivid imagery and reads like poetry. Another favorite is Stan Lee because his talent brought "comic book" heroes and villains to life. He gives more depth to his characters in a few pages than many authors give their characters in an entire novel.

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Jessie Stern and the Time Shifters

By

Kim Merrill

Published by Kim Merrill at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 Kim Merrill

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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And thank you for reading my book

Cover image from of Dreamstime

Chapter 1 - The Last Entry of my 12th year.

I don’t want to be a hero, but it feels like I’ve been one the past few nights.

It happens in a dream. I am watching a young girl – a priestess. And, in that strange dream way I am the priestess too.

It happens in that twilight time between being awake and still being asleep. You know, the seconds of time when it’s hard to tell if you’re still in the dream world or back in the real world. That’s what this dream is like. I hate that mixed-up feeling. It makes me feel crazy.

The dream is about Shilona; a world that’s dying.

I’ve had the dream every night this week…

I always have the dream around dawn…

And the dream is always the same…

You must not tell them. The dream starts with this message. The message is broken, but clear enough. All other communication with the Shilonan people had been lost hours ago. Only the cabinet leaders are still in contact.

Repeat, you must not tell them. If you do, they may not come, the voice says again. She feels it is wrong, the girl that I watch, the girl that I am. Despite the warning the girl feels those that are coming need to be warned.

This will be the last transmission. We wish you luck, the voice dies in static.

She is alone. It is the first time in her young life that she has been truly alone. There have always been tutors and priests and, of course her parents- but now they are gone. They fled their dying world and left her to her destiny.

She proceeds down the hall to the stasis chamber; the place she will sleep until her rescue. She is cautious. She knows there are those who want to see her dead so they can seize power in the new home world. New factions that have risen and become stronger since their Sun started to die. The Unconstrained Ones they are called. It would be a great accomplishment for the Unconstrained Ones to kill the High Priestess of the Scrolls of Shilona. Her death would make it so much easier for them to grab the power they desire. The knot in the pit of her stomach tells her that danger is close and she thinks once again of how it is wrong not to tell the ones sailing towards her of the possible hazards.

She slips into the crystal chamber that will bring her slumber. She knows she must put the threat out of her mind for now. She has other duties that need her attention. She must give a message of thanks and welcome to the rescuers as instructed in the prophecies – and then she must release the gas that will bring her sleep.

The Prophecies are always right. As a child she remembered hearing the ancient tales of the Blending Time. The stories had been told over the millennia's. It was a story of the time when the Shilona galaxy joined with the galaxy they now called home. During the millions of years the monstrous sheet of stars loomed before them, some feared that Shilona and its Sun would be thrown out if its orbit into a new region or even into the nothingness of space. Others feared that their planet would not survive the shock waves of the churning 100 million degree gases. (Read More About It #1)

But the Prophets were not worried. They said the Shilona system would maintain a safe and steady orbit around her Sun as their planet joined the new galaxy. They said it would be millions of years before Shilona’s own Sun would bring about the planet’s death. The prophets were right.

Now that time had come. Their sun was dying. All the others had left and she, the Priestess of the Scrolls remained to welcome and thank those that would save her. The Sleep Chamber is soft and silky. As she closes the door a mist of gas envelops her. It is cool and white and smells of green growing things. She reaches out for the recording device. As the thought once again enters her mind, ‘The ones who are coming must be told of the threats.’ If they are not the rescuers that were prophesied then they must be warned off. If they are the ones, they would do what they must do to overcome the dangers and take her to her new home. The cabinet always spoke of politics, but she must follow her consciences and she knew what she must do. She closes her eyes and activates the recording device.....

Chapter 2 -1st for Entry My 13th Year on Earth

Despite the strange dreams I’ve been having I think my 13th year looks promising. On the first morning of my 13th year the clouds hung low on the mountains that surround our city. Rain came down in a drizzle bringing a damp chill to the air.

I guess I really shouldn’t start that way. I’ve read books on writing that say you shouldn’t talk about the weather right off. But I disagree. Weather has such an effect on us. It determines how we dress, what we do that day, it can even be an omen. I like the rain, so I took it as a good sign. I took it as a sign that today I would get the Great Gift.

When I came down the stairs the table was full of presents. Not all mine, of course, it’s my cousin Daniel’s 13th birthday too. People said that we’re a lot alike, but I can never see it. We do both look a little similar. Like most of our family we are tall, thin, have dark hair and glasses, but that’s where it ends. I think people just believe we’re alike because we were born on the same day and in the same year.

I picked through the presents looking for the ones made out to Jessie (that’s me) - And especially for