Fairly Certain

By Deborah Ann Davis

Fairly Certain is the unlikely adventure of Petir Capota, a nineteen year old computer geek who finds himself back in the days of Robin Hood after falling out of a tree. He awakens in the forest surrounded by a band of British boys, clothed as if in Old England. Unable to resolve the incongruity of their presence in the Connecticut woods, Petir decides he’s experiencing a dream, which revs up when Maid Rianne appears, a girl with a penchant for the bow and arrow. In his college world, fair maiden types don’t ordinarily go for computer geek types, but for some reason, he is no longer in his world. Petir is fairly certain he can try whatever he wants in this world, without consequence...but the fair maiden isn’t playing fair.

With the conflict of the Royals escalating, Maid Rianne has joined the outlaws hiding in the forest, outwardly defying the handsome and accomplished knight to whom she is promised. She is fairly certain she merely feels flattered by Lord Petir’s uncensored admiration of her skills with the staff and bow, the same unmaidenly pursuits disdained by her own knight. However, that does not explain the quickening of her pulse produced by Lord Petir’s unguarded gaze.

The outlaws bring Petir to their camp to tend his injuries, then, to Petir’s delight and Maid Rianne’s dismay, they invite him to join their merry band. What better way to get close to her? Throwing caution to the wind, Petir decides he has nothing to lose by pursuing Maid Rianne. It’s all fun and games until she is captured by the enemy. Now, a geek with no ability to defend himself must find a way to rescue a fair maiden who has become much more than fair game.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Deborah Ann Davis
• Release date: Dec 19, 2014
• ISBN: 9781942009023

Deborah Ann Davis

Dear Awesome Mom,As a mother, I’ve been through what you’re going through – the heavy sighs, the knocking heads, the unexpected conflict when you offer helpful advice. I want to assure you that you can bridge that chasm. You know - the one that suddenly appeared out of nowhere when your daughter reached double digits.As a parenting skills coach, speaker, and educator, I’ve worked with thousands of people via classes, workshops, and live events, guiding them towards solutions that make home life, school life, and everyday life, more manageable.Today, my mission is to help you, Awesome Mom, tap into the tools you already have inside, plus a few extra techniques to help you positively influence your double-digit daughter as she develops into a strong, well-adjusted capable young woman.You got this, and I’ve got your back. Just reach out if you need a little extra help - [e-mail] these teenage years. They’ll fly by before you know it.Make it a happy day,Deborah, Parenting Skills CoachREAD MORE ABOUT DEBORAH ANN DAVIS:M.Ed., W.I.T.S., Parenting Skills Coach, Personal Trainer, Award-Winning Author, SpeakerAward-winning author, DEBORAH ANN DAVIS, the founder (and also a member) of the Awesome Mom Tribe, helps foster positive and healthy relationships in families. A middle/high school teacher of three decades, Deborah has helped countless families navigate the tumultuous, angst-filled teen years. Now, she makes all that experience accessible to you through her books and events.Deborah also writes Quirky Young Adult Fiction with a twist. She has been writing since she was assigned to keep a Journal in her 5th grade English class. She began to look around for writing inspiration. Lo and behold, she found her world was full of funny stories just waiting to be told.Through a string of college majors, she found her calling as a teacher. Recognizing that the public school system provided a captive audience was just a bonus for her tenth grade sense of humor. As it turns out, teenagers love to laugh, and what could be more entertaining than Biology, Earth Science, and Environmental Science? On top of that, once kids know you like to laugh, they want to make you laugh.Go figure.Sometime during her 25+ years of teaching teens, Deborah reunited with, and happily married her childhood sweetheart... fifteen years after their first kiss. In the middle of all that educating and problem solving, Deborah stepped out of teaching to do The Mommy Thing, and run the office for their family construction company.Together she and her husband coached their daughter’s AAU Basketball Team, which swept States two years in a row. (Yay!) Then, for several years their daughter and their money went to college.When Deborah isn't holding events for moms and their tween/teen daughters, she’s writing books. (How To Keep Your Daughter From Slamming the Door; How To Get Your Happy On; The Power of Your Inner Brilliance; Manifested Blessings; Fairly Certain; Fairly Safe) She also shares her take on life, loving and living in her blog, Merry Meddling.In between she enjoys dabbling with living a sustainable life, dancing with her hubby, playing outside, and laughing really hard every day. Drop her a line at: [e-mail]. Deborah would love to connect with you.

Book preview

What do you mean, you can’t go? Petir Capota stopped stuffing his backpack to stare at his roommate, Chris Dunbar, who leaned against his doorframe. Disappointment bubbled up. Chris, this is our chance to advance in the rankings.

I know, I know. But my boss called and asked if I could add a few shifts. Chris shrugged, avoiding Petir’s glare as he drifted toward his friend’s computer array. I need the dough, bro. From the top of his head to his raggedy Sketchers, Chris was the picture of remorse. Even his crisp, red buzz-cut drooped. His summer job, a vital financial component for keeping their new apartment, had not panned out as expected. Blowing off this chance to put in some extra hours would be a serious mistake.

Oh, that's just great. First Jimmy bails. Now you. Heaving a sigh, Petir plopped down on his bed. He snatched up his favorite Ping-Pong paddle and swiped the air. Like that would change things. And get your carcass away from my computers.

Unoffended, Chris stepped away from Petir’s pride and joy. You can always go by yourself, dude.

I can’t go by myself. We’re supposed to be a team.

Dude, no one will know.

Jimmy Montana popped his head in the door. Yeah, Pete, take one for the team.

Aww, c’mon, you guys. I thought we were taking a week for ourselves.

Jimmy took his customary seat on the floor and leaned against the bed. Despite his blond surfer look, a gift from parents who both hailed from Northern Italy, he’d never touched anything resembling a surfboard. Hey, I’m really sorry, but—

No worries. I got this, Jimmy. Petir sat up, contrite. Just go to the funeral. Give your mom our condolences.

Yeah, our condolences, dude. Chris vigorously bobbed his head.

I don’t know why we’re bothering to go. Jimmy frowned. First of all, I didn’t even know I had a great uncle. Second of all, she says he was a jerk. I’d rather be geodashing.

Chris laughed. Sounds like a bumper sticker. He raised his hands to form an imaginary frame. I’d rather be geodashing.

So, Chris. What’s your story? Jimmy asked.

I got to work, dude. As my dad would say, his voice dropped in a time-honored imitation of his father, work equals money, and money equals rent.

Jimmy snorted. Everything that comes out of your father sounds like a bumper sticker. Neither the guys’ parents nor Petir’s grandparents approved of their recent decision to leave the dorms to share an apartment, but the boys had scored an affordable unit in Mansfield within walking distance of the University of Connecticut campus. It was shabby and rundown, but within budget. For three guys on the cusp of nineteen, shabby and rundown were in the eye of the beholder.

Petir and his two childhood-friends-turned-college-roommates had always been as different as different could be. However, when faced with a small boy grieving for his parents, both friends had stuck by Petir at a time when others had drifted to a more comfortable distance. They still shared an adoration of computers, gaming, and Ping-Pong, but had developed their own interests. Over the years, their bond of friendship had never been dented.

Petir watched Chris, who stared at a window blind’s frayed cord as he whipped it repeatedly around his hand. Jimmy was plowing his fingers through his hair. They were obviously as bummed out as he was by the turn of events. Petir sighed. Yeah, he didn’t want to kick them to the curb.

Fine. No worries. He stuffed a sweatshirt into his bag. I’ll be able to hit more dashpoints by myself anyway. He could always come back early if it turned out to be a bust.

Great! Jimmy and Chris fist-bumped.

Petir straightened and eyed his two friends. And no one touches my computers while I’m gone, right? Despite their own pretty impressive setups, for some reason, they liked to mess with his when they could get away with it.

Sure, sure. Jimmy nodded.

You can count on us, added Chris.

I mean it, you guys. Petir put his hands on his hips. Neither of you are to use my stuff. You know what happened the last time.

That wasn’t my fault, they chorused.

Right. I’m still going to lock my door.

What if you need us to research something for you? asked Jimmy.

"Here’s an idea. Why don’t you use your computer? Petir tossed his bag over his shoulder and ushered them out of his room, locking the door behind him. Alrighty, then. I’m off."

If you run into any competition, just tell them you’re camping, advised Chris, his usual exuberance returning.

Seriously? What was he thinking?

With no tent or sleeping bag? said Jimmy, pushing his glasses up his nose.

Whatever, dude. You don’t want them to think they have to beat you to the cache. Tell them…I know. Tell them you’re a tree inspector.

Shut up, Chris, said Petir and Jimmy, their response automatic.

Hey, why don’t you stop by your folks? Chris smacked his lips. "See if you can get Abuela to make us some more goodies."

Now, that’s a good idea. Her care packages are good for a week. Jimmy adopted his own imitation of Chris’s dad. More Food Equals More Money.

Sounds like a plan. Petir shouldered his backpack. No problem. He’d hang with nature for a bit, nail a few geo-caches, raise their team ranking, and tuck away a couple of home-cooked meals. It would be more fun with his friends in tow, but he’d be just fine on his own.

***~~~***

Let go of me. Rianne spoke quietly, tightly gripping her irritation as she stared at the hand grasping her arm. Where was the giddy feeling the mere sight of Lord Robert usually invoked? His oh-so-handsome face still held those marvelous gray eyes and perfectly even teeth, but, right now, she wanted to punch that flawless nose. The idea of spending the rest of her life with him was rapidly losing its appeal.

He uncurled his grip from her arm and took a step back. M’lady. He bowed, his attractive face marred by a sneer. Or should I say, m’lad?

She bit down on her rising annoyance. They never argued. They always agreed. So why could he not get past this? What upsets you most, m’lord? That I am disguised as a lad, or that I side with the oppressed?

The oppressed? I beg your pardon. They live the life they have chosen. Please, Maid Rianne, think. How will it appear to the sheriff if I allow you to go off into the forest to live with this band of thieves?

Allow me? Even as her anger escalated, she noticed a slight shift in his stance. She braced herself.

Be reasonable, my dear. I implore you. The sudden seductive quality of his voice caught her off-guard. Stay here with me, your beloved. He reached toward her neck to capture a tendril escaped from her cap and entwined it around his fingers, staring at it as he had done many a time. She watched him, bemused, her frustration beginning to dissipate. How odd she would rail against him when he grabbed her arm, but he could so easily hold her prisoner by capturing a mere strand of her hair. And as it had many a time before, self-doubt began to creep into her resolve. Was she truly being petulant and willful?

Stay. We shall dine together, he continued, still focused on her hair.

What was the point in fighting? Of course they could reach a compromise. After all, with him, she would be free of worry about from where her next meal would come.

He raised his eyes to hers and stepped closer. Now toe to toe with him, she suppressed the urge to step back.

We shall dance together this night, he murmured.

Rianne tried to focus on his indulgent voice and ignore the triumphant gleam in his eyes. She tensed as his other hand captured her shoulder in a momentary caress then trailed down her arm.

She did not want to jeopardize the relationship she enjoyed with Lord Robert. He was devoted to her, and she wanted to reciprocate. And she did so love dancing.

He angled his mouth toward hers. To her surprise, she was leaning toward him.

I wonder what else we can think of to do together, he said in a soft, husky timbre before he kissed her.

She sighed as his mouth claimed hers and awaited the return of even bits of her former giddiness, but to no avail What was the matter with her? She must be daft. Lord Robert had chosen her when he could have had any maiden. She was indeed fortunate.

Raising his head, he gazed into her eyes again, his expression smug. Confused, she laid her head on his shoulder. Perhaps this disagreement was the cause of the missing giddiness, and it would return when all was well between them. Had they truly always agreed on everything, or had she merely acquiesced to please him? Wrapped in his familiar embrace, something felt amiss.

Enjoy the benefits of our station, here at the tournament, my dear, he murmured against her hair. Stay with me. I shall buy you a beautiful new dress, and—

Mirth bubbled up in her. Lord Robert, I cannot compete in a dress.

He released her and stepped back so quickly she staggered with his absence. Alarm flashed through her at his reddened face. She had never seen such a thunderous expression

You will not compete, he declared in a steely tone. Archery is a sport for warriors, not wenches.

Wenches? Rianne’s spine stiffened.

Aye, wenches. Why? Does the word displease you? What word would you choose? He regarded her with disdain. Tell me, Maid Rianne, do you appear more a lady or a wench?

Unbidden, her palm swung up to strike him, but he captured her hand with a laugh and shoved it away. Without thinking, she took a step back, stripping her bow from her shoulder as she moved. Sweeping it in a wide arc, she caught him behind his legs and upended him. He landed on the ground with an audible thump.

He stared at her from the flat of his back, mouth agape. For a moment, she stared back, her own jaw slack with disbelief at her actions. An odd exhilaration filled her.

The word I would choose is warrior, she said. I shall see you at the competition, m’lord. She ran off, disappearing into the crowd before he could stop her, but she could not escape his parting words.

"You are no warrior. You are but a maid in boy’s clothing and nothing more."

What was left of her mind warred with the thrill of her actions. What if he was correct?

***~~~***

Petir stopped himself from opening his eyes when he realized there were bits of something on his face. Why was he on his back on the ground instead of in a tree searching for the road? Slowly, the details came. He was disoriented by the smell of disturbed earth and decayed leaves filling his nostrils. Or maybe he, in fact, had dirt in his nose. He hadn’t actually moved since he fell out of the tree, so he wasn’t quite sure. Correction— he hadn’t moved since he'd plummeted-rolled-tumbled-slid-crashed down the hill after falling out of the tree.

He groaned aloud as he gingerly surveyed his battered body for damage.

Despite some newly acquired grit, his teeth were intact.

Head still moved although it pounded.

Toes wiggled.

Ribs ached.

Arms and shoulders worked but were sore.

Yup, Pete, tree climbing was a seriously stupid idea. At the time, of course, the idea hadn’t seemed stupid. How difficult could it be for a lost computer geek to clamber up a low-limbed tree like he was a little kid, get his bearings, and jump down?

Later, he could scold himself for too many hours behind a computer table and not enough hours at the tennis table, but right now, he needed to spit. And wipe this crap off his face so he could open his eyes. He brushed his palms off and slowly propped himself on an elbow.

Everything hurt, but it all seemed to be working. That was a relief. He had no backup plan for being alone in the woods with an injury. He spat out what he hoped was only dirt and ran his tongue over the remaining grit while he wiped around his eyes.

Gross.

Good thing Chris and Jimmy weren’t there. If they had witnessed his impromptu tree dive, he’d never hear the end of it. He rolled over to spit again.

Holy— The sudden pain blazing down the back of his leg took his breath away. Alarm shot through him proportional to its intensity.

Oh, no! Groaning again, he managed to sit and began brushing at the dirt and leaves falling out of his hair. He probed his leg to locate the injury as he tried to calm the wave of panic rising inside him. To his relief, he found no cut or gash, and no bleeding. Maybe he had pulled his hamstring or something. Whatever. The pain in his leg was unrelenting. What if it was broken?

He glared at the three-story hill which had just hosted his free fall to its bottom. Most likely, he had collided with every one of those fallen limbs and random rocks littering the hillside. His former perch, a large maple tree branch, nestled in the leaves of years gone by, sporting a rotted center. Seriously?

He blinked up at the sky. The beginning orange streaks of sunset only added to his anxiety. It would be getting dark soon. He needed a plan.

He picked debris out of his palms. Okay, I’m sitting in the middle of the woods. Lost. He gingerly fingered an ache on his cheek that felt like a bruise. Injured … at sunset … talking to myself. Did I leave anything out? He inspected a scraped elbow. Oh, yeah. Who’s going to miss me?

No one, that’s who.

Somehow he was going to have to find his way out of the woods. Maybe his best hope was to try retracing his steps. That meant getting back to the damn tree.

He eyed the hill as he shook leaves out of his shirt and hair. To climb or not to climb, that was the question. Even if he managed to get up the hill, he would still be lost. He was going to have to break down and call his roommates.

Oh…right. His cell phone was safely packed away in his backpack.

Which he had prudently hung on another branch of the tree.

Which, of course, had not fallen when he had.

Which was still at the top of the hill.

With no bars.

Petir flopped back into the leaves, his hamstring pain reminding him he had a serious problem. The sky was fiery red on one side and graying on the other. It would be dark very soon. Nature was for the birds.

Petir didn’t really have a choice. He needed to go for the cell phone and find a location with bars. Ignoring the pain, he sat up and slowly rolled into a kneeling position. Oww. Feeling steady, he hauled himself to his feet, favoring his injured leg. Owww. Maybe this wasn’t going to be so easy. He tried to move forward, but Owwwww! The stabbing sensation in his leg from one step told him all he needed to know. There would be no hill climbing today.

Alrighty, then. He looked around as he tried to calm himself. It’s going to be a warm summer night. Just pretend you’re camping. He clumsily lowered himself

Reviews for Fairly Certain

[bookshellz_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Petir is on his way to play Ping Pong, gets lost, and falls out of a tree. When he wakes up he's surprised by a band of travelers who appear to be out of place in his world. He must have fallen asleep…or maybe hit his head…maybe he's in a coma and his brain is making this stuff up. When he meets a beautiful maiden, Rianne, he decides to let his "dream" play out. A self proclaimed geek, he's never met anyone like Maid Rianne and since this is just a dream, he may just have to be a little bold...An absolutely fun, adorable, romantic read that will thoroughly entertain you, no ifs, ands, or buts! I had a smile on my face the whole way through Fairly Certain and that's the kind of book I love. If it doesn't make me happy, what's the point?! The characters were amazing and Petir was so easygoing, going with the flow of whatever happened in such a really cute way. He was a delight, along with all the other characters too. The plot was extremely unique and I l-o-v-e-d just how unusual it was. It was thoughtfully planned out and written with a smooth glide, seemingly effortless on the author's part. The three-legged dog named Trio? Perfect! The ending was surprisingly unexpected and I'm thinking I really, really like this new-to-me-author, Ms. Deborah Ann Davis! I'm already anxiously awaiting her next book. Don't miss Fairly Certain or I'm completely certain you'll be upset you did!5 Stars!

[fictionzeal · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

At least in the modern day portion, this novel centers around the University of Connecticut campus. But, the story does not come about in one place … or time. With a fairytale-like quality, the author weaves a warm, fun, and heart-felt tale of romance and time travel. Only, in the fairytales we have come to know, the hero is strong, brave, and debonair. Petir is not your normal hero. In fact, many people may say he couldn’t fight his way out of a paper sack. He’s a computer geek, a student of the U of C.His friends bailed out at the last minute, leaving Petir to go Geodashing by himself. What is that? The glossary explains it is “a race that interfaces the internet with real life. A computer randomly generates dashpoints from all over the world, and competitors try to physically reach as many as they can within the time limit.” When Petir climbed in a tree to search for a road, he fell out. When he came to, nothing seemed familiar. In fact, the people and his surroundings appeared very much like he imagined medieval England may look. And then, he meets Maid Rianne. While he’s not a typical Robin Hood, she’s not your typical Maid Marion.I’m fairly certain I liked Fairly Certain – sorry; couldn’t help the obvious pun. It is written for YA and teens. While they will no doubt enjoy it, I actually think ages 9 – 99 would also enjoy this whimsical Robin Hood offbeat revision. When he first sees Maid Rianne, he thinks, “Wow! What movie did she just walk out of? As far as he knew, girls from Connecticut didn’t walk around armed to the teeth.” The character’s dialogues and the terms they used really stood out as credible. I even managed to acquire a new favorite animal character – a three-legged dog named Trio. Rating: 4 out of 5.