Cicada: The Cicada Trilogy, #1

By Belle Whittington

Summertime for Blair Reynolds and her friends had always been carefree and fun...until the summer they happened upon something that was not human. As they band together in a fight for their lives, Blair's true love becomes something more than human. Something unnatural. And their entire survival depends upon their ability to keep a secret.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Belle Whittington
• Release date: Nov 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9781463584993

Book preview

Acknowledgments

There are so many people to whom I owe many thanks for their encouragement and support. First and foremost is my lovely Mother who listened patiently as I read this story aloud as it unfolded. My sister Juanita, whose tireless encouragement is more valuable than gold, lifted my spirits so many times during my work on this project. And my group of girlfriends who read the manuscript and gave valuable insight and input during the writing process: Annette, Courtney, Kristin, Martina, Mary, Melissa, Nicole, Nita, and Theresa. My cousin, Jordan, who is stationed in Japan in the Navy, took a copy of the manuscript with him, read it, and sent it back in the mail with sweet words of support. Dr. Lois Zamora, the professor who taught the Latin American History Through the Novel class, introduced me to the ancient beliefs of the native Latin Americans. But this project would be incomplete without the input, lovely cover design, and magical book trailer created by my daughter Linda Belle. Bobby's Climate Controlled Storage Units would not have been what it is in this story without her brilliant ideas.

Dedication

For my daughter Linda B. Whittington

Preface

I was a bystander to this story. I didn’t want to get involved. I watched from the sidelines. I saw. Can you keep a secret?

Somewhere north of Houston, Texas, is a small, inconsequential town with the smallest, most inconsequential name.

When most people think of Texas, they immediately think of scorching dry deserts, tumbleweeds, and dry heat. But that’s in west Texas. And that’s a different story all together. This story takes place in southern east Texas, which is situated in the lush, shady reaches of the great piney woods. This story takes place in an outwardly unimportant little town. Looks can be deceiving.

The hustle and bustle of Houston sometimes masks the fact that there are those who still live a slower, a simpler, and a seemingly boring life compared to their city-dwelling counterparts. Though the wet, chilly winters of south east Texas appear to speed things up, the advent of the inescapable humid heat of summer brings life in this small Texas town to a lull. Only the natives here brave the heavy summer heat. Outsiders rely on air conditioning to get them through to the cooling days of fall.

It was in the early summer when this story begins, when the cicadas leave their shells clinging to the bark of trees and stretch their wings. It was that part of summer when the sun sinks behind the horizon and the cicadas begin to sing.

So, I ask again. Can you keep a secret? If not, put aside this story. Throw it away. Burn it. Tell no one what lies between the covers of this book. But if you can keep a secret, proceed with caution. And tell not a soul.

Chapter 1

The Building

My mom owned a bakery called Sprinkles. It was the only bakery in town, so it was the favorite breakfast place for the kids in the morning on their way to school. She was up earlier than anyone else in town, getting to work around three thirty in the morning in order to get everything baked and ready for the six o’clock rush.

But it’s not something she did alone. Andrew, my big brother, was always in the drive first at the bakery. There are many words to describe the way he was in those days. I remember him best as being fearless, full of energy, and loyal. On the other hand, he was guarded and thoughtful in his dealings with others.

Andrew was one of a set of twins. Aaron was my other big brother, and the loss of what Andrew called his other half gave me the feeling that he always knew things that others didn’t...like he was psychic or something. Often, he could anticipate what Mom was going to say, even before she entered the room. Other times, he completed his homework before the teacher even set the assignments. Most people didn’t notice those things about him. But I did.

At eighteen, he was a boundless mass of electric energy with short, unruly, light brown hair and big brown eyes. Despite the fact that he worked hard in the bakery at such absurd hours, he was very active in school. Good grades were as easy for him to come by as was making friends. Everyone loved Andrew. He always put others first. Even me. His little sister. After graduation, he planned to go to seminary. He wanted to be a youth pastor.

Foreboding filled everyday for me. It would be lonely when Andrew left for college that fall. I had always gone everywhere with him. I didn’t have many friends my own age, because I was always hanging out with him and his friends. But I stayed on the sidelines looking in. Observing and listening are what I do best. And that’s the way I like it. It’s safe that way.

One Friday night, just before graduation, we met at the drive-in on the main street in town. It was an old-fashioned type of burger-and-fry place where you could get the best malt in the world. The night air was balmy and the moon low on the horizon. Andrew’s friends parked their cars and trucks out behind the drive-in and came around to sit in the back of my brother’s old blue truck.

David, Andrew’s best friend, came rolling in last, driving his graduation gift. It was a cement truck! He laid on the horn when he rumbled by. Natalie and I almost leapt off the tailgate. Well, she did leap off and ran, with her dark curls bouncing down her back and her bright blue eyes flashing, to where David parked his new monstrosity. Natalie was smitten with blonde-haired, blue-eyed David, and he seemed to return her affection in his own careful way, knowing she would be leaving for college at the end of the summer, and he would be staying on at home to work in the very prosperous family construction business.

Wha’da ya think? David called across the parking lot to the rest of us as we made our way to take a look at the wildly noisy piece of machinery.

That’s crazy, man! That’s awesome! Now you can bury the bodies in cement instead of dumping them in the lake! shouted Everett, completely unaware of the moment of silent awkwardness that passed between the group of friends as they glanced at each other. Poor Everett. Ever awkward, ever out-of-the-loop, but always a loyal friend. He was always a skinny sort of geeky guy with short, messy black hair, thoughtful blue eyes, and the proverbial black-rimmed glasses. We caught him wearing a pocket protector once, but David took it from him and told him he’d never get a girlfriend wearing that. And that was the last time he was spotted with one.

Andrew slapped David on the back and said, That’s terrific, Dave. Your dad really did give you what you wanted. A sincere smile crossed his lips. Then he leaned in to whisper, After a few years of working with this, you’ll have enough set aside to settle down with a kindergarten teacher. He glanced at Natalie, who had ears and eyes only for David.

David elbowed Andrew lightly in the ribs while whispering back, That’s if she doesn’t meet some other guy while she’s away at college.

Well, you can always drive this contraption to see her on the weekends...it’s only to Austin after all! he said as he grabbed his buddy and gave him quick bear hug. Come on, let’s get some fries! I’m starving!

We all headed back to Andrew’s truck and climbed in the back. Before long, we were washing down our burgers and fries with milkshakes...except for Natalie who insisted that she wasn’t hungry and sipped a diet coke. I had the feeling she’d eat later when she got home and David wouldn’t see.

The conversation ranged between boisterous bouts of laughter and interactions with people in other cars to more solemn things like the end of summer when everyone would go their separate ways. At the mention of that, everyone grew silent until Everett broke the somber moment with a subject none of us had ever considered.

He pushed his black-rimmed glasses up with his index finger. As long as I’ve lived here, I’ve never noticed that building across the street. Has anyone else? His blue eyes squinted behind the thick lenses. I mean...I’m sure it’s always been there, hasn’t it?

Relieved that the subject had changed, we turned our eyes to the light brick building across the street from the drive-in. The streetlamps didn’t afford much aid in lighting the building, but we could see it well enough from where we sat.

I think it has, Andrew’s voice sounded certain that it had always been there, but that he’d always overlooked it, too. He stood in the back of his truck to get a better look.

A car passed by, its headlights flashed across the sign in front of the building. The area code and phone number was written boldly across the sign underneath what appeared to be the name of a doctor.

Natalie pretended to stumble while lifting herself to stand and look, and I noticed that David reached out to grab her elbow for fear she’d fall over the side. Thanks! she giggled while stepping closer to him, flashing her big blue eyes.

You’re welcome. He smiled and blushed.

Geez, I whispered to myself, could she be more obvious?

Andrew turned back toward us. It’s just a doctor’s office, that’s all.

Everett still looked perplexed. But the area code on the sign is 409. It’s been, like, fifteen years since that was the area code here. That’s really strange ... his voice trailed off as he stared across the street at the building, which faded into the night unless you really focused on it. Let’s go over there, he hopped down from the truck bed and looked back at the rest of us.

Suddenly, I felt that feeling of dread. That feeling I get when I don’t want to be involved. That feeling I get when something’s about to happen that is out of my control. Let’s not, my voice low as I looked at Andrew. Please.

Andrew, ever the gallant big brother, saw the apprehension in my eyes. But I noticed a flicker of curiosity in his. Well...um ...

Come on! Everett was persistent. It’s just across the street. He looked up at us as if he was going whether we were or not.

My big brother looked back to me, It’s just across the street, sis. It’s just an old building. Wanna go? It’ll be alright. Come on.

I rolled my eyes and huffed, Okay, but I don’t like this.

David carefully lifted Natalie down from the truck bed, and the rest of us hopped down and started walking toward the building.

Don’t we need a flashlight? I asked whomever would listen.

Someone might think we are snooping around if we take a flashlight, Everett answered, focused on the building as if he were mesmerized.

"But we are snooping around," I tried to fade into the background and followed at my own comfortable distance from the rest of the group. No one paid attention to my quiet protest.

As we neared the mysterious building, I had to admit to myself that I understood Everett’s sudden curiosity. Even though there were only two dim lights, one at the back and one at the front, the building seemed to emit its own light, or energy, or something. It wasn’t anything that I could put my finger on. It was bizarre.

Everett, leading the way, turned to us and whispered loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear, Let’s look in the windows! He ran to the window on the left side of the building, cupped his hands around his eyes, and attempted to peer inside. Then he turned back to us, There’s, like, mirror tinting on the windows. He pushed his glasses up again with his index finger.

Maybe to cut down on the energy bills in the summer, Andrew’s answer seemed more like a question.

It’s probably just an abandoned old building, David seemed more interested in soothing Natalie’s fears than the statement itself. She was rather quiet, I suddenly noticed, and her wide eyes gave away the fact that she was as unnerved as I was to be prowling around the unknown building in the dark.

Then why is the grass mowed? The parking lot doesn’t look like that of an abandoned building. And look...the sign doesn’t even look old. Everett wasn’t giving up on this newfound mystery. It’s just...so puzzling. So...odd.

I stood in the shadows a few feet away from the rest of the group, but not without continually looking over my shoulder. I had the keen feeling that there were eyes watching from somewhere in the dark.

Let’s go. Let’s go, Andrew, I said in a low, pleading voice. Let’s go back to your truck.

I second that motion, Natalie’s voice was small in the dim light.

Yeah. Let’s get back across the street. I think I see some people climbing on my cement truck. It was obvious that no one was near the heap of metal across the street at the drive-in, but Natalie was grateful for David’s white lie.

As we walked back toward the bright light of the drive in, Everett wasn’t the only one who glanced back toward the building more than once. Andrew looked back over his shoulder a couple of times. His brows were knit together with that look of knowing that he occasionally got from time to time. And a dark feeling grew somewhere deep within my stomach.

Chapter 2

Graduation Day

Sunrise brought an end to the restless night of sleep and nightmares. Somewhere in the middle of the night, I’d dreamed of Andrew opening the door of the mystery building across the street from our favorite hangout. I could see a dim, green glow shine upon his face from inside the building, revealing an expression of fear and confusion on my brother’s face. I opened my mouth to call him away from the door, but all that came out was silence. Then I awoke to the sound of voices downstairs and was relieved to find that it was just a dream. A small, dark dread still inhabited a vague spot somewhere inside my stomach as I rolled out of bed and made my way down to the kitchen.

Against Andrew’s protests, Mom had decided that the bakery would be closed that morning. It was Saturday. It was graduation day. It was Andrew’s day. She’d made his favorite breakfast that morning, and I suddenly felt a pang of hunger when I smelled the fresh cinnamon bread baking in the oven and the coffee brewing in the pot. I loved Mom’s cooking. Comfort was what she did best.

I wish Dad could see you today, Andrew, Mom wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he sat at the kitchen table. He would be so very proud of the young man you’ve become. Lord knows I am. She kissed him on the cheek and went back to the eggs and bacon on the stove.

Dad sees me, Mom. He’s watching over all of us. So’s Aaron, Andrew glanced up at me as I attempted to enter the kitchen in the least obtrusive way I could muster. Besides, we have sis, too, he said with a smile.

Good morning, sweetheart! Sleep well last night? She slid a plate of food in front of me with a smile.

Um...nightmares ... I shook my head and shoved a piece of bacon in my mouth.

Sweet Blair with the light brown hair, Mom smiled and kissed the top of my haystack of a head. Night is gone and morning’s come, now’s the time to worry none. Mom liked to compose little rhymes to cheer me up.

Love you, Mommy, I smiled up at her as she tousled my already messed up hair.

Love you, too! Now eat! Today’s going to be a busy day!

***

April showers really do bring May flowers. That year, May brought brilliant wildflowers on the sides of the highways, brilliant sunny days, jet skiing on the lake, and purple graduation gowns.

There was nothing extraordinary about Andrew’s graduation ceremony. It was held in the high school gymnasium and was followed by a barbeque bash at our Grandpa’s ranch. Mom and Grandma didn’t know what it was like to not go overboard on anything to do with Andrew and me.

Colorful helium balloons were tied in intervals along the barbed wire fence separating the road from Grandpa’s pastureland. With the windows rolled down in Andrew’s truck, we could see that Mom and Grandma were already in the yard arranging the tables with platters of food. We headed up a long line of cars winding its way to the huge gate, which had been flung open wide for the guests’ arrival. Music blasted from the backyard, and the mouth-watering aroma of brisket in Grandpa’s smoker greeted us with a howdy y’all!

Grandpa had pulled out our favorite toys and had them lined up in a row alongside the house, back by the gate. Five four wheelers were lined up in a row just waiting for us to take a ride. He’d corralled the cattle to the back pasture so we’d have free reign of the ranch.

There was a procession of cars going toward the ranch, including David in his cement truck. Remind me to tease Dave about his choice of rides, Andrew laughed as he turned his old, blue pickup past the ranch gate and pulled it to a stop out on the end of the row of a long line of parked vehicles, most of which were large pickups and SUVs. A giant cement truck decorated with streamers dwarfed all the others.

I sat next to Andrew, in the middle of the seat, and Everett, who always rode shotgun, snorted loudly as he laughed at David’s wildly decorated graduation gift. I giggled and elbowed him in the ribs.

Besides Andrew, Everett was my favorite in our group of friends. Most people didn’t see in him what I saw. Not only was he top student in his class, graduating as Valedictorian, he was compassionate, loyal, true, and wildly passionate about bugs and was planning to be an entomologist. He’d gotten accepted to Purdue on full scholarship. There wasn’t a bug on the planet that he didn’t know about, or at least I didn’t think there was. ...

"Let’s go, sis! This is going to be a blast!" Andrew flung open the driver’s side door and hopped out still wearing his purple graduation gown. Everett somehow got his graduation gown tangled in the door handle, and managed to free himself after a brief struggle, which ended in a ripping sound.

Friends

Reviews for Cicada

[read_ivana · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Some books just feel like they were written for you only. That's how Cicada felt for me. When I was 13, I was obsessed with the TV show Roswell. The dormant UFO-freak in me rejoiced when I learned that Cicada featured a different kind of paranormal, my kind of paranormal (that sounds weird...) Cicada is a wonderfully constructed story about changes and the end of childhood. After summer ends, four out of five characters are going to college, but a different kind of "change" will send them on different paths. Cicada is quite a short read, but by the end, it feels like you're reading a completely different book. Everything and everyone has changed. As summer moves on, secrets and mysteries come up one after another, and the tone grows darker and heavy with the looming danger and unanswered questions. Characters unfold and grow until you barely recognize them anymore. The superstar of Cicada is Everett, the "bug-boy". Going into details would spoil most of the book, but in short, he's the hottest nerdy ever!As for reasons why it's not a shiny five stars...The beginning of the story seemed a bit forced, I couldn't "feel" it and the first encounter with the characters was not impressionable. It takes a few chapters, some build-up and action to start seeing them as individuals and the purpose each of them fulfills. I loved how the romance between Everett and Blair developed. It grows out of true, lifelong friendship. It shows in face of adversity and grows stronger in hard times. That's true love. I all but exploded with joy when I saw the songs Belle mentions in Cicada. Muse and Fireflies by Owl City. My music. My book. My precious! Anyway. I hereby pledge my undying love for Belle for not only contacting me and letting me read the book, but also for having written it in first place. I'm really fed up with vampires and werewolves, and I can't even tell you how happy I am that I've come across a few YA novels about the extraterrestrial lately. Hooray for new horizons, new ideas, new worlds, new creatures, new books to pine for.

[booksforcompany · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In Short- Cicada had a new and unique paranormal creature- I enjoyed Belle's writing- The main characters were well developed- I felt the romance wasn't necessary- This is an imaginative storyIn LongCicada has one of those blurbs which doesn’t really give much away so you find yourself starting a book which you don’t really know much about and have no idea where the story might go. I didn’t even really know what paranormal creatures were involved in this.I did expect some kind of paranormal story but not necessarily the one I got. When I realised what the book was about I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get into it so was relieved when Belle quickly thrown us into the story. Although you were thrown into the story Belle still created some great characters that were both brave and interesting characters, although I felt like I could have done with more descriptions on how they looked. I did also feel this with the ‘creature’ in this book and felt it spoiled the book in some places because I wasn’t able to build up a picture in my head. The relationships between the characters were something I also struggled with. I felt like the romance was just put in so that there was a romance in the book but I felt it didn’t add much to the storyline and wasn’t necessary. I really liked how imaginative this story was. It took you to places other books haven’t ever taken me and although I sometimes struggled with using my imagination I really loved being challenged by Belle. At times I did feel that I needed a more in depth description on what this creature was but throughout the story more detail was added and I was able to get a picture in my mind.-Final ThoughtsBelle is a great writer with an amazing imagination. I would definitely recommend giving this book a go and would also suggest reading any other books she may bring out. Although I didn’t LOVE Cicada I can see I would love another book by her because Belle’s writing is great! That is shown with how Belle’s writing enabled me to enjoy Cicada, a sort of book I probably wouldn’t usually enjoy!

[sedelia_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

One thing that Cicada definitely has going for it is its originality. I don't think I've ever read a book even slightly similar to this one. One of my favorite parts is how she combines a mythological story with her imagination to make up fairly believable creatures with an interesting history. When the action is there, it's very good, though I did find this book to be a bit slow. I think some of the romance and Blair's internal rationalization of things could have been cut out so there could have been room more action and strange stuff to happen.I didn't like how the most exciting part of the book took place slightly over halfway through the novel. I think a lot of the revelations about Blair's dad and the thing they encountered in the woods should have taken place before the climax of the novel. It would have made the climax more exciting (and I probably would have known better what was going on), and there wouldn't be such a lag between the climax and the ending.Overall, this was a fairly good read. The mystery and the action sustains the novel throughout, and Whittington is so good at making things mysterious, that my curiosity got me through some of the slower parts. If you like reading about aliens and weird stuff in general, then you'll like this imaginative young adult novel.