Deadly Beauties: Dark YA Paranormal Tales of Troubled Girls

By Cherita Smith

A dangerous new power. A carnival of nightmares and dreams. And a creepy tall man who lurks in the shadows, watching and waiting...

Five girls must confront the darkness within and around them in this collection of paranormal tales. Stories include:

LUX AETERNA: Hell has its demons. Lux has Foster Dad George in this coming-of-age superpower origin story — of a darker sort.

MAUDLIN CARNIVAL: A mysterious investigator hunts through the memories of Evelyn Jones in search of the clues he needs to prevent her tragic death. But time is almost out. What will happen to Evelyn if he should fail?

ROZA MIRA: Svetlana, Catalina and Soojin have it all: beauty, youth, successful modeling careers… and a creepy man in black who watches them from afar. But each day he gets closer. They call him El Flaco, Geulimja, a Rasputin in a suit. Who is he and what does he want? The three girls will soon find out — whether they like it or not.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cherita Smith
• Release date: Aug 3, 2016
• ISBN: 9781536538007

Cherita Smith

Cherita Smith is a writer of fictional words, doer of magical deeds, lover of social justice, dope street art and pretty, girly things. She writes speculative fiction of all kinds — from dystopian science fiction to paranormal urban fantasy — for both teens and adults. Dark, lush and haunting with a dash of creepy thriller and sprinkle of fairytale myth is her preferred writing jam. Learn more at cheritasmith.com. * * * Get a FREE Starter Library and Dark Paranormal, Urban Fantasy & Dystopian Sci-Fi Giveaways, Freebies and Book Updates at signup.cheritasmith.com.

Book preview

DEADLY BEAUTIES

A dangerous new power. A carnival of nightmares and dreams. And a creepy tall man who lurks in the shadows, watching and waiting...

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Five girls must confront the darkness within and around them in this haunting collection of dark paranormal tales. Stories include:

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LUX AETERNA: Hell has its demons. Lux has Foster Dad George in this coming-of-age superpower origin story — of a darker sort.

––––––––

MAUDLIN CARNIVAL: A mysterious investigator prowls through the memories of Evelyn Jones in search of the clues he needs to prevent her tragic death. But time is almost out. What will happen to Evelyn should he fail?

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ROZA MIRA: In these three connected tales, Svetlana, Catalina and Soojin have it all: beauty, youth, successful modeling careers... and a creepy man in black who watches them from afar. But each day he gets closer. They call him El Flaco, Geulimja, a Rasputin in a suit. Who is he and what does he want? The three girls will soon find out — whether they want to or not.

Lux Aeterna

Lux Aeterna

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HELL has its demons. I have Foster Dad George.

My hell begins in the dark with a flash of bright light, followed by the soft click of Foster Dad George shutting the door behind him. He grabs the back of the armchair in the corner and slides it across my little-girl room, all flowers and lace though I'm nearly sixteen. A reminder of what Nancy really wanted when they picked me out and brought me here. I must be such a disappointment to her. I’m no JonBenét, no cute little blonde. I’m pretty, but black, and curvy—even back then at almost thirteen. That prick knew what he was doing. How she didn’t is beyond me.

FDG stalks across the room quiet as a ghost; the thick carpet swallows whatever noise he might make. But I still hear him approach. I always hear him approach—his presence shrieks like an alarm in the dark. One, two, three silent steps and there he is in the chair, right next to my bed.

Metal clinks against metal. The coarse zip of a zipper cuts through the quiet, a razor-sharp sting in my ears. The bed jostles a little, the blankets rustle a bit. A puff of cold air skims my legs, breaching my cocoon of warmth. Then come the fingers, hot and moist on my leg.

I keep my breathing steady, my body still. Try to keep up the pretense that I am asleep. The fingers don't care, one way or the other. Here they come now, dancing along my calves like this phalangeal jaunt is every girl's favorite game.

One day, I will break those fat fingers right the fuck off.

But not this day. My foster sister Ana is asleep in the room across from me. She's only eleven—too young for George now, but every day puberty leaves a new trace. I can't abandon her here, not when she's already been through so much. Her mom's a junkie; my mom only died once.