Chloe

By Brianna Kenzie

Sadie Jane has worked hard to overcome her past and to make something of herself. One quiet morning the life that she's built will turn upside down when she is summoned to court and walks out the 'mother' of a spunky 4-year-old girl named Chloe. A girl that nobody wants because she has been labeled as an 'Other', a child too young to shift into her animal form who has no Shifter Community ties. Now, with the support of her family, Sadie must figure out how to be a mom in the midst of political turmoil protesting Shifter rights. Soon however, Sadie and her family cannot imagine their lives without little Chloe. But tragedy strikes when Chloe becomes one of several missing Shifters. Sadie's faith in God is shaken to the core. Will Sadie and her family ever be whole again? Can the Shifter and Human Communities put aside their differences long enough to help Sadie get her little girl back?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brianna Kenzie
• Release date: Dec 10, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463029596

Brianna Kenzie

My name is Brianna Kenzie. I live in Washington State with my family and two adorable cats. Whenever possible, I love to go to the beach and fly my kite. Life has been full of fun along with a few misadventures but thru it all I always find a smile along the way.

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Copyright©2019 Brianna Kenzie

This is a work of fiction. The characters and events described herein are imaginary and are not intended to refer to any persons alive or dead. All rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means including photocopying, recording, or electronic or any other methods without the prior written permission of the Author.

Copyright©2019 Brianna Kenzie

Author retains all rights reserved to Cover Art. No part of the Cover Art is to be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means including photocopying.

This book was edited by:

E.S. Miller

Dedication

I want to thank my Editor E.S. Miller for her dedication and support. I also want to thank my family, the Millers and the Mudges for all their love and encouragement.

About the Author

Brianna Kenzie lives in Washington State with her family and two lovely cats. Every chance she gets she loves to go to the beach and fly her kite. Life’s been fun with a few detours of misadventures but overall, she has always found a smile along the way.

Synopsis

Sadie Jane has worked hard to overcome her past and make something of herself. One quiet morning the life she’s built will turn upside down when she’s summoned to court and walks out the mother of a spunky 4-year-old girl named Chloe. A girl that nobody wants because she has been labeled has an ‘Other’. Now, with the support of her family, Sadie must figure out how to be a mom in the midst of political turmoil protesting Shifter rights. Soon, however, Sadie and her family can’t imagine their lives without little Chloe. But tragedy strikes when Chloe becomes one of several missing Shifters. Sadie’s faith in God is shaken to the core. Will Sadie and her family ever be whole again? Can the Shifter and Human Communities put aside their differences to help Sadie get her little girl back?

Chapter One

I was up and having coffee when my doorbell rang. I wasn’t expecting anyone which is why I was still wearing my pink pajamas and fuzzy bunny slippers! I looked out the peep hole and saw that it was some sort of delivery person, since I was descent I decided to go ahead and answer the door. At least it wasn’t someone I knew. I opened the door and signed for a document packet. I was used to getting mail from my literary agent so I just figured that this was something from her. I sat back down in my cozy chair and took a sip of my coffee. Looking at the document packet I noticed that it was from the Family District Court. I was a little baffled as to why I’d be receiving mail from the court but curious all the same. It was a notice demanding that I attend a guardianship hearing at 8:30am on November 5th. Crap on a cracker! That’s tomorrow! The legal documents state that there is a child that closely matched my DNA and that I was to attend Court to determine if I was to take permanent guardianship/adoption of the child. The document continued to explain that the child’s DNA was entered into the State’s DNA Ancestry Site that connected to every known Ancestry Site in the United States. The child had been a ward of the State since she was an infant when she was found abandoned at the fire station. At the age of four all children in State Foster Services are tested to see if they are fully human or ‘other’. The child has DNA variants that caused her to be classified as Other. She was placed in Emergency Housing with other children in similar circumstances however, she is only allowed stay for a certain amount of time. Her name is Chloe Elizabeth Lewis. She carries the county where she was found as her last name. If the Court determines that I am not a match for the child or if I decide to not accept guardianship of the child she will be shipped to Omak, Washington where there is an orphanage designed for children like her.

I picked up my phone and called Raine. Her and I have been best friends/sisters since we first met in college nine years ago.

Hey, what’s up? Raine asked when she saw it was me calling her on her cellphone. She was working but sister business always came first in urgent matters.

You will not believe what I just got in the mail, Raine! I just got a summons to Family Court! My DNA is taking me to court. I mean, because my DNA was on the Ancestry Trace Site Database, the State matched my DNA to a child in Foster Services. I gulped in air, my heart feeling like it was trying to punch through my chest.

Wow! That’s so weird! So, what are you going to do? I could hear indecision in her tone and knew that she was holding back from telling me what she thought I should do…she was always good at knowing when to step in or not. Sometimes annoying.

I’m, well, I’m going to court and I guess I will see from there. The kid is classified as an ‘Other’ and if I don’t take her, she’s going to go to that Shifter Orphanage in Eastern Washington! You know the one we saw on the news the other night where the kids were kept in rooms with bars on them? Oh my God, I can’t even imagine growing up encased in bars! It’s awful just knowing kids are being subjected to those conditions. I have to take her…I can’t abandon her to something like that…can I?

I agree! You have to bring her home! That place is awful! You know I’ll help you with her. Mom and Dad will love having a grandchild... You need to call them and let them know too.

I will! Can you go to court with me in the morning? I’m so… nervous!

I can’t. I’m scheduled to assist Dr. Adams with surgery tomorrow on an injured dog’s leg. I’m the only Tech available this week. I’m sorry…

It’s ok, I understand. Maybe Mom and Dad can go with me. I will give them a call now. See you tonight for dinner?

Yep. I’ll be home around 4:30pm today. I want to see those court papers!

I called Mom and Dad as soon as I hung up with Raine and explained what was going on. They both agreed to go with me to my court hearing. I felt so relieved! They are always there for me and I’m so thankful that God brought them into my life. I’ve been calling them Mom and Dad for the past nine years. They always introduce me to people as their daughter. Raine loves it. She’d always wanted a sister. I’d always wanted a sister and a brother. Now I have both.

I sat down to do some writing on my book, but I couldn’t focus on it despite my two-week deadline so I cleaned the bedroom next to mine out. The little girl would need a room of her own. I decided that I’d go shopping for a few things for her room that were geared towards a four-year old. She’d also need some toys. The day was going fast and I had a lot to get done! I jumped up, put my computer away and got dressed so I could go shopping to pick up what I needed. No time like the present!

When I got home from shopping, I was exhausted. Picking out bedding and toys was fun but whew! It was a good day’s work that’s for sure! Raine beat me home and thankfully she’d started dinner. She was on her side of the house cooking. We’d bought a duplex when my books began to sell well and renovated it. Her side connects to mine in the front foyer thru French doors, so it’s like living in a large six- bedroom house. We each have a three-bedroom house but still live together in a connected space. It’s a great arrangement for us and for our two cats, Indy and Thunder. Of course, we built a Cat-Habitat for them so that they could enjoy being outside too. Having space for all of us was important. Thankfully we had plenty of space for a little girl too. I put my stuff away and then went over to Raine’s for dinner. I took the legal documents so that she could read them over. It was good to be home and doubly good to have my sister home….

As I tossed and turned in bed all night, I reflected on my own life. When I was a baby, I was found abandoned on a park bench. After no one came forward to claim me, I became a ward of the State. I