It was too late then… He was ringing the doorbell. He looked
so much braver than I felt. I could see the anger that had crept back into him
in the hard set of his lips, the flash in his dark eyes.
Caelyn had torn the door open immediately, anxiety all over
her face. She looked at Ron, dumbfounded. She must have then caught sight of
some part of me, because she instantly
peered around his shoulder to find me standing meekly behind him, clad only in
a boy’s shirt that just barely cleared my hips.
“Maura?! What the…” Her eyes fairly popped with dismayed
astonishment.
“Hi, Mom.” What an asinine thing to say. I should have at
least started with “I’m okay.”
Caelyn just stood there with her mouth hanging open. I felt
the fear turn over, like a living thing
in my stomach. How was I going to survive our confrontation? How could I even
begin to explain everything that had happened that night?
Luckily, I had Ron. “Hi, um, Ms. DeLuca.” He started out
sounding very shy, but as my mother’s brows furrowed closer together, he put a
stronger edge to his voice. “I came to bring Maura home.” She was still
scowling.
“Um…I’m Ron by the way.” He put his hand out to her. She
ignored that entirely.
My mother’s glare was venomous. “Maura! Get in the house
this instant!”
Oh boy… She thought Ron was at fault for whatever imagined
atrocities were going through her brain right at the moment.
“Mom!” I was desperate to put everything right, despite how
much trouble I knew I’d be in. “You have it all wrong!”
“I said GET IN THE HOUSE!” she screamed at me, absolute fury
flying from her eyes. I’d never seen her so angry before, and I was terrified.
“Do I need to ask you again?”
“N-n-no ma’am,” I stuttered. I hurried past Ron, but not
without looking up at him with apology in
my eyes. I felt horrible for his being put in the middle, just because he’d
happened to save my life.
Once inside, I steeled myself for another attempt at
speaking to my mother. “Mom, will you please just let me…”
“Don’t say anything, Maura.” Her voice shook. “Do you have
any idea what you’ve put me through tonight?”
I was confused then. Did she want me to stay quiet or answer
her question?
Ron saved me again. “I think I can explain.” He took a
tentative step onto the living room carpet.
I didn’t like the way Caelyn’s head snapped around when she
looked at him. “What was your name again?” she asked viciously.
I saw him swallow hard as he answered, “Ron.”
She turned on him then. “Well, Ron!” It sounded like
she’d chewed on his name before spitting the one syllable out. “Do you mind
telling me why it is you’re out with my daughter when she’s supposed to be with
Katie Parker? And after you’ve answered
that, I’d really love to know why you would bring her home wearing only that!!”
She pointed the index finger of her shaking hand at me, standing on the plush
blue carpet next to our couch, holding onto its arm for support, my knees
knocking together.
Ron went a little pale… I couldn’t stand to see my hero
wrongly accused.
Young Adult/Paranormal Romance/Mystery
Date Published: Feb 18, 2014
2015 Readers' Favorite Gold Medal Winner for YA Mystery
2015 RONE Award Finalist for YA Paranormal
2015 New Apple Top Medalist for Young Adult Ebook
Chosen as one of 400 for the second round of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award for 2014!!!
Rising Tide will sink its fangs into you, keeping you awake into the wee hours of the night
Could Maura's life get any worse? ...turns out it most certainly can.
Isolated and sheltered by her lonely mother, Maura's never been able to make friends. She seems to drive her classmates away—except for the odd times they pay enough attention to torture her—but she doesn’t understand why. Maura considers herself to be a freak of nature, with her unusually pale skin and an aversion to the sun that renders her violently nauseous. Her belief is only worsened by the fact that almost everyone around her keeps their distance.
Even her own father deserted her before she was born, leaving Maura alone with her emotionally distant mother, Caelyn. Even though Maura is desperate for answers about her unknown parent, Caelyn remains heartbroken and her daughter can’t bring herself to reopen her mother’s wounds. Or is there a more sinister reason Caelyn refuses to utter a word about her long-lost love?
When a cruel prank nearly claims Maura’s life, one of her classmates, Ron, rushes to her rescue. Darkly handsome & mysteriously accepting, Ron doesn’t seem to want to stay away, but Maura is reluctant to get too close, since her mother has announced she’s moving the two of them to Vancouver…nearly 3,000 miles away from their hometown of Indiana, Pennsylvania.
If life wasn’t already challenging enough, Maura begins to experience bizarre, physical changes her mother seems hell bent on ignoring, compelling Maura to fear for her own life. Vicious nightmares, blood cravings, failing health and the heart-shattering loss of Ron—as well as the discovery of a tangled web of her own mother's lies—become obstacles in Maura's desperate quest for the unfathomable truth she was never prepared to uncover.
About the Author
Claudette Melanson writes dark fantasy in Kitchener, Ontario with four bun babies: Tegan, Pepper, Butters & Beckett. She graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a BA in English, BS in English Education and an MA in Literature. Harboring a deep admiration of vampires since the age of five left her with the desire to eventually become one, and now fuels the creation of her favorite paranormal characters. She hopes to one day work full time as an author, since there are many, many stories playing out inside her head.
In her very scant spare time, she enjoys watching Japanese Anime and reading vampire stories...along with other genres of great fiction, as well as riding every roller coaster she encounters in both her hometown and away at signings. An advocate for good health and ketogenic eating, her favorite foods are bulletproof coffee, cashew-flour crust pizza and treats made with xylitol and almond, coconut or cashew flours.
Future dreams include a cabin boasting a roaring fire, isolated inside a snow-filled wood in the Yukon—the perfect writing spot—and the completion of dozens of future novels and stories. A Rabbit Rescue fanatic and loving bunmom, she also hopes to help rescues all over the world save many innocent lives.
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