ARC: Feather Bound

by Sarah Raughley

  Finally.

  “Well, it’s been fun everyone!” Ade waved before skipping to my side. Dad and Ericka followed, François bouncing around in Ericka’s arms while Charles looked on, pale-faced and baffled. Hyde stood at the center of a swarm of reporters, but he winked at me, telling me it was OK to leave him with a flick of his smile. I nodded.

  “All right, all.” Ade was positively giddy. “Move out.”

  She just couldn’t help herself.

  EPILOGUE

  Ade and Ericka sat on the couch, François fast asleep in the portable crib upstairs. I sat on the floor, my back to the TV because I’d already heard the news a thousand times: the Hoffer-Rey scandal – blackmail and extortion and sex crimes oh my. Edmund’s embezzlement case wasn’t going so well for the defense. And while Edmund had already made sure to cover his own ass ten years ago, the rumors of his dealings with shady criminal organizations and sex trafficking were enough to ruin his life forever. Like father, like son.

  But the Davis family had chosen not to worry about that for the time being. Though we’d had our fair share of reporters digging through our trash, in the four weeks that had gone by, the press had become less and less interested in the Brooklyn family who lived in their narrow yellow house, a couple of narrow yellow houses down from a Chinese restaurant.

  Dad dropped a newspaper down on the table, pointing at the news that’d been shoved into a corner of the page, all buried in the scandal.

  “‘Hyde Hedley, son of Ralph Hedley and reinstated senior executive of Hedley Publications starts an International Counseling Program for Survivors of Swan Slavery’,” Ericka read, leaning over carefully so as not to spill her hot chocolate.

  Crossing her legs, Ade plucked the mug out of Ericka’s hands and sipped the chocolate generously. “Well, he did say he was going to do something substantial with all that cash.”

  “It was my idea,” I clarified.

  Tilting her head, Ade gave me a sidelong, teasing glance. “Pretty great, though, eh Dee?”

  I touched the words on the page and smiled.

  Really, it was just the beginning.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  There’re a lot of people I want to thank for helping me bring my debut book out into the world. I guess I have to start at the beginning, because before a girl can publish a book, she has to love to write.

  Thank you to my brothers, Chris and David, whose unabashed geekery, in too many ways, nourished my love of storytelling.

  Thank you to my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Spratt, who, after reading my short story about gargoyles (inspired by the awesome cartoon), told me I had a gift for writing. I still have the comment slip.

  Thank you to my fifth grade teacher, Ms. Braun, who let me stay in and finish my first book when I should have been outside for recess (I never liked physical activity anyway).

  To Tracey Martin, who beta-read the first draft of this book, and the pit crew who were there when the world of writing caused many a headache. Thank you for listening to me whine.

  To my wonderfully supportive agent, Natalie Lakosil, as well as my editor Amanda Rutter and the rest of the fabulous Strange Chemistry team. All of you helped make my dream a reality.

  To my loved ones across the oceans. But especially, to my mother, Margaret, who never stopped encouraging me. And to my father, Patrick, who I wish were here to share this joy with me. Thank you all, endlessly, for your love and support.