Rebecca sits back up. “Was she spared or was she the ultimate victim?”
The others gape at her, but I know exactly what she means. “To a manipulative bastard like the professor, long-term emotional torment is more of a high than a one-time murder, no matter how bloody that murder is.”
Rebecca nods. “Angela was the picture of innocence. From a small town, sweet, naïve, the first in her family to even dream of attending college. To take that rosy outlook and completely destroy it… I think that would be the ultimate high for someone like Dr. Rosenthal. She was at the trial every single day until her breakdown. She testified, she cried, she broke. He got to relive that night whenever he saw her.”
“That’s sick!” Raven says, her fists up as though she can fight the long-dead professor.
“Salt and iron for ghosts, not fists,” Blake says. Raven sticks her tongue out at him and he laughs. “Maybe later.”
“In your dreams!”
“Every night, starshine, every night.”
“Excuse me,” Rebecca says, clearing her throat several times. “Let’s finish the meeting before you two fight each other.”
“How is Angela? Have you talked to her?” I ask.
“She’s coping, alone.” Rebecca gives me a solemn look. “She needs support so Mrs. Finley is trying to convince her to join a coven near her.” She brightens. “On a positive note, we’re heading to an all-doodle rescue near Austin this weekend. All poodle mixes in need of good homes.”
“I still feel guilty for taking her familiars,” Logan says with a frown. “Doesn’t seem right.”
“Familiars pick us, not the other way around. Do you think I’d have crows following me everywhere if there was a choice involved? At least you can leave the cats at home.”
Logan shakes his head. “I think they were cat burglars in a previous life. They keep breaking out of the house and stuff is going missing.”
“If it makes you feel any better, Angela told me they always creeped her out and was rather relieved they were gone. She’s a dog person.” Rebecca pauses, clicking through a few different screens on her laptop. “What’s the status of the spirit board?”
“Burned and the ashes scattered in the Hill Country and in two different bodies of water,” Daniel says. “One less board to worry about.”
Rebecca nods and makes a couple notes. “Great! Thanks for handling that, Daniel. Carl, how is everything going at the sorority house?”
“So, yesterday I went down there to go through the house records. We wanted to know why the sorority boarded up the room and plastered over it rather than cleaning it. I mean, it’s not just me, it’s weird right? Well, it wasn’t laziness or disgust. The seventies were a weird time all right. The house mother was a spiritualist who thought that the spirits would never rest in peace if the scene was tampered with. So after the police finished their investigation, the room was boarded up and forgotten.”
“That worked just great,” Logan mumbles, shaking his head. “It may have helped tie them here.”
“How?” Rebecca asks.
“Cleaning, changing, moving forward all equal moving on with life. That’s why spirits can become so enraged when renovations are done. It wakes energy and stirs things up. But it also reminds the spirits that they are just that, spirits, dead and gone. By keeping everything intact, they froze a moment in time, and I think it was a constant beacon for the three ghosts.”
“Interesting theory, Logan,” Rebecca says, her fingers flying over her laptop keys as she enters her notes. “We need to research it more. I think that’s everything I need for now. Time to head to school.”
Daniel groans. “Do you have to sound so damned cheerful about it?”
“I’ll let that slide, given your current circumstances,” Rebecca says, patting his shoulder.
“Don’t remind me…”
I sit quietly while everyone files out of the room, listening to the easy banter. Once they’re gone, I lean against Logan and consider taking a nap. He wraps his arm around my shoulders, and I rest my head against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart.
“Should we call Dr. Hayes or your dad?” Logan asks. His voice rumbles in his chest, waking me from a pleasant doze.
Yawning, I stretch and then wrap my arms around him, hugging his waist. “Why bother. They’ll find us sooner or later. And I haven’t been released from bed rest yet. Let’s just stay quiet and hope they forget about us for a while.”
He lays his cheek on the top of my head. “Sounds like a plan.”
THE END
Thank you for reading Twisted Sisters! If you enjoyed this story, please consider leaving a review on Amazon. Reviews are very important, especially for a newer author. It doesn’t have to be long. Short and sweet reviews are wonderful too.
I love communicating with my readers. Please feel free to send me an email if you have any questions or would like to discuss the world of books.
www.kimberleighwheaton.com
@Cymberle
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About the Author
Kimber Leigh Wheaton is a bestselling YA author with a soft spot for sweet romance. In addition to writing, she works as an editor for two publishers, as well as select indie authors. She is married to her soul mate, has a teenage son, and shares her home with three dogs and lots of dragons. Kimber Leigh is addicted to romance, video games, superheroes, villains, and chocolate—not necessarily in that order.
(If she has to choose, she’ll take a chocolate covered superhero!)
Winner of the 2014 Rising Star Award at the BTS Red Carpet Awards in NOLA & a Silver Medal for YA Mystery/Horror in the 2015 Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards.
Acknowledgements
While writing can be a very solitary pursuit, there are many people involved in the production of a book. Twisted Sisters was a long time in coming. In fact, I want to thank Myra Nour with BTS Book Review Magazine for helping me find my way back to writing after several months of severe writer’s block. When I won the 2014 Rising Star award at the Red Carpet Awards, it inspired me to write again, and I picked up Twisted Sisters where I left off earlier in the year.
I met lots of great authors when I went to ARC in NOLA for the convention and awards ceremony. In those four days, I learned how important it is for a writer to interact with readers and other writers. Going solo is lonely, confusing, and really hard. I learned an important lesson and am stronger for it.
I want to thank my cover artist, Amanda Matthews, who has become a writing friend over the last year. Her covers are amazing, as is her writing. Thanks to my beta readers, proofreader, and formatter. The book would be an ugly mess without you all.
And a special thanks to my family for their continued support. This business is filled with lots of ups and downs—sometimes within days of each other. There are times when I wonder why I keep writing, why I put myself out there when I am so shy and sensitive. But then the next story hits, and off I go. Writing is a passion, a driving need. I’m beginning to think it isn’t a choice at all.
And lastly, thanks to my readers. I love you all!
The Orion Circle Book 1
Tortured Souls
Winner:
2015 Silver Medal for YA Mystery/Horror in the
Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards
2014 Rising Star and Best Cover in the BTS Book Review Magazine
Red Carpet Awards
Amazon
Sometimes Rest in Peace isn’t an option
Kacie Ramsey sees ghosts—and it’s ruining her life. Her mother left, her father blames her, and no matter how hard she tries, she can’t keep the ghosts away. Now a new power has emerged. Nightly visions of grisly murders and a relentless predator draw her to the brink of insanity.
When the phantom appears at a party, Kacie’s longtime crush, Logan, saves her. He invites her to join the Orion Circle, a group of supernatural hunters with chapters in schools all over the
country. Through the Circle, Kacie learns to embrace her spiritual powers, and for the first time in her life she feels in control rather than a victim.
But the Foxblood Demon will not give up so easily. A demented serial killer in life who trapped the souls of the thirteen children he murdered, imprisoning them within the walls of his mansion. Now in death, he plots his return while drawing power from the pure souls of the children. He recognizes something in Kacie he’s never seen before—a medium powerful enough to provide a vessel for his tainted soul.
Kacie can’t ignore the tortured souls of the children crying out to her every night. With Logan at her side, she will fight the Foxblood Demon. But can they banish this powerful phantom, or will Kacie lose not only her body, but her eternal soul to the monster?
Light Chronicles Book 1
Shadow Fire
Amazon
YA Romantic Fantasy
Clean Reads
Ashlyn – a free-spirited teenager whose peaceful life is shattered when the village elders honor her with a perilous quest to recover a stolen relic.
Zane – a jaded mercenary, torn by his undeniable desire for Ashlyn and the dark secret that could make her hate him forever.
Delistaire – a malevolent sorcerer driven by an insatiable lust for power.
All three are bound together by an ancient relic supposedly infused with the power of a Goddess.
Shadow Fire – adventure, passion, secrets, and betrayal
As Ashlyn and Zane race to stay one step ahead of the evil lurking in the shadows, their passions are ignited and their bond strengthens. But will they find the relic before Delistaire? Or has their entire quest been orchestrated from the very beginning by a madman in pursuit of ultimate power?
Each installment of the Light Chronicles is a standalone story.
Table of Contents
Prologue — A Child’s Toy
Chapter One — The Kiss
Chapter Two — Aftermath
Chapter Three — Rehearsal
Chapter Four — Sorority Sisters
Chapter Five — Chaos
Chapter Six — Three Nasty Ghosts
Chapter Seven — Rescue
Chapter Eight — Research
Chapter Nine — Morning
Chapter Ten — Circle Gossip
Chapter Eleven — Insidious
Chapter Twelve — Plans
Chapter Thirteen — Lesser of Evils
Chapter Fourteen — Angela
Chapter Fifteen — Back to the Lions’ Den
Chapter Sixteen — Memories & Forgiveness
Chapter Seventeen — Retreat
Chapter Eighteen — Premonition
Chapter Nineteen — Danger
Chapter Twenty — Death Omen
Chapter Twenty-One — Trespassers
Chapter Twenty-Two — Ghastly Vision
Chapter Twenty-Three — Building Tensions
Chapter Twenty-Four — Tear Down that Wall
Chapter Twenty-Five — The Truth
Chapter Twenty-Six — Revelations
About the Author
Acknowledgements
Tortured Souls — The Orion Circle Book 1
Shadow Fire
Table of Contents
Prologue — A Child’s Toy
Chapter One — The Kiss
Chapter Two — Aftermath
Chapter Three — Rehearsal
Chapter Four — Sorority Sisters
Chapter Five — Chaos
Chapter Six — Three Nasty Ghosts
Chapter Seven — Rescue
Chapter Eight — Research
Chapter Nine — Morning
Chapter Ten — Circle Gossip
Chapter Eleven — Insidious
Chapter Twelve — Plans
Chapter Thirteen — Lesser of Evils
Chapter Fourteen — Angela
Chapter Fifteen — Back to the Lions’ Den
Chapter Sixteen — Memories & Forgiveness
Chapter Seventeen — Retreat
Chapter Eighteen — Premonition
Chapter Nineteen — Danger
Chapter Twenty — Death Omen
Chapter Twenty-One — Trespassers
Chapter Twenty-Two — Ghastly Vision
Chapter Twenty-Three — Building Tensions
Chapter Twenty-Four — Tear Down that Wall
Chapter Twenty-Five — The Truth
Chapter Twenty-Six — Revelations
About the Author
Acknowledgements
Tortured Souls — The Orion Circle Book 1
Shadow Fire
Twisted Sisters (The Orion Circle Book 2) Page 18