by Stacy Juba
Dark Before Dawn
By Stacy Juba
Kindle Edition
When teen psychic Dawn Christian gets involved with a fortuneteller mentor and two girls who share her mysterious talents, she finally belongs after years of being a misfit. When she learns her new friends may be tied to freak "accidents" in town, Dawn has an important choice to make – continue developing the talent that makes her special or challenge the only people who have ever accepted her.
Copyright 2011 by Stacy Juba
Names, characters and incidents depicted in this book are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, organizations or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher. This book is also available in paperback from Thunder Horse Press.
Kindle Edition, License Notes
This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Bonus Features
Please note that this edition contains an excerpt of Stacy Juba's young adult Kindle novel Face-Off so that you may factor it into the page count of this book.
Chapter One
Dawn Christian curled under the covers, shivering in her nightshirt. Goosebumps had popped up on her bare arms. She breathed in and out, trying to calm herself. Even the safety of darkness couldn't hide it.
Something was wrong.
She knew it the same way she had known it would rain despite the weather report. Now gray clouds blistered outside the window.
I can't go, I can't go, I can't go, something bad's going to happen. Dawn rubbed between her eyebrows, the message flying around inside her brain like a loose pinball.
The red numbers of her alarm clock flickered to 6:29. Dawn rolled onto her other side and faced the wall. In an hour, she'd be starting her junior year at a lame new high school. She missed Boston and taking the T, the city’s subway system, wherever she wanted to go. Dawn used to hang out at museums, watch the college kids in Harvard Square and read books at the Common. Sometimes, she and her mother caught Saturday matinees in the theater district.
Not anymore. Ever since the wedding in July, Dawn had been stuck in Covington, Maine, a beach town overflowing with rinky dink carnival rides, cheesy souvenir stores and bad vibrations.
"Dawn?" She turned to find her mother framed in the dimly lit doorway, fully dressed. "Are you coming down for breakfast?"
"I'm not hungry."
"Nervous about school?"
Gulping, Dawn huddled under the blankets. No way could she discuss her feeling with her mom. Her mother wanted a normal daughter who was on the basketball team or school newspaper, had friends and didn’t live in fear. "Kind of."
Her mother lowered herself onto the bed and squeezed Dawn’s hand. Her manicured pink nails shone against Dawn’s pale skin. Since meeting Jeff eight months ago, Dawn's mother had been letting her curly hair hang loose and wearing makeup.
She smoothed back a tangle of Dawn’s chestnut waves. "You don’t look like yourself. Do you feel all right?"
"I’m fine." Dawn shoved her stuffed monkey, Buddy, further under the blankets. Her father gave her Buddy shortly before he died, and holding it was like hugging a piece of her dad. Still, sleeping with a toy monkey was kiddish and Dawn didn’t do it often. Her mother would get suspicious if she noticed.
Darn it. Her mother drew out Buddy by his slender tail and patted his furry brown head. "Calling in the reinforcements, huh? What’s on your mind, honey? Maybe I can help."
Dawn sat up and clasped her knees. Her mother never understood about Dawn’s hunches. "I don’t think you really want to know, Mom."
"Of course I do."
Yeah, right. But Dawn didn’t have the stamina for lying today. "I’m getting one of my premonitions. Something’s wrong. I think it has to do with school."
She waited and sure enough, her mother got the frightened look she’d worn too many times before. Dawn remembered the look that terrible night with Mrs. Frazier ... but she didn’t want to think about that.
Her mother dropped Buddy onto the mattress and squirmed as if fighting off a chill. "I’m sure it’s just regular old nerves," she said in an overly cheerful voice. "It’s hard enough adjusting to a new home and a new family without throwing a new school into the picture. Who wouldn’t feel edgy?"
"That’s not it, Mom."
"Just be normal. Don’t worry about your premonitions. You shouldn’t have to live your life afraid."
"Get real, Mom. I’ll never be normal and fit in."
"If you paid more attention to talking with the other kids, and less to these visions and feelings, things would be so much easier for you."
How many times had she heard her mother say that? Dawn rolled her eyes. "This is why I didn’t want to talk about it. I can’t help that I ‘know’ things, Mom. The only way I can keep that stuff secret is by never opening my mouth. Then the other kids think I’m a snob."
"Being different is no reason to separate yourself. You’ve been through a lot already, honey, and I want you to be happy here. We have a fresh start. If you pushed your feelings to the back of your mind and stopped working yourself up over them, maybe they’ll stop coming." Her mother offered a brittle smile.
That was like asking Dawn to walk around blindfolded, or to stuff earplugs in her ears, giving up one of her senses. She couldn’t just shut off her feelings. They were too overpowering, demanding attention.
"You made me promise to hide my abilities around Ken and Jeff," Dawn said. "Okay, I want them to like me, but I shouldn’t have to hide things around you. Why can’t you just help me?"
Her mother slipped an arm around her shoulders. "I’m trying to help you, honey. You need to tell yourself that your imagination is running wild and you’ve got normal jitters. Do you understand what I’m saying?"
Dawn’s jaw tensed. Her mother deserved an Oscar. She had an amazing knack for pretending Dawn suffered normal teenage angst, acting as if they were on some TV drama when the truth was closer to the Stephen King movie Carrie.
"Whenever I’m in a new situation, I say hi to the person sitting next to me and do my best to start a conversation," her mother went on. "Maybe that would work for you."
Dawn took a few breaths to contain herself, then muttered, "I'll try."
Her mother's face lit up with relief. Dawn accepted her hug, inhaling the scents of Dove soap and raspberry body spray, but rather than make her feel better, the embrace ticked off Dawn even more. Did her mom really believe everything was solved? Dawn clamped her lips shut to keep back the harsh words brimming on her tongue.
"You're smart, you're pretty, you're sweet," her mother said. "The kids at Covington High will love you. Ken’s willing to give you a ride. Isn’t that great? I’d drive you myself, but I think it would be better if you’re not seen with your uncool old mother."
"Yeah. Great."
Her mother retreated downstairs to make breakfast. Dawn pushed back the covers. She knew her mom meant well. Since her dad’s death when Dawn was in first grade, life had sucked for both of them. They’d had lonely dinners, lonely holidays, lonely vacations. Having each other made it bearable. Now they had a chance to start over.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t as easy as her mother believed.
Dawn left Buddy on the disheveled bed and rested her bare feet on her pink throw rug. She flipped the wall switch and winced as
harsh light glared down on her bone white bedroom set. Everything looked orderly, the way she liked it. Young adult romance novels and the latest issues of Seventeen Magazine filled a pair of baskets, while trays on her dresser organized accessories.
She had enough clutter in her own head. Dawn couldn’t stand seeing it reflected in her surroundings.
A sudden wave of music blared down the hall, "I’m a rock-and-roller, that’s what I ammmmm..." Dawn cringed, pressing her temples against the beginnings of a headache.
She wanted to storm in and tell Ken to shut off his music, but he wasn’t her real brother. Then he’d hate her, for sure.
Dawn snagged her new jeans and shirt out of the closet and covered her ears as she crossed the hallway into the bathroom. She hung her clothes on a hook, shaking her head at the beach junk adorning the walls. Dawn had gotten used to the twig wreath overflowing with glued dolphins and starfish, but the foam life ring above the toilet reminded her of the Titanic.
A shower was what she needed. A steady stream of water sprayed into the tub as she undressed, the whooshing sound drowning out Ken’s music, but not her internal voice.
Be very careful. Something is wrong.
***
Dawn skipped breakfast, too queasy to eat. Ken downed a bunch of chocolate chip cookies out of the package and refused her mother’s offer of scrambled eggs.
"Oh, come on Ken, cookies aren’t a real breakfast," her mother said. "Here, just have a spoonful of eggs. It won’t take a minute."
"Leave us alone, Mom," Dawn snapped. "It’s too early to eat."
Jeff plucked a crisp slice of bacon off the damp paper towel. Ten extra pounds softened his middle, but hardly any gray touched his blond hair or mustache. Even Dawn appreciated what her mother saw in his boyish smile. "I’ll have some, honey. It looks delicious. Dawn, your mother was just trying to be helpful. And Ken, you’ve been sleeping till 11:00 all summer. After a couple hours of school, you’re going to be starving."
"I’ll risk it." Ken swaggered out to the car. A varsity letter gleamed on his Covington High School Blue Stars ice hockey jacket.
Dawn followed him out to his secondhand Toyota, a garbage can on wheels with crumpled McDonalds bags, movie stubs and Milky Way wrappers littering the backseat. Setting foot in the disaster area doubled the size of her headache.
"Your mom sure can be pushy." Ken was seventeen, a year older than Dawn. He started the ignition and flicked his shaggy hair out of his eyes. He wore it long and floppy on top, like a rock band reject. Dawn never would have guessed how much time guys spent fixing their hair.
"No kidding," Dawn agreed.
As Ken backed out of the driveway, Dawn searched her brain for something interesting to say. She finally gave up. Ken didn’t seem in any hurry to chat, either.
She and Ken had made small talk a few times over the summer, but he never invited her to join him and his friends downtown. She didn’t think Ken disliked her, but he wasn’t that friendly, either.
As he turned up the radio full blast, Dawn rubbed her aching forehead. Normally she loved music, but not right now.
She reached over and lowered the volume. "Is that okay? I’ve got a splitting headache."
"Hey, this is my car. I control the tunes." Ken jerked his gaze off the road.
"Sorry, I’m just not feeling well." Dawn fastened her eyes on the floor mats, which badly needed shaking out. Maybe she was wrong and he did hate her.
"Who asked you here, anyway? I ought to go back and drop you off at the bus stop."
"Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t ask you to drive me."
"Yeah, my dad did. Except he didn’t ask. He ordered."
"Don’t worry, you won’t have to be seen with me anymore. From now on, I’ll catch the bus." Dawn’s voice wobbled. If he snapped at her one more time, the warmth pressing behind her eyelids would explode.
"You’re not crying are you?" Ken glanced at her sideways.
"I told you, I have a headache," she said, dabbing her cheeks with her shirt sleeve. "I’m a little nervous about school."
"It’s not you, okay? Your mom’s always in my face and Dad keeps bugging me to be nice to her. If he wanted to get married, fine, but leave me out of it."
"I know what you mean." Dawn wiped away the last of her tears. It helped to know Ken had problems adjusting, too.
"I’ll keep the radio down. Okay?" He looked at her anxiously, as if afraid she’d sob into his letter jacket.
"Thanks."
They drove in silence. Dawn stared out the window at Covington Center, for once empty of tourists and kids on skateboards. Her mother said they were lucky to live a mile from the Center, where all the action was, but there were only so many times Dawn could visit the same shops and arcades. Even a mall would have cheered Dawn, but the closest one was a half hour away. She was trapped in Beach Blanket Hell.
This morning, the carousel horses were lifeless and carnival rides frozen. Gulls swooped down to vacant park benches, hunting for day-old remains of fried dough and pizza. Most everything shut down after Labor Day. Jeff had explained that the only places to stay open off-season were Mario's Pizza, the Center Sweet Shoppe and the Sand Castle Drugstore.
Dawn gave an involuntary shudder as they drove past the beach. The gray tide pitched forward, swallowing the slick mirror of sand. She gazed down at her knuckles, fisted in her lap. Her mother and Jeff worshipped the ocean, but to her it was a mysterious monster foaming at the mouth.
She heard Ken's voice rambling about some girl, Renee, and how he planned to approach her at her locker. Renee had a boyfriend, but Ken had seen them fighting a couple times over the summer. Maybe if he started saying hi to her, he’d have a chance. After all, she’d smiled his way at the movies last weekend. At least, Ken was pretty sure the smile was meant for him. All his friends were getting hooked up and he wanted to find someone special.
Dawn turned away from the beach, surprised and a little flattered that Ken was confiding in her. "What’s she’s like?"
"Who?"
"Renee."
"You listened to me talk to Billy last night, didn't you?" he demanded. "I don't believe this. I don't get any privacy."
Hot numbness swept over Dawn’s face. Oh, no. Ken hadn’t been speaking aloud just now. She’d picked up on his thoughts. Every once in awhile, that happened and Dawn couldn’t control it. Sometimes she caught on and managed to avoid making a fool out of herself. Other times, she blurted out something dumb. You idiot, you’ve got to think before talking, Dawn chastised herself.
"What were you doing, standing outside the door?" Ken asked.
"I walked by your door when you were on the phone. Sorry, I didn’t mean to overhear."
"Yeah, I'll bet."
"I didn't do it on purpose." Dawn swallowed as he tightened his grip around the steering wheel. What an awful day, and it was only 7:15 a.m.
"Why’d you bring up Renee now?"
"I don’t know. I … I thought maybe I could help."
"I doubt it. Just forget it, okay?"
That was exactly what Dawn wanted to do.
"Sure." She let out her breath as Ken fixed his attention on the road.
This curse had haunted her since she was seven. Dawn never confided in anyone that she was psychic, but whenever she slipped, other kids shrank away from her. Like last year, with Samantha, a transfer student Dawn tutored in math. She and Samantha hit it off until Dawn asked why Sam’s father was in prison. Samantha's eyes narrowed and she asked how Dawn knew that. No one knew that. Soon, Samantha found a new best friend.
At least Ken had accepted her apology and his own explanation, even though it made her look nosy.
Something made her turn her head. A weather-beaten cream cottage rose on a bluff, stunted and defiant against the broad swath of sky. Shades blocked the windows and silver wind chimes swayed from an overhang on the white-painted porch.
Iciness dripped over her body. A word detonated in her mind.
Evi
l.
Chapter Two
Strong scents of perfume and perspiration clobbered Dawn as she entered the locker room. Gym. Her heart skipped a beat. She was always last to be picked, never demonstrating the athletic skill that resulted in cheers and high fives. How long would it take her new classmates to discover how uncoordinated she was? A day? Two days?
Girls changed in the aisles, folding their school clothes into lockers. Dawn brought her tee-shirt and sweatpants into the adjoining bathroom in the rear. At least in the bathroom, she wouldn’t risk someone walking in on her.
A plump girl emerged from a stall and elbowed past Dawn to the sink. Baggy black sweats, black lipstick and thick black eyeliner made her bloodless face even ghastlier. Coarse red hair fell limply around her shoulders.
"Looking good, Candace," a rude voice called from somewhere in the locker room.
The girl’s head shot up and she spun from the mirror. Dawn winced at the silver studs that pierced her nose and eyebrow. Yikes, that must have hurt. A bunch of girls giggled.
Candace stared at them, long and hard. Then she smirked, strode around the corner and disappeared through the gym door.
Dawn crammed herself into the stall, giving silent thanks that she passed the appearance test. Her hair wasn’t anything special, but she’d had gold highlights added to spice up the brown. She was in decent shape from walking around Boston, and Dawn spent her birthday money on "in clothes" at the Gap.
She got changed and lagged into the gymnasium behind a blonde in tight red shorts that showed off slender tanned legs. The girl’s crinkly hair bounced with her wiggly walk.
This was Renee, the object of Ken’s crush. Dawn accepted the knowledge as she'd accepted her other certainties over the years.
She followed Renee over to a bank of bleachers. Championship sports banners garnished the dreary cinderblock walls. A flush climbed Dawn’s cheeks. Everyone had a friend to sit with, except her. She noticed Renee looking her over.