“I don’t want him to change my skin back.”
“Why ever not, child? You could be vulnerable to infection if you go untreated. Not to mention the fact that you will draw attention to yourself everywhere you go.”
“It’s healing on its own,” I said stubbornly. I wriggled my hand free from his grip and waved my fingers in front of his face. “See?”
He stomped his cane down with an insistent thud. “Nonsense. You’re being ridiculous. You must let Raph heal you.”
I crossed my arms and looked down at the table, unable to meet Enoch’s stare.
“I won’t.”
I refused to look up, but could feel Enoch boring a hole into my head with his blind stare, silently demanding an explanation.
“I want him to have to see what he did to me every time he looks at me.”
I let my words fall like a drop of water, sending ripples out into a lake. I was met with silence.
I waited, tracking the grain of the polished table with my eyes, counting the knots in the wood. I braced myself for Enoch’s response, wondering what he must think of me. How could I, with so much at stake, cling to my pettiness? And yet I did, holding on to it like some precious jewel, as if I could hurt Michael through the sheer force of my will.
“Hope,” Enoch eventually sighed. “This isn’t some game you are playing, my dear. You, more than anyone, know the danger you place yourself in if you willfully torment Michael.”
He paused, apparently waiting for me to respond. I stared harder at the tabletop and kept counting the whorls.
“Very well,” he sighed. “I can see there is no sense talking to you about it now. Perhaps later, after you’ve had a chance to rest. For now, I will leave you to your thoughts.”
I heard him struggle up from his chair and move down the aisle with the strange thumping walk that was the side effect of his use of the cane.
When I looked up, I was all by myself. Raph and Enoch had apparently joined Michael in the cockpit.
The door of the plane had been closed and the lights dimmed. I looked out the window and saw the tarmac rushing by. The plane was so smooth that I hadn’t even noticed we were moving. I had barely felt the plane leave the bounds of the earth as it lifted its nose into the sky and drew up its wheels.
We were on our way, my band of protectors and me; on our way to find the hateful relic that could mean the destruction of the world—or my own death. Everything turned on my ability to guide us to that ancient rock, a rock that had caused so much pain and strife, its aftermath echoing through the ages.
To do it, I had little to count on. I had a scrap of paper shoved deep in my pocket, its words proclaiming the ancient Prophecy I had to fulfill. I had my new powers of intuition, inadvertently stolen from Michael. I had my determination to not fail. And I had a ragtag group of angels, assembled in haste at Michael’s insistence. Whether they were my saviors or my jailers, I wasn’t yet sure.
Even from where I sat, alone, in the back of the plane, I could feel their powerful presence, just as surely as I could still hear Lucas’s taunts from that night at the factory hanging in the air, sowing doubt between Michael and me. The angels were all around me.
But I had never felt so alone.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Many people have helped me along the way with this book. If the high-glamour, high-stakes world of Las Vegas gambling rings true at all, it is in large part to the counsel of Colin DeVaughan, a career veteran who advised me on the proper etiquette and treatment of “the whale,” as well as clued me in on the rising influence and gambling culture of the Chinese in Las Vegas.
The details of Hope and Michael’s hotel home off the Strip came to me while on a research trip where I was hosted by the amazing Tony Hsieh and his incredible team at Zappos. The hospitality with which they welcomed me was truly awe-inspiring; they shared their contacts and their favorite haunts with me, and as they talked about their plans for engaging and partnering with others to revitalize downtown Las Vegas, I came to love the spirit of the city and their dreams for it. I hope that I have captured just a bit of the magic they are creating there together.
Michael and Hope’s trek through Snow Canyon closely mirrors the guided hikes I shared with my longtime friend, Rebecca Foster, on our “girls’ trip” to Utah. I was certain the stunning and sometimes eerie landscape would be the perfect setting for some angelic encounters; the fact that Beck and I got to explore it together just made it more special. Thank you, Beck, for the support and love through career, writing, and other travails!
Arthur Greer, how many trips to and from the airport have we shared? You have been on the journey with me all along, and I hope you don’t mind that I wrote you into this book, my tribute to you and our friendship.
I started out with the idea that Hope’s childhood abduction would be the act of a stereotypical lone pedophile. In conducting my research, I stumbled onto the sad, everyday reality of human trafficking and domestic minor sexual trafficking in Atlanta, Las Vegas, and around the world. I am grateful to the many experts who have fact-checked and commented on this critical subplot, creating the opportunity for me to shine a light upon this modern-day slavery. I am particularly grateful to Cheryl DeLuca-Johnson of Street Grace (an actual nonprofit in Georgia!) for her counsel and gracious permission to use her organization’s name. I would be remiss to not mention that with the help of Street Grace and many other fantastic organizations, Atlanta and the State of Georgia have been at the forefront in advocating for stronger victim rights and tougher sanctions for perpetrators of these crimes. While there are still many challenges, we are making progress.
To the amazing team at Greenleaf, and especially Jeanne, editor extraordinaire—thank you for guidance, for understanding my vision and, most importantly, for your intuitive grasp of Hope and the careful balance I was striving to create with her story.
I have deep gratitude for my amazing extended family and network of friends who read this book in its earlier editions (even when it meant—horrors—reading it on your cell phone screen!) and urged me on to complete the story. Petra, Josselyn, Shami, Tara, Kathy, Michelle—thank you for all the support and advice you have given me. Special thanks go to my mother, Lorraine Houle, and my brother, Jake Houle, for their early and enthusiastic reading and editing of manuscripts.
Finally, Trey, Reagan, and John—thank you for letting Mom sneak some writing in, nights and weekends. I appreciate your forbearance. And to my husband, Tom—for your unflagging encouragement, ideas, critiques, space, and tech support—I couldn’t have done it without you! I love you all.
ABOUT MONICA McGURK
Monica McGurk started out writing fan fiction based on Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series under the pen name Consultant by Day. She has been recognized for her prequels and alternate versions by her fans, winning the Twific Fandom “Undiscovered Gem” award for Morning Star in 2013. Since her fan fiction days, she has left the consulting firm at which she was a senior partner and remains a full-time business executive based in Atlanta. While this is her first novel of any sort, she has been published in the business press on numerous topics.
She is married and the mother of three children, for whom she creates elaborate bedtime stories that sometimes last for over a year.
She has already completed her sequel to Dark Hope, which she hopes to publish soon.
READERS GUIDE
DARK HOPE
BY MONICA McGURK
Pretty fifteen-year-old Hope Carmichael returns to her mother’s house in Atlanta for the first time since a court order gave custody to her over-protective religious father many years before. Her mother’s frequent out-of-town business trips, the well-manicured home, and her first day at Dunwoody High grant Hope the wish she has had for so long: to be free and to make friends for the first time in her life. As Dark Hope unfolds, Hope catches the eye of handsome golden boy, Michael, whose interest in her is more than she could have ever wished for in her wildest dreams. H
ope begins to let go of first-week jitters, and to wonder if at long last, she may have made a best friend. When Hope finds herself partnered with pierced and tattooed Tabitha on a school project, she can’t help but stare at Tabitha’s heavy eyeliner and streaked Mohawk hairdo. “Not everyone or everything is what they look like on the outside. God knows it’s true for me,” comments Tabitha. But Hope’s past is full of dark and frightening secrets and her future is about to become populated with equally dark mysteries. Hope—abducted and returned safely as a toddler—carries a mark that will link her to a host of individuals who are definitely not what they look like on the outside. Hope’s story connects the powerful emotions and desires of a teenage girl with present-day human sex trafficking, the search for an ancient relic, and the battle of good and evil against a backdrop of immense and grave worldwide proportions.
QUESTIONS & TOPICS FOE DISCUSSION
What do we really know about the character of Hope herself? Is she easy to know or not? What are her likes and dislikes? What emotions motivate her? Does the fact that she was isolated as a child make her personality harder to understand?
What do we know about Mona? It’s stated in the book that she had no family. It’s suggested that she and Don have few friends. What in their personalities motivated them to do what they did with regard to Hope? What weaknesses did each of them have? What strengths?
Contrast Mona’s appearance and lifestyle with those of Don. What does it reveal about the worlds they inhabit or what they consider important? What does it mean that they continued to stay married? How did you feel about the fact that Mona left Hope alone so soon after she arrived from Alabama or that she didn’t know what Hope’s favorite food was?
The book said that in school pictures, Hope’s spirit had seemingly been snuffed out. What do you think was meant by this? Hope lived a very lonely childhood and it seems her parents lived lonely lives too. Does their isolation have a purpose in the story? What other characters in the book are also isolated?
How do you believe the Mark got on Hope’s neck? Does it warn her of danger or provide her protection? Why is the Mark always referred to with a capital letter? Why do people outside Hope’s family see the Mark as beautiful?
What do the throbbing vein in Michael’s forehead and the feeling in Hope’s Mark have in common?
What is the role of Henri in the book? How does Henri move the plot along? When the voice in your head speaks to you the next time, will you think of it as the voice of a guardian angel?
Does the idea that angels such as Michael and Ralph could walk among us change your view of people you meet or have met, or your idea of the world itself? After reading this book, do you know someone whom you think might be an angel?
Tabitha provides a great contrast to Hope. She has siblings, a very happy family life and a circle of support via her church. What significance is the fact that Tabitha has two personas—one for home and one for the outside world? What is the significance that she dresses so differently from her classmates and is also the perfect daughter to her loving parents? Why is it significant that Tabitha is the daughter of a preacher? Tabitha’s bedroom and possessions are described in detail. Hope’s are not—why?
The scenes involving domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) and the men and girls involved in them were very dramatic. Did these scenes change your thinking about the trafficking of humans in the United States? Did you realize that these things are happening in ordinary American cities? Will this knowledge change any of your normal routines or habits? What do you think you can do to spread the word about human trafficking and try to bring it to an end?
Who do you think is at risk of being trafficked and sold into prostitution? Foreign children or native citizens? Young girls or young boys? At what ages? From what socioeconomic backgrounds? What risk factors increase the odds someone is victimized in this way? Why would a woman—such as the older Chinese woman at Wynne—cooperate in such a crime? Why would the victims—such as the Asian girls at Wynne—not try harder to escape? In what ways is Hope similar and different to the victims of DMST that she meets?
What is the significance of Michael saying that angels can neither create nor discover? How does his declaration of love for Hope provide a pivotal moment in the story?
Enoch is blind and in exile, yet is the source of knowledge. Is there significance in this?
When Mona pulls into the driveway with Hope for the first time, Hope thinks that the windows of her mother’s house look sad. What do you think is the significance of observation?
There is a great deal of emphasis on names and naming in the book—for example, Michael listing out his various aliases when he reveals himself to Hope; Enoch pondering the importance of what we call things and noting the special significance of Hope’s own names. What is the author trying to convey by emphasizing this point repeatedly?
The course of Hope’s life was and is determined by Michael’s presence in her life. By the end of the book, we learn that some of his power has been transferred to Hope as a result of the irresistible force that draws them together. Do you think Hope will eventually attain the level of power Michael possesses in this book? What does it mean if she does?
What is the significance of a heavenly being and a human being drawn together in such a physically powerful way as Michael and Hope were? What could it mean for the future of each of them? What does it say about cooperation between heaven and earth?
In many ways, this is a story about a girl struggling to define her own destiny—one that is not predetermined by her past or by fate. What are your feelings about predictions and fate, prophecies and destiny? Does Hope have a choice in how her life plays out, given the greater forces around her? Do you think the rock will be found?
AUTHOR Q&A
Q. Although Dark Hope is a work of fiction, you seem to understand the young protagonist’s mind very well. Was there a particular teenaged girl in your life or a specific event that inspired you to write the book?
MM: I have always been very attuned to women and girls’ issues and the role of popular culture in shaping our expectations of young women. The initial impetus for this particular story was my own observation that many YA novels targeting teens depicted girls as victims needing rescuing, with significant amount of the action being motivated by a traditional love triangle. Often times in these books, the consequences of the decisions made by the heroine are whisked away to enable a “happily ever after” ending. I wanted to provide a counterpoint to that—a supernaturally infused, action-driven plot that showed a young girl struggling to define her own destiny against the backdrop of something much bigger, facing real consequences for the choices she actually makes. I wanted it to be something I would be proud to have my own daughter, who is now twelve, read; something that would send her the right message about the role she has to play in shaping her own life path.
Q. Your knowledge of the Bible seems significant. Did that knowledge lead you to the story or did the story in your head lead you to the Bible?
MM: I approach my writing like putting together a puzzle. I generally know how I am going to start and how the story is going to end and the real problem solving is to find a way to get the characters from point A to point B in a way that is consistent with their personalities as well as my message. While from my own upbringing I was familiar with many parts of the Bible, I tried to approach the story with fresh eyes, researching not just the Biblical stories but also angelic folklore from many religious traditions, including Islam and Judaism. So, I didn’t start with the religious references, but they became an integral aspect of pushing the plot forward.
Q. Enoch mentions names and that the names of things and people are important. Did you pick the names of characters and places in the book for a specific reason?
MM: As far as locations go, I started in Atlanta because it is my current home and I thought it would be fun to write about it. Other locations—Las Vegas in this book, and Istanbul, Skellig Michael
in Ireland, and Puy-en-Velay in France in the next book—I chose because they were places I wanted to visit, places I had been intrigued by, or places which offered something interesting in terms of a connection to the plot.
Character names were a bit different. Some were random. Some were named after people in my life—for example, Mrs. Bibeau, who bears a surname that comes from my own maternal family line. Hope’s name was chosen specifically for its meaning. Choosing her name was one of the first decisions that I made as I began to write.
Q. What does the title Dark Hope have to do with the plot of the book? Why did you choose Dark Hope and not just Hope?
MM: It is called Dark Hope as a reference to the term “dark horse”—in other words, a little known or inconsequential person or thing that emerges to prominence and achieves unexpected success against great odds. That is what we are talking about as Hope (with Michael’s help) tries to define her own fate, beat the Fallen, and save the world.
Q. How did you become interested in the trafficking of young girls in the United States?
MM: I stumbled across the facts about the modern-day slave trade and the domestic sexual trafficking of minors, in particular, as I began to research Hope’s abduction story. I had originally envisioned her abduction as a random act by the proverbial disturbed pedophile. I was shocked when I learned that there is a whole modern industry of slavery and that it was going on right here, in Atlanta, where I have lived since 1998.
Q. Did your research for the book have any other impact on you?
MM: For me and for many people, I think, once you learn about the scale of the problem, you cannot look away. You feel the need to act. So I decided to learn more about the problem and to weave it into my plot. I also decided to get more directly involved—I have joined the advisory board of Street Grace; I am part of their speakers’ bureau, working to educate PTAs, business leaders, church congregations, and other community leaders about the issue; and I have pledged a portion of profits from the sale of Dark Hope to some organizations working to eradicate this problem in the United States and globally.
Dark Hope Page 36