Shattered Echo (The Shattered Echo Series Book 1)

by McKenzie Stark

  Walking into class that day, already a half hour late, Sam couldn’t have felt more out of place; again. Knowing that he isn’t going to be there to catch her at the end of the day it felt as though the whole world was suffocating her.

  A feeling so familiar that she could barely remember what it felt like until now, she is making the right choice, right?

  Shaking her thoughts, she focuses having not realized that the entire class has been staring at her for who knows how long, except for one guy in the back-left corner. . . Jake.

  “Uhm . . . I’m sorry,” she stutters, “What was that?”

  “Glad to see you have been so kindly listening Miss. Echo, I asked what the square root of 5 is,” The teacher sternly asked.

  Clearing her throat, “Uh. . .”

  Her mind frozen, unable to form the answer - Sam knows this, she isn’t the best, but math is not her weakest point, so why can’t she get the answer out?

  He continues, “Miss. Echo, I have a high expectation for all of my students to pay full and undivided attention while attending my class. Seeing as that is not the case here, I will be expecting you to remain in my class after the bell.”

  Swallowing she nods, keeping her head down before she hears a voice - the only voice that could ever make her heart react in such a manner that leaves her breathless.

  Jake speaks from the back of the room. “Hey man, leave the poor girl alone. She has been through too much already; she can do without the detention status.”

  The class breaks in snickers and silent gossip, while the teacher turns his attention to Jake, crossing his arms before him. “Mr. Steele is there something you would like to add?”

  “Actually yes, I believe another one of your foolish rules is to be on time, correct? Well, it appears that I neglected to be here before the first bell and yet here I am detention free. It seems to me that you are trying to pick on the caliber, why not pay attention to something more important and place me in detention and cut her some slack?” he says, testing.

  “After class, Mr. Steele.”

  The teacher takes his attention from Sam and she felt as though she could breathe again, slowing allowing herself to glance over her shoulder she catches his eye, trying to not react she nods a quick thank you, earning a small smile in response before turning away.

  It has been weeks since Jake told her he loved her, he has called her every night and sent endless text messages which remain unopened in her phone resting in her untouched hoodie, she avoids reading them because she can’t be selfish with him.

  She knows that if she reads them, if she talks to him; that's, that. She is going to go running back into his arms and she isn’t going to be able to do what needs to be done in order to protect her mother and herself.

  She is risking the only real thing in her life.

  That day when Sam got home, things had changed. It wasn’t a normal day, something felt off - horribly off. Her mother and father were doing their usual bickering and she escaped upstairs to her room where she has been since.

  She runs things over in her head to see where she went wrong, with Jake, with her mom and dad, with herself and somehow a million things come to mind, a million things she regrets and wishes she could go back and change.

  But she can’t.

  Laying on her bed in her pajamas, propped up by a bundle of pillows as she reads her all-time favorite book ‘Wuthering Heights’ Her mother and father had finally stopped yelling, but something kept tearing at her subconscious - she had this overwhelming bad feeling like something is going to happen, something is going terribly wrong.

  Putting it off, she continues reading until her phone buzzes, a message from Jake.

  Please Sam, talk to me -Jake

  Ever since that night when he confessed that he loved her back she has not spoken to him and every day she would get a handful of messages of him pleading with her and voicemails of him saying those three words, but Sam doesn’t know what to believe anymore.

  It took him over a year before he could admit that he too had the same feelings that she has been hiding, hiding because she was afraid of exactly what happened and when things get hard for him and she walked away, only then does he want to be truthful.

  She loves him, God does she; but can she put away the past and be with him?

  Something in the air changed, something horrible -the night started out okay, just another ordinary night for the Echo’s, but when her father returned back from the bar - he was more drunk than usual and now Sam can make out the canary yelling the hurtful words.

  “You are a worthless slut!” he bellows his voice loud and angry.

  Her mother's small voice follows, “Frank, you are drunk...again. Please just go to bed.”

  Always trying to do the best thing, she too had learned from her mother.

  “Go to bed?! Woman, this is my house, don’t you understand that.”

  Sam listens letting their words fall through her silent escape, making her more aware of the situation and just how serious it can be, especially once she heard the sound of glass shattering and her mother gasping in surprise, she could hear the splatter of the glass as it bounces off the wall and floor.

  Her heart beating faster every minute, getting up from her bed she places her ear against the bedroom door.

  “How dare you,” he spats the loud SLAP echoing through the house.

  He touched her... she thinks, her anger boiling over. No one touches her mother like that, she made a promise to protect her no matter what and that is one promise that she is never going to break.

  Pulling her phone from her night stand, she dials a number - holding it to her ear until a husky voice comes on the line.

  “Sam?”

  She breathes, “Jake, I need help.”

  “What’s going on?” he asked, his voice turning worried.

  “Look, my father got back from his trip and something just doesn't feel right - they are fighting and it's different this time, more intense; unnatural.”

  Followed by silence, he speaks, “I’m on my way, where is your mother?”

  “She’s down there with him, fuck he hit her Jake, he hit my mother,” her voice cracking.

  “Baby, I am not going to let anything happen to you or your mother, I am on my way right now - stay in your room. Promise me?”

  Sam could hear the sound of his car as he floors it down the street into town; she could imagine him now pushing over 80 mph - scared it takes everything in her to stay on her side of the door. Her mother screams, a loud piercing sound.

  “Sam?” Jakes voice, urgent and scared drifts through the phone, “What was that?”

  She doesn’t answer - breathing hard, she listens closely, body shaking.

  “Frank, put the gun down.”

  No. no. no. no - that isn’t . . . it can't be.

  She whispers into the phone, tears falling from her eyes, “Jake, please hurry.”

  “I am almost there - 15 minutes away.”

  Her father's voice rises, as though it could get any louder -.hpw can the neighbors not hear this? How come they are not calling for help? Can’t they see, if someone doesn't help. My mom's going to die.

  “You and that ungrateful child have done nothing but ruin my life Susan and now it's time you ruin yours!”

  NO!

  “Jake he is going to shoot her!” she screams into the phone before she makes the irrational and dangerous decision to throw open her bedroom door. She takes each step by two, her phone falling from her gasp, leaving the silent cries from Jake unheard.

  She finds her mother against the living room wall, her hands held out in front of her reassuring her father and there he stands over her, covered in sweat - his face stone cold, evil. In his gasp he held a gun. A freaking gun and it is pointed right at her mother.

  Her heart stops.

  “Dad,” she says slowly, her mother looks scared. “Please don’t do this.”

  “Don’t move!” he shouts shiftin
g the gun between her and her mother.

  They both freeze.

  He isn’t going to stop - that much she can see, he is determined, and he is not going to stop until he gets what he wants, revenge.

  “Dad, please,” she softly says again, drawing his attention away from her mother once more as she take slow steady steps forward.

  He yells, “Don’t move!” The gun shaking in his hand as he points it at her, she could barely breathe, that much is true. She knows that he will do it, he is capable of it and for once she is not afraid of death - at least with this, she can distract him long enough for Jake to get here.

  Where is he?!

  “Sam!” His voice draws from the door, drawing her father’s attention away from her mother and her for a split second.

  Without a single hint of hesitation, Sam springs forward toward her mom just as the gun goes off. Patting herself she finds no visible wounds, rushing to her mother’s side she checks her over, quickly. Behind her, the man she loves knocks the gun from her dad’s hands just as it swayed in her direction.

  Dark figures wrestling back and forth, a fight for survival, a fight of hate and disgust, Sam couldn’t take her eyes off Jakes back as he fights her father for the gun. Grunts and yells. She could barely make them out, her heart beating endlessly in her ears - every breath coming out in a heavy gulp.

  The loud heart crunching sound, the explosion of the handgun going off - its shell scattering across the floor and the strong powder smell surrounds her mother and herself, kneeling on the floor; covering each other’s bodies.

  “Jake!” she screams, afraid to take her eyes way - scared of what she would miss or what she would see.

  The struggle continues, her father had the advantage - the gun still wrapped in his shaky hands, Jake wrapping his hands around her father’s pushing the gun away from him. Jakes feet spread apart, using his upper strength, he grunts.

  “Sam get your mom, get out of here!”

  He sounded scared, more scared than she has ever heard. His walls were down; he wasn’t hiding his pain, his worry, his distress. He was an open book and Sam was terrified for him. What if he can’t hold the gun long, what if it fires next time and it doesn’t hit the ceiling?

  Pulling her mother to her feet she sprints toward the front door, almost throwing her mother through it. Giving him one last painful glance, she runs with her mom to safety. Her mother falls to the grass, tears falling from her eyes; she shakes. Sam stands above her, shielding her, protecting her.

  “Help!” she yells, turning in circles, “Please. Someone!”

  The sound of a glass door being thrown open as her neighbor rushes out, a robe around his shoulders and plaid sweats. He looks around, confusion on his face. “Please, call 911. My boyfriend… my father has a gun,” she pushes out, “oh God... Please stop him!”

  Moments flew by; endlessly she stands there, frozen in place. Fear taking over, she found she couldn’t scream, she couldn’t cry, she couldn’t move.

  She was utterly and completely shattered, captivated by the echoes of the sirens in the distance, the sound of her heart beating in her ears. The only thing she could do was watch, watch Jake through her front door, fighting - protecting them. She meets his eyes, once icy blue filled with love and amusement; now held horror, a look that she never thought she would see - a look that betrayed the truth.

  Finally, a single tear of surrender falls down her flushed cheeks.

  BOOM!

  The sound of the trigger being pressed, the sound of the battle ending and her heart stops.

  The End

  Acknowledgements

  Seven years ago, if you had asked me where I would be now, I would have never imagined that my very first book would be releasing, and I couldn't have done it without the loving support of my wife, Destiny. For listening to me ramble on and on over my ideas and encouraging me daily to keep pushing forward. She has been the true inspiration.

  I would love to give a huge thanks to the Kingston Publishing team for taking my novel and turning it into a beautiful master piece, I am completely honored to have them at my side. For Michelle for spending hours at a time editing and making sure it is perfect. For C.K., for creating an incredibly gorgeous cover to add the finishing touches!

  I am eternally grateful to my entire family who has been there beside me the entire journey and making sure that I never gave up, they are what has kept me positive and hopeful.

  There is so many people that I would love to thank for giving me the will to finish this novel and for my future ones to come, you have all been a true inspiration and I am grateful for you all. Writing a novel is one of the greatest journeys you could ever endure. Everyday has its ups and downs, but at the end of the day, the ones that are there for you make it all the more worth it.

  To my readers and followers, thank you for following me into my dream and never swaying, lets grab hold of our seats and take on this journey together!

  Extras

  Coming soon!!

  Prologue

  He is Fire and she is Ice

  The nightmare pulses through her, making her entire body shiver in chills. Sweat covers her forehead as she thrashes around in bed. It is the same nightmare she had the night before, and the night before that - the same nightmare that has been haunting her for the last five years. It is the same thing, the same horrible experience - she can’t seem to shake it.

  Dark figures wrestling back and forth. A fight for survival, a fight of hate and disgust. Sam couldn’t take her eyes off Jakes back as he fights her father for the gun. Grunts and yells. She could barely make them out. Her heart was beating endlessly in her ears - every breath coming out in a heavy gulp. The loud heart crunching sound, the explosion of the handgun going off - it’s scattered bullet shell and strong powder smell surround her mother and herself, kneeling on the floor; covering each other’s bodies.

  “Jake!!” She screams, afraid to take her eyes away. Scared of what she would miss or what she would see. The struggle continues, her father had the advantage -the gun still wrapped in his shaky hands, Jake wrapping his hands around her father’s pushing the gun away from him. His feet spread apart, using his upper strength, he grunts.

  “Sam get your mom, get out of here!”

  He sounded scared, more scared then she has ever heard. His walls were down; he wasn't hiding his pain, his worry, his distress. He was an open book and Sam was terrified for him. What if he can’t hold the gun long, what if it fires next time and it doesn’t hit the ceiling? Pulling her mother to her feet she sprints toward the front door, almost throwing her mother through it. Giving him one last painful glance, she runs with her mom to safety. Her mother falls to the grass, tears falling from her eyes; she shakes. Sam stands above her, shielding her, protecting her.

  “Help!” She yells, turning in circles, “Please. Someone!”

  The sound of a glass door being thrown open as her neighbor rushes out, a robe around his shoulders and plaid sweats. He looks around, confusion on his face.

  “Please, call 911. My boyfriend… my father has a gun.” She pushes out, “oh God. Please stop him!”

  Moments flew by endlessly she stands there, frozen in place. Fear taking over, she found she couldn’t scream, she couldn’t cry, she couldn’t move.

  She was utterly and completely shattered, captivated by the echoes of the sirens in the distance and the sound of her heart beating in her ear. The only thing she could do was watch, watch Jake through her front door, fighting - protecting them. She meets his eye’s, the icy blue filled with love and amusement; now held horror, a look that she never thought she would see - a look that betrayed the truth.

  Finally, a single tear of surrender falls down her flushed cheeks.

  BOOM!

  The sound of the trigger being pressed, the sound of the battle ending.

  Sam doesn’t have time to think, she takes off toward the house - only to be stopped by forceful arms, blue and red lights reflecti
ng off the brown brick house, the gun falling from Jakes grip- her father laying on the floor, it was all too much; she could hear someone screaming in the distance, watching as police rush the house, throwing him to the floor and pulling his arms behind his back - watching as the cuffs are placed and he is dragged from the house.

  Still struggling against the arms restraining her, she can’t stop them from placing him in the backseat of the police car; she can’t stop them from dragging her father into the ambulance. She can’t stop the unstoppable. . . His head presses against the window, defeat lining his features. His eyes speak the sorrow and regret. She wanted so much to tell him that this was not his fault, she wanted to hold him in her arms and take the pain away, but she couldn’t.

  The tail lights of the police car drifting down the road until they become a distant blur, an unforgettable past.

  Sam bolts up right, clutching her bed-sheets. Running her hands over her face, she takes a breath. It has been five years, five years since she moved out from her mom’s house, five years since she has heard or seen her father - it has been five years since he walked free with no more than a scar on his right shoulder, while Jake - her beloved Jake was sentenced to five years in a local prison for attempted murder and for what?

  Protecting them? For fighting for something that no one else would have had the guts to do and in the end, it is him that got the punishment, it wasn’t right.

  Although, everyone around her apart from her mother believed that he is dangerous, that he wanted it to happen and that she was and is better off without him, but if that was right - why can’t she get him out of her head after all of these years? She could still hear his voice so clearly, still see his smart-ass grin and sometimes when she thinks the most, she can almost feel his touch again.

  He was her anchor, kept her grounded and alive; it was his love that consumed her. Nestled far toward the back of the curb swarmed with ongoing traffic from the Monday rush hour sits a tall newly remodeled brick apartment with white window pines and a fresh smooth seal coated parking lot on the west side, towered over by large apple trees. It is covered by dark shadows shielding the sun from covering its large frame. Somewhere on the fourth-floor lays Sam Echo surrounded by dark panels stretching widely across-the-boards of the apartment with dark oak hardwood flooring. You can smell the freshly layered paint applied just the day before.