OTHER RESEARCH AND FILES:
From Lucy:
If you lie to me, I’ll know. I always know. Which is why it’s so shocking to me that I’ve been lied to my whole life and never knew until now.
My name is Lucy. I was raised in the Rent-A-Kid dorms, a secret school where kids with special para-powers are rented out to the highest bidder for spy work. Think X-Men, meets Dark Angel and Alias with a dark twist!
It took my best friend Sam meeting a strange boy who can control minds for us to start uncovering the truth. Sam reads minds, so I guess she always knows when people are lying too. Which, by the way, is most of the time.
Jaded? Me? Well, wouldn’t you be if you were dumped at a hospital with your twin brother when you were a baby and picked up by this place?
Yeah. You would.
But still, I have Sam and my twin Luke. We’ve always been there for each other.
I had serious reservations when Sam started mind linking with Drake. He had her questioning everything we ever believed. Not a healthy way to live if you ask me. But I gotta give him some credit. My shy little friend finally started getting herself a backbone! Score one for Drake.
It kinda sucks though, cuz they have to go through some serious hell to be together. I mean, literally, they spend the early part of their relationship in each other’s minds! No thanks! I’d rather have the flesh, ya know? But whatever. It worked for them. Mostly.
Except for the fact that our eighteenth birthday does not offer us the freedom we had always believed and been promised.
Oh no. Not even close. In fact, quite the opposite. It’s disgusting really, what they do to us—to those like us. Human exploitation, just because we’re different. So what if I make you uncomfortable because you can’t lie to me as easily as you might some? Stop the damn lying and you’ll be fine!
But, humans are humans. And it seems a shadow side of the human condition that we’re so anxious to enslave each other and use each other for profit.
Someday I will find the people behind this whole operation and wipe my ass with their money—after I destroy everything they’ve built.
LUKE RIVERA
Real Name Luke Rivera
Height 6'
Weight 190
Eyes blue
Hair brown
Age 18
Threat Level Minimal Threat
Para-Level (1-10)
6-A strong para-power that can influence others or environment (ex. Molecular manipulation, control of metal, fire power, ice, control of electronics, influence others to lie)
Para-power(s) walk through walls, change molecular structure
Aliases too many to count
Occupation IPI Agent, student at IPI Academy, former Rent-A-Kid spy
Place of Birth unknown
Relationship Status dating many girls
Known Relatives Lucy Rivera, twin sister
Group Affiliations IPI, RAK
Base of Operation Washington, D.C.
History born to a doctor at Rent-A-Kid and raised in the facility whole life. Martial artist and bug expert.
First Appearance: Forbidden Mind
Resources on this paranormal: Forbidden Mind, Forbidden Fire, Forbidden Life, Blood of the Fallen, Tears of the Fallen, Flight of the Fallen, Pathways, Christmas Lites II
MARY CUNNINGHAM
Real Name Mary Cunningham
Height 5'7"
Weight 125
Eyes blue
Hair blonde
Age 18
Threat Level Least Concern
Para-Level (1-10)
4-A more highly advance para-power above human power, useful and active, can sometimes affect others, but in limited ways (lie detecting, seduction, walking through walls)
Para-power(s) seduction
Occupation IPI IPI Agent, student at IPI Academy, former Rent-A-Kid spy
Place of Birth unknown
Relationship Status seduces every man she meets
Known Relatives none
Group Affiliations IPI, RAK
Base of Operation Washington, D.C.
History abandoned as a child, raised in RAK, used for seduction
First Appearance: Forbidden Mind
Resources on this paranormal: Forbidden Mind, Forbidden Fire, Forbidden Life, Blood of the Fallen, Tears of the Fallen, Flight of the Fallen, Pathways, Christmas Lites II
OTHER RESEARCH AND FILES:
Brad's Blog—Paranormal Interview with Mary Cunningham
Hi, I'm Brad, the independent journalist who brought you the internationally sensational story of the Rent-A-Kids.
For those new to my work, let's back track a bit. When my best friend, Drake, went missing, I knew someone had discovered that he had special 'powers.' Basically, he can control minds and he's freakishly strong. Try being best friends with a guy like that who's also an award-winning surfer.
Anyways, I don’t want to go into all of the details, but he found out there are a lot more people with para-powers in the world than he realized.
This led to my current assignment: Interviewing these extraordinary teens and reporting their stories to you, so that they won't be exploited by secret organizations anymore.
Today's interview is Mary. I recorded her conversation and transcribed it as best I could.
Brad: "Hello, Mary, thanks for agreeing to speak to me."
Mary:
Brad: "Well, actually, we didn't really speak about you—"
Mary: "Whatever. Listen. I know all the girls at school hate me because I can seduce any man I want."
Brad:
Mary: "Seduction, obviously."
Brad: "Right. Obviously. How is this power useful for assignments, when Rent-A-Kid rented you out to the rich?"
Mary: "Men are more willing to give up their secrets while under the thrall of a beautiful woman. And my powers allow me to manipulate a man to such a degree that he loses all reason and will do whatever I say."
Brad:
Mary: "That’s not the only thing it makes hard."
Brad:
So, you can see how well that interview went. Mary is definitely one-of-a kind, and she's just one of hundreds of teens kept prisoner and sold for their unique powers. And don't mock me about this interview. Women, you wouldn't understand, but any man in my position would have been lucky to last that long.
HUNTER RILEY
Real Name Hunter Riley
Height 6'3"
Weight 198
Eyes Green
Hair Black and Silver
Age 23
Threat Level Minimal Threat
Para-Level (1-10)
3-A useful power that's an amplification of normal human abilities. (Ex. Super strength. Super speed. Anything that's an extension of a normal ability, just better.)
Para-power(s) super speed, strength, and agility
Aliases NA
Occupation IPI Agent
Place of Birth NA
Relationship Status In a relationship with Lucy Rivera
Known Relatives NA
Group Affiliations IPI Academy
Base of Operation IPI Academy/Washington
History Had a father who worked with IPI and was murdered by a serial killer. Joined IP
I Academy and trained with Agent Simmons. Was the best of his class.
First Appearance: Forbidden Life
Resources on this paranormal: The Forbidden Trilogy
OTHER RESEARCH AND FILES:
Brad's Blog—Paranormal Interview with Hunter Riley
Brad here for another edition of Brad's Blog, where I interview paranormals and give you a taste of what is like for them.
With me today isn't a Rent-A-Kid victim like the others… this guy actually works for IPI, International Paranormal Investigations, and spends his life tracking paranormals to either save or… not.
Without further ado, I give you Agent Hunter Riley.
B: Hunter, I hear the girls are really excited about your role in all of this. I imagine its hard to be a secret agent when you get so much attention everywhere you go.
H: My love life is my concern and no one else's. Next question.
B: Well, I hear you and Lucy are pretty close now, you have nothing to say about that?
H: No.
B:
H: My dad was killed by a serial killer. He'd been involved in IPI and when he died, I wanted to do something that mattered. I was young but well-trained. Agent Simmons took me in and made me even better.
B: About Agent Simmons, I've heard troubling—
H: I'm not talking about her. Next question.
B: You aren't a very chatty guy, are you?
H: Words are overrated. I prefer action.
B: No doubt. Well, how about telling us something about IPI.
H: We're a top secret international organization that tracks paranormals, to keep them safe from humans and humans safe from them. I can't tell you anything more or I'd have to kill you.
B: You're… er… kidding right? Lucy said you had a sense of humor.
H:
B: Okay then. Moving on. Do you have paranormal abilities?
H: I keep secrets.
B: Right. It seems you can do more than that.
H:
B: Okay. Um… did you ever find the person who killed your dad?
H: Not yet. But I will.
B: Was he a paranormal.
H: That's classified. You don't have clearance.
B: Lucy told me about your sword, can I see it?
H: No.
B: Why not?
H: Next question.
B: Is there anything else you can tell us about what happened when you joined with Luke and Lucy to save the younger kids still trapped by Rent-A-Kid?
H: The mission fell apart. There were pieces of the puzzle that we didn't know about. I can't say more than that. It's—
B: Classified. Right. Got it. You'd have to kill me. Well, thanks for taking the time to talk to me. You're quite the open book.
And there you have it, folks. The oh-so-chatty Hunter Riley.
Tell Me No Secrets by Sam Smith and Drake Davis
Sam Says
Reading minds isn’t as glamorous as you might imagine. First, everyone’s pretty much freaked out around you. No one wants to make eye contact, because they subconsciously think they can avoid detection that way. (It doesn’t work, by the way.) And everyone has thoughts that they would never want anyone else to know about.
Even you.
Think about it. How many times have you judged someone harshly, or thought something naughty or totally inappropriate or had a random urge to smack someone (or worse)? Most of us never act on these thoughts. In fact, 90% of them flitter through our consciousness so fast, we aren’t even fully aware of them.
But I am.
I hear those things you don’t even like to acknowledge in yourself. They dance around in my head like a song on repeat. I can’t ever rid myself of your darkest perversions. Is it any wonder Luke and Lucy are my only friends and I’ve never had a boyfriend?
Until Drake.
He’s unlike any other guy I’ve ever known, and not just because he has inhuman physical strength and can control people with his mind, every guy I grew up with at Rent-A-Kid had some para-power. No, it’s who he is on the inside.
He’s fearless and accepts me 100% for who I am. He isn’t scared of my powers and he doesn’t try to hide who he is from me. He let me in to his most intimate secrets and laid himself bare for me to judge.
It’s hard, though. I have mixed feelings about the whole mind control thing. Our roles are reversed, you see. While he accepts me, I find myself scared of his power. But I’m working on it. Together, we face some big challenges.
The place I’ve considered home my whole life may not be what it appears. They’re up to something evil, and only with Drake by my side will I survive.
His strength gives me strength, and I love that about him.
We are so connected, even though we’ve never met in person. I know that sounds crazy, but you’ve got to understand, we’re in each other’s minds all the time! We probably knew each other better in the first week than you will ever know your lover. You don’t know what your partner is thinking, not really.
But I do. I know Drake from the inside out, and it’s because of that total transparency and connection that I know I can trust him.
I don’t always like reading minds, and it’s made my life lonely for a long time. But with Drake, this ability has freed us from the fear and worry that other couples must feel. With him, everything makes sense. Everything fits. He fills something inside of me that I didn’t even know was empty.
Now if we can only figure out what’s going on so we can get out of this alive, we might have a shot at happily ever after.
Wish us luck.
Drake Says
You don’t expect anything good to come out of being kidnapped, especially on the day I was set to win a major surfing contest. Dude, it seriously sucks!
How they got the jump on me, I’ll never know. It’s kind of embarrassing. I can control minds and kick ass, so how’d this happen?
Well, all I can say is I’m glad it happened. I know, that’s crazy, right? But I’d never have met Sam if some blockheads hadn’t wiped me out on Venice Beach that day. Also, we kind of need each other to get out of this seriously F’d up situation, so…
Maybe fate?
But there’s more. She’s special, different. The last girl I hooked up with, let’s just say she was more of a one-nighter that got out of hand. Sam’s a girl I could see spending every night with, forever. No, more than that. Sam’s the girl I can’t imagine my life without.
I can’t even tell you how painful it is to be stripped of my powers and held captive, knowing some of the things they’re doing to Sam. You don’t even want to know what I’m doing to do to those bastards when I get my strength back. If you’ve got a weak stomach, you might want to turn your head.
I’d kill for her and I’d die for her. But most of all, I’d live for her.
I know she’s not thrilled with the mind control thing, but I also know that when she looked into my soul, when I opened up my mind to her and gave her access to every memory, every pain, every misdeed and violent act–she embraced it all without flinching.
I’ll never find another girl like her. She’s stronger than she thinks, and she’s kind and good all the way through. She cares about others and feels things deeply. She cries at sad movies and makes me feel things I’ve never felt before.
I love her, and I never thought I’d ever love or feel loved again. I mean, my best friend Brad, you know, cares and stuff. He’s a dude though. And Father Patrick, he’s like a dad to me. But it’s not the same.
With Sam, life has a whole new meaning. With her I know I can do anything, be anything.
So I have to find a way to get us out of this. I will not let them hurt her, and there will be hell to pay when this is over.
Questions & Answers with Author Kimberly Kinrade
What inspired you to write this series?
The concept for the book first came to me in a dream many years ago about a girl named Sam who could read minds and was raised in a secret school and rented out as a spy to the rich and powerful. I made a few notes about my dream and put it away for a long time, then pulled it out last fall when I wanted an idea for a short story.
It obviously didn't stay just a short story, and so Forbidden Mind, the first draft, was written in a week. The world developed quite a bit from there as I thought about how something like Rent-A-Kid would have been created and what the bigger plans for something like that would be. Each book in the series expanded the world and the characters, and now that the last book in the trilogy is out, it's clear that these three books only reflected a small bit of the world that wants to be created.
So next year my husband, Dmytry Karpov, and I will be writing a new trilogy, The Fallen Trilogy, that expands this world with a new plotline, new cast of characters, and some favorites from the Forbidden Trilogy as well. It's a standalone series from Forbidden, but fans of Forbidden will really enjoy the new direction of this spin-off trilogy, I hope!
What was most challenging about writing The Forbidden Trilogy? Easiest?
The hardest part for me is outlining. I prefer to just write, but with an increasingly complex series, I had to be really careful that I didn't write myself into a corner. So I have adopted the outlining process kicking and screaming. The easiest part for me is the actual writing. Once I'm in the flow, it's like I'm dictating a story being told to me.
Which characters or situations surprised you during the writing process?
I was surprised at how strong Lucy's voice became during the course of the series. She has her own POV in Forbidden Fire and even more in Forbidden Life, and now she's going to have her own series with her twin!
Some say YA books have become "too dark." How do you feel about this in general and in regards to your own books?
The Forbidden Trilogy Page 78