The Time Stopping People
by Kristy Evans Beckwith
Calise Thomas looks through a crowded room. What she isn't expecting to find is Chris. He offers to take her home, but she doesn't leave his side so easily. She insists on joining him and his elite team at their special training grounds in the deep woods of Ohio. Without hesitation, she goes along with Chris to the farthest end of the state. Right away, she meets his mysterious posse.Calise Thomas looks through a crowded room. What she isn't expecting to find is Chris.He offers to take her home, but she doesn't leave his side so easily. She insists on joining him and his elite team at their special training grounds in the deep woods of Ohio. Without hesitation, she goes along with Chris to the farthest end of the state. Right away, she meets his mysterious posse. They start mocking her attendance and tease her for being new. But she trains with them anyway and takes on her role as a Collector.Meanwhile, a mark starts forming on her shoulder, one that matches the rest of her teammates. She's initiated. A magic cloud consumes her for the first time, and she discovers people (like herself) are living in a secluded structure underground, as well as collaborating with 'the outsiders'. The Collectors are one aspect of an entire new world she never knew existed.