Elevated by Daniel Solomon Kaplan
(Elevated Saga #1)
Publication date: September 23rd 2014
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult
Most kids can’t wait until Elevated Day, when they can finally unlock
their hidden superpower. Rose remains a skeptic. While the treatment
reveals a power, the outcome is irreversible and abilities can range
from amazing to a nuisance. On top of that, she holds a deep rooted
grudge against the treatment that turned her father into an Unsound, one
with abilities so dangerous as to force them to a life of exile.
Her choice sends her down a path of discovery, as she seeks to learn
more of the truth around the treatment and what really happened to her
father. Fed up with lies, Rose wants nothing more than to learn the
whole truth–even if it means accepting her fate as an Elevated.
A
tap on my shoulder causes me to lurch.
“You’re
next,” Elliott says.
What
did I do to deserve waiting with this guy? “Yeah.”
“Can
you really do it?” Elliott asks.
“Do
what?”
“Live
not knowing, not seeing what could be.”
“I
could ask you the same question.”
He’s
puzzled.
“Let’s
say you go through those doors and become an Unsound. And you get
locked away from your family and friends for your entire life. Tell
me you won't wonder what a normal life could be.”
Elliott
leans in. “You know an Unsound, don’t you?”
I
nod. “My dad.”
He
turns his head away from me. “I’m sorry.”
I’ve
always faced the same reaction. They think it’s sympathy, but it’s
fear. As much as everyone talks about genetics not factoring in and
your parents not determining your powers, having an Unsound in the
family is mark of shame. Most don’t discuss it. The only person in
my high school that knows is Aaron. After the torture thrown at me in
middle school, the last thing I want to do is let anyone know.
The
exit door stands to my left. I want to bolt. Want to get out of this
place. Something keeps me glued to my chair.
“Rose.
I know you’re scared. But if you leave now, you won’t get another
chance.”
He’s
right. With millions of kids involved, getting another appointment is
near impossible. I would end up with the other Basics. I stare at the
screen, willing the phoenix not to fly by again.
“Rose.
Think about this.”
“You
think I haven’t? It’s all I’ve thought for years. I’m not
like you, or the other kids here. You sit there, blindly waiting for
your number to be called, trusting everything will be—“
“You
don't know me at all.” For the first time, there’s terror in
Elliott’s face. He turns back to watch the screen.
“So
you’re scared too, then.”
Did
he feel as helpless as I did?
Elliott
takes a deep breath. “I can't control which system I was born in. I
can only control how I cope with it.”
“That's
the only power you think you have?” I ask.
“It’s
the only power any of us have. Anything else is an illusion.”
My
heart jolts as the phoenix flies by and displays my number. The
mechanical voice cuts through me. “Now serving A535. That's A535.
Thank you.”
I’m
still. Trapped between two worlds. Somehow, none of the thinking, the
planning or the debating have prepared me for this moment. Elliott
stands and tries to nudge me out of my chair. I won’t move. I’ll
wait here. If they want me so bad, they can drag me through those
doors. A part of me wishes they would. The exit is a few steps away.
“Rose,
please!” His blue eyes plead with me.
Daniel
Solomon Kaplan is a playwright turned author after much arm twisting
from his wife. He currently has several novels in the
works, including CATALYST, the next book of the Elevated Series, scheduled to debut before the end of the year.
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