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South Crawley Kids
The South Crawley Kids by Kendra L. Saunders and Rebekah L. Brown Published through Infinity Publishing Contents: Synopsis Rating/age level information Excerpt Reviews About the authors Media attention about the book ***** When a wealthy Australian couple found out their toddler son, James �Jagger� Clancy, had an unusual mind, they searched for someone who could understand him. They found Nate Anderson, and agreed to build a community for him and others like him, in exchange for their son�s training in controlling his strange abilities. The community, South Crawley, flourished for fourteen years, until an angry member of the community, a man known only as Murphy, murdered almost everyone in the small town. Nate�s seven-year-old daughter Pandora, teenager Alex Lundy and seven other children were the only members that escaped death. Jagger Clancy and his father sent the children to foster homes, giving them strict instructions to never use their abilities again or speak of South Crawley, for self-preservation. Pandora Anderson is a 22-year old when the story begins. She has tried as much as possible to fit in with the �Normals,� to work and live as if she doesn�t have telepathy. When one of the other South Crawley survivors is kidnapped, though, she decides to break the promise she made to Jagger and use telepathy again. Alex Lundy is the first to answer. Now 29-years old, the Scottish wanderer has been all over the world, traveling light and keeping as far away from Murphy as possible. Several times over the years Alex has sensed his former enemy and some of the men Murphy has trained. Alex hears Pandora when she uses telepathy to call for the other South Crawley �Kids.� He agrees to meet with her, as do several other of the Kids. When the Kids meet together, for the first time since South Crawley fell, they talk and discover that many things have changed. Jagger is now in his mid thirties and engaged to be married. Teenager Jacen Hill is now the most powerful of the group. 21-year old Heath is suspicious of all the others and wants nothing to do with them. Their meeting brings Murphy back onto their trail, though, and Alex takes several of the Kids to his foster parents� cabin. While there, tension builds between Heath and another of the Kids, the explosive-natured Kyler. Heath betrays the group to Murphy, trying to trade them for his own chance at life as a �Normal,� wanting to be able to put South Crawley behind him. Jacen is able to break the hold Murphy puts on the Kids� minds, though, and Heath has to return to Murphy being unsuccessful in his mission. Murphy kills him for this. Alex, Pandora, Jacen and Kyler go to Scotland at Alex�s request. He has wandered the globe for years anyway, and is used to running from his problems. Though the Kids are beginning to question his leadership, they go with him to Scotland. For four months, they stay there, until Murphy finds them and captures Jacen. Alex has to finally decide to stand up to Murphy, and agrees to meet Murphy in South Crawley, to get Brant and Jacen back. Jagger and three other South Crawley Kids join Alex, Pandora and Kyler to fight Murphy and his minions. Alex tries to put himself between Murphy and the Kids, but finds himself unable to do much. He has to step back and allow Kyler and Jacen to fight Murphy. They are able to defeat Murphy and his minions, and though they have been hurt, they are all still alive. Most of them branch off and go back to their lives, but Alex, Pandora, Kyler and Jagger are forever changed, and find that their friendship is again very important. Interwoven into this story is a budding romance between Alex and Pandora, and the rekindling of feelings between Jagger and one of the South Crawley kids, his former best friend and almost-fiancee Ruby �Babbit� Conner. While Alex and Pandora are open enough to recognize their attraction, Jagger and Babbit find the years and the reasons for their separation (Babbit never coming back, though she promised to) still hold them apart... for now. **** If this book was rated as a movie, it would be PG-13, as there are scenes of violence, including a flashback to South Crawley being destroyed, in which children are shot and killed. There is no inappropriate language in the book, however, and no other �objectionable� material. I would recommend the book for readers 11 and up, most likely, as a read-alone book. ***** Brant had the uncomfortable feeling that he was being watched. He�d had it since he was a child. He grew up knowing that any second, he could be found and hurt by people who didn�t understand him. The feeling was unusually strong now, though. Brant was walking in the cool evening air, planning to rent a movie and have a quiet night. But goosebumps were forming on his skin, and the hair on the back of his neck was standing up. He stopped and turned his head, trying not to make it obvious that he was nervous. He looked from side to side, feeling panic rise within him. There was someone watching him, someone getting close. He started walking faster, bumping into people as he went, and finally tripping over something. He put his hands out, but still landed flat on his face. He squeezed his eyes shut, tasting blood in his mouth and feeling burning from the new cuts on his face and hands. He started to get up, but felt a hand on his shoulder. He slowly turned his head, knowing who�s face he would see. �My, my#�you�ve certainly grown up,� a familiar voice said, and Brant began to shake. Chapter One Pandora carried the misplaced books back to their correct spots on the shelf, working slowly without needing to think about what she was doing. She usually worked alone, and working alone didn�t bother her a bit. It gave her plenty of time to sort through her thoughts. Pandora crouched down and shoved some books onto the bottom shelf. �Excuse me,� a male voice called from the end of the aisle. She stood up and looked at him. �Can I help you?� she asked, putting her hands on her hips. The store owner, Mimi, had said that she looked antisocial when she did that. The man was wearing an expensive gray suit and black shirt; his spiked hair was out-of-the-box blonde. �I�m looking for a certain series of books from my childhood,� he said. He had a hint of a British accent, and kept flashing her a cocky smile that was all white teeth and some strong breath mint. �I was told your store might have them.� �What series?� �Written by a Japanese author. The Moon Children Series,� the man said, looking her in the eyes. His concentration was broken by his cell phone ringing. He raised his index finger as a signal for her to wait. He fished his cell phone from his pocket and answered it. �Yes, my dear#�looking for some books right now.� Pandora went back to straightening books, deciding to ignore him if he was going to ignore her. �Ma�am?� the British man called. Pandora glanced at him for a moment, and then went back to working. �Do you have them?� he asked. �No. We only had one of them. It sold at Christmas time,� she answered. The man had his hand over his cell phone, and seemed to be waiting for something. �You�re not even going to look?� he asked. �No. I know we don�t have any of them.� �Then, do you have a suggestion?� he demanded, shaking his head and lowering his eyebrows. �Ebay,� Pandora said with a shrug. The man stood there for a moment more, his mouth open in shock, and then he stormed out. Pandora finished with the book straightening, and went to the front desk. There was a sticky note from the owner of the shop, asking her to go through the box of donated books from the day before. It was silent in the shop for hours, like a usual weekday afternoon. Pandora had music playing. It was just loud enough for her to be able to hear while at the front desk, working on the donated books. Where are they? she thought without meaning to. She pushed the question away, trying to concentrate on the tattered book in front of her. Mimi had asked her to patch it up as best as she could. What happened to them? She took some tape out. Where did they go? She opened the book and flipped through it, looking for more damage. What if they�ve all been killed? She started taping the book together. What if you�re the last one? Pandora took a deep breath, putting the book down. It suddenly seemed far too quiet in the store. She turned the music up, and tried to pay attention to her work. Two hours later, Mimi walked into the store, wearing a coat, but shivering anyway. �It�s getting chilly out,� she said as a greeting to Pandora. �I�m going to make some hot chocolate.� �I already made some,� Pandora answered from behind a book they�d just gotten in a box of donations. Mimi laughed. �Sometimes I could swear you read my mind.� Pandora picked up her own coat and her purse. �I�m outta here. I got all the projects finished and the shelves straightened,� she said, pulling her coat on. �Have a good evening, then,� Mimi said. �And go home; you look exhausted.� �I�m always exhausted,� Pandora replied. She waved and hurried outside. Pandora found that it had turned quite cold out. She zipped her coat up, and crossed her arms. Go home? She didn�t know if she could go home. Nothing was waiting for her at home. She happened to glance up and see the word �South� on a street sign for South Meridian Rd, and groaned. She heard laughter of children, saw her father smiling at her#�but then it vanished and she reminded herself to stop walking by that sign. Anything could bring it back. There was no reason to do things that she knew would trigger it. Pandora went into her favorite coffee shop and got a large cup of coffee. She was there so often that they knew what to get her without asking. She sat down in a corner of the building and looked around at the people. She searched the faces. Maybe one of them will be here. Maybe one�s still alive. Maybe they�re looking for you, too. She took a deep breath, trying to stop thinking about it. Or maybe you really are the only one. �Hello,� a fluffy-haired guy with glasses said, sitting down across from her. He grinned, holding a newspaper and pretending he had just happened to come sit close to her. She looked away from him, not answering. She finished her coffee quickly, and left the building. It was harder tonight than usual. The weather didn�t help, either#� it was cold out, and had been spitting snow all day. The snow swirled around in front of her, some of it sticking to her eyelashes. She tried to keep herself in the present, but the snow blew her back#� #�she was sitting in her room, looking outside at the snow. She thought it was pretty and wondered if it would snow enough that she could build a snowman. Maybe the big boys would help her again. She heard her mother talking to Mrs. Lundy, Alex�s mom. She turned and watched the grown-ups for a moment. They were talking quietly, and Mrs. Lundy kept putting her hands on her big stomach. She was going to have a baby soon, and Alex wouldn�t be an only child anymore. Heath came into the room, wiping his eyes and yawning. He was holding a blanket and looked exhausted. The brown-haired little boy was a year younger than Pandora, but he acted more like he was three. He was easily frightened and very shy. He wasn�t good with his abilities, they didn�t even seem to be in his control. �Heath, where�s your mommy?� Pandora demanded, looking around. �I don�t know,� he answered, his thumb going in his mouth. Pandora looked back outside, and heard something. Something loud. �Pandora!� her mother screamed. Pandora turned her head and saw her mother running for her, her face filled with fear. She picked Pandora up, and ran out of the room with her. Pandora stared over her mother�s shoulder at Heath, who had started crying. There were voices, now, shouts and screams. Pandora didn�t know what was going on. Her mother put her down suddenly, and pushed her towards an open door. �Run, and keep running,� she commanded Pandora. Pandora reached for her mother, trying to keep her from leaving. She caught a hold of her necklace and held onto it with all her strength. She felt the delicate chain break, and she fell backwards. Her mother told her to run, and then disappeared back down the hall. Pandora turned and looked into the dark she had been pushed into. Suddenly, she was lifted off her feet by Alex. Alex was one of the big boys, he was fourteen, tall, thin, and very strong. She put her arms around his neck, and laid her head on his shoulder. �Mama,� she whimpered. Alex carried her outside, into the cold and snow. He set her down in the woods, along with a few other kids. Another big boy was with them. �We have to get more,� the other big boy said, panting. Alex nodded. �I�ll run back an� get more,� he said, his Scottish accent thicker than usual. There were families from many different countries there, so Pandora wasn�t sure what exactly was normal and what was an accent. But she knew Alex talked very different from her own family. The other boy grabbed Alex�s jacket sleeve, pulling him away a little and speaking into his ear. �Where�s Nate?� he whispered. Alex looked back at him, and Pandora paid close attention to their faces. Nate was her father. �They shot �im, Bill, they shot �im,� Alex answered. He was shaking. �Da has some more kids and he�s bringing �em out. Stay here, and if anything happens, take these ones as far as you can.� Bill nodded, and slapped Alex on the back. Pandora stared up at them in shock. She had heard those words, �they shot him,� and everything had stopped. She glanced up and saw Alex running back inside. She didn�t cry, she just suddenly felt like coldness had taken her heart. It spread, turning all of her to ice, and she couldn�t breathe. Bill looked at her and the other three kids. �We�re going to run to the safe place in a minute,� Bill told them all. �We�re going to run, and we aren�t going to stop. Okay?� They all nodded. �Where�s Heath?� Pandora whispered. �Alex will get him. You just get ready to run. We�re going to go see Big James and Jagger.� Bill wasn�t as tall as Alex, and he looked almost as afraid as some of the younger kids. Alex came running out of the building with Heath. Heath was sobbing and screaming for his mother. Alex had almost reached Bill and the younger kids when Mr. Ben Lundy ran out after him. He had one of the toddlers in his arms. �There!� a voice shouted from somewhere far away. Pandora was picked up by Alex. She looked over Alex�s shoulder at Mr. Lundy, and heard gun shots. She saw Mr. Lundy fall, and the toddler with him. Alex heard it, too, and turned around. �Da!� he shouted, pain filling his voice as if he too had been shot. �Da, get up! Come on!� Bill was there, then, pulling on Alex�s shirt and shouting at him to run. Bill took Heath. �Run, you idiot, run!� Bill screamed into Alex�s face. �Da!� Alex shouted again. Bill pushed his friend as hard as he could. �Come on, Alex! Right now before they kill you too! Run!� Bill yelled, and pushed Alex again. Pandora saw tears flooding down Alex�s face. She�d never seen a big boy cry. �Da,� he said one more time, and then followed Bill. Pandora looked over his shoulder again, and saw Mr. Lundy laying motionless on the snow. She closed her eyes, but the horror wasn�t over yet. She heard another gunshot and heard Alex shout Bill�s name. She and Heath were dropped into the snow. Bill had been shot, and was on the ground, bleeding. �Take them and go, Alex!� Bill said through gritted teeth. Blood was in his mouth, dripping down his chin, spreading all around him on the ground. Pandora stared at him, wanting to scream. Alex was shaking his head, and a strangled sob left him. �Why-?� he started to say, but another gun shot stopped him. He jumped, getting up and nearly tripping as he turned around. There was a man in a long coat and a hat, at the edge of the woods, pointing a gun at them. Alex�s mouth fell open. �Start running, you two,� he said to Pandora and Heath. Pandora took Heath�s hand, and pulled the sobbing boy along. She tried to make him run, but he was going too slowly. �Let�s have a race, Heath, okay?� she said. He nodded, and she started running. His crying quieted some, and he ran after her. �Faster, Heath! Run faster!� she shouted. �Do ya want to win?� She jumped over sticks and kept an eye out for ice as she went. �Come on, Heath! We�re going to see Big James. He�ll have toys for you!� She heard a gunshot, and gasped. She made herself keep running, though, and kept encouraging Heath to run. Her father had showed her a million times where to go if they were ever told to run into the forest. This path went to a special place, to a car, and the car could go somewhere safe. She heard someone big running behind her, and realized with dread that it might be the man with the gun. She felt someone pick her up, and started to scream. But, it was Alex. He picked Heath up, too, and ran both of them through the forest. �That man,� she said. �He�s gone,� Alex told her. She saw a red stain on the front of his shirt. �Blood,� she whispered. His shirt had a hole in it. �He shot you.� Alex was panting, and his running was slowing. They were almost there, though. She knew that for sure. When they burst from the woods, Pandora saw a few other kids and one of the big girls, Ruby, waiting for them by Daddy�s van. �Where are the others?� the girl demanded, her face red at the cheeks, but white everywhere else. �Oh my gosh. Alex, did you get shot?� She took Heath from Alex, and he put Pandora down. Pandora looked up at him, watching him bend over and cough. �Alex!� the girl shouted. She told Pandora to get in the van. The other kids were already in it, most of them crying. Pandora looked out of the window at the big girl and Alex. Alex was still coughing, and the big girl had her hand on his shoulder. Alex got into the passenger�s side of the front of the van, and the big girl drove. Pandora continued looking out the window of the van# and saw smoke in the distance. That�s when she realized her whole life was being burned. Snow swirled around the van, as she watched her life slip away#� #Now Pandora felt like having something stronger than coffee. She had tried for so long to keep from having a full-blown memory of the whole thing. She closed her eyes as she walked, trying to hide the tears she felt forming. They had gone somewhere, and the Australian man, Big James, one of her father�s best friends, had been waiting there for them. She barely remembered getting there. She remembered seeing Alex�s friend Jagger, his mouth hanging open and his eyes wide with horror at the sight of them. She could just see flashes of the faces, hear the voices faded like they were underwater#. She had been raised by a foster family after that. They knew nothing of South Crawley, the small community Pandora had called home until it was destroyed. She had been warned by the Australian man to never talk about South Crawley, to never try to use her abilities again, to never try to contact any of the other children. He said it could put them in danger with the bad people who had destroyed her family and her home. She had done her best to forget the place, forget the people. But, she would always wonder what happened to the others. She especially thought of Alex. She remembered his haunting green-gray eyes, and the run through the forest when he had saved her life. She knew that he�d been shot, and didn�t know if he�d survived. Had he lived for a while, then been hunted down and killed? She was constantly aware that the people who killed her family could still be looking for her. She looked up at the night sky and quietly called Alex�s name. She dare not do more, though. Using her abilities to find him could mean death for either of them#, if he was even still alive. And there was little chance of that. * Pandora got home, and took a long, hot bath. She cried again, cried for her father and mother and all those kids she had loved like siblings. She cried for Mrs. Lundy and the baby, and for Alex�s dad. She cried for little Heath, for Bill, for that older girl who had driven them to safety. She cried for Alex. She had always looked up to him, even had a crush on him, sort of. As she sat in the bath, and the water got cold, she heard something. At first she thought it was the TV or radio, but then realized it wasn�t. Someone trying to talk to her, in her mind, the way they had in South Crawley. She listened, and realized it was Brant. Little Brant, one of the crying boys in the van#, but he wasn�t little anymore. He was grown up, he was still alive! She couldn�t believe it; in fact, she wondered for a moment if it was only wishful thinking. After all, she had been thinking of South Crawley a lot that day. More than in a long time. But no, that voice was real! Brant was calling for help. He had been captured, and was calling for someone�s help, anyone�s. She didn�t answer him, knowing it could be dangerous. They might find her too. Pandora sat in the tub a little longer, before getting out and dressing quickly. She walked outside for a few minutes, and looked up at the stars again. Brant was still alive. She wasn�t alone, and that could mean there were others. She always wished that she could call out for others. Other South Crawley �kids.� But she had always dismissed the idea, remembering what she�d been told by the Australian man. Suddenly, though, the idea didn�t seem as terrible. Maybe she could try, just quickly. Reach out, just once, and see if there was an answer. Brant certainly needed help, that was for sure. She went back inside and got in bed. Maybe she would take the chance. Maybe she would just do it# and see what happened. ***** �I read 15 chapters of it and realized I hadn�t done a thing all day except read your story... it was that good. You captured the characters perfectly, it was so easy to keep track of who�s who (sometimes when there are lots of characters it is hard to keep up with them) but I had no problem, I felt like I knew each of them. Your imagination is fantastic.� -Nancy Lobello �The character development is great... Your writing has great clarity too, you definitely have a gift for storytelling.� -Bobbi Smith �What an amazing world you�ve built between America and Scotland. These characters feel alive with all their quirks, weaknesses and strengths...� -Cathy Hubbard �I�m addicted to this story, it�s so good. I love all the characters and the way you portray them.� -Megan Kennebrew ***** (Kendra L. Saunders) I am almost twenty-years old; I have been writing stories since I was seven-years old, and telling stories since long before that. I have lived all over the United States, and traveled to almost thirty of the states. I used a few of the places I have lived or loved as settings for this book. I find the most memorable, interesting stories to be the ones that were just a little �different,� and had fascinating characters. My favorite book is The Winter Prince by Elizabeth Wein, because the characters are so real that you never have any trouble imagining them or the world they live in, and the story is from a perspective I had never imagined before. I love writing, and have been writing all these years for my own enjoyment and that of people I loved. Even if I never make any profit from my writing, I will still be at it, still figuring out who these people are that appear in my mind, and finding out why they do what they do. My favorite South Crawley Kids are Jagger and Kyler, Jagger because he is frequently very vulnerable, but he hides it with his lovely, giving personality and a smile. Kyler because he is so sarcastic and mean at times that you can�t help but love him. He always gets the best lines. I am a weird mix of things; I�ve worked for Hot Topic and yet I�m a card-carrying, proud member of Keith Urban�s fan club. Rebekah Brown loves �The Lord of the Rings,� �Star Wars� and a good piece of cheesecake. Her favorite South Crawley Kid is Jacen. Rebekah lives primarily in New Hampshire, but attends college in Florida. She is a globe-trotter thanks to being best friends with Kendra, and has flown to Idaho and Wisconsin among many other places. She reads and writes a lot of high fantasy stories, so she had fun interweaving the unusual and other-worldly into a contemporary setting for �The South Crawley Kids.� She started reading �The Lord of the Rings� and �The Hobbit� in elementary school, long before the movies came out, and then cut her teeth on plenty of other �big� books. Rebekah is convinced that books can be entertaining, good, lively and funny without being inappropriate for ANY age, and hopes that books like �The South Crawley Kids� will bring action, humor, romance and a little science fiction to the younger set. ***** Media attention about the book South Crawley Kids was featured in the Herard Times Reporter newspaper in early June 2006, 2006. South Crawley Kids was featured in the Green Bay Press Gazette newspaper in July 2006, South Crawley Kids was featured in the Country Weekly magazine in the August 28, 2006 issue
