Read Indigo Incite (The Indigo Trilogy) Online
Authors: Jacinda Buchmann
Indigo Incite (The Indigo Trilogy)
Indigo Incite
The Indigo
Trilogy: Book One
by Jacinda Buchmann
Copyright 2013 Jacinda Buchmann
Amazon Edition
Cover design by Judy Bullard, Custom E-Book Covers
Edited by Mickey Reed
License Notes:
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.
This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like
to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for
each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was
not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and
purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and
places are the product of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual
events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Many thanks to
my mother, Claudia, for without your help, this book may
never have reached completion.
and to
my grandma, Carrol, for your inspiration,
and to
my husband, Travis, for believing in me.
Their
foster mother’s shrill voice hollered up to them.“Dinner!”
Tyler
replaced the toilet bowl brush in its holster and turned to his identical twin
brother. “I think that’s good enough. Thanks for helping. I guess we should go
down.”
“Yeah, I
guess so. We’re having Brussels sprouts.”
“Ugh,
are you sure?”
Toby
closed his eyes. “Yep, positive. I see a blue bowl on the counter, and that’s
definitely not broccoli in it. Please don’t get in trouble tonight, okay?” The
last time Tyler had refused to eat the dreaded green vegetables, he had been
forced to scrub the kitchen floor with a toothbrush and then sent to bed
without dinner.
“Don’t
worry. I learned my lesson last time. I won’t refuse to eat them.” He winked at
his brother before he bolted down the hall.
Tyler
, Toby mentally called, from behind,
don’t
do anything stupid
.
Tyler
ignored his brother and darted down the stairs.
Cybil
stood with her hands on her hips when he entered the kitchen. “Chores all done?”
“Yep.”
“Homework?”
“Uh, no.
Not yet. I’ve been doing chores since I got home. I’ll have to do it after
dinner.”
“How
hard could eighth grade homework possibly be? It shouldn’t take that long.”
He
wanted to say that he was faced with at least four hours of homework, including
studying for an algebra test and writing a history report, but didn’t want to
get into an argument. The last time he had dared speak against her, he had been
grounded for two weeks; so instead, he changed the subject. “What’s for
dinner?”
“Tuna
casserole, French bread, and Brussels sprouts.” She stared him down as though
she dared him to complain.
Tyler
glanced at the blue bowl of vegetables. The smell made him want to gag, but
instead he said, “Mmm, I like French bread.” Apparently unaffected by the
dinner selection, he grabbed a pitcher out of the fridge and poured a glass of
juice.
Toby
entered the kitchen a moment later and glanced from the blue bowl to Tyler.
You
seem too happy. What are you up to
?
Tyler
smiled at his brother. “Would you like a glass of juice while it’s out of the
fridge?”
“Sure,”
Toby said as he sat at the table. “Thanks.”
Tyler
poured juice for his brother and then grabbed both glasses and sat beside him.
He glanced from Toby to the blue bowl and smiled.
No
, Toby thought to him.
I knew you
were up to something. Don’t do it. Cybil will be pissed
. Having a
telepathic connection with his brother definitely made conversations around
their overbearing, foster parents, Kirby and Cybil Smith, more convenient.
Who
cares? She can’t be mad at me. I’m nowhere near the counter
. He glanced at Cybil; her back was
to them as she took plates out of the cupboard. Then he looked at the bowl. It
sat about four inches from the edge of the counter.
Easy
, he thought. He
focused his energy on the blue shape. It took only a few moments, and then it
slowly shifted.
Tyler.
Don’t.
Shh…I’m
concentrating
.
He
focused harder, and before he had time to blink, the bowl lurched forward and
crashed to the floor. A few Brussels sprouts rolled under the table; the
remainder lay in a pile amidst blue shards of glass.
Cybil
swirled and stared open-mouthed at her ill-fated vegetables then she glared at
him. “What happened?”
“It
looks like the bowl fell.” Tyler tried to hide all signs of amusement from his
face. “That’s too bad.”
“You
think this is funny?”
“No, ma’am.
I’m not laughing.”
She
continued to glare.
If looks could kill
, he thought. He could hear her
thoughts. She wanted to say something. She wanted to blame him but knew it
couldn’t have been his fault.
“Clean
it up!” she snapped.
“Yes, ma’am.”
He cleaned without complaint, and after he had dumped the last of the round,
green balls into the garbage, he returned to the table and ate in silent glee.
*****
Wickenburg,
Arizona, was a small town, and so, without a lot to do, the dollar store had become
a popular hangout. One day after school, Tyler decided to tag along with three
boys who were in search of hot girls and book report supplies. One of the boys,
Carlos, split off from the group to talk to a group of girls, and the other two
boys, Jake and Max, went in search of poster paper and markers.
Tyler
decided to buy a bag of chips to munch on for the walk home and headed for the
snack aisle. After he rounded the corner, he spied his two missing buddies.
Obviously not in search of book report supplies, Max appeared to be on the
lookout while Jake stashed a load of candy into his open backpack. Unwilling to
be caught and associated with them, he decided that it would be best to leave the
store before any trouble brewed, lest the boys get caught in the act.
He
turned, in hope that his friends hadn’t noticed his presence. Then he paused
and returned to the head of the candy aisle. He took inventory of the scene and
noticed a tall display of Cracker Jacks, positioned directly behind the boys
.
Hmm…should I
? he wondered. He smiled. The opportunity was too good to
resist.
Tyler
focused on a box at the bottom of the stack. It slowly began to wiggle. He
imagined it sliding out and forward, and then it happened. Before he had time
to reconsider, the box slid out and fell to the floor; it was promptly followed
by the entire display, which cascaded down onto the unsuspecting boys.
Tyler
had hoped to escape unnoticed but a group of onlookers, Carlos included, rushed
up from behind to check out the scene. He tried to retreat but was pushed
forward with the crowd. When they reached the mess, Max and Jake stood to brush
off flakes of the caramel popcorn that had sprung from some of the boxes.
They
turned when the voice of the gruff, store manager shouted, “What is going on
here?”
Jake
looked at Max and hollered, “Dude, we’ve gotta get out of here!” Then, he
rushed to Tyler and said, “Here, take this. Come meet us later!” He tossed
Tyler the backpack, and the two hooligans ran out the front door before they
could be incriminated in any wrongdoings.
“Who’s
responsible for this mess?” the manager demanded.
“They
were.” Tyler pointed to the two boys who ran out the door.
“All right,
I want all you kids out of here!”
More
than happy to follow this command, Tyler was shocked and scared that he still
held the backpack filled with Jake’s loot, and he wanted nothing more than to
be rid of it. First he would have to escape from the crowd; then he would find
a place to stash it.
He
turned to leave the scene but stopped when a girl shouted, “Wait, Mr. Gregory!
Stop that boy with the backpack. I saw it all on the cameras from the back
office. He’s stealing candy!”
“Wait a
minute, boy,” said Mr. Gregory, the manager. He placed a hand on Tyler’s arm
and then turned to the employee who had viewed the security camera. “What’s
this all about, Lindsay? You say this boy is stealing?”
“Yes, Sir.
Well, that is, those other boys were. I saw them stuff a bunch of candy in
there.” She pointed to the backpack.
Mr.
Gregory glared at him. “What do you have to say, young man? Would you care to
open your backpack and show me what’s inside? Or do I need to call the police
and have them take a look? There’s no point in running. Everyone knows you and
your twin brother, whichever one you are. You live up at the Smith’s place. If
you take off, we’ll just send the police after you.”
Tyler’s
hands trembled, and his heart thudded like a drum
. How am I ever going to
get out of this mess
? he wondered.
“It’s
not my backpack, Sir. Max and Jake tossed it to me when they ran away.”
“And why
would they do something like that?”
Tyler
gulped. “I don’t know, Sir. Honest.”
“Well
then, I guess if it’s not your backpack, you won’t have a problem opening it
up, so we can have a look.”
He was
in a no-win situation. If he refused, Mr. Gregory would call the police, who
would arrive to find him with the stolen merchandise. They would assume that he
was equally guilty. However, if he complied and opened the backpack, they would
assume that he was an accomplice.
When Mr.
Gregory realized that a crowd of onlookers had formed, he said, “Why don’t we
take this up in the back office. Lindsay, would you lead the way, please?”
There
seemed to be no other choice. Followed closely behind by the manager, Tyler
reluctantly followed Lindsay to the back of the store. He could feel the eyes
of the customers examine his every step and could hear their incriminating
thoughts.
I knew that boy was no good from the moment he arrived. Wait til
his mother hears about this
. He didn’t have to look to know that that
particular thought had come from Cybil’s friend, Georgia.
She’s not my
mother
! he wanted to shout back but kept his eyes forward and continued to
walk.
In the
end, charges were filed against Tyler, Jake, and Max. The judge let all of the
boys go with a few hours of community service, but that wasn’t enough for
Cybil. After his community service hours were complete, she made arrangements
with a military school in southeastern Arizona, where he would be sent to “shape
up and learn how to behave."
The news
of military school didn’t upset Tyler; after all, nothing could be worse than
the treatment he’d received from the Smith’s. It was the news that he would be
separated from Toby, for the first time in his life that he found to be
unbearable.