Shattered

5 out of 5 Stars - “Desire was mysterious
and engaging with an ending that leaves you
wanting more. Another great read by Kailin
Gow!”

The Bookshelf

5 out of 5 Stars – “I know I say this alot but
WOW. Desire was so much more than the
dystopian YA romance I thought I was going to
be reading and I’m sad that I have had it on my
kindle since it was released. Kailin Gow's twist
of her first Dystopian novel rocked my world...a
must read for any YA fans."

YA Indie Princess

5 out of 5 Stars – “Desire is Literary Genius!” Kindle Obsessed

5 out of 5 Stars – “This is a Must Read for
anyone who enjoys YA Dystopian like Hunger
Games, Matched, and Divergent.” – YA Reader
Shattered

Kailin Gow

Shattered (Desire #2)

Published by THE EDGE

THE EDGE is an imprint of Sparklesoup Inc.

Copyright © 2011 Kailin Gow

Al Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying,

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information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing from the publisher except in case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

For information, please contact:

THE EDGE at Sparklesoup

14252 Culver Dr., A-732

Irvine, CA 92604

www.sparklesoup.com

First Edition.

Printed in the United States of America.

ISBN: 978-1597486705

"Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels,
the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square
holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're
not fond of rules... You can/p>G quote them,
disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the
only thing you can't do is ignore them because they
change things... they push the human race forward,
and while some may see them as the crazy ones,
we see genius, because the ones who are crazy
enough to think that they can change the world, are
the ones who do." -
Steve Jobs

Arcadia, Earth – Year 3010

I saw Liam, Sarah, my mother and even Pim, al in quick succession. They were wrapped in fog, distant and silent, and the more I struggled to approach them, the further away they appeared.

My mother came beside me suddenly, a fidgety but happy baby in her arms. Her scent, fragrant with baby oil, baby lotion, and baby powder, came to me and the baby Kama in me felt content and secure. In her arms I wanted to remain, always.

The warmth and loving attention she gave me was endless and I greedily ate it up.

My thumb found its way to my mouth. I cooed, gurgled and looked into my mother’s loving eyes.

She brought me to my room, the perfect little princess room.

A flash of pink. A flash of lavender. The cradle was gone and a canopy hung over the single bed.

She set me on the floor and I ran to my bed, a five year old princess determined to protect my castle.

“Stay and help me fend off the king’s knights, Mommy.” I grabbed the magic wand, my constant companion.

Setting her housework aside, she joined in the game. We set up for battle, a fierce battle that would send the knights running back to their king, but suddenly Miss Harper set up at the black board and chalked out the day’s lesson; sixth grade math.

Sarah sat in front of me, her ponytail shining under the bright yel ow ribbon that held her hair up. She shook her head back and forth, making the ponytail swing with exuberance. I already looked forward to running out to play with her; hopscotch was our favorite.

I glanced down at my notebook. Beside the perfectly formed numbers I’d patiently added, multiplied and divided were a serineies of hearts.

Some were colored in, some were pierced with an arrow and al had the same name printed inside.

Liam.

And there he was, sitting beside me. In ways I’d never imagined, he captivated my attention. He was so adorable and I couldn’t resist the way he made me laugh. I longed to hold his hand. He winked and in an instant we were at his impressive home; the governor’s mansion.

Here I truly felt like a princess and instead of fending off the king’s knights as I had done as a child in my castle, we danced, laughed and sang. His playroom could easily take up more than half my whole house and it was fil ed with every game and toy imaginable, but the toys were quickly set aside as we discovered one another.

Always friends, always close, our relationship left the innocence of childhood behind and forged a strong al iance based on love, respect and deep admiration for one another. We’d become inseparable. Sometimes I wondered if I could breathe without him.

I was at his side as he opened his Life’s Plan. He was to marry a girl he’d always known. Our eyes met. We’d always known we be together, grow old together. Now the fulfil ment of that dream was close at hand. We celebrated, threw confetti, blew horns, clapped our hands, jumped and screamed our excitement. Our lives were becoming more intertwined with every day. We kiss, so deep and so passionate, I wanted to weep for the sensations it left me with.

A flash of blinding light brought us to the day I received my Life’s Plan. Sobs racked my chest as I read and read again. It couldn’t be right.

“There has to be a mistake,” Liam said. He stared at the page, seeking, as I had, some hidden message, some encrypted information. There had to be something in the Plan that indicated we should be together.

Multiple flashes of light, more blinding than lightning, left me with the same result. I turned away, shaking my head to clear the image of the blank and empty Life’s Plan only to find it blank time and again.

“We’l get it fixed,” he said.

I melted into his arms, wanting to forget the horrible Life’s Plan. We would ignore it and be together, no matter what it said.

The bright light shifted to display roaring red flames that brought us al back to the diner, our favorite afternoon hang out. Sarah was too cheerful for me to endure, her laughter so joyous and excited, it made my pain al the more unbearable.

Sixth grade math. My princess room. Liam’s stately mansion. My mother’s arms. Liam’s Life’s Plan. Sarah’s joyous laughter. Liam’s love. My childhood, my life had been a fairy tale… my Life’s Plan a nightmare.

As my life unfolded before me, I looked across the table to Sarah and back to Liam, feeling a loss of control.

Then came Torrid. Magnificent and beautiful, he stood across the street, his bril iant blue eyes boring into me, delving in deep. He drew me to him in a way Liam never had. I left the diner to go to him only to find myself alone; only to leave Liam with too many questions.

The flashing lights, the blazing flame, they al dimmed and faded and the childhood memories crumbled and disappeared. I tried to open my eyes, to face the reality of where I now lay. My mind refused to accept it and briefly reverted to the loving memories of the past, but a sharp stabbing pain was insistent, persistent in its desire to tear me from bliss of sleep and drop me in the nightmare I knew I’d face if I opened my eyes.

if I opened my eyes.

“Kama,” Liam said. His voice was soft, but determined to shake me out of the fog I had taken refuge in.

“Kama, wake up.”

I opened my eyes to meet his, and for a moment, I was fil ed with a sense of relief and not the nightmare I’d expected. We’d made it. We’d escaped and were free.

Sitting up, however, I was immediately confronted with the truth. We weren’t free, the heavy metal bars on the window made that fact al too clear.

And the biggest reminder of what had happened was wrapped around my wrist… the leather band Pim had placed there stuck to me like a second skin. I was a captive.

“Liam,” I muttered, trying to get my bearings.

“Are we in jail?”

He held me close, his hand gentle as it swept through my hair. “I don’t think so.”

I looked more closely at the wal s around us.

Peeling wal paper hung on the upper half of the wal s while the bottom was bare, scoffed and scratched.

Minimal furniture was pushed into a corner; an old desk, a battered filing cabinet and a three legged chair. It was an old office that no longer served a purpose.

“I think we’ve been sent to someone’s funny version of a dungeon.” He forced a smile, but his eyes were fil ed with concern.

The windows were high and shal ow. “It’s a basement.”

Liam stood and looked out the window.

“Looks like we’re right under the Committee conference room.”

I was slow in getting to my feet, partial y searching for any possible injuries and partial y to al ow my head to stop spinning. Once up, I swayed, found my balance and headed for the door. Eager for a taste of fresh air, I grabbed the knob and twisted, but it wouldn’t budge. “They locked us in.” I glanced at Liam, trying to keep the accusation out of my eyes, but finding it impossible to keep it from my next statement. “Your father had us locked up.”

“No,” he said. He crossed the room and tried the door himself. “He wouldn’t do that.”

“You know Pim as your father, loving and caring, but as governor of Arcadia… as the creator of this perfect world, I think he may be a whole different person.”

He shook his head and laid his hand on the heavy reinforced door. “He just wants to teach me a lesson. You’l see. He’l let us out, it won’t be long.”

“Don’t you get it, Liam? Your father’s not what you think he is. He didn’t send us down here to teach us a lesson. He’s restraining us.” Pul ing me into his arms, he let out a resigned sigh. “We’l get out, Kama. I’l get you out.” He kissed my temple and stroked the tender skin at the base of my neck.

“I’m sorry,” I said, knowing how difficult it must be to learn what kind of person a trusted parent real y was. “This can’t be easy.” I pul ed away and my fingers automatical y worked their way to the band on my wrist. ‘He put this on me, remember?” Liam glanced at the band and nodded. I knew how tortured he was by al this. Torn between the love he’d known for his father and the anger he now had, he brought his fist into the air, prepared to hit the wal then turned away, his eyes fil ed with tears of pain. “I can’t believe he’d do this. He loved me.” He reached out to take my hand. “For crying out loud, Kama, he loved you. He loved your mother.

How could he do this to us?”

I didn’t know what to say. My own memories of Pim had been shattered as I’d learned of his past… of his present. “Liam, you saw what he did,” I final y said. “You saw the sky. The world your father has created has been shattered.”

He stared blankly at the wal .

“It took me months to understand it al , Liam.

My whole life has been built on the vision of my perfect life in Arcadia… my life with you. Learning about the Magical Ones, everything that happened with the Committee and my Life’s Plan, my own capabilities… ais nd Torrid.”

He cringed and made no attempt to hide it.

“Do you real y have to bring him up?”

“Like it or not, he’s a part of this change that’s coming to Arcadia, to al our lives. It may take you some time to come to terms with al this, but don’t linger too long. Don’t fight the inevitable. Our lives might depend on it.”

His lips parted to comment or question, but his words were halted on his tongue as the doorknob suddenly rattled.

I gripped his arm and turned to face the intruder. If we had to fight our way out, I wanted to be prepared. “Ready?” I said, though I had no idea what we were about to face.

“Yeah,” Liam grunted.

A guard, no doubt one of Pim’s men, threw the door open and stood, his imposing figure blocking the way. The heavy steel door clanged against the wal , leaving a metal ic echo hanging in the smal room. The sheer force needed to push the door back so easily was impressive and made the door back so easily was impressive and made the option of rushing him too daunting.

We backed away, staring at the huge man with awe and fear as he entered the smal room.