Stacy Claflin, author of the book, Gone, joins us today. Sit back and enjoy reading two chilling excerpts from the book.
Gone
by Stacy Claflin
Macy Mercer only wants a little independence. Eager to
prove herself grown up, she goes to a dark, secluded park. She’s supposed to
meet the boy of her dreams who she met online. But the cute fifteen year old
was a fantasy, his pictures fake. She finds herself face to face with Chester
Woodran, a man capable of murder.
Distraught over his own missing daughter, Chester
insists that Macy replace his lost girl. He locks Macy up, withholds food, and
roughs her up, demanding that she call him dad. Under duress from his constant
threats and mind games, her hold on reality starts to slip. Clinging to her
memories is the only way of holding onto her true identity, not believing that
she is Chester’s daughter. Otherwise she may never see her family again.
Excerpt
#1
Sitting in his warm truck
across from the park, Chester Woodran watched her walk across the open field.
An overhead light turned on as she passed under it in the dusk. Her long, dark
hair swished back and forth behind her. She wandered around the playground,
walking between the climbers and slides until she stopped in front of the
swings.
He had spent hours
watching her. Studying her. He knew her almost better than she knew herself.
The moment of truth would
arrive soon. She’d come a few minutes early, but he wouldn’t deviate from the
schedule. He would act exactly on time. He’d laid the groundwork. He wasn’t
going to let her change a thing.
Chester pulled out his
phone and scrolled through the pictures, stopping at his favorite. It was the
girl in the park for sure, although he couldn’t see the details of her face up
close yet. He would have to wait a few minutes.
From the phone, her light
brown eyes shone at him. Her shy, almost insecure face smiled sweetly.
His heart sped up at the thought
of many weeks of work coming together at long last. The waiting was about to
end.
Clenching the steering
wheel with all his might, he took several deep breaths to calm himself. Every
precaution had been taken. Prepared with painstaking care. There was no chance
of anything going wrong so long as he stayed with the plan.
The alarm on his digital
wristwatch beeped. He turned it off and then leaned back into the seat,
adjusting his over-sized glasses.
It was
time.
Excerpt
#2
Macy Mercer sat on the
swing, clutching the cold, metal chain. Soon she’d meet Jared, the sweet and
adorable boy she met online. She pushed the dirt with her foot, swinging back
and forth, listening to the leaves rustle nearby as a breeze picked up. The
temperature felt like it had dropped ten degrees, so she zipped up her hoodie
as far as it would go. She should have worn a coat, but it was too late to go
back home.
A crow cawed in the
distance, giving her the chills.
To distract herself, she
grabbed the new smart phone she’d received for her fifteenth birthday. She
checked the time. Jared still had another five minutes. Macy had been so eager
to meet him that she’d sneaked out of her house a little early, eager for her
first real date. Her parents had a stupid, outdated rule that she couldn’t date
until she turned sixteen. There was no way she would wait an entire year. Not
when her friends all went out every weekend.
She looked around the
empty park once more, the swing chains groaning as they carried her back and
forth listlessly. Jared was supposed to meet her after his baseball practice.
He was the star of the team, and sometimes had to stay a little late because
the coach expected more from him than anyone else. She scrolled through their
latest texting conversation, her excitement building.
The phone buzzed,
startling her. Hoping that it was Jared, she scrolled to the bottom of the
screen and smiled.
Sorry, coach is keeping
me late
Macy sighed, shivering in
the cold Washington breeze. How long?
Abt a half hr
The last thing Macy wanted
was to put the date off, but it was really cold. U sure 2day still works?
You want my dad to get u?
Macy ran her hands
through her freshly-styled hair. Going with a grown man hadn’t been part of the
plan. She was just supposed to meet Jared and go the mall, or maybe a movie or
to the arcade. They were going to play it by ear.
Is it ok? Or u wanna
wait?
It was getting colder,
and no way she wanted to sit here that long. The mall was too far to walk to,
but with his dad she’d be warmer and see Jared sooner.
They’d talked for so long
over computers and texts. Macy didn’t want to wait more. She’d show everyone
she wasn’t afraid to go out with a boy, no matter what her parents said.
She texted him back. He’s
ok driving me?
He offered
U can’t come now?
No. I have to help
Ok. Your dad can pick me
up
K c u soon
Sliding the phone back
into her pocket, she looked around again. Something didn’t feel right, but she
pushed it aside. She and Jared had known each other for a whole month, and he
was sweet and funny. If he thought it was okay for her to go with his dad, it
was fine. She wasn’t a little girl anymore. Macy held her chin a little higher.
A green pickup truck with
a black canopy pulled into the empty parking lot. Macy squinted, trying to see
if the driver looked like an old version Jared’s profile pictures. She couldn’t
tell.
Author
Bio
I love writing and reading a variety of genres. I've
been writing and telling stories as long as I can remember. As a kid, my story
telling would get me into trouble when I would try to convince other kids that
my stories were real.
When I'm not busy writing, I spend a lot of time with
my family. I run a preschool from home and homeschool my kids.
Connect
with Stacy
Twitter: http://twitter.com/growwithstacy
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/growwithstacy
Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6591338.Stacy_Claflin
Book Updates/Newsletter: http://bit.ly/10NrfMw
Win! Win! Win!
2 comments:
Thank you for hosting me!
Great blog yoou have
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