Twilight Thursday

Juggling Act: Guest Post

by

Heather Frost

It's been said that life is like a roller coaster; full of ups and down, twists and turns. Sometimes we scream, and sometimes we laugh—sometimes things happen fast, and sometimes we progress slowly. We can choose to face each new hill with trepidation, or excitement.


It's a great metaphor, but for the purposes of this post I think there's a better comparison out there. I think that life is more akin to a juggling act. We each stand on a crowded corner, juggling more and more responsibilities with every year we age. Sometimes people toss us a quarter in recognition, but more often than not our only reward is surviving another day without dropping everything.


It's easy to feel bogged down with everything life throws at you. I'm going to use myself as an example. I'm the oldest daughter in a family of twelve. I'm a full time student, working toward my Bachelor's degree. I work as a writing tutor. I'm an author. And somewhere in there I try to fit in a social life, and some much needed me time. I realize I'm pretty lucky, and my life could be a lot crazier, but learning to balance your responsibilities is never easy. I've found that organizing your time is a lot like budgeting your money. Learning to distinguish between needs and wants is essential. If you try to do everything you need and want, you're going to end up a nervous wreck. I find that making lists is helpful, and in the end you just need to remember that there's always tomorrow.


For Kate Bennett, surviving the car wreck that killed her parents means big changes and even bigger problems. As she begins to see auras and invisible people, Kate must learn to trust Patrick O'Donnell, a handsome Guardian, or risk her life being overrun with Demons. She soon realizes that both she and her heart are in big-time trouble.


And now, an excerpt from Seers:


Lee stood, pulling her tray up with her. “Well, guess I'll see you guys later. Wish me luck.” Without waiting for a response she stalked away, leaving me alone with Patrick.


I took a quick bite of my mashed potatoes and slid a few inches away from him, pulling my tray with me.


I didn't look up when he sighed deeply, or even when he angled himself toward me. “Kate, what's the matter? Did I do something wrong?”


“What makes you think anything's wrong?” I grunted, staring at my food, propping my elbow nearest to him on the table to better cut us off.


“You. You're acting like I've got some kind of disease or something.” His voice sounded far too accusing, considering the fact that there was more off about him than there was with me. But I didn't point that out. I just shoveled another spoonful of potato into my mouth.


He sighed deeply and picked up his fork, only to stab his unfortunate piece of chicken. He didn't bother to eat it, though. “You avoided me, at Lee's party. I just want to know why. Because I thought we were getting along just fine. Did I offend you somehow? Do you like the British?”


I let my elbow slip off the edge of the table, and I turned to stare at him, fighting to keep emotion from twisting my face. “I do. I do like the British. They have a great sense of humor.”


“So, you're shunning me because I mocked the English?” The disbelief in his voice was almost comical.


“No.”


“Then why?”


I bit my lower lip, knowing that I'd regret anything I blurted out at this point. Not that that stopped me, of course.


“Look,” I hissed suddenly, leaning toward him. “I know about you. I know that you're different. I know, because I'm different too. I can see auras. You know, read peoples emotions. But not you. You're different. You have a silver aura, and I can't see your emotions.” I waved my hand in the space between us, back and forth, groping for the right words. “And this, this friendship you're trying to achieve, well, it's not going to work. I was playing along because I was curious about you. But now, I just want you to stay away from me—and from all my friends. You got it?”


He was staring at me, his eyes blinked slowly. He didn't look as scared or as nervous as I sort of imagined he would, but he didn't look angry either. He just looked . . . surprised? Maybe a little unsure. I suppose he'd never been confronted like this before, but I could understand that. It was a first for me too.


“Kate . . . ” his voice trailed off, and in his momentary hesitation I stood, gripping my tray tightly as I walked away.


“Wait!” I heard him call out behind me, but I didn't stop. I dumped my mostly uneaten meal into the garbage and deposited my tray before turning on my heel and walking firmly out of the room. I wasn't entirely sure about where I was going; just away from Patrick.


I heard him stumbling along behind me, but that only caused my step to quicken. I wanted to end this conversation as strongly as I'd begun it. I was going to have the last word; even if it meant getting into my car and driving home. Forget about school. Defying Patrick in all his weirdness was worth a few absences.






To learn more about Seers, or the author, follow one of these links!


http://seersthebook.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Seers-The-Official-Fan-Page/158893460846605
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4983261.Heather_Frost