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    The Beautiful Ones
    The Beautiful Ones
    The Beautiful Ones
    Ebook90 pages2 hours

    The Beautiful Ones

    By Lori Brighton

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    About this ebook

    Some say we’re special, and that’s why we’re kept in seclusion. Beyond those walls evil lurks and innocent prey would be lost in minutes. Gone. Destroyed. Forgotten.
    Others say the opposite: we’re locked away because there’s something wrong with us. If we roamed the outside world, we might taint the beautiful ones. A species so pure, that to merely be in their presence is a gift.

    As for my beliefs...I’m not sure.

    But I do know one thing: neither of those reasons explains why it is that they come for us only after we’ve passed the age of sixteen. Whether we want to go or not, we’re taken through those iron gates. Escorted away from the only home we’ve ever known, escorted to our destiny—whatever that destiny may be—never to be seen again.

    The Beautiful Ones is a prequel intended to introduce Lori's newest Young Adult series. At around 21,000 words, this is a short story. This Young Adult Romance contains kissing, cursing and some violence. It is best for ages 14 and up.

    The Beautiful Ones: Prequel
    The Chosen Ones: Book 1 (coming Spring, 2014)

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLori Brighton
    Release dateFeb 9, 2014
    ISBN9781311687593
    The Beautiful Ones
    Author

    Lori Brighton

    As a child, Lori Brighton relished the thought of a life filled with adventure in far-off places. Determined to become an archaeologist, she earned a degree in anthropology—only to discover that digging in the dirt beneath the punishing sun wasn’t much fun. She packed up her love of history and took a job in an air-conditioned museum, yet still her thirst for adventure wasn’t satisfied. And so she began to write, bringing the people in her imagination to life on the printed page. With her debut novel Wild Heart, she finally married her loves of history and adventure. Today she is the author of more than a half-dozen historical romance, paranormal romance, and young-adult novels.

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      Book preview

      The Beautiful Ones - Lori Brighton

      The Beautiful Ones

      A Prequel

      By Lori Brighton

      Copyright 2014 Lori Brighton

      Smashwords Edition

      www.LoriBrighton.com

      All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

      This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold 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. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Cover art and design by Ronnell D. Porter

      Editing by Martha Trachtenberg

      Young Adult Books by Lori Brighton:

      The Chosen Ones Series:

      The Beautiful Ones: Prequel

      The Chosen Ones: Book 1, coming Spring 2014!

      The Mind Readers Series:

      The Mind Readers: Book 1 (Ebook version is free!)

      The Mind Thieves: Book 2

      The Mind Games: Book 3

      The Mind Keepers (Series-ending Novella)

      The Matchmaker Series:

      Make Me a Match: Book 1

      The Beautiful Ones

      A Prequel

      Lori Brighton

      Some say we’re special, and that’s why we’re kept in seclusion. Beyond those walls evil lurks and innocent prey would be lost in minutes. Gone. Destroyed. Forgotten.

      Others say the opposite: we’re locked away because there’s something wrong with us. If we roamed the outside world, we might taint the beautiful ones. A species so pure, that to merely be in their presence is a gift.

      As for my beliefs…I’m not sure.

      But I do know one thing: neither of those reasons explains why it is that they come for us only after we’ve passed the age of sixteen. Whether we want to go or not, we’re taken through those iron gates. Escorted away from the only home we’ve ever known, escorted to our destiny—whatever that destiny may be—never to be seen again.

      Chapter 1

      They were coming today. I knew this as a fact.

      Rain, snow, wind, sun, every fourth Sunday of the month they came for us. The beautiful ones, as they’d been dubbed long before I had been born, would sweep into our fenced home and pick two, sometimes three of us. No one knew whom they would choose, or why, but most prayed it would be them.

      I tucked my woolen skirts under my legs and drew my knees closer to my chest, biding my time. I wasn’t looking for them as I huddled in my nest of leaves and twigs. No, I was looking for something much, much more interesting. Desperate, I leaned against the iron fence, my fingers tightening around the cold, rusty bars.

      Just there beyond the hill, wavering in the crisp spring breeze, was a forest. Dark skeletal branches against a brilliant orange sky, the setting sun a fiery ball that balanced on the horizon like a mystical orb. Those trees would blossom soon. Even from far away I was sure I could see the buds. And then the scents would come, arriving on air that would change from crisp to warm, from musky to sweet. The intoxicating scent of spring. A time of hope, renewal, promise, but most of all…a time of mystery.

      I closed my eyes and attempted to conjure that scent.

      Barely there, hovering on the edges of my memory. I couldn’t stop thinking, couldn’t stop dreaming, and all because when I was ten years of age, on one particularly windy spring day, a few petals from a distant tree had floated over the wall. They were no larger than a fingernail, but I’d held those petals in my palm as if they were the greatest of treasures. And to me, they were. The velvety softness, that sweet scent, the most delicate pink in color.

      All too soon they had wilted, dried and turned brown and brittle. Alive and vibrant one moment, gone the next. Their death had stunned me in some way that I didn’t quite understand. It had happened years ago and I could barely remember how they felt, but I still yearned for their touch. If something so tiny and beautiful could be out there, what else lay beyond the hills? How desperately I wanted to know. It was the year I’d started thinking…wondering. The year everything had changed and I was no longer content.

      Shifting, I settled upon my knees and gazed out between the bars at the setting sun, barely aware of the damp earth soaking through my thick skirts, hoping that if I looked hard enough I might understand this world, this life. Could I walk into that sunset? Keep going until I found a place of warmth, green grasses and utter softness? A place where flowers did not wither and die but grew in abundance year after year?

      I leaned forward, resting my forehead on the cool bars. Dirt. I tired of the dirt that surrounded us. That dusted the air and coated my legs and arms and face. Out there, the world changed. The dirt gave way to brilliant green grass. Trees turned with the seasons. The world didn’t remain a constant as it did here.

      To the others those trees in the distance were a way to note the passing of time. To me they were magic. To the others the world out there was something to fear. To me it represented hope. And just beyond, barely visible, the rolling green hills would be dotted with yellow flowers in the summer. Always.

      How far did that land stretch? What was out there? There was something amazing. I didn’t know what, but I could feel it in my bones and someday I would uncover the truth.

      The thorny branches around me rattled in warning. I stiffened, turning toward the tunnel that snaked through the vines. Yes, someday I would uncover the truth, but apparently not today.

      Jane! Tom whispered. Jane, where are you?

      I relaxed, relieved I hadn’t been found. The bushes rattled once more. Tom cursed and I had to hide my grin. Tall and gangly, the older he got, the more difficult it was for him to fit into my tiny fort.

      I’m here, I whispered back.

      Two branches parted and a narrow, freckled face peeked down

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