Whisper by Heather Hildenbrand
New Adult Paranormal Fantasy
The Cherokee believe when a person dies, their soul is reborn. Life is repeated. An endless cycle of lessons to be learned, love to be found, destiny to be fulfilled. For the past six months, in every flower, every bird, I’ve imagined my parents, relieved of their human forms.
Now, after five months at the Skye View Wellness Center, it was summer. A time for parties and friends, but that’s the last thing I want to do. So when my best friend Erin convinces me to attend a bonfire at Eagle Point, I can’t handle the crowd full of sympathetic stares or drunken class clowns who would use my tragedy as a way into my heart – or my pants. The solitude of the woods offers an escape, until I stumble upon a boy, unconscious and bleeding, his pockets stuffed not with identification but with poetry illustrating the beauty of dying. I’ve seen enough death. I will not leave this boy’s side.
Even after he wakes, when the only thing he can remember are visions of events that haven’t happened yet…
I
still couldn’t believe Dad’s good news. Months and months of research.
Unceasing energy and determination. I hadn’t allowed myself the belief that it
wouldn’t work. There was too much at stake for the animals. Especially Dolly.
And now she was coming home to live with me instead of that nasty excuse for a
trainer. I’d won!
I
ate standing up. The microwave never cooked evenly so the outside edges were
hotter than the middle. I didn’t care. I was starved. I didn’t even bother to
chew until the fifth bite.
Footsteps
in the hall behind me signaled Tinker must be off the phone. I waited for him
to pick up our previous conversation, or tell me about some part of his day
that I’d missed while stuck inside the walls of learning. But there was only
silence. I turned and found him standing in the kitchen doorway, his hands limp
at his sides and the most confused expression I’d ever seen on his face.
“Tinker?”
No
answer.
He
stared at a spot on the wood-planked wall that bordered the breakfast nook. My
eyes followed his and I found a tiny cross-stitched plaque that read “Home Is
Where the Heart Is” in blue thread. Grandma had sewn it years before I’d been
born.
“Tinker?”
I repeated. “Who was on the phone?”
“A
friend of mine, lives down by Port Creek.” His voice was distant, hollow.
I
hadn’t been worried until the moment our eyes locked. When they did, it felt
like a tidal wave rushing up to meet me. Suddenly, I knew that whatever he was
about to say would be very, very bad.
“Whisper
…”
The
doorbell rang, its chime echoing through the otherwise still house. I stared
back at Tinker. Something final rested in his eyes. The only time I’d ever seen
him look like that …
“I’ll
get it,” I said around the lump in my throat.
I
tossed the spaghetti aside and went to the door, sliding carefully by Tinker on
my way. I didn’t want to touch him. It was something about the energy he gave
off, and I knew if I touched him it would infect me. He didn’t move to follow.
I
pulled open the door and found a man in a dark uniform staring back at me. The
shiny silver buttons on his shirt matched a gleaming badge on his belt loop.
His hat was big enough that, had it been yellow, this could’ve been a scene
from Curious George Goes to Colorado.
“Ms.
Whisper Grant?” he asked. His thin lips arched into a frown when he spoke.
“Yes?”
I said. Tinker came up behind me. I felt his hand come down heavily onto my
shoulder.
“I’m
State Trooper Nelson. This is Hefley.” He gestured to another man off to the
side, who I hadn’t even noticed, on the porch but away from the light of the
door. His expression matched the first man’s. If they were going for gentle or
caring, the twist in their lip ruined it.
Nelson
consulted a single sheet of paper attached to the clipboard he held. “Says here
your birthday was three weeks ago. You’re eighteen now. Is that correct?” he
asked without looking up.
“Correct,”
I confirmed. “Can I help you?” I asked. I felt the spray of another approaching
wave and braced myself.
“Guess
that makes you the official emergency contact.” He sighed like he’d hoped for a
different answer. “I’m afraid I have some bad news. There was an accident. On
the bridge near Port Creek. A pickup truck went over the embankment. The
vehicle was registered to a Shawn and Anna Grant. They are your parents, I
believe? A man at the scene said he knew you, gave us your address.”
Tinker’s
hand squeezed into my shoulder.
That’s
the last thing I remember of that night.
In
fact, much of the next few weeks and months that followed is still a blur.
Including the night I downed a pill bottle full of Xanax and went to sleep.
Even after five months at Skye View, I still can’t remember it all. Over time,
it’s become easier to cope with the missing pockets of time. To cope with the
numbing sadness, the raging anger, the quiet desperation that came out of that
moment of loss. But I’m still not me.
Tinker
said I lost myself. He said it’s what animals do when the pain of loss is too
much to bear. He said one day, I’ll find myself again. A new me, a version who
is able to live despite the loss I’ve suffered. I told him that sounds like
something Grandma would say. He said he learned it from her, and he’s learning
to find himself again, too.
~~ I received this in exchange for an honest review~~
I love reading Heather's books. Each book is different, yet has the same underlying theme, magic. No, it isn't the magic like in Harry Potter with wands and what not, this is Cherokee magic.In Whisper, Heather takes us into the legends and stories of the Cherokee Indian tribes. Ancient curses, and ancient magic. I found it interesting to read about legends from the Cherokees.
In Whisper, we read about a woman named Whisper (cool name!!)She has everything taken from her one night. From that night on, she has to fight what little sanity she has left. With her friend Erin by her side, they go to a bon fire, and that is when Whisper's life completely changes. She finds a man unconscious in the woods. She stays with him until he regains consciousness. Everyone is telling her that she needs to forget about this man and go about her life, especially Taregan. He is desperately wanting Whisper to forget about this man, and go out with him. But, it is in Whispers nature to save thing. Can she just get up and walk away from this stranger, or can she stay and try and help him remember who he is?
There isn't anything bad that I can say about Heather's books. I have read many of her books and have loved every single one of them. I will continue to read her books. If you haven't read her books yet, you need too.
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Author of Across the Galaxy, Whisper, and the Dirty Blood series. I write, read, and fuss at my kids. Oh, and I do laundry, lots of laundry. I’m pretty good at it, too. Sometimes I even read WHILE doing laundry – and fussing at my kids. I’m a multi-tasker.
For more information on my books, release dates, or just general stalker material, um, I mean FAN material, visit my website. www.heatherhildenbrand.blogspot.com. I love hearing from readers!
Likes and dislikes? I love vintage tees, hate socks with sandals, and if my house was on fire the one thing I’d grab is my Amazon Fire TV! (oh yeah, I’m a fan of puns.)
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