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    Roses in the Ashes (William Bernhardt's Shine Series Book 2)
    Roses in the Ashes (William Bernhardt's Shine Series Book 2)
    Roses in the Ashes (William Bernhardt's Shine Series Book 2)
    Ebook110 pages1 hour

    Roses in the Ashes (William Bernhardt's Shine Series Book 2)

    By William Bernhardt

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    About this ebook

    n the near future, a few young women manifest extraordinary abilities called "Shine." Each girl's ability is different. Some develop extraordinary mental abilities. Some become physically strong. Others have powers that defy description. But the world does not embrace these Shines. It fears them--especially after the destruction of Seattle is blamed on one Shine named Aura.

    After being locked up in the Transforming Your Light "rehab" on Antolina Island, Aura tried to adjust to life with six other Shines and the domineering Dr. Coutant. But a chance encounter with the Shine known as Perfume--soon found dead in the epicenter of a huge explosion in Santa Monica--told her more was happening at TYL than group therapy. Her investigations led her to a underground cellblock where she realized the hideous truth about TYL was far more horrific than she imagined--just before she was captured by Coutant and her goons. Now she must somehow survive a brutal interrogation and find some way to escape. But how can she escape from an isolated island in the Pacific? And how can she organize the other Shines--who she's certain hate her--and get them to work together for their mutual benefit before the government, the Shine Surveillance System, or the mysterious forces at TYL destroy them all?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBabylon Books
    Release dateDec 24, 2017
    ISBN9781948263085
    Roses in the Ashes (William Bernhardt's Shine Series Book 2)
    Author

    William Bernhardt

    William Bernhardt (b. 1960), a former attorney, is a bestselling thriller author. Born in Oklahoma, he began writing as a child, submitting a poem about the Oklahoma Land Run to Highlights—and receiving his first rejection letter—when he was eleven years old. Twenty years later, he had his first success, with the publication of Primary Justice (1991), the first novel in the long-running Ben Kincaid series. The success of Primary Justice marked Bernhardt as a promising young talent, and he followed the book with seventeen more mysteries starring the idealistic defense attorney, including Murder One (2001) and Hate Crime (2004). Bernhardt’s other novels include Double Jeopardy (1995) and The Midnight Before Christmas (1998), a holiday-themed thriller. In 1999, Bernhardt founded Bernhardt Books (formerly HAWK Publishing Group) as a way to help boost the careers of struggling young writers. In addition to writing and publishing, Bernhardt teaches writing workshops around the country. He currently lives with his family in Oklahoma. 

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      Book preview

      Roses in the Ashes (William Bernhardt's Shine Series Book 2) - William Bernhardt

      ROSES IN THE ASHES

      by William Bernhardt

      Copyright © 2015 William Bernhardt

      All rights reserved.

      Published by Babylon Books

      Distributed by Smashwords

      No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

      Ebook formatting by www.ebooklaunch.com

      Other Books by William Bernhardt

      The Ben Kincaid Novels:

      Primary Justice

      Blind Justice

      Deadly Justice

      Perfect Justice

      Cruel Justice

      Naked Justice

      Extreme Justice

      Dark Justice

      Silent Justice

      Murder One

      Criminal Intent

      Death Row

      Hate Crime

      Capitol Murder

      Capitol Threat

      Capitol Conspiracy

      Capitol Offense

      Capitol Betrayal

      Other novels:

      Challengers of the Dust

      The Game Master

      Nemesis: The Final Case of Eliot Ness

      Dark Eye

      Strip Search

      Double Jeopardy

      The Midnight Before Christmas

      The Code of Buddyhood

      Final Round

      Nonfiction:

      Story Structure: The Key to Successful Fiction

      Creating Character: Bringing Your Story to Life

      Perfecting Plot: Charting the Hero’s Journey

      Dynamic Dialogue: Letting Your Story Speak

      Sizzling Style: Every Word Matters

      Excellent Editing: The Writing Process

      Powerful Premise: Writing the Irresistible

      The Fundamentals of Fiction Video Series

      Poetry:

      The White Bird

      The Ocean’s Edge

      For young readers:

      Shine

      The Black Sentry

      Princess Alice and the Dreadful Dragon

      Equal Justice: The Courage of Ada Sipuel

      Edited by William Bernhardt

      Legal Briefs: Stories by Today’s Best Thriller Writers

      Natural Suspect: A Collaborative Novel of Suspense

      For Alice, Beth, Kadey, and Madeline

      You laugh at me because I'm different. I laugh at you because you're all the same.

      Jonathan Davis

      Contents

      Chapter 1

      Chapter 2

      Chapter 3

      Chapter 4

      Chapter 5

      Chapter 6

      Chapter 7

      Chapter 8

      Chapter 9

      Chapter 10

      Chapter 11

      Chapter 12

      Chapter 13

      Chapter 14

      Chapter 15

      Chapter 16

      Chapter 17

      Chapter 18

      Chapter 19

      Note from the Author

      Acknowledgements

      About the Author

      Chapter 1

      Don’t give in, Aura told herself. Don’t cry, don’t beg, don’t bleed.

      Don’t let them see what they’ve done to you.

      Pressing down with her hands, she arched bare inches off the tile floor, like she was stuck in the middle of a pathetic pushup. Drool slithered out the side of her mouth. She couldn’t stop it. Her arms wobbled. Her left eye twitched.

      Can you not see how entirely futile this is? Dr. Coutant stood, surrounded as always by the three thugs or bodyguards or accomplices or whatever they were. She didn’t know their official title. But she sure knew what they did.

      Let…my…mother…go. Her voice trembled, as did her entire body.

      Aura, are you completely delusional? That is simply not going to happen. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you have no cards in this game. Your stupid Shine can’t help you now. You’re just a pitiful little girl with her face covered with slobber, cowering on the floor like a disobedient dog.

      She worked her jaw, trying to make the words come out right. I…haven’t…done anything wrong.

      Tell that to the families of the people in Seattle you murdered.

      Each word stung, slicing through her like an invisible knife. I…am…not…a murderer. I never…meant…to hurt anyone.

      Then perhaps we should extradite you to one of the Seattle relocation camps. See what the folks there have to say about it. Coutant bent over, grabbing her hair and jerking her head upward. Give me what I need, Aura. So I can end this.

      I…already told you…I’ll do whatever you ask. What more do you want?

      I want to believe it. I’m a trained psychotherapist. I can tell the difference between someone saying what they think I want to hear and someone who has truly accepted the inevitable.

      I’m not lying.

      You’re saying what seems expedient. You don’t want Beverly to suffer. But your heart is not in it. You’ll go back to your old rebellious ways as soon as you see an opportunity.

      I won’t. Drool spilled out from her lips, with a little blood. Her jaw was still numb from the drugs, which made enunciation difficult. I told you that already.

      I need more.

      I’m promising you.

      Coutant leaned down till she was eye-level. Tell me you’ll stop snooping around. Tell me you’ll obey the rules and stop stirring up trouble.

      She wrapped some of the drool up with her tongue and spit it into Coutant’s eyes. Go to hell.

      Coutant stood calmly, took an electric cattle prod from Joseph, and touched it to Aura’s lower abdomen.

      She screamed. Screamed like a helpless child. Which was exactly what she was. She’d lost control of her body.

      Ssssssstop! Her entire body rocked back and forth. She tried but found she could not stop the spasms.

      Frustrating, isn’t it? Coutant said. You can heal everyone else in the world—but not yourself. Aren’t you tired of this? I know I am. This hurts me just as much as it does you. Maybe more. But it’s necessary.

      D-Don’t make excuses. You’re enjoying it.

      If you only knew— Coutant stopped short. You can end this, Aura. Please do.

      She couldn’t control her lips or tongue any better than she controlled the rest of her body. Y—You’re the only one…who can end this. You. Witch.

      I’m not a bad person. I know you think that, but it isn’t true.

      Then. W—W—Why are you holding a cattle prod?

      Because I have a job to do. I had the sense to know when I was beaten, and I didn’t insist on futile shows of obstinacy masquerading as strength.

      You sold out.

      I gave in to the inevitable. That’s not weakness. That’s intelligence.

      There’s…no pride in giving in to evil.

      Says the little girl drowning in her own spit.

      If you had any strength, you’d be down here with me.

      Coutant’s face twisted. Her teeth clenched.

      The cattle prod returned.

      The pain ripped through Aura’s body like a barbed wire spine, piercing her most sensitive areas and leaving nothing unburned. Her eyes flew open, wider than she’d imagined possible. She heard a horrific noise and feared it came from her.

      The burning sensation spread, and she realized with humiliation and horror that she had wet herself.

      And now? Coutant asked. Still feeling proud?

      Each syllable required conscious effort. I—give you—my—promise.

      And I still don’t believe a word you say. Coutant tossed the prod to one of her accomplices. Do the same to her mother. Continuously. Drag Aura along to watch.

      Noooo! Tears sprang from her eyes. I—won’t—cause—t-t-t—trouble. I won’t snoop. Please!

      Coutant pursed her lips. "That’s the first time I’ve even begun to believe you.

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