Becoming Brooklyn (+ Giveaway)

 

Becoming Brooklyn
By Amanda Deich
Publication date: January 5th, 2021
Genres: Contemporary, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Eighteen-year-old Brooklyn never knew her father. Rex Blackburn died in the 9/11 attacks four months before she was born.

And even though she never met him, she always dreamed about what he must have been like before he died. In her mind, he was a hero.

Little did she know.

After an attack at a 9/11 memorial gala, Brooklyn learns her father had been a member of an elite, anti-terrorism, military task force, made up of a very select group of people who had superhuman abilities. On the day the towers fell, he died using his power to save people.

The Army believes she inherited his gift, and Brooklyn is invited to train at West Point in order to hone her skills. Knowing deep down she is different than anyone else her age and wanting to learn more about a father she never knew, she readily agrees to become a cadet at the prestigious military academy.

She and five other 9/11 babies strengthen their superhuman abilities and spend weeks preparing themselves for their future in the army, fighting terrorists at home and abroad. And in the process of training, they identify with their deceased parents in a way they never knew they could.

Brooklyn knows she’ll go to war someday, but when terrorists find out about the group’s gifts, they don’t bother to wait.

They bring the war to West Point.

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Now here's an excerpt for your reading pleasure.

I was still shaking when Liam crawled off of the ground and clung to me in an embrace. He was wheezing, but other than that, he seemed okay.

Different, but okay.

And I felt different, too. Altered, somehow. Like I was an actor cast in a part I never wanted to play.

I studied him, exploring those eyes that had grabbed hold of me from day one and refused to let go.

And I saw something new.

I saw hate.

His jaw clenched. He left my side and walked purposefully toward the body of the man trapped under the bench. He grabbed the knife that was resting on the ground next to the body and without hesitating, he strode toward the man who had choked him and had threatened to hurt me.

“Stop, Liam,” I commanded.

He wasn’t listening.

“STOP!”

I ran to him now. He was still intent on reaching the monster.

Finally, I caught his elbow.

“You’re a healer, Liam. Not a killer.”

That role had been filled by me.

“You are a healer,” I repeated, making him look me in the eye.

And just like that, Liam stopped. His look softened, as if he was seeing what he was doing for the first time.

“Christ,” he mumbled, first dropping the knife, then dropping to his knees.

And instead of trying to reach the body of either man, he reached for me, instead.

We stayed like that for a moment, lost in a place we’d never visited before: one where we’d done the worst kind of things.

Jacob shuffled out from the shadows and walked briskly to the first man I’d attacked, who was trapped under the bench.

I’d almost forgotten he was there.

Jacob kneeled, pressing his neck for a pulse. “He’s gone,” he declared.

I didn’t know if I was relieved or upset.

“I- I’ll go find someone to come help,” Jacob offered. He seemed thankful when I nodded my assent.

“I’m sorry,” Liam said as Jacob left. He’d turned his back to me, and his voice was a quieted whisper. His shoulders fell forward as he spoke. “I’m sorry I was going to – to do that to him– in front of you. What I was feeling – what I was thinking when he threatened to hurt you – I-I’d never felt or thought those things before. When he said that about how he was going to show you how pretty you were…” He spun toward me, his face masked in pain.

“That image was worse than anything I could ever imagine."

"I don’t know what’s happening to either one of us – who we’re turning into,” Liam continued. His eyes looked more silver than green, as if he’d been shocked into becoming someone – or something – else. “But I do know that I don’t want to ever see you in danger again.”

I closed my eyes for a moment and considered how nice that sounded – a danger-free life.

He grabbed my hand. “But Brooklyn, if we have to be in danger, if we are going to be part of this world, then I need you by my side.”

In that moment, I wanted more than anything to kiss him, to reassure him I felt the same way.

But I never got the chance.

Jacob returned. And just as he entered the room – before he could warn Liam, and before I could even utter a word, a knife flew into Liam’s back.

“Sorry I break up this… this romance,” the man whom I’d thrown into the wall snarled, tearing the knife out of Liam’s flesh, catching his body and holding it hostage. “But I’ve got job to finish.”

 

Meet the Author: Amanda Deich

Amanda Deich is an author out of Littleton, CO. In her non-writer life, she is a teacher and coach to hundreds of kids, and she is a mama to two.

If you meet her, she'll talk Jesus and identity like no one's business.

For more on Amanda and her writing, you can connect with her on the following links:

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Have you ever wished you had superhuman strength or a super power? If you could have a super power, what would it be?

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