Inner Fire
by R.L. Stedman
Release Date: 11/30/14
Summary from Goodreads:
‘‘Maybe it would be better if I started at the beginning.’ Gran watched me carefully. ‘This ability we have; my mother, me. You. We draw heat along our bodies; anger makes us flame.’
When her friend is assaulted, Corrine Peterson can’t help reacting. But she didn’t think and now her hands are burnt, Gran is coming to look after her and, scariest of all, strange men are watching her house. Could they be terrorists? Secret agents?
It seems that Gran’s idea of a solution is to introduce Corrine to Rowan. Okay, sure, maybe eighteen year old Rowan is gorgeous – but he has his own troubles. And right now, Corrine doesn’t need complications in her life.
But in a world of surveillance and secrecy, complexity is inevitable. And as the tension mounts Corrine realizes - maybe Gran can help her, after all.
It seems that Gran’s idea of a solution is to introduce Corrine to Rowan. Okay, sure, maybe eighteen year old Rowan is gorgeous – but he has his own troubles. And right now, Corrine doesn’t need complications in her life.
But in a world of surveillance and secrecy, complexity is inevitable. And as the tension mounts Corrine realizes - maybe Gran can help her, after all.
Excerpt
‘Don’t worry, my dear. Everything will be just
fine.’ Holding her around the shoulder, Mr Patel slipped off her school bag.
Deepti didn’t even try to stop him; she just stood there, letting him move her
around. He passed me the bag. Automatically, my hand reached out and I took it.
‘You can leave,’ he
told me, staring at Deepti. ‘Deepti and I have something to discuss now, don’t
we dear?’
‘Don’t touch her!’
My voice sounded weak, afraid.
He said nothing,
just turned away from me, as though I didn’t exist, as though Deepti was the
only thing in the world to him, like she was his own personal private present.
I held her bag to my
chest, fighting for breath. This is not happening. This is not happening.
‘Stop it!’ I could feel
my anger, almost taste it on my tongue.
Mr Patel looked at
me, his face mildly surprised, as though he wasn’t doing anything wrong. ‘But Miss Jalali and I have an
understanding.’ He smiled at me. His skin was olive-gray and his eyes had tiny
red veins in them. ‘The last time I caught her lovely hands stealing my stock,
I warned her. Didn’t I, Miss Jalali? I told you I would demand payment of you.’
Deepti turned her
head away. ‘No! No!’ She struggled
against him like a pinned fly. ‘I didn’t. I didn’t. Please let me go!’ She was
crying now, really crying.
‘Let her go!’ But my
voice sounded small and weak, and he ignored me.
Oh my God. What do I
do? Then, quite suddenly, I wasn’t scared – I felt angry. The walls of the
grotty shop seemed to pulse in time with my heart. Who the hell did this man
think he was? I heard a distant roaring, the sound of fire and heat and red-hot
flames.
I shouted, ‘Leave
her alone!’
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My name is Rachel Stedman. I’m a physiotherapist (physical therapist) by background, but now I work as a freelance contractor. I live in the wild and windy place of Dunedin, New Zealand, with my husband and two kids.
I write mostly for children and young adults. In 2012 I won the Tessa Duder Award for an unpublished YA work and my first novel, A Necklace of Souls, was published by HarperCollins in 2013 (available in the United Kingdom and on Book Depository from June 2015). This year, A Necklace of Souls was awarded Best First Book at the 2014 New Zealand Post Book Awards and won a Notable Book Award from Storylines. Inner Fire is my second novel.
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