Nastasha LaBrake - August 26, 2012

[Kaje]

Bio: Nastasha is a book-crazy 21-year-old college student majoring in accounting at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY. She developed a love for books in the early grades, and by the time she reached junior high she was writing. She still remembers that it was December 24th, 2004 when her first serious attempt at novel writing began. She still holds a fondness for her first characters, but she has since put them to rest. In 2007, while in 11th grade, she began writing what would become the first novel she was truly serious about – The Angel, which was published in May 2010.

Her website is http://unnormalnormalcy.wordpress.com


Book Info:




The Angel

From his very first day at Madison High School, Seth is a witness to Brian’s relentless bullying.

And from the beginning he sets out to protect the bully’s victims.

But when Brian starts attacking Seth’s friends, it gets personal.

Then Brian learns about Seth’s gay parents.

That’s when all hell breaks loose.

The final showdown will leave blood in the rain, shots echoing through the night, and lives in tatters…


Buy Links: Available at Amazon.com in paperback and for Kindle. http://www.amazon.com/Angel-Nastasha-...

[Kaje]

Excerpt:

Chapter One

It was a humid day, even so early in the morning, and the students milling about the halls only made it seem worse. Seth Salvador-Knight closed his locker and looked around, wondering what he should do in the twenty minutes before first period. Maybe he should walk through his schedule again, but Madison Senior High was so large he worried he might end up lost and be late for his first class. He ran a hand through his short, light blond hair, shouldered his bag, and started off down the hall.

He was still adapting to Madison. They'd only moved to the small town the month before, and though the actual town of Madison wasn't very large, a number of other, slightly larger towns, were within the school district. His old school in Massachusetts had been half the size of this new one, even as close as it was to Boston.

Suddenly, his green eyes caught a slightly familiar face. The young woman was average height with rich brown hair braided down her back - distinctive. Her hazel gaze found him and she smiled.

"Seth, right?" she asked, falling into step beside him.

He nodded. "You're… Sorry," he said, blushing slightly.

"Kiona Carson," she replied, shrugging it off. "Don't worry about it. So, where are you going?"

Seth shrugged. "No idea, honestly."

"I was headed down to meet up with the gang in the cafeteria," Kiona told him. "You should come."

He thought about it for a moment. "Sure."

"Come on, then." She smiled and turned them in the opposite direction. "You'll get used to this place eventually. It's a big move."

"Yeah, eight-straight-hours-in-a-car big," Seth agreed sarcastically.

"Dang," Kiona replied, eyes wide. "I didn't think it was that far."

They trotted down a flight of stairs. Neither of them spoke again until they rounded a corner into the noisy cafeteria. Kiona pointed to a table not too far away, and Seth recognized most of the people there from the welcome party their parents had thrown for his family the weekend before.

"It's the new kid!" Lech Fagan announced with a smile when they approached. He was a tall freshman with short black hair, pale blue eyes, and a medium skin tone slightly darker than the tan-toned Kiona.

Seth sat down in an empty seat and Kiona sat across from him. "Hey, everyone," he said with a smile.

"You still have a Boston accent," Tomi Miliani commented from behind the black-highlighted chestnut locks that partially hid his pale green eyes. It also virtually hid all his ten total ear piercings, five per ear. Even as a sophomore he was two full inches shorter than Lech. He was the only one dressed in all black, not the cargo or denim shorts and colorful tee-shirts everyone else at the table wore.

"I'm sorry I grew up near Boston," Seth replied, knowing that Tomi was teasing. "I blame my parents."

"Don't blame them! Your parents are awesome!" Kiona exclaimed.

A tall girl with blond hair and gray eyes suddenly threw her arms around Kiona from behind. "Hello," she said as she kissed Kiona's cheek.

Kiona smiled and turned slightly to return the kiss on the lips. Tomi, next to them, rolled his eyes behind his hair. Lech covered his smile at the expression. Seth wasn't fazed.

When Kiona pulled away she moved over so the other girl could share her seat. "Seth, this is Shauna, my girlfriend. Shauna, this is Seth. He just moved from Massachusetts."

Shauna smiled. "What a boring place to move to. Welcome anyway."

"Thanks," Seth replied.

"Do you miss your friends?" Tomi asked, shaking his hair slightly from his face.

Seth nodded. "Of course. But I guess that's what e-mail was invented for. We never would have moved, though, if my pa hadn't gotten a really good job up here." Tomi's question made him suddenly wish to be in his old town again.

"You call your father 'pa'?" Shauna asked, raising her eyebrows.

Seth wished he hadn't spoken. He'd promised himself that he wasn't going to start letting people know until after he felt comfortable at his new school. Well, that idea was shot. He sighed, and decided it wouldn't be too bad to tell Shauna. After all, Kiona, Tomi, and Lech already knew.

"Yeah, and I call my other father 'da'."

Shauna cocked her head. "So, is one like your step dad and the other's biological?"

Seth hung his head, rubbing his temples.

"Well, she is blond," Lech joked.

"What?" Shauna demanded.

"My biological father died before I was a year old," Seth said, head still bowed.

"Then how…" Shauna's confused voice trailed off.

"They're gay," Seth stated, then looked up again.

Shauna's eyes lit with dawning. "Oh," she replied, nodding slowly. "I get it."

"Wow, Shauna," Kiona laughed, shaking her head. "Wow." Though Seth chuckled he still felt a bit awkward. He didn't want worthless rumors going around, at least not yet.

"Just make sure you keep your mouth shut," Kiona told her girlfriend, seeming to pick up on Seth's thoughts. "Let our new friend settle in."

Shauna nodded. "Of course."

"Thanks," Seth said with a smile, grateful.

"What's your schedule?" Kiona asked him.

He pulled the paper from his pocket and handed it to her.

"Hey, we're in gym together," she observed.

"Let me see," Lech requested, holding out his hand.

"You're not going to be in any of his classes," she stated.

"You're a freshman, he's a junior, it doesn't work that way."

"I'm just curious," Lech defended, taking the schedule from her.

"Oh man, now Seth is gonna have a stalker," Tomi joked.

"I am not a stalker!" Lech exclaimed. "You volunteered to show me around."

"Oh, yeah," Tomi replied thoughtfully.

Seth smiled, realizing that he was feeling more comfortable already. Then he saw him.

He was taller than Seth, and broader. His curly, dark blond hair was cut short enough to show his dark brown eyes that glittered dangerously. The boy in front of him was tiny in comparison, with longer brown hair and the boyish features of most freshmen. He was walking away, a Styrofoam breakfast tray in his hands. His gaze was lowered, and he seemed to be ignoring the older boy. Seth was too far away to hear the words coming from the older boy's lips.

"Who is that kid?" Seth asked, not taking his eyes away from the two. "The older one."

"Brian Archer," Kiona replied, following his gaze. "The biggest all-around bully at Madison."

As Seth watched, Brian reached in front of the freshman and knocked his tray from his hands. A toasted bagel rolled away across the floor while orange juice splashed up the nearby wall and onto the boy's shins. A small plastic cup of cream cheese splattered on the floor next to the unharmed tray. Brian, and a couple of other nearby students, laughed. Seth's jaw tightened and he got to his feet.

"Seth, where are you going?" Lech asked.

"No, bad idea, Seth," Tomi told him, his voice slightly higher in fear.

"Get back here!" Kiona called.

Seth ignored them and approached the two students. Brian was still laughing as the other boy tried to clean up the mess on the floor.

"Hey, what's your problem?" Seth demanded of Brian.

The older boy just shrugged as his sharp gaze found Seth. "Freshmen are meant to be picked on."

"No one is 'meant to be picked on'," Seth replied, glaring into those dark brown eyes.

Brian snorted. "Actually, yeah. A lot of people are. You trying to be some fag like Jesus or that bald Chinese guy?"

"Gandhi was Indian, not Chinese," Seth stated. "Why don't you do some homework?"

"Why don't you learn to talk like a normal person," Brian retorted. "This ain't Boston, bitch."

Seth ignored the insult. "Back off," he warned.

Someone across the cafeteria called out loudly, "Hey, Brian! Come look at these pictures from Jeff's party!"

Brian looked up, then glanced back at Seth. "Just so you know, you don't scare me. I'm leaving because I want to. You're too boring for me."

Seth watched him saunter away, still glaring. He hated people like that.

"Thanks."

He looked down at the freshman sitting on the floor. The boy was smiling.

Seth returned the smile. "No worries," he replied. "Do you need money for another breakfast?"

"You're not allowed to go in line more than once," the younger boy explained.

"Here, I'll get it for you," Seth offered. "I ate at home. You can go clean off."

The boy got up. "Thanks."

Seth pulled out his wallet and headed for the breakfast line, in the opposite direction of the bathrooms. He bought another bagel with cream cheese and orange juice, and handed the tray to the boy, who met him at the end of the line.

"Don't pay me back," Seth told him. "It's really no big deal."

"All right," the freshman said reluctantly. "Thanks, again."

"You're welcome." Seth walked back over to where his friends were, to find them all staring at him.

"You stood up to Brian?" Tomi asked, as if he hadn't seen it through his hair.

"Yeah, so?" Seth answered, taking his schedule back. "I don't let people like him off very easily."

Kiona shook her head. "Something tells me you'll be his next major target."

Just then the bell rang and they all grabbed their bags to go to class. Seth parted with his friends and wove his way through the halls, looking for the correct room number of his first class. He found it just before the bell and sat down in the only empty seat, the one next to a young woman with dark brown hair falling straight past her shoulders.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" he asked when she looked at him.

She shook her head and smiled slightly. "It's fine."

Seth smiled and settled at his desk, not really hearing the morning announcements. Many others in the classroom were chatting amongst themselves, and for the first time Seth felt slightly alone.

"This school is so big," the girl next to him commented.

He nodded, happy to be having a conversation. "I'm used to a smaller one. I just moved here."

"Me, too," she replied, sky blue eyes bright. "I just moved from Ohio. Where are you from?"

"Massachusetts," he answered, smiling. "Around Boston. That's why I have the accent."

"I like the accent," she told him.

He grinned. "Thanks. What's you're name?"

"I'm Eirianna Neilson," the girl replied. "My friends back home just call me Eiri."

"I'm Seth Salvador-Knight."

"Is that all just two names?" she asked curiously.

He nodded. "My last name's hyphenated. Sometimes I wish my parents had shorter names."

Eirianna grinned. "I would, too."

They didn't have time to talk more, as the teacher chose that moment to begin class. Seth felt much better though, having found another person to get along with at the new school.