Publisher's Synopsis
STORYTELLER ORIGINATION STORY
Once upon a time...there was a girl. She lived in a small village. It's been so long no one is sure which one. The village was not well protected. The girl and her family feared for their lives. Her father was pulled into the war and died. Later, her 3 brothers were pulled into the war and they too died. Eventually, it was only the mother and the daughter. They escaped and found an abandoned cabin in the woods. They made a life there. The mother became sick. There came a day when the mother was desperate. She knew she was going to die soon. She held her daughter to her chest and gave her a hug. She told her daughter a story of better days.
'I wish stories were real.' The teenage girl told her mother after the story was over.
'I wish every story you ever tell comes true.' The mother placed a kiss on her forehead. 'May God make it so.'
'If God granted me that, the first thing I would do is make a story where you are healthy and we were safe.' The girl whispered. 'With plenty of food to eat.'
'Amen.' The mother said.
When they woke up the next day, the mother was well. The cupboards were full of food. They lived there safely for many years. Angeline became the first Povestitor or Storyteller. She met a man named Dorin. They fell in love and they married. Their children were Andrei, Anton, Calin, and Zamfira. Not long after Zamfira was born, Angeline's mother died. It was a sad time for them. Angeline decided she wanted a fresh start. Dorin agreed. They moved away. When they moved, the family took the last name Poveste, meaning story. By then, Angeline knew she was a Storyteller and her children had started showing the signs of a Storyteller like their mother as they turned 17.
EMMA'S QUEST "Okay, I am finally...officially 17. Now, I want to hear all the family secrets." I looked at them. All of my family looked at me like I had hit the nail on the head. "Wait, there really is a family secret?" CALLIE FLOWER "And what exactly am I to you?" He asked carefully.
"Do I have to answer that?" I cringed.
"Please." JJ's liquid brown eyes were filled with emotion.
I closed my eyes. When I opened them, he was waiting for an answer.
"Let's just say...hypothetically..." I tapped my leg to try to slow down my rapidly beating heart. With JJ's eyes on me and with what I was about to say, it wasn't going well. "...that everyone has a soulmate...and...and..." I couldn't finish the sentence. It felt like I had lost all the spit in my mouth.
The way JJ looked at me changed. He pointed to me and himself with a flick of a finger.
I managed a nod. ALISON'S CHALLENGE "This is my imaginary town, go find your own." He snapped.
"Excuse me?" My anger flared.
"You heard me." The boy's eyes narrowed.
"I don't think you have a right to own a town, real or imaginary." I stood toe to toe with him.
"Says you." He frowned.
"Well, I'm here." I poked his chest. "So you're going to have to get over it." I marched away. PENNY'S ADVENTURE
"Every Storyteller has a soulmate who is also a Storyteller."
I froze. I looked at Conrad...then the ground. I thought about what he just said and I looked back at him.
"The only other Storyteller that I've met is you." I told him carefully.
He nodded.
I shook my head no.
He nodded again.
"Oh." I winced and sat back in my seat and looked straight forward. "So you're saying...?"
"Yeah." Conrad nodded.
