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Title: VALUED
Genre: YA Fantasy
QUERY
Sixteen-year-old Ilan has to kill his
best friend, because he signed the resurrection agreement.
He doesn’t remember ever signing that
document or agreeing to kill anybody after his death. But the resurrection
agreement states: one
must kill to live again and his designated
target is his best friend, Sara. Since his name is on the dotted line, no
amount of pleading can revoke the deal. Until he kills his target, Ilan’s debt cannot
be paid, and if his debt isn’t paid, predators will reclaim the life he owes.
Unless his sister, Eris, protects him.
Sure, her specific demands and her constant threats drive him insane, but her
ruthlessness is a minor price to pay for her protection. So is biting his
tongue after he witnesses Eris murder a target in the woods. She is the only
one who can stall the predators since she already repaid her debt. But when the predators outnumber them, Ilan
knows Eris can’t defend him forever. And like her, he’ll have to complete his
end of the resurrection agreement.
Kill Sara, or die for good.
FIRST 250 WORDS
Two options: run or die.
These predators seemed faster. Hungrier.
Even more eager to rip Ilan to shreds. Their icy breath stung the back of his
neck as he dashed through a clearing. His lungs burned, his legs ached, but he
kept his eyes on the back door a few feet ahead. The gateway to his temporary
hideout.
He slammed his body against the door,
using every remaining bit of strength he had to break in.
It didn’t budge.
“Eris?” he yelled, pounding the window
beside him. His fists throbbed as he called his sister again. And again.
No answer.
Ilan scoured the ground, searching for
something, anything to get inside. A spare key would’ve helped. One hidden
underneath a rock or buried in the dirt. But Eris should’ve been home, she
should’ve been there to protect him from these animals. She always had before
since that was her routine.
Spot the predators. Destroy the
predators. Protect him at all costs.
So where the hell was she now?
The growls behind him grew louder. After
finding a heavy rock nestled in the dirt, he hurled it at the window. The glass
shattered to pieces.
He jumped inside, until a force tugged
at his ankle, dragging him away. Glass shards sliced his hands as he gripped
the ledge. He screamed, though no one was around to hear him.
Without Eris to defend him, he wouldn’t
have a chance to escape, to survive. Death was the only option he had left.
