The main character, a young woman named Rachel Andric, has guarded The Story her whole life. The Story contains every myth, legend, and tale ever spoken, and only the Guardians, the group assigned to protect it, are allowed to enter. When an intruder gets in on Rachel's watch, she pursues him into The Story and travels through fairy tales and myths to stop him from destroying it.
The genre is fantasy, and although I consider it to be Young Adult, I really think anyone can read it. It contains no sexual content or language, which I pride myself on.
Now, as promised, here's the first chapter of Rachel Andric and The Story...
Chapter 1: The Intruder
In the Andric family manor’s
library, Rachel was curled in an armchair reading. It was past midnight, but
she hardly noticed. Living alone, she had taken to reading as her only source
of entertainment. The flames from the fireplace gave her light to see by, and
she stretched her toes forward, seeking their warmth.
She looked up with a frown. Something felt off. It was as
though a chill were running up and down her spine, and she couldn’t shrug it
away. Laying her book aside, she slid her feet into her slippers and went out
into the hallway.
Rachel was about to tell herself she was being silly when
a movement at the other end of the hall caught her eye. There was an open door,
one that certainly shouldn’t have been open. She swallowed past a lump in her
throat and approached the open door slowly.
Something is wrong
with The Story! Now she knew what that feeling bothering her was. But how is it possible? Only a Guardian can
open that door! She ran towards the door, one of her slippers sliding off
her foot as she hurried over the carpeted floor.
She slid to a stop in front of the door, and composing
herself, she walked inside to face the intruder in her home. A burly man stood
by The Story book—Rachel’s legacy. She was horrified and frightened; how had he
found her? The mansion’s location on a remote island was supposed to protect
it!
The light from the hall failed to illuminate the Story’s
room, swathing the man’s features in darkness. “I was wondering when you’d
come, little Guardian,” he said in gravelly and patronizing voice.
Rachel crossed her arms, focusing on her irritation in an
attempt to crowd out her fear. “I’m not ‘little’,” she protested. “I’m twenty
years old!” How dare he make fun of me?
The man snorted, and Rachel had to take a deep breath
before plowing on, “Don’t touch that. You have no idea the powers you’re
dealing with.” How could he understand? Nobody outside of the Guardians was
supposed to know about The Story’s existence. If he got into the book that served
as the gateway to The Story… disaster.
“Every tale that has ever been told,” he mused. “All in
this book. No, little girl, I understand completely. It is you and the
Guardians who don’t. All this power, right at your fingertips, and you insist
on protecting it.”
Rachel stood frozen. “Please,” she begged, her voice
trembling in spite of herself. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t! “You can’t understand—”
“So you’ve already told me. Believe me, Andric, I
understand more than you could possibly guess,” the man challenged her. “Follow
me, and your lonely little world will never be the same again. You’ll learn
secrets that have been kept from you. That is, if you’re not too scared.”
Deliberately, he opened the book.
That was too much. Rachel charged forward, but he was
ready for her. He grabbed her wrist and held her away from the book, laughing
all the while. “Who puts a girl in charge of something so important?” he asked.
She struggled to free herself from his grasp, but he had a grip of steel. “Or
is it that there are no other Andrics to do this job?”
Rachel yelled in anger, slugging the man in the nose. She
was gratified to feel it snap beneath the force of her blow. He tossed her
aside with a snarl of pain, grasping the broken nose to stem the flow of blood.
He swore at her, but she wasn’t interested in hearing what he thought of her. I have to get The Story away.
Maybe it had never been removed from its pedestal before,
but it would have to be now, for safety’s sake. Rachel pushed past the swearing
intruder and reached for The Story.
The man must have seen what she wanted. Just as her
fingers closed around the book, he slammed something hard and heavy into the
back of her head. She slumped forward, her hand still resting on the pages…
And lost consciousness.
Thanks for reading my first chapter! Interested in more Rachel Andric? I'll be putting this book up for Kindle Scout in January, and my blog will keep careful track of my progress.
In my next blog, I will be reviewing The Brotherband Chronicles: The Ghostfaces by John Flanagan. See you then!
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