Exclusive Excerpt: Road to Eugenica by A.M. Rose

Road to Eugenica (Eugenica Chronicles #1)
Author: A.M. Rose
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Release Date: February 5, 2018
Publisher: Entangled Teen

Description:

Two dimensions - And the girl who connects them.

Yesterday, Drea Smith couldn’t do anything spectacular—even walking and texting at the same time was a challenge. But today, she suddenly has more answers than Google, can speak and understand numerous languages, and she can fight. Like a boss.

Super freaky.

Drea has no idea where her encyclopedic knowledge has come from, but she’ll take it when she discovers someone out there knows her secret and wants her badly. And that they’ve been searching for her since she was born.

Since she was created.

With the help of her best friend Dylan, who just wants to keep her safe, and Maddox, a mysterious new boy who is prepared to get her answers, Drea will have to push her new skills to their limit as she uncovers nothing is quite what it seems.

As she uncovers…Eugenica. 

 

I take a deep breath, pass a row of parked cars as the lights from the restaurant fade behind me, and find the door marked: women. Inside, I flip the light switch. Pop. I jump back. The bulb blows, leaving me in blackness. Perfect. Now what am I supposed to do? Pee in complete darkness or leave the door open? I peer into the gloomy room, its usual stench of some weird air freshener trying to cover up the rank smell makes my stomach turn.

Forget it. Maybe Dylan isn’t too far ahead of me, and I can catch up.

The parking lot gets darker and quieter as I head toward the car. Why does this place have to be so popular that we had to park so far away? Normally, Max’s doesn’t scare me, but tonight something’s different. My palms sweat as I squeeze between two huge SUVs, my shoulder knocking against the side-view mirror. I pull my arms in closer; my pulse increasing with every step. The chill in the air pricks my skin. I’m alone. In the dark, with the smell of cooking meat wafting through the air.

I step out from behind a Honda and something to my left moves. I jump back and almost pee myself, but it’s just a stupid raccoon. Little jerk. I take a deep breath to try and calm myself, but it’s no use. The edge of the parking lot is getting close, and then it’s just a few blocks. I quicken my pace.

Soon I’ll be tucked inside Dylan’s Jeep. Safe and sound. The quarter-mooned sky is the only thing that lights the way. My eyes dart back and forth, rattling my already frazzled nerves. Why did we ever make this arrangement that he gets the car while I go to the bathroom, again? Because right now it feels like the stupidest idea in the world. And why didn’t I just wait for him in our normal pickup spot? Maybe I should turn around. I glance back, the restaurant seems so far away, so I decide to keep moving forward.

Now it’s like I’m stuck in a scene from one of those horrible horror movies where some crazy guy in a mask attacks the girl. Screw that. I pull my arms around my chest and walk even faster. My foot catches on a parking block and my arms go flailing, but I don’t hit the ground. Real graceful, Drea. At least no one is around to see.

Snap!

I stop breathing. That’s no raccoon. I whip around. “You scared the crap out of me.” I hold my hands over my chest, exhaling the breath caught inside.

Maddox laughs. “Sorry. I was coming to ask if I could hitch a ride back. I didn’t know you were scared of the dark.”

I furrow my brow. “I’m not.” Not really. “If you didn’t drive, how did you get here?”

“Oh, well, I…” His eyes grow wide and the blood drains from his face. He isn’t looking at me anymore but just past me.

I spin around.

Holy shit.

We’re not alone.

A.M. Rose is the writer of young adult novels, drinker of too much coffee (with way too much coconut creamer), and lover of all carbohydrates.
 
Currently, she lives in Houston, TX with her three boys (yes, her husband is in that count) and three cats. When she isn’t writing, she is an avid reader, critiquer, (is that even a word?) and trampoline enthusiast.
 
She is a graduate from San Diego State University with a BA in Communication and a minor in underwater basket weaving. (Okay, maybe not the basket weaving part.)
 
Follow her on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/annmrose