NEW!
YA CHRISTIAN FANTASY FROM BEST-SELLING AUTHOR LORILYN ROBERTS
Seventh Dimension |
The Door |
Lorilyn Roberts |
3rd
|
Copyright
2012
Scarred
emotionally by an early childhood accident and dysfunctional family, Shale
seeks acceptance by others, only to be bullied and falsely accused. Following suspension
from school, she is befriended by a stray dog that woos her into another
dimension. There she discovers she has an unusual gift which teaches her the
secrets of a powerful king, but is it enough to learn forgiveness and overcome
her tragic past?
Prologue
I hid in the dark
closet—the only place I felt safe. Cracking open the door and peering out into the
living room, the tear-stained faces of Judd, Rachel, and Chumana overwhelmed me.
They were staring into a small brown shoebox.
Chumana burst
out crying. “I hate Shale.”
I cringed. I
hated that my mother was so poor we had to share an apartment with Chumana and
her mother.
Then Rachel
stood and softly recited what must have been one of her Jewish prayers. With her
unkempt hair and puffy red eyes, I hardly recognized my best friend. I muffled
my sobs with my brown straight hair.
“Why are you
praying?” Judd asked. “We aren’t here to pray. Shale needs to be cursed.”
“I am sure it
was an accident,” Rachel said. “Don’t say things like that.”
It was enough of
a curse that Judd lived next door. Ever since the accident, dark thoughts hounded me—memories
I could not forget. Judd
was probably the peeping tom that kept coming around.
He shook his
head. “I don’t understand. Why did she do it?” A well-worn Atlanta Braves cap
covered his eyes.
“And she and her
mother HAVE to live with us,” Cumana complained. “I hate it. I will get back at
her. Mark my word.”
I had never
heard a twelve-year-old boy cry. It made me uncomfortable. After all, I rarely
cried, except at that certain time of the month. That is, until this happened.
“I am sure she
didn’t mean to,” Rachel repeated.
Rachel lived two
buildings away in the same apartment complex. I was too scared to tell her the
truth. Every time I would think about it, I’d start crying. I didn’t mean to
fall down the stairs. My ankle would heal but my heart wouldn’t. I was a killer
now.
I always thought
a murderer was a monster dressed up in disguise so no one would recognize him.
Did I look like a monster? If there were a God, as Rachel told me there was,
surely he would hate me, too.
***
A
Diary Entry Many Years Later
Life is about
possibilities. In my case, THE possibility happened in a very strange way. The
seventh dimension is a place of fabulous tales and infinite possibilities and a
wee bit of fantasy. But I must start from the beginning. As you will see, I
would be in the seventh dimension for a very long time.
“We will not hide these truths from our children;
We will tell the next generation…” Psalm 78:4
Chapter One
Two Years After the Accident
A hand reached
underneath my blue skirt. Feeling violated, I spun around on my heels. The students
in the crowded hallway blended into a blur of anonymity. Hurried bodies shoved
past me. Time froze. Did I imagine it? Where was that coward hiding? Distracted
and upset, I searched for his eyes.
“Shale, why are you just
standing there? Come on or you’ll be late.” Rachel was waiting at my locker.
I started towards her
as the bell rang.
“Are you okay?” She furrowed
her brow.
“I’m fine,” I smiled,
pretending nothing had happened. I would think about it later. “Did you finish
your analysis of As You Like It?”
Rachel's eyes bulged.
“Is it due today?”
“Here’s mine. You can
take a quick look if you need to.”
“Oh, thanks, Shale. I
hate Shakespeare anyway. No copying, promise. Just a peek.”
When we walked into
class, I grabbed the desk closest to the door. My thoughts lingered on what had
happened, as if I could figure out who did it by staring into an empty hallway. The
teacher's voice brought me back as she recited Shakespeare’s play.
“All the world's a
stage.
And all the men and
women merely players
They have their exits
and their entrances
And one man in his time
plays many parts
His acts being seven
ages.”
What
was my part, I wondered. At fourteen, did I have one yet?
***
Christian Nonfiction
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