Novels by Jerubel Keziah

AVAAva raised her head and opened her eyes. She removed her hands off Anna and Bruce while looking in the direction where Sara, Beck, and Annika were.Sara was seated on the ground at their heads in a meditation style. Getting close to her, she noticed her face was scrunched up.The sound of faint voices caused Ava to look around. Some of the people were already on their feet holding and murmuring to each other while others were getting up as they looked around.Ava joined in looking around to see a messy environment. Pieces of paper and plastics, that looked like were trash littered the area. There were also tree parts littered: leaves, branches. As she turned around, observing, she finally settled her eyes on Dylan. He was taking pictures of the environment with his camera. She frowned: displeased that he was still going on about his story.Then she turned to face her siblings.J

AVAAva, who was seated on the bed beside Beck, looked away from the dark sky through the window, glancing at him. Anna had said this was the room she slept in when she was brought for the ritual.As Ava watched him take his rest after the fight with Annika, several thoughts ran through her mind: she wondered why the universe let her car stop at that point on the road. If they hadn’t stopped, she and Anna would be planning how much fun they’d have in the second and last week of their spring vacation.She also thought that she wouldn’t have met Beck if they’d never been stranded. She knew she had only known him for a week but the effect he had on her has never been like any of the guys she had a crush on or dated. There was something special about him, she knew that, nonetheless she couldn’t tell what it was or why she was so attracted to him.She was supposed to be upset with him for his deceit and his recent atroci

AVAShe wanted to be with him at the moment, and yet she didn’t want that. She would seem desperate and weak if she ventured into his arms instead of strong and upset, which she was supposed to be.Ava had tussled on the bed, over and over since she and Anna retired to bed, thinking of being with Beck just like those nights when Anna was missing. Then she thought of his soothing voice whenever he comforted her. She needed to hear that voice; she needed that assurance that by the following day she and her siblings would go back to their normal lives.She got up, feeling that it was better she was yearning for him and not mad at him. After all, he had a good reason to have lied.As she got to the door of his room, she felt a hand cover her nose and mouth while a sharp blade was placed at her neck. Before she could muffle or tug at the hand on her face, a man whispered, “Make a noise and you’re gone,” in her ears. Then

BECKThe ride back to Strangeville was deadly silent. The radio of Ava’s car wasn’t even on and that made the atmosphere in the vehicle more awkward that it was supposed to be.Beck could still feel bad energy coming from Bruce. The young man, even as he drove, had been upset with him, and even though he knew why he felt it was uncalled for.He was grateful that Strangeville was not so far from Knightdale as it was about half an hour when Bruce got to the very spot Beck first met his sisters. They had to take a walk towards the town as there weren’t modern roads leading to it.They went to Beck’s house and settled in, barely talking to each other. Ava and Anna retired to the room Ava once used, while Bruce took that of Anna. Sara had gone to her place to prepare for the ritual, though she was unsure if the townspeople would participate or not. It would take a lot of convincing, especially now that the outside world

AVA“Beck, wait!” Ava said, stopping him from leaving, which would haunt her for a very long time. She knew that people would say she was stupid for trying to be a hero, but she couldn’t help it; she loved helping people.She stepped in front of Beck. “Don’t go.”“Ava,” Bruce said, “don’t tell me you gave in to his sob story. That’s what guys do to get what they want.”She glanced behind Beck, eyeing Bruce. “Bruce, shut up.”She looked back at Beck. “Look, I’m still mad at you, but I can’t let you leave like this. I remember telling you I would help you start fresh; I’m not going back on my word. We’ll help you with the Annika situation.”“We?” exclaimed Anna and Bruce.“Yes, we,” she said firmly,

BECKSince Ava had been allegedly attacked by Annika, Beck had tried to be by her side as much as he could. That was impossible as Bruce wouldn’t let him to get close to her. Then there was the fact that guilt couldn’t let him show his face to her.Why did Annika have to ruin his life? Her death should have been his chance of freedom. However, it imprisoned in the worse way he could ever imagine. He had finally found a woman he was sure he could love if they had the time to build their relationship and hopefully start life afresh with, but Annika’s haunting was going to cost him his chance at love and freedom.Right after Dr. Bernard left Ava’s ward, after she’d discussed with him that she needed to be with her sister for an hour and didn’t want any disturbance, he lied beside her on her hospital bed, reading to her the novel Bruce had gotten for her from home.Tho