Six paragraphs from N8, The 8th Species, Book 1.
1. Now she understood the gossip
she’d overheard about the high turnover rate in this place. The thought of what
else they’d demand of her if she went ahead with their plans made her sick to
her stomach. And
yet, the idea of having carte blanche with N8, getting to know him better,
getting permission to maybe form a relationship with him…
2. Cydney stared at him. Already she could tell the
skin underneath the peeling layer was darker. After she’d been hired, she’d
been required to do an extensive study about each Chimera’s unique and
individual ability. And even though she’d only witnessed a couple of them do
their thing, this would be the first time she got to see G8’s transformation
that occurred like clockwork every twenty-eight days. She managed a timid
smile. “I’m looking forward to seeing it, too.”
3. Those few times
he’d asserted his ability, he’d learned how not to make mistakes. Thanks to T8
and P8, they’d allowed him to use them as test subjects, letting him know what
to watch out for. What worked and what didn’t. And how best to initiate contact
and absorption without the new host catching on. The longest he’d ever remained
inside anyone was nearly three hours before he removed himself. This was the
first time he’d slipped into an outsider, and a female, and it would be for a
much longer time. He hoped that wouldn’t be an issue. More worrisome was the
fact that he’d no longer have visible contact with the host.
4. She recalled the old stories
about boys learning women’s anatomies from ancient copies of Reader’s Digest and porn mags. N8 and
the others never had that kind of upbringing. “For that matter, what kind of
childhood did you have? No wonder you all are so close knit. You’ve only had
each other to fall back on when times got bad because you understood what
everyone else was going through. Because all of you were being put through the
same thing.” She took a deep, shuddering breath. “Shit. I’ve made the fatal
mistake of getting emotionally involved in all this, and that was the company’s
number one rule.” She screwed up her face. “Well, forget their number one rule.
And forget Dorsey and Bill. Forget them all!” Grabbing the washcloth from the towel
bar, she threw it into the shower. The action allowed her to get rid of some of
her anger. Plus, it was a safe response. Nothing was broken.
5. The guy in the jumpsuit said
something to the deputy, who seemed to grow increasingly agitated. She looked
to be arguing with the man, who appeared to brush her off, and climbed back
inside the van. Milton stomped her foot as the two vehicles exited the driveway
and took off. As soon as they
were out of range, he gunned the engine and raced across the intersection. He
hit his lights as he entered the parking area, alerting Milton. In his
headlights, he saw the woman was crying, her face splotched and pale. Throwing
open his car door, he jumped out and strode up to her. “Who were those men?” he
demanded.
6. Immediately, Biggs rushed back to his car.
Standing in the small clearing, he lifted his face to the sky. “Listen!
Everyone! I know you’re out there somewhere, probably watching me! Stay where
you are! Don’t come out! Several men from the place where you came from have
been tipped off and are on their way here. But don’t worry! I have my men
coming to help!” He looked around. “If you can hear me, stay where you are!
Don’t come out of hiding! But don’t run, either! These woods aren’t a nice
place to get lost in. Try to stay concealed until we get this under control!”
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