Book Review - Kiss. ooohlalalala.

Book Review - Erin Orred

Have you ever woken up in a hospital bed not remembering the past six months of your life? The only thing you’re sure of is your name. That is exactly what happen to Shauna, in Kiss, a fantastic fiction novel by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy. Shauna is clueless about everything, especially a mysterious man, who goes by the name Wayne Spade, who says that he is her boyfriend, and he takes her all over the place trying to “help” her remember the past six months.

Attempting to regain her memory, she must stay at her dreaded father’s house. Her father is running to be in the U.S. Senate, and he cares only about his campaign, and her brother, whom she is to blame for his brain damage, since someone said he was in the car when she hit something and her car went spinning. Everyone one blames her for the tragic car accident, especially her evil stepmother, but really? She knows that she is a cautious driver and would never do anything to hurt her dear brother, Rudy. At least her faithful and trusting uncle believes her, and is on her side to help settle the disputes between the broken family.

She continues to heal, but her memory still does not show her any of the past six months. She and Wayne become closer, and she still does not remember him at all. She discovers though, that she can probe into others’ minds, and steal memories from them, so chunks of their lives will be missing. She now realizes that this can help her find out about the past six months, and uses this to figure out what caused the accident, and the events leading up to it. She now knows that someone is out there and wants something from her, or for her to be killed, and she learns that the people that claim to be her “friends” cannot actually be trusted at all.

She keeps on revealing more secrets and finds out that finding out more is putting her and her family in more danger. She is playing a risky game of cat and mouse and needs to find all the pieces of the puzzle before it is too late and her family gets destroyed.

I thought that this was a very good book with an interesting and high intensity story line. The authors were very good at describing the setting and the plot was interesting. They used impressive wording that made you feel like you were there. The only thing that made it slight boring was how how the beginning was very confusing. Once I read deeper into the book, it made a lot more sense and I was so intrigued I could hardly put it down. The ending was very sweet and it had a great twist. It is a fantastic book that I am almost sure everyone would love reading.

It's a Fiction Story, Bro.

A Change In Heart

By Erin Orred

I sprint faster. I can feel my legs pumping. My bare feet are pushing through the soft sand. My long hair is swishing back and forth across my back. I look over to the clear blue waters of Hawaii, ready to jump in as soon as I finish the race. My heart is throbbing, pained almost... I can see the finish line, just beyond the cluster of palm trees, almost in my reach. I have to keep running though, because I can hear the crowd chanting my name.

   “Sierra, Sierra, Sierra, Sierra!”
   My heart is tight, and strangely slowing. My lungs are aching and my feet feel like they are about to give.  But I must keep pushing. I am almost there and not a single person is even close to me...
       Suddenly it is silent. I look around and see everyone yelling, but no sound comes. I look down and my legs are gone. My arms have seemed to disappear too. I have nothing, no feeling whatsoever. My eyes are open, but suddenly, everything fades into blackness. I suddenly drift away to nowhere, like floating off a cloud or falling down a hole, to nothingness.

“Yes, her heart is stable, and seems to be functioning well after her transplant. I am impressed, especially since she is only sixteen.” I hear a woman, probably in her forties, say to whomever else is in the room with her. “Yeah, I’m sixteen, I think to myself, but my parents treat me like I’m five.” I try to force my dark green-blue eyes open to look around, but they are stiff and feel like they are glued shut. I feel like I am not myself, and I am inhabiting someoneç else's body. I hear unsteady beeps coming from a machine, and can smell lemon cleaner wafting through the air.  I finally come to the conclusion that I am in a hospital room, although I wonder why I am here and how I ended up here in the first place. It suddenly clicks in my head that the last thing I remember was running on Waikiki Beach, which is close to my home here in Honolulu. My eyelids flutter open and I can feel my heart pounding. I suddenly cry out in pain, yet I have no idea what is hurting. My eyes tightly close again. Someone rushes over to my bedside, and I am guessing a young man, because he smells strongly of musky aftershave.

   “Assistance! I need backup here! He yells across the room. Her heart rate is out of control! Someone come and help me before this girl goes into a coma!”
   I slowly open my eyes and study the man that has a cold stethoscope pressed against my chest and is inches away from me. I look to the woman next to me putting an I.V. into my arm with some medicine in it. The room looks like an emergency room, with patients all around, and lamps at each bedside in front of beeping monitors. Definitely not the calm atmosphere.

“Hello sweetie.” The nurse says to me calmly, with a peaceful smile on her face.

“Where am I?” I question. But as the words come out they sound like a squeak, from a young boy.

“You are in the E.R.. Your heart failed, and you have had a heart transplant.” The male doctor says to me.

“Where is my mom?” I speak with more force this time, trying not to sound like the timid girl I am.

“I am right here, honey. Don’t worry.” She spoke as rushes out from behind the door and approaches my bedside. My dad turns the corner, but just leans against the door and watches me.

   I flip my eyes toward my mom.

“What happen to me? I can’t remember anything.” I whispered softly.

“Your heart failed when you were running on the beach. Do you remember running on the beach?” It was practically a whisper from her lips, as she softly stroked my dark, long, wavy hair, all matted from lying in a hospital bed all night.

“Yes.”

“Your heart failed and you needed a new heart, and it happen to be that someone around here got in a car wreck just last night and passed away. They used the lady’s heart to... save your life.”

“Is that why I don’t feel like myself? I feel like I am living in someone else's body, in a whole different world.

“Well...” My mother hesitated. “They said that a heart transplant can actually change your personality--to a certain extent.” She cut in quickly. “You will still think the same, but you could be attracted to someone or something that the person you took the heart from was. Don’t worry Sie. You’re still the same person to me.” She always called me Sie, even when I was a little toddler. It made me feel young and hopeless.

“What about school?” I questioned, worried about how others would think of me. I had just moved to Hawaii this year because of my dad’s job transfer, and had only been in the school for a few months. Even though these kids barely knew me, it would be awkward. What if the heart that they had taken from someone and given to me had been in love with someone else? What if I met up with that person and my heart pounded like I was crazy in love, and didn’t even know them?

“The teachers say that you are not actually sick, that you need to be back to school as soon as possible. Today is Wednesday, and we’re leaving the hospital this afternoon. Do you think you can have the rest of the week off and make it to school next Monday?” My mom asked me with caution, trying to sound calm.

“It’s not like anything is going to change if I go to school on Monday or next year, so better late than never. But how soon do you think I can run?” I wanted to run so badly. I was the champion runner at school, and had more records than anyone else yet.

“How about we worry about school first...” My mother replied with a half-grin on her worn wrinkled face.

“Are you almost ready for school?” My mom yells up the stairs as I was standing in my bedroom Monday morning, deciding what to wear so my scar from the surgery on my chest wouldn’t show.”

“Oh, just calm down!” I flippantly yell back at her. “I’ll be ready in a second!”

I was so excited to see my best friend Kellsie again, but I did not, and I mean absolutely not want to see Hayden Blake. Hayden was the type of guy that could get any and every girl he wanted, just by his charm, personality, and good looks. All through the beginning of the year, he had just been rude and picked on me. Everyone said he was just joking, and that he does that to everyone. I would still have to think differently. Even though he was just in 4 of my classes, I would still have to deal with him.

I run down the stairs and grab a banana and a yogurt, because I took so long to decide what I was going to wear, I have to rush right out the door.

I peel my yellow jeep into the school parking lot, and I see Kellsie walking through the front entrance. I rolled my window down to talk to her.

“Hey! Kells! Wait!”

She flipped her cropped wavy hair to face toward me.
    “Sierra!” She screams in excitement as she waved her hands and jumps up and down. “You’re back! Hey I have to go talk to Mrs. Walker but I’ll meet you in chemistry!”
    “Okay, save me a seat!” I yell back.
I hear horns honking behind me and I realize my car is stopped in the middle of the parking lot with 4 minutes before school starts. I check my mirrors to turn, and realize it is Hayden behind me, with the angriest face I think I have ever seen someone wear. My heart starts pumping and my palms are sweating, but I dismiss the thought of my heart so that I can park my car. “I am going to do whatever it takes to be nice to that kid, even if I have to put a fake smile on my face.” I think to myself. I run into my first period class, hoping I won’t be late. Chemistry is probably one of the worst classes. Not only is it extremely hard, I also sit right next to Hayden. I am pretty sure the teachers love to torture me or something, because I think they all know we don’t get along. I run into the classroom and sit down in my dreaded seat. I reach down to grab a notebook out of my backpack on the floor. Just as I sit up in my chair and turn to face the front again, I collide with Hayden’s backpack, smacking my face as he takes his seat.

“What do you have in there, every single school book you own?” I attempt to question comically as a joke, but it comes out all wrong, and my smile looks more like a sneer. I realize then just how hard he really hit me, and notice my nose is gushing blood all over my shirt. My heart starts pounding again, except crazier than before. A pounding you get when you see your sister fly off the swings, and hope that she doesn’t break every bone in her fragile body.

“So much for spending time choosing a good outfit to wear my first day,” I thought.

“Geez, watch where you put your stupid nose!” Hayden yells. I looked him straight in the eye with a confused expression on my face.

“What on earth happen to you that made you so uptight and cranky?” I was perplexed.

“I’m.. sorry?” I’m trying to process how backwards this is as I walk up to the teacher’s desk to grab some tissues. Isn’t he the one who smacked me with his backpack and made my nose gush like the Amazon River?

“Be nice. Be nice. Be nice.” I whispered under my breath. I look around and the whole classroom is staring me down. “Everyone here must think my heart transplant made me crazy since I am walking around having a good ole’ chat with myself.” I thought as I shake my head feeling flustered and confused. Hayden stood up and sprinted out of the room, steaming mad. I should go to Hayden in private and see what this mess was all about.

After a good talk with Kellsie during lunch, I decided to leave early and try to go find Hayden. Hopefully he wasn’t “chilling” with his jock friends in the gym, and that I could talk him alone. I dumped the rest of my lunch and meandered my way through the school in search. I walked towards the main doors and peered out towards the parking lot. There he was, sitting all alone in his truck, appearing beat down and dejected. I made my way through the balmy, cloudless air and lightly tapped on his window. He looks up at me, expressionless, and pushes the door slightly open.

“Hi.” I spoke cool and collected, not giving away how angry he made me earlier today.

“I’m, uh, sorry about this morning when I, uh, kinda yelled at you.” He apologetically spoke, and I knew that he was sincerely sorry. I suddenly brightened, knowing he actually meant that he was sorry.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. Everyone freaks out sometimes.” My heart is racing, and I have the abrupt urge to just hug him tight and tell him everything would be all right. He seems so familiar to me, like I have known him for years. I feel like I know everything about him, and could whisper something to him that he had told only someone special. I study his dark, clouded, eyes and saw the hurt that was ripping him apart.  Instantly, everything clicked in my mind and I realized the heart that was inside of me now was someone close to him. That’s why he was so depressed, and that is why I went crazy when I saw him. I reach out, and touch his shoulder. He looked at me with a tender expression, and a tear rolled down his cheek. He jumped out of the car and wrapped both his arms around me and sobbed.

All of a sudden, words were spewing out of his mouth and he was blubbering like a baby.  

“My … my younger sister got in a car wreck and she died right after the ambulance came. They brought the heart to the hospital and the doctors told us they gave it to you to save your life. I was mad at you earlier because I feel like you stole her from us, and I now realized she saved your life, and she made a difference in the world.” He could barely talk but I understood every word.

    “Thank you.” I look up in those beautiful inky eyes and smiled at him with tears running down my cheeks.

“Sie... I have liked you for awhile.” I stared at him. Finally someone who could call me Sie and not make me feel like a child.

“I tried to make it not show by being rude to you, but that was the most childish thing I could have ever done. But I am gonna change that right now.”

He scans my face, looking at my blue-green eyes to my button nose stopping at my lips. He cups my face with his strong yet tender hands, pushes my hair behind my ears, and gives me a gentle kiss, just brushing my lips. I had a feeling that Hayden Blake and I would get along pretty well the rest of the year.