Invisible Justice

 Invisible Justice is now available on Smashwords and Amazon.

 

Chapter One

It blasted him like a sucker punch.  Sam wasn’t sure where the pain came from, but the burning sensation radiated from his temples all the way down to his ankles.  His body was immobilized and seized by a flash of fire.  The wind rushed out of him.  He dropped to his knees on the kitchen floor.  He clamped his eyes shut, not daring to open them. 

Son of a…  What is this pain?!   Oh my God!  My head…  Is it a stroke?  Can’t breathe…  Heart attack?  Why won’t it stop?  What’s wrong with me?

Then it left, as quickly as it came.  The flash of torture disappeared.  Sam sat on the cool tile and raked shaking fingers through his short, sandy blond hair.

What just happened?

The burning, still fresh in his memory, made him wish someone was home.  His mother would be home soon, or he could call his dad at work.  But Sam didn’t want to worry either of them.  Especially since now everything seemed normal again. 

Well, almost normal.  He shook his head and realized that there was something new going on inside his brain.  Not pain.  But a sense of something extra. 

Still lightheaded, he got to his feet and reached for a glass from the cupboard.  He turned on the tap and the stench assaulted his nose.  He glanced down – the water looked clear, but he could vividly smell the iron and fluoride as it ran out of the faucet.

Maybe it’s just my imagination.  I can’t be smelling fluoride in water.  What does fluoride even smell like?  And is that calcium carbonate?  What – how do I even know what that is?

For a boy of sixteen, and one that didn’t pay much attention in his general chemistry class, he couldn’t figure out why these thoughts filled his head – let alone how he could smell and identify each of the particular elements themselves.

A loud sound, something like a bowl of cereal crackling distracted Sam.  He turned to peek out the curtains and saw a bicycle in the driveway.  Just the neighbor kid, riding his bike after school.  He headed back towards the kitchen, and then froze. 

How in the world can I hear bicycle tires on the sidewalk?

Standing still, he closed his eyes to test his ears.  What else could he hear?  The quiet hum of the refrigerator, Mr. Parker’s lawnmower from across the street, the television in Sam’s upstairs bedroom that always stayed on, which resulted in constant nagging from his mother.  But there was more. 

He could hear the toilet flush from the basement bathroom in the house next door.  He knew that sound didn’t come from his house, since he was home alone.  So how exactly could he sense the specific location of that sound? 

A squirrel scurried up one of the trees in the back yard.  Without even looking, he knew from the sound that it was the papery bark of the birch tree in his mother’s flower bed.  And further back, he could hear the gum balls falling from the sweet gum tree – the tree his father always griped about – from Old Lady Cullen’s house, whose property butted up against theirs.

How can I hear all of this?  And will someone please shut that dog up?!

Suddenly he realized that the dog was Buttons – the poodle from two blocks over that never left the house except for his morning exercise.  He only knew the bark because he heard it every morning on his way to school when he passed Buttons and his very nice looking owner as they took their morning jog.  Buttons always lunged and barked at him, but Sam never minded, probably because he was too busy checking out Jeannie in her spandex. 

Okay, this is really weird.  What do I do?  What do I DO?  Get a grip, Sam.  You’re not losing your mind.  Well, maybe you are.  NO, you’re not.  Crap.  Mom’s on her way home.

He ran upstairs to throw his backpack in the corner of his bedroom, made a quick attempt to straighten up his bed, and threw all of his dirty clothes in the closet.  Then he glanced in the bathroom mirror to check for any visible marks from whatever happened.  There were none.  Big sigh of relief.

Just.  Act.  Normal.  Wait, how did I know Mom was coming home early?

As if on cue, Sam’s mother walked in the door, which only added to the paranoia building in his head.  In his mind’s frenzy, he couldn’t figure out if he simply heard her car outside or just sensed that she was on her way home.  He didn’t believe in psychic abilities or sixth senses.  If it couldn’t be seen or proven, it didn’t exist, simple enough.

“Hey kiddo, how was school today?” she said, watching Sam run awkwardly down the stairs.  “What’s wrong?  Do you feel okay?  You look a little pale.”

“Uh, no…  I’m fine.  School was fine.  Good.  Why are you home so early?”  He winced as he knew he sounded strange.

“Your sister has that cheer meeting…  Are you sure you’re okay?”  She didn’t sound convinced, and her eyebrows pinched together as she looked at him closer.

“Yeah, mom.  I’m fine.  What’s for dinner?”  Not that he was even remotely hungry.

“Well, that sounds more like you.  Actually, I’m just here to get her forms and run – Lexi is waiting on me at school.  Can you just grab something?”

“Sure.”

“You’re sure you’re okay?”  She looked hard at him once again.  “I can stay home…”

“No, Mom, go.  I’m fine, really.”  Get out of here so I can think. 

“Okay, if you’re sure.  But call me if you need anything.”

“Sure.”

He knew his mother hated his one-word responses, but he really wasn’t in the mood for conversation at the moment.  He just needed a few quiet minutes to think.  Quiet.  Right.  As if I can’t hear football practice from halfway across town.

As soon as she left, Sam sprinted upstairs and got out his laptop and hit the power button.  While he waited, he decided a hot shower was in his best interest.  Turning on the water, the stench invaded his nose again, and he decided that dinner was definitely out of the question for tonight.  As he stepped into the spray, he realized that something felt different.  Not only did the water feel too hot, but the pressure was much harder than he’d ever experienced. 

That’s strange.  I always set the temperature the same way.  Great.  Does that mean my skin’s affected now, too? 

He readjusted the temperature to a cooler setting and closed his eyes.  The water hit his shoulders and echoed off the walls.  He could hear the soapy water as it circled through the drain and down the pipes through the house and under the ground.  But the new pressure felt good, and relaxed him, despite the noise. 

Clear your head.  Clear your head.  Good.  Now let’s do a little research, figure out what’s going on.

School was easy for Sam.  His grades were so good that his sister called him a geek because he never had to study.  He also had an uncanny skill with computers and could find just about anything he wanted to know by researching on the web.

If there is something medically wrong with me, I’ll find it.

Dried off, dressed and rejuvenated, he sat down at his desk.  Once the Internet popped up, he typed in “heightened senses.”  He found thousands of hits from World of Warcraft to comic book heroes.  With “super smell” he found any product one could hope for – from home air fresheners to antihistamines.  His “hearing” results ranged from hearing aids to radio woofers.  He could find absolutely no connecting medical information on any of the search terms he plugged in.

After almost an hour of fruitless research, his head swam in pure frustration.  He sat down at the edge of his bed, laid back and closed his eyes.  Through the floor his feet could feel the traffic outside, the car engines purr and the tires bump along the potholes.  His nose could sense the just-before-rain drizzle as it mixed with the oil and dirt on the roads and sidewalks.  His ears – now buzzing with new sounds – honed in on an argument between two small children a few houses down as they fought over who got to ride the scooter next.

Then, all of a sudden, it just stopped.  After a couple of hours of the constant noise and sensory static, it seemed as if everything totally shut off.  His eyes flew open and he sat up in one jerky move.  He brought his fingers to his ears and snapped. 

Ears, check.  Eyes, check.  Nose…

Looking for something to test his nose on, he grabbed the nearest basketball shoe on his floor.

Check.  Well, seems like everything’s back to normal.  Is that good?  What the…?

Sam had to get out of the house.  He needed fresh air and greasy fast food.  Once he started the ignition, his mind settled a bit, knowing that the radio was exactly the right volume – where he always kept it – loud, but not “drive your neighbors crazy” loud.

Heading out of his subdivision, he turned towards the burger joint on Broadway Avenue.  It wasn’t his favorite food, but since his best friend Ty worked there, he knew he might get a freebie in his bag.  Pulling into the drive-through, Ty’s voice greeted him through the intercom.  He waited for Ty to finish his usual greeting before placing his order.

“Yeah, I’d like an order of crab legs, three tacos, a funnel cake and a keg of Guinness.  And make it speedy.”

“Hey Sam!  Very funny…  What do you really want?”

“Uh, I guess the double cheeseburger combo – make it with onion rings and a root beer.”

“You got it, come on around.”

Sam and Ty had been friends since the third grade, when they had to endure Mrs. Fisher together.  Ty was new to town, and had the good fortune of sitting next to Sam on his first day.  They had been getting each other out of trouble ever since.  And sometimes into trouble.

As they grew older, they began to share everything: forts, secrets, homework, sports activities, and stories about girls – including the various theories on how to get past first base.  As they grew older, their bond had only grown stronger.  There really wasn’t anything one couldn’t – and didn’t – tell the other.  Sam had one sister, Ty had two – so the two of them were as close to brothers as best friends could be. 

He drove around the corner and up to the window and his friend greeted him with his normal crooked smile. 

“Hey bro.  What’s up?”  Ty handed the drink through the window.

“Not much.  Just getting some grub.  What time are you off tonight?”

“Eight.”  He handed Sam a bag much bigger than it should have been, had it only held a cheeseburger and onion rings. 

“Cool.  Call me later?”

“Will do.  Anything wrong?” 

“Nah.  Just call me.  Or text.  Whatever.”

Sam took a deep breath towards the drive-through window, testing his nose.  It smelled like it always did, a fast food burger joint loaded with greasy food.  He felt relieved to not have his nose smacked with the smell of each individual ingredient used in the place, glad that he couldn’t hear every bit of chatter in the dining area, and even more comforted that he did not have the names of the chemical components of cooking grease floating around in his brain.

Maybe I just had a mental moment.  That has to be it.  Like an out of body experience.  There is NOTHING wrong with me.  I’m fine.

He turned his gaze back to Ty, gave him a reassuring smile and his money.  “I’m headed back to the house.  Got some homework to do, and will probably catch some of the Cubs game.  Thanks for the brew – it’ll go great with the game!”

Ty smiled at him.  “See ya, man.”

“Bye.  Thanks for the food.”  He steered his truck out of the drive-through and headed back towards his house.  Sam felt every bump in the road and as he bounced in the cab, he was keenly aware of the knots in his shoulder muscles and the throbbing in his temples. 

Gotta shake this off…

 

READER REVIEWS:

HarperCollins wrote:

This was an enjoyable, page-turning read. Invisible Justice provides an interesting take on supernatural powers and is a refreshing read in a landscape where young-adult fantasy/science-fiction is ripe, but dominated by different versions of vampires, angels and werewolves. This novel’s supernatural element, as the result of human scientific intervention, has resonances with Frankenstein, X-Men and the television show Heroes.

The narrative devices of journal recording, research, and the continual exchange of information between characters helps the reader learn about the nature of the superpowers and how they came to be at a gradual pace. This allows the reader to feel that they are along for the ride with the characters as the mystery unfolds itself, and also avoids the trap of a large information dump, which can often be an issue in an origins story. However, there are times when the narrative can be repetitive, especially in the instance when a new power-enhanced individual enters the fold, and birth-date, nature of flashes, and the need to record occurrences are reiterated.

I thought that the onset of each character’s power as they came of age was fitting. The powers are interesting and avoid cliché treatment. Sam’s power of heightened senses including a sixth sense of two-way communication with people’s minds is a nice touch for example.

The teen characters are also well-rounded. They each have their strengths, insecurities and quirks within their personalities. Lexi, a diligent, well-mannered student really takes to her new powers and some carefree experimentation. While Clint has many talents of the earthly kind: detecting electronic bugs, riding a motorcycle, being a young pilot, he is still anxious to discover his power and envious of his friends. The family back-stories and the romantic tensions that start to emerge also add depth to the characters. Their differences and similarities are played off cleverly creating a believable and united group dynamic. The simple but sharp dialogue goes a long way in this respect.

I also liked how Dr Blevins, the ‘villain’ of the story, features early on in the plot, unnamed and watching over his superhuman creations, allowing the reader to have some knowledge of the mystery outside of characters’ investigations. His back story, both serving the army and as a doctor, provides an intriguing history to his need to create a superhuman army, but I did fell that we needed more information on his motivation. I’m guessing more of this would be explained in the sequel, but I still think the reader could benefit from knowing a little bit more about Dr Blenkins (maybe through a research document or newspaper) – but still not too much as his presence as an ominous threat is built on the ambiguity of his character. I would also have liked a bit more explanation of Dr Rowe’s involvement, between the initial suspicion of his involvement and meeting with Dr Rowe towards the end.

The metaphor of awakening heroes for teenagers becoming is treated with a deft prose style, strong dialogue and well-rounded characters. Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I felt compelled to keep turning the pages and find out why and how these characters had gained these superhuman abilities. With some minor work I think this would be a suitable addition to the superhuman genre that is increasing in popularity. 

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Hello Kim,

Very interesting story you’ve got here. Apparently I’ve got competition in the psychic states- fortunately Invisible Justice is very different from the baseline science-fiction I stick to!

While Sam’s transformations were elegantly described, to begin with I feared that they’d soon feel repetitive and predictable; courtesy of your blurb the reader knows from the outset that your main character (wonderfully relatable and likable as he is, I might add) is destined to undergo changes, and it seems at first that they would be the absolute focus of the novel above and beyond all else…

Fortunately the characters themselves quickly come to the fore, banishing any concerns I might have otherwise had- I see now that your intention was merely to outline the mechanics of your universe, so to speak, so you can build upon them with some excellent plotting and dialogue. This alternation between happenings keeps things interesting; IJ is well-paced, and ultimately one of the few fantastical-premise novels I’ve read with the good sense to not bombard the reader with infodumps to the point of apathetic boredom, but to trickle them carefully so the plot can take the fore (without keeping the reader in the dark, of course).

I’m glad the sample size is manageable, because if it had been any longer I’d have been unable to stop reading it and it would’ve completely derailed my day! IJ’s premise might seem like familiar comic book fodder on paper, but as I’m so fond of saying, the trick is in the telling- and you definitely tell it very, very well.

Good luck with this, it’s wonderful to see genre work that challenges expectations.

-Ryan

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Dear Kim,

As far as I’m concerned (myself, far removed from my YA fan years) this is a triumph. I read about 1/4, and then scanned through to the end. (Now I know how publishers feel!)

Invisible Justice has a superior graphic novel quality that impresses with the build up of characters through rich, spot-on dialects and dialogue that supports the uniqueness of each of them. No where is this more apparent than where it counts: in the beginning where you introduce Sam through a series of smart internal monologues.

There is an interesting theme that is foreshadowed in your book, and it is that of flight and travel. Blasting off. Sam continually takes inventory of his body as he undergoes his metamorphosis (quite Kafka-esque, actually). It gives the sensation that we are about to embark on an exciting adventure!

And we do!  Here’s wishing you all the best this month with your book!

A New Fan,

~Phil

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Kim,

This is the latest I have been up in a long time on the internet – it is almost two in the morning and I have been reading Invisible Justice! Still a long way from finishing but I just had to let you know that I am totally captivated.

Sam is a very likeable character, just the type my children will be able to identify with, but they will have to fight me for the book when in print as I will be reading it first! I like your style of writing – the flow of words, your descriptions, your ability to allow the reader to imagine and live every sentence. The plot is original and extremely engaging, full of life and energy and I am sure this will reach the editor’s desk and become a huge success.

Zan

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Dear Kim,

If any of your readers wished they had heightened senses, they’d certainly be glad they didn’t after reading your vivid, precisely detailed descriptions of Sam’s agonizing transformations. From the paragraph, you set a quick pace via strong verbs and wonderfully compact sentences, but despite the momentum at work here you leave nothing out—you both tell and show how each sense has been affected, making the reader experience each transformation and the accompanying pain for herself.

I’ve read five chapters of your very exciting story, and I’m eager to continue: not only because I know from your pitch that the excitement has barely begun, but because I want to see how Sam and Leesha will proceed. I like both characters and how quickly and smoothly you bring them together: a relationship both highly unusual and plainly inevitable. You’ve been conveying Sam’s pain with such intensity that I was relieved when Leesha assured him it would lessen.

I hope your highly imaginative, deftly written, and just plain irresistible story makes it to the Harper & Collins editor’s desk. On my shelf.

Maria

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Kim,

This puts me in mind of ‘Heroes’ one of the best tv series I’ve ever seen. I really enjoyed the first series but thought it started to trail off after that.

And why? because they didn’t have you writing for it.

You take us deeper into the mind of an awakening ‘hero’ and that is exciting to read. What on earth would it be like to go through this kind of evolutionary jump?

You concentrate on character and rightly so, given the subject matter.
I think you have a knack for characterisation and I especially enjoyed Sam’s internal dialogue. If I may I’ll take a leaf from your book (pun intended) to enhance my own protagonist, Olwud.  Many, many others couldn’t write this sort of thing. Hats off to you!

Best of luck and best wishes,
David

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Kim!

Sam is living every teen-age boys dream! Or any of our dreams for that matter! There isn’t one of us who haven’t dreamed of being special in some way … I love how we’re put right into Sam’s head from the beginning–thrown into his chaos, living it with him. I feel like I’m right there, feeling his every emotion as he travels on this curious journey.

I love all of the little details to Sam’s extra senses … the smell of toothpaste film, or the particles of dust from the vacuum, or the rain right before it starts … you have a very clever eye for detail. The writing is great–clean, crisp, fast paced. I also really enjoy the little bits of humor that come with Sam’s thoughts–one in particular: ‘I got in trouble in Spanish class for talking too much …’ –’I can’t even imagine …’ / Lot’s of those little humor moments, I love it.

What a fabulous, fun, clever story. I’m so drawn in to Sam and Leesha’s extraordinary tale. I’m so glad that characters like Sam and Leesha exist, so we can live through our own childhood dreams with them!!!

~Morgan