Wanted Readers: Tour Excerpt: Sprite by Leigh Michael

Series summary:

Annabelle Walsh thought she had it all. She was the star of her swim team, had a loving family, a great boyfriend, and to top it off, she’d be starting at UCLA in the fall. One day, she’d be referred to as Dr. Annabelle Walsh.

She was living every girl’s dream – until her life was turned upside down. All starting with finding out that she's not just a human, but also a water spirit. Half-human, half-sprite to be exact. Although not just any sprite, Annabelle is prophesied to be the only one who can save both the sprites and mankind.

With a mix of current events, anecdotes from Greek mythology, tidbits of folklore, and Leigh’s own imagination, we join Annabelle in her journey to restore order beneath the sea. Each step of the way her mind, body, and soul are pushed to the limit begging the question, how much can one half-human, half-sprite take?

Excerpt
Then with a cock of my head, I questioned, “So if the all signs point to the fact the ‘Second Alpha’ has been born, do you know where he is?”
“It’s not a ‘he,’” YaYa corrected. “The ‘Second Alpha’ is a female. And you are her.”
“Me?!” I shrieked. “You’ve got to be kidding me. There’s no way I’m any type of ‘Second Alpha.’”
“Annabelle,” YaYa said calmly. “Are you or are you not breathing water right now?”
“Yes, I am, but that doesn’t mean anything,” I insisted. “Adrian told me that I’m half-human, half-sprite.”
“Yes, Adrian is correct. But Annabelle, we don’t believe that you are just any type of sprite. We believe that you are part of the Aba race.”
“That’s absurd.”
“The prophecy says—”
“The prophecy!” I cut in. “I need a little more than just some prophecy to believe that I’m the only person, I mean sprite, or whatever I am, that can restore order to the Tritons.”
“The prophecy says…” she continued calmly, “…that the ‘Second Alpha’ would not fully develop his or her affinities until he or she is eighteen years of age.”
“What affinities?!”
“The ‘First Alpha’ and ‘Second Alpha’ are said to display affinities for earth, fire, wind, and water.”
I learned that the affinity for earth came from the blood of Arethusa, a water fairy. This was because the fae were known to have a strong capacity for healing and medicine from the earth.
The remaining affinities… fire, wind, and water… are attributed to Hades, Zeus, and Poseidon.
Since the Aba were the only ones with the same blood that flowed through their veins from both the Olympian gods and the fresh water sprites, they were the only ones who could breathe in all types of water and possess all four affinities.
Impatience overflowed from my voice. “Okay, whatever, the Aba people had these affinities. So what?”

“Ever since Abas turned his back on the water, his future descendants have been unable to breathe underwater. You clearly have developed that trait,” she said, gesturing her arms to showcase the water surrounding us. “It is my guess that only a few days ago that would not have been the case.”

“It’s true, Annabelle,” Adrian said with a comforting edge to his voice. “Think about it, you already started to show some of the affinities before your eighteenth birthday.”
“Yeah, like what?” I objected, folding my arms in defiance.
“Well, my dear,” YaYa cut in. “If we are not mistaken, you once had plans to start at UCLA to pursue a career in medicine. That is a sign of your early affinity for earth. Your affinity for water developed at a young age as well. You are the star swimmer on your team, are you not?”
“Yeah, but I’m sure there are tons of people who want to be a doctor and who can swim!”
“Yes, of course,” YaYa agreed. “However, your affinity for fire has also been developing. Do you not recall the incident you had in Chemistry the other day?”
“You’ve got to be kidding me?” I said, rolling my eyes before I shifted my gaze to the fading fire. “I just used too much methyl alcohol and, besides, no one was hurt.”
I heard insistence in her voice. “No, Annabelle, the correct amount was administered.”
“What? How would you even know?”
Adrian’s face gave him away. A simple look in his direction made it clear he harbored guilt. “Spill it, Adrian.”
I wasn’t in the mood for games.
His hesitation couldn’t be missed. “We’ve been watching you for years to see if you could be the ‘Second Alpha.’”
My words came out very slow, very deliberate. “What do you mean you’ve been watching me?”

Author Bio:
Leigh Michael is an author of YA fiction. She's worked within the advertising world for nearly a decade before writing her debut series, Annabelle's Story. Leigh lives in Washington, DC with her husband and goldendoodle. Please learn more about Leigh and her works at her Website
Twitter |Facebook |Email | Amazon |Smashwords |Goodreads

Also in this series: