The Gifting (Book 1 in The Gifting Series) Read online

The Gifting

  By K.E. Ganshert

  If science is right, then I am crazy. And crazy is dangerous.

  Tess Eckhart has always felt things nobody else can feel. Then the Ouija board incident happens at a high school party. Her complete freakout sends her family across the country—next to a nationally-renowned facility for the mentally ill. Worried that Tess suffers from the same illness that tormented her grandmother, her parents insist she see a psychiatrist.

  Tess is more concerned about fitting in at her new school, and hiding the fact that she’s seeing a therapist at the Edward Brooks Facility. She’s used to whispers and stares, but when it comes to Luka Williams, a reluctantly popular boy in her class, she’s unused to a stare that intense. Then the headaches start, and the seemingly prophetic dreams that haunt her at night. As Tess tries to hide them, she becomes increasingly convinced that Luka knows something—that he might somehow be responsible.

  But what if she’s wrong? What if Luka Williams is the only thing separating her from a madness too terrifying to fathom?

  Praise for The Gifting

  “Set in a not-too-distant future that feels frighteningly like home, this novel immerses readers within the heart of Tess’s fear from the very first chapter. This is not, however, a novel of horror. Guaranteed to leave you breathless, The Gifting is an eerie merging of Gothic-like dystopian mystery and YA romance within a pulse-pounding supernatural thriller. Expect to lose sleep over this book! A must-read addition to any YA reader’s collection, this one’s a keeper!”

  ~Serena Chase, USA Today’s Happy Ever After blog, author of The Ryn

  “Chilling from start to finish! K. E. Ganshert delivers an exciting young adult fantasy that’s just as fun as it is riveting. THE GIFTING will keep you turning pages in an effort to unlock the mystery of this unsettled world.”

  ~Addison Moore, New York Times Bestselling Author

  “K.E. Ganshert brings a fresh new voice to the dystopian romance scene for young adults. Ganshert will wow her audience with captivating prose, a well-paced plot, and just the perfect amount of swoon!”

  ~Heather Sunseri, author of the Mindspeak series

  Edited by: Lora Doncea

  Cover Design by: Okay Creations

  Interior Design and Formatting by: BB eBooks

  Copyright © 2015 K.E. Ganshert

  This novel is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to peoples either living or deceased is purely coincidental. Names, places, and characters are figments of the author’s imagination. The author holds all rights to this work. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the author.

  All right reserved.

  For Ryan McGivern, the best big brother a girl could ask for. Without your crazy outside-the-box thinking, I’m pretty sure this story never would have taken flight.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  About the Book

  Praise for The Gifting

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Chapter One: Birthday Wishes

  Chapter Two: The Incident

  Chapter Three: Tess the Freak

  Chapter Four: A Not So Fresh Start

  Chapter Five: The New Kid

  Chapter Six: Do You See What I See?

  Chapter Seven: Dreams

  Chapter Eight: Paranoia

  Chapter Nine: Routines

  Chapter Ten: Hypnosis

  Chapter Eleven: Genocide

  Chapter Twelve: Mistakes

  Chapter Thirteen: A Fighter

  Chapter Fourteen: Interrogation

  Chapter Fifteen: Unexpected Encounters

  Chapter Sixteen: Revelations

  Chapter Seventeen: Angels

  Chapter Eighteen: Anticipation

  Chapter Nineteen: Confessions

  Chapter Twenty: Discovery

  Chapter Twenty-One: A Ruse

  Chapter Twenty-Two: Parental Concern

  Chapter Twenty-Three: The Halloween Party

  Chapter Twenty-Four: Confrontations

  Chapter Twenty-Five: Doubt

  Chapter Twenty-Six: Drugs

  Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Journal

  Chapter Twenty-Eight: Normalcy

  Chapter Twenty-Nine: Distraction

  Chapter Thirty: Rumors

  Chapter Thirty-One: Forbidden

  Chapter Thirty-Two: The Pile Up

  Chapter Thirty-Three: Breakthrough

  Chapter Thirty-Four: Shady Wood

  Chapter Thirty-Five: Trouble

  Chapter Thirty-Six: Escape

  Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Gifting

  About the Author

  Excerpt for The Awakening