Battlefield

Darah DeWalt

Description

Kai Duncan was only seven years old when her parents passed away in a plane crash, forcing her to be separated from her only sibling and to be sent to foster care in California. After many attempts, she successfully escapes from the foster home to look for her brother. Kai is now a sixteen-year-old basketball player who also loves to read and write. She lives on the streets and provides for herself for a few months before she is taken in by a family. On her first day at the new school, just when she thought her life was as good as could be, she bumps into an old friend, and her life changes in a way she never imagined.

Informations

• Publié par: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Date de parution: 08 janvier 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781645757450
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

B attlefield
Darah DeWalt
Austin Macauley Publishers
08-01-2021
Battlefield Preface Introduction Part One In the Beginning Part Two Find Your Fire Part Three Battlefield Part Four Here’s to Us Epilogue
Darah DeWalt was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina. She grew up going to summer camp and playing sports where she created many life-long relationships that gave her a foundation to build her life and that continue to inspire her. She showed a love for reading and writing from a very young age and always dreamed of becoming an author. Darah wrote Battlefield throughout her four years at Montreat College, located in the mountains of North Carolina. With the love and support of her friends and family, that dream was able to become a reality.
For my brother, my mom, and my dad. I love you guys forever.
Copyright © Darah DeWalt (2021)
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher.
Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Ordering Information
Quantity sales: Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address below.
Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data
DeWalt, Darah
Battlefield
ISBN 9781645757436 (Paperback)
ISBN 9781645757443 (Hardback)
ISBN 9781645757450 (ePub e-book)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2020924345
www.austinmacauley.com/us
First Published (2021)
Austin Macauley Publishers LLC
40 Wall Street, 33rd Floor, Suite 3302
New York, NY 10005
USA
[e-mail]
[phone]
First, I would like to thank the editors and production staff at Austin Macauley for making this dream become a reality for me! Everyone who dreams of being a writer or an author dreams of the day they get to see their own writing in print. Having this opportunity is truly a blessing.
Secondly, I’d like to thank my mentors from college, Dr. Kimberly Angle and Dr. Don King. They worked with me to perfect my craft of writing and taught me new skills that were necessary to make this book happen. I am very appreciative of them and would not have had this opportunity without them.
Last, but definitely not least, I would like to thank my friends who have supported me and this book from day one. Friends are the family you choose, and each one of them has a special place in my heart. You inspired me and encouraged me throughout the whole process. You guys are my rock.
Thank you to Kelsie, Zach, Kyle, Stephen, and Phillip.
In June of 2014, my uncle lost his long struggle with cancer. He supported everyone around him with whatever they did, whether it was one of his sons with his music, a friend with their studies, or even me with my athletic career. I now know he’ll always be at my side and in my heart whatever I do. Everyone goes through struggles. A mentor of mine always told me, “It’s never about the end result and always all about embracing the process.” He taught me that if you build the foundation brick by brick and it is a solid foundation, then anything is possible. This can be applied to any aspect of life and it is a moral that I now live by.
To my friends and family who supported me throughout this entire process, this is because of you.
Preface
I love reading and I obviously love writing or else I wouldn’t have thought about writing this story. Some people enjoy reading romance novels where the girl gets the guy and they live happily ever after. Likewise, there’s another type of person who may want to read action novels with fighting or books about zombies or aliens. Sometimes, people even like to read philosophy or thought-provoking stories, so when I was trying to decide what to write about, I thought about combining what the readers wanted in order to create an epic, universally loved novel. However, I came to the realization that no one wants to read a thought-provoking book about an extraterrestrial romance, so I scratched that idea quickly. Most of my favorite reads aren’t about cheerleaders who get the happy ending or the superhero who saves the city because those books are predictable and cliché in my opinion. In my favorite books, such as Breathing Underwater , The Fault in Our Stars , and The Mortal Instruments series, the characters don’t necessarily get to live happily ever after. Likewise, in life, you don’t always get that fairytale ending that everyone wishes for because life isn’t fair. People should enjoy reading these kinds of books because they are about our daily lives and people like us. We all have a story to tell, but we never share it because we are afraid of judgment or we don’t think that it is “important” enough to share. One of my favorite quotes is, “We’re all in the same game, just different levels and dealing with the same hell, but different devils.” Everyone was created equal and important; it doesn’t matter if you have a million dollars or five pennies, because you never know who you’ll impact just by voicing your opinion. With that said, this book doesn’t have a “happily ever after,” so if that is what you were hoping for, sorry. To me, literature shouldn’t focus on the happy ending because not everyone gets one, so it creates false hope. Stories should be a reflection of life, focusing on the journeys, and adventures rather than outcomes. Life is a battlefield, what tactics will you use to win the war?
Introduction
“Dad, c’mon, c’mon, tell us the story!” Benji pleaded as he ran into his father’s room on a rainy, Saturday morning. Benji’s twin brother, Cameron, ran in right behind Benji and the two of them sat on the bed, waiting for their dad to start telling their favorite story.
“Guys, it is Saturday morning! Don’t you have cartoons to watch or a game to play downstairs or something?” the boys’ dad asked.
“Actually, I haven’t heard it in a long time, I could hear it again. It never gets old,” Rachel said as she sat up from the other side of the king-sized bed. He looked at his wife and the boys, then caved.
“Alright! Breakfast in ten! On the menu is French toast, sausage, and a story.”
Normally when people start to tell a story, they start with their own name and a little background about themselves. They tell a little bit of what the story will be about and then jump right into the story. However, I’m not going to tell you my name because it isn’t important, the only thing that matters is the plot. This is a story about a good friend of mine, we were the best of friends. She’s strong, smart, funny, energetic, uplifting, and an inspiration to all those around her. She’s too modest and humble to admit how much of an impact she made in people’s life, especially mine, so I have to be the one to tell this tale.
“Alright, I think we are all set. Any last-minute runs to the refrigerator, bathroom, or bedroom? Speak now or hold your peace till story time is over!” the father explained.
“Sweetie, just go. I think we are all ready,” Rachel said as she grabbed a tissue box, placed it in the middle of the table, and sat down.
“Yeah, Dad just start!” Benji and Cameron said simultaneously.
“Here goes…”
Part One
In the Beginning

“Alright, everyone, great practice! Remember that after tomorrow’s practice, it’s time for the A.A.U. State Tournament down the road at you all’s high school. See you all tomorrow,” Coach Davis said as she concluded practice.
“One round of knockout before we go home,” the girls screamed as they all rushed into a line at the top of the three-point arc in the Y.M.C.A. gym.
Bentley was the best shooter on the team, so she went first and always ended up in the final two. As soon as Bentley missed, her teammate hit her ball and it rolled around the screen, dividing the two courts. When she ran to the other side to get her ball, she saw a girl working out that was her age, but she had never seen the other girl before. Bentley picked up her ball but continued to stare at the girl as she did drills by herself on the court. Everyone on her team was yelling at her to come back to the game, but she ignored them and continued to be in awe of the mystery girl’s talent. As the other girls wondered what she was looking at, they jogged over to see for themselves. After about five minutes, the mystery girl finally noticed them, and her face turned red and her eyes popped out of her head.
“Oh, are you guys supposed to have this court? I can move! I’m so sorry,” she started to explain but was quickly interrupted.
“No, no, it’s alright and you’re really talented! My name is Bentley Parker, we just finished practice on the other side,” Bentley said extending her hand.
“Kailana Duncan, but people just call me Kai and thank you! I pretty much play ball all day.”
“Well, if you’re not on a team already, we’d love to have you join our team! You’d be a great asset,” Bentley said with the approval of all of her teammates standing behind her.
“Thanks, but I umm…I don’t think my parents can afford it, so…” Kai said, looking at the floor and starting to stuff her shoes into her huge duffle bag.
“Well, I’m sure our coach would be able to work something out! Come meet her, she’s right over here,” Bentley explained, trying to convince Kai.
Kai was grateful but denied the offer and walked o