New book reveal!

Excerpt from the new book I'm working on.
It's YA Paranormal - Buffy meets the Hunger Games (ish!)
 
Working title: Rae Gandos, Dragon Slayer

   ‘Look there’s something we need to talk about,’ said George, slumping down to the ground. ‘Something really important. Something I should have told you before, but you just weren’t ready.’

   ‘George, this is not the time to profess your love for me. Besides, we’re best friends aren’t we?’ said Rae, grinning. She sat down next to him, slapping his leg, playfully. ‘We really don’t need those sorts of complications.’

   ‘It’s not that, although you know I do have a soft spot for you, right here.’ He pointed to the sole of his boot.

   Rae pushed his shoulder. ‘Oh, shut up and get on with it! Go on, spit it out.’

   ‘It’s not really something you can exactly spit out, Rae. This isn’t going to be easy for you to hear.’

   ‘Oh for god’s sake, George. Just say it!’

   ‘Okay, but stay still ‘til I finish, right?’

   Rae rolled her eyes then nodded.

   ‘You, Raelyer Gandos, are the… slayer, er, the Dragon Slayer as in you are the chosen one, kinda thing.’

   ‘Shut the hell up!’ was the best Rae could muster.

   ‘It’s true, Rae. Can’t you feel it, like, inside?’

   ‘George, what I feel inside is hunger, that’s all.’

   ‘Hunger, that’s good, hunger for the fight.’

   Rae punched his arm hard. ‘Pack it in George. We have enough to contend with without you trying to screw with my head too.’

   George took both of Rae’s hands in his and looked deeply into her eyes. "Into every generation a slayer is born: one girl in all the world, a chosen one. She alone will wield the strength and skill to fight the, insert dragons, and the forces of darkness…’

   Rae shook her hands away. ‘Don’t go all Buffy the Vampire Slayer on me!’ she said. ‘These are not vampires.’

   ‘But it’s the same principal,’ said George.  ‘‘To stop the spread of their evil and the swell of number. She…’’

   ‘…is the slayer.’ Look, I’m no Buffy! You’ve got the wrong girl.’

   ‘Oh, seriously! Have you never looked at your name?’ said George, wearily. ‘It’s an anagram, for crying out loud. Did you never do that, not even in primary school? How sad.’

   ‘I was at school to learn, George, not mess about like some people.’

   ‘Okay, well humour me,’ said George, handing her a bag of stones with letters scratched on them. ‘They spell your name.  Move the letters around.’

   ‘I will not!’ said Rae. ‘What am I, eight?’

   ‘Just move them, Raelyer – please,’ said George, stroking her hand softly.

   ‘Okay!’ she snapped, tipping the stones onto the ground.

   ‘Now move them around. See what you come up with.’

    Rae rolled her eyes again, but shifted the stones around as George asked. At first she couldn’t find anything that even looked remotely sensible. ‘Lardy oranges?’

   ‘Oh, please! I’m going to all this trouble for lardy oranges?’ said George. ‘Try again.’

   Muttering under her breath, Rae pushed the stones around again. They felt cold against her fingers. ‘Found it!’ she cried after a few minutes. ‘Nasal dry ergo?’ She fell back laughing.

   ‘You’re just not taking this seriously enough,’ said George, flicking her hand away from the word ‘Nasal’. ‘Put the ‘d’ first, Rae.’

   Rae sat up and pushed the ‘d’ into a new line.

   George placed the ‘r’ next to it then the ‘a’.

   She stared at him unbelievingly then pulled the other letters into position until two words glared out at her. ‘Dragon Slayer?’ Rae inched backwards, her mouth open.