Don't Kill Dinner (The Rules Trilogy) by Jennifer Martinez Page A

dear girl, don’t you be frettin,” the island woman responded. “You in Bora Bora. We gonna get the dark outta your soul. You just wait.”

 
     
    Turn the page for a sneak peek of...
     
    Body and Soul
    Jamie Loeak

 
     
    Chapter 1
     
    The stifling summer heat seemed to caress Kate’s skin. The cool night air swirled around her bedroom, pouring through the window and dancing just out of reach. Inwardly, Kate cursed her parents for shutting off the air conditioner and rolled over to cool off the front of her body. She imagined her parents, sleeping in a room cooled by their ceiling fan, resting peacefully in their chilly night air, oblivious to Kate’s misery. She mused at the idea that the heat was somehow bearable. Her mother had said that the night air would cool off Kate’s too warm skin, and that she would be able to fall asleep. She said that Kate wouldn’t feel the heat when she did fall asleep. She had been very wrong.
    Kate sighed and rolled over for what felt like the hundredth time, and in a fit of annoyance sat up instead. She would never fall asleep like this. Kate sat there for a moment, her legs hanging over the edge of the bed, and formulated ideas. This was a new place. There wasn’t much to do in the middle of the night. Kate tapped her foot against the metal bed frame, sifting through her options. She decided a minute later, and in one swift motion she pushed herself off the bed, landing lightly on her bare feet. She headed downstairs to the kitchen.
    The tile floor was almost cold, and Kate moved across it slowly, enjoying the sensation. The air was cooler down here, where it was open, and Kate stood in front of the open refrigerator; the cold air soothed her burning skin and relaxed her aching muscles. It was nice to lose the feeling of being choked by the heat, and she decided to grab an ice cream before heading outside. With an ice cream sandwich in one hand and a glass of water in the other, she carefully opened the back door.
    Kate stepped out onto the cherry deck. She moved quickly across the scratchy wood, finding the stairs easily, and made her way toward the gulf. Out here, the wind rushed past her, instantly cooling her skin. She paused and tilted her head back, lifting her arms up in order to relish the feeling. The sand was smooth and rough, a contradiction that Kate had always liked. She moved closer to the waves, and sat on the harder sand that lay close to the water’s edge. She ate her snack, thinking of everything but the sticky heat that clung to her bedroom.
    Kate’s summer was just beginning, and she would be left lounging on the beach every day while her mother researched the ocean and her father won cases. Somehow, Kate could not feel excited about being left alone all summer. Sure, the sun would bronze her skin, leaving her fair skin glowing. Yes, she could read every book that she had ever wanted to read with few interruptions. But what Kate wanted most, even though she would never admit it out loud, was her mother.
    Kate’s mother was always busy researching seaweed, manatees, or other sea creatures. She was always searching for a new grant to fund her research, and Kate was proud of her, but sometimes she missed the cliché fights or ridiculous shopping sprees. Kate sighed, in spite of herself, and began drawing patterns in the sand. She found herself in a trance, not knowing what she was drawing, and when she awoke she found that she had sketched what appeared to be waves or flames. They clung to a circle that seemed half consumed by the swirling images. She gaped at it, and then turned to face the ocean again, tears threatening to disarm her. Kate breathed deeply to calm herself down and shook her head to erase all thoughts of her mother’s time consuming career. She would not allow herself to break, not this early in the summer, not her first night here.
    Kate sat still and let the crashing of the waves calm the uneasy feeling that had wrapped around her like a