Author:Maria Rachel Hooley
Publicaton Date August 2012
What happens when you witness the unthinkable?
For two years,
sixteen-year-old Cee Cee Montgomery has had a crush on David Johnson,
and she’s been waiting for him to notice her, and he does—at a party
that Cee Cee wasn’t supposed to be at. But she is. She’s there when
David is stabbed and no one calls for help. She’s one of the silent
witnesses who bears the guilt of his death, and it’s tearing her apart.
Not even Stacy Eddings, her best friend, can help her through it.
Stacy
is a silent witness of a different sort. He’s been in love with Cee Cee
since he met her, but she never saw past David, and while at first he
doesn’t know she went to that party, he does realize that something is
wrong, that sometimes, no matter how painful, the truth has to come out.
EXCERPT
"What have we here?" the
creep asked. Stepping closer, his eyes
darted back and forth between David and me.
"Trouble, that's what you've
got," David said, somehow managing to keep his voice even. "This isn't your party or your crowd, so
you might want to think about leaving."
"And miss all the fun? I don't think so." He smiled at me, and I shuddered.
Although David didn't look at me, I
know he must have felt me shivering as he gently guided me to hide behind him
so he was in between the thugs and me. Desperate,
I kept staring beyond them at the bonfire, wishing madly that someone would
come over. I didn't care who it was. I wanted to feel others knew trouble was
brewing.
"Expecting someone?" the Adams
jock asked, forcing my attention.
"Lots of friends up there. I'm willing to bet before long a few of them
will be coming down here." David
was still cool, but the tension in his hand belied what he didn't say.
The creep laughed, and his buddies
joined in, the sound of it hard and rough in the night. "I don't think so, quarterback. They're too busy getting drunk to worry about
you two lovebirds."
He sauntered around slightly to get a
better look at me. "You do remember
me, right, chica? I'm the guy you dissed
earlier."
David shifted, making it harder to
get close to me. "Leave her out of
it--and get the hell out of here."
His voice was cold, sounding of fury, but even I knew the odds weren't
good. The music was still blaring, and
no one else was around.
"What did you say to me?" The creep stepped closer, and that was when
everything went south.
Beth suddenly appeared in the
darkness, close enough to see trouble might be at hand, but not sure. "Cee, is that you?"
"Get Scott!" David yelled
as two of the others moved closer, one of them grabbing him.
The creep laughed, stepping closer to
David's back. I didn't understand what
was happening, not until David made a sort of grunting sound, and I felt him
tense several times.
"David?" I whispered. He looked at me, his eyes confused, and I
didn't understand, not until I saw a knife in the Hispanic thug's hands, dark with blood.
"We're even now," the creep
said, stepping toward me as David fell, his hand releasing mine.
David blinked two or three times as
he staggered to his knees, wobbling unevenly.
His mouth opened as he grabbed his side, lifting his hand to find it
drenched in blood.
"Cee?" he whispered,
reaching.
I wanted to help him, but my body
wouldn't move. It was like the whole
world had suddenly shifted into low gear.
In the distance, there was silence now.
David's lips kept moving, but I couldn't tell what he was saying. He managed to grab my wrist with one bloody
hand, smearing it all over me.
The creep was pointing at the blood
running down David's side. "It's
beautiful. You want some?" He waved the stained blade at me.
In terror, I screamed and ran
backwards almost falling. He was
laughing now; they all were. It sounded
so loud, and the world was tilting at funhouse angles, threatening to capsize
with me in it. He lunged at me, and I
took off, afraid of what would happen next.
I couldn't see where I was going or
if anyone followed. I ran and kept
running as the world turned to screams, probably most of them mine. Ahead, I saw the sanctuary of trees, and I
fled there. My feet stumbled over raised
tree roots, and I tripped, slamming my head against one of them as I hit the
ground.
Lying there, I saw the others
converging where I'd left David, and all I could think was, somebody help him. Somebody help me. And don't let the others find me.
Then the blackness swept me away.
About Maria Rachel Hooley
Maria Rachel Hooley has written over thirty novels, including New Life Incorporated and When Angels Cry.
Her first chapbook of poetry was published by Rose Rock Press in 1999.
While her novels typically venture into different genres, the one
constant is the theme of redemption. She lives in Oklahoma with her
husband and three children. If she's not writing, she's probably
teaching English to high school or college students.
http://www.mariarachelhooley.com/
Le'BookSquirrel's Review
5 STARS
This is the story of what can go wrong and happen if someone is hurt
and everyone knows but no one helps. Cee Cee has a Crush on David and
sneaks away to a party where something horrible happens to David.Cee Cee
saw what happened but due to certain circumstances did not say
anything.No one who was at the party said anything.
I have always,and I mean ALWAYS said that the sign of an amazing
Author will make their book seem way to short and that it ends way to
soon.Maria Hooley has such amazing talent that I felt Witness was way to
short!(It wasn't) But I did not want it to end.There are books that
just pull you in and you look up from reading and realize hours have
passed,but you were unaware since you were so deeply enchanted by what
you are reading.I could have kept reading on about Cee Cee and
Stacy(Stacy is Cee Cee's Best friend,Who is a guy).I felt for Cee Cee
and what she was someone I could Commiserate with what she was going
through.Overall I absolutely adored Witness.I strongly suggest it to all
my YA lovers.It is one you definitely DO NOT want to miss!
Thank you Maria for being a part of This Author/Blog Spotlight!It has been an honor.Everyone go and Read Witness you will not be disappointed!Maria is simply amazing!
Cassie
Mae is a nerd to the core from Utah, who likes to write about other
nerds who find love. Her angel children and perfect husband fan her and
feed her grapes while she clacks away on the keyboard. Then she wakes up
from that dream world and manages to get a few words on the computer
while the house explodes around her. When she’s not writing, she’s
spending time with the youth in her community as a volleyball and
basketball coach, or searching the house desperately for chocolate.
