Parker Peevyhouses wild debut novel,Where Futures End, is set to release Feb. 9, 2016.
Heres the books official description:
Dylan develops a sixth sense that allows him to glimpse another world.
Epony goes High Concept and poses as an otherworldly being to recapture her boyfriends attention.
Reef struggles to survive in a city turned virtual gameboard.
And Quinn uncovers the alarming secret that links them all.
Why do I see things no one else can see?
Are they real, the things I see?
Dylans older brother, Hunter, hated questions like that.
Stop pretending youre special, he would say.
In real life, an Impossible Question might be easily met with a shrug or a sigh.
It wasnt that Dylan never saw Dad again after that.
The story of Dad and Dylan came to a standstill.
In the years since the day at Alki Beach, Dylan had become an expert at Impossible Questions.
Is a red blanket still red in the dark?
He knew the crowd was about to roar.
He felt the hum in his bones, without even seeing the action.
And sure enough, a moment later, the cheer erupted.
He opened the door and stood in the doorway.
Gray-and-purple banners emblazoned withHevlen Preparatorywere slung on the walls.
Now it was fall of his junior year.
Thats why we get those metal rulers, Dylan said, reaching into the carton.
Levels the playing field.
It seemed cool in my moms pawnshop, Dylan said.
Anyway, my old Hevlen uniforms too small now.
I wish I didnt have to wear this thing.
Blaine flicked the collar of his blazer.
Think I should defect?
Try my luck with metal rulers?
Dylan tried to laugh, coughed out a popcorn kernel instead.
Blaine eyed Dylans slouching frame.
Hevlen has to expelsomebodyat the end of each year.
To keep the rest of us sweating.
He studied his popcorn carton and shrugged.
Probably only picked you because you were on scholarship.
Dylan tried to give off an air of sure, fine, leaning back against the doorway.
The crowd chanted his name:Hun-ter, Hun-ter!
The other team called a time-out.
The hum in Dylans bones subsided.
He had a clear view of his brother standing a head taller than the rest of his team.
Everything about Hunters face was ruggedsheer-cliff forehead, wide chin.
Even his sideburns looked like they were trying to reclaim territory ceded to his ears.
Your grades werent really that bad, though, were they?
You were on the team that went to math regionals.
I cheated on my finals.
We actually debated the legality of that zero tolerance rule in philosophy class, Dylan said.
Whether its really fair to kick someone out for a first offense.
They have philosophy in public school?
On the court, Hunter slid past the point guard and flipped the ball up to the basket.
Blaines mouth hung open.
Its like someone spliced dolphin DNA into his.
The air in the gym was way too warm, the popcorn smell stifling.
Im gonna go, Dylan said.
See you online sometime?
You know my gamer tag.
Dylan strode toward the bench where the second string was watching the game and grabbed Hunters jacket.
It would be cold out in the parking lot.
As Dylan turned back toward the door, he was startled to see Dad sitting in the bleachers.
He never came to Hunters basketball games.Maybe Im seeing things again,Dylan thought.
The buzzer signaled the end of the game.
Dylan lost sight of both Dad and the girl as the crowd stood to cheer.
Out in the parking lot: pale twilight.
The cheers gave way to leaves skittering over asphalt, car doors popping open.
The typical Seattle smell of rain and salt was in the air, plus a brewing wind.
That soundleaves rustling in the dark.
Dylan closed his eyes.
Waited a beat, and then opened them.
He half expected the trees to have disappeared, half thought hed be transported to somewhere else.
Where, he couldnt say.
In his head, Dads voice asked, What kinds of things?
Hed seen that girl in the gym before.
Seen her face lit by sunlight.
A phantom from his memory, someone he had known long ago.
That was my manager speaking.
One of two managers, so I tend to think of him as Mr. One.
I think of the other as the Other One.
just, just press the button next to the corresponding image.
Does the customer want a flavor gel?
Most likely the customer does.
Use the gel gun to shoot that in too.
The gel gun dripped purple goo on the counter.
Itll be your job to clean this up, by the way, he whispered to me.
I nodded and wondered if he meant right then.
But he plowed on.
We stood back to admire the Flavor Foam Heads paternal grin.
The purple gel glistened in the overhead lights.
I secretly think Flavor Foam Heads are the weirdest snack ever invented.
Theyre supposedly made of plant proteins and stabilizing agents, whatever that means.
Plus, theyre low-fat.
And the foam looks good onscreenshiny and colorful and weird enough to make you look twice.
The thought that Flavor Foams customers can watch me screw up onscreen used to horrify me.
But now Im used to it.
We have all the FeedBin molds over here.
Mr. One indicated a new machine on the counter.
These are a big hit with kids obsessed with the videos on FeedBin thatve gone viral.
But dont make the mistake of thinking its only kids who want this.
Adults want it too.
And for his weird haircut,I wanted to add.
Id actually watched some of that guys online feed once.
All they want is to get lost in Random Internet Weirdness Land.
These days Im pretty much stuck in Crippled By Debt Since Sudden Death Of Parents Land.
Hence the new job.
Mr. One pleaded, palms pressed to his heart.
We like to be camera-ready at all times here.
So, the Woe Is Me face?
Thats not going to work.
Exactly, Mr. One said, bowing his head in reverent approval.
That really rounds out the customer-slash-viewer experience.
But during my breaks, I use it to browse FeedBin for top-rated feeds.
I like to watch the feeds from cameras planted in stores and offices and restaurants.
Sometimes I find a real gem of a feed coming in through the built-in camera in someone elses e-frame.
A lot of times thats the best way to catch the weirdest or coolest or most embarrassing stuff.
Not everyone likes to be on cameraI get that.
Sometimes I use my e-frame to call up their locations, the Jaycubs and Darrens and Allasins.
But then I think of Griffin.
So you end up giving it to the bank when your mortgage falls into default.
Not even to, say, get a job with which to pay off his debt.
Residents in MyFuture are great at pulling together to attract hits on their feeds.
And people really tuned in to see my relationship with Griffin build.
The first time Griffin saw me, I was crying in the stairwell at MyFuture.
Griffin tried to cheer me up by telling me that at least the place had a pool.
But theres no water in it, I said.
You have to bring your own, Griffin said.
He had tons of ideas, all the time.
With Griffin, it was easier not to wallow in self-pity.
So I spent all my time with him, at work and at MyFuture.
A real future without a lien on it?
Our sobby love story got decent ratings, enough to pull in ad revenue, even.
Customers came into Flavor Foam to watch me argue with Griffin in person.
Mr. One had our supplier make a mold in the shape of Griffins head.
But I wouldnt leave Brandon alone in a debtors colony with no way to get out.
So Griffin left and I had to do (terrible, disproportionate) chalk art on my own.
And I stopped going on the roof to look at stars.
And I stopped watching feeds of happy families in real living rooms.
And foil was just foil.
He was Colburn then.
They made him do that.
They were partial to me.
Cole sang it to them.
I listened, out of sight.
Half because hearing Coles voice was like waking up slowly and listening to someone tell you where you are.
At school he hardly talked to me, mostly because he hardly talked to anyone.
But I knew that was just teasing.
I knew because I was the one whod started the rumor.
I kicked off my shoes and moved in knee-deep.
The shock of cold water stole my breath.
Cole was dark from the sun, his yellow hair like parched grass.
I fought to stand my ground against the current pushing at the backs of my legs.
I learned in this creek.
They threw me in and I declined the opportunity to drown.
It surprised us both that we had anything left to laugh about.
The price of seed had gone up that year like it had every year.
Cole shivered; the water around him rippled.
Cant you come any closer, then?
I took a few hobbled steps forward, unsure whether to brave the icy temperatures.
The current and his smile soon convinced me.
You look half vanished, standing in that grass, I told him.
Ever seen them do that?
Just step between worlds?
Everyone had seen those videos, so Cole only smirked like we were sharing a joke.
I saw a video of one showing up at a dentists office.
He just stood there, bug-eyed, watching a woman get her teeth cleaned.
But Cole was studying me like he didnt much care to talk about other people at the moment.
Why had it taken me so long to notice?
Its hot as hell, Cole said, pulling at his shirt.
I wouldnt know, personally, I joked.
But Ill take your word for it.
We met at the creek all through Septemberafter school, weekends.
We sunned ourselves on gravel bed islands and hoped the younger kids didnt watch us kissing.
I missed the sound of the world rushing past us, the water surging over rocks.
Unlike all those poor people inChinasfloodplains.
Google was never going to knock ontheirdoors offering to move them to drier parts.
The farmland would have to go.
What are they going to do with a bunch of farmers?
Theyre not going to relocate us.
We dont have anything they want.
Sometimes Id go with him and wed all watch feeds from different townships and talk about relocating.
Or Cole would play his guitar along to the radio and change all the lyrics to swear words.
No one cares about this place, Cole told me.
We dont count for anything out here away from the big cities.
We might as well be ghosts.
Microsoft-Verizon showed up in town.
They asked how many hits we usually got on our feeds.
I mentioned Cole had a solo coming up at a Woodbury Prep choir competition.
The Mississippi went on rising.
Our days were numbered.
When he walked the streets of Seattle wearing his digital goggles, ordinary buildings changed into sleek alien architecture.
But he wasnt really seeing the Other Placehe never would, with a vorpal as weak as his.
Decades ago the government had tried to help people cross over into the Other Place.
Then one day, someone famous figured out how to do it on her owna pop star named Epony.
And when that first wave of newcomers died down, when everyone forgot about Coles songsthere came Alt.
Alt was played in every major city in the U.S., a game/travel ad.
So they came to Seattle to test their vorpals strength.
The Seattle sprawl was now a dense jumble of miniaturized, pre-fab container homes jammed between old buildings.
All squares and rectangles, a pixilated city.
An alien city the aliens specially renovated to host denser beings.
Those who couldnt cross over made do with Seattle instead.
Playing Alt while pining for the Other Place.
Reef had seen people enter the alternate universe.
He would shadow them as they stumbled down a Seattle street.
He had seen them return too.
The nature of that universe made every human visitor miserable in time.
So they returned to Seattle to wait out their sickness and cross over again.
The smart ones came back to Seattle before the sickness overwhelmed them.
They crossed quietly, using their vorpals to push away anyone who noticed their sudden appearance.
You had to attack someone like that quick, before he could use his vorpal to dissuade you.
Before someone else jumped him and stole your payday.
It was a common sight in the sprawl: blood on the asphalt, bodies in the gutter.
Reef found other ways to make money.
Sir, will you listen to my tale of distress?
A holographic woman in a low-cut silvery dress stepped from a doorway.
An infestation of trolls plagues these parts.
Apparently, the aliens werent interesting enough to make for video game characters.
Their filth is everywhere, our children are sick, the sylph woman continued.
Do you know how to send the trolls back to the woods?
Olly came up behind Reef, goggles in hand.
But thats not what were going to do.
Reef raised his eyebrows.
Ive read about this quest on a forum, Olly said.
Do you know how much money people will pay for a Banishment Spell?
Yeah, I have an idea.
Reefs heart sped up as he did some quick mental calculations.
Whatever number youre coming up withdivide it by two.
Youre just going to cut in on my quest?
The sylph shifted on the sidewalk, waiting for Reef to interact with her again.
Reefs own avatar was a Knight in sword-nicked chainmail.
Im going tohelpyou on your quest.
Olly grinned at Reef.
Good news is, this is the easiest way to score a Banishment Spell you ever heard of.
Shes going to send you to the Immigration Office and then you just have to answer some riddles.
Probably hiding a virus.
I checked the forums.
A leech, then.
You only have to hold on to the Banishment Spell long enough to sell it to the highest bidder.
Itll be out of your hard drive within an hour, and the leech with it.
Reef turned up his jacket collar against the rain-flecked wind.
Im not selling someone a spell thats infected with a leech.
Would you like to eat breakfast today?
Ill get rid of the leech and take the government bounty instead.
And get half the money youd get if you sold the spell.
Im not selling it, Olly.
Reef bowed his head against a gust of wind.
You know what leeches do?
Sit in your hard drive and dont bother anyone at all?
Then they use your web connection to wreak havoc on government systems.
The rain distorted the projection of the sylph so that she rippled as though with impatience.
Sir, will you listen to my tale of distress?
she asked Reef again.
Olly spoke over her.
What do you care about government systems?
You dont even have running water.
You pee in a bucket.
Reef shot him a resentful look.
I use the bathroom at McDonalds.
When they let you in.
Another gamer was coming up the street, ducking under awnings and searching for a quest to take on.
An infestation of trolls plagues these parts, Reef prompted the sylph, itching now to move on.
Do you know how to send the trolls back to the woods?
Reef eyed the approaching gamer.
No, he told the sylph.
How do you get a troll back to the woods?
Olly grinned and leaned toward Reef.
Sounds like a joke I know.
She hadnt registered Ollys presence.
Seek out her lair in the Immigration Office.
you should probably work on your punch lines, he told the sylph.
He shoved the tin back in his pocket.
Two pitiful sticks left.
He pulled Olly on toward the hotel that served as the games Immigration Office.
On the second, I will tell mine.
On the third, one of us will die.
You will choose who.
