Sneak Peek into When Stars Explode

Here is the first chapter of When Stars Explode:

Roaring sirens pierce my ears.  

The last time a thunderous racket invaded our peace was a tornado warning from the village of Ottawa Hills, Ohio. Even though we were miles away from the town, in the middle of a forest, we took the warning seriously. When we heard the sirens that cold night, we dashed to the bomb shelter our dad built. We spent hours in the dark, terrified, sweat pouring down our faces. Audrey ended up peeing herself.

My mouth dries at the thought that these warning sounds might signal another disaster heading our way.

I swing out of my bed and glance at the computer on the desk beside me. The screen flashes, emitting a low beeping sound every few seconds, but it's not where the sirens are coming from.

My ten-year-old sister, Audrey, sits up in her bed. My heart aches at how wide and full of worry her blue eyes are. She asks in a high-pitched voice, "What’s happening, Nat?” Her fingers clutch the ruby-red necklace around her neck as she tries to calm herself.

I open my mouth to tell her I don’t know when the door to our bedroom bangs open, and Mom hurries inside. Her dark hair is tangled in knots, and her mouth pinches with worry. She strides over to Audrey and grabs her hand. “Let’s go find out what's going on, sweetheart.” She glances over at me as she leads Audrey out of the room. “You, too, Natasha.”

I stumble after them into the living room, my heart pounding. I glance out at the large windows across from the couch, where Mom is leading Audrey and Dad leans against the back wall, wondering if I can sneak a peek at what's happening. Above the forest surrounding our home, a vast, brilliant azure, blue light, brighter than the sun, hurtles our way.

"What is that?" I ask, cold sweat sliding down my neck and seeping into the collar of my sweatshirt.

"Natasha," my mom says, snapping her fingers. "Come over here."

I turn. "But —"

"Listen to your mother," my dad barks, striding over to the side of the couch.

My fingers tremble with fear and frustration, but I walk to the television as they say. The word “WARNING” flashes across the white screen every few seconds.

I sink onto the couch beside Audrey. Dad and Mom stand on opposite sides of us. Dad's eyes narrow at the white screen while Mom clutches the side of the sofa, her fingernails digging into the beige fabric.

The blaring abruptly stops, and two scientists in white lab coats appear on the screen in front of a gray background.

“Hello, America," one begins, glancing down at the paper in his shaking hands. He clears his throat. "We bring horrible news. Silas Reed, a scientist and professor of astrophysics at the Veritas University in California, recently discovered that a supernova exploded seventy-five years ago."

A supernova? That must be the light I saw outside. My heart leaps into my throat. Mom gasps while Dad's mouth folds thinly as he stares at the screen.

"What's a supernova?" Audrey peers over at me, her forehead scrunched.

"Shush," Mom says, returning our attention to the screen.

"Last night, Dr. Reed discovered that the supernova's discarded remnants and radiation are now hurtling toward Earth." The screen flickers and the scientist's words cut out momentarily.

I inhale sharply. The radiation from this exploded star could cause the deaths of thousands, if not millions, of people. I know this stuff. I’ve always been plagued with ‘what if’ questions. One might say I have a morbid imagination.

What if the sun suddenly disappeared?

What if a star exploded and burned us all?

It turns out that the last one isn't hypothetical anymore. I could die today without doing anything crazy, without experiencing my first kiss, without spending time with people outside of my family. I've never even had any friends.

I want to scream and cry, but I don’t want Audrey to panic. She's way too young to know all of this stuff.

The scientists appear again. "— an hour to get to a safe place."

The screen goes dark.

Dad's fists clench as he growls, "Of course, they tell us right when the star is at our goddamn doorstep! They must've silenced anyone who knew about it."

He slams his hands into the couch. I flinch. Audrey bursts into tears.

"Aaron —" Mom's words are cut off as Dad continues ranting.

"Those government pigs don't care about us. We all know they want to rebuild the world in their image."

Dad's been talking about how the American government doesn't care about us for years, which is why our family has lived away from society, with barely any technology. Even though he's never told us what the government did to him, I can tell they hurt him. Otherwise, we'd be living like everyone else. Sometimes, I hate not living like the rest of the world, especially now that I could die.

My throat constricts.

Mom crouches beside Audrey and me. "Everything is going to be okay, sweetie," she says, wiping away Audrey's tears before facing me. "You need to stay brave for your sister, no matter what happens. Do you understand?"

Mom waits until I nod to grab my arm, digging her sharp fingernails into my skin. I flinch at the sudden pain but don’t whimper because Audrey’s large eyes remain on me. Dad scoops her up in his arms, momentarily distracting her. I allow one tear to slide down my cheek.

We pass through the kitchen to the front door, where we quickly pull on our shoes. Then, we step outside of our home. My eyes lift to the sky, to the vast explosion heading our way. It's beautiful and terrifying all at once. My feet are rooted to the ground as I stare at the eruption, which could kill us soon. Shivers run down my spine.  

"Natasha," Mom snaps, tugging me forward. "Let's go."

I gaze back to the grass before me, moving quickly to the bomb shelter.

Cool air brushes over my skin as we step inside the dark room. Mom switches on the swaying light that hangs above our heads. In the back of the shelter are two shelves piled high with food, water, and a few gardening tools.

Our parents take turns hugging us before backing away. I shoot forward, grasping Mom's arm.

“Where are you going?” I question, my voice trembling.  

We have less than an hour until the supernova's remnants hit us.

They glance at one another. Mom swallows hard and looks away, her lips trembling. Dad's face remains expressionless, but his eyes are filled with alarm.

“We need to make sure we have enough food and water to last us," Dad answers after an eternity of silence.

“Do not open this door until you hear us,” Mom says as they leave the bomb shelter. “You will be safe down here.”

She peers at Audrey and me as if it might be the last time. "We love you," she adds.

The door slams shut, and panic threatens to consume me.

What if they don't make it in time? What if they die?

My fingers, which were wrapped around Mom's arm only moments ago, shake against my thighs.

Audrey latches onto my body, whispering, “This is scary.”

I put aside my feelings and kiss the top of her head. I fight to keep my voice steady as I say, “I know.”

I don’t let go of her. I can't, no matter how tired my arms are or how much my body wishes to sit on the ground. She’s all I have right now.

The light in the room flickers and goes out, plunging us into total darkness.

Audrey whimpers and my heart squeezes painfully. She’s always been scared of the dark, thinking that a monster will come out and get her. I wish I had a light to help her, to keep the monsters at bay.

“It’s okay,” I murmur into her hair, hoping my words will soothe her. “Everything’s okay, Audie.”

Our heavy breathing echoes in the dark room. I hate being stuck here, not knowing what’s happening or whether Mom and Dad are okay.

Audrey buries her head into my neck.

“Please don’t leave me,” she breathes.

I can’t do anything to stop what is coming, but I can offer her something, a promise, even if it's not one I can keep.

“I never will,” I say. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Audrey says, trembling.

Suddenly, the floor shakes beneath us.

My heart races rapidly as the garden tools crash into the walls. Cans and water bottles clatter to the ground, and I kick them back as they come hurtling towards us.

When the ground stills, blinding light seeps through the cracks in the door. I roughly pull Audrey to the closest wall as the light gets closer and closer. Chasing us. There's nowhere to go when the burning light reaches our bodies and consumes us. All that can be heard is our screams.

If you're interested in finding out what happens to Natasha and Audrey, check out the full story on Amazon now: https://a.co/d/5iDMIso