Payback

by Melinda Metz

Overview

From the author of the Roswell High series, a teen with telepathic powers goes up against her friend-turned-enemy in what may be a battle for her life.
 
For Rae, being able to read her friends’ minds has been hazardous, to say the least. But when it comes to her frenemy, Yana, not knowing her thoughts could be deadly . . .
 
Life is looking up for Rae now that the best friend who tried to kill her is under lock and key. Rae has made peace with her past, and the loss of her troubled mother, too. She’s even embraced her special powers, so much so that she no longer feels like a freak show when she walks down the halls of her private high school. But that could also be because she and Anthony are finally an item. Rae’s too busy walking arm and arm with her new boyfriend to notice anyone else.
 
Then Rae learns that Yana has escaped. Without knowing where her murderous ex-bestie is, Rae certainly can’t read her thoughts. But one thing’s for certain: there’s even more reason for Yana to want Rae dead. Will Rae and Anthony be able to find Yana before she strikes again?
 
Praise for Gifted Touch
 
“[A] fast pace and original premise.” —Publishers Weekly
 
“This engaging mystery conveys themes of self-discovery and self-acceptance within a classic whodunit framework.” —School Library Journal

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781504088671
Publisher:	Open Road Media
Publication date:	09/26/2023
Series:	Fingerprints
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	165
Sales rank:	821,933
File size:	749 KB
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Melinda Metz is the author of over sixty books for teens and middle-grade readers, including the YA series Roswell High and Echoes (originally published as Fingerprints). She has worked on TV shows such as Roswell (based on her series) and Missing. Melinda lives in Concord, North Carolina with her dog, Scully.
Melinda Metz is the author of more than sixty books for teens and middle-grade readers, including the YA series Roswell High and Fingerprints. She has worked on TV shows such as Roswell, which was based on her series and Missing. Metz lives in Concord, North Carolina, with her dog, Scully.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter One

Rae Voight had an impulse to stop dead in the middle of the hallway, fling her arms out wide, and cry, "Just look, okay? Just take a good long look and stop giving me all those sneaky, out-of-the-comer-of-your-eye glances."

But she didn't. When everyone at school recently found out your mother was a murderer who died in a mental hospital and everyone already knew that you had spent your summer vacation in, yes, a mental hospital, it wasn't that smart to draw more attention to yourself.

Except ... at this point, all of that barely seemed to matter. How bizarre was that? The possibility that even her best friend might find out the truth about Rae's mom used to be Rae's biggest fear And now everybody knew She was sure even the janitor had heard. She was sure the AV guys, who usually didn't talk about anything except how bad they wanted a plasma TV, were gossiping about her. And she cared ... some. That's it. She wasn't even close to being destroyed the way she'd always thought she would be if anyone found out about her mom.

Maybe it was because she knew her mother hadn't killed anyone. She'd been convinced of that ever since she'd touched a letter with her mother's fingerprints on it and used her psychic ability to pick up the thoughts her mom had been having when she wrote the letter. But now she had proof -- Aiden's confession. Aiden had finally admitted to Rae that her mom had been set up to take the blame for her best friend's death. Rae wasn't the daughter of a killer.

And she also wasn't being stalked by her own best friend anymore. Yana Savari had turned out to be the one after her all along, but now Aiden had Yana tuckedaway somewhere where she couldn't hurt Rae.

So her mom was innocent, and Rae was safe. But even with all of that, the other major reason why Rae didn't really care what anyone here in school thought of her was that Anthony Fascinelli had kissed her-kissed her until her lips got all puffy and sore in a good way. Who could care about anything after that? 'Me kiss hadn't even been after a crisis situation, either. He hadn't kissed her because she'd almost died. Or because he almost had. So it totally counted. A little smile broke across Rae's face as she thought about the kiss and all the kisses that had come after that kiss in the past week. The smile earned her a few more what's-your-deal looks. Clearly people thought Rae should never smile again now that the so-called truth about her mom was out. But forget them. She had to smile. Because school was over for the day, and as soon as she found Anthony, they'd be kissing again.

As if her thoughts had conjured him up, Rae felt Anthony's hands slide around her waist. She twisted around to face him, impatient to feel his mouth on hers, to become RaeAnthony instead of Rae and Anthony. They'd kissed hundreds of times in the week since the kiss, but Rae still felt starved for the taste of him. When his lips met hers, God, it was like everything she'd ever wanted in her whole life had been dumped in a pile at her feet with a big bow and whipped cream and a cherry on top.

"Car," Anthony said into her mouth, and he started backing her down the hall, his face inches apart from hers. Rae locked her arms around his shoulders and easily matched her steps to his. No, it "Got 'em"' Anthony said, his lips sliding off hers and onto her cheek. He straightened up, pulling Rae with him.

"Anthony," she gasped.

He gave her a shy smile, about to lean in for another kiss.

"No, Anthony," Rae blurted out as she tightened her hands on his shoulders. She could feel her nails starting to dig into his skin, but she couldn't loosen her grip. "Mere's someone in the backseat of the car," she said, a familiar waver entering her voice. One week. She'd gotten one week free of fear, and now it was all rushing back. "On the floor," she managed to get out.

Anthony jerked his head toward the back window, already pushing Rae behind him to make his body a kind of shield for her. Rae held her breath, and then Anthony looked back at her, reassurance in his eyes. "It's Aiden," he told her.

Rae let out a shaky sigh of relief. Aiden Matthews had saved her life more than once. If that didn't mean she could trust him, what did? Anthony unlocked Rae's door, and she climbed in. "Don't look at me" Aiden ordered. He repeated the instruction when Anthony got behind the wheel. "Just drive," he continued. "Not fast. It should look like the two of you are just off to the mall or wherever it is you go."

"What's wrong?" Anthony demanded as he pulled out of the parking space and headed out of the lot.

"Yana escaped," Aiden answered.

Rae felt like her blood- had been replaced by novocaine. Her body went all thick and heavy ... and dead. "Yana," she whispered, her tongue stumbling over the name.

Anthony reached over and grabbed her hand. She could barely feel the warmth and strength of his fingers. "Nothing's going to happen to you:' he said fiercely.

Rae flashed on the cabin, the cabin where YanaYana, who had been her very best friend less than a month ago-had taken Rae to kill her. Rae saw herself holding a knife, being forced by Yana's thoughtimplanting ability to run it across her throat, lightly, lightly. Yana had wanted Rae to die slowly. She'd wanted to watch Rae suffer. And now Yana was out there somewhere. And what else would she be doing but coming after Rae, wanting to make sure Rae ended up dead this time?

Fingerprints #7: Payback. Copyright © by Melinda Metz. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.