YALit Giveaway Event

YALit Giveaway Event!

A bunch of authors who got together to bring you a YOUNG ADULT Big Box of Paperbacks Giveaway! One lucky winner is going to win FIFTY (50) Young Adult Paperback Books! How’s that for an epic Book-Lover’s Prize?!

THIS BOX OF BOOKS IS VALUED AT OVER $500! And this giveaway is open worldwide! Our first giveaway went to a winner in ROMANIA–and yes, we’re willing to pay the insane shipping on this oversized, overweight package to get the prize to WHOEVER wins!

I slammed the front door behind me and kicked off my shoes towards the closet. My mom constantly yelled at me for not putting my shoes where they belonged, but I couldn't be bothered today. My job search for anything came up empty once again. I graduated high school a month ago, and had searched day in and day out for anything I could do to occupy my time. College was out of the question, my grades were barely mediocre and I had little talent elsewhere, so no schools knocked on my door when scholarship time came. All in all, I was close to hating life these days. I had sat back and watched all of my classmates talk about their grand post-high school plans and how excited they were to attend colleges. On my side of things- I had nothing going. And while all through high school, nothing was glorious and free, right now, “nothing” felt like a black hole, where I would disappear forever.

“Cole, come have a seat. Your mother and I have something important to talk to you about.” My dad directed from the other room. His voice sounded serious.

I wasn’t in the mood for whatever my parents had to talk to me about, I wanted to ignore my dad’s command, but something in his voice had me concerned. I stepped into the living room and plopped down on the old recliner. Sooner or later I thought for sure I would plop and hit the floor with all the groans and creaks the chair made. My dad had refused time and time again to get rid of it. I looked up at my parents as they sat across from me on the old rickety couch. They looked…scared? What could they possibly be scared about?

“Cole,” my mom started and hesitated, she looked at my dad, lowered her head, and started to cry.

“Mom, dad what’s going on? Is everything okay?” I started to shake as I spoke, unsure of what was about to happen. I had never seen my mom so frightened before. “Is everything okay?”

My dad took a deep breath, “Cole, the last few days have been hard for your mom and me.” He paused and grabbed my mom’s hand. “I’m disappointed in myself. We let our fear lead us as we raised you. We were so worried someone would find out about you. We never pushed you to do anything, we completely sheltered you from everything.” He let go of my mom’s hand and put his arm around her shoulders. He squeezed as she continued to cry.

I was confused, I hadn’t realized they were that disappointed in me. “I’m sorry dad, I really…”

My dad raised his free hand in my direction, in an attempt to wave off my response. “No, Cole just listen, let me finish.” He declared. “Cole, your mother and I always wanted a family. Unfortunately, we weren't able to. That was until you.” He paused and took a breath, beside him my mom nodded her head in silence. He continued, “You were our miracle, our chance at being whole.” He explained.

“Dad, I don't understand.” I shook my head in confusion. “I know all this, so why do you both look so frightened?” I had heard the story a million times about how thankful they were for me, how they had tried for years to have children and were unsuccessful.

My dad continued. “Cole, you came to us…when you were just a small baby.” His voice wavered as he stared at me with a look of uncertainty.

Wait, what? I felt uneasy. A nervous sensation engulfed me and didn’t leave for quite some time. It felt like a dark, gloomy cloud that lurks in the sky on a rainy day. But a rainy day I don’t question. This I questioned.

“Are you saying I was adopted?” I began to fidget in my seat as I digested what my parents were trying to tell me. I clasped my hands on my lap to stop the tremble that had begun to take over my body. “Why wouldn't you tell me this before? I mean kids are adopted all the time.” I started to ramble, but I couldn't help it. I began to feel angry at them, why would they keep this a secret? How didn’t I know? Okay, I was adopted, but why did they both look so scared as they told me this fact? Did they think I would leave or go look for my biological parents? That was a thought I was not ready to deal with.

Letting go of my mom, my dad held his hands up to stop my rambling, “Let me finish Cole. Your mother and I, we love you as if you were our own. To us, you are ours and always have been and always will be.”

This I knew, since I had no clue they weren't my real parents, until now. They had proven their love for me over and over throughout the years, but this thought didn’t stop the anger I felt towards them. I couldn’t grasp why they would keep this from me.

“We honestly never thought we would be given the chance to have a baby, but then your parents came to us,” my dad gave me a look of doubt.

“Wait, you met them?” I couldn’t believe it. My hands began to lose circulation from the grip I had on them. I released my hands and shook them out as my mind raced further. “Do you know them? Do I? Why’d they give me up?” I started to babble again, it was like I couldn’t get my thoughts straight. My mood jumped around just as much as my thoughts. I was mad one second and scared the next.

“Your biological parents love you just as much as we do. That’s why they gave you to us. They trusted us to raise you and love you as our own.”

Now I was confused, my brain couldn't even ramble this time, even the nerves that shook my body stopped. I was frozen as I sat there and stared at the two people in my life who had always been my home.

“We made a promise to them. We promised…” My dad paused, and looked at my mom. She hadn't taken her eyes off me, almost like she thought I was going to just up and disappear. My dad finally turned back to me, “We promised to give you back when you turned eighteen.”

“But, but that's like… in two days?” I stuttered as I gaped at my parents. I was so confused and a little alarmed by the short notice. They were just going to what, hand me over to two people I had never met? Then what? I began to panic.

My dad stood up and came over to me, he grabbed me under my chin, which forced me to look him in the eyes. “It was part of our promise, we couldn't tell you until it was time. You’re special Cole, and your family, they’re protectors, just as you will be.” He stated. “I know your mother and I have just dumped a lot of information on you, and I am really sorry Cole. We had hoped we would have more time. But we don't.”

Protectors? How am I supposed to be a protector? And a protector of what? I could barely take care of myself. My mom did everything for me; cooked my meals, cleaned my laundry…she even made my bed for me each morning. My mind raced with questions, but I couldn't get a single one out. I was confused, frightened, and even angry. I wasn't sure which emotion was most dominant at the moment. I could only imagine what kind of expression I had on my face. We sat in silence as the minutes passed by, our thoughts kept to ourselves.

Finally, my dad broke the silence, “Cole, it's getting late. Why don't you head to bed, and we will talk more tomorrow. Let everything sink in, get your thoughts straight. I know this is hard, but I promise it will be alright.” My dad reached for my elbows to prop me up. As soon as I was on my feet my mom rushed over and threw her arms around me, my body stiffened from her contact.

“I love you Cole, no matter what.” She whispered in my ear as my body began to relax in her hold.

After she let me go, I turned and ran up the stairs to my room. I shut my door, ambled over to my bed and sat down. My thoughts were still all over the place, an internal uproar flurried in my head. I only knew one thing for sure, there was no way I would get any sleep that night.