An electronic device was implanted into Grey Wayward’s brain when she was three years old. It was programmed with two tasks: modify her DNA to add gills so she can blend in with the Tridens on their tiny planet, and send a signal that allows everything she sees and says to be monitored light years away on Earth.
Abandoned on Triden, Grey was adopted and raised unaware of her origin. When Earth suddenly appears in the sky and a security checkpoint is set up outside her small town, sixteen-year-old Grey gets an unusual reading on the scanner. The only mother she has ever known insists she run to find a girl named Rebel, a witty and fierce eighteen-year-old Human. Rebel informs her there are two different groups of Humans hiding on Triden: the Patriots who are planning to kill the Tridens and take the planet for themselves and the Resistance who are working with some of the Tridens to bring a peaceful union to both species. Rebel insists that Grey’s adoptive parents are working with the resistance and asks her to join them.
Before Grey can decide if she trusts Rebel she’s captured by Triden soldiers, including the first-born prince, Easton Phillips. The journey across the planet to have her origin tested takes several weeks. Along the way, she needs to decipher the cryptic messages left by her adoptive mom and decide who she’s loyal to. Meanwhile, she must navigate her conflicting emotions toward Easton, who has just-enough-tragic-baggage to allow Grey to fall for him despite his faults.
Triden is not big enough to support both species, so the King wants all Humans dead no matter what their intentions. Humans can’t breathe the thin air on Triden without the assistance of masks, so when Grey’s origin test proves she’s Human, the Triden’s only advantage is threatened and her life is in danger. Easton will do anything to protect her, including selling his birthright in exchange for her safe passage to Earth.
OXYGEN is a 63,000 word YA science fiction/romance novel and the first in a planned trilogy.
The first page:
“Grey, wait up,” Ellie calls to me as I step onto the flagstone path at the front of the school. She rushes toward me with her arms full of books and a messy stack of bright red flyers. The wind shifts as she approaches and I adjust my stance so the gust blows the dark curtain of my hair securely onto the side of my neck. A windy day used to be my nemesis, but I’ve been concealing my scars for years and consider myself an expert at it.
“You can make it, right?” Her beaming smile falters only slightly when she trips over her own feet. Luckily, I’m able to catch both her and her teetering pile before they hit the ground.
“Of course,” I say squinting into the light of the afternoon sun as Ellie closes her eyes and lifts her chin toward the sky. “I wouldn’t miss your birthday party for anything. Turning seventeen the day after we graduate could not be more perfect.”
She’s still absorbing the rays when she answers, “In just a few weeks you’ll catch up. Besides, nothing beats having a birthday on the planet tour. Maybe you’ll have a new admirer to get you a present.” My face flashes hot but she doesn’t notice as she rushes on, “Whoever came up with the idea of letting graduating students tour the planet for three months before choosing a life path is a genius. Seriously, I would kiss him if I could.”
“I believe you’ve mentioned that before.”
