Today I'm thrilled to be posting an excerpt from Karissa Laurel's new book: Midnight Burning!
Chapter 1
My brother, Mani, once told me Alaska was the first place he had ever travelled where he
knew he was somewhere different—somewhere decidedly not home—before he ever set foot on
the ground. I didn’t understand what he meant until now. Outside my airplane window, the
glassy waters of Cook Inlet reflected a bright blue late-summer sky. Dark and looming, the
Chugach Mountains encroached from the east. Far to the north, the ghostly, snow-crusted visage
of Mount McKinley rose above the landscape, an ancient king, high on his dais, surveying his
kingdom.
By comparison, Mani and I had been raised somewhere a little more commonplace.
Home was a small town in the foothills of North Carolina, over three thousand miles away. And
this was the first time I had ever left it. I probably should have eased into long-distance travel in
the same way I eased into a cold swimming pool—one toe at a time. A trip over the border into
Gatlinburg. A weekend visit to D.C. But no, I had taken a plunge from the high dive instead, and
boy, was I in over my head.
The captain’s calm and assuring voice spilled across the cabin, announcing our approach
and descent into Anchorage. Seatbelt signs chimed and flashed. A pair of flight attendants swept
down the aisles, collecting trash and reminding passengers to raise seat backs and lock away tray
tables. I closed my eyes, drew in a deep breath, and urged my heart to return to its regular pitterpatter
pace, but it refused to obey.
I breathed in again and trapped the breath in my lungs. Chill, Solina, I told myself. It’s
only a week. I could survive anything for one week, right? And I wouldn’t be on my own. My
brother’s best friend, Val Wotan, was at the airport waiting for me. Val had texted me a dozen
times to make sure I hadn’t missed my connecting flights or fallen out of the plane somewhere
over Canada. Val was expecting me, and I was a glutton for fulfilling others’ expectations. I also
owed this trip to my brother, to the honor of his memory. How could I ever look myself in the
eye again if I gave in to my doubts? If I didn't give Mani my absolute commitment?
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