SCI/FI FANTASY SATURDAY: THE ELDERS BY JOE EVENER

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The next morning, Julie pounded on Marcus Campbell's front door. She was ready to get this over with.

"Okay, let's go," she demanded as he opened the door. Her pace was quick as she headed for the basement.

"Good morning," Marcus said in a teasing manner.

"Yeah, yeah. I don't have time for pleasantries; good morning, Shakespeare," her growl softened to a purr.

Marcus laughed. "It's a good thing I have that cat, or you would have killed me by now."

"So are we going or what?" Julie insisted. Her hand was on the doorknob. He could see the impatience.

"Uh, what changed your mind?" he asked as he started to sit on the couch.

"No, no, no." She moved over to him. "There's no time for that," she said grabbing him by the arm lifting him back up from his seat.

"Just like that?" Marcus asked.

Julie tried with all of her might to get Marcus to move toward the basement stairs. "I haven't slept in forever. I'm tired of fighting him and I'm just tired. I'm going to meet him and then I'm going to punch him in the nose," Julie told him. "Why are you resisting so much?"

"Punch who?"

"Redderick Bobo!" she yelled.

The mention of the immortal human from Seras made Marcus pause. "Where did you hear his name?"

"I met him last night." Julie puffed out her cheeks. "I thought you sent him after me."

"He's here?" Marcus's voice sharpened.

"No, he's in my dreams. I told you," she stated in aggravation.

"What does he look like?"

"You don't know?"

"No, I don't know what he looks like. I've never seen him," he explained. "Remember, I once thought the stories of the immortals Redderick Bobo and Bhjuda Heilshorn were just that, stories."

"Well, they're not, and you aren't missing anything except that he is really annoying," Julie said as she continued her quest to get Mr. C. down to the basement and through the portal to Seras. "He's kinda old and round and gross looking."

"Oh," Marcus murmured in a relieved yet concerned tone. "What did he say?"

"I don't know," she answered, giving up trying to move him. "That he wants me to go back to Seras."

"Okay, wait a sec."

"What? I thought you'd be happy."

"I am. I'm just not ready. I'm not even dressed." Marcus directed her attention to his wardrobe of sweatpants and a sleeveless t-shirt.

"Like that even matters." Julie ignored his attempt to keep her waiting any longer. Then, while realizing she was gripping tightly to his arm, she noticed the size of his arm compared to her hands, and the muscular features of his frame peeking out from the low cut side of his shirt. For a split second, the thought of the possibility of the men's bodies in her dream being Marcus's…Mr. Campbell's. Oh, yuck! She shook off the thought.

"Fine," he relented. "Tell Shakespeare goodbye. He will pout if you don't."

Julie reached down, petted the happy cat, and followed Marcus to the basement door. They descended toward the dingy, gray basement and the scary red outline of a diagram. The diagram was a circle enclosing a number four and an inverted number four connected at the top to make a point. In some archaic way, it looked like an angel. It was those cursed markings that finally convinced Marcus that Julie was the person he was looking for on Earth. The number-like drawing was called the Mark of the Elders, and it closely resembled the number forty-four that Julie had worn ever since she was a little league soccer and basketball player. It was the only number she had ever worn—it was her favorite number. She couldn't help feeling nauseated about what it had done to her.

ALSO BY JOE EVENER

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Julie Ayers is a normal fifteen year old living in the quiet town of Sunset, Ohio. Her world is turned upside down by the arrival of the school’s new teacher, Marcus Campbell.

Marcus Campbell has a secret. He is a warrior from a medieval dimension searching for the mythical "Heart"-a hero given to the people of Seras to rid their world of impending evil. Marcus’s quest is challenged when he realizes that the "Heart" is the vibrant teenage girl. Now, against his better judgment, he must try convincing Julie to go to his world and begin preparation to face whatever evil lies ahead.

Journey to Seras is the first book in the five part The Heart of Seras fantasy series. It begins the adventures of the two unlikely heroes as they battle the dark forces of Seras.