13 Ways to Midnight (The Midnight Saga) Read online

  From the back cover:

  Sixteen-year-old Echo Navarri, daughter of world-famous archaeologists, Alice and Peter Navarri, had spent her life traveling from one expedition to the next as her parent’s unearthed lost civilizations.

  On their thirteenth dig, Midnight, Echo’s twin sister, disappears without a trace. This prompts a year-long search that leaves the family nearly broken.

  In an attempt to find closure they reluctantly host a mock funeral for Midnight without ever discovering her remains.

  Nearing the one year anniversary of Midnight’s assumed death, Echo is sent to live with her eccentric Aunt Luna who is the caretaker of the centuries old Navarri Estate in Port Royal, Maine. In the meantime, Peter and Alice insist on returning to the place of Midnight’s disappearance and the mystery that surrounds an ancient people only referred to as the veil.

  Echo attempts to settle into her new life in Port Royal, but soon finds that she’s destined for adventure as the mystery of her family’s history, the sunless town, and it’s oddly intriguing people teeter on the supernatural.

  CONTENTS

  About the Author

  Also by Rue Volley

  Songs to Set the Mood

  Character Glossary

  Copyright Mentions

  Prologue

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  36

  37

  38

  39

  40

  41

  42

  43

  About the Author

  Rue Volley was born in Lima, Ohio in 1970 to a father of Irish descent and a mother of Blackfoot Indian heritage. She grew up in various places around Ohio, eventually leaving for New York City, but returned to the Midwest in 1998.

  In 2008 she penned her first novel, Blood & Light, and from that, her writing career began.

  Over the course of the next eight years, she would become a prolific writer, publishing over forty-six titles in multiple genres.

  She is also accredited with two award-winning screenplays for film, Hellhound (original script, 2014) and Awakening (contributing screenwriter, 2015).

  IMDb

  Rue is represented by Gladys Gonzales Atwell, Publicist, and Sarah Davis Brandon, Publisher.

  Connect with Rue:

  Website

  Twitter

  Facebook

  Also by Rue Volley

  The Devil’s Gate Trilogy

  The Devil’s Gate (Book #1)

  The Devil’s Fire (Book #2)

  The Devil’s Kiss (Book #3)

  Hellhound Origins: Tale of the Red Dragon

  Hellhound Origins: Tale of Two Brothers

  Hellhound (Episode One: Dead is Dead)

  A Witch’s Tale

  A Vampires Tale:

  Blood and Light

  Smoke and Mirrors

  Oil and Water

  Clarity and Reason

  Grace and Beauty

  Hope and Faith

  Will and Wonder

  Birth of a Vampire

  Surrender

  Stardust

  Finding Mia

  Finding Chloe

  Room 13

  Vampire Fetish Series

  One Bite

  Two Bites

  Three Bites Four

  Razor Saga

  Razor

  Torn

  Malice

  Double Gun Dealer Series

  AVA

  SALEM

  LIN

  LONDON

  SAIGON

  IZZY

  The Golden Crown Series

  The Bitter End

  The Twin Dragons

  The Golden Crown

  Hunter’s Blood Series

  Hunter’s Blood

  Snakes and Sinners

  Catch and Release

  Beautiful Breakdown

  Darkness to Light

  Paper Dolls

  Valentine Vixen

  Maddie Maze (Books 1-3)

  Switch

  Wolves & Witches

  Budget Crafts

  This Book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, duplicated, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior written consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  ©Text Copyright 2017 Rue Volley

  Cover by Rue Volley

  Formatting by Dreams2media

  All rights reserved

  This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this novel are fictitious and are products of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual events, or locales or persons, living or dead are entirely coincidental.

  Published by Vamptasy Publishing

  Songs to Set the Mood

  Playlist

  Stevie Nicks- Edge of Seventeen

  Of Monsters and Men- Wolves without Teeth

  K. Flay- Blood in the Cut

  Phantogram- Cruel World

  Vaults- Cry no more

  Muse- Dead Inside

  Chet Faker- Gold

  Death Cab for Cutie- I will follow you into the dark

  Broods – Freak of Nature

  Massive Attack – Ritual Spirit

  Daughter – Youth

  Mumford and Sons – Tomkins Square Park

  The Boxer Rebellion – Promises

  Haelos – Pale

  Aurora – Runaway

  Paramore – The Only Exception

  Broods – We had Everything

  Character Glossary

  The Navarri Family: NAH-VAR-EE

  Echo Navarri

  Midnight Navarri

  Peter Navarri

  Alice Navarri

  Luna Navarri

  The Vega Family: VEY-GAH

  Eyota Vega (E-OH-TAH)

  Hawthorn Vega

  Persephone Vega (PURR-SEF-UH-NEE)

  The Fitzpatrick Family:

  Polly Fitzpatrick

  Thomas Fitzpatrick

  Mattie Fitzpatrick

  Daniel Fitzpatrick

  Supporting Roles:

  James Jenny

  Carrie Jenny

  Brianna Corintine

  Tailor Ravenswood

  Translation:

  Frumoasă Lebădă (Romanian for Beautiful Swan)

  Copyright Mentions

  Gilmore Girls © by Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino for Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions and
Hofflund/Polone in association with Warner Bros. Television.

  Supernatural © Eric Kripke and THE WB.

  Ancient Aliens © History Channel.

  MUKLUKS © Manitobah.

  Alien © 20th Century Fox. Creators: Dan O’Bannon, Ronald Shusett.

  Bela Lugosi © Steven S. Weisman, Executor of the Estate.

  Dracula © Bram Stoker.

  Audrey Hepburn © George Muller, Executor of the Estate.

  Rolling Stones © Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, Charlie Watts.

  Van Helsing © Bram Stoker

  Spider-Man © Marvel Comics/Stan Lee.

  Cadillac Coupe DeVille © Cadillac Motor Car Division.

  Aston Martin © Lagonda Ltd

  Indiana Jones © Paramount Pictures

  This book is dedicated to the dreamers. I’m not the only one.

  The author would like to thank her family, friends, and fans for joining her on this crazy journey.

  Lastly, she would like to thank her husband, and greatest inspiration, Von Erik.

  You are my vampire. Xoxo ~Rue.

  You’ll never miss the sunlight until it’s gone.

  ~Echo Midnight Navarri

  Prologue

  I closed the magazine and admired the cover. There they were, standing side by side, my parents, Peter and Alice Navarri, world-famous archaeologists. The headline was about as accurate as it could be.

  “Digging up the past to predict the future.”

  I lowered the glossy image and spotted the two of them standing next to each other on top of the small white steps jetting out from the side of the plane.

  My dad’s thick curly black hair framed his pale face and bright blue eyes while my mom’s long dirty blonde hair lay in a thick braid that cascaded over her shoulder and rested just above her narrow waistline. Her eyes were emerald green with specks of amber tossed in here and there, almond shaped and devoid of emotion. She’s impossible to read, so I don’t even try. My dad, on the other hand, is an open book. I guess I fall somewhere in between.

  Ten plus hours of skirting along the lower stratosphere had not upset them in the least.

  Me? I was a hot mess.

  My hair was disheveled, and my clothing wrinkled. I suffer from terrible jet lag, and this had been the longest flight we had been on in months.

  I had exited the plane in search of solid ground and taken a tumble down the steps only to catch myself with one white-knuckled hand and a yelp. Luckily our transport had not yet arrived, so the only witness to my graceful exit was the vast jungle that stretched out before us.

  “Alice, look! Beautiful Brazil.” My dad spoke with his usual excitement while my mom eagerly leaned into his side. I lifted my hand and shielded my eyes from the blistering sun, noticing the small scrape on the side of it that I must have collected from my most recent fall. I shook it off. The collection of scrapes and bruises were nothing new for me; I excel at it. At least I excel at something.

  I’m tired and cranky. Time to spread the misery.

  I cocked my head and called out to my parents, yelling above the plane’s engine as it was winding down. “Hey, I hope the hotel has Netflix, I’m in the middle of binge-watching Gilmore Girls, and this whole thing with Dean and Rory has me all upset. Not that I don’t think about how ironic it is that he’s now known as Sam, and has a brother named Dean on Supernatural. Don’t you find that odd?” I asked, trying to conceal a grin. Truth be told I was catching up on Ancient Aliens but that would please them and I wasn’t about to do that. This was far more enjoyable.

  My dad laughed, and my mom rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Echo. Television is trite.” She spoke with her trademark dismissive tone and pursed lips. Annoying her may be the only pleasure I’ll get here, so I’m cashing in.

  My dad winked at me. “I thought you were more of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer girl.”

  My mom nudged him from the side. “Stop encouraging her, Peter.” He winked at me, and I hid my amusement. I nodded at the two of them while I lowered my hand. My eyes narrowed to thin slits. “It’s very cerebral, the show, I mean.”

  “It’s fictional.” My mom spoke without much emotion while she passed me by. I let out a defeated sigh. She hated anything she couldn’t prove, so there was no talking to her about things that I liked. Whether it was shows or the many paranormal books that I had devoured over the past few years as we migrated from dig site to dig site unearthing any treasures we could as commissioned by private contractors.

  I don’t disagree with her analogy. I just enjoy reading about things that couldn’t possibly be true. That’s why they call it entertainment. I like being entertained. She enjoys explaining everything until it no longer holds any mystery.

  That’s why we don’t talk. I’m more like my dad.

  Their fame had allowed them to become more selective in the jobs they accepted and I assumed that eventually they would settle down and take up residency on some prestigious college campus. I looked forward to that day, or at least I thought I did.

  Our own house, my own room, stability, a set schedule? What a strange concept.

  It would be a cultural shock to both my sister and me.

  We had been on the move since birth, my sister and I, along with my parents. We were born in Port Royal, Maine. Our parents grew up there, but they didn’t stick around after we were born. They packed us up, and the rest is history. We grew up shuffling from one dig site to the next as our parents pursued their passion and secured their legacy…not in me, in my twin sister, Midnight.

  She’s the adventurous one. She’s exactly as they are. She has that fire inside of her.

  Me? I’m not sure what I want to do with my life which makes me abnormal in my parent’s eyes. Well, that, and about a million other things that scream ‘YOU ARE ADOPTED,’ which I would believe if Midnight and I didn’t look exactly the same.

  Two pale arms wrapped around me from behind and my sister leaned into my ear. “You should come this time and help me explore.”

  I shook my head as she squeezed me. “No thank you,” I muttered. She let go and stepped around in front of me. The only difference between the two of us was the fact that she had her hair pulled back in a thick ponytail while mine sat on the top of my head in a balled up mess. Well, that and our clothing. I was wearing a black and white striped t-shirt with dark skinny jeans, and she was decked out in Indiana Jones attire complete with khaki pants, boots, and a white shirt that clung to her small frame and accentuated her toned physique.

  “Well, there it is.” My dad said as we all turned and peered into the jungle. It seemed to go on for miles and miles. My stomach growled, and I placed my hand over it.

  “Can you see the hotel? I’m starving.” I asked, scanning the countryside.

  Midnight giggled while placing her arm around me. She moved us forward.

  “Pizza.” She crooned in a whispered reply.

  I perked up. “Pizza?” She let go and rushed out in front of me, spinning on her industrial boots and walking backward. Her playful nature was shining through. “With toasted grasshopper and centipede.” She winked and bit on the edge of her bottom lip.

  My nose wrinkled in disgust. “Yuck.”

  “Do they have that here?” my dad asked in passing.

  I leaned toward her and spoke in a hushed whisper. “I will freak out if they try to get some funky glazed insects for dinner. I’m serious.” Midnight smiled tightly.

  A large white jeep pulled up in a hurry. The bulky tires screeched to a halt causing the vehicle to rock from side to side. Our guide hopped out and landed firmly on the ground. I looked him over. He was tall, dark, and handsome. His white shirt lay open at the top with a couple of extra buttons undone for good measure. The wind caught the material and showed off his thick roped necklace and tanned skin. Totally Midnight’s typ
e. His shaggy black hair swung into his bright green eyes, and he had to reach up and move it out of the way. His muscular arms captured glints of sunlight. Midnight noticed, and that was it. I was history.

  “Oh, hello.” She spoke in a flirtatious tone.

  He grinned at her and ignored me. The story of our lives.

  Our hunky guide helped Midnight up and into her seat as I struggled with the grace of a drunken monkey. My dad caught my arm right as my foot slipped off the edge of the long bar that ran the length of the oversized jeep.

  “Thanks, Dad,” I whispered, and he gave me a nod. I fell back into the seat when the man slammed his foot on the accelerator and took off like we were on a movie set and being pursued by the police. I glanced up to see Midnight hanging onto the overhead bar. She reached up and undid her ponytail, allowing her long black hair to whip around in the breeze. It was supermodel photo shoot worthy.

  How? How could someone who looked exactly like me be so different in every way?

  Ridiculous.

  We made our way to the hotel, checked in and got settled the best we could. I unpacked, my sister didn’t. She stood at the doorway of our room giggling while the boy flirted with her. Finally, I had had enough.

  “We have to get up really early, and I’m starving.” This was partially true. Midnight had to get up early with my parents. I would be up, but my destination wasn’t the same as theirs. I would stay behind, as usual.

  He paused as she glanced back at me with those eyes. I don’t know how she managed to make hers look more attractive than mine. It had to be her attitude.

  “There’s more to life than food, Echo.” She spoke in a sultry voice, staying in character for him.

  I grumbled. “Not for me.”

  She gazed up at him while toying with her ponytail. The thick strand of hair twisted between her fingers. “You wouldn’t happen to know where we could get a killer pizza, would you?”

  I perked up. He gave me a quick once-over and then returned his attention to her. “Sure, yeah. What do you want on it?”

  “Every bug you can muster up.” She replied while trying to control her laughter.

  I walked to the door and crossed my arms over my chest. “No—no bugs. Not a single one.”

  She held up her hand in surrender. “Okay, fine. Pepperoni, cheese and extra sauce.” She thumbed at me. “My sister doesn’t like an adventure.”