Because You Exist (Light in the Dark Series, #1)Life is good for LOGAN MIDDLETON. He’s quarterback of the Shepherd High football team, nephew of the town’s most successful lawyer, and boyfriend of Jenna Maples, a girl who has finally agreed to take their relationship to the next level. But nothing good lasts forever.
With only a few minutes of last period English left between him and a weekend alone with Jenna, Logan blacks out. When he awakens, he finds himself in a future where Shepherd High lies in ruins, nothing is what it seems, and everyone he loves is dead. Logan is a shifter. Chosen to travel through time, it’s up to him to figure out how to stop the terrible events that claimed his once perfect life.
Of course, all of this might be easier if he wasn’t paired with the one girl who’d rather see him dead than help him, JOSEPHINE. A girl he tormented during childhood. Strong-willed with biting wit, who lives in the shadows. Tough and dark, Jo is Shepherd High’s most notorious outcast and Logan’s opposite in every way. Together the two must overcome their many differences to figure out why they’ve been selected for such an overwhelming task, and who selected them in the first place.
Before it’s too late…
About the Author
Tiffany Truitt received her MA in literature from Old Dominion University. Her debut Chosen Ones, first in the Lost Souls trilogy, is a searing look at what it means to be other and how we define humanity, as well as a celebration of the dangerously wonderful feeling of falling in love.
Author Links:
Excerpt:
I was down on the ground before I even had a chance to make sense of what was going on. The
side of my head was bleeding. Someone had punched me. One of the survivors was sitting on my
back as I struggled to lift my head to see what was going on.
Our new friend stepped towards Josephine. She didn’t make a noise, her face remaining
emotionless. It was as if something snapped into place within her, like a shield or force field. If
she was feeling scared you couldn’t tell. The only sign of any emotion at all was her breathing.
Her chest rose quickly up and down.
“Let’s see what’s under the pretty wrapping paper,” the leader said, stepping even closer to
Josephine. He grabbed her by the pocket of her hoodie and pulled her close to him. He reached
up and forcefully yanked down the zipper. Still Josephine didn’t protest. I continued to struggle
to get up, but the man on top of me only laughed and pushed me back down. For every second
that Josephine sat there still and quiet, I thrashed around more violently and cursed louder.
The leader of the group grabbed underneath the shoulders of her jacket and pulled it off like a
magician would when revealing his great trick.
“Hot damn,” he sang.
I stopped thrashing about. Under the hoodie, Josephine was wearing a tight-fitting, sleeveless
tank top sporting the Shepherd High emblem, no doubt part of her track uniform. I couldn’t stop
myself from looking. The girl had a body. Her arms were slightly defined, the arms of an athlete
but not in a scary way. She also had a great pair of boobs. Yes, I noticed. I only looked for a
second because I knew she didn’t wanted me to look at her.
“It’s been so long since we’ve had a girl,” the man said, slithering closer to Josephine. He
reached out his palm, running it down the side of her face until he reached her neck. He wrapped
his hand around her neck. Josephine still didn’t react.
“Don’t touch her,” I yelled out. Maybe we weren’t friends, but she was all I had in this world. I
wasn’t going to sit back and let anything happen to her.
“I wonder if you’re the dark one?” he asked her, choosing to ignore me entirely. “I hope you’re
the dark one. I’ve only ever had me a light girl before. They say it’s bad luck to mess with you
shifters, but I figure we already have had our share of bad luck.”
“I remember the light one. I remember the light one. I remember the light one,” the third man
began to chant.
“She didn’t even fight back. Fighting back is what lets a man know he’s alive. You know what I
mean. Don’t you kid?” he said finally turning to me.
“Go to hell,” I replied.
This caused the men to begin to laugh. “Hell doesn’t want me, kid. Neither did God. If God
wanted me I’d be dead like the rest of them. At least that’s how I look at it. You’re the hell and
you’re the heaven. We’re just what’s left.”
I had no idea what he was talking about, but the longer I kept him talking the more time I had to
think of a way of getting out of this. Why couldn’t I shift at will?
“What did you mean about a conductor?” I asked, trying to stay focused even though the blood
that was seeping out of my head wound was beginning to run into my mouth.
“You had your chance to get your questions. I said give me the girl, and I would give you the
answers. Sorry.”
“Let’s make a new deal,” I replied. I just needed more time. I could think of a way to get us out
of this. I had to think of a way. I was still pretty sure that whatever happened to us in this present
would follow us to our normal present.
And maybe there were things worse than death. These weren’t civilized men. I didn’t know if I
could buy all his heaven and hell talk, but I did wonder how they survived. Was it purely because
of their predator sensibilities—some eff-ed-up version of Darwin’s theory? Or had they been
allowed to survive, chosen by the same people or thing that allowed us to be shifters?
“No deal. But I do want to play a game. Can’t say we get much in terms of entertainment around
here anymore,” the leader replied, pushing Josephine next to me on the ground. Her eyes met
mine and I saw fear for the first time since the men had showed up. I wanted to find her hoodie
and enclose her in it. I wanted to protect her.
“Here’s how it will work,” the man continued as he circled around us. His friend still held me
down, and while Josephine was free to move, I knew she wouldn’t leave me. “I will give you a
five minute head start. You hear me? Five minutes. After that, game on. But you should know
that we love to play rough. We don’t care if you’re shifters. As far as we’re concerned, why save
the world when they didn’t want us around in the first place?”
The man holding me down must have received some signal from the leader because he let me
up. I scrambled to my feet and held out my hand for Josephine, but she didn’t take it. She pulled
herself to her feet and looked at me. I looked back.
We were screwed.
“Well, what are you waiting for? Five minutes started thirty seconds ago.”
Sample4
“I know why they sent us here. Why this memory is important.”
“Why?”
“So, I could know you. So, you could trust me. We’re partners. Maybe the people who are
controlling this aren’t doing it to play with us. Maybe they’re trying to make us strong. Ready for
what’s to come.”
Just as quick as the emotions left Jo, they returned. Her chin wrinkled up and her eyes slammed
shut. She dropped the rope and brought both hands up to cover her face. Her fingertips pressed
into her forehead, her knuckles turning white.
She was fighting it.
“Jo.”
She curled her fingers into fists. “Don’t try to justify them,” she spat out between her arms, her
face impossible to see.
“I wasn’t trying—”
She yanked her hands from her face and looked straight at me. Enraged. “You were. You like
things to have explanations. You need answers. Sometimes evil is just evil. Sometimes people
just like making other people feel pain.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but she cut me off again. “I’ll never be normal. Never! I’ll always
be this way. I am so thankful you saved me, but I can’t be happy to have to live this again. I live
it every day. I’ll always be this freak. Stuck.”
“That’s not true.” Maybe it was. I didn’t know.
Her anger was soon replaced by defeat. She walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. She
didn’t speak. She pulled her hands inside the sleeves of the robe. When she looked back at me, I
was startled to see her look scared. Truly frightened.
“What is it, Jo?”
“I think I like him. Ben. I think he likes me too,” she said quietly, turning her face from me
again.
I swallowed hard.
“I’ll never have what you and Jenna have.”
“You don’t want what we have. Remember? It’s not honest or something.”
Jo shook her head slowly. “What would I know? I’ve never been in a relationship. I watch
people in relationships and read books. That’s all I can base my conclusions on. But I don’t want
to be alone. I wish this wasn’t another thing my father could take from me.”
It killed me to say this. I didn’t like Bentham. He was cocky. He didn’t deserve her. But she
liked him. And I would watch out for her. “Why don’t you tell Bentham? Be daring. Try an
actual date before you ship yourself off to a nunnery. I’m sure he’d say yes. You two do talk like
every minute of every day. Right?”
“It won’t ever mean anything. I can’t even wear a damn short sleeve shirt without panicking.
Eventually, things will get...intimate.”
“If he’s worth anything, he won’t push you.”
“I know he won’t. But maybe I need to push myself. I’ve never told him about these things. I
never told you, and you’re pretty much the only friend I have. If I can’t trust you, the person
destined to my partner, how can I ever even hope to kiss a boy without wanting to throw up?”
“You’re talking now,” I offered.
And she was.
And I felt honored.
Honesty was tough, but it was also a gift.
side of my head was bleeding. Someone had punched me. One of the survivors was sitting on my
back as I struggled to lift my head to see what was going on.
Our new friend stepped towards Josephine. She didn’t make a noise, her face remaining
emotionless. It was as if something snapped into place within her, like a shield or force field. If
she was feeling scared you couldn’t tell. The only sign of any emotion at all was her breathing.
Her chest rose quickly up and down.
“Let’s see what’s under the pretty wrapping paper,” the leader said, stepping even closer to
Josephine. He grabbed her by the pocket of her hoodie and pulled her close to him. He reached
up and forcefully yanked down the zipper. Still Josephine didn’t protest. I continued to struggle
to get up, but the man on top of me only laughed and pushed me back down. For every second
that Josephine sat there still and quiet, I thrashed around more violently and cursed louder.
The leader of the group grabbed underneath the shoulders of her jacket and pulled it off like a
magician would when revealing his great trick.
“Hot damn,” he sang.
I stopped thrashing about. Under the hoodie, Josephine was wearing a tight-fitting, sleeveless
tank top sporting the Shepherd High emblem, no doubt part of her track uniform. I couldn’t stop
myself from looking. The girl had a body. Her arms were slightly defined, the arms of an athlete
but not in a scary way. She also had a great pair of boobs. Yes, I noticed. I only looked for a
second because I knew she didn’t wanted me to look at her.
“It’s been so long since we’ve had a girl,” the man said, slithering closer to Josephine. He
reached out his palm, running it down the side of her face until he reached her neck. He wrapped
his hand around her neck. Josephine still didn’t react.
“Don’t touch her,” I yelled out. Maybe we weren’t friends, but she was all I had in this world. I
wasn’t going to sit back and let anything happen to her.
“I wonder if you’re the dark one?” he asked her, choosing to ignore me entirely. “I hope you’re
the dark one. I’ve only ever had me a light girl before. They say it’s bad luck to mess with you
shifters, but I figure we already have had our share of bad luck.”
“I remember the light one. I remember the light one. I remember the light one,” the third man
began to chant.
“She didn’t even fight back. Fighting back is what lets a man know he’s alive. You know what I
mean. Don’t you kid?” he said finally turning to me.
“Go to hell,” I replied.
This caused the men to begin to laugh. “Hell doesn’t want me, kid. Neither did God. If God
wanted me I’d be dead like the rest of them. At least that’s how I look at it. You’re the hell and
you’re the heaven. We’re just what’s left.”
I had no idea what he was talking about, but the longer I kept him talking the more time I had to
think of a way of getting out of this. Why couldn’t I shift at will?
“What did you mean about a conductor?” I asked, trying to stay focused even though the blood
that was seeping out of my head wound was beginning to run into my mouth.
“You had your chance to get your questions. I said give me the girl, and I would give you the
answers. Sorry.”
“Let’s make a new deal,” I replied. I just needed more time. I could think of a way to get us out
of this. I had to think of a way. I was still pretty sure that whatever happened to us in this present
would follow us to our normal present.
And maybe there were things worse than death. These weren’t civilized men. I didn’t know if I
could buy all his heaven and hell talk, but I did wonder how they survived. Was it purely because
of their predator sensibilities—some eff-ed-up version of Darwin’s theory? Or had they been
allowed to survive, chosen by the same people or thing that allowed us to be shifters?
“No deal. But I do want to play a game. Can’t say we get much in terms of entertainment around
here anymore,” the leader replied, pushing Josephine next to me on the ground. Her eyes met
mine and I saw fear for the first time since the men had showed up. I wanted to find her hoodie
and enclose her in it. I wanted to protect her.
“Here’s how it will work,” the man continued as he circled around us. His friend still held me
down, and while Josephine was free to move, I knew she wouldn’t leave me. “I will give you a
five minute head start. You hear me? Five minutes. After that, game on. But you should know
that we love to play rough. We don’t care if you’re shifters. As far as we’re concerned, why save
the world when they didn’t want us around in the first place?”
The man holding me down must have received some signal from the leader because he let me
up. I scrambled to my feet and held out my hand for Josephine, but she didn’t take it. She pulled
herself to her feet and looked at me. I looked back.
We were screwed.
“Well, what are you waiting for? Five minutes started thirty seconds ago.”
Sample4
“I know why they sent us here. Why this memory is important.”
“Why?”
“So, I could know you. So, you could trust me. We’re partners. Maybe the people who are
controlling this aren’t doing it to play with us. Maybe they’re trying to make us strong. Ready for
what’s to come.”
Just as quick as the emotions left Jo, they returned. Her chin wrinkled up and her eyes slammed
shut. She dropped the rope and brought both hands up to cover her face. Her fingertips pressed
into her forehead, her knuckles turning white.
She was fighting it.
“Jo.”
She curled her fingers into fists. “Don’t try to justify them,” she spat out between her arms, her
face impossible to see.
“I wasn’t trying—”
She yanked her hands from her face and looked straight at me. Enraged. “You were. You like
things to have explanations. You need answers. Sometimes evil is just evil. Sometimes people
just like making other people feel pain.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but she cut me off again. “I’ll never be normal. Never! I’ll always
be this way. I am so thankful you saved me, but I can’t be happy to have to live this again. I live
it every day. I’ll always be this freak. Stuck.”
“That’s not true.” Maybe it was. I didn’t know.
Her anger was soon replaced by defeat. She walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. She
didn’t speak. She pulled her hands inside the sleeves of the robe. When she looked back at me, I
was startled to see her look scared. Truly frightened.
“What is it, Jo?”
“I think I like him. Ben. I think he likes me too,” she said quietly, turning her face from me
again.
I swallowed hard.
“I’ll never have what you and Jenna have.”
“You don’t want what we have. Remember? It’s not honest or something.”
Jo shook her head slowly. “What would I know? I’ve never been in a relationship. I watch
people in relationships and read books. That’s all I can base my conclusions on. But I don’t want
to be alone. I wish this wasn’t another thing my father could take from me.”
It killed me to say this. I didn’t like Bentham. He was cocky. He didn’t deserve her. But she
liked him. And I would watch out for her. “Why don’t you tell Bentham? Be daring. Try an
actual date before you ship yourself off to a nunnery. I’m sure he’d say yes. You two do talk like
every minute of every day. Right?”
“It won’t ever mean anything. I can’t even wear a damn short sleeve shirt without panicking.
Eventually, things will get...intimate.”
“If he’s worth anything, he won’t push you.”
“I know he won’t. But maybe I need to push myself. I’ve never told him about these things. I
never told you, and you’re pretty much the only friend I have. If I can’t trust you, the person
destined to my partner, how can I ever even hope to kiss a boy without wanting to throw up?”
“You’re talking now,” I offered.
And she was.
And I felt honored.
Honesty was tough, but it was also a gift.
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