Sneak Peek: Salt & Stone by Victoria Scott EXCERPT

892019 Sneak Peek Salt amp Stone by Victoria Scott EXCERPT

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullsneak-peek-salt-stone-by-victoria-scott-excerpt 116



S C H O L A S T I C P R E S S N E W Y O R K



Copyright copy 2015 by Victoria Scott

All rights reserved Published by Scholastic Press an imprint of Scholastic Inc Publishers since

1920 983155983139983144983151983148983137983155983156983145983139 983155983139983144983151983148983137983155983156983145983139 983152983154983141983155983155 and associated logos are trademarks andor registered

trademarks of Scholastic Inc

No part of this publication may be reproduced stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in

any form or by any means electronic mechanical photocopying recording or otherwise

without written permission of the publisher For information regarding permission write to

Scholastic Inc Attention Permissions Department 557 Broadway New York NY 10012

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available

ISBN 978-0-545-53748-3

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 15 16 17 18 19

Printed in the USA 23

First edition March 2015

The text type was set in Adobe Garamond ProBook design by Nina Goffi



THE BRIMSTONE BLEED INC

Pandora Assignments Conrsquot

Contender Cluster C

Pandora KD-8

Design Type Fox Small-Scale

Ability A Replication

Assigned Contender Tella Holloway

Code Color Red

Pandora RX-13

Design Type Eagle

Ability A Invisibility

Ability B Nautical

Assigned Contender Harper Shaw

Code Color Green

Pandora M-4

Design Type Lion

Ability A Flame

Assigned Contender Guy Chambers

Code Color Orange

Pandora Identification EV-0

Design Type Elephant Small-Scale

Ability A H2O

Assigned Contender Olivia Finch

Code Color Blue



2

Pandora Identification Z-54

Design Type Cheetah

Ability A Night Vision

Assigned Contender Jaxon LevineCode Color Green

Expired

Pandora BK-68

Design Type Pig

Ability A Hypnotizability Assigned Contender Braun Kirkland

Code Color Green





4

CHAPTER ONE

I am stronger than I was beforeSix weeks ago I was a sixteen-year-old girl from Montana

whose brother was dying Nine months before that I was shop-

ping with my best friend in Boston picking out the perfect shade

of coral lip gloss I was the girl who loved a chilled Greek salad

hold the onions who texted my girlfriends every time there was

a sale at Express who had a closet full of glitter mdash and so what agirl has a right to glitter

Before I figured that when my family was struck with illness

when my brother Cody first passed on a second helping of meat

loaf with red gravy and started losing weight that this was the

thing This was the tragedy Irsquod have to deal with in my life mdash

watching my big brother crumble and my family with him

I tried to be brave to smile when there was nothing to smile

about To offer a polished joke in the doctorrsquos office so that Cody

could cast off the fear in his belly and laugh instead

Good-bye fear Nice knowing you I wonrsquot be needing you since my

sisterrsquos here

Now Irsquom competing in the Brimstone Bleed to try and save his

life I thought the bad hand we were dealt was Codyrsquos being sick

But sometimes a hand worse than illness is the one offering a slip-

pery morsel of hope Thatrsquos the thing about life When yoursquore dealt

a crappy situation you think to yourself At least it canrsquot get any

worse than this

And then life slaps you upside the head for being naiumlve

I wasnrsquot cut out for a race across the jungle or to trek across thedesert with the sun scalding my cheeks

But like I said mdash

I am stronger than I was before



5

CHAPTER TWO

Guy Chambers looks worried And when he worries I worryright along with him Of course sometimes Guy makes it difficult

to be anything at all besides lustful Even in the heart of the

desert mdash the fresh pink scar on my stomach itching like crazy mdash

I could still shove him on a Popsicle stick and slurp him up

Nom-nom-nom

ldquoTellardquo he says His voice is sharp even urgentThough in my mind he says my name more like Te-lllla

Guy tilts his head as if hersquos not sure Irsquom listening which Irsquom

not Wersquove been at this desert base camp for over a week for ldquorest

and recoveryrdquo But itrsquos hard to do either when wersquore counting down

the days until the Brimstone Bleed continues

The Brimstone Bleed covers four ecosystems jungle desert

ocean mountain Or mountain then ocean Two wersquove com-

pleted two remain Wersquore halfway Hoorah Victory dance

Except itrsquos hard to feel positive about how far wersquove come when

wersquore battling one another for the Cure mdash something that will

save our loved ones back home from croaking mdash and because

wersquove already lost friends along the way Even worse the people

behind this race are the ones whomade our loved ones sick though

they pretend to be the heroes And for the grand finale The sec-

ond ecosystem we overcame was harder than the first which

doesnrsquot make me real optimistic about what lies ahead

Guyrsquos lion his Pandora gives a small growl deep in his throat

Itrsquos as if hersquos frustrated that Irsquom not paying attention to his Con-

tender My own Pandora growls in return though itrsquos amusingconsidering the sound emanates from a black fox one-tenth the

size I scoop my Pandora Madox into my arms and attempt to

focus on what Guy is saying



6

ldquoWhatrsquos uprdquo I ask hoping if I sound casual the concern will

leave his face

ldquoI think theyrsquore getting ready to move usrdquo

ldquoMove usrdquo I repeat my brow furrowing ldquoLike wersquore cattle orsomethingrdquo My blood burns as I remember that these monsters

ordered us to kill other Contendersrsquo Pandoras to qualify for the

rest of the race Sometimes I canrsquot shake the memory of sliding a

blade into Levirsquos dying Pandora even if his brother did ask me

to do it

Guy shifts as if hersquos going to brush away the hair from my facelike men do in romance novels Not that Irsquod know or anything Not

as if I used to dig those suckers out of my momrsquos nightstand and

devour them while plunging an arm into the graham crackers box

Before Guy can morph into Fabio his hand drops to his side

Maybe itrsquos because I hacked my hair off and all that remains to

caress is the blue-and-green feather Mom gave me the same

feather my grandmother once wore in her own hair Or maybe hersquos

being distant again I thought we were past that but lately Irsquom not

so sure

Guy runs his hand along his clean-shaven jaw It wonrsquot be that

way for much longer ldquoI can just sense somethingrsquos happening

Wersquove been here long enough Itrsquos timerdquo He pauses bites the inside

of his cheek ldquoLook Tella rdquo

Te-lllla

ldquoYou should forget about what I saidrdquo he continues voice low-

ered Guy musses his dark hair that after hiking through the

jungle and desert still manages to look GQ ldquoIrsquom not going to

let you mdashrdquo

ldquoWersquove been over thisrdquo I interrupt ldquoI have to try and win formy brother After that Irsquom going to help you destroy rdquo I glance

around at the other Contenders at their exhausted faces and

slumped shoulders I study the Pandoras by their sides beaten



7

and bruised from helping their Contenders survive ldquoIrsquom going to

help you destroy the race so no one has to go through this againrdquo

The Green Beret of a dude nods his head though I can tell hersquos

not convinced And that in the end if Irsquom one of the final five andreceive an invitation to become a Brimstone Bleed employee he

might accuse me of cheating so I canrsquot continue Assuming cheat-

ing is even a thing which it probably isnrsquot

ldquoHey-o Are we packing up Are the Rambos moving outrdquo

This comes from Jaxon my friend Hersquos wearing a blue flag the

kind that helps us navigate to base camps around his foreheadHis blond curls spring up and over the top Seeing me eyeing

the flag he says ldquoSee like Rambordquo Jaxon holds his arms up as if

hersquos got a machine gun and proceeds to put a round of bullets

into Guy

Guy isnrsquot amused

Clinging to Jaxonrsquos leg is Olivia a ten-year-old girl with exactly

nine fingers Shersquoll show everyone who asks those fingers and

anyone else who doesnrsquot A blue-gray trunk wraps around Oliviarsquos

waist

ldquoCut it outrdquo Olivia tells her elephant Though I can tell she

secretly adores her Pandorarsquos nuzzling Jaxon looks at her elephant

EV-0 with longing He lost his Pandora in the desert when one of

our Contender allies turned out to be a Pandora and ate his animal

companion

And the people running this race think we can ldquorest and

recoverrdquo at base camp

Please

ldquoSo are werdquo Jaxon repeats ldquoMoving outrdquo

Guy nods as if hersquos sure but I donrsquot know how he can be Thenagain if Guy said our next leg of the race would be on the moon

Irsquod start looking for the shuttle He stares into the desert as if the

answer is there ldquoTherersquos been talkrdquo



8

ldquoScandalousrdquo Jaxonrsquos head bobs a huge smile plastered on

his face

Guy sighs and I lock eyes with him Blue eyes Not blue like

the ocean at high tide or the sky on a summer afternoon Morelike the blue of a dead body A kind of blue that makes you hold

your breath and count your blessings and beg for one more I like

when Guy sets his gaze on me That shade of blue could make the

world tremble on bended knees but Irsquod happily drown in it

An enormous hand with polished nails comes down on Jaxonrsquos

shoulder ldquoHersquos going to kill you one of these daysrdquo a surprisinglysoft voice says Surprising because its owner is the size of a planet

Braun orbits into view his pig Pandora grunting at his side

ldquoDo we know where wersquore going nextrdquo

Guyrsquos eyes widen Hersquos looking over Braunrsquos shoulder and I

turn to see what nabbed his attention The two men who work for

the Brimstone Bleed stand outside the perimeter of the base camp

an orange flag in each of their hands They hold the flags by their

sides and drag the toes of their boots in the sand creating a large

circle

I hear it before I see it mdash the unmistakable thwump-thwump-

thwump of a helicopter approaching



9

CHAPTER THREE

The helicopter is like a crow against a sea of blue As it getscloser it seems more like a smudge of black paint one I could

swipe from the sky with the pad of my thumb And then it seems

only like what it is a beacon of hope Or one of fear

Contenders rush from huts which resemble tepees out into the

open air They raise hands to their brows and watch as this metal

monster hovers over our heads Sand beats against my skin sting-ing It isnrsquot much worse than the sunrsquos ever-present bite What

limited brush there is flattens against the ground and I feel myself

doing the same

Someone grabs on to my elbow and yells into my ear Itrsquos Guy

but I couldnrsquot hear him if he spoke telepathically let alone over the

sound of the helicopterrsquos blades whirling A nervous brown muzzle

nudges my arm and I dig my hand into the bearrsquos dense fur AK-7

is a grizzly bear Pandora and has the girth and jaws to prove it But

his previous owner did unspeakable things to him and though

Irsquove tried to show the animal he wonrsquot be hurt again hersquos still skit-

tish Irsquove adopted AK-7 as my own for better or worse but itrsquos

hard to not see his former owner mdash Titus mdash when I stroke his

thick coat or to forget how Titus died trying to kill me At least I

know he isnrsquot coming back and that the rest of the Triggers have

all but disbanded

To the tune of orange landing flags waving the helicopter

touches down and the wind dissipates leaving behind an eerie

silence One of the Brimstone Bleed men jogs over He opens

the door and at the same time Guy drags me backward BraunOlivia and Jaxon follow our movements The Pandoras line up in

front of us and Madox raises his wet nose into the air

ldquoNot too closerdquo Guy orders no one in particular



10

The pilot steps out of the helicopter graceful as a ballerina

Shersquos wearing an orange knee-length pencil skirt and a stiff white

collared shirt Brown kitten-heel boots adorn her feet and when

she takes a step into the sand and sways the man who opened herdoor offers his arm She takes it with a warm smile and tosses

bulky headphones back into the helicopter

The other man the tall one with enormous ears and a shortage

of hair reaches into the helicopter and slides a box forward He

lifts it up putting every ounce of strain on his back which everyone

knows is wrong The three of them one with the box in his armsstride toward the largest hut on the perimeter of base camp land-

ing flags forgotten The green-and-blue-plaid blanket that hangs

over the entrance is pushed aside and the crew vanishes from sight

The sun is setting on the sixth night of our rest week The four-

teen days we were allotted to make it to base camp have passed

No one ever enters the base camps after the fourteen days expire

Not in the jungle and not in the desert I want to dwell on what

happens to the ones who are still out there But Guy tells me not

to He makes it seem easy to forget and that worries me

ldquoWe should go to our huts and relaxrdquo Guy announces ldquoTheyrsquoll

be moving us tomorrowrdquo

He speaks with such confidence It makes me hate him But

then his face turns in my direction and his strong jawline his

cheekbones his shoulders mdash they tell me to ease up That and he

is the single most resourceful Contender in this race His father

told him about the Brimstone Bleed trained him to take it down

from the inside I regard his mangled left earlobe and the gash

through his right eyebrow souvenirs from that training

ldquoHow about insteadrdquo Jaxon says ldquowe huddle into one hut andtalk all night about why a strange woman appeared at base camp

who may or may not be cougar hotrdquo

ldquoSeriouslyrdquo Braun chuckles ldquoShersquos one of themrdquo



11

ldquoShersquos one of them now rdquo Jaxon says popping his collar

Olivia rolls her eyes ldquoUnpop your collar jackass No one does

that anymorerdquo

Guy heads toward his hut the one Irsquove shared with him for thelast several days and Olivia Jaxon and Braun follow behind

Jaxon continues to chatter about how he can ldquoturnrdquo the woman in

orange and we all ignore the fact that he is still heartbroken over

Harperrsquos leaving We hear the way he tosses her name out in every

other conversation and the way he studies the desert at night as if

shersquoll suddenly flicker into view like a lightning bugHarper won the second leg of the race With that win she

received a five-year Cure for her sick daughter But her daughter

died before it could be administered and Harper gave the Cure to

Caroline instead Before she left the desert base camp Harper

wrote a note In that note she explained how shersquod return to finish

the race mdash and help me win

Irsquom not sure shersquoll be able to do that and I wish she hadnrsquot

promised something she isnrsquot able to fulfill Because sometimes I

catch myself following Jaxonrsquos gaze praying her blond hair green

eyes and brick-house stamina will reappear

Guy eventually waves Jaxon Braun and Olivia away The three

of them huddle near a lit torch with their remaining Pandoras and

speak quietly as the sun plummets toward the earth the relief of

night cooling our campsite

ldquoInsiderdquo Guy says to me leading the way into our hut The

moment we arrived at base camp Guy staked claim to this par-

ticular hut Itrsquos the one I woke up in after Braun carried me from

the formations The one I woke up in after I helped kill Titus

Other Contenders sleep inside the hut with us but Guy made itknown that the dusk hours were his and mine

When Guy speaks people listen Not because hersquos abrasive but

because everyone is searching for a leader in this race whether



12

theyrsquoll admit it to themselves or not And Guy supplies a sense of

security when he vocalizes what he wants

I sit on a single cot and Guy sits next to me his arm brushing

my own Goose bumps rush across my skin and Irsquom certain it isnrsquotfrom the sudden chill in the air ldquoWe should tell the others about

our planrdquo I whisper

His eyes flash in my direction and my heart clenches ldquoIt would

put the others in dangerrdquo he responds ldquoI canrsquot risk thatrdquo I sigh

because the last part is really what he means The part about

others being a risk to his plan Guyrsquos strategy is act alone One-man show Itrsquos do or die as long as hersquos the only person affected

Itrsquos why hersquos tried to talk me out of joining him on his crusade

ldquoIrsquom going to sneak over to the main hut tonight see if I can learn

anythingrdquo Guy studies my face and slowly his gaze roams to my

mouth I press my lips together with anticipation Maybe Irsquom try-

ing to keep his attention there I donrsquot know

Guy hasnrsquot kissed me since the day he told me about his plans

for the Brimstone Bleed Irsquod be lying if I said that didnrsquot hurt My

priority is Cody but it was nice feeling as if someone cared deeply

about me inside this race

ldquoYou should stay here tonightrdquo Guy says

ldquoNo way Irsquom going with yourdquo

ldquoTella you have to listen to me if this is going to workrdquo

Maybe itrsquos the distance hersquos put between us the last few days or

how he promised hersquod never leave me again but what hersquos saying

frustrates me ldquoWhyrdquo

ldquoBecause I want to keep you alive and I donrsquot like you taking

unnecessary risksrdquo

ldquoItrsquos not your job to keep me aliverdquoGuy smiles ldquoI make it my jobrdquo

Madox trots toward Guy and releases a playful growl Guy sup-

presses a laugh and stretches his hand toward him But Madox



13

turns his head refusing anything but my affection or treats

Hersquod certainly take a treat from Guy ldquoLighten up foxrdquo Guy tells

Madox ldquoYou should love merdquo

Now I smile ldquoHe should should herdquoMadox reluctantly offers Guy his right ear for a scratch ldquoWell

yeah your Contender would still be back in that jungle if it werenrsquot

for merdquo

The air is sucked from the room and I f linch from the sting of

his words I know he didnrsquot mean to intentionally hurt me just

now But he did Guy chuckles lightly and tosses me a genuinegrin and I do my best to return the gesture

Irsquove spent six weeks with Guy under insurmountable stress and

yet that one sentence he uttered is as hard to swallow as some of

the biggest obstacles wersquove overcome Is that how he thinks of me

The girl who needs saving The girl who wouldnrsquot be here if it

werenrsquot for him

If Irsquom being honest with myself itrsquos something Irsquove thought a

lot about over the last few days especially since he rescued me

from Titus and the Triggers How would I fare without Guy

around Would I still have a chance at winning at surviving Irsquom

not sure why what he said struck me so hard

Actually yes I am

Itrsquos because itrsquos the truth

ldquoYou okayrdquo he asks

I nod and pull a calm mask with a fake half smile over my face

ldquoIrsquoll stay here when you look around tonightrdquo

ldquoGoodrdquo he says with relief ldquoThatrsquos goodrdquo Guy seems for a

moment as if hersquos going to take my hand But in the end he simply

rises and vanishes through the blanketed door like a ghost takingmy pride with him



S C H O L A S T I C P R E S S N E W Y O R K












ISBN 978-0-545-53748-3

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 15 16 17 18 19








Contender Cluster C

Pandora KD-8




Code Color Red

Pandora RX-13

Design Type Eagle


Ability B Nautical


Code Color Green

Pandora M-4

Design Type Lion

Ability A Flame


Code Color Orange



Ability A H2O


Code Color Blue



2


Design Type Cheetah



Expired

Pandora BK-68

Design Type Pig


Code Color Green





4

CHAPTER ONE
















sisterrsquos here






worse than this







5

CHAPTER TWO





Nom-nom-nom
























6


leave his face






to do it









so sure





Te-lllla




let you mdashrdquo






7












into Guy





waist





companion



Please







8


his face















circle





9

CHAPTER THREE








doing the same












all but disbanded









10
































11



that anymorerdquo





























12
































13






for merdquo








werenrsquot for him






Actually yes I am



















ISBN 978-0-545-53748-3

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 15 16 17 18 19








Contender Cluster C

Pandora KD-8




Code Color Red

Pandora RX-13

Design Type Eagle


Ability B Nautical


Code Color Green

Pandora M-4

Design Type Lion

Ability A Flame


Code Color Orange



Ability A H2O


Code Color Blue



2


Design Type Cheetah



Expired

Pandora BK-68

Design Type Pig


Code Color Green





4

CHAPTER ONE
















sisterrsquos here






worse than this







5

CHAPTER TWO





Nom-nom-nom
























6


leave his face






to do it









so sure





Te-lllla




let you mdashrdquo






7












into Guy





waist





companion



Please







8


his face















circle





9

CHAPTER THREE








doing the same












all but disbanded









10
































11



that anymorerdquo





























12
































13






for merdquo








werenrsquot for him






Actually yes I am












Contender Cluster C

Pandora KD-8




Code Color Red

Pandora RX-13

Design Type Eagle


Ability B Nautical


Code Color Green

Pandora M-4

Design Type Lion

Ability A Flame


Code Color Orange



Ability A H2O


Code Color Blue



2


Design Type Cheetah



Expired

Pandora BK-68

Design Type Pig


Code Color Green





4

CHAPTER ONE
















sisterrsquos here






worse than this







5

CHAPTER TWO





Nom-nom-nom
























6


leave his face






to do it









so sure





Te-lllla




let you mdashrdquo






7












into Guy





waist





companion



Please







8


his face















circle





9

CHAPTER THREE








doing the same












all but disbanded









10
































11



that anymorerdquo





























12
































13






for merdquo








werenrsquot for him






Actually yes I am










2


Design Type Cheetah



Expired

Pandora BK-68

Design Type Pig


Code Color Green





4

CHAPTER ONE
















sisterrsquos here






worse than this







5

CHAPTER TWO





Nom-nom-nom
























6


leave his face






to do it









so sure





Te-lllla




let you mdashrdquo






7












into Guy





waist





companion



Please







8


his face















circle





9

CHAPTER THREE








doing the same












all but disbanded









10
































11



that anymorerdquo





























12
































13






for merdquo








werenrsquot for him






Actually yes I am












4

CHAPTER ONE
















sisterrsquos here






worse than this







5

CHAPTER TWO





Nom-nom-nom
























6


leave his face






to do it









so sure





Te-lllla




let you mdashrdquo






7












into Guy





waist





companion



Please







8


his face















circle





9

CHAPTER THREE








doing the same












all but disbanded









10
































11



that anymorerdquo





























12
































13






for merdquo








werenrsquot for him






Actually yes I am










4

CHAPTER ONE
















sisterrsquos here






worse than this







5

CHAPTER TWO





Nom-nom-nom
























6


leave his face






to do it









so sure





Te-lllla




let you mdashrdquo






7












into Guy





waist





companion



Please







8


his face















circle





9

CHAPTER THREE








doing the same












all but disbanded









10
































11



that anymorerdquo





























12
































13






for merdquo








werenrsquot for him






Actually yes I am










5

CHAPTER TWO





Nom-nom-nom
























6


leave his face






to do it









so sure





Te-lllla




let you mdashrdquo






7












into Guy





waist





companion



Please







8


his face















circle





9

CHAPTER THREE








doing the same












all but disbanded









10
































11



that anymorerdquo





























12
































13






for merdquo








werenrsquot for him






Actually yes I am










6


leave his face






to do it









so sure





Te-lllla




let you mdashrdquo






7












into Guy





waist





companion



Please







8


his face















circle





9

CHAPTER THREE








doing the same












all but disbanded









10
































11



that anymorerdquo





























12
































13






for merdquo








werenrsquot for him






Actually yes I am










7












into Guy





waist





companion



Please







8


his face















circle





9

CHAPTER THREE








doing the same












all but disbanded









10
































11



that anymorerdquo





























12
































13






for merdquo








werenrsquot for him






Actually yes I am










8


his face















circle





9

CHAPTER THREE








doing the same












all but disbanded









10
































11



that anymorerdquo





























12
































13






for merdquo








werenrsquot for him






Actually yes I am










9

CHAPTER THREE








doing the same












all but disbanded









10
































11



that anymorerdquo





























12
































13






for merdquo








werenrsquot for him






Actually yes I am










10
































11



that anymorerdquo





























12
































13






for merdquo








werenrsquot for him






Actually yes I am










11



that anymorerdquo





























12
































13






for merdquo








werenrsquot for him






Actually yes I am










12
































13






for merdquo








werenrsquot for him






Actually yes I am










13






for merdquo








werenrsquot for him






Actually yes I am








Documents

Sneak Peek: Salt & Stone by Victoria Scott EXCERPT