Passage (The Akasha Series #1) by Indie Gantz
Genre: YA Scifi Fantasy
Release Date: March 2018

Summary: Uncover a Lifetime of Lies in this Fantasy Adventure!

On day one, Charlie Damuzi and her mute twin brother Tirigan are blissfully unaware of the dangerous world they live in. They may be aliens living on Earth after the extinction of humans, but to Charlie, life is pretty mundane.

On day two, the Damuzi familyis ripped apart by a family secret that forces the twins to flee the only home they’ve ever known.

Determined to find a way to reunite their family, Charlie and Tirigan travel to uncharted territory in search of their salvation.

But that’s just Charlie’s side of the story.

In the future, forty days from when we first meet the Damuzi twins, Tirigan ison the move. His destination is unknown, as are the people he’s surrounded himself with, but his mission is still the same. Keep his sister safe and reunite their family.

However, as Tirigan attempts to navigate the complex bonds he’s formed with his companions, he’s forced to confront the one thing in life he has yet to fully understand.
Himself. 

I turn off the shower and dry myself with the yellow towel none of us like because it’s too coarse and doesn’t soak up enough water. There are only four towels, and on laundry day it isn’t unusual for one, if not all of us, to stand outside next to the clothes line and fight over the good towels.
I grumble as the towel slides over my wet skin and does absolutely nothing to dry it. That’s it! The next time John goes into town for supplies he is buying a new towel.
The towel wraps begrudgingly around my long dark hair and I set the temperature regulator on my clothing before pulling them on. Earth’s ozone layer has yet to completely stabilize, so we wear clothing over most of our skin to protect us from the sun. Anunnaki heal sunburns faster than we can get them, but using our regeneration abilities all the time drains our life force. It’s better to protect ourselves and live longer than be completely care-free and shorten our lifespan.
That is the third time you’ve said that.
Then why is this abomination still wrapped around my head?
Priorities.
My lips purse and my eyebrows furrow together. Who needs food when I have to walk around in damp clothes all day because I’m still wearing my shower when I get dressed?
How does one wear a shower?
Ugh, never mind.
I stalk out of the bathroom and into the small kitchenette to make my breakfast. The cooler doesn’t hold much, but it does have enough food to make a decent meal. I place bread and an avocado on the counter.
The solar converters that connect to the small appliances in the kitchen run along the counter and out the window where they hang and soak up power from the sun. The toaster, a collection of metal pieces and wires that Tirigan created in an afternoon, looks more like a death trap than a cooking appliance. Its presence makes me both roll my eyes and smile, despite the very real possibility of it exploding in my face.
I place my bread inside the toaster and pull down the contraption that’s supposed to turn it on. It kicks to life and I turn to the avocado to slice it.
“What are the chances that thing will blow up, Resu?”
The intercom in the kitchen gives an answer quickly. “Less than seven percent, Charlie. I wouldn’t consider your fear to be a reasonable one.”
“Says you,” I mutter under my breath. Right as I slice into the avocado, something in Tirigan’s mind shifts dramatically.
It’s as if he has suddenly been submerged into another world entirely. His thoughts run too quickly to understand. And then I realize they aren’t Tirigan’s thoughts. They’re his emotions.
He’s shocked, confused, overwhelmed… terrified.
My hands freeze on the knife and avocado.
Tirigan? What just happened?
Something flashes before my eyes and then I can see my father standing outside of our trailer, his body covered in cuts and bruises that are healing before Tirigan’s eyes. His shirt and pants are torn, even shredded in certain parts, which should be nearly impossible considering how strong our clothing is made to be. He bends over and vomits into the dirt.
John. He is… he was injured. Tirigan’s thoughts are incredibly stilted; it’s painful to receive them. I drop the avocado and knife and cradle my head in my hands. Grimacing, I reach out to my brother.
Tirigan-
The pain instantly evaporates along with my brother’s emotions. I don’t have time to kick myself for my mistake. It takes me a moment, but my body eventually remembers how to move again. I race to the front door, swinging it open before I can come to terms with the fact that along with my brother’s momentary unfiltered emotions, I just saw through Tirigan’s eyes. That’s new too, but I can’t wrap my head around it yet. My father’s sudden appearance paralyzes my mind and keeps me from thinking of anything but John and Calla.
Outside, John’s eyes are wet and blood-shot; his clothes are tattered and blood stained. The bruises on his face and arms that I saw through Tirigan’s eyes are nearly completely healed, leaving only a gash across his cheek that is currently in the process of closing.
“John?” I ask hesitantly, taking in my father’s appearance and my mother’s absence. “What happened? Where is Calla?”
He just appeared. No visible point of entry. Tirigan’s thoughts choke, like he can barely get his mind to find the words. I can feel a glimmer of his fear, but it’s nothing like before. My eyes shoot over to Tirigan. He is still sitting at the table next to the front door of the trailer, a well-worn paperback book clutched in his hands. His eyes are wide and darting from John to myself. Despite his excellent control, I can feel his panic rising.
What? That doesn’t-
“There isn’t time.” My father’s rough voice cuts through my thoughts. I whip my head back towards him. “Come inside. We have to move.” He begins to walk quickly towards the door, his steps lighter than I would expect of someone wearing his expression.
“What?” I ask, following him with my eyes, but not my feet. “What is going on? Tirigan said-”
“Get inside,” John interrupts, pulling the front door open and holding it out. “I’ll explain as much as I can while you pack.”
Pack? Tirigan is standing now, moving towards the front door, but I’m frozen.
“John-”
“Now!” My father yells at me for the first time in my life. My feet scramble despite my mind’s inability to catch up. I am back inside the trailer quickly, right behind Tirigan, who has started to twitch his fingers at his sides. It’s a habit he grew out of when he was ten.
John comes in behind us, then shuts and locks the door. I wasn’t even aware that the door locked.
“Resu, damage report please,” I request, even though I know it doesn’t really matter.
“Scanning.” The AI answers, then a moment later adds, “Multiple lacerations that have recently healed, four broken ribs that have begun to fuse, a healing brain contusion, and a ruptured anterior cloaca chamber that is almost sealed.”
My eyes widen as John turns back around to face us. On his face, I see something far more frightening than his healing injuries. His eyes are red, his chin quivers slightly, and his entire body looks like it’s about to collapse in on itself. I want to go to him, pull my arms around him, and comfort the obvious devastation he feels, but my own fear stops me. I don’t dare say anything, knowing the only thing that could do this to my father would send me over the edge as well.
Something happened to Calla.