About the Author:
J. L. Willow voraciously read everything she could get her hands on as a child and continues to this day. She was inspired by the way words on a page could capture the imagination, beginning her journey as a writer at just six years old. When she’s not holding a pencil or a book, she can be found belting her favorite musicals or studying to become a mechanical engineer. Days off are spent relaxing with her family in New Jersey.
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Read an Excerpt from A Weighted Soul
“I’m serious,” I hissed into the darkness. “You’re scaring me.” Hoping that I would hear some sort of reply, I paused to listen. Nothing. For a moment, I thought I heard another wisp of laughter, but it was so brief it could’ve easily been the echo of a fire truck or an animal from outside.
Still hoping that this was Veronica playing some sort of prank, I moved down the hall quicker, sweeping the beam of my flashlight side to side and peeking into any classrooms I passed. All I found was more empty space.
Even though I was carefully checking each room I passed, I still almost missed her. It wasn’t until I heard a small giggle and a hiss of unintelligible words that I stopped and nearly jumped out of my skin.
“Veronica,” I sighed in relief, clutching at my frantically beating heart. “What are you doing here? Why are you sitting on the ground?”
“Shhh.” Veronica put a finger to her lips and my questions faded to silence. We stayed there for a moment, her on the ground and me looking over her, before she asked, “Can you hear them?”
“You mean the voices?” I looked back down the hall, then to her. “Yeah. Do you think someone else is in the school? At first I thought it was you whispering, but I guess not.”
She didn’t respond, instead ushering me toward her. After a moment of hesitation, I obliged and moved to kneel beside her. “What are you doing?” I asked again, turning my hands into fists to stop their trembling.
A smile played across her lips as her eyes gently closed. I stared at her for a few seconds longer. That’s when my eyes caught something above her that made my blood run cold.
She was sitting next to the painting of the shadow-child whispering. And the way she was positioned, it looked like the child was speaking directly into her ear. Her eyes were closed, like she was deep in thought. “Oh, shit,” I breathed, then waved a hand in front of Veronica’s face. She didn’t respond. “V, what the hell is going on?”
Veronica sat there for a moment, a dazed expression on her face. Then, her eyes opened and locked on mine. “She has something to say to you,” she murmured. I tried to stand on weak knees, but Veronica’s hand shot out and grabbed my wrist.
“What the fuck?” I tugged, but her grip was like steel. “Let me go!”
Though her fingernails bit into my wrist with a force I didn’t know she possessed, her voice was perfectly clear and calm as she repeated, “She has something to say to you. Come. Sit.”
“Veronica, stop it! You’re scaring me!”
Her eyes flashed. “You have nothing to be scared of. Now sit and listen.”
Every muscle in my body screamed at me to run away, but something about her words —
Made me freeze.
Made me turn.
Made me sit.
Made me close my eyes and listen to the shadow on the wall. It felt like I wasn’t in control of my body anymore. Something else had taken over and I had no choice but to obey.
And there was nothing I could do to stop it.
About the Book:
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