A Page From the District: An Exclusive Excerpt from Hidden District
Updated: Oct 4
No Spoilers.
No Content.
A PAGE FROM THE DISTRICT
Hidden District Excerpt
I could tell you more about Hidden District. Or I could let you inside for a minute.
What follows is a Hidden District excerpt, shared without explanation or spoilers. Just a glimpse through the door before I close it again.
Just One Page.
Chapter 6: The First Lie We Call Family - Zandra
There it is. That was the answer. Not I can’t. Not she won’t. I’m not asking. Cassidy would rather struggle publicly than admit privately she needed help. Pride, dressed as survival.
“That’s… sad,” I said. “You know that, right?”
She gives a humorless laugh. “Sad doesn’t pay rent.”
“You act like you’re doing this alone,” I said. “You’re not a single mom.”
Her hand stills. Just for a second.
“Sometimes I feel like I am.”
“That’s not fair to Dad.”
“And this,” she turned then, eyes flashed. “And this isn’t your problem to solve.”
“Then stop talking to me like it is.”
Silence dropped. Thick. Pressurized.
I crossed my arms. “You hate this life,” I said. “But won’t help change it.”
Her jaw tightened.
“You won’t work. Not really.” I continued. “You won’t contribute unless it’s quick cash or something that lets you feel admired. You stay mad at him for not giving you a life you refuse to help build.”
She stared at me, her face hardening.
“He was supposed to make it,” she snapped. “That was the plan.”
“The plan died with his knee,” I said. “He didn’t.”
That’s when she cut me.
“A child needs to stay in a child’s place.”
There it is. The sentence she used when she doesn’t want to answer. When she doesn’t want to admit anything. When she wants the truth to shut up and sit down.
She turns away, voice sharp now. “Now go check your room. Make sure everything’s packed. You know how your father gets.”
Blame, neatly reassigned. I don’t move. I thought about the last move. The one before that. The one where she promised that it was the last. The one where Daddy slept on the floor so I could have a bed.
“You stay,” I said quietly, “with a man you don’t love. You blame him for a dream that broke. And somehow, I’m the one who’s supposed to not notice.”
She taped another box. Wouldn’t look at me, scans the apartment, avoiding my eyes.
“We’re moving to the Red Line District.”
Love you sis! Will there be an audiobook version? My sleep disorder makes reading books nearly impossible! I’ll still buy one just to support you though. 💜