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CHAPTER 1
JASMINE, 13 YEARS OLD
Jasmine lay stretched out on the couch, her chin pillowed on her stacked hands as she read. The thirteen-year-old was oblivious to the glorious summer day beyond the library windows. Nothing could distract her from the story unfolding on the page.
Suddenly, she gasped and sat up, cross-legged, with the book in her lap. A few minutes later, she was perching on the armrest. As the story reached its climax, she got to her feet and feverishly flipped through the final pages. When she realized there were no more words, she slammed the book shut, closed her eyes, and bellowed, “Thea!”
Jasmine listened for a response, and when she didn’t get one, she leaped off the couch and ran out of the library as if it were on fire. For a split second, she debated searching the upstairs bedrooms for the housekeeper, but she decided to go with her gut.
“Thea!” she exclaimed as she skidded to a stop on the opposite side of the kitchen island.
Thea didn’t look up from the ingredients she was adding to a mixing bowl. “Finished another book, miss?”
“Yes!”
“Didn’t you finish one yesterday?”
“Two,” Jasmine said distractedly as she paced. “Those were good, but this. This was...” She twisted her fist in her shirt as emotion rose to choke her. “This book had it all. Adventure, mystery, action, high stakes, romance...” She let out a gusty sigh that made Thea’s brows arch. “I could die happy right this second.”
Thea shook her head, used to Jasmine’s theatrics after reading an exciting tale. “What was this one about?”
The girl’s wistful expression vanished as she straightened and braced her hands on the island.
“The book’s called Uncharted Waters. It’s about this girl named Naida who lives by the ocean. Her mother died during childbirth, so it’s just her and her father, who’s a fisherman. He would leave for weeks, even months, at a time. When he fails to return from his last trip, she sets out on a quest to find him. She meets all these characters along the way. One is a man named Amir. She saves his life when she overhears his partner planning to slit his throat.” Jasmine ignored the way Thea’s eyes flared with disapproval and continued. “Since he’s in her debt, he offers to help track down the ship her father was on.”
“Could you pass the spatula?” Thea asked.
“They go on all these adventures. They battle pirates, explore uninhabited islands, and he teaches her how to fight with a sword.” Jasmine fetched the spatula and did a slash, parry, and thrust before she surrendered it. “Gosh, it was so real, I could feel the sea breeze on my face and smell the tang of the ocean.”
Thea slid a tray of sliced pita and vegetables in front of her. “Eat.”
Jasmine smothered the pita with tzatziki sauce and felt her fictional world recede a little as she registered how hungry she was. She couldn’t remember the last meal she’d had. When she was immersed in a book, she didn’t need water, food, or sleep.
“I wish Dad owned ships instead of buildings,” she said absently.
“Don’t let him catch you saying that, miss.”
Jasmine sighed. “But ships are so cool! You can transport cargo, live on them, and be on the ocean, with nothing around for miles.”
“I spent a lot of time on boats in Greece,” Thea said. “One day, you should visit my homeland.”
Jasmine brightened. “Yes! I want to visit Delos, where Artemis and Apollo were born. The Parthenon, Temple of Poseidon, Olympia...”
Thea eyed her warily. “You didn’t tell your father about those Greek myth books I gave you, did you?”
Jasmine grinned. “Of course not. He would have freaked.”
“Yes, he would.” Thea gave her a curious look. “Aren’t you supposed to be studying?”
“I am.”
“Are you? You’ve done nothing but inhale fantasy books for two weeks straight.”
“They’re Spanish, German, and French translations,” Jasmine said smugly.
Thea tried to look stern but failed miserably. “You know that’s not what your father meant.”
“This is the only way I can sneak in fiction,” she said, with a pleading note in her voice.
