Sian B. Claven - Kallista

Kallista

By

Sian B. Claven

COPYRIGHT 2018 Sian B. Claven

All characters; events and establishments in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the author.

Cover Design by Raven Designs

Edited by Redwing Productions

Dedication

To Jackie. Mother. Sister. Best Friend.

Acknowledgments

K ALLISTA was seriously hard to complete. I struggled with the writing and it took me to places I didnt want to go, and then deeper. This book would not have been possible had it not been for key people in my life who continue to support me as I develop my writing career.

Firstly, I want to thank my Mom, Patricia Vorster, and my sister, Jacqueline Knott, for believing in me, taking pride in my work, and for listening to me ramble about my writing. Your continued support really means the world to me.

To Darren, Kayla, Caitlin and Kelsey - thank you for the late night chats when I was writing, for chatting to me about ideas, and for being the best damn family out there. I miss you.

Danielle Swanepoel - you are the chips to my steak - as the kids say. Thank you for being so supportive and a true friend through everything. For thirteen years you have stood by me through thick and thin, and I couldnt think of a better person to share my memories with.

To Toni Cox, who not only takes care of me like Im family, but who loves me for just the way I am - chubby butt and all. Thank you for putting up with me when Im crazy and stubborn and for constantly reminding me that I am loved. I dont know what I would do without you.

To Darren Cox, seriously everyone needs to thank you for this book. Your advice has been invaluable. Thank you for letting me interrupt Liverpool games and series to ask you questions, for helping me come up with ways to break into houses and for letting me use you and Toni as guinea pigs to describe cuddling. You rock!

To Poppet - who designs my covers and always makes mye books look so amazing - thank you so much!

To Elaina - editor and chief fixer-upper! Thank you so much for always assisting me with my editing and for always keeping my voice in while fixing up my errors! Youre the best!

To Ashleigh Giannoccaro - my author mom who always has time for me and always helps me out when I need questions answered. I am so happy we are friends and I love all the words you write! Thank you for encouraging me to write words.

To Andrew Christie - friend for life, and a Papa Bear to boot.

To all my Beta readers - Toni, Ona, Tabitha, Karen and Franki - thank you for reading Kallista before everyone else and making sure it was perfect for them.

To my Nightmares - thanks for the Movie Mondays, Teaser Tuesdays, and for always entering all my competitions. You guys make it so worthwhile.

To my fans, old and new, I hope you enjoy Kallista. I wont lie, it was hard to write, but I am proud to give to you.

Other Books by this Author

HORROR TITLES

The Kiara Books

Ensnared

Liberation

The Butcher Books

Tatum

Kallista

Sylvana

The Asylum Series

Asylum I

Asylum II

The Watcher Series

Watcher

The Watched - Coming Soon

To Watch - Coming Soon

The Demon Cat Khristmas Specials

Killer Kitteh Khristmas

Merry Meow - Coming soon

Jingle Fur - Coming soon

Stand Alones

The Culling

#RIPJohn

Belladonna

Buried - Coming Soon

Hex - Coming Soon

Shh... - Coming Soon

The Priestess - Coming Soon

The Reaper- Coming Soon

The Witch in the Woods - Coming Soon

FANTASY TITLES

A Spacehiker Adventure

Unlikely Hero

Hidden in Plain Sight - Coming Soon

Homeward Bound - Coming Soon

MURDER MYSTERY TITLES

Bullseye

Stones - Coming Soon

GENERAL FICTION TITLES

Balancer Books

Neutral Ground - Coming Soon

Holy Demons - Coming Soon

Prologue

S trange how quickly time passed, and yet ticked by slowly, simultaneously.

It depended on perspective. A mother with a growing child felt that time moved too swiftly. First this tiny being depended on her for everything, and suddenly he or she sat, talked, walked, and, before you knew it, he or she was at the table doing homework and then off to the final senior dance.

For someone who suffered the death of someone close, time inched forward. Although it became easier to think about the deceased as more time went by, their passing always felt like just yesterday. You wished they were with you to share everything you experienced. You wondered how they would react, especially if you were young when they passed away.