Title: Altered
Author: Aubrey Coletti
Publisher: Escape Artists Press
Blub:
When Toni, Joseph and Charlie arrive at their new boarding school, they are glad to leave their families - and respective problems - behind. Isolated as boarders, they meet a handsome senior with a personality like iced snake's blood, teachers with a penchant for physical punishment, and four other outcasts who reveal that their being brought to the Academy wasn't random at all. When the arrivals discover that their new school is engaged in "behavior modification" through electric shocks, isolation, restraints, and an ever-evolving set of methods to "fix" them, they declare war on their Academy. During their campaign of sabotage, they fight, hate, scorn, love, and begin to uncover the reasons why they were brought to the school. But as their war against the school escalates beyond their control, will they become the very things the Academy believes they are: dangerous, delinquent - and mad?
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aubrey is a twenty year old author, singer-songwriter, dancer and choreographer who attends Sarah Lawrence College. In love with reading since she was young, her favorite writers include Tamora Pierce, Joss Whedon, and Chris Claremont. A passionate fan of those artists and writers she enjoys, she may be found answering questions for fans on her own website any day of the week. Ms. Coletti is currently working on the sequel to "Altered."
TEASER OF ALTERED
…More guards filed into the room, two going into the left door, where Ann could be heard still fighting, and three crowding in around Joseph.
He stood while they made a half circle around him. Not this time, he thought. This time, I get the first move. He faked attacking the guard to his right and then leaped forward, jumping up to reach the man’s face, catching him so off guard that he fell onto his back, with Joseph’s knee in his chest.
Two pairs of arms grabbed him by the legs and feet and lifted him, still struggling, into the left room.
Now Joseph saw what it was the white room contained: a long, flat, almost dentist-like bed. Except that this bed was metal, and it had straps.
He struggled more when he saw it, but the men were larger and stronger, and had weight, height and muscle on him. They slammed him down, and despite his flailing had soon bound his arms and legs with the straps, tightly enough to hurt.
Joseph tried to find some way of moving, when the men pulled up his shirt and began attaching little wires to his skin, all over his chest, his neck, his shoulders, arms and he felt someone beginning to work on his legs.
“Oh, there is no way this is legal — get off !” he demanded. There was no response as the guards finished their work and stepped back. Joseph caught his breath for a moment, and his eyes drifted to Mrs. Carter, who had walked in holding the clipboard.
“You have now preformed two acts of sabotage against the school, threatened a student, and assaulted a teacher,” the principal recited.
“Is this where I’m s’posed to apologize?” Joseph half whispered. Mrs. Carter handed the clipboard to someone so far left he couldn’t see, and Joseph realized his neck was bound too. There was a hint of movement beyond his line of sight.
“FUCK!”
It hit his chest like a cluster of burning pins, and he had to scream with surprise and pain.
Twelve seconds, that was what Lieutenant had said. It felt longer. The next one hit his leg, and he let out another scream.
They came in fast succession, and since the electrodes were all over his body, he couldn’t predict where they would hit next. He bit his lip, determined not to give them the satisfaction of hearing him scream. He fastened his eyes on Mrs. Carter and stared her down.
The pain was like being attacked by a horde of wasps. He could faintly hear something to his side. It took him a minute to make what it was.
“21…22…23…24…25…26…27…” The teacher counted off the shocks, as they forced something between Joseph’s lips to silence his screaming.
