Catching hope, p.1
Catching Hope, page 1
A YOUNG ADULT NOVEL
KATHY CASSEL
Haven Point Publishing, Lynn Haven, FL
Catching Hope
Copyright © 2022 by Kathy Cassel
Cover and Interior design: Diana L. Sharples
The information contained in this book is the intellectual property of Kathy Cassel and is governed by United States and International copyright laws. All rights reserved. No part of this publication, either text or image, may be used for any purpose other than personal use. Therefore, reproduction, modification, storage in a retrieval system, or retransmission, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, or otherwise, for reasons other than personal use, except for brief quotations for reviews or articles and promotions, is strictly prohibited without prior written permission by the publisher.
While Catching Hope is a work of fiction as are all the characters, many of the locations scenery, background story, and events, including natural disasters, are based on the real-life country of Haiti and its people, history, and geography.”
Haven Point Publishing
Lynn Haven, FL
Paperback ISBN: 979-8-9859043-0-7
Ebook ISBN: 979-8-9859043-3-8
Summary: Four teens who are kidnapped on a trip to Haiti must work together to escape their kidnappers and journey through a country ravaged by an earthquake to be reunited with their parents/uncle and aunt.
Keywords: twins, adoptive families, teen adoption, Haiti, kidnapping, foster families, mission trips
.
Endorsements for Catching Hope
Catching Hope is a must-read, Christian novel for teenagers that will keep them on the edge of their seat
Kathleen Hansley
licensed independent social worker/
clinical therapist (MSW, LISW)
Kathy Cassel has written a page-turner for today’s teens. Packed with adventure, suspense, drama, danger, and a surprise ending, this story will have readers on the edge of their seats. Another great book from one of my favorite authors.
Crystal Bowman
award-winning bestselling author of
more than 100 books including
I Love You to the Stars
Author Kathy Cassel has just the right amount of suspense and adventure in Catching Hope to keep you guessing to the end. I did not want to put the book down as I followed the characters through their adventures as they learned to work together while never losing hope.
Juanita Barben
elementary paraprofessional
As a professional in the social work field, I looked forward to reading Catching Hope. I was not disappointed. From page one, Kathy Cassel draws you in and takes you through a suspense filled journey of Lexi’s unexpected journey on her first vacation with her forever family. The book offers hope today’s teens and touches on those in foster care or adopted. A must read.
Lisa Reynolds
social worker
Unlikely heroism, surprising survival skills, and hidden compassion bubble to the surface eventually making the perfect blend of camaraderie to tackle the present and mounting adversity.
Teresa Robbins
author
Dedication:
Catching Hope is dedicated to all the Haitian children
who came home to their forever families
in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake.
Disclaimer:
Catching Hope is a fiction story that deals with adoption from foster care. Although the main characters in this book were abused in foster care, most foster families genuinely care about the children placed with them and want the best for those children. However there are always exceptions, and abuse can take place in birth, foster, or adoptive families. If you are in a situation where you are being abused verbally or physically, speak up. You are a victim and deserve help. Talk to a trusted adult.
While Catching Hope is a work of fiction as are all the characters, many of the locations, scenery, background story, and events, including natural disasters, are based on the real-life country of Haiti and its people, history, and geography.
Acknowledgments
A special thank you to Jeanette Windle, fiction coach extraordinaire.
Thank you to Diana Sharples for an excellent cover and interior design
Thank you to Jessica Woodruff, my travel companion on many memorable trips to Haiti.
Also a special thanks to my husband, Rick, and our children who believed in this book and encouraged me in the writing of it.
Chapter One
The sound of a horn startled me awake. I struggled to a sitting position, excitement pulsing through me. I was in a large van sitting between my sixteen-year-old adoptive brother Chad and Levi, my twin, who were both still asleep. I nudged Levi until he opened his eyes and sat up. His red hair, a shade darker than mine, was tousled, and his sapphire blue eyes were sleepy. It had been a long drive from the airport to our resort on the Haitian coastline, and although I’d wanted to stay awake and take in the scenery, I drifted off.
Now we were stopped outside an ornate iron gate. Juvens, our driver, honked again, and a man in a uniform pushed a button triggering a motor to open the gate, allowing Juvens to pull through.
I turned to Levi. “Can you believe it? Us in a foreign country?”
He nodded but was silent. Handling new situations and the stress of unfamiliar places is hard for Levi. Until a year ago, my twin brother and I were bounced from foster home to foster home, never getting a forever family partly because Levi does things that make him stand out as different. The Michaels call it quirks of his autism, but other families weren’t so understanding. In fact, they could be downright mean at times.
Right after our fourteenth birthday, our case manager moved Levi to a group home to help him transition into successful adult life. What really happened was he was targeted and ended up in the emergency room, where he first met Dr. Michaels. I met Dr. Michaels during the investigation into Levi’s abuse. Then the Michaels decided to add us to their family.
After many discussions, accelerated training classes, and tons of paperwork, we were adopted. Dr. and Mrs. Michaels became our parents, and in the deal, we got a brother Chad. He was adopted by the Michaels when he was six. Now he’s sixteen, a year older than us. His skin is the color of caramel, and he’s strong from all the sports he plays.
Our cousin Jen was in the van seat in front of me next to Mrs. M. Jen is almost seventeen. Dr. Michaels and her dad, also known as Dr. Michaels, are brothers. She isn’t adopted, and she let us know the first time we met. Thankfully, she lives in Michigan, and we live in the Florida panhandle, so it’s not like we hang out much.
Even after the flight from Miami and the long van ride, her blond hair was pulled up in a perfect top knot. I made a mental note to ask Mrs. M to help me do something with my wild tangle of red hair once we were settled in.
Jen scowled. “I don’t know why I had to come on this trip. I would have been fine staying home alone while my parents went on their trip to Europe—their vacation which didn’t include their only child.”
Dr. M turned from the front passenger seat. “You’ll have to take that up with your parents. They evidently wanted to spend time alone. And they thought this trip would be a good experience for you.” He smiled.
Jen didn’t return his smile. She stuck her earphones back into her ears, seemingly not as curious about our new accommodations as I was.
Juvens drove slowly through the resort. Small, white houses with yellow trim and blue shutters were set among palm trees. In the middle of the resort, four small swimming pools were situated around a central concrete island filled with dirt. Lush palm trees were planted in the ornamental island.
“This is where we’re staying? In one of those little houses?” I could hear the wonder in my voice, and Jen didn’t miss it even with earbuds in.
“Bungalows,” she said. “Not little houses.”
“Little houses. Bungalows. Same thing,” Chad said. “Who cares anyway? Look at the sea.”
I followed Chad’s gaze. Waves were rolling in and crashing onto a white sand beach, stretching as far as I could see. Chad’s eyes devoured the water. “I can’t wait to try out those waves!”
Juvens pulled in front of a bungalow, climbed out, and walked to the back of the van. He opened the back doors where our luggage was stored. As I went to get my luggage, a movement outside the fence drew my gaze. A short, thin man with skin like dark chocolate, a white scar etched above his right eye, was watching us. He focused on Dr. M, and his eyes narrowed, a look of pure hatred filling his face. His eyes met mine, and the look of fury on his face made my heart race. I quickly turned away. Who was the man? And more importantly, why was he looking at us as though he hated us?
Chapter Two
The others were starting to unload the van, but I stood frozen. Mrs. M came to stand beside me. “Anything wrong?”
I glanced back, but the man had vanished. I hadn’t imagined him, had I? Should I mention him to Mrs. M? What would I say—a guy was looking at us like he hates us? Maybe he didn’t like tourists. I forced a smile. “I’m good.”
Mrs. M smiled back at me. “New places can be a little overwhelming at first.”
Jen rolled her eyes but didn’t respond. Ignoring her, I grabbed my backpack and handed Levi his own. Still, a sense of uneasiness lingered.
Besides our own clothes and personal care items, we’d brought suitcases full of medicine and medical supplies, which were being pulled from the van.
Once the van was unloaded, Dr. M unlocked the bungalow door. I stepped in and found myself in a large, airy, yellow-and-white room with a white tile floor. Blue cushions on the wicker couch and chairs added a splash of color. The living room and kitchen were open areas, and a sliding-glass door provided a view of the water. Tranquility flooded over me.
“There are three bedrooms,” Mrs. M said. She walked over to the first door and pulled it open to reveal a queen-sized bed, dresser, desk, and a full bathroom with both a tub and a shower. “This is the master bedroom. This will be Dad’s and my room.”
She opened the door to a pale-yellow room where twin beds sported white comforters. The curtains were open, revealing a view of the sea through the sliding-glass door.
The third room also had twin beds, but these were covered with dark-blue comforters, and the walls were white with dark-blue trim.
Mrs. M looked around the room. “Why don’t Lexi and Jen take the yellow room. The boys will take this one.”
Setting my suitcase on my bed, I pulled out my clothes and changed into shorts, a tank top, and flip-flops before dropping the rest into drawers. Then I walked over to the boys’ room.
Chad was hurriedly placing his clothes into the dresser. He glanced up grinning as he shoved a pile of T-shirts into a drawer and pushed it closed. “I want to get in the water before lunchtime.”
“Where’s Levi?” I asked.
Chad looked around, then shrugged. “Dunno. He was here. He brought his suitcase in.” Chad nodded at the suitcase on one of the beds.
I walked into the family room. No Levi. Had he left the bungalow? I opened the front door and looked out. Still no sign of him.
Dr. M entered the room. “Anything wrong, Lexi?”
I turned to face him. “I don’t know where Levi is. He must have gone out. He probably needs to process the trip so far.”
Dr. M nodded. “He’ll be fine here at the resort. But go find him if you want.”
I grabbed my iPad and the international phone Dr. M had given me and dropped them into my beach bag as I headed out the door. Maybe I’d have a chance to get photos once I found Levi.
I hurried down the path leading to the pool area and walked around the four joined pools, searching for any sign of a tall, skinny boy with red hair. He wasn’t there, so I headed down the gravel path toward the beach. Would he go there? Chad was the one who was eager to get into the water.
Jogging down the path, I glanced toward the shoreline. In places, the water was gently lapping the shore, while in other places, waves were crashing. I spotted Levi standing at one of the calmer areas, still wearing the jeans and T-shirt he’d worn on the plane. Water was swelling around his ankles, soaking the bottoms of his pant legs, but he was unaware as he focused on the gulls overhead.
He was totally relaxed, making my heart smile. I crossed the white sand, wanting to be near Levi, but not wanting to disturb him. He’d probably already mastered the gulls’ call and who knew what else. Imitating sounds was something Levi was good at—though, at times, made him stand out as different.
Pulling my iPad from my beach bag, I headed toward Levi, hoping for candid shots. I pulled off my flip-flops to walk barefoot on the warm sand before moving closer to take a picture of Levi looking out at the water. Studying the image, I couldn’t help smiling. A perfect picture of a perfect day. If I’d known what was ahead, would I have felt the same?
I turned and walked the other direction down the beach, leaving Levi to his gulls. I stopped at a point where the sun shimmered across the sea in front of me. Aqua faded to turquoise to dark blue and stretched endlessly until it touched the sky. White-capped waves crashed on the shoreline, and water rushed around me. A thunderous wave broke at my feet, unexpectedly spraying me and filling my mouth with the taste of salt.
I scurried backward and hit something solid. Strong hands grasped my shoulders. I turned and looked into Dr. M’s friendly eyes, which were the same color as the darker-blue water.
He pulled the red-and-white-striped towel from around his neck and handed it to me. I wiped my face and arms, then swiped at the water trickling down my legs before handing the towel back. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” He glanced down the beach to where my brother was standing. “Levi seems fine.”
I nodded.
Dr. M smiled. “I’m headed to the clinic after lunch, but we have a few minutes. Do you want to stroll along the shore and see if we can find any sand dollars?”
I shrugged. “Sure.”
We walked, leaving two sets of footprints side by side, his larger than mine. A rare sense of peace washed over me. I looked back to see how far I could see our footprints, but as I did, a huge wave washed ashore, erasing any sign we had walked there just moments before. I sighed.
Dr. M stopped at a cove where waves gently lapped the shoreline. He squatted and looked into the water. “Maybe we’ll have better luck here where the waves are calmer.”
I squatted beside him, my eyes searching.
He reached out, lifted a handful of sand, and let it shift through his fingers. A shell remained, and he handed it to me. “Not a sand dollar, but nice.”
I held it on my palm and studied it. The shell was over an inch long, spiral-shaped, and had crisscrossed ridges. Dots of orange and brown made a pattern on the white shell. I ran my thumbnail along the strong ridges of the opening. “What kind is it?”
“I don’t know the scientific name, but at home people call it a ‘common nutmeg.’”
I closed my hand around it, savoring the rough texture.
Still squatting by the sea, Dr. M watched me, concern lining his face. “Are you okay with this? Being here in Haiti?”
I ran my thumb along the shell’s ridges, up and down, up and down. “Sure.”
His eyes searched my face. “It’s not what I would have planned for your first vacation with us. I hadn’t intended to make my annual trip to the clinic this June, but with the new outbreak of cholera, I felt compelled to come.”
I shifted positions, putting one knee down on the wet sand. “I understand. In fact, I’d like to go to the clinic with you. Maybe help you with the medical care.”
Dr. M didn’t answer at first. He seemed to be thinking it through. “In past years, Mom and Chad have both helped at the clinic. But this year, we decided it would be better for all of you to stay at a resort. You won’t be exposed to illnesses, and you will have more of a vacation. You can spend time together enjoying all the activities, and Mom will be here with you.”
I bit at my bottom lip.
Dr. M searched my face. “What’s bothering you?”
“I feel awkward around Jen. Chad’s funny, and he likes everyone, but Jen—she doesn’t understand us—what life was like for us.”
He nodded. “No, she probably doesn’t. I won’t say I understand what you went through either, but I care.”
I held up the common nutmeg, the points between my thumb and first finger. “My life has been full of bumps and ridges. But those hard times don’t make a neat pattern like this.”
I closed one hand around the shell, breathed in slowly through my mouth, and let the air escape the same way. “Life wasn’t so bad for me. But Levi—for him it was different. Then when they separated us and put him in the group home, supposedly to help him …”
I jumped up and brushed the sand from my legs.
Dr. M stood and opened his mouth to speak, but stopped. Instead, he pointed at the water washing ashore. “Look, there’s a sand dollar. You can get it.”
We squatted side by side. The sand dollar was carried out by a wave but washed ashore again a moment later. Dr. M pointed. “Catch it.”
I trickled my fingers through the water, not reaching for it, and the wave pulled it back out to sea. I glanced at Dr. M. His face was questioning.
A sigh escaped my lips. “I probably would have missed.”
“It was right there in your reach.”
“It’s not important.”
