Ignition Point by Kate Corcino Read Free Book Online Page A

you. So can I.”
    “Yeah, right.” Thomas raised his brows.
    “Yeah. Right. C’mon.” Alex held his arms out indicating he was ready for a challenge. “You don’t believe me? Quiz me! And then I’ll quiz you.”
    Thomas frowned. “Quiz me? How’re you gonna do that?”
    Alex took two quick steps toward Thom, raising his fisted hand. Thom saw him coming, but he was too slow to turn. Too slow to block. Alex slugged him in the upper arm.
    Pain exploded in Thomas’s arm, and he staggered back. He saw stars, then a wash of red. Before he lifted his face back to his friend, he had to work hard to blink the rage away. “You suck, ” was all he could manage.
    “No. You suck. That’s the point. You failed your first quiz. Get your arms up, Scab, before I think of the next question.”
    Thomas narrowed his eyes at Alex. Before he could threaten the big jerk, though, he was distracted by the stupid grin Patrick wore. The kid was excited. They all were. Alex wore a big smile, too.
    “Yeah,” Alex looked at Patrick and finally responded to Patrick’s question. “We can do it.”
    “We can.” Patrick nodded.
    “No,” Thomas corrected them. He rubbed his upper arm and rotated it, ending with a firm nod. “We will do it. We all will. We’ll do it for the Sparks.”
     

Blood and Water
     
     
     
     
     
    Zone Four
    Ten years before the events in Spark Rising …
     
     
    "He won't do it, Grandfather. He's weak.” The loathing in Jacob’s voice had never been more clear. “He’s a blight on our family.”
    Lucas bit his cheek until he tasted blood. His questions had already disappointed the old man perched behind the desk in front of them, and he knew better than to speak out of turn. God forbid he should ever forget his place and argue in front of the man. Jacob might have earned those privileges. Lucas certainly hadn’t.
    Their grandfather’s head slowly turned. His pale, icy eyes—the color Lucas had inherited—were frigid as he regarded Jacob for a long, silent moment. When he spoke, however, his voice was soft and encouraging. “A blight? How so?”
    Lucas turned his head to look at his brother, who stood at attention beside Lucas.
    “Yes, sir. A blight. For as long as I can remember, you’ve always taught us that Sparks are demons, living proof of the times of Tribulation. Why else would they have power over energy, over fire? That Lucas was born to our family is a sign of our shame.”
    “Our shame? Stupid boy, Lucas is a sign of our favor.” Grandfather’s stare bored into Jacob.
    Lucas’s stomach dropped in shock.
    Does he mean it?
    “Our family’s birth record has been spotless—not a single stain of Spark blood. Lucas was born a Spark, yes, but he was born only a month after I was blessed with weeks of visionary dreams that showed me I needed to send a Spark forth to infiltrate the enemy.” The old man leaned back in his chair, steepling his hands. “But where would I get such a creature? A loyal Spark? A man with the abilities that would gain him access to their world while retaining the conscience and piety, the humanity, of ours?” Grandfather shook his head. He reached out to spin the teacup in front of him, a meditative movement.
    “I had done my work too well,” he continued. “Our Sparks live apart. They know their place, even those that come to us as agents from the Ward School. Our Reintegration Program guarantees that. We don’t have a single Spark who could meet the eyes of the non-powered, who could manage to pass as one of them .
    “I knew what I needed. I prayed for guidance. And I was gifted Lucas. Why do you think I sent him away as a child?”
    Lucas’s mouth opened and closed. Jacob stood motionless. Was he as shocked as Lucas? He must be.
    Grandfather turned to Lucas. “You’re surprised. Tell me why you think I sent you away.”
    Lucas cleared his throat. “You sent me away because you could not bear the sight of me, but you could not stand having one of