Synopsis: Figments of Imagination

Susie is a very sick young girl who spends a lot of her time trying to escape her reality by sleeping. And as she sleeps she dreams...of Ian, a quirky young man who doesn't quite understand what "don't touch" means; of Texas, an equally quirky woman trying to outrun the past that dogs her footsteps; of Katie, a young woman who discovers her demi-god heritage, and isn't happy about having been left in the dark; and of Daren, the man who has been Katie's protector since she was a child (and who is only just realizing how much she means to him). Together they face three seperate enemies who present a terrifying force--or are those three enemies different faces of a singular opponent? Can they save themselves? And, as Susie's condition deteriorates, can these four manage to save her as well? Or are they merely figments of her imagination? Is it all just a dream, or could it, perhaps, all be real?

The following are more in-depth synopses of the different stories of the above characters, just for clarification!

Ian's Story: The quintessential geek, Ian is a young man who carries around a deck of pokemon cards wherever he goes, who travels the country using skills gleaned from a childhood growing up in the glitz of Atlantic City to survive. Running from the ghost of his father's disappointment and from a betrayal of the deepest kind, he left home two years ago and never looked back. Now, as he moves through town after town, never staying, never stopping to make attachments, he runs into someone from his past. The ultimate betrayer, and the man he once loved, Michael Rivera. Ian's world once again begins to revolve around Michael, and it quickly becomes clear that his ex-lover is involved in nefarious plots, centering around the theft of an object from a local occult collector. In a move that is part spiteful vengance against the man who broke his heart, and part a desire to make sure that the object does not fall into the wrong hands, Ian steals the object before Michael can. But what he didn't count on was gaining the ire of the man that Michael works for, a ruthless figure who destroys everything in his path. Now Ian is stuck with a pair of cursed dice--which have the power to either make his fortune or turn his luck so sour that it just might mean his life--hunted by the man he once loved (and maybe, possibly, still isn't over), and wanted by a man who makes the Godfather look like a sweetheart. It'll take wit, skill, luck (if he's got any of that left), and a dash of magic to keep himself alive.

Tex's Story: For as long as she could remember she'd had the ability to see and feel emotions. They were clear as day, like colored clouds hovering around a person, and thudding inside of her as if they were her own. But an encounter with a witch leaves her cursed--suddenly she is as emotionally blind as everyone else around. And because of it, her best friend dies. But there's more to this story, and to her friend's death, and Tex is determined to get to the bottom of it. She investigates into the roots of her friends death...and all roads lead back to the witch who cursed her and the man that Tex has always called the "Gray Man"--the only person whose emotions she could never see. When she stumbles upon something big--and dangerous--she takes off. Of course, her enemies aren't going to let her off that easy. She travels across the country, living out of her car, trying to find a way to lift the curse and to defeat her enemies. But her road trip intersects with Ian when she picks him up on the side of the road, and soon they find themselves running from more than one person. But Tex makes a good choice when she picks Ian up on the side of the road--because he just might hold the key to lifting the curse that plagues her. If only she can keep them both alive long enough for him to figure it out...which is a lot harder than it sounds.

Katie and Daren's Story: Katie's life seems like it could be perfect, or as near as you can get. She's pretty and smart and she has friends who care about her--including Daren, who is the best friend she could possibly have, even if he does get a bit overbearing sometimes. She's taking classes at the local community college, and she dreams of the day when she'll be able to get out on her own. Away from her father and her older brother and her perfect little world, which sometimes gets so cloying. But there are a few key facts that Katie doesn't know. Like the fact that she's one-eighth demi-god (which isn't a lot, but it does explain that curious little power with symbols that she has). And that Daren has been raised to be her guardian since he was a small child--and that he has always resented the fact that his life is limited by his duty to her. That's the part that really hurts, because she's had a little crush on him ever since she was old enough to know that boys didn't really have cooties. But Daren has a new girlfriend, and Katie is determined to prove to herself that she doesn't need anyone to look out for her. It's right around that time that she meets Neal at a college party. He's older and wiser and damn if he isn't sexy as hell. The minute she takes up with him Daren--and Katie's older brother Aaron--are livid, but she's had enough of being under their thumb. She allows Neal to sweep her off her feet, and while things are great at first they quickly turn south. Because there's a good chance that Neal isn't to be trusted. There's a good chance that he's working for a man who has been watching Katie's family for a long time--and waiting for the time to strike. There's a good chance that now proves to be that time. In one smooth stroke Katie is captured and Aaron is dead. And now that she is gone Daren is finally starting to realize just how badly he's screwed up--and just how much Katie means to him. He sets out to find her, determined that he will not fail in his duty to her. Turns out though, that Katie isn't quite as much of a damsel-in-distress as she might seem, and she just might end up needing to rescue him. With a little help, of course...

Susie's Story: And then there is Susie. She watches the events in the lives of these four people as a silent witness, at first with little impact on their lives, but then with an increasing presence. When she sleeps she dreams of them, and when they sleep--only at the times when she is awake while they are sleeping--they dream of her. Tex is the first to realize that Susie isn't just a figment of their imagination, she's a real person. And while they try to figure out what is happening, Susie deals with her life: her parents, who argue and scream and don't really seem to care, and her older brother Zach, who has the responsibility of caring for her fall on his shoulders. And to top it all of, she's dying. She knows it and the doctors know it and Zach knows it, and no one knows how to stop it. And, out of the blue, the dreams stop. Suddenly she is left completely adrift, wondering if she's crazy and if everything was just a figment of her imagination...