Uncharted
ADVANCE PRAISE FOR
U
NCHARTED
“On the cover of
Uncharted
, author Angela Hunt says, ‘Expect the Unexpected.’ She isn’t kidding! Wow . . . this is a powerful, possibly lifesaving, book.”
—Roxanne Henke, author of
After Anne
“There was no way to prepare myself for
Uncharted
. This novel will surprise and unsettle you—and don’t even try to guess the ending!”
—Jim Denney, author of the Timebenders series
and
Answers to Satisfy the Soul
“
Uncharted
will change your life if you let it. The vision in this book is haunting, terrifying, and all too real.”
—Colleen Coble, author of
Alaska Twilight
“Powerful, painful, cleansing. Everyone needs to read this book.”
—Hannah Alexander, author of
Under Suspicion
and
Fair Warning
“
Uncharted
is a powerful story that delves into the unknown with a unique plot twist that goes beyond the unexpected. A powerful read that we have come to expect from Angie Hunt.”
—DiAnn Mills, author of
When the Lion Roars
“
Uncharted
is like a treasure chest, crusted over and half buried in the sand. Dig it out, crack open the lid, and behold the riches . . . These characters lived with me long after I turned the last page.”
—Lisa T. Bergren, author of
The Begotten
“
Uncharted
pits the heart’s darkest secrets against the light of truth. Angie Hunt is totally unexpected and utterly compelling. I dare you to read it and remain the same.”
—Lois Richer, author of
Shadowed Secrets
“For high-impact fiction,
Uncharted
is unequalled! It’s typical Angie Hunt keep-you-glued-to-the-pages suspense. It will change the way you look at
everything
. Long after turning the last page, I can’t stop thinking about this book.”
—Randy Singer, author of
The Cross Examination of Oliver Finney
and
The Cross Examination of Jesus Christ
.
“
Uncharted
is amazing.”
—Patricia H. Rushford, author of The Angel Delaney Mysteries,
The McAllister Files, and The Jennie McGrady Mysteries
“Angela Hunt is coming into her own as a creator of amazingly complex and detailed novels.
Uncharted
is a book that leaves you breathless with twists and turns and races toward a gripping, surprising conclusion.”
—Lori Copeland, author of
Brides of the West
and
Men of the Saddle
“
Uncharted
is a brilliant retelling of an important parable. An entertaining read for the story alone, the book is enlivened by Angela Hunt’s fine prose, excellent action scenes, and intriguing characters. But the compelling demonstration of an eternal reality makes this a book not to be missed.
Uncharted
made me thirst for living water, and that is a wondrous thing.”
—Kathryn Mackel, author of
Outriders
“Vivid, penetrating, sometimes shocking, always engrossing, Angela Hunt’s
Uncharted
is not to be missed.”
—DeAnna Julie Dodson, author of
In Honor Bound
,
By Love Redeemed
, and
To Grace Surrendered
“
Uncharted
is a fascinating tale that inexorably peels away the layers of self-delusion from five “perfect people” who have, as a group, cheerfully broken all Ten Commandments.”
—Ron and Janet Benrey, authors of
The Royal Tunbridge Wells Mysteries
“
Uncharted
will take you on an astounding ride of revelation and reflection.”
—Carolyne Aarsen, author of
The Cowboy’s Bride
UNCHARTED
OTHER NOVELS BY ANGELA HUNT
The Novelist
Unspoken
The Truth Teller
The Awakening
The Debt
The Canopy
The Pearl
The Justice
The Note
The Immortal
The Shadow Women
The Silver Sword
The Golden Cross
The Velvet Shadow
The Emerald Isle
Dreamers
Brothers
Journey
For a complete listing, visit
www.angelahuntbooks.com
Copyright © 2006 by Angela Elwell Hunt
Published by WestBow Press, Nashville, Tennessee, in association with the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc., 7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80920. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any other means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without prior written permission of the publisher.
WestBow Press books may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [email protected].
Publisher’s Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hunt, Angela Elwell, 1957–
Uncharted / Angela Hunt.
p. cm.
ISBN 0-8499-4484-8
I. Title.
PS3558.U46747U53 2006
813'.54--dc22
2005028608
Printed in the United States of America
06 07 08 09 10 11 QW 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Penetrating so many secrets,
we cease to believe in the unknowable.
But there it sits nevertheless,
calmly licking its chops.
—H. L. MENCKEN
Contents
Discussion Questions for Readers’ Groups
PRESENT DAY
The Hamptons, New York
The secret of sex appeal, sixteen-year-old Sarah believes, is an even tan, and the key to an even tan is remembering to turn over at eight-minute intervals between 1:00 and 2:00 p.m. Most of her friends opt for spray-on fake bakes, but Sarah has always preferred the real thing.
As the second hand of her watch sweeps over the twelve, she flips from her stomach to her back, then inhales the delicious fragrance of sea salt.
“You’re going to regret lying there,” a voice calls from beneath a nearby umbrella. “You’ll be burned tonight and freckled next week. When you’re thirty you’ll have wrinkles, and when you’re forty you’ll have skin cancer.”
Sarah rolls her eyes. “Transmission received! You sound like Miss Pratt.”
The woman beneath the umbrella lowers her book and peers over the top of her reading glasses. “Who’s Miss Pratt?”
“My health teacher.”
“Oh.” The book rises again, eclipsing the pale face beneath a wide straw hat. “Well, Miss Pratt is correct.”
Sarah sighs loudly, then flips back onto her stomach. Truth is, she’s bored with the pursuit of the perfect tan. She has nothing to listen to because she left her iPod in the city, and umbrella woman won’t let her bring the CD player down to the beach . . .
She pushes herself up and jogs toward the water, splashing away a pelican that climbs from the shallows and flaps his way toward a distant dock.
“Be careful!” the straw hat calls.
Sarah ignores the warning. The woman is hyperparanoid; a certified overworrier. Enough to drive a girl crazy.
Especially one who’s had more than her fair share of things to worry about.
Sarah wades forward until the water touches her bare belly, then she turns to brace herself against the breakers. After gasping at the first cold splash on her sun-warmed back, she swims beyond the waves, then backstrokes in an area where the swells rise and fall in a gentle rhythm.
She loves the ocean. She’d never admit this to a living soul, but if mermaids could exist, she’d exchange every shoe in her closet for a tail and flippers.
Floating lazily, she positions ankle to ankle and knee to knee, then kicks, sputtering as the awkward movement plunges her beneath the water.
She surfaces, laughing and spitting. It’s not easy to kick both legs simultaneously, but she could probably get the hang of it if she had time to practice.