Fragments 2-chapter preview & more news

That’s right, I’m posting the chapter preview here on my blog! I think it’ll be a regular thing for releases, I enjoy having the previews on my blog. But before getting into getting into the chapter preview, I have some additional news.

Firstly, on Tuesday, the audiobook was released! it’s voiced by the amazing and versatile voice talent of Tim Alexander, links will be below and so will a preview! Being released by Caleb D. Walker is a music project with songs inspired by the characters and stories of JUDD and Fragments! Caleb is not only a self-published author, but also an indie music under the moniker Icarus producer in addition to running his own project and I came to him for a punk rock inspired soundtrack/score of sorts! What’s even more awesome, he’s provided me with the first promotional single called Ballad of the Red-haired Boy, will be listed below. It will be available on Spotify and Apple Music.

Onto the Fragments news, the final drafting is done and the date is set to May 7th and is up for pre-order now! There will be no pre-order but it will be free on Kindle Unlimited and also available as a paperback. Now onto the preview!

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I.

POWERS WERE BEING FLUNG in mine and the audience’s faces from the hockey rink sized Arena. The Sapphire City’s Eastview High School students could barely keep their abilities within the confines of their two-hundred by eighty-five-foot given space. It was pretty sad knowing there were school’s out there that had much bigger accommodations for their Fragment Fighting teams. Like the school of my dreams, Aries High School.

The school, this school, was so obviously desperately trying to be.

What was even more obnoxious was how they introduced themselves before this… performance?

“We are the Eastview Fighting Silverbacks of Sapphire City’s own Eastview High School!” they announced as if it were something to be proud of.

The school uniforms looked even worse than their arrogance was—purple on silver, they looked like eggplant wrapped in tinfoil. The letter jackets to me and my brother’s side showcased it even more tacky, instead of the cyan with purple sleeves, letters and crest of Aries, theirs were reflective silver with purple sleeves. Just one more reason to prefer to go to Aries, better school colors.

Once my brother started attending Eastview the previous year, my dreams of attending Aries High were dashed. Fireworks from one of the Fighters hands came so near to hitting me in the face, which only raised my profound annoyance.

“Hey, how about watching it a little, huh?” I called standing perfectly balanced on my long-board that’d been rolling gently back and forth under my feet.

As if they could hear me.

Dré pulled me down by the arm and back to my seat. “Dude, calm down, whaddya think’s gonna happen durin’ a Fragment Fight, li’l bruh?”

My backside hurt as it hit the metal bleachers, my least favorite of all seating arrangements. Dré was periodically leering over at me annoyed as I shifted in discomfort opposite the direction my board would go.

Everyone else ignored my outburst, continuing to gawk at what looked to me like a choreographed dance. I already had an inkling of how miserable I’d be at Eastview High School. Pressing my ear-buds into my ears and rolling my board to the ground to my left, I jump onto it as I felt Dré pull my arm back. I can’t hear word of anything he’s saying over You’ll Rebel to Anything by Mindless Self Indulgence blaring in my ears.

I pulled an ear-bud out with a bothered tone. “What?”

“Where you goin’?”

I shake my head with a shrug, wondering why he cared. “Bathroom, does it matter?”

Snatching my arm back and putting my music back in as it continues playing, I proceed toward the school before he can answer. Taking a solo tour of the school, I wheel down the H-shaped halls past lockers and classrooms eating cheese crackers from my pocket before I finally decide to actually make it into the bathroom.

Taking a seat on the toilet with no intention of using it, I lock myself in the stall scrolling through the video app on my phone. When I started to hear the bustle of feet outside the bathroom, I grabbed my long-board from its propped up position next to me and hopped to unlock the stall. I’m slammed against the narrow part between stalls by a meaty hand, causing me to drop my board with a clatter.

The sharp pain in my back returns as I open my eyes from my momentary daze. I look up at the much bigger, much older, wispy stached man in a torn sleeveless band tee, dark jeans and military style hairdo.

“Are you a teacher?” was my first question.

That is until the ginger-haired bully from my last school stepped from behind him—Casey Burke. Casey and I weren’t always best friends. This is one of those times where that was the case.

“Looks like it’ll be another four years of fun, Curly-Qs.” Casey throws his fist into the palm of his other hand, reminding me of his favorite nickname for me with a mischievous smile. “I haven’t seen Four-Eyes yet.”

“That’s a great point, neither have I,” I said trying to push out of the older guy’s grip only to be harshly pushed back into place. “And this handsome brute is?”

“I’m Brick, disrespectin’ the Fightin’ Silverbacks like that? That’s my team, man! My little brother told me you were a disrespectful little shit,” he spat at me, reeling his fist up for a punch.

A teacher turned the corner into the bathroom and exclaimed, “Mr. Trask!”

The man stood stiffly in his tan suit with a raised eyebrow and the three of us were swiftly taken to the principal’s office.

“It’s only the first day of school,” Principal Stewards said, his disappointment directed more toward Brick. “Do we have to start you out in I.S.S. to keep you out of trouble, Mr. Trask?”

“No, Mr. Stewards, you don’t.”

I wasn’t convinced by the guilty look on Brick’s face.

“But he disrespected the Silverbacks, and—” Brick started.

“No, Mr. Trask,” Stewards cut him off. “Am I going to get any trouble from you two this year?” he asked between Casey and I on either side of his older brother.

“No, sir.” We both said in unison, darting glares between each other.

“Good, do you have your schedules yet?”

The other two raised their paper schedules in front of themselves before walking out of the office while I sat shaking my head.

The principal began typing on the computer at his side. “Name?”

“Sam Judd.”

Stewards’s face pinched in confusion, and that’s when I knew he came across my name.

“Samue—no, that can’t be right—Sameel? Samal?”

“It’s Samael! Sam-ay-el.” I said with as little force as I could muster. “Just Sam is fine, please, or Judd. I prefer either of those to people trying to pronounce my name.”

“Well, pardon me, Judd.” He scoffed, handing me my schedule, locker number and combo as it rose from his printer. “Have a good first day, Mr. Judd.”

Unbeknownst to anyone in the office, a single ear-bud was consistently in my ear playing punk rock music but as I shut the office door behind me, I could finally put the other in. Just outside the offices were the bulletin board of extra-curriculars. After a short search, the first thing I find is photography, but then I also find basketball, another thing I’ve wanted to try. The problem was, both occurred in the exact same time-slot.

I was forced to make a decision. I got into photography with my best friend, Lindsey, but I had yet to see his spiked-blond hair, awkward smile or pale blue eyes behind thick square glasses. Every student was at that Fragment Fight of a first day assembly, who knew if I’d see him in photography? At least in basketball I know I’d have my brother there along with me.

Basketball it was, I couldn’t stand the colors of the uniforms or the jackets, but I wanted to be in a room of all strangers as little as possible. I signed my name just below my brother’s. Dré had inspired me to start learning over the summer after attending so many of his games and just taking pictures. I wanted to be front and center on the action.

After heading to my locker to shove my long-board in it—I made sure Mom requested a tall one for me—I followed the numbered rooms until I came across my homeroom class, as instructed over the loudspeakers that sit in every corner of the building.

On my walk to the seat in the back of the U-positioned tables, I stare down at my phone. Every chair in the classroom was a rather comfortable one, looking up I noticed a few students sitting in the middle of the ‘U.’

I was correct in assuming that the seats in the center were for the seniors. Our homeroom teacher, Mrs. Quintus’s morning speech was interrupted by another student entering the classroom.

“Good morning, Helena.” Mrs. Quintus, our homeroom teacher, smiled.

“Sorry, my bus was late,” Helena said, opening up her laptop and donning her headphones.

“I know, morning announcements.” She pointed. “I’m just finishing up explaining, headset down, please.”

Helena frowned with a slight roll of her neck but continued typing. “Gotcha.”

I don’t know why, but I was staring at her. She had a head of tight, jaw-length black dreads and midnight skin with light acne scarring. Her shirt had an anime character with animal ears and a great sword on it. Her laptop had stickers all over it—more anime characters, things about being a writer, symbols of various pagan and Christian religions all covered in a transparent green casing—but none of that was why I was staring at her.

Helena’s unique marble-white eyes met mine as she pushed an ear-phone cup behind her ear and said, “What?”

“Sorry, I was umm—thinking of a way to say hi, you hadn’t yet,” I stuttered.

“Should I have?” She shrugged.

“I don’t know. No, sorry.” I faced ahead as I’m sure she rolled her eyes at me.

“Today we have an assignment,” Quintus announced.

I wouldn’t have noticed if Helena didn’t get up and yell, “What?!”

I wasn’t the only one shocked, the whole classroom was looking at her.

“An assignment in homeroom?” she exclaims.

“Shut up, Hela.” A guy at the end of the desk rolled his neck.

“Screw you, Gregory.” Helena sneered.

“Helena! Greg! That’s quite enough!” Mrs. Quintus yelled. “Now, it’s not a big assignment, it’s just a getting-to-know-the-person-next-to-you exercise.”

“Still lame.” Helena shook her head. “Do I have to do it?”

“You’ll put your computer away and you’ll do it.” Mrs. Quintus approached and closed the top part of the way.

Helena rolled her eyes as Quintus passed out pink pieces of paper to everyone. A couple paragraphs with empty lines were typed on the paper asking for a name and a few details about a person’s interests and hobbies. We were expected to sit across from each other and get to know the other, filling out the blanks and possibly making a new friend—or so our teacher put it.

“Helena, Sam’s new here, partner up with him,” Quintus spoke with expectation in her voice.

Helena rolled her eyes for probably the hundredth time today as she landed her gaze on me.

“Okay, kid, your name?” she said flatly.

“It’s Sam Judd.”

“And I thought your name was lame before. Such a common pairing of names.” She pointed out. “I already don’t like you.”

“Well, it’s actually Samael.” I chuckled. “It’s just nobody knows how to say or spell my name.”

Her eyebrows raised as I watched her write S-A-M-A-E-L, then looking to me to make sure.

“Oh wow, you spelled it right!”

Maybe I shouldn’t have been so surprised given her obvious interests decorating her computer.

“You’re named after the fallen angel,” she explained.

“Usually somebody would say my name is the fake version of Samuel. I got in trouble during an etymology assignment a couple years back due to the heavily religious meaning of my name. I’m pretty sure the teacher was a strict atheist or something.”

“People are stupid, but I’m also obsessed with religious mythology.” She turns the back of her computer to me to view her many stickers in full. “I’m Helena Denny.”

I wrote her full name, guessing the spelling on the first try!

“Okay Helena Denny, what’s your favorite movie?”

“Scream, it’s the perfect parody series of old slasher movies. Fuck the Scary Movie series and everything related to it!” She laughed.

I joined in on her laughter. “Mine’s War of the Worlds. It scared the crap out of everyone when it originally came out as a raisin drama!”

She nearly threw the paper behind her. “These questions are way too easy. So, Samael,” the way she said my name as she leaned back in her seat made me feel accomplished in at least one thing at Eastview. “What’s your powers like?”

Shifting in my seat I said, “That… I’m not all too comfortable talking about yet.”

The truth was, I wasn’t ready to tell anyone that I haven’t gotten my powers yet.

And especially with the reason being my closeted sexuality.

“You don’t have to tell me yours,” I let her know.

“Okay, I won’t.” She raised an eyebrow. “Well, what’s your book knowledge like?”

Looking down at the paper to see that she was serious about veering from the assignment. She gestured for me to answer.

“Well, some.” I shrugged. “I read with my mom, she likes to buddy read. My aunt isn’t as much of a reader as my mom would like, so I read with her and then we’ll watch on-screen adaptations as they come out.”

“Oh god, whatever.” A scoff came out of Helena as she stopped leaning in the padded school chair. “Anyway, your favorite movie adaptation then?”

“People tend to find my answer to this question pretty weird.” She leaned toward me even further, resting an elbow on the desk with her hand in her palm pulsing with interest. “Umm… it’s the old Percy Jackson movie.” Mainly because I found Logan Lerman really cute.

“What?” She almost couldn’t contain her laughter.

“I don’t know, he just seemed a little complain-y in the books. Yeah, he was a young teenager, I’m a teenager, I have a lot to complain about, but…”

That one specific thing came to the forefront of my mind for a moment, but I’m able to shove it back before I started thinking about it too much.

“I guess. Whatever dude, you’re weird.” Her head was hanging and rocking in understanding yet disappointment. “You know what, I like you, Judd. You ain’t that bad.” She smiled softly.

Helena didn’t look at her computer for the rest of the class period. One ear-cuff did stay on her ear though, just as an ear-bud stayed in mine. In addition to screenplays, her computer was filled with poetry, of which she wasn’t willing to show me. She said she’d find some short stories for me to read, though.

Appropriate ones… whatever that means.

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II.

MY DAY ONLY GOT WORSE when I found out I shared my final class of the day—Fragment History and Sciences—with Casey. The desks were set for two students each, but thankfully in alphabetical order. I sat next to a stranger while Casey sat up front. I hoped he wouldn’t see me right away.

Taking more notice of my nametag on the table, I see that my name is spelled with a ‘U’ instead of an ‘A.’ I almost thought there could be another Sam Judd in the class, but I figured the chances of that were slim to none.

I did not have high hopes for this particular class.

It wasn’t until roll call after the late bell that he belted my name out-loud when I really knew I wasn’t going to like this guy.

“Oh god.” I lightly pounded my forehead on my desk with my hand raised.

“What’s your problem?” the guy sitting next to me asked.

“My name’s not Samuel.”

“Really?” He looked down at my nametag. “Then what i—”

“It’s Sam, okay? Just Sam,” I snapped.

“You need to chill out, dude, it’s just a fucking spelling error, jeez.”

He had no idea.

“My name is Mr. Haegen,” The teacher spoke sternly. “You will be called by your legal first name in this class. I expect my name to be pronounced correctly.”

“Mr. Haegen, my name isn’t Samuel, it’s Samael.”

“What?” He looked at me almost annoyed. “What kind of name is that? Samuel will do.”

“But that’s—” not my name. Great… I trailed off and into thought, giving up and pressing my forehead to my desk again.

*          *          *

So, Mr. Haegen’s H&S class wasn’t actually my last class, just my last boring academic. Even with me just getting into sports this year, gym has always been ridiculously easy for me to enjoy. There was no way gym class could let me down.

The shock of showers in the locker room hit me like a train though as I entered. It was just one gigantic room surrounded by spouts, like a public swimming pool.

“M-middle school di-idn’t have tho-ose.” I struggled to let out.

Standing there frozen, I darted for a bathroom stall for the first time ever at the first sign of my peers entering.

Being expected to be in a shower with other guys was a first for me. I waited for everyone else to finish to peak around the corner to be sure the showers were empty before stepping in myself. As I came into the gym in my button-up joggers and sleeveless Ramones tee, the wood-patterned stone gym floor felt like a breath of fresh air after this long day.

“Took ya’ long enough, new kid.” The gym teacher’s whistle startled me as he gestured for me to get in line.

“Nervous stomach, sorry. It took me away from the Fragment Fight this morning too.”

“T.M.I., kid. Either way, I don’t want to hear excuses. Get in line.” He whistled again.

He was the average white twenty-something-year-old, buff, surfer-dude wearing sunglasses inside. His gym clothes looked straight out of the eighties, the shortest of red shorts and a white muscle shirt showing off every curve of his physique he’d obviously worked years for.

After roll call, he introduced himself as Coach Daniels, last year he was just the basketball coach, but he’d be teaching gym class this year too. As he gave the curriculum, he’d whistle for us to do different exercises—jog a couple laps, whistle, jumping-jacks, whistle, squats, whistle—and if we did any of it in a way he deemed wrong, he’d correct it with annoying slap on the wall of his yard stick. During the routine, Casey and I locked eyes with that all too familiar smile of his.

Oh, fucking-a!

My workout sweat quickly mixed with a nervous cold sweat before Daniels tooted that damned whistle again at the end of class. I really needed a shower at that point.

“Casey Burke, Drake Judd, Sam Judd—” I was glad Daniels chose instantly just used that name. “—front and center, the rest of you, outta here.” He thumbed to the locker-room as he pushed us into a small huddle.

Why us three? Why Casey? I mused.

“You three’s name showed up on my basketball practice roster.”

Really? Casey signed up for basketball too?!

“I know you two haven’t had me for gym class until now—you did last year, Dré.” Dré nodded with a smile at being singled out by Daniels. “But I don’t usually allow long pants in my gym class, and definitely not on my court during practice.”

Our subtle glares at each other turn into the analyzing of each other’s near matching button-downs.

“Gotcha, I’ll have to get some quality gym shorts,” Casey said before I could.

“Same,” I added spitefully.

Daniels raised his posture as his thumb and pointer finger met his chin. “Are you telling me you two don’t have basketball?”

Casey raised his shoulders. “Swimming trunks.”

“I can borrow a pair of Dré’s for a bit,” I suggested.

“umm—” Dré started.

Only to be interrupted, “PERFECT! I especially expect this from my potential players during practice, school colors preferred.”

Ew, no.

“Off with you.” The way Daniels grabbed and squeezed mine and Casey’s shoulders made me a little uncomfortable.

*          *          *

Mom stood as I made it through the front door. With Dré’s super-speed, he easily made it home within seconds. He sat next to her on the couch as they had a movie ready to press play on the living room TV.

“We’re going to watch the new movie on HBO Max!” Mom began instantly. “The one based on the book we just finished.”

“Cool, can I put my long-board in my room?”

“Yes, please, you’re tracking gravel in the house. Sweep it up when you get back, would’ya? I’ll nuke the mozzarella sticks. Your drink is in the fridge, son.”

“Yes, hurry brother.” Dré was bringing out his Drunken-Old-Englishmen accent to show his displeasure. “We doth watch-eth The stone of Magical Faggotry… eth.”

He had no idea what he was saying.

The word stung when it tailed off of the end of Dré’s sentence, but I tried to hide my shock from them in microseconds so not to raise any suspicion.

“Drake Judd! Watch you’re fucking mouth, young man!” she scolded briefly. I was thankful for Mom’s snappy response. “Sit down and just get ready to press play while I get these snacks.”

A while into the movie—that Dré was thoroughly making sure we knew he wasn’t enjoying—I realized I hadn’t put my hat in my bag before I entered the house. I looked over to Mom to see a none-to-pleased look on her face at me. To everyone else, including Dré, it was just some dingy old hat. It could have been any old black beanie, but no. She knew, and I was already in trouble for it.

I found it snooping through the attic one day when Dré was supposed to be watching over me, but instead he was napping. I’d been rummaging around the attic when I wasn’t supposed to be and found it deep in a box, it wasn’t the only thing I found, but she didn’t have to know that.

As the movie ended, Dré shot to his room with a rude, “See y’all later!” and a slam of his door.

Mom grabbed my arm as I also tried to make my way to my own room. “Where’d you get that hat, Sam?”

“I… fo-found it.” I stuttered out.

“Where did you find that hat, Samael?” Her eyes became a purple glow, telling me she was starting using her pathokinesis on me, inducing intimidation. “Were you getting into shit in the attic again? Boy, it better not be a mess up there!”

She reached for my head, but I pulled back with my hands tightly on my hat.

“It was his, wasn’t it?”

She stiffened her posture but didn’t answer.

“I promise, I kept it clean up there, you can go look! But it was Dad’s, wasn’t it?”

Again, she didn’t answer, instead she folded her arms and turned her nose away from me to ignore my question.

“Tell me about him!” I begged.

“We met in college.” She shrugged and walked away.

That’s all she ever said—we met college, he picked your name, you and Dré have the same dad, he’s a white guy—at least those clues confirmed it. The words College Sweethearts, 2011 swept through my mind, taking me back to the photo I found along with the hat.

I stormed into my room knowing she’d silently given in on letting me keep the hat. I’d never met my dad before, the only depiction of him I had was the photo I’d just pulled from underneath my pillow to stare at. Those words on the back of it, College Sweethearts 2011. That’s the year Dré was born.

On the front, a much younger version of my mom, happy and pregnant. Her warm dark tone shone alongside her love of colorful modern day hippie attire, complimenting her so pleasantly. In her arms, the so-called sweetheart—a pale man with shoulder-length brown hair, baggy earth-toned stoner-looking clothes, a sleepy look in his eye and… this hat.

“I still don’t know your name,” I spoke to the picture. “But I know it’s you. I accidently let Mom find out about the hat today, I forgot to take it off before I came in the house, the first day of school was just such… shit!” I threw my head back onto my bed, shoving my pillow tightly into my face before I spoke again, “She didn’t take it, though. She almost did, she would have definitely taken you away from me.”

Taking my hat off, I look on the inside to peer at the blue sewn in Star of David sitting at the back. The same blue star was tattooed on his forearm; it was also a sticker on his guitar.

“Casey followed me to this school, and what’s worse, he has an older brother. The guy’s got to be in his twenties!” I slam my fists to my side multiple times. “Lindsey isn’t there. I’m sure of that,” I drone. “All my teachers are nothing but tools in a giant toolbox. The principal asked me if I was going to be any trouble. I was the one about to be beat up! Even the gym coach is an asshole.”

I can barely carry all this, look at this picture and hold back tears as they well up. The pool began to fall from my burning eyes as I instantly wiped them away.

“I did make one friend today, she’s pretty cool.” I smiled, as if someone had asked.

That’s when a thought randomly zoomed into my mind.

“That’s it! I know what I’m going to do! Something kind of passive aggressive.” I press my fingers to my chin. Tucking the picture back under my pillow and jumping out of my bed to yell down the hall, “Hey, Mom, can I get something for like, twenty-five dollars online?”

“One thing, Samael, one thing!” she calls from her room still sore from our fight. “Consider it your early birthday gift, that means I can focus on Christmas, brat!”

“Mom, can I get a pair of shoes off the inter-webs?” Dré took the opportunity to ask.

“How much are they Drake?” Mom groans.

There was a pause before Dré gave his answer. “Three-hundred dollars.”

“Boy are you out of your goddamn mind? What do you think I got, a fuckin’ gold card?!”

That was definitely the biggest of no’s I’d ever heard. I fell back into my bed after shutting my door and pulled the picture back out.

“Oh, I signed up for basketball tryouts this year! I’m going to try and be on the team with Dré.” I continued with the nonresponding photo. “No, I’m not doing it because of that, I’m doing it because the game looks fun, Dad. Secondly, Helena’s just a friend. I’ve decided I’m not dating anyone, and I’m not telling anyone that I’m gay. Or that because I’ve chosen to keep it a secret, I have no powers.”

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Promo single, Ballad of the Red-haired Boy by Icarus!

JUDD – Chapter 2 audiobook preview
Narrated by Tim Alexander

Thank you for reading,

~ J. D. 💙🖤

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Don’t forget to check out the debut in the series, JUDD NOW!

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