Pushing
the Boundaries
(Off
Limits #1)
by
Stacey Trombley
Publication
Date: January 16, 2017
Publisher: Entangled Teen Crush
Myra
goes to Haiti with one goal: take the photograph that will win a scholarship
and prove to her uber-traditional family that she has what it takes to be a
photographer instead of a doctor. Her camera has always been her shield against
getting too close to anyone, but she didn’t expect the hot teen translator who
has an ability to see past her walls.
Elias
needs his job as a translator to provide for his siblings. He can’t afford to
break the rule forbidding him from socializing with a client. Except this girl
Myra insists on going outside the city to capture the perfect picture, and he
steps in as her guide in order to keep her safe.
The
deeper they travel into the country, the harder they fall for each other. Now
they’re both taking risks that could cost each other their dreams.
If
they get too close—it could ruin both their lives.
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Chapter
Two
Elias
The
roar of the planes overhead is just another reminder of how insignificant we
are in this tiny forgotten country. Stuck. My little brother watches through
the chain-link fence, eyes wide, mouth open as they soar over us, so close the air
sends ripples through our clothing.
“Kouman
rich ou panse yo ye?” he asks without taking his eyes from the huge white
plane. How rich do you think they are? I mentally translate to
English. I need all the practice I can get. My palms sweat just thinking about
it, and my first test is just minutes away.
“Who?”
I ask.
He
turns to me and blinks his big eyes, his eyebrows high in question. Oh,
right.
“Ki
moun?” I repeat in Creole so he’ll understand me.
My
stomach sinks. I can’t even get this right with my little brother. The whole
double language thing is harder than I expected. I need it to be easy if I’m
going to be any good at my job.
“Moun
nan avyon yo.” The people in the planes!
I
shake my head, but he doesn’t see. I explain that there are hundreds of people
in those planes. Some are probably rich, and some are probably poor.
“Yo
ap toujou pi rich pase nou, dwa?” he asks.
I
sigh. If they can afford a plane ticket… “Chans.” Yes, they are likely
wealthier than us.
Our
world is tiny, a country that is only half an island. To people who can afford
a plane, the world is limitless.
My
pocket buzzes, making me jump. I fumble with the little plastic device and flip
it open. “Hello!” I say, pressing the phone against my face.
“Elias!
Pull the van around. They just landed.”
“Yes,
Mr. Rowland.”
“Remember
that line we talked about? Don’t step over it.”
My
head swims. There’s so much for me to remember, but the most important? Don’t
get too close to the Americans. Mr. Rowland made it very clear that I’m not one
of them and I shouldn’t expect anything from them. If I make any of them
uncomfortable I’ll be out of a job faster than one of their huge planes can
take off.
“Yes,
sir.”
There’s
a click and then silence. I put the foreign technology back in my pocket and
hope he doesn’t call again.
Luke
grabs at my pocket, seeking out the phone, his eyes alight with envy. “Ki jan
ou fè jwenn yon telefòn?”
I
swat his hand away. The phone is not mine. It’s Mr. Rowland’s. “E si ou kraze
li?” What if you break it?
Luke
rolls his eyes but then shuffles his feet.
He
may only be eight, but he knows what this job means for us. I’m only eighteen,
with a chance for the kind of job that will keep his belly full, permanently.
Not to mention our mother and sister.
I
point across the parking lot and tell him to get to the van. It’s time to work.
Luke’s
eyes get big again, and I smile. He runs to the parking lot, fast as a bullet,
jumping up and down once he reaches the van. I unlock the door, and he climbs
in, looking tiny in the massive vehicle.
We
pull up to the front of the airport to wait for the Americans, and I try not to
let myself get too worked up. The more nervous I am, the harder this will be.
“Ou
jwenn yon telefon, yon ti bis, e al rankontre tou Ameriken yo. Pi bon travay
pou lavi!” You get a phone, a van, and get to meet all the Americans. Best
job ever.
I
roll my eyes and tell him to keep working on his English and maybe he can have
a job like this someday, too.
I
take in a deep breath. To him, this is an adventure.
To
me, it’s dangerous.
Stacey Trombley lives in
Ohio with her husband and the sweetest Rottweiler you’ll ever meet. She thinks
people are fascinating and any chance she has, she’s off doing or learning
something new. She went on her first mission trip to Haiti at age twelve and is
still dying to go back. Her “places to travel” list is almost as long as her
“books to read” list.
Her debut novel Naked
released from Entangled Teen in 2015. Find her online at www.StaceyTrombley.com
and on twitter @trombolii.
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