In the wake of a horrific accident, Lieutenant Amber Drake awakens to a chilling reality: she can sense hidden emotions through touch. The ability draws government interest, plunging her into a shadow world. When the condition takes its toll, Amber is deemed unfit and cast aside. She has one last shot at redemption: shadow a young college professor named Kelly Austin, and her partner Simon Lyons—a man with the disturbing ability to see ten seconds into the future.
Amber begins her mission, and an innocent encounter turns deadly. Her condition quickly evolves, threatening her sanity and spiraling her into darkness. When her cover is blown, Amber uncovers a disturbing truth—those she trusted harbor the darkest secrets.
In a world of fanatics manipulated by a social media platform with unimaginable reach, Amber discovers her condition is a threat to those she loves. Her only hope might be Simon — a man somehow linked to her past, and perhaps her demise.
“The Feather’s Push” blends the speculative reach of Blake Crouch with the genre-defying narratives of VE Schwab. In this too-familiar reality, the lines between mind and machine blur, trust is illusory, and every touch can reveal—or destroy.
Christopher Everett let the setting sun warm his mind. He loved shooting during golden hour, and today’s sunset was spectacular. The Charles River disappeared to the west as the afternoon melted over slate gray water, lighting the Boston sky in colors that overwhelmed him. The low clouds would gift the Berkshires with an unspeakably beautiful evening. Across the Charles, the reserved majesty of MIT stood quiet and content. Behind him, Back Bay erupted across from an emerald esplanade vibrant with life. This would be the perfect ending to a spectacular day.
He arrived at his spot late for a great reason. His company closed a second round of funding at work, and he felt lucky to have even only a few minutes to catch the sunset before dinner with Kate. He couldn’t wait to tell her all about the day’s events, about what it meant for his job, and their new future together. There was no time to waste.
He was about to capture the shot when a young woman stepped into view.
“Hi, excuse me? Would you mind?” She seemed disheveled and clueless, but he tried his best to be polite. A good photographer should never rile a subject, even one burning up precious time during golden hour.
The girl stared, then walked up to him.
“Miss? I’m sorry, I just need a moment to take this—”
She reached out unexpectedly, almost awkwardly, and touched his forearm. Her hand was tiny, soft as a feather, and very warm.
He realized with a rush that she was beautiful, far more than the gold and pink sunset. He felt an overwhelming urge, right there, to remember her face forever.
“I’m so sorry, miss. Would you... would you mind if I took your picture?” He wanted to tell her she was the most interesting person he’d ever seen, but words failed him. She was thin, with an auburn mane framing a delicate face, and honey-green eyes that toyed with a secret he could not understand. The sunset paled compared to her smile.
“Thank you,” she whispered. Her lips parted in a soft pout that left him speechless. “That is very sweet. I’d love it.”
Her voice was soft and throaty, and he drank it in. His heart soared, and he melted with a desire beyond anything he’d experienced with Kate. He asked her to pose with her face lit by the fading sun. If he lost everything in life, he’d still have this one perfect picture he would treasure more than anything, forever.
Click. Click.
“Thank you. You... made my day.” He struggled to find words to convey the gratitude for being in her presence. “Could I please have your number? I’d love to send you a copy.” He smiled and hoped she would, too. “If you don’t mind.”
“Well…” She flashed her mobile phone with a flirty smile. “I was wondering if you could just download it from your camera?”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I can’t do that.” He was terrified for a moment that she’d run away. Of all the days to be a film aficionado, this was the worst. He’d left his digital camera sitting on the table back at his apartment, excited to finish this roll. “I’m shooting film today. But I can definitely scan it and send it to you—”
The change in her eyes surprised him, beautiful through her anger. She stepped closer, and he melted with expectation. She touched him again with her deliciously warm hand. Her touch was electric.
The afternoon gloom covered him like sand, endless desperation with no escape. The girl in front of him probably had it all but didn’t care. She’d never understand why life was so difficult for him. He was worthless, sick of being a failure, ashamed that all his life had led to only this. He glanced at his stupid camera—why did he even do this?—and felt a deep, all-encompassing disgust with himself.
Cars flew by on Storrow Drive. He was a loser, in a dead-end startup job in Cambridge that he knew would fail and doom him to misery. Kate was probably cheating on him right now, laughing at him while she was having sex with a coworker. He realized he hated her, but he understood. The world was better off without him. He knew, finally and clearly, what he had to do. No one would know and no one would care, but the pain would soon be over.
He glanced over his shoulder as he stepped onto the parkway, barely hearing the people screaming at him. The girl with green eyes and auburn hair stood in a small crowd, staring at him and shaking her head with a terrified look on her face. She seemed to yell the word No.
His last thought before the truck slammed against him was I hope it hurts less than