Control
The Lockwood Trilogy Book 1
by Melissa Cassera
Genre: Upper YA Paranormal Romance
For Natalie Covington and Henry Thorne, only one thing is certain: things are about to get out of control.
18-year-old Natalie has big ambitions but very little control over her situation. She’s trapped at an elite boarding school on a private island, where cell phones are forbidden, militant guards line the iron gates, and her practically prearranged boyfriend has eyes for another girl.
Everything changes when a mysterious new student arrives named Henry Thorne. Henry is a “precog”—a hidden society of people who can see the future, and who are forbidden to reveal their powers. When Henry has a grisly vision of Natalie being murdered, he ultimately decides to save her and face the consequences. But the consequences of changing the future are more dangerous than Henry imagined, unlocking a wide conspiracy among his kind that’s linked to Natalie’s past, and a desire that threatens to consume them.
CONTROL is the first installment in The Lockwood Trilogy. This fast-paced Upper YA/New Adult Paranormal Romance is filled with thrilling turns, self-discovery, spicy language, light steam, and a cliffhanger ending that will leave you obsessing for more.
Reader Discretion: this book contains graphic language, violence, and some heat. Best suited for 16+.
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I scope the crowd. A sea of beautiful faces in designer uniforms. I wonder if they are as uncomfortable and itchy as mine. I’ll never know anyway—no one tells the truth at Lockwood.
Then, my eyes land on something strange. A line of guards block the back of the concert hall. That’s weird. They’re all dressed in military-type uniforms, not unlike the Queen’s Guard, minus the bearskin hats. It looks like they’re holding rifles? Why?
I squint to try and make out the details. They weren’t here before. We don’t have guards at Lockwood. Sure, we get the occasional bodyguard— but those guards are in plain clothes and are much less intimidating. They don’t barricade an entire student assembly.
Add this to list of strange things about Lockwood. The campus is situated on the private Lockwood Island on the coast of Washington state. You can only reach the school by ferry, and there’s nothing else on this island but our campus. The iron gates encircling our school are locked, caging us further from the outside world. Our phones are snatched from us when we enter. Social media? Forbidden. Scheduled weekly phone calls with family and friends on the outside only. Monthly visitations. Like I said, strange.
As Jack continues his speech, I can’t stop staring at the guards. Six of them. Stone-faced. Blocking the exit. They almost don’t look human. I can’t be the only one who notices them, but no one else here seems bothered. A needle of fear prickles the back of my neck. My uniform feels even hotter, itchier, than usual.
I tune back in to Jack’s speech when I notice his words trail off and a loud gasp erupts from the audience, followed closely by several shrieks. The guards immediately point their rifles at the commotion.
I crane my neck to try and see what’s going on. Shoes screech against the hard floor as students scurry from their seats. Jack whips his gaze around the room, annoyed by the interruption.
As the crowd parts, I’m finally able to get a clear view of what’s happening.
It’s a student I don’t recognize, standing and clutching his chest—it looks like he’s having trouble breathing. He staggers backward, eyes popped wide, a look of sheer terror on his face. No one is helping him. Why is no one helping him?
I rush to the edge of the stage, heart thundering in my chest. I can hear Jack shouting after me. I turn back to him—his glare makes my skin crackle with anxiety, like I’ve been caught doing something illicit. Normally this look would crush my soul, but something—adrenaline, fear, the desire to make my own fucking decision for once—catapults me off that stage.
My shoes smack to the ground below and I bolt ahead, shoving my way through Lockwood’s elite, and get to the student just as he crashes to the floor.
I lean over him and grab onto his arms. His eyes are squeezed shut, like he never wants to open them again.
“Hey,” I whisper.
He stirs. His eyes flutter open and clash with mine. They’re deep green with flecks of gold. Intense. Like he’s staring into my soul.
“Are you okay?” I say.
His breathing accelerates, then his fingers snap around my wrists, his nails digging into my flesh as his gaze darkens. His jaw clenches, nostrils flared—the savage pounding of his pulse strums against my skin.
Every alarm sounds in my body—get out of here!—but all reason has just left the building.
I can’t move. I can’t think. There’s something about this stranger that I just have to know.
Melissa Cassera is a Professional Screenwriter, Author, and award-winning Publicity Expert based in Washington State.
On-screen, Melissa is the writer of THE OBSESSION THRILLOGY (Lifetime Network’s first trilogy of movies.) She is also the writer of the films SECRET LIVES OF COLLEGE ESCORTS, NIGHTMARE NEIGHBORHOOD MOMS, MOMMY’S LITTLE STAR, DADDY’S PERFECT LITTLE GIRL, HER STOLEN PAST, and GIRL FOLLOWED. Melissa also sold an eight-episode dark comedy series, ADDICTED, to Fullscreen. She has two additional feature films, WHO KILLED OUR FATHER and NIGHTMARE PAGEANT MOMS, coming to Lifetime Network in 2023, and six additional film projects in active development.
When Melissa is not whipping together obsession-worthy words, she can be found drinking too much coffee, playing at the lake with her dogs, or getting lost in the romance section of a bookstore.
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