Spooktacular Pitch #39: PARAGON

Background came from this design.

Title: PARAGON
Genre: YA Sci-Fi Romance
Word Count: 65,000 words

3 line Pitch:

When the insurgent Mocks kidnap sixteen year-old Catryn Ross’ younger brother Daniel to mine him for the coveted life-extending X3 gene, the governing Paragon reveals her secret – that Catryn was illegally created using human and Mock DNA and possesses the X3 gene. Forced to choose between being jailed indefinitely for unlawful existence or offering herself to the Mocks in exchange for Daniel’s release, Catryn saves her brother and becomes a prisoner of war. Catryn’s predicament worsens when she uncovers the Paragon’s plot to eliminate the Mocks, but is powerless to stop it unless she can gain the trust of one of her captors, a seventeen year-old Mock named Wren.



First 250:

The parking lot of Clair Park High School is the place to be tonight. People are everywhere as adults flow out of the football stadium to get to their cars and students gear up for the rest of the evening, or as long as the new Paragon-imposed curfew of 10:00 pm allows. Some Mocks were spotted lurking around the fence line last week, so the government’s idea to keep us safe from these genetically engineered human-like beings is to force all kids under 18 back into their homes at a ridiculously early hour.

Despite the Paragon’s assurances that the Mocks haven’t breached the town, I have a growing feeling I’m being watched from all sides. I keep glancing around to catch someone staring, but no one is.

“What are you looking for?” my best friend Olivia finally asks.

“I don’t know,” I say. “I feel like people are looking at me.”

“That must be your conscience,” she says, staring straight ahead. “You’re not supposed to be out tonight and you think everyone knows that.” I wish it were that simple. But I know there are eyes on me, making sure the secret about my creation remains that way. Catryn Ross – classified.

“Maybe…” I say, playing along with Olivia’s theory. She’s right, though, I shouldn’t be here. I should to be home babysitting my brother Daniel. Another reason for the curfew is that younger kids are disappearing. Kidnapped. Supposedly by the Mocks so they can get our DNA, that’s the rumor.