Heroes by Design by Debra A Irsik

Praise For Heroes by Design “Heroes by Design” is a fast-paced piece of middle grade Christian fiction. Best friends Sela, Emily, and Zach are working through the struggles of middle school together, allowing their faith to guide them through hardship. But when tragedy strikes suddenly, Emily turs from her friends and her faith. D.A. Irsik creates realistic characters readers can’t help but root for on their journey to becoming who they are meant to be. -SLOTHHEAD PRESS www.slothheadpress.com

HEROES by DESIGN

D.A. Irsik

HEROES BY DESIGN: ÂŠ 2019 Deb Irsik This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the authorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s imagination or, if real, are used fictitiously. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission of the publisher. Published by CrossWing Emporia, KS Hazel Hart, Editor hazelhart.com Curtis Becker, Layout curtisbeckerbooks.com ISBN: 978-1-7329078-0-5 Library of Congress Control Number:

For my daughter Emily, who inspired Me to encourage young people to dare to Be the Heroes they are designed to be.

Acknowledgements Thanks to my friends and family for their patience and encouragement. I’m sure you were beginning to think this wasn’t a book. A huge thank you to the Emporia Writers Group for your encouragement and feedback, especially to my wonderful editor, Hazel Hart who taught me to look for plot holes and “How did they get there? They were just at the coffee shop and are in Sela’s bedroom talking in the next paragraph.” Thanks for showing and not just telling. Thanks to Curtis Becker for your layout skills and patience with my changes. Also, to Marcia Lawrence, for giving Emporia, Ellen Plumb’s City Bookstore and your support of local and area authors! Thank you to Liz Martell for her support in the beginning. “It takes a village” is just not just for raising children. We all need mentors, betas, and friends.

1 Sela's Trial A tiny flower lent not given, to bud on earth bloom in heaven —Unknown

Normally on Friday, after school, Sela would hurry home; but the bell had rung twenty minutes ago and she sat alone on the concrete retaining wall of Roosevelt Middle School, staring blankly at her phone. Zach, Sela’s friend, was jogging by he slowed and sat beside her on the wall. “Hey Sela, what’s up?” She looked up, eyes wide and threatening to overflow. Zach scooted off the wall facing Sela. He threw his arms up as he backed away. “Whoa! You know I don’t do emotional stuff. Want me to get Emily?” “No.” Sela hiccupped. “I’m okay. Mom just texted me. She had to take Thor to the vet. We may have to put him down.” “Man, that’s tough. I’m sorry Sela. Let’s go find Emily. She’ll know what to do.” Zach Brown, Emily Monroe, and Sela Anderson were best friends. They had gone to preschool together and had helped each other through every crisis that had come up in 8

their twelve years. Attending youth group and going to summer camp together had created a bond of faith and friendship. They called themselves, Persistence, Power, and Praise. Thor was Sela’s best friend of the canine variety All four adorable pounds of him. Thor, a Bichon Frisée, had been a part of her family for as long as she could remember. He was white with a couple of tan spots on his right side and one right between his ears; he always looked like he was listening to every conversation, tilting his head one way then the other, as if to say, “You don’t say.” He had been sluggish and not eating well for the last week, and now it seemed Sela might lose him. “Okay.” Sela slid off the wall and trudged beside Zach. She tasted the salty tears as they rolled down her face. “Let’s go find her.” Zach walked slowly while nervously looking for Emily. “So . . . maybe Thor will be okay. We’ll find Emily. We can pray together. I’ll even hold hands and pray with you, if you think it’ll help. C’mon, please don’t cry.” “There’s Emily!” Waving wildly, Zach jogged across the empty parking lot toward a flame-haired girl. “Emily!” he shouted, motioning for her to come. Emily trotted over and Zach whispered in her ear for a moment Emily looked inquisitively at Sela. “You okay?” Sela burst into tears. “Thor’s my baby,” she mumbled between sobs. “You know how much I love him. I don’t want to go home. I’m afraid mom will tell me they did it.” “We’ll go with you,” Emily said, shooting Zach a look. He paled but nodded. They started toward Sela’s house. Emily gave Sela an occasional sympathetic pat. 9

“Wait!” Zach looked at Emily. “Can’t we do the prayer thing like your church did for your grandma?” Zach looked excitedly at Emily. “You know, when she almost died?” “Well, uh, I guess we can try,” Emily answered. Sela looked at her friends, first one and then the other. “But don’t we have to lay hands on him or something?” “Maybe we can just hold hands and pray for Thor. God knows we can’t lay hands on him, but we can picture him in our minds and pray.” Emily waved the others into a circle. The three friends held hands and asked God to heal Thor. They half-ran, half-skipped the rest of the way to Sela’s house, bursting breathlessly through the front door and into the kitchen where Sela’s mom was taking cookies out of the oven. They all began talking at once. “Wait.” Putting her hand up her hand, her mother looked at Sela. “I’m sorry, honey. The doctor said Thor was in pain and he had to put him to sleep.” She pulled Sela into a hug. Zach and Emily fidgeted exchanging looks. “Sela, call me if you need to talk. We’re going to go,” Emily said, pushing Zach toward the door. Sela nodded through her tears, choking back muffled sobs. Sela’s mother said, “Thank you,” and the friends left. After a few moments Sela backed away. “Couldn’t you have waited? We were praying; God might have saved him.” “Honey, I’m sorry. I know it’s hard, but Thor was in pain. It was a difficult decision, but it was best for him.” “God might have listened to my prayer if you hadn’t been in such a hurry to take him to the vet. It’s your fault! Emily’s grandma was saved. Our prayers for Thor never had a chance.” 10

“I know it hurts, honey. Being angry with me right now is okay, but you know I prayed a lot before I took Thor in.” Sela ran to her room. Sela saw reminders everywhere of Thor. A Halloween picture with Thor dressed as a ballerina and another with her pushing him in a doll stroller. His favorite chew toys littered the floor. She picked up his squeaky frog and laid her head on her pillow and cried. Why did he have to die? I loved him and took care of him. He loved me. You said You would answer my prayer, and I have been praying for him to be all right! Her heart was breaking; soon she cried herself to sleep. A couple of hours passed, and Sela woke up. Feeling a presence in the room, a quiet peace enveloped her. Sitting on her bed, looking at pictures, she remembered playing fetch in the backyard and crying into Thor’s fur when her feelings were hurt. I have so many great memories, and I was horrible to Mom. She resolutely made her way down the stairs and found her mom in the kitchen. “Hey.” Her mom looked up from the recipe she was reading and smiled. “Hey.” “I’m sorry for blaming you for taking Thor to the vet. I know you loved him. You had to do what you thought was best. I don’t think I could have done it.” “You would have if you had been here, Sela. He was so tired, he was panting and whimpering in pain. You wouldn’t have let him suffer. Pushing the chair away from the table she motioned for Sela to sit on her lap. Sela curled up in her mother’s arms, burrowing her head into her shoulder. “I remember falling asleep under my oak tree, and him licking my face until I woke up 11

laughing. He really loved his kiddie pool and his squeaky frog and…you, Mom.” Sela tipped her head up to meet her mother’s eyes. “Yes.” Her mother nodded. “Remember when that big dog attacked him at the dog park? I was so afraid for him.” Sela smiled. “I do remember. You sat up all night with him. You took such good care of him.” Her mother squeezed Sela a little tighter. “We will all miss him. Your father will be so lonely without his buddy to read the paper with him every night.” Sela sat up and kissed her mother on her cheek. “I’ll be okay. I’m going upstairs to work on some homework.” She walked a few steps and turned toward her mother. “And… thanks, Mom, for understanding. Love you.” Her mother smiled wearily. “Love you more.”

2 Life Goes On I have learned that my heart cannot really break; that no matter how much love I give, there is always more to share; that when shared, love will grow and strengthen. —Andrea Irsik Monday came all too soon. Sela jumped out of bed. I’m going to be positive and stay busy. It’s going to be a good day. Her breakdown Friday was out of the norm for her, and she wanted to start the day out right. Sela ran her fingers through her hair as she went into the bathroom and brushed her teeth. After finishing she looked in the mirror and took a deep breath. Her short brown hair was perfect. Her warm brown eyes were lit with flecks of gold. Feeling more like herself, she headed to the kitchen. Her father was drinking his coffee and eating a bowl of oatmeal. He looked up. “Good morning Sunshine.” “Morning Daddy.” Sela moved to his chair and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “I’m sorry about our boy. We’re gonna miss him.” “Yeah,” She took a deep breath. “We are, but we’ll get through it together.” She smiled, misty-eyed. Sela stepped back, “I better hurry or I’ll be late. She grabbed a banana and a power bar and charged out the door. ***

Emily was waiting for Sela at her locker and gave her a big hug. Sela smiled through her tears. “I’m okay, but thanks. You’re the best.” Someone slammed into Emily from behind, and she fell into Sela, sending both stumbling. Emily fell and dropped her papers and books, and Sela teetered awkwardly, barely keeping her balance. Mara Stamford stood over Emily with a fake look of concern. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did you drop your books?” Emily looked up seething. “You bi-” “Bumped her,” Sela interjected. “I’m sure it was an accident.” Emily gaped at Sela. “That was no accident. She did it on purpose, and you know it.” Sela helped Emily up and started picking up books. Emily planted her feet in front of Mara and got in her face, but Sela dropped the books again and stepped in front of her. She grasped Emily’s wrist and held it tight. Mara looked at both girls with a self-satisfied smirk. “Well, it’s been real, girls. Have a nice day. Oh, and Sela, I hope your little doggie didn’t suffer too much. I saw you crying in front of the school Friday. It must be hard to lose your only friend.” Emily fought to loosen Sela’s grip. Sela’s eyes filled once again. “Thanks for your concern, Mara. Hopefully, you’ll have a friend as faithful as Thor someday.” “Oh, don’t worry about me. I have real friends, Sela. I don’t have to depend on an animal.”

If Zach hadn’t come around the corner right at that moment, resting his arm on Emily’s shoulder, and glaring at Mara, who knows what would have happened. Emily was furious. “Sela, why did you stop me?” Sela stood her ground. “We have to be better than that. People who intimidate others are just crying out for attention. Mara must have problems; we just need to pray for her.” Emily’s eyes flashed. “Are you kidding? I’ll pray for her all right. I’ll pray that someone steals her clothes in P.E. and she’ll have to run home naked.” Sela looked at Emily wide-eyed, and they both started to laugh. Zach turned red and shook his head, his voice breaking like it was searching for a note. “Girls! Why do my best friends have to be girls?” During her next class, Sela was distracted thinking about the incident. She was a little surprised at the way Zach had reacted toward Mara. He was the calm, levelheaded member of the group. He seemed to balance her and Emily. She couldn’t think of one person who didn’t like him. He was a nice guy, and he wanted everyone to get along. Emily and Zach had sports in common, and they both went out for whatever was in season. She wouldn’t say any of them were “popular,” but Zach came closer to it than she or Emily. He had guy friends, but still considered Sela and Emily to be his best friends. Being the oldest of three and role model for his younger siblings helped to make him responsible and sensible like Sela. Sela continued to think about what had happened as

she walked home from school. The girls had been friends with Mara in pre-school and elementary school. They had all been in Mrs. Sally’s School of Dance. Then Sela and Emily started going to church and camp together, and Mara started to distance herself from them. They tried to include her for a while, but she became increasingly hostile, so they just let it go. When they started middle school in sixth grade the girls tried to re-connect. Sela remembered the conversation. She had made a notice and put it up in the hallway and on various lockers inviting students to a youth group event. Mara had torn it off of her locker and waved it in Sela’s face. “You can’t put your religious stuff up in the school Ms. High-N-Mighty. It’s against the rules.” Sela was shocked and backed up against the lockers. “Sorry, I didn’t know. I just thought you might want to come to youth group.” “Why would I want to do that? When did your God ever do anything for me? You think I need you “Jesus Freaks” to tell me about God?” Sela had been so taken back that she hadn’t answered. It was her first experience with racism and she had no idea why Mara would accuse her of it. She had relayed the episode to Emily later, and her response was, “Good riddance to bad rubbish.” Sela smiled in her musings. Emily’s understanding of God had blossomed the previous summer at camp, but she was still impetuous and blunt. Sela and Emily had wanted Mara to experience that same feeling of peace and faith. Being the spunky one of her friends, Emily, was just as fiery as her red hair and had absolutely no tolerance for

rude bullies. She tried to be nice, but it didn’t take much to get her riled. That was part of what made her such a great athlete. She loved soccer and played volleyball and softball as well. She was a team player and expected everyone to be good sports. Everyone knew better than to get on the wrong side of her. She was vocal in her opinions and often looked to Sela to help her keep her mouth in check. Emily’s parents went to the same church as Sela and her parents, but it was Emily’s grandmother that truly influenced her faith. Her grandma was a “Holy Roller,” according to Emily’s father. Emily and Sela loved to go to Grandma Ruth’s house and listen to her Bible stories. She had a way of bringing them alive. *** Emily went to Sela’s house after soccer practice. She found Sela and her mom on the sun porch, talking about what happened at school. “Mara believes that we think we’re better than her or something. I really don’t remember why she stopped doing things with us.” Em agreed. “It seems like she just decided to stop going to dance.” Sela’s mother nodded and scrunched her eyebrows. “You know, I think Mara’s dad left, and I’m sure they struggled to make ends meet. I offered to pick Mara up and take her to dance, but Mrs. Stamford was proud, and I didn’t press. My advice would be to give her some time and try to be the bigger person.

Emily shook her head. “Sometimes that is really hard.” Sela nodded in agreement as she nudged Emily toward the French doors. “We’ll try Mom. We’re gonna get a snack and go to my room. They grabbed some crackers and cheese and went to Sela’s room. Emily plopped down on the bed, and Sela sat at her desk facing her. Sela twirled around and picked up a bottle of red nail polish, positioning her foot on the edge of the chair. “Remember when we were in dance and gymnastics with Mara?” Sela mused. “We had some good times, I mean . . . I was never as close to her as you were, but we all hung out quite a bit.” Emily had flopped back on the bed and was twirling a curl that had fallen out of her ponytail. She sat up and looked at Sela, “I think she felt left out after we went to church camp together. Do you think we acted differently?” “I dunno.” Sela frowned at the nick she had just made on her newly painted toenail. “She probably did feel left out. We were so excited when we came home from camp. We had so much to talk about; maybe we made her feel like we thought we were better than her or something.” Sela stopped painting her toes and looked at Emily. “I think if I was the one that didn’t go, and you were all happy and talking all the time about the campfire chats and praying together and everything, maybe it would be sort of hard not to feel left out.” “What can we do about it now? She is so rude and aggravating! I just wanted to punch her today.” Emily’s

eyes were flashing again. Sela placed the lid on the polish and slowly tightened it. “I think Mom’s right. We need to try harder to be especially nice. Maybe she’s just going through something at home or feels like we left her out.” Sela paused and snuck a peek at Emily, waiting for her response. “I’ll try, but I’m not promising anything. I’m a Christian, not a saint.” Emily grinned. “Actually, I can’t imagine anyone ever mistaking me for a saint.” Both girls laughed. Emily scooted to the edge of the bed and stood. “I better go home and finish my homework. We have tests in about everything this week!” “Yeah, I have to study for a current events quiz and math final in Algebra 1 tomorrow. I’ll walk you down.” Thumping down the stairs they started toward the foyer and heard Sela’s dad in the family room so they passed through to say hello. “Hello girls. You’re not running off because of me, are you?” “No.” Emily giggled. “I have to go home and get my homework started. I just wanted to say hi.” “Well,” Sela’s Dad nodded, “I’m glad you did. I miss seeing you girls playing out back all the time. You’re growing up too fast.” “Yeah, well, I better go. Like Mom says, ‘That algebra isn’t going to do itself.’ Maybe I’ll be around this weekend. See ya later Mr. Anderson.” She waved and they moved to the foyer. At the door, Sela gave Emily a hug. “What was that for?” “I know I was a little out of control and not much 19

fun the last few days, but you always have my back, and you’re more of a saint than you think…. at least to me you are. I’m just glad you’re my best friend.” Emily hugged her back. “You’re the closest thing I have to a sister; you make me a better person. You know I love you, girl!” Emily waved, stepped off the porch and bent to pick a dandelion, blowing the seeds into the wind.

Biography Deb Irsik has worked in the beauty industry for over twenty-five years and is the owner of Makin' Waves Salon. She is a Kansas girl and shares her life with her husband Mike, and children John and Emily. Deb is a member of The Kansas Authors Club and Emporia Writing Group. Poetry and Lyrics have always been a part of her life but she felt a call to write Middle-Grade Christian fiction after her daughter found it difficult to be “that God girl” in eighth grade. “It is my hope that my books will encourage young people to hold on to values and faith as they navigate their teen years.” Book I of the Heroes series, Heroes by Design, was released in May of 2019; Book II was released in October of 2019. Deb continues to write poetry in the quiet spaces between paragraphs. Deb can be found online;

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