Once again, slavery and trafficking is legal and rampant, once again, there is devastation in the land, and once again society is ruled by chains.

Years later, a child is born of both sides. At only thirteen, Hunter was trapped… caged… isolated… alone… enslaved… and forced to hold the knowledge that it didn’t have to be this way.

Sometimes... you don’t need a comet to change the world forever.

A Past Uncovered

African tribes learned certain plants have healing properties by watching the animals. In Predator Turned Prey, the Anasiens knew the secrets of herbs and their uses. They knew what the animals and humans knew combined. Like the humans, the Anasiens needed the animals to survive.
A law was set to stop abuse, torture and killing for anything but survival was deemed unnecessary.
Humans and Anasiens lived side by side without complications.
Then… one day… that all changed.
Now there is a war against the Anasiens, and once again slavery and segregation rule the land.
The humans have chosen to ignore why the goddess Phoenix sent The Comet Despair in the first place, and have yet again made the same mistakes.
Ten years later; Miraina Lilith, an egotistic, manipulative twelve year old little girl gets a new playmate as an early birthday present.
He is neither human, nor Anasien.
But both.
Hunter is the only Hybrid in existence. A peasant, and now a servant to the wealthy Lilith family. He longs to show the true reason the war started. The war with deaths only on one side. He is only thirteen, an unlucky number, but he is determined to either live free… or die.

Sometimes… you don’t need a comet to change the world forever.

My book was written to show that slavery exists, especially where you least expect it.
It is written in a fantasy style to hold the interest longer then in documentary style.
How are we expected to care about something if we cannot relate to it, cannot find a personal interest in it? That is not a simple task. Therefore, I wrote Predator Turned Prey.
It started as a school project when I was turning fifteen, but through the encouragement and guidance of my 10th grade English teacher, Mr. Davis, the story continued to grow.
He told me to get it published, and you’re supposed to listen to your teachers, right?
It was then completed in it’s first stage when I was fifteen and put online as a short story posted chapter by chapter.
The people I met by posting the story online are the true inspiration I had to actually publish the story.
Not just their words, but their eagerness to learn! When I told my readers this story was more fact then fiction, they had many questions, and wanted to know how they could help.
The story has grown quite a bit since then. It’s original story line has never changed, but expanded for the better.
Most of the glory is shared with the love of my life, Robin Wraight, who is truly my dearest friend in the whole wide world, even though he lives in a whole other country. His love of this book is rivaled only by my own.

If you wish to learn more about the ‘Behind-the-scenes’ events, check out the forum!

Sample Pages

  “Ms. Miraina.  Let's finish up your lesson for today,” Mr. Confection suggested.  “What year is it now?”
  “1776,” Mira answered. She rolled her eyes at the all-too-easy question. 
“Correct.  Now, we are going back in time, back to the year 13 BC...  What does BC stand for?”  Mr. Confection quizzed. 
    “Before Comet. AC is After Comet,” Mira breezed.

“Correct. So, we are now in the year 13 BC. The day is October 31st. What happened that day?” Mr. Confection asked.
“At dawn, the Emperor of the great country of Valhan threw thousands of unwanted slaves into a pit as a new form of entertainment.”

“No, that’s not right. Explain it from the beginning, the events that led up to that day.” Mr. Confection requested.

Mira pouted, “Fine. The Emperor became bored with the usual shows the people put on. Be it gladiators fighting each other or traitors put against lions, it wasn’t the thrill he was looking for.

“He found the answer in the slaves. The country had thousands of slaves, so many that the fear of them uprising was becoming strong. People felt outnumbered. The Emperor found a solution to both his boredom and the high number of slaves at the same time. The slaves who were not needed daily lived in their own city, a very, very large pit. It was cheaper having them live there as it took less people to guard them, the steep walls being twenty feet high with only one door at the base of a slope leading into the area, no buildings near the walls, no way out even for a skilled climber with such straight edge walls.

“The Emperor ordered the slaves to build a separate, smaller pit next to theirs, then another and another and for a while he let them use the extra pits for whatever they wanted, never letting them know his plan.

“Then one day, he gave new orders which forced all the slaves out of the pit. The slaves worked day and night at building up the town, never allowed to return home or given even the slightest bit of charity as they became weaker each day. He had his soldiers raid their pit city and take out everything to be auctioned off, given away, or simply destroyed and replaced with only a few simple items.
“As large as a major city; the pit had buildings with no doors and a grand fountain at the center of the city. Hidden in the buildings were weapons, shields, and water which had been contaminated with the leaves of Lily of the Valley plants, causing a very deadly poison to be disguised as life-saving water. The only drinkable water was from the fountain.

“The slaves had been starved and dehydrated for many, many days and were on the verge of death, willing to do anything to get water. The Emperor ordered that every beast they could get be caught in preparation for this event. The fearsome creatures had also been starved. They caught thousands of wild, untamed animals that were predators, capable of killing a man on their own. A few animals that were prey and good only for food were also captured for this event.

“Eventually, the slaves were taken back to their pit-city. All the ones that didn’t have private owners who still wanted them and who were not needed at the time, were forced back into the pit along with the many prisoners who had committed any sort of crime, be it as low as theft to as high as murder or treason.

“The massive door was shut and locked behind the captives. The slaves were confused. Never had they been allowed anywhere near weapons before. They didn’t understand what was happening.

“Then the Emperor released the animals from the separate pits the slaves had built. People of nobility, or Nobles as they were called, lined the top of the pit for a view of the game, taking bets and chanting for the fights to begin.
“It was a death trap. Both the animals and the human slaves had to battle hunger, thirst, and each other.
“The humans tried to claim the fountain as their own. Nevertheless, the brutality of the animals overpowered the humans. The humans were resourceful, working hard to find the weapons and shields. Many died when confronted by the animals, and more died when they drank the poison, thinking it was water. The audience cheered.

“Noon. The struggle for water was even greater. Many from both sides died trying to reach the fountains.
“A few hours later, all the prey animals have been killed by both the humans desperate for food and the starving beasts, with the water almost gone. The slaves and traitors found a way to poison the water without the animals seeing them and attacking. Desperation sank in and the carnivorous beasts had gained strength. They would leave the water to hunt down the humans, and the humans' terror blinded them to the consequences of their actions.

“The humans used the poison they had found and flung it into the fountain. The animals drank and became sick. The humans attacked when the animals were nearly dead. It was not yet sunset when every living thing thrown into the pit was dead. Driven mad with greed and fear, they killed each other,” Mira reported. Mr. Confection smiled.
“The Pit of Despair,” he stated. “Go on.”
“Midnight that night, a strange star is seen in the sky.
“The star turned out to be a meteor, different from any other. Many did not believe it was a meteor, but a magic ball sent from the gods. They named it The Comet Despair, as it would surely destroy them all.
“As the comet hit the earth, its blast destroyed the Emperor and his city. The blast was an odd one. Any maps of the crater's location have been lost, but what we do know is nothing but buildings seemed to be destroyed, though odd scorch marks covered the ground forming a message that was never written down and that has since been forgotten.

“The world started over. The wicked had perished, as had their cities, yet so many people still remained. It has been recorded through thousands of records that the blast had been bright; filling the world with a blue-white light that no one could see past. The next thing anyone could remember was waking up on the ground and not remembering how they had gotten there.
“Everything changed. Human civilization was forced to start over; only now humans do not have the advantage. The people found out that some animals could talk, walk, act, and fit in with humans and had awoken beside them, also not remembering what had happened.
“Same size as humans, too, these new beings seemed to be humans with animal heads, paws, tails, and fur. They were named Anasiens, taken from the words animal and Homo sapiens, as they were different from regular animals, but not human. Humans and Anasiens lived side by side, ignoring their differences in order to survive. For a long time, neither species seemed to remember a time where it had been different.
“Correct, Mr. Confection?” Mira smiled, sure of her answer.
“Correct!” Mr. Confection congratulated Mira, who yawned.

“Last question, why is it 13 BC instead of, say, 1 BC?” James inquired.

Mira thought about that a moment. “No one is fully sure, aside from the fact that in the historical records, people marked it as 13 BC. It is guessed that either it was an attempt to remember the actual date, a symbolic endeavor at moving on, or they could only remember thirteen years into the past. Most historians believe that thirteen years was as far back as anyone could remember, as in most of the ancient scriptures thirteen years signifies a great change. No records have been found of anything before, so it is hard to tell for sure.”

“Wonderful.” James said with a nod.

Deciding to end the lesson, Mr. Confection wished Mira good night and left.

However, instead of going home, Mr. Confection walked to the shed.
James did not know why he had so many questions he thought this boy might be able to answer. James Confection was an educated man who had spent his life devoted to the study of The Comet Despair. How could this servant know something that James did not?

The young servant faced Mr. Confection as he entered the shed and switched on the light. The boy did not seem surprised to see him, or happy for that matter.
“Do you know about The Comet Despair?” Mr. Confection asked in a gentle tone. He felt the unusual need to be kind around this creature.
The servant stayed quiet.
“Do you know of the events that took place that day?”
Again, there was no response. Just a blank stare on an emotionless face.
“Do you speak English?” James asked. No response.
“Can you speak at all? Do you know human word?” Growing more desperate every passing moment, Mr. Confection's voice began to break like shattering glass. He had never felt so confused in his life, so confused his head pounded and his heart screamed for answers. This servant betrayed everything he had ever known and he might never get the answers as to why this boy's existence was possible.
The servant youth's face seemed to change, as if he knew exactly what the educator was thinking and was debating if it was worth an answer.

James often wondered what the world would be like if The Comet Despair had never struck… He imagined the world would be a much different place. He wanted to know what the world would be like without the Anasiens, because he felt the need to be prepared.

For ten years the humans had lived in a world without any new Anasien influence, just left with that they already had. This servant showed a bond between the humans and Anasiens. He was like the missing link and James thought, for a reason he had yet to figure out, that this boy had the answers he had secretly prayed for. James was filled with the need to know, to understand, yet all he felt was confusion worse than he’d ever known. Still, the servant boy stared back at him without a shred of mercy or a hint to an answer.

There was a long silence, loud enough to make a deaf man cry. Mr. Confection looked at the ground to hide the disappointment in his face.
Then at last:
“Of course, I can speak.” A voice of pure elemental fantasy broke into the silence, a voice never to be fully described, without any way to be able to compare it to anything worldly.
Mr. Confection looked up at the servant who stood sideways, arms crossed, staring at James. It was a regal pose, a power position meant to inform everyone around that they were inferior in comparison to him. It was nerve racking to see a worker strike such a pose.

“Do you know what The Comet Despair is? You know what happened those many years ago?” Mr. Confection repeated the question. He received a nod from the young servant. “You know what happened nearly three centuries ago?”

Again, the servant nodded.
“What happened?” Mr. Confection asked, hopeful to get a real answer.

“I know what everyone assumed stopped happening nearly five years ago,” responded the young servant.

“What?” Mr. Confection pleaded for an answer that would mean something, anything.

He received a glare from the boy and a brief answer that stated more than what was said.
“Ten years ago, you humans were out to destroy anyone who was different from you. Five years ago you ran out of innocent victims to openly hunt.” With that, the boy turned and walked back into the shadows.

Mr. Confection asked many more questions, but to no avail. The boy refused to say another word. Mr. Confection was forced to give up. He left without another word, or any more questions answered.

Chapter 3
Friendship improves happiness and abates misery, by the doubling of our joy and the dividing of our grief

--Marcus Tullius Cicero

Mira woke up early, rushed to her bathroom and half an hour later she was in her newest outfit consisting of a pink silk blouse, and a blue cotton jumper. Her new suede boots were laced up to her knees and she pulled her hair back with two red clips shaped like hearts.
Mira ate breakfast quickly then rushed out to the main field to find her father.
“Father, Father!” she called and rushed up to him.
“Hello, my little angel!” Samuel greeted her. Mira smiled and they headed for the shed.
“Listen now, darling, I do not want you to get hurt, or scared, or anything... but I understand that you want to try this on your own. However, my little girl, you call if he gives you any trouble and I'll be there in no time. Understand?” Samuel said.

“Of course, Father. Thank you!” Mira led the way into the tiny shed.

“Pet!” She called, following her father’s example.

“Come here, pet!” she ordered. The figure at the other side of the small room made no movement; He leaned against the wall and pretended not to see them.

Samuel jerked the metal chain forward, hard. He did it once more even faster, causing the boy to stumble and fall. “Answer when you are called!” Samuel snapped. He then patted his daughter on the head and walked out of the shed.

Mira stepped forward. She stood tall; back straight, shoulders back, head held high, and hands on hips. She looked down at the boy.

“I am Lady Miraina. That is how you will address me,” Mira stated. “And you are...um...hmm... I know! Your name will be Fe-,”

“I have a name,” the boy interrupted.

“Oh? Well what is it then? Hm?” Mira pouted.

“They call me Hunter,” he replied.

“Hunter? Why did they name you that?” Mira gagged.

“I hunt... I guess,” Hunter answered, though he honestly had never been sure why that name had been chosen. It was a name for a predator, something he was not allowed to be.

“Hm. Well, what are you, anyway? You look weird. Are you some type of mutant? Or freak or something?” Mira boldly asked. Hunter glared at her.

“I'm not that different from you! I'm part human,” he growled.

Mira jerked at the chain. Hunter was forced forward. He hissed his protest, but was quickly interrupted.

“I asked you a question! Answer it!” Mira demanded.

Hunter snarled, and then gave an overly exaggerated bow.

“I, Lady Miraina, am a hybrid. Part Human. Part Anasien cat.”

His smile was a wide grin. All this annoyed Mira more than anything.
“Hm. Well then, pet, I guess I need to come up with a better name for you,” Mira mused.
“I have a—,” Hunter began, but was quickly silenced.
“Felix! No... Leopold? Leo the lion!” Mira laughed.
Hunter, however, was un-phased. “I'm part jaguar... not lion.”
“Then where are your stripes?” Mira demanded.
Hunter sighed, rolling his eyes. “Spots? You have heard of dye, correct? Master Darrel has always demanded I disguise my spots. Humans want no association with the Anasiens. My being what I am seemed to confuse people; therefore my spots were dyed gold to make me appear as full blooded human as possible. It has never worked, except a few people mistook me for being part mountain lion or some other species. Even to the most intellectually challenged, my tail betrays my Anasien heritage. If you wait, the color will fade. Or perhaps, if you have a stronger shampoo than the soap in this shed, the dye can be washed out.” Hunter’s voice contained no emotion. It was as if he had given the same answer every day of his life, more a trained response than a real answer.
Now that he was out in the open, Mira got a good view of his eyes- blue sapphire-colored eyes that almost seemed to change in the light. They were impossibly, inhumanly blue and unearthly, even. They kept changing. The colors went from the darker sapphire to a brighter blue topaz. His eyes shimmered like diamonds in the light.
She still viewed him as little more than a pet, despite the mystique within his eyes; he was below her in status no matter how he looked. “I thought we humans killed all the freaks like you,” Mira mocked before she walked out. With a click of a switch, she left Hunter alone again, in the darkness of being the only one left on earth.
You humans killed the full-blooded Anasiens, Hunter answered silently, you forgot to kill me.

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