They Were Here Before (ePub)

Shaney is an empath, who is constantly assailed by the harsh emotions of others and in a bid to cope frequently stays in her head; therefore, she has trouble being "present". She moved from quiet, peaceful North Carolina to scary and busy New York City to work with a media company. Shaney loves her job so much, she learns to adjust to living in the city, despite the harsh effects on her emotional health. She escapes to her IG world where she meets Nathan from South Africa. She starts to hunger for substantial conversations and begins to feel that everyone around her is superficial. When Kacia joins the company, Shaney instantly dislikes her, on account of her overly vivacious and dazzling personality, which Shaney finds stifling. Kacia is fine with being disliked as she is intrinsically motivated and grasp a work opportunity to show her skills and earn a promotion. However, despite Kacia's outward show of strength, she struggles with low self esteem and uses her vibrance as a wall of protection. Nathan has accomplished a lot in his but he is plagued with low self esteem despite his outward show of strong masculine energy; also, by the fact that he is not seen as an equal member of the Advertising company where he works. Plus, he struggles with a fear that is sometimes crippling and emasculating. These three are unwittingly thrown together and set off a reaction in the spirit realm that triggers a century old prophecy. They encounter ancestral spirits who are still angry as a result of past decisions so they won't be appeased unless there is a sacrifice. Therefore, they have to pool together to survive the storm that brews around them.