Jacky Faber and her classmates at the Lawson Peabody School for Young Girls in Boston are kidnapped while on a school outing and transported in the hold of a slave ship bound for the slave markets of North Africa.

"Twelve gave up her name and identity to train in the art of hunting them--so she says. The truth is much more deadly: she trains to take revenge on those who took her family from her. But when Twelve's new home is attacked, she'll find herself on an unexpected journey, where her hidden past is inescapably intertwined with her destiny--and the very fate of her world."--

Sixteen-year-old Tessa, a budding photographer, has been living in suspended animation since her best friend was kidnapped at the age of fourteen, and when she suddenly returns, both of them, along with the people they love, must deal with the emotional aftermath of the terrible ordeal.

"When scientists discover a rare and mysterious mineral buried in the Earth's crust, they have no idea that it just happens to be the most valuable substance in the entire universe. It's not long before aliens show up . . . offering a promise of protection, some fabulous new technology, and entry into their intergalactic coalition--all in exchange for this precious resource. A material so precious that other alien forces are willing to start a war...