The House

The House by Christina Lauren


For Erin, who loves the scary and the swoon



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We’ve written fifteen books together. FIFTEEN. Of these books, thirteen are adult romance; one is still up in the air, and though Young Adult was our first love, this book you’re holding right now—The House—is only our second book for teens. It’s been a story in our hearts for nearly four years now, and we hope it’s found a home in yours as well.

Publishing is a strange and mysterious world where creativity meets practicality; books need to be categorized and labeled and shelved correctly (for what it’s worth, if there’s a Kissing Books shelf, we’d like to be put on that, please). We are endlessly lucky to be surrounded by people who encourage us to write the stories in our heads, whatever they may be.

First on that list is the ninja agent. But Holly Root isn’t just an agent; she’s a magician, a sage, a closet piglet, and a champion. Thank you for a thousand things, Holly, but most frequently for agreeing that another kissing scene is always a good idea, and for showing us that it’s possible to juggle all the things and still kick ass at every single one of them.

Thank you to our amazing editor, Zareen Jaffery. Romance + monster houses = a rare combination. It was a blast to be able to tackle this, and your editorial touch brought it to life.

Simon & Schuster is the perfect home for us, and everyone there deserves a corner office, two recesses a day, and thirty-seven high fives. Thanks to Justin Chanda, Katy Hershberger, Chrissy Noh, Julia Maguire, and Mekisha Telfer. A world of love to Lizzy Bromley for giving us the most beautiful covers.

Erin Billings Service, thank you for your honesty, for reading every word we write, and for your enthusiasm when you have to read those same words over and over and over again. Thank you for also not blocking our e-mail. heartkite

Thanks to Lauren Suero for being the most awesome—and best dressed—assistant ever. Heather Carrier, we would be nothing but badly drawn stick figures and Comic Sans without you. Don’t ever leave us.

To have writers you adore and respect read your words and love them means the world to us, so thank you to Ransom Riggs and Alexandra Bracken—Ransom is spoken for (and we adore his wife), but we’re definitely going to marry Alex someday. It’s a total deal; instead of one ring you get two. That’s just math, Alex. Ransom, you get cake. And hugs. And typos in our e-mails because you left us with the giddy shakes.

We couldn’t write acknowledgments to any YA book without thanking Nathan Bransford and Tahereh Mafi. Along the way you’ve both given us advice, support, and encouragement when we needed it. You’re real, and positive, and wise—we owe so much of what we have to what you’ve been willing to share.

Our families put up with a lot of mumbling-in-slippers, crazy travel schedules, overflowing bookshelves, and oh-right-it’s-dinner-times. Thank you for loving us anyway. We’ll try to do better for the next few books, but it’s probably best to not hold your breath.

We still remember when we would have sold our souls to write books for a living, and so we’ve saved the most important for last: Thank you to our readers. Writing these stories for you is a dream. Thank you for your trust and your endless enthusiasm, and for following us when we wanted to stretch our legs and do something a little different. We hope we make you proud.

Lo, I hope we’re still ridiculous and screaming from the front row of concerts we’re too old for even when we’re eighty. Thank you for being my left quote.

C, I love you so much I’d sell my soul in any direction for you.





Chapter One

Her

Christina Lauren's books