Chapter 1
As the iconic Britney Spears once sang, oops, I did it again.
I didn’t know if I’d played with his heart, but I certainly had eaten it. The gaping hole in the unknown man’s chest and the blood smeared across my lips was proof enough. I dragged my tongue across my mouth, tasting only the faint metallic tang left behind. Old. Stale. An unpleasant disappointment.
I wiped my lips with a sigh, wishing it had been fresh.
It wasn’t the first time I’d woken up next to a John Doe, and a quiet certainty settled in my chest that it wouldn’t be the last. I twisted awkwardly, tugging a thin piece of underwear out of a place it had no business being. Clothes like this never belonged to me, yet they always seemed to find their way onto my body. The dress clung too tightly, pulling low enough my breasts lingered dangerously to exposure while riding up just enough to reveal my ass cheeks. More skin than I’d ever choose on purpose.
Somewhere during my six-month coma, something had attached itself to me.
Something dark. Something that didn’t flinch at death.
Waking up beside a body should have sent me spiraling. It should have broken me open. Instead, I felt calm. Whole. Unbothered.
And that was the most unsettling part of all.
I didn’t have time to dwell on it, though. I had something more important to worry about.
Today was the first day of my final year of college, but this year it was at Diamond Academy.
Diamond Academy was a private institution where tuition eclipsed Ivy League schools, and graduates walked away with degrees, connections, and secrets. An academy designed to manufacture elites. How I managed to land a full-ride scholarship was beyond me. My grades were average. I didn’t stand out, but I didn’t fail either.
Just… average.
My scholarship came with one condition my adoptive parents insisted on. Reid was admitted too, full scholarship included. He’d hated me ever since. We used to be close, once. But uprooting the golden-boy jock from his friends and cheerleader girlfriend had, stereotypically, made me the villain in his story.
I slid the uncomfortable heels from my feet and took off down the alleyways, avoiding open streets and curious eyes. Once home, I rushed straight into the shower, desperate to wash away a night I couldn’t remember.
Scalding water poured over me as I closed my eyes, straining to recall where I’d been. What I’d done. The answer came as a sharp ringing in my ears, static crawling across my vision. I hissed, bracing myself against the tile until the sensation passed, then finished washing in silence untouched by remorse.
When I stepped out, steam fogged the mirror. I wiped it clean with my hand and stared at my reflection. A sliver of silver threaded through the hair framing my face, a souvenir from the coma. The only thing that betrayed my otherwise normal facade.
My gaze drifted to the uniform laid neatly on my bed.
My new costume.
Something to make me blend in.
I pulled it on quickly, grabbed my shoes, and hopped toward the kitchen as heavy footsteps thundered down the hallway. Reid. I caught him just as he reached the door.
“Hey, Reid,” I called.
Silence.
“Do you think you could…”
The door slammed shut before I could finish asking for a ride.
I stood there for a moment, the quiet stinging more than the rejection itself. Shuttering at the cold shoulder I just received. Grabbing a piece of toast from the counter I headed out.
Walking was healthy.
It would be good for me.
