Prologue
There’s no one coming, I realized. I crawled away as best I could, struggling against my broken bones. He followed me with slow, deliberate steps while whistling a bright and happy tune. I vomited on the concrete. Blood. I’d die. I could feel it. And he’d just laugh. I wanted to curl into a ball. But I had to keep going. She’d promised me she’d watch over me. But she’d also said I might still die. I groaned. Who did I count on? Who could I trust? This wasn’t a matter of love; it was a matter of life and death. Who was strong enough to stop this monster besides her? And she wasn’t here. She was trapped. I shook my head gingerly. I had to snap out of it. This wasn’t helping me right now. I turned my head to stare up into those purple eyes.
His smile was kind enough but I knew better. I’d seen what he’d done to the rest of my family. I sobbed, fighting back fresh tears. No, don’t think about that either, I urged myself. That’s what he wants. He wants me weak and defeated. He feeds off of that anguish. I took a deep, ragged breath and managed to sit up. His eyes glittered with amusement and a touch of surprise. I wondered if it was genuine. “Brave little thing you are,” he said in his pleasant voice. It was mesmerizing, soothing. But I knew better.
“Go ahead and finish me off. I’m not afraid. She’ll be back. And she’ll kick your ass!” I whispered. It was all I could muster with my scarred throat.
He tilted his head. “No she won’t. There’s no one coming. No one. She’s dying all over again far away. She will never come back of her own accord.”
“Bastard!” I spat out.
He tutted disapprovingly. “Maybe you’ve forgotten who I am. Let me remind you,” he spoke softly, taking hold of my hands. Pain ran up my arms. He sent disruptive signals to my nerves, setting off all of the alarms in my head at once. Unbearable pain washed over me, even worse than the broken limbs. Despite that, the reason I began to scream were the memories he’d awakened in me. Memories of the worst moments of my life. And memories of his life. Of things he’d done. I remembered. I remembered my life and his.
I remembered that no one was coming to save me and I screamed louder. How could one damn party have led to all this? If I had it to do over again I would never have talked to Craig that day. Now I was dying in agony after bearing witness to the massacre of my entire family. All because I fell for a charming boy on a rainy day. There’s no one coming, I thought again, falling back into the pavement. Darkness overtook me.
