Chapter 1

Sienna's POV

"Hey, Chipmunk, don’t worry. I’m almost there," I said, my voice ringing over the phone as I scrambled to grab my keys and the gifts I’d bought, trying not to trip over myself.

My phone pinged, and I checked it to see a text from a client who had an appointment in thirty minutes.

“Fuck, I thought I canceled that.”

“Canceled what, Sienna?” one of the kids called from the other side of the phone.

“Nothing! I’ll get there soon. Give the phone back to Danny,” I deflected, hurriedly texting the client to reschedule and offering a discount.

Balancing work and my social life was a nightmare.

I had every reason to skip this party, but I couldn’t bring myself to miss it.

Ever since I aged out of the foster care system at 18, I hadn’t visited my last foster home as much as I’d wanted to. I’d promised the kids I’d always come back, but life had gotten in the way.

Today was one of the kids’ birthdays, and I couldn’t miss it for the world.

"Please, can you stop at a cake shop to get a cake for Madison? You know how much she loves them, and I can’t afford it with the budget cuts," Danny, the foster mom, asked.

The budget.

They’d been dealing with payment cuts for a while now, and Danny had to cut back on a lot for the kids.

I stopped at a cake shop and bought a chocolate cake with chocolate fudge filling and ganache coating, Madison’s favorite. I couldn’t wait to see her face light up.

After grabbing the cake, I headed straight to the foster home.

I pulled into the driveway, grabbed the cake, and walked around to the backyard.

Everyone was already having fun. The party was in full swing, with kids and their friends running around.

The moment they saw me, they rushed over.

“Sienna!”

“Hey, kiddos,” I grinned, holding the cake box high to keep it safe as they tried to hug me.

Danny took the cake, and I hugged them properly. They ran off, and I looked around for Madison. She wasn’t among the group that had just mobbed me.

Then I felt small hands wrap around me from behind. It was Madison.

I squatted down to her height, patting her cheeks. Her jawline looked thinner, and so did the others. I knew what they were going through, hoping to be adopted by kind families or to age out and start their own lives.

Danny wasn’t as bad as some foster parents. As someone who’d bounced between homes before landing with her at 15, she was by far the nicest I’d had.

But she wasn’t an angel. She was fair but distant, doing just enough to get by. The only good thing we got was a birthday party. She’d never had one as a kid, so she made sure we did.

Ironically, her trauma was the only nice thing we had.

Still, it was better than most.

"It’s time for the birthday girl to cut her cake!" Danny said, her face lit up with a smile. During these parties, she seemed to relive the childhood she’d missed.

Afterward, she’d go back to her usual distant self.

“Alright, guys, let’s sing for Madison,” I said, directing the kids.

“Happy birthday to you... Happy birthday to you... Happy birthday, dear Madison! Happy birthday to you!” we sang together.

“Make a wish, Madison!” one of the kids said.

Madison turned to me, flashed a smile, and blew out the candle.

I checked the time and realized it was late. I had to head back, my place was a three-hour drive away, and I had a client rescheduled for 6 a.m.

“Danny, I have to go. I need to be at work early tomorrow,” I said.

“Oh, dear. Can’t you stay at a hotel? I know some cheap ones nearby,” she suggested, but I shook my head.

“No, I need to leave now.”

“Wait, aren’t you going to say goodbye to the kids?”

“No, Madison won’t let me leave if she knows,” I said.

“Okay, then. Call us when you get home,” she said, letting me slip out quietly.

I tiptoed to my car, started it, and hit the road.

As much as I didn’t want to leave, I had no choice.

Almost immediately, my phone rang. I pulled it out of my purse with one hand while driving with the other.

It was Danny.

“Hello!” I answered.

“Hey, Sienna, you need to come back. Madison’s been crying since she found out you left,” Danny said, panicked.

“What? How did she find out so fast?”

“She wanted you to cut her a piece of cake, but you weren’t there.”

“Shit, Danny, I can’t. Tell her I’ll make it up to her, okay? I promise,” I said.

“Alright,” she replied before hanging up.

I tossed my phone onto the passenger seat and turned my focus back to the road.

Suddenly, a bright light flashed in front of me.

A truck was barreling toward me at full speed.

“Hold on… Holy fuck!” I panicked, yanking the steering wheel, but it was too late.

Everything happened in a flash. My car flew off the road, tumbling into the woods, and I blacked out.

“Why is everything so quiet and blank?” I thought, trying to move. I couldn’t feel a thing.

“Wait. Am I dead? Is this the afterlife?”

“Oh, fuck… This might be hell,” I muttered, feeling a bug crawl on my skin.

“Of course, there are bugs in hell. I always knew those little shits were demons.”

A thousand thoughts raced through my mind, but I still couldn’t move.

I was sure I hadn’t survived that crash. I couldn’t feel my body.

The bug bite got worse.

“Fucking shit,” I growled, slapping my hand against the car and rubbing my eyes.

This wasn’t hell. I opened my eyes to a clear blue sky.

The car was upside down, wrecked. I’d been hanging there, unconscious, for who knows how long. No wonder I couldn’t feel anything, I’d lost circulation.

I felt disoriented but managed to unbuckle the seatbelt after a struggle.

“Argh!” I winced as I fell onto the roof of the car.

I grabbed my purse and crawled out of the wreck.

What happened? I looked around, confused. I remembered the truck, but everything after was a blur.

I turned on my phone, relieved it still worked.

Notifications popped up, one read, “Fatal accident on Road D. A truck collided with a small car that veered into the woods. Emergency services are searching for the driver; the impact may have been fatal.”

“Oh my God. That’s me. How am I alive?” I couldn’t believe it.

“I should call Danny…” I swiped to the call log, but my phone died.

“No, no, no!” I pressed the power button repeatedly, but it was dead.

I checked myself for injuries but found none. How was I still alive?

Then I heard rustling in the bushes.

“Who’s there?” I called, but no one answered.

Suddenly, large wolves emerged, circling me.

Of course. I crash in the woods, and now I’m surrounded by predators.

I looked down at my boots, cursing my choice of footwear. I was trapped.

I wanted to run, but I was frozen in fear. The wolves growled, closing in.

What do I do?

Run or stand there and let them eat me.

I turned to the left, where there was an opening, and bolted.

But I tripped over a rock, falling to my knees. The wolves closed in, baring their teeth.

I closed my eyes, waiting for the end.

“Ahhhh!” I screamed, terrified.