CHARLOTTE I felt warm. And soft. My breathing was light, so light that it was sometimes worrying whether or not I was still alive. I was deep asleep, and that’s good. I needed to rest. After what happened to me… The thought trailed off, tunneling into a pool of darkness. A sudden wave of an
“Morning, sleepyheads,” Reigh greeted. I offered him a weak smile, both as an acknowledgement of his greeting and as thanks for the food. I looked over the spread, pancakes, bacon, toast, eggs and as much as I appreciated it and looked forward to digging in, I couldn’t help but think that it would
CHARLOTTE I pulled down the lever and gave the toilet a minute to flush. Slowly, I moved towards the mirror and lifted my plain white T-shirt to lace up my sweatpants, and in the process, I caught sight of the dainty white line at the side of my stomach. My heart clenched, and a rush of anxiet
CHARLOTTE The day finally came to an end, and I was getting ready for bed. After brushing my teeth, I walked into my room just in time to hear a knock on the door. I lifted a brow, curious to know who’d come knocking at this time of night. I opened the door, catching a glimpse of Reigh and Made
CHARLOTTE “Cara,” my father whispered, as he caressed my face. “Damn, Anton, you bagged us a perfect one today.” “And there was blood everywhere, and you were n-naked,” Madeline sobbed. Tap. Tap. Tap. The click of a gun going off. BANG. A scream ripped out of my throat as I sat up
CHARLOTTE The next time my eyes opened, it was morning. And I was alone. I lay still for a moment, trying my best to center myself after suddenly waking up. My eyes were on the ceiling, but after a long minute, I glanced over to the side of the bed Taide was on, only to stiffen a little when I f
My face went beet red. He was still staring at me, so I looked away to avoid his probing gaze. It was obvious he was referring to me not being there when he woke up. And after a minute of searching for an explanation or justification for my actions, I just gave up. “Where’s Madeline?” I asked inste
CHARLOTTE The sound of water running roused me from sleep. I went still at first, taking in the unfamiliar ceiling and sheets, but it didn’t take long for me to remember where I was and why I was there. I instantly relaxed and let out a small yawn. I lifted my hand to rub the sleep from my eyes,
CHARLOTTE I watched as Taide stepped away from Sean, smoothly sidestepping him without another glance. Sean looked after him for a moment, but Taide didn’t seem to care. I caught Madeline’s eyes, and she grinned before doing a subtle little happy dance. Her excitement was almost contagious. Taid
CHARLOTTE The seamstress stepped back, letting out a satisfied hum. I stood in front of the mirror, smoothing my hands over the soft fabric of the dress I was wearing. It fit perfectly, hugging my body in all the right places. The sweetheart neckline and shoulder-less design gave it an elegance
The hell?I blinked, trying to understand. Then it hit.He was talking about yesterday, when I’d abruptly questioned him and then walked away without waiting for an answer.“You wouldn’t have participated anyway,” I said, using his analogy as I crossed my arms.“You don’t know that,” he replied.I
CHARLOTTEThe morning light streamed through the tall windows of the dining room, illuminating the grand breakfast spread that covered the long table.I could hardly believe how much food there was—it seemed like enough to feed ten people, if not more. The table was piled high with plates of fresh f
CHARLOTTEThe palace was something out of a dream.No, more than that—something out of a world I didn’t belong to.The long driveway was lined with perfectly manicured gardens, each bush and flowerbed so precise it looked as though someone had sculpted them by hand. Towering trees stood around, thei
CHARLOTTE We had our things packed and ready for the trip. Madeline’s birthday ball was this Sunday and now it was Friday already, the day of our departure. By the time we returned home it would be about a week before our junior year finals. And then, graduation. Which meant that we would be
I gave her my thanks and followed her instructions, up the stairs and down the calm, clean hallways of the care home. And like every time I came here, I couldn’t help but be struck by the difference between this care house and her old one. I was just about to walk in through the open threshold but
CHARLOTTE The silence didn’t dissipate for a long while after Caeson left. I used those moments of quiet to try to piece together what I had heard from their conversation into something that made sense. Taking a few seconds of thought, I looked up and my eyes darted between Reigh and Taide. Th
CHARLOTTE A loud, booming “No!” echoed through the house, shaking the air and making my heart jump.The sound of Caeson’s voice was unmistakable, filled with anger that could probably make the walls tremble if it got any louder. I glanced at Madeline, who was standing as still as a statue beside