Chapter One

Something tickled my face. I swatted at it. Or at least I tried. Had my arm even moved? There, again. Whatever you are, go away. I just want to… What did I want? Sleep.

Sleep sounded good. Was it night?

One eyelid complied when I told them both to open.

Dark, but not absolutely black. Early morning or late evening? Hard to tell in the rain. I flexed my fingers. They moved, stiffly. But the rest of me remained immobile. I shoved down the terror, trying to flood up my chest. Why couldn’t I move? What was going on? Trish, what have you gotten yourself into this time?

I gurgled out a sound, but it was hardly audible. No one was going to hear that unless they were right beside me. I blinked the one working eyelid. Water dribbled in and I groaned. A few blinks helped, and I rolled my eye around, trying to get my bearings. Outside, that much was obvious. Mist, trees, and a dark sky. That was it. I crushed the panic again, my heart thundering in my ears. I couldn’t get in a good breath.

How did I get here? And where is here? A voice. A man. A gun. I tried to yell again, with as much success as the first time.

After a moment, my other eyelid started to cooperate. I blinked a few times, adjusting to both eyes working.

Definitely a forest of some kind. But maintained. Cut grass, trimmed bushes. Maybe a park?

Last night I had… I couldn’t remember. I couldn’t even remember what day it was. I swallowed, a knot catching in my throat and making me gag.

My hand clenched into a fist involuntarily. Good, that was good, focus on the positive. It had been evening, just getting dark. I was out here with… someone. And then…

Something tickled my face again. This time, I could see what it was. A small bush, leaning over me. I shoved it away. Feeling returned to my arms and toes at the same time. I patted at my chest and sides to see if anything was wrong.

The rain had me too wet to tell if there was any bleeding. Everything hurt, but in a general kind of way.

I squinted up at the tree branches, shielding my face with a trembling hand and looking for some type of landmark.

The thick nighttime gloom covered everything, making it difficult to see anything but trees. Lots of trees. I took a deep breath, trying to stop the quivering in my fingers by relaxing for a second. It didn’t work. We’d gone out into the woods, and then… My body tried to bolt upright, but it didn’t work. The guy had shot me!

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A deeper investigation, with a little better idea where to look, and I found the hole in my dress. What if he was still out here? A whimper escaped, but I managed to keep it quiet. I had to get moving. I had to get out of here.

I planted my hands in the grass and pushed myself up into a semi-sitting position. Something popped and groaned behind me, and suddenly I was propped up by a huge tree root, dirt still crumbling and falling away from the wood.

A shriek ripped out of my throat, this one much stronger than the feeble yell I’d managed earlier. I tipped over, unable to catch myself. The root did it for me, setting me back up. I slapped at it. The tree didn’t seem to care. It didn’t move again. Trees weren’t supposed to move.

I covered my face with my hands. “It’s okay. Mom said weird stuff would start happening to me. It’s okay, it’s okay.” I rocked forward, barely registering that the rest of my body was starting to function.

Shoot, too much noise. I looked over my shoulder, but the darkness blanketed everything.

Fumbling around, I discovered I had no pockets, which meant no cell phone. That was bad. Really bad. Now what? I rubbed the back of my neck, willing my body to work, trying to come up with a plan. I couldn’t think.

Should I try to get someone’s attention? Stupid. I always rolled my eyes at people in the movies, internally telling them not to get themselves noticed. Now I was thinking about doing it. Who would even be looking for me? Maybe Wade, but that was doubtful. My boyfriend knew I could take care of myself. Usually. I shoved my trembling hands into my armpits, which were bare.

I needed to get out of here. Needed to find somewhere better to figure out what to do. Somewhere the guy didn’t know where to find me. A shiver tingled through me. I really wasn’t dressed for this in… heels and a sequined dress?

What was wrong with me? I hated dresses.

Mushy leaves kicked over me hid half my body. I brushed them off with one hand. What was all over my dress? Mud? I took a better look. Blood.

Nearly hyperventilating, I patted at my body, looking for anything other than the bullet hole. Nothing.

Legs, start working!

My stomach growled, and I nearly retched at the level of hunger that punched me in the gut. Bending over, I hugged my stomach. I knew hungry, but this was extreme, even for me. I rolled over and pulled out a fistful of grass, pausing for just a second before stuffing it into my mouth. My crazy level of hunger was telling me I’d been doing some intense healing in the not so distant past. As in, bring me back from death’s door levels of healing. Another shiver went through me. This one had nothing to do with the cold.

Still not able to move well, I drug myself into some bushes. Whoever had shot me could come back. Or maybe they hadn’t even left. I needed to get out of the open.

It took almost a minute, and a whole lot of lawn, but the calories from the grass finally kicked in enough for me to stagger to my feet.

I stumbled toward a smaller tree, pulled off some leaves and stuffed them into my mouth, nearly gagging as I tried to chew. They were dry and brittle, no doubt almost ready to fall, tasting like dirt. I forced as much of it down my throat as I could manage.

Squinting through the gloom didn’t make any light bulbs ding. Why would I have come out here with someone? I hated nature. It reminded me of my mom. And at this time of night? Dan and Nina were going to be so mad. Hey, Dan and Nina, I was starting to remember stuff. My foster parents were going to be ticked. If the guy wasn’t out here waiting to make sure I didn’t make it back.

I swiped at tears trying to run down my face. This was not the time. I squared my shoulders. I couldn’t die here. I expected to die alone someday, but it wasn’t going to be today. Today, I would fight.