← Previous Chapter Next Chapter → Three days later, Mara came home alone. Daniel was still in the hospital but out of danger. Meredith had been arrested on the assault and was being investigated in connection with the Willow Street fire. Tori was cooperating in the case involving the men who attacked me. I did Read More “CHAPTER 12 — GIVING MY NAME BACK”
← Previous Chapter Next Chapter → Meredith left the sitting room the moment Daniel entered the house. Mara stayed on the couch for several seconds longer. Then she pushed herself upright. Her knees softened when her feet touched the floor. I moved toward her by reflex and remembered, again, that I could not catch her. Read More “CHAPTER 11 — ONE SECOND”
← Previous Chapter Next Chapter → Mara lifted the spoon. Meredith smiled. Tori watched Mara’s hand. Those two reactions told me more than the soup ever could. Mara stirred once. Ginger and chicken covered most of the smell, but when she brought the spoon close to her mouth, she paused for less than a second. Read More “CHAPTER 10 — THE DEAD DON’T LIE”
← Previous Chapter Next Chapter → Three days later, Meredith sent Mara her address. The message did not mention Caleb Rourke or the Willow Street fire. Come for dinner tonight. This situation with you and Tori has gone far enough. We should sit down and clear the air. I read it twice and decided I Read More “CHAPTER 9 — A PEACE OFFERING”
← Previous Chapter Next Chapter → Tori did not come to school the next morning. The official message said she was temporarily absent while cooperating with an investigation. By lunch, two plainclothes officers had visited the principal’s office, and no one called it a disciplinary matter anymore. Mara sat through classes as if nothing had Read More “CHAPTER 8 — THE WILLOW STREET FIRE”
← Previous Chapter Next Chapter → Mara knew she was being followed before I found any way to warn her. The black sedan did not stay close. It kept a block between them, disappeared at intersections, then resurfaced ahead. Mara changed buses twice and walked through a crowded grocery store before doubling back through a Read More “CHAPTER 7 — THE OLD ALLEY”
← Previous Chapter Next Chapter → Tori began to suspect Mara on the third day of my return. Not because of the face. The face was easy. A person was made from thousands of things outsiders rarely noticed: how you answered when cornered, which stories embarrassed you, what you remembered, which name you used for Read More “CHAPTER 6 — THE IMPOSTOR”
← Previous Chapter Next Chapter → Tori did not confront Mara the next morning. That silence worried me more than all the times she had blocked my path. News of Warren’s leave had spread through Grayhaven High. Conversations broke apart when teachers approached. Students filmed everything. The district had sent a message to parents saying Read More “CHAPTER 5 — THE FATHER WHO LOST A DAUGHTER”
← Previous Chapter Next Chapter → “Don’t play dumb with me, Claire.” Warren tightened his grip on Mara’s wrist. The way his thumb pressed into the soft skin beneath her pulse told me why I had worn long sleeves through September. Mara looked down at his hand. Then she asked, “How many times did you Read More “CHAPTER 4 — GOOD PEOPLE DON’T DO THAT”
← Previous Chapter Next Chapter → The first person at Grayhaven High to realize something was wrong was Tori Hale. Not a teacher. Not anyone who had shared classes with me for two years. The girl who had paid to make me disappear. Tori was sitting on top of my desk when Mara entered the Read More “CHAPTER 3 — THE GIRL WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN DEAD”
