Page 1 of Justice

Chapter 1

Elle

After beggingmy father for the hundredth time, he finally agreed to let me go to a party. It’s a rite of passage to attend a bonfire party, get drunk, and have fun.

The air is crisp and cool as I walk toward the party, the sound of laughter and music carrying on the wind. As I approach, the flames of the bonfire light up the night sky, casting an orange glow on the faces of my friends. I can feel the anticipation building in my chest as I join the crowd.

I wish it were that for me.

I’m so excited because none of the MC boys are with me, and I don’t have them hovering to keep everyone away from me. I can just pretend that I am not a princess in the MC.

I get to dance, drink, and be an eighteen-year-old girl. The drinks are flowing, and my friends are off to hook up with boys they have crushes on.

But no ordinary boy could turn my head because of Christopher.

I take a drink from my cup, grinning into it thinking about the man he is growing into.

His father is the president of the MC and my dad is one of the members. We grew up together, and he has been my protector and best friend for as long as I can remember.

It’s hard that he is away for military training—well, it’s not really the military, it’s someone who is training them to be more badass than they already are because one day he and the others will be taking over the MC once his dad steps down like his before him.

Christopher and I aren’t officially together yet. We decided to wait until he was finished with his training so we could have time for each other. He has a ton of responsibilities to prepare him to take over the MC and I want to go to college.

I finish my drink and place the empty glass on the log next to me. I raise my arms in a stretch, feeling the effects of the alcohol creeping into my body.

The night air is humid and sticky, and the smoke from the bonfire is causing my eyes to burn. The music is by a rap singer, which I’m not too much of a fan of. I love heavy metal.

As the night goes on, I find myself feeling more and more out of place at the party. Despite all the fun I’m having with my friends, there’s always a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that I don’t quite belong here.

I find myself standing alone on the sidelines, realizing that this isn’t the scene for me.

Suddenly my whole body starts to feel funny, and I blink my eyes rapidly, trying to clear the fog of smoke from them.

I rub my eyes with the back of my hands, but it’s like I can’t hold them open. A metallic taste slides across my tongue. Maybe it’s the smoke that is making me sick? Maybe someone threw something in the fire that shouldn’t be there?

My hand instinctively goes to my stomach, as if trying to soothe the sudden knot that has formed there. I take a deepbreath and try to calm myself down, but I can feel the panic slowly building.

But the more I try to shake off this strange feeling, the worse it becomes. My head starts spinning and my vision becomes clouded.

I put my hand on my chest, confused and scared, because this feeling is not normal.

I can hear my friends laughing and the cackling sound grates on my nerves.

I groan and clutch the sides of my head, feeling a sharp pain that resembles a migraine. I make my way toward the woods, trying to escape from the smoke and get some fresh air. My face feels warm, my chest is tight, and my mouth has gone from tasting like metal to feeling dry and parched.

Did someone drug me?

That’s my last thought when the world turns and my body falls onto the hard, unforgiving forest floor.

Iwake up to the sound of rustling leaves and people laughing and yelling in the distance.

I open my eyes and look above me to see trees and a few smatterings of stars along the sky. My head is throbbing with pain and my body feels achy and sore, as if I've been run over by a truck.

I slowly sit up, trying to get my bearings. Where am I? How did I end up here? The last thing I remember is feeling sick at the party, but after that everything is a blur.

A wave of icy terror washes over me, freezing the blood in my veins. My lungs seize as the horrifying realization crashes intome. The pain, the foggy memories, the unfamiliar surroundings—it all points to one unthinkable conclusion.

That’s when I notice the pain that is hurting me the worst is between my legs.Fear strikes me hard, stealing all the breath from my lungs, and I’m terrified.

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