Page 1 of Survival

Chapter 1

ANNIE

Tonight will be better.

I pulled my covers over my shoulders and snuggled into bed, trying to ignore the anxiousness niggling in the pit of my stomach. It had been growing there every night for weeks. Ever since Jet had left.

Glancing at my nightstand, the blank screen of my phone blended in with the dark of the room, reminding me of how far away he was right now. Across the globe where his family had taken an unexpectant, urgent trip to Greece. He’d been ecstatic to go.

I’d been terrified when he left.

So much had changed these past few months.

My heart gave a little lurch, aching to hear his voice, and finally unable to avoid the temptation any longer, I grabbed my phone to send him a text.

Me: I miss you. Like fucking crazy.

I stared at the screen, the wallpaper of us snuggling and smiling at the camera looking back at me. Mocking my ache. After several minutes passed with nothing, Irolled over to my side and cradled my phone to my chest, so I wouldn’t miss it if he did manage to message back.

No sooner had I closed my eyes I felt it buzz, and my heart leapt as I rushed to see what he’d said.

Jet: Miss you, too. Like fucking crazy. At the airport now and about to board. Get some sleep. I’ll be back before you know it.

I swallowed, my heart squeezing in my chest.

Me: I’ll try. Be safe.

Jet: Love you.

Me: Love you.

Finally feeling like I could breathe, I set my phone back on the nightstand and settled back into my comfy spot on my bed, but even as sleep slowly came in to claim me, my inner mantra continued to roll through my head.

Tonight will be better. Ithasto be.

It was hot. So hot. My stomach rolled. The red was everywhere, splattered across the ground. The wall. The counter. Glass that had shattered into a million tiny shards was spread like glitter across the kitchen floor, the larger shards splayed out with droplets of blood around my mom’s hair like a halo. A forbidden angel waiting in the wings of death. I couldn’t breathe. There was no air. Like my lungs forgot how to function, the necessary organs twisting within my body at the gruesome sight. Mom. Mom.

“Mom!” I finally managed to scream, the sound wrenched from me as desperation kicked in. I dropped to my knees, the shards of glass cutting into my skin through my jeans as I grasped her hand, smearing the blood that coated herpalm. Nothing. She couldn’t hear me. A strangled sound escaped from my throat.

I woke with a startled gasp, my body jolting up out of reflex before falling back to the mattress with my arms pinned against me, my blankets were wrapped around me so tight. Panic shot through me for a moment before I caught my bearings, and I rolled off the bed to the floor, catching myself on my knees to shake myself free.

Oh, God no, not my knees.The dreams were bad enough without adding fuel to the fire. Memories of my nightmare, mymemory, flashed over me for a split second, and I leapt up faster than a cat, my bright orange comforter lying in a ring around my feet. I took off for the bathroom to splash some water across my face, needing to wash the thoughts away. If they were determined to haunt me at night, like hell I’d let them affect me during the day.

Or, at least, I hoped.

So much for tonight being better.

The nightmare had been an unwelcome presence ever since New Year’s Eve. Ever since Tucker had found Izzy at the beach and I’d returned home, relieved, only to find Mom…

Ugh. No. Stop thinking about it.

Dabbing my face dry with a hand towel, I peered in the mirror, the dark circles under my eyes like a raccoon’s. I wasn’t sleeping. Not like I should.

None of us were.

With a sigh, I dropped the towel to the counter and turned around, my fingers lingering on the light switch as I glanced at my twin’s empty bed.

Case in point.

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