Page 1 of Chaos Crown

Prologue

“Wake up. Hellloooo.”

Pain lit my cheek.

“I said, get up.”

I slowly came to, descending into agony.

My head ached. Temples throbbed. Cheek stung. Wrists burned.

The final realization pushed back on the grogginess. Why did my wrists burn?

Blinking, my vision blurred on a face.

“Finally,” a voice said. “I was a minute away from starting the party without you.”

Blonde hair came into focus, and little by little, the brown eyes became clear. A round nose. Thin lips.

And a name.

“Zoey?”

My former orientation tour guide beamed. “Look at that. There is intelligent life on this planet. I was worried those knocks to the head rang your bell for the final time, you crazy bitch.”

I bristled. Why the hell was this woman talking to me like that? And where was I?

Drifting up, I peered through crisscrossing metal to the clear night sky.

We were outside and on Chaney Bridge by the looks of it.

“Hmm.”

What am I doing here? What was I doing before?

“Hmm! Hmm!”

What’s that—?

Zoey stepped out of the way, and I fell on Arsenio, Cairo, Jacques, and Legend—wrists bound and suspended from ropes tied overhead. They balanced on a ledge on the balls of their feet. Gags stretched their mouths open.

“Guys!” I raced to them and made it three steps.

My bound hands yanked me off my feet and smashed me against the rail.

Zoey laughed herself sick.

She was dressed in a bright yellow sundress with a matching bow keeping her bangs out of her face. You’d have thought she was going out to a picnic, if not for the crossbow held in her gloved hands.

I squinted. My crossbow.

“Where are you running off to? The fun just started.”

“What the fuck are you doing?!” I screamed. “Let us go.”

“Now why would I do that... Angel?”

Cold dread climbed my spine. “What did you say?”

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