by J. P.
Also by J.P.
The Bloodline Trilogy
Bloodline
Strain
Descend
Copyright ©2020 by J.P.
All rights reserved.
This book is a work of fiction. Any mention of events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
To Nina,
thank you for everything.
Prologue
Friday, August 28th
The Welcome Back Dance
Emma Fisher struts around the decorated and lively school gym as if it were a catwalk. She feels a new boost of confidence overcome her ever since her best friend gave her a pep talk earlier that evening. She has been looking forward to the Welcome Back Dance for the past week and is ready for some much-needed male attention.
She looks around for her best friend, Nina, who seems to have disappeared. She saw her exit into the hallway a few minutes ago, so she decides to check it out.
No sign of her.
A quick trip to the bathroom won’t hurt anybody.
As she is washing her hands, a girl with beautiful curly brown hair and a short, tight black dress walks in.
“Hey,” she says as she walks over to the sink next to Emma’s.
Emma nods and goes back to washing her hands.
“I don’t mean to pry into your personal business, but I was wondering if you were looking for someone. I saw you running around the entire gym,” the stranger says and laughs as she shakes her hands twice over the sink, water droplets going everywhere.
“My friend seems to be missing at the moment,” Emma says quickly. It is really none of this stranger’s business.
“Oh, who’s your friend?” the girl asks.
Emma glances down at the stranger’s shoes. She has pretty nice taste.
“Nina, Nina Blair,” Emma says as she looks back down at the sink and shuts the water off. She reaches for a paper towel as the stranger continues to speak to her.
“Oh, I think I know her. Golden brown hair, perfect tan, beautiful?” she asks.
Emma feels her chest start to tighten, and she lets out a deep breath. She knows deep down she can never compare with Nina, but why does it always feel like everyone can’t stop mentioning how much better she is than Emma?
“That would be her.” Emma fights the urge to roll her eyes. She leans against the sink and crosses her arms over her chest, still confused about what the stranger is doing here talking to her.
“I saw her leaving a few minutes ago.”
Leaving? Why would Nina leave her alone? Granted, she’s not really alone. Zach, Nina’s brothers, Tyler, Luke, and Sean should still be around here somewhere. Emma’s heart flutters just at the thought of Sean. He’s the most gorgeous boy she’s ever seen. If only she could build up enough courage to ask him out. Really, she shouldn’t be the one going through all this. He should be the one asking her out.
“I didn’t realize she left.” Emma uncrosses her arms and then crosses them again, too uncomfortable leaving them down at her side.
“Yeah, she had this tall guy on her arm.”
Probably just Luke. Although, that’s quite the scandal. Leaving with someone that isn’t your boyfriend? Emma wonders if Tyler knows. He must suspect that Luke has a thing for Nina.
The stranger mistakes Emma’s silence for confusion.
“He has short, dark brown hair with brown eyes. I think he just started school this year,” the stranger continues.
Betrayal stabs Emma in the heart. Not Luke. Sean. How could she? She knew that Emma liked him, and it’s not like Nina has a shortage of boys pining after her. Why does she have to take everything from Emma?
“Are you alright?” the girl asks, and Emma can’t hold it in any longer. She feels the wall she built up before crumble down as frustrated tears roll down her cheeks.
“I don’t understand. How could she do this?” Emma mumbles. This is so embarrassing, crying in front of a stranger.
“Wait, was that guy your boyfriend or something?”
Emma tries to speak, but she might start ugly crying, and that’s never a good look.
“Listen, it’s all going to be okay. I think I can help you.”
Emma looks up at the kind stranger. “How?” she asks, sure at this point that mascara is running down her cheeks.
“With a plan, of course, and I think you are going to want to help me.”
“What kind of plan?” Emma leans in closer to the girl.
“The kind that will teach Nina that she can’t treat you like this anymore.”
“Why would you help me?”
“Let’s just say she did the same exact thing to me, stole my boyfriend.” The girl’s serious expression never falters, but her jaw does clench and unclench.
“She did?” Emma sniffles.
The stranger nods and gently takes both of Emma’s shoulders. “She thinks she is better than us, that she can just bat her eyelashes and get whatever she wants. Help me prove to her that she’s wrong. Will you help me?”
Emma looks down from the girl’s stare. Going against Nina is tempting, too tempting. Maybe this girl is right. Maybe it’s time for Nina to be taught a lesson. Emma is tired of living in her shadow.
“Yes, I will help you.”
The girl offers her hand out, and Emma shakes it.
“There is a lot I have to tell you, a lot of secrets that I know about Nina,” the stranger says as she takes Emma’s hand and starts to pull her out of the bathroom. “Oh, by the way…” the stranger says as she turns back around to face Emma.
Emma is finally brave enough to stare at the girl’s face for longer than a few seconds. She has dark brown eyes and a natural olive complexion. She is almost as beautiful as Nina. Crap. Even she can’t resist comparing people to Nina. She pushes away her thoughts so that she can focus on the rest of the girl’s sentence.
“I’m Sarah.”
Part I
1
Pain. It consumes my mind. Pain spreads from my stomach to my fingertips and down to my toes. I keep my eyes closed, trying to focus on staying sane. My fingers twitch, and I wince as my entire body aches. From the smell of fresh air and freshly cut wood, without even opening my eyes, I can assume I’m in the cabin. I hear footsteps coming from outside, and I try to silence my breathing. Maybe if I’m quiet enough, she’ll forget I’m here.
The wooden door to the cabin slams open, and I hear a gasp.
“What the hell did you do to her?” a shrill voice shouts. Someone crouches down next to me and brushes the hair off of my forehead.
I flinch, and a sob gets caught in the person’s throat. I slowly peel my eyes open and find myself face to face with Emma.
Her blue eyes are full of tears as they stream down her slender cheeks. She wraps her arms around me, and I flinch again as her touch causes every nerve in my body to catch fire. Emma understands my reaction and immediately releases me. She turns back to the figure lurking in the corner.
“I’m calling the police. This was supposed to be an innocent prank. You hurt her!” Emma cries.
“I never said I wasn’t going to.” Sarah steps into the light.
“You’re sick!” Emma reaches in her pocket and pulls out her phone.
“You won’t have service.” Sarah shrugs before she makes eye contact with me. “I’m so happy to see that you’re alive. Ethan will be thrilled.”
I ignore her as I turn my head away from both of them. I immediately regret it when I feel my body
catch fire again. I try to glance down without moving my head to see exactly what’s injured, but all I see is the crimson color of blood.
“Hello? Hello? Does anyone hear me?” Emma shrieks into her phone.
“Give it up, Emmy.” Sarah takes Emma’s phone out of her hand and throws it to the floor before she stomps on it.
“I don’t understand. Why are you doing this to her?” Emma asks as she points to me.
“You know why. Revenge. She took what was ours. She stole Sean from you and Luke from me. I thought you wanted to show her that we are a force to be reckoned with. I thought we were in this together.” Sarah’s voice softens as she takes a step closer to Emma.
The thought of revenge appeals to Emma, I can see it in her eyes, but she sighs. “Not like this. This is just cruel and psychotic. We can’t torture her. She didn’t do anything.”
Sarah gives her a tight smile. “Maybe not to you, but she ruined my life.”
“By stealing your boyfriend?” Emma asks as she furrows her brow.
“She stole my boyfriend and turned my world upside down. My boss didn’t trust me to find her, but I showed him.” She snorts.
“What boss? You’re working for someone else?” Emma asks.
Sarah ignores Emma, turns, and starts to stalk over to me. “I found you,” Sarah snarls. “I found you with him. I knew I would. I knew he was in love with you and that he would eventually leave. Once he separated himself, the rest was easy. I attacked you. I used him as bait. I never let you forget that I had the upper hand.” Sarah smiles to herself as if this was all a fond memory. “And then for the fun part. I teamed up with your friend, Emmy, here, and we made a plan. When I hit your car, my intention wasn’t to take you then. It was to kill Tyler.”
Emma gasps as she covers her mouth with her hands. “You killed him?”
Sarah rolls her eyes. “You saw him at school on Monday. You know I didn’t.” She lets out a deep breath and looks back at me. “But I was arrested after I ran out of gas, which I did on purpose, and I escaped without a problem. Mine and Emma’s plan was back on, and it went off without a hitch. Well…” Sarah glances at Emma. “It better go off without a hitch.” Her voice is slightly intimidating.
Emma slumps her shoulders. “I don’t feel right about this.”
“You feel guilty?” Sarah asks as she turns to Emma.
Emma nods once.
“Don’t.” Sarah turns away from us and starts to go up the stairs. “Let’s go, Emmy. We need to rest up before we travel with our precious cargo.”
Emma slowly rises to her feet and follows Sarah up the stairs. She looks back at me once before she disappears from my sight.
I shut my eyes as I beg for the pain to go away. I hear the cicadas and crickets chirping outside. There aren’t any windows in here, but I’m sure it’s nighttime.
I make another attempt to look down and survey my injuries. I slowly drop my head down, stopping every time I feel a sharp pain. I feel tears spring in my eyes as I take in the sight before me. My body is a mess. There are injuries everywhere, and every inch of me is covered in blood. Okay. It’s not that bad. That’s a lie. It’s pretty terrible. I can work with this, though. I can’t give up.
How did this happen? Sarah must’ve attacked me, but I don’t remember any of it. All I remember is waking up a few minutes ago in pain. I can’t believe Emma betrayed me. It seems like she had no idea what she was getting herself into.
I let out a deep breath and shutter when my chest feels like it’s going to collapse.
Okay, no more deep breaths. I need to try a new approach. Using just my eyes, I notice that my wrists are bound together. I’m chained to the wall. Great.
I attempt to push through the pain and lift my arms. It’s excruciating, but maybe if I can pull on my chains hard enough, I can free myself. I elevate my arms as much as I can, clenching my jaw to keep from screaming before I collapse in a heap onto the floor.
Damnit.
I pant as I try to catch my breath. I think I’m too weak right now to be making any sort of freedom attempt. I’ll have to try again when we’re on the move. What if I don’t get out in time? What if I’m stuck in another country with Ethan and Malum? What if my dad never finds me?
I try to calm myself down before I begin to panic. Right now, I need to rest. I lay my head back on the floor and shut my eyes.
“Nina.” I feel someone poke my arm. “Nina, wake up. Are you alive?”
I squint my eyes before I open them slowly. I find Emma sitting a foot away from me.
“Oh my God. I totally thought you were dead,” she says with a relieved sigh. “You can’t scare me like that.”
I open my mouth to speak, but I just end up coughing.
“Shh!” Emma scolds me. “She went out to find food, but I’m sure she’s close. I don’t think she trusts me.” Emma shakes her head. “Anyways, we need to get you out of here before she comes back.”
“You’re helping me?” I ask, my voice raspy.
“Duh, what are best friends for?” She gives me a grin before she looks down at the state of my body. “Listen, Nina. I’m so sorry for everything. I didn’t know it was going to be like this. I’m, like, literally never going to forgive myself.”
“How are we getting out of here?” I ask impatiently.
“I have this.” Emma holds a silver key between her fingers. She slips the key into the lock that’s around my wrists. The lock pops off and drops to the floor.
I let out a sigh of relief as my wrists feel ten times lighter.
“Let’s get you up.” Emma stands and holds her hand out to me.
I slowly reach up and take it. It’s still painful, but nowhere near as bad as it was.
Emma helps me up and then practically shoves me out the door. The beautiful colors of the sunset paint the sky as the scent of the woods hits me instantly. “We need to run—”
“What are you doing?”
Emma and I both turn to our right and find Sarah standing there, fire in her eyes.
“Run, Nina!” Emma says as she gives me a shove towards the woods.
She doesn’t need to tell me twice. The second my body is in motion, I run as fast as I can. I pump my arms as I try to ignore the sound of Sarah’s grunting behind me.
My legs are stiff, probably from sitting on the floor for… I don’t even know how many days. I try to ignore it as I focus on getting away from Sarah. I take as many twists and turns as I can to try and lose her. After running for what feels like forever, I don’t hear her behind me anymore. I slow my run to a jog and then stop as I reach out and lean on a tree. I try to catch my breath as I double over.
Suddenly, heartbeats explode in my ears. I’m starving.
“Nina?” I hear someone say from my left. I turn and see Emma walking towards me.
I silently curse my luck for our paths crossing again.
“Are you okay? Did you lose her?”
“Emma, stay away from me.” I hold my hand out.
“Why? Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m just…” I stop myself as I take a few steps back. Her heartbeat is pounding in my ears.
“What? What’s going on?” she asks as she rushes over to me. The scent of her blood fills my nose, and I try not to breathe.
“Emma…” I take a few more steps away from her as I try to fill my lungs with fresh air. “You need to get out of here.”
“We can go together—” She holds her hand out to me.
“No. Run before she finds us.”
Emma’s eyes get wide as she looks around the forest. “Are you sure?”
“Go!”
Emma disappears into the forest, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
I head back in the direction that I came from as I try to listen for a heartbeat. I finally hear something and rush to catch up with it. I spot a brown rabbit in the forest and grab it. Bringing my mouth down to its neck, I bite. Instantaneously, I feel better. My strength returns minutes lat
er, and after three more rabbits, I feel almost normal.
Darkness surrounds me now as I try to figure out how to get out of here. Knowing Sarah, she won’t rest until she has me again. She’s probably waiting in the parking lot, making sure I don’t escape. I try to figure out which way the parking lot might be, but after a while, I give up.
I walk for what feels like hours, and finally, I take a break. I sit against a tree and tip my head back. My eyes start to flutter shut as my head bobbles. I know it’s a terrible idea to fall asleep, but I just drank so much blood, and I’m exhausted.
2
My eyes snap open, and I feel my entire body tense. I heard something—a heartbeat. I listen and hear it moving closer to me. I stand up slowly and take a few practice steps away from whatever it is. I take off running and hear someone chasing me.
I notice the rising sun shining through a clearing of trees, along with the light from streetlamps. That must be the parking lot. I begin to run towards it when I hear someone breathing behind me.
I look back to see if I can catch a glimpse of who is chasing me when I smack into something hard. I collapse onto the ground and hold my head. I feel hands around my upper arms, pulling me up and shoving me to the side. I lose my balance and fall into the dirt.
The world finally comes back into focus, and I hear voices as everything becomes clear.
“Why are you always interfering with my plans?” Sarah spits. I’m about to answer her when I realize she isn’t talking to me.
Standing in front of me, I recognize his broad shoulders, his dark hair, his muscular build. I must’ve crashed into Tyler, and he threw me behind him. Relief fills my chest as tears fill my eyes.
“You aren’t taking her.” Tyler glances over his shoulder at me.
“Where’s your new girlfriend, Tyler? I didn’t think you still had a thing for poor Nina.” Sarah smirks at him.