Death did not become her.

​

After a long, restless night, she felt the effects, so she didn’t need the reminder staring at her in the mirror. A bit of makeup helped to cover the shadows under her eyes. Since she hated wearing makeup, it bugged her she had to resort to that.

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But today was important, so she would’ve donned the makeup anyway.

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She erased the evidence of the lack of sleep the best she could, then added a hint of green eye shadow with a subtle dark shade of brown. A touch of mascara. A smidgeon of blush. Lipstick? That was the question.

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She rarely worried about makeup. When the situation called for it, she didn’t apply an enormous amount. It wasn’t her thing or something she was very good at.

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But she had to look her best today—and hide the markings of a bad night.

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A truly frightening night.

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So terrifying she didn’t even want to think about it.

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She picked out a green blouse to accent her eyes and a pair of light-tan slacks to complete her outfit. The blouse already drew attention to her eyes. So, yeah, why draw attention to her lips.

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No lipstick.

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And her hair.

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Ugh.

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There was no helping her hair—ever. She had the longest, thickest, curliest dark-brown hair on the planet. Taming the wildness of it was a battle every day, so she didn’t engage in the war. It was what it was, and she couldn’t change that feature about herself. Instead, she tried to embrace it. Wild curls and all.

​

Maddie poked her head out of the bathroom.

​

6:30 AM

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Fifteen more minutes and she needed to be on the road or she’d be late for her first day. An opportunity of a lifetime had fallen at her feet. She was headed to Neptune to help renovate their library. If all went well, her ultimate goal would be even closer in her reach. One day she would have the run of Veston’s library.

​

Making sure to grab her phone, since she had a nasty habit of leaving it everywhere but where it should be, she headed downstairs to grab a quick bite to eat.

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Not a second behind her schedule, she exited the house out the front door as usual. The sun was making a gradual appearance.

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A gorgeous day for a beautiful new start. As long as she kept her attitude positive, it would erase the reminder of last night.

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A slight breeze whipped through her hair, twisting her unruly locks in front of her face as she headed for her car, which sent a chill straight to her bones. She should’ve grabbed a jacket.

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Then she froze in her tracks.

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Glass coated the ground, the tiny shards reflecting in the sun. A gaping hole glared at her from where the driver’s side window should’ve been.

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Her steps were laggard as she tried not to count how many long, deep scratches ran along the driver’s side panel.

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She failed.

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Eight.

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Eight long scratches ran from one end of the car to the other.

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A part of her wanted to run back inside and grab Dottie, her beloved baseball bat she’d named at the age of seven. Arm herself. Make sure nothing could jump out at her and attack.

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The other part of her made her draw closer and walk around to inspect everything.

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Only the driver’s side appeared damaged. It looked personal to her, but she wasn’t the expert. Her brother was.

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This was not a conversation she wanted to have with him, but she pulled her phone out anyway. Of course, he sounded upset and concerned all rolled into one.

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Goose bumps flushed across her skin as she waited for him to arrive.

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What she thought last night had been her imagination made her doubt herself. She’d heard noises that had frightened her to the point she’d searched the house from top to bottom, clutching Dottie in her hands as she went. When she found her cat, Ollie, scrounging in the kitchen for food, she felt ridiculous for overreacting to the sounds she should’ve recognized. That was a nightly ritual for Ollie.

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But maybe she hadn’t overreacted. Were the noises last night her cat, or something else?

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Did someone vandalize her car and then attempt to get inside the house via the kitchen door? Or was she creating nasty scenarios in her head?

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This could’ve happened at any time. Even early in the morning when she’d been sleeping.

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Shaking off the trembles—because heaven forbid her brother witness her fear—she tried to relax and calm her breathing. The last thing she needed was her brother to notice how this affected her.

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Pulling herself together, she shook off the last remaining tremors when Lucas parked behind her vehicle. He inspected her car before saying anything.

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Sometimes she hated his silent treatment while his mind processed things.

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“You can borrow my car until we can get yours fixed.”

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“Who do you think did it?” As if he would know the culprit by looking at her car.

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She resisted the temptation to tell him about the noises last night. His protectiveness already drove her insane. And she was ninety percent confident it had been Ollie making the noises, and nothing else. Ninety percent was pretty close to a hundred.

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He turned around. Deep creases lined his forehead. “We’ve had some vandalism going on around town. It could be that. Probably a bunch of kids with nothing better to do. This doesn’t help ease my worry about you driving an hour every day back and forth from Neptune.”

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“It’ll be fine, Lucas. What does this have to do with driving?”

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“I would hate it if the same maniac ran you off the road. Don’t hesitate to call me if you need me. Seriously. Call if you need me for anything.” He ran a hand over his jaw, then turned his attention back to her car.

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“How did we go from a bunch of kids vandalizing stuff to someone trying to run me off the road?” She huffed at his over-exaggeration and rolled her eyes.

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Typical protective behavior. Overreacting. Exactly the reason she didn’t want to tell him about the noises last night.

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He had the nerve to glare, then his expression softened. “Okay. Maybe I’m exaggerating.”

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There was no maybe in her mind. He was!

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“Call me when you get there.” Lucas grabbed a hug from her. “I worry about you. I know you’re excited about going to Neptune. Promise me you’ll be safe.”

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Maddie squeezed him hard, then stepped away. He might annoy her, but he was the best brother she had.

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Well, he was the only brother she had, but still. The best. “Don’t worry. I have to go. I don’t want to be late on the first day. I’m already behind schedule.”

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Lucas handed her his keys. Maddie ran for his car, hopped in, and waved goodbye as she backed out. She hoped she wouldn’t be late. First impressions were everything.

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Turning up the radio, she let her mind drift away and focused on the country music filling the car. Fifty minutes later, she made it to Neptune with ten minutes to spare.

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Before taking a turn off Dawson Street, the main drag in town, she saw a café—Trident Café.

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Coffee. That would calm her nerves.

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Today would be a good day. All she had to do was think positive.