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PROLOGUE
Fred
My life was a series of bad events leading to worse and ending with the most awful thing you could think of. Nothing worked out for me, and the moment it appeared it would, I’d simply say, “Stick around a minute and watch it all burn.”
I sipped my coffee as I looked out onto the garden. Most people couldn’t say they’d died before. I had…a few times. Each time I’d seen no light, no hope, nothing. But I’d always wished that someday I wouldn’t survive death. I had dreams of being a doctor, and I’d fulfilled that. But it was literally all I had to live for…and wasn’t that sad? I’d lost everything that had meant anything to me. It had been shredded and the little I’d held dear, ripped from my grasp.
I stood and walked over to the rosebush. The scent evoked a rare happy memory from my childhood…running through my grandmother’s garden, my Sunday clothes covered in dirt and tiny tears from the thorns. I’d giggle as she chased me, yelling with no threat in her voice. Until I was eight, I’d gone to her house during the spring months when there was no one to watch me, and those had been my favorite times. It was probably why spring was my favorite season. Two birds flew overhead, dancing in a spiral maneuver and I smiled as I thought about my grandmother.
With a sigh, I went to the table and once again took my coffee in hand.
“Your company is here,” Timothy, one of my staff, announced. I turned and smiled when I saw Rush and Simon walking over.
“Thank you guys for coming. Please, sit. Are you thirsty, hungry?”
“We’re good—just curious why you called us here.” Rush sat, and Simon took the seat beside him.
“I haven’t seen you both for a while…since the funeral, anyway, and my life has been sort of a mess for the last year…but also wonderful.”
Their expressions were warm. “We’ve heard some things but honestly, aside from whatever Snow and Pops mention, we aren’t too familiar with everything.” Simon shrugged. “Are you okay?”
“I wasn’t.” I sighed. “I’ve been through a lot in my short life. I’d hoped it was over and I was going to find balance, but every time I did, something would pull the carpet out from under me.”
“We’d like to hear it all from you, Fred.” Rush reached over and patted my leg.
“Well, I suppose to properly tell you this story, I’ll have to start from the end.”
Simon cocked his head. “The end?”
“Yep, because it wasn’t until after I died, that my end became my beginning.”
Rush chuckled. “I have a feeling this will be good.”
I sat back and began.
“Once upon a time…”
“No,” Simon barked. “Be real.”
“Fine.” I rolled my eyes. “This is a story about betrayal, about my enemies, and how in the end what kills you are the things you refuse to see that have been in front of you the whole time.”
CHAPTER ONE
Fred
“Okay, Holden, ten stitches have done the job.” I nodded curtly. This was the fourth time in two months he’d been in the emergency room for reckless behavior. “After twenty-four to forty-eight hours, wash around the cut with clean water twice a day. Do not use hydrogen peroxide or alcohol like last time. It only slows the healing. You can cover the wound with a thin coating of petroleum jelly and a nonstick bandage. Apply more jelly and replace the bandage daily.”
“I know the drill, Doc.”
“Do you, Holden? Because I remember explaining to you that one day your daredevil stunts would lead you to the basement and not the emergency room.”
The sixteen-year-old grunted. “I’m gonna be famous, Doc, come on.”
I sighed as I sat back in my chair, stripped my gloves off, and tossed them into the trash. “Holden, I know your mom works three jobs and isn’t home a lot. But I can’t continue to ignore the fact that you’re getting seriously injured. I’m the chief resident, but I have superiors to answer to.”
“You can’t call child services, Doc, come on.” His once sarcastic, teenage expression morphed into sheer worry.
“Then stop trying to break every bone in your body. This is your last chance.” I rolled my seat closer, narrowed my eyes, and pointed right at his face. “And don’t think going to a different hospital will mean I won’t find out. I have eyes everywhere in Westford.”
