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JADE

Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch

Marjorie Brown: Where the FUCK is Jade???

Comments:

Kerry Winsor: @Jade Clark Wake up!!! You’ll want to see this!

Mollie Wilson: She’s gonna crash out. This is bad.

When I woke up to ten texts on my phone, I thought the town had finally decided to call out Gabriel and me.

What I saw was much worse.

“Shit.” I tumbled out of bed. “I need to go.”

Gabriel blearily sat up and looked at me. “What’s wrong?”

“The land. Something about the land. I’ll see you later.”

“Wait, I’ll⁠—”

“Take care of the girls!”

I didn’t even put on a bra as I ran out the door. I was so determined to get to the spring and see what everyone was freaking out about.

My heart was pounding in my chest.

When I got to the land, a crowd had formed around the entryway. Everyone I knew was there, and they all had worry on their faces.

I found Kerry, who would have the best information.

“I’m here,” I said. “What happened?”

“Oh, dear.” She eyed me up and down. “Did you even change? Where did you get that black shirt?”

I looked down. I was wearing an old band tee that wasn’t mine.

It was Gabriel’s.

God, I was an idiot.

“Can you pretend you didn’t see this?”

She smiled. “Is that even yours?”

“Kerry,” I whined. “Focus. What happened here?”

Her smile fell. “Oh, boy. Prepare yourself.”

“I’m prepared.”

She guided me to the front of the crowd.

A gasp made its way out of me. The fence that lined the land was gone. It was crumpled into dust by trucks that were now sitting there, crushing the grass that I had run through a million and one times.

“No,” I said.