The Vengeful Phoenix: No Longer Their Victim

The screech of tires was the last thing I heard. Then, a crushing weight, a flash of white, and a final, searing thought: Chloe. I woke up with a gasp, my heart hammering. I was in my dorm room, the morning sun slanting through the blinds. The date was March 15th. The day it all began. The day I died. The day I was reborn. The door creaked open. Chloe, my gymnastics teammate, poked her head in, her smile a mask of sweet innocence. "Ava, you up? Big news!" I didn't say anything. I just stared at her. The memory of her shoving me into traffic burned behind my eyes. In my first life, I saw her as a struggling friend. Now, I saw a predator. She bounced into the room, her cheap perfume filling the air. "So, for Spring Break, I'm treating the whole team! A VIP shopping spree on Rodeo Drive!" This was the lie that launched my ruin. "They need everyone's ID for the list," she said. "Can I just get a quick pic of your driver's license?" In my first life, I handed it over without a second thought, eager for approval. That simple act had allowed her to steal my identity, my future. My credit ruined, my career ended. All while my boyfriend, Liam, had stood by her side. Even helped her. This time, my voice was ice. "No." Chloe' s smile faltered. Liam walked in, wrapping his arms around her. "What's going on, ladies?" Chloe' s eyes welled up instantly. "Ava's being so weird! She won't even let me see her ID." Liam looked at me, his handsome face clouded with disappointment. "Ava, come on. Don't be selfish." He hadn't defended me as I lay dying in the street. He chose her. Always her. Rage simmered, cold and potent. I wasn't that naive girl anymore. They wanted my ID? They wanted my life? This time, they would pay. And it would be glorious.