Chapter 1

The scream died in my throat as I shot up in bed, the phantom pain of my old life' s end still clinging to me, cold and sharp.

My room. My teenage room.

Sunlight, not the dim, grimy light of the commune, streamed through the window.

It wasn' t a dream. I was Sarah, a teenager again, but with the scars of a full, horrific life etched onto my soul.

My adopted siblings, Ethan and Chloe. They were the reason for that horror.

Betrayal. Death. And now, a second chance.

My mom, Emily, was downstairs, her kind heart oblivious. My dad, David, hardworking and trusting, also unaware.

Not for long.

"Sarah! Mom wants you!" Ethan' s voice, already edged with the whining entitlement I remembered so well, cut through the morning quiet.

I took a deep breath, pushing down the surge of old hatred.

This time, things would be different.

I went downstairs. Emily was in the kitchen, making breakfast. David had already left for his small business.

Ethan sat at the table, scowling. Chloe, his twin, was perched beside him, already perfecting her innocent, manipulative look.

"Sarah, finally," Ethan said, not looking up from his phone. "Tell Mom I need that new Helios gaming PC. Everyone at school has one."

Emily sighed, turning from the stove. "Ethan, we've talked about this. It's too expensive."

"It's not fair!" Ethan slammed his phone down. "We never get anything good."

Chloe chimed in, her voice dripping with false concern. "Mom, maybe if things are tight... Sarah and Ethan could, you know, make a point? Show you how serious he is?"

She glanced at Ethan, then at me. "Like, if they ran away for a bit? Just to make you and Dad understand?"

My blood ran cold. This was it. The catalyst.

In my first life, I was a naive fool, desperate for their approval, and I went along with their "plan." Ethan used it to get away, to find his wealthy, abusive "adopter." I ended up in hell.

Not this time.

"No," I said, my voice firm, surprising them all.

Ethan stared. "What?"

"I said no, Chloe," I repeated, looking directly at her. "That's a stupid idea. And I'm not running away anywhere."

Emily looked relieved. "That's right, Sarah. Running away solves nothing."

Chloe' s eyes narrowed, a flicker of something ugly in them before she smoothed it over. "Oh, I was just brainstorming, Sarah. No need to be so harsh."

Ethan just grumbled, "Whatever. You're just scared."

I wasn't scared. I was furious, and I was ready.