The last thing I saw was my sister Chloe' s cold, satisfied smile as the wrench came down, followed by an explosion of pain and darkness.
She whispered, "She knew too much.
She was always in the way."
Then, nothing.
I was dead, brutally murdered by my own sister because I stumbled upon her insane scheme to impersonate a missing socialite for money.
But then, I gasped, sitting bolt upright in my narrow bed.
Sunlight filtered through my grimy window.
I was alive.
It was June 14th, the day it all began, the day that, in another life, ended with my murder.
My heart hammered, my head throbbed.
I' d seen the blood, the callousness of my sister, and the boundless greed of my parents previously.
Last time, I had tried to reason with her, and it got me killed.
This time, things would be different.
A chilling calm settled deep inside me.
Chloe wanted to play a dangerous game?
Fine.
I wouldn' t stop her.
I would watch her step right into the fire she was so eager to light.
When her knock came, saccharine sweet, I took a steadying breath.
"Coming," I called out.
"Okay, Chloe," I said, a faint, cold smile touching my lips as I opened the door.
She had no idea.