Chapter 1

Savannah stood in front of my desk, her smile too wide, too bright.

In her hands, she held a small, antique apothecary bottle. Dark oil sloshed inside.

"For you, Chloe," she said, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. "It's a special family recipe. For good fortune."

My breath caught in my throat.

The bottle. The smell. The lie.

It all came rushing back.

A memory, so real it felt like it was happening again. A grotesque rash, like psoriasis but worse, erupting across my skin. It was red, raw, and it smelled like rotting meat. Then came the hair, coarse and black, sprouting from the inflamed patches.

I remembered the doctors, their confused faces, their useless creams.

I remembered my reflection in the mirror, a monster staring back.

I remembered Ethan, my boyfriend, my boss, looking at me with disgust before he left for good.

I remembered being fired from the job I loved, my career turning to ash.

I remembered dying alone in my apartment, ostracized and broken, the foul smell of my own body my last sensation.

And I remembered the truth I learned after death. It wasn't a disease. It was a curse. A Hoodoo crossing, fed by a cursed essential oil.

A gift from my best friend, Savannah.

She wanted my job, my looks, my life. And she took them.

Now, I was back.

I looked down at my hands. Smooth, clear skin. No rash. No hair. No smell.

I was alive. I was whole.

I had a second chance.

And I wasn't going to waste it.