Chapter 1

LEINDRA’S POV. When people go home, it is expected that there should be a feeling of nostalgia, a feeling of childhood wonder at being back where you grew up. For me, it was the direct opposite. My skin crawled as I took in the familiar streets and I wanted nothing more than to run as far as I could but I had nowhere to go. A few years ago I ran. I packed my bags and I ran to the city. I wanted nothing to do with the life of Lunarius. It was your typical small town where everyone knew everyone and you were expected to be mated to your best friend and have children who grow up and never leave. I wanted more from life and more to life but my plans brought me right back. I needed gas so I stopped directly in front of a diner I used to visit as a child. They used to have the best burgers in the entire town and they were always available. A part of me hoped it wasn’t there anymore. That way, I could have felt like the town had changed a little but it stood there in all its faded and broken window glory. The town was exactly as I left it: small, dirty roads, quiet people, unchanged and so tiny that I felt like I was being suffocated. I left when I was eighteen. I was eager to see the world, but now, at twenty-three, I could say that the world was filled with nothing but disappointment. When I left, I was an optimistic child hoping that I would make some money and live in a lavish mansion. I ended up working as a waitress being paid meager peanuts and I lived in an apartment that resembled a shoe box but was pricier than a designer bag. My landlady kicked me out and I knew I had nowhere else to go. I hadn’t paid rent in five months and I could barely feed myself. I had lost my job and I knew that as stubborn as I was, I would rather live in Lunarius than starve out in the city. I shoved my pride down and used the last money I had to buy gas and drive myself back. I looked around the town hoping to see something or someone different but everyone was the same. Suddenly, I noticed a group of men inside the diner. They were sitting by a booth against the wall and if it wasn’t for the broken window then I wouldn’t have been able to see them. They were clad in all black with bandanas as if it was a uniform and they were whispering to each other in hushed breaths. I could tell that they weren’t from Lunarius because no one here would have dressed that boldly. People were staring at them but they didn’t seem to care. It was like they were oblivious to the stares they were receiving from people. I wondered who they were but then I felt the hair at the back of my neck stand. I knew I was being watched so I discreetly looked around to find the source of the stare and I saw him. He was standing at the front door of the diner and he was watching me through dark shades. He was very tall and that said a lot because I wasn’t a short person myself. He had a five o’clock shadow and his dark hair hung in curls around his shoulders. He looked at me like I knew him and there was an air of familiarity around him but I was sure I had never met him because if I met someone like him, there was no way I would have forgotten. He looked like an Adonis carved straight from marble and the way he stared at me sent shivers down my body and dried out my mouth. My heart felt like someone had taken an electrical current to it. I felt a light sheen of sweat on my brow as if I had run a marathon and I couldn’t explain why I felt that way. I subconsciously checked myself in the mirror to make sure I looked okay. I was wearing ripped jeans and a corset top. My long blond hair was in a ponytail at the back of my head and my light blue eyes looked tired and worn out. I felt the pump jerk in my hand and I remembered what I was doing. I quickly placed the pump back in place and closed up my car. I could still feel the man’s eyes on me as I walked around to get into the car. Even though his shades were still on, I could tell he was tracking me and it took everything in me to get into my car and not stare at him. As I drove off, I couldn’t help but watch through the rearview mirror. As if he knew I was watching him, I saw the corner of his lips quirk up and I quickly looked away briefly. I turned back to the mirror just in time to see him become a speck of dust in my peripheral. Even though I couldn’t see him anymore, he was still ever present in my mind. I drove a few more minutes before I got to my destination. The house was just as I remembered, with brick walls and a zinc roof. Daisies still littered the front lawn and the same purple bicycle with the broken handlebar sat in front of the house. I stared up at my childhood home trying to conjure up the strength to get out of the car. I could see the tail end of my brother’s black car peeking out from the garage so I knew he was home. I hadn’t seen him in five years and I was unsure of how he was going to react to me. Would he be happy or would he be upset that I left in the middle of the night without a goodbye? I got out of the car and took the worn-out and faded box that held all my belongings. I dragged it up the porch and up the front steps and I stopped in front of the door. I exhaled deeply and pushed the doorbell. I heard a little commotion inside before the door was finally pulled open. Shock filled my family’s features as they took me in and I smiled softly. “Hi,” I said. “Can I come in?”