Aria Knight died at the age of 12 and that should have been the end.
What happens when she's brought back in another life with no memory of her past life and a new family, in a different world, a world her original older sister used to read about...
I felt myself sinking, cold water creeping up from my ankles until it swallowed me entirely. Panic set in as I thrashed, fighting for air that wouldn't come. My lungs burned, my head pounded as if hammered with iron nails. Struggling, I realized—something was holding me down, refusing to let me go. Fear gripped me like ice; I was drowning, and nothing I did seemed to help.
Then I saw him. Pale skin, bronze hair falling in tousled strands, topaz eyes that seemed to glow. He was holding me, guiding me toward the surface, toward safety. Salvation. Edward Cullen.
My heart slammed against my ribs as the vision of him filled my mind—then I woke, gasping, the scream I tried to hold back stuck in my throat. The bedroom was dark, but I froze, eyes darting to the corner by the closet. A shadow loomed, unmoving.
I flicked on my bedside lamp, scanning every corner. Nothing. The room was empty. Still trembling from the nightmare—or vision—I pulled Ellayla close, wrapping the small puppy against my chest, my heartbeat slowly calming. With the lamp casting a warm glow across the room, I finally let sleep reclaim me.
Minutes later—or maybe hours—I stirred again, groggy but needing to start the day. My head throbbed from the accident, each step toward the bathroom a reminder of yesterday's chaos. After a quick shower, I dressed carefully, brushing my long curls into a messy ponytail.
Ellayla trotted at my heels as I headed to the kitchen. I measured out oatmeal for myself, while Ellayla got scrambled eggs mixed with her puppy chow. Morning light filtered through the windows, but a lingering unease clung to me, the phantom weight of that dream still pressing against my chest.
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I was just finishing my oatmeal when Daddy came down the stairs, all dressed for work and holding a pill bottle in his hand.
"Good morning, princess," he said, kissing the top of my head as he set the pills in front of me and moved toward the coffee machine.
"Take two of these before school," he said without looking up, "in case your head keeps hurting."
I grabbed two pills and washed them down quickly with my orange juice.
"Or," Daddy added, smirking, "you could just stay home... keep Ellayla company."
"Can't, Daddy," I said, shaking my head. "We've got a field trip today. Easiest day of school ever—I'm not missing it. Speaking of, did you sign the permission slip?"
His eyes flicked away from mine. Silence. Yep. No.
I huffed and marched into the living room, grabbed the slip off the coffee table, and came back to him. "Sign it."
"I can't. No pen," he replied. "Better luck next time."
I rolled my eyes and reached into my school bag, pulling out my glittery blue pen. "Now you do."
