Nova Grace

Prologue

𑁍 Nova 𑁍

I heard her die before the rescue team could get her.

I heard the gurgling sound of her own blood choking her, the panicked sobs erupting from her chest.

I felt her hand reaching for mine before her eyes glazed over, forever frozen in time — I'm the last person she ever saw before death thrust its claws into her.

It's been two minutes. Two fucking minutes since my best friend took her last breath. I'm still hanging upside down with the seatbelt strapped to my chest.

I can hear the sirens in the distance. They're too late. She's already gone, and I might as well be.

We should've returned home hours ago, Cadence begged me to stop drinking. To take her hand and leave the party but I didn't listen.

I didn't want to go back to my foster parents. My only anchor to that house is my twin, Rune. He's the only reason I have to save myself before the car bursts in flames.

For Rune, I cut my seatbelt and scramble out through the window...seconds before the first flame appears. Instinctively, I step back. The gravel crunches under my feet.

"I can't leave her" I whisper into the cold night before I sprint towards the driver's side, the burning heat around us is almost unbearable.

I grab my pocket knife and quickly start to cut Cadence's seatbelt but her foot catches on fire. I yelp as a flame catches the sensible skin on my wrist.

I don't know what's louder, my sobs or the popping of the fire enveloping the car.

"Please please please" I whisper as I try to get my best friend's corpse out of the car with my shaky hands, the smoke and the heat are too much. Too fucking much.

Her body falls forward but arms catch me before I can touch her. Someone pulls me back from the car.

"No! No! I can't leave her, please! Let me go!" I fight against the hold sobbing and screaming. I didn't notice a police car had gotten here.

"Please!" I scream and fall to my knees, arms still holding me in place as the car explodes. "Cadence! Cadence!" I keep screaming for my best friend as my voice turns hoarse.

My face feels wet, at this point I don't know if it's the tears or the blood pouring from the gash on the side of my head.

"Come back please" I plead, but she's never coming back...she's already dead, and her body swallowed up by the flames.

𑁍 𑁍 𑁍