Saving Grace (on hiatus)

Ch 1: This Terrible Habit of Dying

A/N: consider this a book preview chapter.

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Grace POV:

Ever since I was a little girl people have died around me. 

Constantly. 

wherever I went someone died, whether they were a stranger in a passing car or a family member, at least one person died when I left my house.

I would know considering in the past 4 years of being homeschooled I put a valiant effort forward to track down all the mysterious deaths near me.

No one around me died a normal death, it was always something strange, starting with my perfectly heathy doctors heart failing a matter of minutes after I was born. 

Suicides from happy people and murders hours after my leaving.

Death followed me.

I didn't understand it, I didn't even notice how abnormal all of it was until puberty.

I started seeing shadows out of the corner of my eye the same time I realized that its not normal to see so much death in one life.

When my body started to bud into a woman's everything went downhill. 

I have made peace with my being a crazy woman and a bad luck charm

I have settled with the idea of never leaving my home, I even found a quaint cottage to move to after I graduate and turn 18, one where Amazon can drop off my groceries.

But my parents decided that school, real school would be a good idea of my last year of high school. "mom..dad I don't want to!"

My mother looked at me and sighed, "Gracie..we love you and your a healthy young girl you should be going out with friends and maybe even boys."

My face drained of color. I was mortified, "mom. boys really? I have a life I don't need boys."

She rolled her eyes, "last time I checked you were always drooling over actors and there like."

I flushed. Well...I am a teenage girl I get a little hot from time to time took.

But I can just get pornos and sex toys when I move out..If I'm brave enough..

I don't need another person. People get killed around me, I can't even imagine what having sex with me would do to a person. I'm not dateable, not lovable. I'm just not. 

My dad patted me on my shoulder, "its only a few months sweetheart. you will be fine your a great girl." He ruffled my blonde hair before walking off, my mother trailing behind to help with dinner. They always cooked together. 

It was sweet, the sort of marriage a girl should dream of. 

I avoided dreaming about even being touched by a man.

~~

I lie awake at night. the day eating away at my mind.

I was being forced back out there. where I never wanted to be. 

People were going to die. 

I cant't tell my parents.

I did that when I was 14 and they sent me to therapy. 

My therapist committed suicide 2 years later.Apparently after my first day there her husband had died in a car crash. 

I had met her husband in the lobby briefly that same day. 

the guilt of it all weighed heavily on me. I knew it wasn't my fault...but it was in a way.

I looked up the most unpopular bar I could find in walking distance, It was stupid and reckless but I need a drink. Something to take the edge off..thats why lots of people drink..just one and I'll leave.

I put on a coat and climbed out the window.

~~ 

The bartender was a woman with too many tattoos to count and skin that smelled like an ash tray.

but she didn't even card me, as long as I had money she didn't care. 

Those shadows danced around her strangely, but as always disappeared when I looked directly at them.

I opted to stare at my drink. I was drunk enough for it to be interesting.

"Aren't you a bit young to be drowning your sorrows?"

I jumped a bit looking up to the man sitting next to me, "when did you..?"

He waved a hand dismissively, "it does not matter when I got here."

My brain was too tired to deal with this.."I am not too young."

His lips quirked up a bit, his slick black hair barely visible in the dim bar, "very well then careful when picking your poisons little sinner."

I wrinkled my nose at the name, "my names Grace."

He looked bitterly amused, "I do not care much for names. But you are an interesting one Grace. you look so out of place here."

Says the man in the expensive suit.

his fingers tucked under my chin as he forced me to look at him, "what really brings you here little sinner? what are you trying to drown?"

Everything seemed to slow and quiet around us and I found the words flying out before I could stop them, "My name is Grace...and people around me have this terrible habit of dying."

"Lovely." He grinned down at me, "absolutely perfect."

My heart stopped for a beat when I fully processed the perfectly sharp teeth, stark white in the dark. 

I blinked a few times, rubbing at my eyes.

He was gone.

I looked to the bar tender, "uh..did you see someone?"

She rose a brow, but smiled a little to herself, "just you staring off into space for a good minute.

I pushed away my drink. paid, and left the bar.

Her voices trailed behind me, "Goodnight little sinner."