The Day Death Died

The Day Death Died - Chapter 1

Most days blend together in a blur of routine, barely distinguishable from one another. Wake up, eat, go to school, deal with my brother, and rinse, repeat. So why would today be any different? No reason at all, right? But life has this funny way of flipping you upside down when you least expect it. Sometimes it only takes a single moment to turn everything you thought you knew into chaos. And more often than not, those moments sneak up on you.

Let me back up. My name's Maddison Sinclair—Maddy, to anyone who knows me. I live in the kind of suburban town that's small enough to be boring but big enough to still feel anonymous. My mom, dad, and bratty little brother, Brayden, share our two-story house with a revolving door of rescue animals—two cats and three dogs, to be exact. My mom has a habit of falling in love with anything that breathes and has fur, and my dad is too much of a softie to say no to her or any strays that come our way.

"Maddy!" my mom's voice called from downstairs, shaking me out of my thoughts.

I took a final look in the mirror, inspecting my eyeliner and taming a strand of hair that refused to behave. Honestly, the mirror and I had a bit of a love-hate relationship. Some days, I thought I looked great. Other days, not so much. But today, I was feeling okay. The flick of eyeliner was sharp enough, and my hair was behaving—more or less.

"I'll be right there!" I shouted back, shoving a lip gloss into my school bag. I didn't even get a chance to leave my room before her voice echoed again from below.

"Maddy, come on! Breakfast is ready!" she called, louder this time.

Sighing, I gave the mirror one last look, grabbed my phone, and headed downstairs. The smell of waffles hit me before I even reached the bottom step. My mom's specialty—crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, drowned in syrup. My stomach growled in approval.

Sliding into my chair at the kitchen table, I smiled at the spread before me. Mom placed a fresh plate of waffles in front of me, and I immediately grabbed the syrup, drenching the stack.

"Waffles for breakfast. What's the occasion?" I asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

She shot me a look, hands on her hips. "Does there have to be an occasion to make sure my daughter eats something before school?"

"No, I guess not," I said, stuffing a giant forkful into my mouth. "Make it a double stack, though. I'm skipping lunch today."

"Skipping lunch? Again? Maddison, that's not healthy." She frowned at me, setting a mug of coffee on the table. "And you really don't need coffee, either."

I rolled my eyes, barely able to respond through my mouthful of waffles. "Mom, I'm sixteen. I can handle coffee, and I'm busy. Besides, you drink it."

"I'm forty, Maddison. I've earned my coffee after years of dealing with teenagers like you. You, on the other hand, have no excuse."

I smirked and took a long sip, savoring the creamy French vanilla creamer I'd poured in. "Well, I have a lot going on today. I'm heading out at lunch to grab supplies for the homecoming dance."

She raised an eyebrow. "Supplies? Shouldn't the principal be handling that?"

I swallowed the next bite and rolled my eyes. "Mom, I'm student body president. It's my job to make sure the decorations are perfect. Principal Jones is trusting me with this. Plus, it'll give me a break from school."

She sighed, shaking her head. "Just be careful, okay? And don't let this school stuff stress you out too much."

"Don't worry, I've got it under control," I mumbled, already halfway through my waffle stack.