He steps into this world with claws of a monster, eyes of a predator, and a heart that bleeds black. Yet in this world where majority overpowers the minority, he sinks away, hiding beneath leather gloves, fancy suits and a "human skin."
And yet one day, from heaven it descends - a perfect creation made for him. 'My Beatrice,' he called it, the desires he could only dream of finally manifesting. His Beatrice, in flesh and bone, he feels with his hand; with black hair and twinkling gray eyes, he gazes with delight.
"Oh, Beatrice, my dear, the muse for my greatest poetry and prose. You change me, evolve me, and show the world who I really am. You are my salvation, my redemption, the cause of my pain and pleasure. And together, we are intertwined. You are my beginning, and I become your end."
When Jane Madarang's neighbor Natalie kills herself and leaves behind cryptic instructions, it's up to Jane and her classmates to unearth deadly secrets.
*****
Natalie Driscoll is dead.
She threw herself out a window and left her neighbor Jane to unravel their town's darkest secrets. Following Natalie's instructions leads Jane to three other high school students who all have something to hide. The four of them must carry out Natalie's final errand while solving the mysteries written in her diary. But the secrets they unearth may be far more dangerous than what they ever imagined.
Content and/or trigger warning: This story contains scenes of suicide, violence and murder that may be triggering for some readers.
[[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]