Other half

Romy Mercer has never been afraid of death.

Living has always been the more complicated part.

At sixteen, she's already perfected the essentials: never cry in front of anyone, always throw the first punch if necessary, and when life gets particularly shit, climb onto the roof with a blunt and her twin brother.

Jude Mercer is nine minutes older than Romy.

According to Jude, this makes him wiser.

According to Romy, it makes him nine minutes closer to death.

It's funny.

Until it isn't.

After their abusive alcoholic father drinks himself to death, Romy and Jude are sent to live with Nathan, the uncle they never knew existed, and suddenly find themselves attempting something neither of them has much experience with.

Being normal teenagers.

For Romy, that means new friends, questionable parties, even more questionable decisions and Cal, a popular footballer with a stupidly nice smile and the kind of happy family she isn't entirely convinced is real.

For Jude, starting over isn't quite so easy.

But Romy isn't worried.

Jude has always been there.

Through every slammed door. Every drunken rage. Every bruise. Every night spent laughing on the roof when there was absolutely nothing to laugh about.

They survived their father.

They'll survive everything else.

Because no matter how fucked life gets, there's one thing Romy has always known for certain.

There are two of them.

There have always been two of them.