Abilene Quershi was born when the rain poured and the earth quaked weeks earlier. Soon after her birth, the sun beamed as snow settled on the ground. As Abilene's Maid, Alia, described the day as emotional. Abilene always thought the idea was ironic, considering she was forbidden to show any sort of emotion. Happiness is a curse, her father the 'Scorpion' dictator had wrote. Najila, Scorpion, Dictator, teacher; Abilene knew all these names too well for the man she had come to know as Father. As for the country she would rule one day, they knew him as Scorpion. "He attacks if you come to close, and has a hard glare with eyes made of fire." Destined to be dictator or Not, Abilene is determined to find out the truth, even if it means getting past the one she has pondered all her life. The Scorpion.
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]]