"Valerie. When will you ever learn?" The deep shaky voice of the drunken man stood above little Aliyah.
She shook in fear, feeling the blood go from her lip and onto her teeth. She tasted the bitter taste of iron on
her tongue, making her squint her hazel orbs shut. Aliyah always wondered why her eyes decided to be Hazel.
She once took a glimpse of her fathers, only to be meeted by black ones instead. He would then go over and slap
Aliyah with a hard palm, before going back to what he was doing best. Drinking. She would then awake from her
nightmare of memories somehow, safe. She felt her newly clean sheets and her fluffy white pillow. In here, she felt
like a princess. But she soon realized he would see her today, and the abuse starts again. Valerie crawled into a
ball ad felt the burn seep into her eyes. Why was she there? That's a good question. People say it's because of
her attitude. Some even say she cuts herself even though her life is perfect. But in real life, she was never safe.
She never had an attitude she can call her own. She never had anybody or anything that loved her. Her father just
wanted a day off as they say. More like a year with monthly visits.
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.
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