In the winter of 1992, Hailie Stark's parents were both found dead in their hotel room in Rome, their skin engraved with a language nobody could recognise. Rumours swept through the town, from a planned assassination by the President of Italy himself to accusations of the room holding tormented spirits unable to pass to the other side.
Now living with her older half sister Alexis in New York city, Hailie's finally decided it's time for her to find out the truth behind her fogged past and her parents death by venturing out back to Rome herself to finally start searching for the answers she had wanted for ten years.
The more questions you ask, the more vulnerable you become. Hailie finds herself stranded in deep water after finding out a little too much for her own liking, and far too much for their liking.
Time is reversed. The impossible comes to life. Traitors are exposed and years of lies are unfolded. After all, nobody said it was easy.
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]]