Vivica Chat seems to be your run-of-the-mill teenage runaway. Greasy unkempt hair and clothes, pitiful expression, and a jaded demeanor. Then she stumbles, a wandering vagabond, into the small village of Verger's Corners, nestled quietly away in a foreboding forest. The name seems familiar to her, and with nowhere else to go she seeks refuge there. To her delight, the town graciously accepts her.
All is well.
Then she meets Lucius Verger, and uncovers a trail of tears back to the town's nefarious origins. And Lucius' father, Vincent Verger, the charming, yet off-putting mayor, isn't too keen on letting her stay anymore... Nor is he willing to let her leave.
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]]