Prologue — The Night Everything Changed
APRIL 16, 2024
I stood at the edge of the Mississippi River, which stretched endlessly before me, the wind whispering through the trees as the water flowed in a rhythmic pulse. This place had always been my sanctuary, a haven where I could escape, clear my thoughts, and…
01
Chapter 01
The dead don’t talk, but Zane’s voice was still screaming in my head. It was the first thing I noticed, even before the chill of the room or the blinding light above me…
02
Chapter 02
The Greyhound bus rattled to a halt, and I stumbled out onto the street, duffel bag in hand. My legs were stiff from the hours-long trip, but the tension in my body had eased the further I’d gotten from Philly…
03
Chapter 03
I let the music lure me towards the flashing neon lights of the jazz club. Perhaps it was the music, or it could’ve been the crowd. It must’ve been the crowd…
04
Chapter 04
On some days, days like today, life gives you choices. When you aren’t even looking, it drops a piece of information at your feet and says, choose your next move…
05
Chapter 05
I froze, my hand hovering just above the door handle. That voice… I knew it immediately. Deep, smooth, and a little rough around the edges. Xavier…
06
Chapter 06
Buzz, buzzzz, buzzzz. The cursed sound drilled into my skull, dragging me from sleep. I groaned, blinking in the sunlight, desperately trying to remember why I felt so wretched…
07
Chapter 07
The following week went by in a flash of work, sleep, and texting Xavier. It was strange how quickly we fell into a routine, with him sending me random pictures of places around New Orleans and me responding with my ideas and pictures…
08
Chapter 08
AUGUST 2022
It always started the same way. With the questions. “Why so late?” I flinched at the sound of Zane’s voice. He was sitting in the corner of our tiny apartment on South Street in Philadelphia, his eyes fixed on me like…
09
Chapter 09
The clock read 11:03 pm, but time didn’t seem to exist inside the Midnight Serenade. There was only the sound of Xavier’s saxophone, the crowd cheering around me, and the taste of his kiss still lingering on my lips…
10
Chapter 10
I hadn’t slept. Not a second. I’d spent the entire night pacing the floor, jumping at every creak, my heart racing at every gust of wind that rattled the windows…
11
Chapter 11
I stepped off the streetcar, clutching my pepper spray so tight my fingers ached. Every shadow felt like a threat; every passing car felt like Zane’s eyes were watching me from the darkness…
12
Chapter 12
XAVIER
A week.
It had been a whole damn week since Mahogany moved in, and I still hadn’t told her the truth…
13
Chapter 13
XAVIER
Midnight.
Ivy had insisted I come back to her place to celebrate with the band. We killed it tonight, she told me. I deserved a drink. I needed to loosen up, let go, and have a little fun for once…
14
Chapter 14
MAHOGANY
AUGUST 21, 2023
It started with suspicion.
I had ignored the warning signs for too long—brushed off the way his phone was always face down, how he’d disappear for hours, then show up smelling like perfume that wasn’t mine…
15
Chapter 15
NOVEMBER 13, 2023
I told myself things were normal again. Normal people lie to themselves all the time. I had been back in my space for a couple of weeks now—though not the same one. My old apartment held too many ghosts, too many memories clawing at the walls…
16
Chapter 16
MAY 24, 2024
Sleep in prison wasn’t proper sleep.
It was more like slipping in and out of restless consciousness, one eye open even when exhaustion tried to pull me under…
17
Chapter 17
Secrets. Everybody had them.
Some were small—harmless, even. The kind you tuck away like loose change, barely worth noticing. Others weighed on you, pressing against your ribs like a vice, waiting for the right moment to crack you open…
Epilogue — The Truth Shall Set Me Free
They say you don’t get to choose your family. But what happens when the family you were given isn’t there to choose you back? I don’t remember much about the first few years of my life. Just flashes of my mother’s face, framed by cigarette smoke…
