Chapter 1
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“Which one is that?” Lauryn asked, glancing over at her younger cousin.
Juliana looked up for a moment, “The Return of the King. The third one. I’ve only just started, though.”
“How can you stand those books? They would make me absolutely insane,” Lauryn laughed.
Juliana bit the inside of her cheek, bitterly thinking how any book would drive her just-above-illiterate cousin insane. The girl was twenty years old and sneered at any book anyone ever read. She was loud, obnoxious, and dangerous behind a steering wheel...which was exactly why Juliana was looking down at her book, rather than the road. She would be sixteen in two weeks, and then she would be able to drive for herself, rather than spending white-knuckled rides on the highway to work and back every day. She felt her eyes beginning to cross, and her vision beginning to blur. Her stomach began to churn, and only then did she decide it was time to put the book down. As soon as she looked out the window, she saw a pair of headlights. Heading for them. The driver blew his horn. Lauryn gasped and turned the wheel sharply, but it was too late. Juliana let out a silent scream as the truck connected with the right side of her body. Deep red liquid seeped from her hairline to over her right eye, blinding her. She opened her mouth to say something, but before she got the chance to do so, her world went black.
What must have been hours later, she heard voices around her. The voices of her older and younger brothers; the voices of her parents. She longed to outstretch her hand and assure them she was all right, but she could not muster enough strength to even open her eyes. Everything was a blur. She was falling further and further into darkness. A flash of orange light blinded her and she landed. She felt no more pain. Under her, she felt sharp rocks and roots sticking into her flesh. Panicked voices and hurried footsteps scurried around her. One of the people grabbed her arm and dragged her a few feet, but she could not yet open her eyes to see the stranger. Her arms flailed aimlessly at anything she could grab to sit up, only to be met with a pair of hands. She was finally able to raise her head and open her eyes, only to meet another pair of very warm, very blue, very gentle eyes.