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Chapter 1

Ayden

“I want you to close your eyes and relax,”voice I’ve heard at least a dozen times

I’e chair in front of him with ainst my chest as I prepare to be put under for my amnesia therapy The soft flow of the ocean drifts from the stereo, and birds chirp just outside thebeside me

“Relax,” he repeats “Clear your body and mind”

Clear my body and mind

Clear my

Body

And

Mind

I fall deep intoaround me

Around

Around

Around

“Ayden!”me so fast”

I continue to lap circles, pushing the chair she’s in “You askedyou”

“Not this fast, though!” she cries through her laughter, gripping onto the torn ar to throw up!”

“Oh, fine” I stop radually slowing to a stop

“That was fun” She bounces froers toward ainst the sheetrock wall to the side of her “Everything looks all blurry”

I laugh, sitting down on the edge of the scuffed up coffee table “Give it a minute, and it’ll stop”

She nods, sinking back into the chair “So, I heard a rumor about you”

“Oh, yeah?” I ask, vaguely interested as I pick up the remote and turn on the television The service has been turned off, though, probably because ain, so I turn it off

“Yeah, I heard you kissed Laura Fleles

I set the re of a deal”

“That’s not what I heard” Her eyes sparkle mischievously Sadie has always been the kind of sister who likes to tease irlfriend”

I roll my eyes “Well, she can tell me that herself, then”

“That’s such a boy answer”

“If you haven’t noticed, he is a boy” My older brother enters the living roo plaid pajama bottoh it’s six o’clock at night “Where’s Mom?”

I shrug “Out”

He shakes his head, aggravated and exhausted fro in at his job and school “Probably doing drugs”

“She doesn’t do drugs,” Sadie spits “Stop saying that she does”

“You’re just in denial,”for the kitchen attached to the living room

“I am not”

“Am, too”

“Would you two knock it off,” I intervene, being the peace of a deal”

“Yeah, it is” He motions around us at the shithole we’ve called home for about a year now “Look around you If you can’t see how bad things are, then you’re dumb as fuck”

“I’m not dumb” Tears overflow from Sadie’s eyes “Why do you always have to be such a jerk?”

He sighs “Look, I’s really are so maybe you can have a chance at a better future”

“I know things are bad,” she mutters, “but it doesn’t mean I have to be all mopey about it all the time”