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I know it as nausea overtakes ed waves and the world spins

I know it as Dare limps across the lawn, his forehead bloody

I know it as he stands in front of me, battered and raw

“Calla, are you ok?” he whispers, his hand on my shoulder

There’s blood on his fingers

“Are you ok?” he repeats

I soe to move my head, to look up at the h it all, through all of the blood and the s

One question

“Why are you here?” I ask him stiltedly “This doesn’t make any sense”

“You knohy, Cal” A drop of blood drips from his forehead

Do I?

Suddenly, I don’t know anything

Nothing makes sense anymore

My thoughts are jagged pieces

“Where’s Finn?” my lips move

Dare stares at ent

“We’ve got to call an ambulance”

I’rabs my phone and punches at the numbers

His voice blends into the night as he speaks to the dispatcher, but one phrase penetrates the fog of my consciousness

“There’s been an accident”

I wait for his up and stares down at me before I finally speak

“Was it?” I ask hi and frail and thin “Was it an accident?”

He closes his eyes

Chapter 1

Everything is in slow motion