Chapter 1

My sister Mollie Poole was always up to mischief.

Right before the fire crew was sent out, she hid the real danger of the blaze on purpose, and the rescue went horribly wrong. No one made it out alive.

Dozens of my teammates died in the fire too.

After the accident hit the news, I, the fire chief, got roasted on social media and became public enemy number one.

When I confronted Mollie, she threw herself into my boyfriend Cedric Rosario's arms.

Mollie choked out to Cedric, "I'm sorry, I was just messing around. I never thought everyone would be so stupid and actually believe me."

My vision went dark with rage. I was ready to call the police right then and there.

But my parents grabbed me, holding me back.

They pleaded, "Mollie's always been playful. She didn't mean it. If you send her to jail, you'll destroy her whole future. She's your own sister."

My parents, always favoring Mollie, threw me out with nothing, and Cedric testified for her, covering up the truth.

Not only was I saddled with a mountain of debt, but in the end, the furious families of the victims pushed me off a building. I died with my name stained and my soul crying for justice.

The next time I opened my eyes, I was right back to the day Mollie started her mischief.

"Phoebe, some kids messing around in the suburbs set the grass on fire. You need to send someone out there right now!" Mollie's sly voice rang in my ear.

Her familiar words hit me like a lightning bolt. I couldn't believe it. I'd really come back to life.

I was right back at the start of it all, the nightmare that ruined my life.

In my previous life, I bought into her story and thought it was nothing serious, so I only sent out two fire trucks.

But when they arrived, the whole area was blazing, fire everywhere.

There weren't any kids at all. It was a full-blown chemical plant fire, way worse than I'd imagined.

As soon as my team got there, they realized something was seriously wrong and immediately reported back to me.

Then everyone charged straight into the flames to rescue people.

By the time I scrambled to send in the rest of the crew, it was already too late.

It was already too late.

People who should've survived were all gone.

Then the second blast hit. My team didn't stand a chance. Not a single one made it out alive.

Eyes burning red, I stared at the devastation, the screams and sobs ringing in my ears, haunting me.

Once the accident blew up online, I, the fire chief, was trending for all the wrong reasons.

I was fired on the spot and became public enemy number one. Everyone wanted me gone.

But this whole disaster could've been avoided.

It was all because of Mollie's twisted prank.

When I confronted Mollie, furious and demanding to know why she lied as the dispatcher, she dove straight into Cedric's arms, sobbing.

"I was just messing around. I never thought everyone would be dumb enough to take me seriously," she said.

Cedric stepped up right away, backing her up.

He said, "Come on, Mollie didn't mean it. Why are you coming at her like this?

"You're the fire chief, aren't you? It was your call that messed everything up, not Mollie's. Don't go blaming her for your own screw-up."

My rage nearly knocked me out. I was ready to dial 911 on the spot.

But my parents grabbed me, holding me back.

They snapped, "Phoebe, are you done with the drama? Mollie was just messing around, it's not like she hurt you personally. The fire's out already, so what exactly are you still after?"

"But what about all those innocent people who died? They didn't have to die. They should've survived!" I shouted.

"Mollie tricked my team into their deaths… She killed people, and she has to answer for what she's done!" I rasped.

"It was their fate. They were doomed from the start. This has nothing to do with Mollie!" Mom snapped.

She jabbed a finger at me, her voice rising with fury. "Mollie is your sister. If you send her to jail, you'll destroy her whole future."

"What did I do to deserve a daughter like you? How could I have raised such a heartless traitor!" she spat.

My parents, always doting on Mollie, threw me out like yesterday's trash. And Cedric? He testified for her, making sure the truth stayed buried.

I was nailed to the pillar of shame, buried under a mountain of debt, and in the end, the furious families of the victims threw me off a building. I died with my reputation in ruins and my soul screaming for justice.

I couldn't believe it. When I opened my eyes, I was back on the very day Mollie pulled her prank and covered up the real fire.

Flashes of my past life's nightmare hit me hard. I clenched my fists so tight my nails dug into my palms.

I fixed Mollie with a frosty glare and barked, "This is the fire department. Here, you call me Chief."

"If you ever pull a stunt like this again, you're out," I warned.

Mollie flinched, then grumbled under her breath, her tone dripping with resentment, "Just a pathetic chief, showing off in front of me… Hmph, not like you'll last long anyway."

Going off Mollie's report, I had no choice but to stick to the rules.

So, I could only dispatch two fire trucks, just like protocol demanded.

As the trucks slowly rolled out the gate, Mollie couldn't help but snicker. "Oh, dear sister, you're so done for now."