Chapter 1

"Hazel, please come down! It is all my fault," Claire Brooks cried. Her face was stained with perfect, pitiful tears.

My so-called brother, Jason Brooks, pulled her into a protective hug.

He roared at me, "Hazel! Are you done throwing a tantrum? It is Claire's birthday!"

My mother, Scarlett, pointed a shaking finger at me. "The Brooks do not have such a vicious daughter! You just want to ruin us!"

My father, Gabriel, stared at me coldly.

He looked at me like I was a piece of trash that had ruined his biggest business deal. "Jump. I will just pretend you were never born."

I smiled.

In their eyes, I was worse than an enemy.

A cold, mechanical voice echoed in my mind once more.

[Life countdown complete. Host Hazel Livingston, do you confirm your departure from this world and the abandonment of all blood ties?]

I faced the biting wind. I looked down at the strangers I once called family and whispered, "I confirm."

*****

It was my second year back with the Brooks, but I was still an intruder.

Today was Claire's twentieth birthday. She was the girl who had stolen eighteen years of my life.

The ballroom dripped in gold. Crystal chandeliers cast a dreamy glow.

I stood in the walk-in closet wearing a faded, washed-out dress. I looked entirely out of place.

My biological mother, Scarlett, pushed the door open. Her face twisted in disgust the second she saw me.

"Hazel, where is the gown I picked out for you?" she snapped.

There was a clear note of disgust in her voice, barely hidden.

"That dress was too revealing," I muttered. "I'm not comfortable."

She scoffed. Her eyes raked over me like knives. "Not comfortable? You grew up in a trailer park. What do you know about comfort?

"Do not forget your place today. And do not humiliate me."

Here we went again. She always brought up my past. Like being born poor was an unforgivable sin.

I lowered my eyes and gripped the hem of my dress. I kept my mouth shut.

Two years had taught me that arguing only invited worse insults.

My silence only fueled her anger.

She snatched a champagne strapless gown from the rack and shoved it into my arms. "Put this on right now. The guests out there are high society. Do not let them think we abuse you!"

Wasn't this abuse? The mental torture hurt worse than a knife.

Footsteps echoed from the hallway. My brother, Jason, walked in.

He didn't even glance at me. He walked straight to my mom.

His voice was gentle, a tone he never used with me. "Mom, Claire is looking for you. The guests are here."

My mom's face brightened instantly. She took his hand with eyes full of love. "I'm coming."

She turned back to me. Her icy mask slipped right back into place.

"You have ten minutes to change and get your ass out there. If you pull any stunts at Claire's party..." She paused, spelling out every word. "I will break your legs."

The door slammed shut behind her.

I clutched the cold silk and slowly crouched down. The heavy perfume in the closet made me nauseous.

I pulled a tiny wooden carving from my pocket. It was a little bunny I had carved myself. I bought the wood with half a month's allowance.

Claire loved bunnies. It was the only gift I could afford.

Would she like it? She would probably just smile and toss it in the trash. Just like she did with the plant I grew for her.

I smiled bitterly and tucked the bunny away.

Suddenly, an emotionless, mechanical voice sounded in my head for the first time.

[Emotional breakdown threshold at ninety percent. System activated. Host, do you want to leave this place?]

[Host, do you want to leave this place?]

I froze.

Was this a hallucination? Was I losing my mind?

I shook my head and forced myself to stand. I took off my old dress. It was the only thing that made me feel safe.

I slipped on the revealing gown that made my skin crawl.

The girl in the mirror was flushed red with shame. She looked like a shivering, plucked bird in a gilded cage.

Whatever. Just bear with it. It would be over soon. I cannot ruin Claire's birthday.

I took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

The ballroom was alive with clinking glasses and laughter.

Claire looked like a princess in a white tulle dress. My parents and brother surrounded her. She was the sun, and they orbited right around her.

And me? I was just a shadow from the gutter, begging for a little light.

No one noticed me walk in.

If they did, they just gave me a dirty look and turned away.

I grabbed a glass of juice and shrank into a corner. I tried my best to be invisible.

Suddenly, the main lights dimmed. A spotlight hit the stage.

My dad, Gabriel, held the microphone. His face glowed with pride.

"Thank you all for coming to my daughter Claire's twentieth birthday," his voice boomed.