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Stolen Life, Stolen Style

Stolen Life, Stolen Style

Gavin

5.0
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11
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My eyes snapped open. The dorm room ceiling, with its familiar water stain shaped like a crooked smile, loomed above. Across the room, Brianna Jones hummed softly, applying makeup. She wore a cheap copy of my cashmere sweater. My heart hammered against my ribs. This wasn' t right. This was weeks ago. The memories crashed down: the Paris program acceptance, the "going away" party, the sickening taste, then absolute darkness. Brianna had poisoned me. I saw her smirk, remembered collapsing. Yet here she was, her reflection smiling sweetly in her compact mirror, her voice falsely cheerful. "Morning, sleepyhead," she chirped. This was the ambitious girl from a small town. My roommate. The one who wanted my life. I stared at her, the image of her malicious triumph at my party seared into my brain. The subtle digs, the way she' d implied I was the copycat, her constant imitation of my style, my social media. She' d meticulously cataloged me, then painstakingly isolated me, even turning away Liam, the hockey captain I genuinely liked. All my kindness burned away in the hospital bed I now only remembered. "You okay, Ava?" she asked, a tilt to her head. "You look like you've seen a ghost." My parents always told me I was too trusting, too eager to see the good in people. They were right. This inexplicable situation felt like a cruel joke, yet it was real. The date on my phone confirmed it. Several weeks before the party. Before she tried to kill me. I had a second chance. And this time, I wouldn' t be naive. I wouldn' t be kind to the snake in my room. This time, Ava Miller wouldn't be a doormat. This time, I would fight.

Introduction

My eyes snapped open.

The dorm room ceiling, with its familiar water stain shaped like a crooked smile, loomed above.

Across the room, Brianna Jones hummed softly, applying makeup.

She wore a cheap copy of my cashmere sweater.

My heart hammered against my ribs.

This wasn' t right.

This was weeks ago.

The memories crashed down: the Paris program acceptance, the "going away" party, the sickening taste, then absolute darkness.

Brianna had poisoned me.

I saw her smirk, remembered collapsing.

Yet here she was, her reflection smiling sweetly in her compact mirror, her voice falsely cheerful.

"Morning, sleepyhead," she chirped.

This was the ambitious girl from a small town.

My roommate.

The one who wanted my life.

I stared at her, the image of her malicious triumph at my party seared into my brain.

The subtle digs, the way she' d implied I was the copycat, her constant imitation of my style, my social media.

She' d meticulously cataloged me, then painstakingly isolated me, even turning away Liam, the hockey captain I genuinely liked.

All my kindness burned away in the hospital bed I now only remembered.

"You okay, Ava?" she asked, a tilt to her head.

"You look like you've seen a ghost."

My parents always told me I was too trusting, too eager to see the good in people.

They were right.

This inexplicable situation felt like a cruel joke, yet it was real.

The date on my phone confirmed it.

Several weeks before the party.

Before she tried to kill me.

I had a second chance.

And this time, I wouldn' t be naive.

I wouldn' t be kind to the snake in my room.

This time, Ava Miller wouldn't be a doormat.

This time, I would fight.

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Other books by Gavin

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The Monster They Made Me

The Monster They Made Me

Short stories

5.0

My life was perfect. I was Sarah, a loving mom, taking my sweet six-year-old Lily to Kids' Kraft Korner, all smiles and glitter castles. In an instant, my world shattered. A bloodcurdling scream. I raced back inside to find Lily' s lifeless body, her head gone, crafting shears beside her. My heart died. The real nightmare began. My best friend, Jessica, shrieked, pointing at me. Detective Harding arrested me. My own husband, David, abandoned me, highlighting my past postpartum depression. The media branded me a monster; "Suburban Mother Snaps, Murders Daughter" screamed headlines, bolstered by manipulated footage and a janitor's twisted testimony. Under relentless accusations, I plunged into a torturous haze. Dr. Peterson, a psychologist David suggested, hypnotized me. Horrifying images flooded my mind: me, holding the shears, filled with rage, striking Lily. I confessed, truly believing the implanted memory, convinced I was a child killer. The "recalled" physical evidence-Lily' s head, found exactly where I "remembered" it-seemed to seal my monstrous fate. I was lost in self-loathing. Still, even through the despair, a tiny flicker of inner doubt persisted. Could I really have done this? Then, as I was dragged to court, I saw Jessica in the crowd. She wasn't yelling. She was smiling. A small, smug, triumphant smile. It wasn't my madness. That hateful smile ignited something raw. "You did this, Jessica! You set me up!" I screamed, tearing at my restraints. "She's having an affair with my husband! David is the father of her son!" My desperate accusation, fueled by rage, finally started to unravel the terrifying conspiracy, pulling me from the abyss of my false memory.

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