The 21st Birthday Loop

aned heavily on a cane, her face pale and drawn. She had been "s

d, her voice thin but carrying auth

tion wasn' t for me. It was for the family' s reputa

this to me again. I lunged past Mary, grabbing the heavy iron fireplace poke

t think she possessed, steppe

the side of the head wit

surprised sound, her eyes wide. She swaye

m went

common plant extract she was severely allergic to, had weakened he

ozen. Then Caleb let out a ro

d, his face turning a blotchy

ribs. I fell to the floor, curling into a ball as he kicked me over and over. The party guests

es bloody. He looked down at me, his ey

so much?" he snarled. "Y

on the floor. He threw me down the basement stairs, the same basement from my

pped in front of Caleb. A mother protecting her son. But as she fell, her eyes had met mine. There was no lo

' ll never

pped me, ev

d cooked thousands of meals, washed mountains of laundry, tended to e

door, low and menacing, c

ith rage. "I' m going to keep you down here. I' m going to make you wi

n a lock echoed in the darkn

eb, honey, come away from there. Let' s... let' s call

the promise of a suffering far worse than my first life. I