CHAPTER-THREE

{Trigger Warning they are brief mentions of rape}

EVIE'S POV

How on earth did I get here?

The question rings in my head like a siren as I stumble through the dense forest, twigs snapping beneath my feet and thorns clawing at my ankles like nature's way of punishing me for being careless. The trees tower above me—monolithic shadows swaying gently in the wind—and the canopy lets through only scattered shafts of dying sunlight. Every sound echoes louder than it should: the distant caw of a crow, the crackle of leaves behind me, the relentless hum of mosquitoes that refuse to leave me alone.

"HOW DID I GET HERE?" I scream, my voice bouncing off the trees and coming back to me in cruel mockery.

No response. Just the rustle of wind through branches and the chorus of unseen creatures thriving in the dark. My throat burns, my chest tightens, and for a terrifying second, I think I might actually pass out.

Then it hits me.

My phone watch. It's off—dead. The GPS, the heart monitor, the emergency signal—all useless now. Gone in one single careless moment.

I'm completely alone.

"I'm going to die out here," I whisper, heart hammering like a caged bird in my chest. I try to breathe slowly, but my lungs refuse to listen. I want to cry. I should cry. But the tears are stuck somewhere deep inside, replaced by the sticky, sickening dread curling in my stomach.

All this over an argument with a market vendor. I just wanted to haggle for some cheaper rice. I thought I could beat the sunset, even without GPS. And now? Now I'm a lost seventeen-year-old girl in a godforsaken forest with no direction, no battery, and no one to call.

A mosquito buzzes by my ear, and I flinch, swatting it away. "Oh my god, leave me alone!" I yell. "You tiny vampires! Can't you tell I'm already having the worst day of my life?!"

The forest responds by shaking its trees in the wind and letting out a long, low groan from somewhere far off.

Defeated, I trudge toward a tree—an old, gnarled thing with roots like twisted fingers. I collapse beneath it, wrapping my arms around my knees. I don't know how long I sit there, but eventually, the world around me changes.

A mist seeps from the forest floor. It isn't like fog. No—it's thicker, darker, swirling with unnatural hues of violet and black, as if the shadows themselves are bleeding into the air.

AUTHOR'S POV

The mist is not of this world.

It coils like a living serpent, slithering toward Evie with silent purpose. It doesn't just surround her—it inhales her. In a panic, she scrambles to her feet, trying to back away. But she collides with something solid. Something cold.

A scream bursts from her lips, raw and terrified. "Please don't kill me! I have a mum to take care of! I'm a good-ish person—spare me!"

Behind her stands a figure—neither entirely human nor entirely spirit. She wears a flowing black gown stitched from shadows and sorrow, and a veil drapes over her face like the curtain of a long-forgotten stage. Her skin gleams pale and lifeless, like alabaster buried beneath frost. The air thickens. Time seems to stop.

She reaches out with fingers like icicles and brushes them along Evie's cheek.

"How you have grown," the woman murmurs, voice devoid of warmth. "Now, open your eyes and look at me."

Against every instinct, Evie does. She opens her eyes, and in that moment, the woman presses her long, freezing finger to Evie's forehead.

Colors explode in her vision—blacks and purples swirling into memories not her own.

EVIE'S POV

I'm falling.

Not through space, but through time. Images rush at me like a broken film reel—snippets, scenes, pain, blood, laughter turned to sobs.

Flashback: Astrid Farley's True Past

Astrid was the youngest of the Farley twins. Daphne, her sister, was a master of illusions, cloaked in charm and deceit. Everyone believed Daphne was the golden child, the innocent one. But that was the farthest thing from the truth.

It was Daphne who bullied Astrid. Daphne who twisted reality. Daphne who planted lies like weeds in the minds of others, making them believe Astrid was cruel and manipulative. Daphne claimed she was the victim—and the world, blind and eager for a scapegoat, believed her.

Their family turned on Astrid.

Even Ginger, the boy Astrid loved—no, still loves in some quiet, broken part of her soul—believed Daphne's lies. Daphne whispered poison in his ear, and he drank it all, until he looked at Astrid and saw a monster.

The pain only got worse.

Her brothers—once her protectors—turned into her tormentors. Her childhood friends became strangers, their eyes full of suspicion, pity, or hatred. And worst of all—worst of all—Ginger and his friend Robin conspired with Daphne.

They arranged for Astrid to be violated. To be broken in body and spirit.

A sick, twisted revenge. A punishment for crimes she never committed.

Her ballet career was ruined. Ostracized from the community she never even wanted to be part of. Her real dream? To open a restaurant. To create something warm, something hers. But that was stolen, too. Her name became a stain. Her dreams—dust.

And Daphne? Daphne became the Queen of Ballet. Idolized. Untouchable. Powerful.

The cruelty of it makes my blood boil.

EVIE'S POV

I sob without realizing it. Hot tears stream down my face. My mother—my strong, loving, stubborn mother—she lived through that?

No wonder she hated ballet. No wonder she never talked about my father.

The world tilts. I stumble backward, nearly vomiting from the weight of it all.

"This can't be real," I whisper. "It has to be some sick dream. A nightmare."

"It's real, Evie," the veiled woman says softly.

I turn, trembling. "Why are you showing me this? Who are you?!"

"I'm an old friend," she replies. "Repaying a very old debt. What you do with this truth is yours to decide. But your mother's pain lives in your blood. You can ignore it... or carry it forward."

The rage bubbling inside me sharpens into clarity. I ball my fists.

"I want revenge," I hiss. "Daphne. Ginger. Robin. I want them to pay. I want their perfect lives to shatter. I want them to feel what it's like to be hunted. To suffer. To be alone."

The woman regards me for a long moment. "So be it. But understand: these families—Farley, Holland, and Stevler—are not just rich. They are the richest. The power they wield dwarfs nations. If you want to take them down, you must be more than angry. You must be unstoppable."

"I promise," I say. "On my mother. Nothing will stop me."

AUTHOR'S POV

Satisfied, the woman raises her hands. Mist swirls in intricate patterns.

"I grant you two things. First, the ability to see through anything—lies, walls, facades, and time itself. Second, five enchanted feathers. Each can reveal one specific glimpse into the future. Use them wisely."

Evie blinks. "Wait, that's it? You couldn't—I don't know—fix my heart problem or at least show me the way home?"

The woman chuckles softly. "My powers are selective. You'll find the path yourself. But for now—"

She snaps her fingers.

Evie's phone watch glows back to life, fully charged.

EVIE'S POV

The mist begins to dissipate. The woman fades with it, leaving nothing but silence and the echo of ancient power in the air.

I rise slowly, glancing at my watch. The battery bar is full.

Farley. Holland. Stevler.

The three families who rose by breaking my mother.

"I'm coming for you," I whisper to the stars above, my voice sharp as a blade. "I'll infiltrate your world. Learn your secrets. Expose your rot. You've ruled for too long with lies and blood. Now it's my turn."

I take a step forward.

The night no longer feels empty.

I am no longer just Evie Nese.

I am the daughter of Astrid Farley.

And this is war.

 [AUTHOR'S NOTE: THE FAMILIES ARE THE RICHEST IN THE WORLD, NOT ONE OF THE RICHEST. THEY ARE RANKED AS STESVLER, HOLLAND, AND FARLEY. THESE THREE FAMILIES ARE AT THE TOP, AND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE THIRD AND FOURTH IS EXTREMELY HUGE; THAT IS WHY ONLY THE TOP THREE ARE INCLUDED. THE HONOR BOOK IN THE PROLOGUE PLAYS A ROLE IN EXPLAINING THE STORY IN THE WORLD'S EYES AND IN THE EYES OF OTHERS.]