Chapter One

"C ome on, Soph! Stay and have a few drinks. It's Halloween!" Becky begged, jumping up and down in her bunny costume, floppy white ears bouncing around her jovial face.

"I would, but I promised my aunt I'd attend a book signing event at her job tomorrow. You know the archaeology program I was accepted into? The program director and his wife recently wrote a book. They are visiting, and I want to meet them. Which means I need to be up early." In truth, Sophia felt out of place at this party. Her friends were wonderful, but Sophia always had a sense that she was different and never quite belonged.

"Nerd." Becky stuck her tongue out at Sophia, who rolled her eyes and leaned in to kiss Becky on the cheek.

"Well, this nerd needs to pay rent and behave. My mom is shelling out a fortune for my tuition. The least I can do is deserve it." Sophia adjusted her tall, white wig as it tilted like the Leaning Tower of Pisa for the dozenth time that night. She thought being Marie Antoinette would be a great costume, but she hadn't anticipated the wig issues—or the French foreign exchange student who kept pretending to cut off her head all night.

"Wait." Becky held up a finger and narrowed her eyes. "Doesn't that guy work there? The one your aunt keeps trying to set you up with?"

"Yeah, but that has nothing to do with it. I've never seen his face. In fact, I can't even remember his name. Anyway—gotta go. Bye, everyone. Love you! See you soon." Sophia blew her friends kisses as she grabbed her purse and pulled out the keys. Her small, yellow sedan was a mild nightmare with shuddering brakes and a radio that only worked on its own terms, but it was all she could afford. Besides, it was just temporary. Soon, she'd be leaving her temporary flat in Moray and living near the University of Aberdeen's campus, so she wouldn't need the car.

Hopefully, this new stage of Sophia's life would help her discover her true self, the part of her that always felt like something was missing. She couldn't explain why, but she felt deep in her bones that the missing piece resided at the university. So, she'd left San Francisco and everything she knew to come to Scotland. She knew without a doubt that something life-changing awaited her.

Kids ran through the streets carrying bags of candy and wearing a variety of costumes, from monsters to princesses, while parents followed and reminded them constantly to stay off the lawns. A group of teenagers gathered in the parking lot just outside Becky's flat, laughing as they held bottles of alcohol.

Sophia didn't want to be the old lady telling them how to behave. After all, she was only 20, but she saw keys hanging from one of the boy's hands as he opened a silver SUV and tossed a bottle of whiskey into the passenger side. To hell with minding her own business, she decided. This boy couldn't be older than 17. He was going to kill himself or someone else, and her conscience told her to speak up.

"Excuse me," she said nicely as she walked over. "You clearly have been drinking, and there are a lot of people out tonight. You can hurt yourself or someone else if you drive."

"Aye, Mum," the kid snickered.

Sophia rolled her eyes and decided to speak with someone possibly more reasonable. Pinning her gaze on a young woman dressed like Frankenstein's bride, Sophia said, "You're going to let your friend drive off drunk and get killed? Is that how much you value your friend's life?"

The girl blanched and looked from Sophia to the boy behind the driver's seat. "Give me yer keys, Daniel. Shite, ye are goin' ta kill yerself or some wee child." She held out her hand, and Daniel, flashing Sophia a dirty look, relinquished the keys.

"Ye should mind yer own business, lady. Now I'm goin' ta be late to the party."

"Better late than dead. Have a nice night."

Sophia shook her head and walked toward her car. She hated confrontation, but maybe she'd saved a life tonight. As she slowly drove through the crowded neighborhood and entered the main road, silence and darkness replaced the bright, noisy streets she'd left behind.

When her radio popped on unexpectedly as usual, and her favorite Halloween song blared through her speakers, Sophia smiled and sang along, looking up in the rearview mirror to squint at the bright lights that suddenly began flashing behind her.

"What the…?" The same car had been on her tail since she'd left Becky's, but now its brights blinded her.

Ahead, the light turned from yellow to red, and Sophia stopped. But the blinding lights from the car behind her seemed to speed up, get closer, and flood her car's interior with a blinding brightness that made her tremble as adrenaline pumped through her veins.

The car wasn't stopping.

In a panic, Sophia laid on her horn, hoping to get the driver's attention and make them stop, but they continued to barrel forward. It was a matter of seconds, though it felt like an eternity, as she turned her wheels toward the side rail, hoping to move out of the way and avoid the oncoming car. But she felt the jolting impact as a loud crash rang in her ears, metal crunched, and glass shattered. Her body flew forward, and her face smacked against her steering wheel.

Her car plowed into the side rail, rolled down an embankment, and something warm and fluid ran down her brow as the Marie Antoinette wig slid off her head. Figures the airbags are as faulty as the radio, she thought, and then, everything went black.