Chapter 1

On my birthday, my sister took me to the amusement park.

But I turned around, and she was gone.

Twelve years later, I finally found her in a reeking basement.

By then my sister had been tortured until she barely looked human, burrowing into the trash pile at the sight of anyone.

That was when I understood.

The harmless-looking toy bear at the amusement park had a raving monster hidden inside it.

Not long after we got her out, on a rainy day, my sister jumped from a building and killed herself.

My parents' hair turned white overnight, and they died in grief.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the year I turned six.

The giant costumed mascot was walking toward my sister.

"Little girl, want to go with the bear and get more candy?"

I yanked my sister behind me and planted myself in front of her.

Then I snatched up the iron shovel beside me and swung it hard.

"Get away!"

"Don't touch my sister!"

...

"Aria, what are you doing?"

My sister dragged me back, angry, then turned to him full of apology.

"I'm so sorry, my sister didn't mean it. Are you hurt? Should we go to the hospital?"

"I'm fine."

The monster's voice went off right beside my ear.

My whole body went rigid.

He was grinning, as if nothing had happened.

He opened his palm again and held it out to my sister.

"Looks like the little one doesn't like candy. Why don't you pick one?"

Ice ran through me.

In my last life, it had been this candy too.

"Molly Harding, can we go home? I don't feel good. I want to go home."

I clung to my sister's hand, my voice shaking to pieces.

"You don't feel good?"

But before she could say anything more,

he curled his lips into a slick smile and bent down toward me.

"How about I take you to the hospital, sweetie?"

"Get away! Don't touch me!"

I screamed on instinct.

My scalp crawled.

"Aria!"

My sister's brows drew tight.

"How can you be so rude? Apologize to him right now."

"Oh, it's fine, it's fine, she's just a kid."

He smiled and waved it off, then pulled off the mask head.

"I've got nothing going on right now anyway, so let me take you. Two kids with no grown-up around, that's not exactly safe. Maybe I can help."

One look.

Every hair on my body stood up again.

That sinister face, the mole at the corner of his eye.

I would never forget it, not if I died.

Oswald Chavez.

It was him.

It was this face that had shoved my sister into a pit she could never climb out of.

"Molly, I'm fine now. We're going home right now!"

My breath caught.

My mind raced.

No. He could not get us alone.

There were too many people in the park now, so he wouldn't dare do anything out in the open.

But if he followed us somewhere quiet, then what?

Worse still, his eyes clung to my sister, sick and greasy.

"Get away from us! Stay back!"

My eyes went wide with rage, and I stepped forward and shoved him hard.

"Aria Harding! That's enough!"

After the third time, my sister's face went completely dark.

She almost never yelled at me.

Because our parents had raised us from the start to be humble and polite, never arrogant or overbearing.

She thought I was throwing a fit for no reason.

Oswald let out a bitter little laugh and stepped back.

"It's all right. I've just never been the type people take to. The little one probably thinks I stink, looks down on someone who does petty work like me."

"But there's no help for it. I've got two kids at home to feed, about the same age as you two. Seeing you reminds me of my own children, so I can't help wanting to be kind to you."

Lies!

He was lying.

I screamed without a sound.

He had no children at all.

That place was full of innocent girls.

But that grovelling, pitiful act only made my already gentle sister go soft in a way she couldn't fight.

"No, no! You're a good person! My sister's just not herself today. I'm so sorry. Thank you for being so kind."

"But we won't trouble you. I'll take her to the hospital myself."

The moment she said it, a flash of cunning lit Oswald's eyes as he caught the gap.

"Then where are the grown-ups in your family? When are they coming to pick you up?"

"They..."

My sister was about to blurt out that our parents weren't coming today.

I cut in fast and pointed at a middle-aged couple taking photos not far off.

"My mom and dad are over there waiting for us!"