Linnea's POV
The pregnancy test in my hand has two pink lines.
My heart stops. My hands shake so badly I almost drop it into the toilet. This can't be real. This can't be happening.
I'm seventeen years old. A senior. Supposed to graduate in six months and go to Yale. I have a full scholarship. My whole future planned out.
And now this.
I stare at those two pink lines until they blur. My ex-boyfriend Jericho's face flashes in my mind—his stupid smile when he said he loved me, right before I found him making out with my former best friend Katie at that party three months ago.
Three months ago. Right before we broke up.
Oh god. Oh god oh god oh god.
I shove the test into my backpack and stumble out of the school bathroom. My legs feel like jelly. The hallway spins. I need to get home. I need to think. I need to—
"Linnea Marie Thorne!"
My mom's voice cuts through the chaos in my head like a knife. I spin around and there she is, standing in the middle of the school hallway in her fancy blue dress and too-much makeup, smiling like she just won the lottery.
What is she doing here?
"Mom?" My voice comes out weird and squeaky. "Why are you at my school?"
She rushes over and grabs my hands, her eyes all shiny with tears. "I have the most wonderful news, sweetheart! I couldn't wait to tell you!"
No. No no no. I can't handle more news right now. I literally just found out I'm pregnant. My brain is already exploding.
"Can we talk at home?" I try to pull my hands away but she holds on tighter.
"We're getting married!" she squeals.
I blink. "What?"
"Daemon proposed! Last night! Look!" She shoves her left hand in my face. There's a massive diamond ring on her finger, so big it looks fake. "We're getting married in three days!"
The hallway tilts sideways. "Three days? Mom, you've only been dating him for like four months!"
"Five months," she corrects, like that makes it better. "And when you know, you know! Daemon is amazing, Linnea. He's rich, he's handsome, he's perfect. And he wants us to move to his estate immediately so we can be a family!"
"Move?" The word feels like a punch to my stomach. "Move where?"
"Washington state! The Pacific Northwest! It's beautiful there, honey. Forests and mountains and fresh air—"
"Washington?!" I yank my hands free. "Mom, I'm a senior! I graduate in six months! I have college applications and scholarships and—"
"You can finish senior year at Silvercrest Academy. It's a private school on Daemon's property. Much better than this public school anyway." She waves her hand around like my school is trash. "And you can apply to colleges from there. This is a good thing, Linnea!"
My chest feels tight. I can't breathe. "You can't just uproot my entire life because some guy you barely know proposed!"
"Daemon is not just some guy." Her smile disappears. Her voice goes cold. "He's my second chance at happiness. Your father died five years ago, Linnea. I've been alone, struggling, working two jobs to keep us afloat. Daemon is offering us a better life. Security. A real home."
Guilt twists in my stomach. I know Mom's been working hard since Dad died. I know money's tight. But this is insane.
"What about my friends? What about—"
"You'll make new friends." She softens a little, touching my cheek. "I know it's scary, honey. Change is always scary. But Daemon has a son your age. Caspian. He goes to Silvercrest Academy too. You'll have someone to show you around."
A stepbrother. Great. Just what I need.
"Mom, please." My voice cracks. "Can we at least wait until after I graduate? Six more months. That's all I'm asking."
"The wedding is in three days, Linnea. We're moving in two days." Her voice is firm. Final. "Start packing tonight. I'm sorry, but this is happening."
She kisses my forehead and walks away, her heels clicking on the tile floor, leaving me standing there with my world falling apart.
I make it to my car before I start crying. Big, ugly sobs that hurt my chest. Everything is ruined. Everything.
I'm pregnant.
I'm moving across the country.
My senior year is destroyed.
And I have nobody to talk to because my best friend moved to California last month and Jericho—the father of this baby—is dating Katie now.
I don't know how long I sit there crying. Eventually my phone buzzes. A text from an unknown number.
Unknown: Welcome to the family, little sister. Hope you survive the move. Things are different where we're going. Very different.
My blood runs cold. Who is this? How did they get my number?
I text back: Who is this?
Three dots appear. Then disappear. Then appear again.
Unknown: Your new stepbrother. Caspian. Mom told me about you. Just a friendly warning—stay out of my way when you get here. And whatever you do, don't go into the forest after dark. Bad things happen to humans who wander alone.
Humans? What a weird way to phrase that.
I text: What's that supposed to mean?
No response. The dots don't even appear.
I stare at my phone, my heart pounding. What kind of creepy stepbrother sends threatening messages before even meeting?
Then another text comes through. Different number. Also unknown.
Unknown: Forget what Caspian said. He's just being dramatic. I'm Sloane—I go to Silvercrest Academy. Your mom asked me to reach out and help you settle in. Text me when you get here. You're gonna need a friend.
Unknown: P.S. Seriously though. Don't go in the forest at night. He wasn't lying about that part.
My hands start shaking again. What kind of place is my mom dragging me to?
I look down at my backpack where the pregnancy test is hidden. Two pink lines that changed everything.
I have three days to pack up my entire life.
Two days before I move to some mysterious estate in the middle of nowhere.
And apparently a forest I'm not allowed to enter after dark for reasons nobody will explain.
Oh, and I'm pregnant with my ex-boyfriend's baby.
I drop my head onto the steering wheel and scream.
This is officially the worst day of my life.
And somehow, I have a feeling it's about to get so much worse.