Chapter One

Death. Such a beautiful word for something so gruesome and chilling. A more fitting alternative to the word would be either demise or quietus, though quietus is a far more soothing word. You might use quietus to tell someone they are dying, to soothe their pain and soften the blow slightly. People die all the time. It’s said 106 people die every minute, which is a horrifying thing to think about.

    But some people are given second chances. Some people come back from the dead to live another life. These people can live under the radar, without other people even knowing they existed. These people are a specific species of  being, called the Samsara, a word meaning the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. The Samsara’s second chances never end, as each life is a new one, meaning a new second chance is given each time they pass.

    Most Samsara know what they are, though there are a chosen few who have no idea until they are reborn the first time. After that first time, they are given a mentor who teaches them the ways of the world--the real world, not the one humans know, as there is much, much more to the world than the humans realize.

    Rona Morgan is one such Samsara. Aged sixteen, she was a smart girl who at the same time was not very smart, as she had no idea that she wasn’t human. She went to high school like a normal girl, had friends like a normal girl, had a loving family like a normal girl . . . nothing seemed to be out of place in her life. Nothing seemed to be different. Until one day.

It was a late October morning, and Rona woke to a humming noise. Furrowing her eyebrows, she sat up quietly, trying to decipher what the noise could be. It couldn’t be the sound of her father making a milkshake, it was too early. It couldn’t be the sound of her mother working out on the treadmill, as she only did that on weekends and it was a Monday. So what could it be?

    Slowly slinking out of bed, Rona slipped out of her room in her pajamas, glancing around cautiously. “Hello?” She called gingerly, her blue eyes darting around out of caution. When there was no response, she sighed softly, wanting to investigate. So she did, creeping down the stairs and rounding the corner into the kitchen--only to find absolutely nothing.