My head was throbbing as I woke the next morning. As I climbed out of bed, my phone lit up. I squinted at the screen, surprised to find it flooded with notifications. Most of them were texts, but there was one news alert that caught my eye. Local cemetery damaged overnight; authorities working to find leads.

The world tilted and I had to put my hand on my bedframe to steady myself. I had a feeling I knew exactly which cemetery it was and who was behind it. I wasn't in control of my legs as I walked downstairs, nausea swirling around inside me. Tears burned behind my eyes, a harbinger of the torrent that was surely coming soon.

However, before I could so much as open the door, I heard a knock. My hand shook as I opened it and saw Caleb. He took one look at my face and opened his mouth. "No," was all he said.

I shook my head, the motion causing a few stray tears to slide down my cheek. "Why not? They deserve it, don't they? After what they did to my family?" My voice rose as each word left my mouth.

He put a hand on my arm, his grip firm. "I know you're angry about this. You have every right to be. But think about it. You have no idea what you're walking into. For all we know, it could be a trap. Zach or any one of them could be waiting to ambush you." 

Anger swirled around inside of me, a cobra waiting to strike. I pushed past him, quickly breaking into a run. My surroundings passed in a blur as I ran, my breath burning in my throat. I was so blinded by grief and anger, I almost ran right past it. The cemetery door was barely hanging on its hinges. Almost every gravestone was damaged beyond repair.

One in particular made me stop, the broken glass catching my attention. The headstone was unrecognisable. I flinched as I stepped on a piece of glass. My brain couldn't catch up. Someone had thrown glass at the headstone, cracking it in two. I ran a hand over the rubble, angry tears spilling down my cheeks.

I knew the inscription. I had memorised it countless times. 'Here lies Danika Harrison. Loving wife, mother, sister, and daughter. R.I.P.' I just stood there, breathing hard, as the minutes ticked by.

My hand unconsciously drifted toward my neck and the locket resting there. I clutched it so hard I thought it would snap in two, waiting with bated breath for the familiar shimmering noise, for a blurry yet familiar face to appear in front of me. A few moments passed, panic rising inside of me as nothing happened. Why wasn't it working?

I waited a few more heartbeats before turning to leave, disappointment and sadness weighing me down. Just as I was nearing the gate, the aforementioned shimmering noise could be heard. I spun around, a sob already rising in my throat.

Confusion and fear quickly pushed away the sadness, however, when I noticed something was off. Her form, usually blurry and translucent, was almost completely faded now. Every now and then I saw a hand or an eye appear and disappear before my eyes.

"Mom?" I asked, my voice breaking. "What happened to you?"

Her face came into focus and blurred several times before she spoke, and even when she did, it was spotty, like having bad cell reception. "My.... you so much.... wish I could tell you..." I had a feeling she would've said more, or tried to, had a growl not made me flinch and drop the locket.

"No!" I shouted as the connection fell through. Zach laughed behind me, the sound filling me with blistering rage. I whirled on him, my eyes spitting fire. "You think this is funny?" I spat.

He grinned, nodding. "Since you asked, yes. I'm enjoying watching you suffer for a change." Gesturing to the ruined tombstones, I could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke. "This wasn't even my idea."

Before I could so much as open my mouth to respond, the rage flared again, blocking off all reasonable thought. I launched myself at Zach, not caring that he was bigger than me, or stronger than me. I knew I was outmatched a heartbeat later as I saw him tense and meet me with a response of his own. That was the last thing I remembered before darkness overtook me.

Consciousness came like a ton of bricks. Everything hurt as I opened my eyes. The world spun, causing me to quickly shut my eyes again. A voice reached my ears, concerned and warm. "Bella? It's okay, honey. I'm right here." There were so many things I wanted to say, but all I could think about right then was sleep. The last thing I was aware of was Dad's hand in mine as I drifted off to sleep. 

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