All Chapters of Falling Skies, Rising Vengeance: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

"Hailey Donovan, I’m talking to you! Switch seats with me!"Vanessa Quinn’s sharp voice pierced my ears, yanking me out of my thoughts.My heart pounded violently in my chest. It took me a long moment to realize that I had been reborn."Go ahead, switch. Sit next to your precious Marcus," I said coldly, my eyes flat with indifference.In my previous life, I never understood why Vanessa insisted on changing seats. Now it all made sense.I turned my gaze on Marcus Hale, and a wave of desolation and hatred swept through me.After we switched, Vanessa and Marcus clung to each other right under my nose, touching one another in ways that made my skin crawl.As the plane climbed higher and crossed into the Egete, I knew what was coming—severe turbulence.Sure enough, the next second, the entire plane jolted downward. The violent drop sent every passenger screaming in panic."Ah! What’s happening?!""Is the plane going down? I don’t want to die, I want to go home!""Shut your mouth!

Chapter 2

No sooner had I hit send than a woman nearby shrieked, "She’s foaming at the mouth! She’s going to die, isn’t she?"The word "die" sent terror rippling through the cabin."She’s dead! She’s dead from fright! We’re all going to die! The plane’s going to crash and we’ll be smashed to pieces!"Chaos erupted, panic spreading like wildfire.I forced myself upright and pulled Layla into my arms. "Don’t be afraid. Someone will come. We’ll be rescued!"Suddenly, the entire rear wing of the plane tore apart. The cabin began to depressurize at a terrifying speed. From above, the oxygen masks dropped down, but just like in my previous life, only half of them actually deployed.I quickly strapped one onto Layla, then fitted mine. My hands locked tight around the seat, bracing myself against being flung into the air.Vanessa, however, was the only one in our row without a mask."Why don’t I have one?!" she screamed, eyes wild as she turned on me. "Hailey, that’s my seat! That means the mask

Chapter 3

My chest tightened as I clutched Layla close.After a violent crash and wave of turbulence, seawater gushed into the cabin. Panic erupted, and the passengers scrambled in chaos.I tore open Layla’s seatbelt and half-carried, half-dragged her toward the emergency exit."Any injured passengers?" a rescuer shouted through a megaphone. "There aren’t enough lifeboats right now. We’ll get the wounded out for treatment first, then evacuate the rest in groups!"I shot my hand into the air, ready to call out.However, before I could speak, Marcus clamped a hand over my mouth, his eyes blazing. "Vanessa and I are getting on first. That old hag isn’t stealing our spot!"I wrenched free, fury chilling my veins. "You cowardly bastards! Get out of my way!"Shoving him aside, I guided Layla forward. "This woman suffers from severe panic disorder. If she doesn’t get medical attention immediately, she’ll suffocate and die!"Vanessa’s eyes burned with malice. "You’re so selfish! Look at all thes

Chapter 4

The rescuers huddled together briefly, then agreed to Vanessa’s vicious suggestion.Before I fully processed it, my wrist was lashed to the back of the lifeboat, and my body was hurled into the sea.The shock of icy water slammed into me, numbing my skin in an instant. My body shook uncontrollably as the cold sank deep into my bones.Vanessa leaned over the edge of the boat, sneering down at me. "Hailey, this is the price of playing the saint."Her gaze was cruel and triumphant."Still daring to glare at me?" she hissed, snatching up a harpoon. Without hesitation, she drove it straight at my eye.My vision froze, my mind blank with horror.Then, in that split second, summoning strength from God knows where, Layla shoved Vanessa hard."Ah!" Vanessa stumbled, nearly pitching overboard. The harpoon flew from her hands, plunging uselessly into the sea."You wretched hag!" she snarled, spinning back and kicking Layla in the chest.Already frail, Layla coughed up a spray of blood,

Chapter 5

Khalid’s grip loosened as he glanced back.What he saw made his face darken: Layla’s panic disorder had flared again after witnessing that brutal scene."Layla!" He rushed to her side, dropping to his knees by the wheelchair. She clutched her chest, gasping desperately for air."Doctor!" Khalid’s voice cracked as he roared in panic. Sweat drenched her pale skin. His eyes never left her."Tell me, who is your savior?" He spun back toward us, his hand shaking as he pointed at me and Vanessa. "Was it her, or her?"Layla’s gaze drifted, landing on Vanessa’s twisted, loathsome face. Rage surged through her frail body, each breath wheezing with hatred. Her trembling hand lifted, pointing straight at Vanessa, as though she wished to peel her alive.Unfortunately, Khalid misunderstood. To him, it looked like Layla had chosen Vanessa as her rescuer. He motioned for the doctor to take her away."Hailey!" Vanessa’s eyes gleamed with sudden cunning. "It was all her doing. She nearly killed

Chapter 6

Layla turned to me, her eyes brimming with sincere gratitude. "Thank you."I shook my head gently. "It’s nothing."Khalid immediately had a golden, fur-covered stool brought over for me. "Sit," he ordered, then summoned doctors to tend my wounds with meticulous care.The savage, merciless man from earlier was gone, replaced by one stricken with guilt. "I’m sorry, Miss Donovan. I misjudged you. Rest here and recover. As for those treacherous rats, I’ll deal with them, one by one."I glanced at Vanessa, who had collapsed on the floor in despair. Not a flicker of sympathy stirred in me, only grim satisfaction."Good," I said simply.Khalid turned, his hawk-like eyes sweeping over the crowd. Terror rippled through them. One by one, they fell to their knees, snot and tears streaming as they begged for mercy."Mr. Al-Farouq! Please forgive us, we were misled!"The man with the phone pointed quickly at Vanessa. "It was her! She told us to do it!"Vanessa’s head snapped up, her face t

Chapter 7

Every eye widened in horror as the cages on the mountainside were pulled open, releasing the snarling wolves.Vanessa’s lips parted, but terror choked her voice. Real fear left her mute. She turned her desperate gaze to Marcus. She was certain I’d show him mercy, that old affection would save them both."Marcus! Go beg Hailey for forgiveness! If you ask, she’ll spare us. I don’t want to die here. Go!"For the first time, Marcus’s fogged, manipulated mind cleared. He saw Vanessa for what she was. His hand cracked across her face with a vicious snap, his eyes blazing with hatred deep enough to flay her alive."Tramp! Still trying to manipulate me? If you hadn’t been so vile, so obsessed with tearing Hailey down, how would we have ended up here?"I can barely save myself, and you expect me to save you? I only regret not throwing you off that plane when I had the chance!"Vanessa’s confidence was shattered. She stared blankly, her control over him slipping through her fingers. She ne

Chapter 8

Layla insisted I stay in the fortress. She refused to let me leave without properly thanking me for saving her life.Just like in my past life, she and Khalid adopted me as their goddaughter. They showered me with staggering wealth.I stared at the chest overflowing with gleaming gold bars, lips twitching in disbelief.So this was how Rybian billionaires showed gratitude. Direct, blunt, and lavish.And undeniably satisfying.Half a day later, I ordered the wolves to be taken away.When I glanced at Vanessa, whose arm was gone and her body mutilated, I felt nothing. No sympathy. She hadn’t thought twice about my life or Layla’s when she fought for her own.Not far away, Marcus lay crumpled, his right leg missing, and blood soaking his clothes. He hovered between life and death.Khalid had them both imprisoned. In his world, anyone who sinned was locked away for a full month, forced to reflect until they had earned God’s forgiveness before release.A week later, a servant came t

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