Before I Fall Lauren Oliver Novels & Stories

“Diana. Come with me.” He steered me toward the door, his grip firm on my arm. We passed Simone, who watched with barely concealed glee. Passed the servers whispering behind their hands. Passed the wreckage of my career scattered across the polished floor. Laurent’s office felt like a tomb. He stood behind his desk, trembling with rage. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” His voice was low, deadly. “Any idea of the damage you’ve caused to Veridian’s reputation?”

The silence pressed against her ears. She didn’t see the shadow slip out from behind the car. A man, face hidden under a mask, crept up behind her. Lauren turned—too late. The iron rod came down hard against her head. A sharp pain flashed through her, and her body gave way. She collapsed onto the ground, unconscious, her blood darkening the street.

There was no way she would have agreed to pay the Campbells such an outstanding amount of money. As I was dressing a patient's wound, my colleague suddenly called out to me. "After you're done with your task, take a look at the link I just sent you. Something bad just happened!" My heart sank. I had a feeling something terrible had occurred. After I was done dressing the bandages, I immediately checked my phone. I clicked on the link and was redirected to a video with Mia in it. Dressed in a white nurse's uniform, Mia was facing the camera and sitting upright. Before she said anything, she bowed apologetically toward the camera.

Too many lives were at stake if they did. “No, you’re hurting her!” Aria shouted, but Courtney blocked her from reaching for Brea. The roar that came from Oliver drew everyone's attention. His body shook violently as he stood there before them all. It was like a CGI project. Oliver's shadow had two figures fighting the effects of Brea’s chanting. They were watching the separation take hold through his shadow. Within seconds of this, Oliver fell to the ground, gasping rapidly, as though breathing for the first time.

An absolute tap dancing phenomenon. I don’t answer him. Instead, I try to scramble to my hands and knees and flee. But the icing is too slippery. My shoes slide against the floor without purchase, and I fall forward. My shoulder smacks against the ground, getting more covered in cake and icing and pain pain pain. Someone snorts, then a few people are laughing. When I look up, phone cameras stare at me like piercing eyes. Bile wells up in my mouth. “Hey, c’mon—” Oliver begins. Through my bangs, I see he’s talking to the others, trying to get them to put their phones away.

Trixy was whimpering in my mind, her sounds caused my temples to throb in pain and my legs were folding beneath me. “Hazel?” I looked at Lauren’s blurry face and stumbled into the room. Stabbing pains twisted my back and if I didn’t know any better I would think that someone was stabbing me. “He…h…” I fell against the sofa, my knees hit the floor and my arms stretched out on the cushions. DARIAN’S POV

Instead, I lifted my right arm. Blood soaked the torn sleeve. It dripped down to the porch in steady, crimson drops. Her expression shifted instantly from confusion to horror. “Oh my God,” she breathed. This time, I forced my lips to move. “I’m not… healing.” The ground swayed beneath me. Olivia lunged forward just as my knees buckled but it was too late. The last thing I saw before darkness swallowed me was her horrified face as she caught my falling weight and the copper scent of my own blood thick in the air.

" Olivia was desperate, took off her coat and began to breathe heavily. "You have to stay calm, it's the only way you can overcome your fears. Olivia made a bad gesture and remained silent, suddenly the elevator dropped with force, which made her fall at Harrison's feet, he tried to bend down to be able to hold himself, because the speed with which he was lowering the device was incredible. "We're going to die, Harrison!" Olivia hugged him as the elevator descended, the lights barely flickering, and the floor numbers flickered and off. A single thump was heard as the elevator fell to the bottom of the basement, it was left in complete darkness, while Olivia was still hugging Harrison.

On the day Howard and his new wife held their wedding, Monica disguised herself as a server and slipped into the venue. Then, in front of everyone, she rushed to the stage and slashed at them with a knife. Howard died at the scene from massive blood loss, while his wife was gravely injured and left unconscious. Monica didn't try to run. She was arrested on the spot when the police arrived. The whole family was shaken when the news broke. Aunt Lorelei fainted on the spot and had to be rushed to the hospital. I instinctively touched the spot on my chest where I had been stabbed in my last life.

Inside was a faded photo of Natalie, age five, grinning with a missing tooth. She held it out. Natalie didn’t take it. But she looked at it. Really looked. Then she walked back into the shelter, not saying another word. Meekey stood alone in the alley, hands shaking, the cold air slicing through her. She didn’t know what would happen next. But for the first time in fourteen years, it didn’t feel like the end. It felt like a beginning.