Start Again: A Prologue Novels & Stories

It was a signal from the Deep-Void, a place that had been silent since the birth of the network. A single word flickered on the sky, written in the ancient, pre-human script of the First Architects: RETURN. Dax’s hand tightened on mine. The war for the road, the war for the family, and the war for the city were over. But the war for the Origin was just beginning. "Ready for Chapter Sixty-Five?" Dax asked, his voice a low, intimate promise. "As long as I'm with you," I said, the iridescent light of the Vale reflecting in our eyes.

Just leaned against the doorframe with a mug of tea in hand and a calm I both envied and needed. “I’m here if you want me in the room,” he said. I looked at him. Then at the mic. “Not this time.” He nodded once and walked away. The silence that followed was loud, but I welcomed it. I opened my notebook and read the first few lines again. // “This isn’t a confession, this isn’t revenge, this is reclamation.” I closed my eyes, pressed record and began. Still Her — Episode 1

The same town that once broke her… was now starting to heal. She opened her notebook. On a blank page, she wrote: Chapter One: Rebuild. Because this wasn’t the end. This was the beginning.

She turned to help him up. Chad suddenly laughed. "I knew you still cared about me, Sadie. "Let's let bygones be bygones. Think about how I'm going to get a skin graft. Even the heavens want us to start over. "I don't mind that you're married to Blake Walker. You can get a divorce, and I'll marry you right after."

“Then we start with Marcus Blackwell.” Outside the glass walls, the storm returned—rain slamming against the city skyline, thunder echoing like fate itself. But inside that small room, something else was brewing: the fragile beginning of trust, reborn through fire.

Personally, I want to see what's in that book. I'd spent yet another evening thinking about her. She's the first thing in life that had taken my focus off the endgame, which is not exactly a good thing. I didn't make provisos for being sidetracked because until one day ago, I didn't think there was anything that could sway me from my path. But something about her situation keeps pulling at me, and I know I won't rest until I get to the bottom of this shit.

I gasp, shaking my head and blinking hard to get rid off the blurriness. Something about that second flashback felt like some sort of memory or thought, but I can't be too sure. I sneak a glance at him again and his eyes push me to continue. Stepping forward once again, I reach out my hand to start cutting through the tape, starting with his mouth and being careful to not hurt him. Once I'm done, I frantically continue on down to his shoulders. " Hazel Grace!" My head snaps up to him. "You can do this." Roman says to me and I nod my thank you, getting down on my knees.

I responded coldly, "If something happens, take him to the hospital. Don't call me for things like this again." I hung up and turned off my phone, falling into a deep sleep until morning. When I woke up, I found Chandler passed out on the doorstep, smelling strongly of alcohol. It seemed he had been sitting there all night. "Alina, I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Can we start over? I can't live without you." He looked up at me with pleading eyes, like a lost puppy abandoned by its owner. "I regret everything. I couldn't hold on to my love for you. Can you give me another chance? We've been together for over a decade. How can you just walk away from all of that?"