Page 1 of Shattered Hearts

Prologue

FOUR-YEARS-OLD

“Lunch time, everyone!” my teacher announces from the middle of the room.

Sitting on the rug with weirdly shaped blocks that I’ve been asked to fit inside of a plastic cube, I toss it aside, happily getting to my feet and running over to my lunchbox. Mum always makes me a jam sandwich with fruit and biscuits, which I’m always excited to eat.

I want to be like her when I grow up.

Taking my lunchbox outside in the warm sunshine, my eyes glimpse the other preschoolers scattered around the playground. The boys are always playing something sporty or hitting each other. The girls sit in pairs, and I oddly feel left out because I don’t have anyone to sit with.

“Laynie.” My teacher comes up behind me. I forgot her name again this morning. She’s nice, with short brown hair and long fingernails. I know because she has them painted a deep red, and they almost look like cat claws. “Who are you going to sit with today?”

My gaze whips around again, trying to find a spot as that awkward tight feeling starts in my chest. My toes wriggle in my sandals as I shrug.

She smiles kindly, and I smile back, hoping maybe she’ll sit with me. Unfortunately, she doesn’t.

“Why don’t you sit with Grayson? He needs a friend too.”

“My cousin is my friend,” I admit quickly, my smile widening.

My teacher sniffs a laugh, bending to look me in the eyes. “We can have more than one friend, Laynie.”

I shrug again.

Standing, she takes my hand in her clawed one, leading me towards a large black tyre that’s used as a seat in the play yard. There’s a boy sitting on it with a crummy-looking sandwich and yoghurt, with bright gold hair that’s long enough to cover his ears and wearing a dinosaur top. I let my teacher walk me over to him.

“Grayson, this is Laynie. I thought you two could sit together.”

Light blue eyes peer into mine, and I feel a giggle come out of me before I can stop it. He frowns, making him look like a cuddly lion, and I jump up onto the tyre without his permission.

“There you go,” our teacher says before turning to break up a fight between some of the other boys.

I take a bite of my sandwich before looking at Grayson. “Why don’t you play with them?” I ask, pointing to where the boys are yelling and laughing and running around.

Grayson quickly looks before shrugging. “I don’t want to.”

Blinking back at him, I shrug. They look too energetic for me, and possibly Grayson too.

“Do you like dinosaurs?”

Again, he shrugs. “Reid does.”

My face scrunches at his answer. “Who?”

“It’s my brother.”

My shoulders slump a little and I finish my sandwich before pulling out my biscuits. They’re yellow and topped with sugar. Going to take a bite, I feel Grayson watching me and look at his rounded eyes. I go to offer him one.

“Do you want—hey!”

Grayson snatches it out of my hand, swallowing it in two bites.

I stare at him with an open mouth as he giggles, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“You took it!” I snap at him.

He shakes his head, eyes alight with mischief. “You asked.”