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Chapter 1
Celia
The call came in at eleven in the morning on a Thursday.
Nothing bad happens at that time of day, and Thursday is just another day of the week. That's what I thought, so I didn't worry and let it ring through to voicemail. I had pages and pages of journal articles to read for my class at two in the afternoon and couldn't afford to waste any time. Our professor expected us to be familiar enough with the material so we could discuss, answer questions and ask them. Not just any questions. Smart questions. I had to be in the top five percent of the class to keep my ranking, and so I tucked my cell into my book bag and turned the page in the article.
So far so good for another three minutes of reading the dense material, but then my cell rang once more, the shrill ring irritating me, making it hard to concentrate on the text in front of me. It rang five times and then went to voice mail once more, so I sighed and turned another page. Less than a minute later, it rang again and I knew I couldn't ignore the call any longer.
I took the cell out of my bag and checked the caller I.D.
Massachusetts General ICU.
Adrenaline jolted through me. My mother and stepfather were out of town on one of those river cruises up the Danube, so it wasn't them.
It could only be Graham.
Graham must have been in an accident.
I answered the phone, my heart thumping in my chest.
"Hello?"
Sounds of people talking, monitors beeping. That wasn't good. Finally, someone came on the line.
"Sorry," a female voice said. "I didn’t think you were going to answer. Is this Celia Franklin?"
"Yes, this is her."
"Your brother Graham is in ICU here at Mass General. You should come down as soon as possible."
I gasped, covering my mouth. “What happened? Is he going to be okay?"
"He received a brain injury during a fight and is being kept sedated for now so you should come down as soon as you can."
"Is he going to die?"
"He's currently in serious condition, and he's very sick, but no. He should recover barring any unseen complications."
I closed my eyes and exhaled, relieved that he wasn't dead or dying. "I'll be right there."
I ended the call and tried to calm myself but my hands were shaking.
My older brother by five years, Graham was my financial manager and my slave driver, watching over me to make sure I didn’t stray too far from the straight and narrow. He'd taken over that role from Spencer, my bastard of a stepfather, when I'd left home at nineteen to escape the household from hell. Luckily, I had an inheritance from my father and used the interest to fund the dorm I lived in. A tuition scholarship covered the rest.
I texted my best friend, Amy.
CELIA: I need you to take me to Mass General. Graham's been in a fight and he's unconscious. They want me to come right down. I'm freaking out right now. Where are you?
There was no answer and I wondered if she was in class. I checked her schedule, which I kept on my laptop, which showed that she was in between classes so I knew she'd answer as soon as she could.
I frantically ran around my dorm room, pulling on a sweater over top of my yoga pants and bra. Finally, my cell dinged, indicating an incoming text.
AMY: OMG I'm so sorry I didn't check my cell. I'll be right there!
I responded immediately, relieved I wouldn’t have to take a taxi.
CELIA: Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you.
AMY: Hold on. I'm on my way right now. Be there in five.
