AllFreeNovel
Share Us
PROLOGUE
TWO YEARS AGO
Iam unseen.
I am the shadow that slithers across your window in the dark of night. I am never noticed and stay hidden within your world to remain unknown. The anonymity gives me powers beyond anything ever felt before. Building and guiding me to places undiscovered.
Patience has allowed me to quietly watch, until now. Your choices have consequences and you will learn them.
I watch you walk to your car, oblivious to what awaits you. Your taillights shine onto the darkened street as you drive, allowing me to see your progress. I follow through the shadows, waiting for the moment when my message is received.
A boom. A ball of orange and red fire. And your lesson has been learned.
The glow against the night sky is beautiful, and a thrill runs through my system as the darkness grows inside me.
You don’t know who I am, but I walk among you, and one day, you will know my name.
1
QUINN
PRESENT DAY
This is it, ten years of my life packed in boxes and on its way to North Carolina. I feel like I should be stressed out right now, but I’ve honestly never been happier. Growing up, moving was second nature to my family because my parents were traveling doctors who discovered a rare genetic disorder.
I got to live in some exceptional places and saw a lot of extraordinary things, but as I got older, I always felt like something was missing. Looking back, I think it’s because those places didn't have that sentimental feeling you get from living in the same house your whole life.
The only place to ever come close was my grandparents' house in Sonoma, North Carolina. I'd spend three months with them every summer, and I looked forward to it the entire year.
They lived in that quintessential small town where everyone knows everyone and seems like it should only exist in a movie. It always felt more like home than any city my parents ever moved me to, and it was my one chance to feel like I belonged somewhere.
Now, as I stand in my empty studio apartment, I look at the big windows I’ve always loved and the dark hardwood floors running throughout. The kitchen with its dark cabinets, the exposed brick on the walls, and the industrial-style pipes should make me feel sentimental but standing here, I feel oddly detached.
Shouldn't I feel sad about leaving the place I've called home longer than anywhere else I've lived? Surely there should be some nostalgia or reminiscence of times spent here, but as I think back, there's nothing. I was in my office more than I was in my apartment, so the memories that should've been made never were.
I guess if anything, that's what I'm most sad about. I didn’t take the time to create a home here, but I’m determined to fix those mistakes when I get to Sonoma.
I pick up the box closest to the door and start down the five flights of stairs to load my car. After three trips up and down, the boxes containing things I didn’t want to be ruined in the moving truck are loaded into the car I'd only recently bought.
I sit down in the driver’s seat, and with all of the excitement flowing through me, I barely notice the ache in my muscles when I reach for the gear shift, put my car in drive, and pull away from the insanely lucky parking spot in front of my building.
Looking in my rearview mirror, watching as my apartment building grows smaller, I smile with the knowledge that I’m finally on the right path. Up until this point, I had been passively going through the motions of life, and now, sitting in New York traffic heading south, I feel the buzz of adventure in my body. I know this is going to be the start of something big.
I stop a few hours outside the city to fill my gas tank and buy food because a road trip is not a road trip without snacks. I have another six hours before I arrive, and plenty of the time is spent listening to the songs of my youth, but for the majority of the drive, I think about my time in New York.
I came to the city for my undergraduate degree as well as law school at NYU. I kept my head down, studied hard, and graduated at the top of my class.
While my parents were disappointed I didn't follow in their footsteps and become a world-renowned doctor, they were still proud of me. Hell, I was proud of myself. I never imagined I'd be capable of succeeding in law school, but I was determined to make a name for myself that wasn't associated with my parents.
After graduation, I was offered a position at one of the top law firms in the city. It was the job every law student would have killed for, and I landed it with ease. All of my carefully laid plans were lining up perfectly and going way better than expected.
After only six years at the firm, I was on track to make partner because I was damn good at my job. I spent long nights and weekends in my office pouring over cases and doing everything in my power to win?even if my client was slightly less deserving of the alimony payout.
Then, a few months ago, I was sitting in my office several hours after everyone had already left for the day, and I thought, what am I doing here? What is the point of this career I've busted my ass for? I have more money than I know what to do with because I never do anything other than work. I'm slaving toward a promotion that would most certainly result in even more hours than what I'm currently putting in, and I'm no longer in love with my job.
Had I ever been in love with my job?
I didn’t have a good answer to that question.
