waking

1.Chapter 1 Get Off Me

“Do you take this woman to be your wife, to have and to hold, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?” asked a priest.

The man before the priest nodded. “I do.”

Naomi Edwards felt a sharp tug on her hair, forcing her to look up at the jumbotron. On the big screen, the wedding of Freddy Sanders and her sister, Rosalind Edwards, unfolded. Freddy, all decked out in his sharp suit, gazed deeply into Rosalind’s eyes. She dazzled in her perfect white dress. Parents and guests in their Sunday best were clapping like crazy.

The priest went on, “And do you take this man to be your husband, to have and to hold, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?”

The gleeful Rosalind shyly said, “I do.”

“Look at that. Your boyfriend, your sister, your parents—over the moon, and you’re just a toy they’ve tossed to me, the crummiest one at that. You loser,” a man hissed at Naomi. He booted her in the gut so hard that she doubled over, a taste of iron in her mouth before spitting out blood.

“Loser, loser, loser!” He kept on kicking her, out of his mind with rage. “You play by my rules now. Who’s gonna see your pretty face, huh? Women are trash; you all deserve to die!”

He added, “Don’t even dream of running; you’re already dead to everyone. Your family and your man—they served you up to me on a silver platter. You’re supposed to be dead, a saint who gave up her organs for your precious sister, and died for it. How heroic!”

His shiny shoe pressed against Naomi’s cheek, twisting his face into a mad grin. “Savor it, sweetheart.”

A sharp pain shot across Naomi’s face and throughout her body. She shook violently, her sense of warmth fading. She’d been betrayed by loved ones: boyfriend, parents, sister. A chilling plot. They bled her dry and weren’t content; they drugged her, forged her signature, and scripted her organ donation.

Rosalind’s future was written in Naomi’s blood, and now they were after her life. They harvested her insides and then threw her to this devil for their fancy lives.

Another kick sent Naomi flying, rag-doll style, against the wall and hitting the floor with a thud.

Unable to move because of the pain, she murmured to herself, ‘It hurts… Someone help me! Freddy, Rosalind, I swear I’ll haunt you forever!’

Her sight blurred with blood, and then the world went black.

*****

“Get off me.” A voice, deep and tinged with fury, buzzed in Naomi’s ear. She jerked awake to see a guy glaring intently at her. A shiver ran down her spine involuntarily, and she curled her fingers so tight that her nails dug into her palms. Her body ached all over.

She wondered, ‘I’m supposed to be dead, aren’t I? I got beaten up in that awful room. Wait, am I getting a second shot at life?’

The man who just spoke shoved her, and she hit the ground, sunlight blinding her. Tears streamed down her face at the warm sunlight—it had been forever since she last felt it.

Pulling herself together, Naomi recognized the man. In her old life, Rosalind had pushed Naomi off a mountain for refusing to be her blood donor during Naomi’s heavy periods. Rosalind then had Freddy trick Naomi into that hike and then shove her from behind.

After the push, Freddy faked a text from Naomi about guilt over not helping Rosalind. And this guy had saved her once before, but she’d freaked out at his scary look and run away. This time, she’d be grateful.

“Thanks for saving me,” Naomi said, getting to her feet. The man was tall, around six feet three inches, wearing a long black coat, and despite his scarred face, he was kind of hot.

The man, Shawn Fischer, looked at her coldly, but she wasn’t afraid.

“I can help you,” Naomi offered. “I know about medicine; I can fix your scars.”

In her past life, helping Rosalind wrecked her health until she met Wilson Walter, a medicinal guru who taught her to heal. He said to keep it secret, for personal use only.

“Your name?” Shawn grunted. His voice was deep and smooth, striking a familiar chord with Naomi.

“Naomi Edwards, and I want to stick with you,” she said firmly. She messed up in her old life, falling for Rosalind’s fake apologies. And with Freddy backing Rosalind up, she let it slide too quickly.

If she was going to get back at her so-called family, she had to step it up. Not recognizing Shawn in her past life was a huge mistake. But life had thrown her a second chance, and she was going to take it—to get even and to show thanks.

“Stick with me?” Shawn looked intrigued. Most women freaked out over his scarred face, but not her.

Without hesitation, Naomi confirmed, “Yes.”

Shawn then opened his arms, and his voice drew her in. “Come here.”

Naomi moved towards him and hugged him right away. Shawn stood frozen. When she’d literally fallen onto him, he didn’t feel the usual disgust. Now, he needed to figure out—was it just a one-time thing, or could it be that she didn’t actually gross him out?

Shawn didn’t do well around women—full-blown “haphephobia” ever since he was a kid. No woman could get near, except for one who disappeared after his car crash. He’d given up on women, but Naomi? She was a mystery. He started wondering who sent her over.