“I know,” I say softly, and I can feel all the broken pieces of me withering. “And I won’t... I can’t...” I shake my head, try to gather what little strength I have left. “There’s nothing I can say to make either of us feel better about this, and I’m sorry about that. You’ll probably never know how much. But that’s not going to change my mind. It has to be this way.”
I leave her then. I leave her before I do it, before I drop to my knees and beg not only for forgiveness but for another chance. I’ve just severed the most precious part of my life. I’m not going to heal from this. I know it.
“Cole.”
Frosty calls my name. He’s at the end of the hall, waiting for me.
I stride past him without a word, without a pause.
“Cole.”
Again I ignore him. My eyes burn. I must have something in them. Somehow I make it outside the house without drawing the notice of anyone else. I climb inside my Jeep, but I don’t even get the key into the ignition before the rage and helplessness explode from me. I pound at the wheel with my fists. The metal circle bends, unable to withstand the fury. But I don’t stop. I can’t, even when I’m leaving smears of blood behind. I can’t breathe, either, and I’m not sure I want to.
I should have ripped my heart out of my chest and given it to her. It would have been easier than this. Less painful.
We are done. We are really done.
Realization settles like a boulder. We are over. She’s free of me, free to do as she pleases...and I will be forever lost without her.
*
Keep reading for an excerpt from THROUGH THE ZOMBIE GLASS by Gena Showalter.
If you loved The Queen of Zombie Hearts, be sure to catch Alice in Zombieland and
Through the Zombie Glass in the White Rabbit Chronicles series by
New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter.
Available in ebook format!
Be sure to also catch the Intertwined series by Gena Showalter.
Most sixteen-year-olds have friends. Aden Stone has four human souls living inside him. One can time travel. One can raise the dead. One can tell the future. And one can possess another human. Everyone thinks he’s crazy.…
Intertwined
Unraveled
Twisted
Read them all now!
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“Captivating, mysterious, fun and deep…for readers of John Green or any realistic YA authors, I would highly recommend this new wonderful novel.”
—Fresh Fiction
Five Strangers. Countless adventures. One epic way to get lost. Don’t miss one of the most anticipated debuts of 2014, Let’s Get Lost by Adi Alsaid.
Available in ebook.
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Four teens across the country have only one thing in common: a girl named Leila. She crashes into their lives in her absurdly red car at the moment they need someone the most.
Hudson, Bree, Elliot and Sonia find a friend in Leila. And when Leila leaves them, their lives are forever changed. But it is during Leila’s own 4,268-mile journey that she discovers the most important truth—sometimes, what you need most is right where you started. And maybe the only way to find what you’re looking for is to get lost along the way.
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Chapter 1
Begin at the Beginning
A few months earlier
More and more I’d been dreaming about the crash that killed my parents and younger sister. I relived the moments as our car flipped end over end. The sounds of metal crunching into pavement. The stillness when everything was over, and I was the only one awake...maybe the only one alive.
I’d struggled to free myself from the seat belt, desperate to help little Emma. Her head had been twisted at such an odd angle. My mother’s cheek had been slashed open like a Christmas ham, and my father’s body had been thrown out of the car. Panic had made me stupid, and I’d hit my head on a sharp piece of metal. Darkness had swallowed me whole.
But in my dreams, I watched my mother blink open her eyes. She was disoriented at first, moaning in pain and trying to make sense of the chaos around her.
Unlike me, she had no problem with her seat belt, freeing herself and turning, her gaze landing on Emma. Tears began to rain down her cheeks.
She looked at me and gasped, reaching out to place a trembling hand on my leg. A river of warmth seemed to rush through me, strengthening me.
“Alice,” she shouted, shaking me. “Wake up—”
I jolted upright.
Panting, my body dotted with perspiration, I scanned my surroundings. I saw walls of ivory and gold, painted in swirling patterns. An antique dresser. A furry white rug on the floor. A mahogany nightstand, with a Tiffany lamp perched next to a photo of my boyfriend, Cole.
I was in my new bedroom, safe.