It Burns Within Us | Wildfire Series Book 1

P A N I C - B O N U S C H A P T E R

Author's Note

In celebration of Amazon Prime Video's newest series Panic, I am thrilled to be teaming up with Amazon Prime Video and Wattpad to write this exclusive chapter that puts my characters from this story into the world of Panic!

I hope this chapter intrigues and inspires you to learn more about Panic. Visit the #PanicWritingContest on Wattpad for the chance to put your creative writing chops to the test and learn more about the show!

To find out more about the contest, prizes, and how to enter, check out the #PanicWritingContest here: wattpad.com/AmazonPrimeVideo

Don't forget to watch the series premiere on May 28th, only on Amazon Prime Video, here: http://primevideo.com/

—

"This is literally the worst idea in the world."

I ignored Beau, pushing through a sea of overgrown grasses. They tickled my bare arms and brushed against the beads of sweat rolling down the back of my legs. Texas in the summer meant living through heatwave after heatwave. And living in Carp, Texas in the summer was the equivalent of burning in hell.

"The worst idea in the world?" I scoffed, muttering beneath my breath. "Says the rich kid."

I didn't think I'd said it loud enough for him to hear, but I was wrong.

"Heard that," Beau grumbled back. "But it has nothing to do with money. It's common sense, Bren."

"I'd beg to differ."

Shooting a look over my shoulder, I caught Nessa's hazel eyes. They glowed, darting between Beau and me. Madie picked that moment to squeeze my hand. It shot a sense of calm through my tense body.

"I have to agree with Beau," she said softly. She walked just behind me, carefully following the path I created for us through the field. "I don't think this is a good idea for us to even be here."

We emptied into a clearing, and I pulled Madie before me and then found her eyes in the darkness. They didn't glow like Nessa's. They were dark, the lake behind her reflecting in her blue gaze. A deep pool I could get lost in.

A deep pool that I just might get lost in.

"We're already here," I muttered, trying to mask my eagerness. "We might as well stay."

Beau stomped up beside us and rolled his head back, looking at the sky. Clouds covered the stars tonight. The open field that spread out beside the lake was lit only by a few torches and halogen work lights, staged to create a stadium feel. This was partly a show, after all.

Other seniors milled around, spectators and contestants ready for the game to begin. Graduation had passed in a blur. None of us really cared about that rite of passage. It hadn't been the main event.

This was.

The air smelled like sweaty palms and humidity. A muskiness settled around us, mixing in with nerves. Excitement. Anxiety.

Fear.

But I was done with being afraid of the future. I was done with being stuck in the same place; I couldn't do it anymore. This town only reminded me of my mom, gone too soon thanks to the devil who'd killed her: Luke Hadaway, world's worst dad.

I'd been left with nothing.

Well, not nothing. I had Madie. And the will to live, to do more in this life. To be more in this life. But for that, I needed this game. I didn't care what Beau, Nessa, or Madie had to say about it. They didn't understand.