Reborn

Chapter one

– Eleven years later –

Zoey Foster woke to darkness.

Pain rippled her chest, but it wasn't like the pain from her dream. No wounds. No bloodshed. This pain was deeper. Unseen, but it hurt more than any dagger could.

Zoey laid in bed for what felt like hours, but it must have only been minutes. The pain didn't fade, it never did, but after a few more deep breaths, she was able to focus once more. She pushed away from the tattered mattress. It felt like all the springs within were targeting her body. It wasn't a pleasant experience, but she certainly spent the night at worst places than this run-down motel.

It was cheap for a reason. An invisible location.

Zoey swatted the damp locks off her forehead as she stood and waddled over to the ensuite. She couldn't get over the fact that she had slept. A quick glance at her watch revealed she had only twenty minutes at most of sleep. Not exactly a record, but it was more than enough for her tired mind to wander.

She couldn't let her mind wander. She didn't like what she saw when she dreamt.

Zoey shook those dark thoughts from her mind as she turned on the faucet and splashed cold water onto her flushed face. Her warm ivory skin tone looked far too pale in the darkened bathroom. She didn't need much light to see, her sight was heightened beyond that of a vampire, but she switched on the light switch regardless.

As dim light flooded the room, Zoey smoothed out the knots in her dark hair before she switched on the shower. Instantly, she could feel the warmth from the nearby water soaking into her skin. She switched the nozzle, making the water as hot as possible.

Then, with a deep breath, Zoey closed her eyes, stripped off her clothes and stepped into the sauna. She kept her fingers curled at her sides as she showered, letting the water wash away the darkness that clouded her mind. Too bad the water just wasn't hot enough to chase off the darkness for good.

Zoey wasn't in the shower for long. She didn't like to be vulnerable, or naked, for long. Once out of the shower, she quickly dried herself before dressing into dark jeans and a peach turtleneck shirt that stretched down to her fingers. Adding a thick coat, Zoey refastened her watch, flinching as her fingers grazed the dark, ugly scars that stained her wrist.

Zoey mentally chastised herself as she moved about the motel room. She can't flinch every time she caught sight of one of her scars. She has too many scars to escape. Down her arms. Across her belly. Her legs. Back. It was a trainwreck. Seeing them was inevitable.

Soft light peeked in through the curtains. It was early. Zoey couldn't hear much in the vicinity of the motel, just a few snores here and there. A young couple taking advantage of time alone two doors down. Joe at the reception watching a cartoon on an ancient television.

Good.

No one nearby. No one watching.

Zoey grabbed the duffle bag off the couch and brought it to the small table that was meant to act as some kind of dining table. She didn't have all that many belongings, just a few clothes, a pair of shoes that could definitely do with a replacement. She was a fan of leather jackets, however. Hiding within a dark blue leather jacket was a thick envelop. She shook loose the contents onto the table.

Four passports. A couple birth certificates. Driver's license. Foreign currencies.

Everything someone would need to disappear. Or start over.

But this time, as Zoey looked at a news clipping from a month ago, she couldn't help but wish she could just disappear. It'd be so much easier if she could. But as she looked over the tattered paper, something that she had held on to for weeks, folded and read repeatedly, Zoey couldn't help but read the article again.