"Make friends with my daughter, and I'll pay you a thousand dollars."
Tara's junior year of high school is turned upside down after she collides into the life of Aurora Rosenberg, the autistic teenage heiress to Rosenberg Technologies. Mr. Rosenberg...
I'm standing in the woods. Sunlight drifts through the trees. I hear water.
Where am I?
I look down at my hands. They're pale, nails clipped short, no polish. Orange curls bounce around my field of vision.
Is this me? Who am I?
I get closer to the water. Water falls off the rocks into a deep pond. Yet the water looks so still.
And now my mom is here.
"Mom... Mom, you can't be here. This isn't real."
She just smiles at me. "What do you mean, Tara? Didn't you miss me? I'm here now."
She's wearing the same pink hoodie, the same jeans, the same glasses. Her curly hair is cut short. She wanted to grow it out, but never got the chance. Freckles spatter her pale face. She's like an older version of me, frozen in time.
"This doesn't make sense," I say. "It's not real."
"What do you mean, darling?" she asks.
"Don't you know, Mom? You're dead."
...
Mom?
I sit up in bed and squint at my phone. Ten minutes before my alarm will go off. Honestly, I'd rather just get up.
I shake my head. I'm fine now. It was just a vivid dream.
I swing my legs out of bed, search for my fuzzy slippers but can't find them, and stand up. Reality check time.
I look around my room, and see that everything's in order.
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[Image description: Tara, a white teenage girl with long curly orange hair and freckles, surveys the room, wearing science-themed pajamas. Her bulletin board contains science posters, a bi pride flag, a picture of her once-girlfriend Lexi, a picture of her mom, and other things. There's also a poster with the Marie Curie quote "Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less." Her room is filled with books, some flowers, a laptop, stuffed animals, and other items.]
Same bulletin board with posters and photos. Same tree in the yard. Same beat-up dresser.
Just like always.
My name is Tara Fairchild. "TAH"-ra, not "Terra." I'm in high school, hoping to become a scientist.
Junior year, take 2.
You see... I also started junior year last year. Back when life was good and I had everything I could ever ask for. I had the perfect girlfriend, an amazing group of friends, and impressive academics.
But then my mom died.
There was no warning. The sun was high in the sky, birds sang from the trees, a beautiful day. Mom was happy. She went out for a walk. But she never came back. And I... I just couldn't, I...
