One of us had to go. That's what Mom said when she called us into the living room. My sister Ruby and I. Two daughters. One slot left in the trust fund payout—but only if someone completed the Smokejumper Tour. Two years. Dangerous as hell. The lawyers had tied Dad's estate up tight. "We'll draw straws," Mom said, her voice flat. She'd been flat since Dad died. Ruby reached for the straws. I didn't let her touch them. "I'll go." Mom's head snapped up. Ruby froze, her hand hovering in midair. "You'll what?" "I'll do the Tour. Ruby can marry Pierce and fulfill the contract." My voice didn't shake. I'd practiced this in my head a thousand times since I woke up in my twenty-three-year-old body again. Since I remembered dying. Mom stared at me. "You and Pierce have been inseparable since high school. You love him." "I'm going." I didn't tell her that in my last life, I'd drawn the lucky straw. That I'd married Pierce Hawthorne in a white dress while Ruby packed her bags. That Ruby lasted six months at the remote fire station before Chief Miller's son—Lenny, the unstable one—cornered her in the supply shed. That she killed herself three days later. That Pierce blamed me when he found her suicide note. That he dragged me to her grave and made me pay for her death in ways I still felt in my bones. The door slammed open. Pierce. He stormed in like a wildfire and locked eyes on Ruby. He pulled her into his arms. "Thank God. I thought I was too late." His voice cracked. His eyes were red-rimmed. He turned to Mom, still holding Ruby. "Mrs. Brennan, I love Ruby. I want to marry her. I know you wanted me to marry Clara, but I don't love her. I never did." He dropped to one knee in front of my mother. "Please. Let me marry Ruby." I stood there. Numb. He'd come back too. He remembered dying—no, he remembered killing me. And he'd chosen her again. "Pierce—" "Save it, Clara." He stood, and the look he gave me was pure venom. "I'd rather die than marry you." That look. I knew that look. I'd seen it before when he held me down and let Lenny— I shook my head. Cleared the memory. Mom coughed softly. "Clara already volunteered for the Tour. You're free to marry Ruby." Pierce blinked. Then his face split into a grin, and he kissed Ruby's forehead. "God. Finally." He didn't look at me again. He grabbed Ruby's hand and pulled her toward the door, already talking about wedding dates and venues. Just before he left, his eyes flicked to mine. "Stay away from us." they said.
I went to the outdoor supply store to buy gear for the Tour. Heavy boots. Fire-retardant pants. A pack that could carry forty pounds of equipment. I turned the corner past the camping section and saw them. Pierce and Ruby. Standing in front of a white lace gown on a mannequin. Last time, I'd wanted that dress. Pierce said no. Too expensive. Too flashy. His dad was the Deputy Director of the Regional Fire Authority—we couldn't draw attention. Now he was pulling out his credit card without hesitation. Ruby caught sight of me. Her smile widened. "Clara! What a coincidence!" She looped her arm through Pierce's and walked toward me, her hips swaying. Pierce's hand settled on her lower back. "We set the date. Three days from now. You have to come, sis. I'd be devastated if you missed it." "I need to prep for the Tour—" "If you don't show up," Pierce said quietly, "I'll kill Ash." My blood went cold. Ash. The little black mutt that Pierce's mom gave me for my sixteenth birthday. She'd loved me like a daughter. When she died, Ash was all I had left of her. Pierce knew that. "You wouldn't." "Try me." Ruby touched my wrist. Her fingers slid over the silver bracelet—Pierce's mom's bracelet, the one she'd clasped onto my wrist on her deathbed. You'll be my daughter-in-law someday, she'd whispered. Ruby's thumb rubbed the metal. "You know, sis, this bracelet should really go to the actual daughter-in-law. Don't you think?" My throat tightened. "It's not a family heirloom. She gave it to me." "Clara, if you love it that much, I have others at home—" "Stop." Ruby's eyes filled with tears. Her voice broke. "You're doing this because you're jealous, aren't you? Because I'm marrying Pierce and you're not?" Her tears fell. Loud sobs. People turned to stare. Pierce's jaw clenched. "Take it off." "Pierce—" "Take it off." I looked into his eyes. Saw the same cold hatred from before. My hands trembled as I unclasped the bracelet. Ruby reached for it. And dropped it. The silver hit the tile floor. The clasp broke. Beads scattered like buckshot. "Oh no." Ruby's hand flew to her mouth. Her eyes went wide with fake shock. "Clara, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean—" "You bitch." My voice shook. "You did that on purpose." Ruby's tears came harder. Louder. "I just wanted something to remember Pierce's mom by! You're so selfish! You don't want me to marry him, so you broke the bracelet to punish me!" The crowd murmured. A woman next to us glared at me. "Disgusting. She's jealous of her own sister." "Breaking a dead woman's bracelet? That's evil." I knelt. Started picking up the beads. My hands were shaking so hard I could barely hold them. Pierce crouched next to me. His hand shot out and crushed mine into the broken clasp. Sharp metal bit into my palm. Blood welled up hot and fast. He leaned in close. His breath was warm against my ear. "Try that again, and I won't just hurt you. I'll erase you."
I walked home with the beads wrapped in a scarf, my hand throbbing. When I got there, Mom had already left for work. Ruby was waiting in the kitchen. She smiled. "Hungry, sis? I made stew." She pushed a huge pot toward me. Steam rose from the top. The smell hit me like a fist. Meat. Rich. Gamey. "Where's Ash?" Ruby's smile widened. "Oh. You know. I figured you'd want a good meal before the Tour. You won't get food this good out in the wilderness." My stomach turned. "You didn't." "He was just a dog, Clara. And you're leaving anyway." She laughed. "Waste not, want not." I lunged. My hand connected with her face hard enough to snap her head sideways. She hit the floor, clutching her cheek, and I stood over her, shaking. "We're sisters. Why are you doing this?" She looked up at me. Smiled through the red mark blooming on her skin. "Because Mom rigged the draw last time. She told you which straw to pick. She chose you." Ruby's voice turned cold. "Do you know what Chief Miller's son did to me? Do you know what it's like to be locked in a room for six months while a man twice your size uses you like a toy?" Her eyes glittered. "This time, you get to suffer. You get to lose everything I lost." "I didn't know—" "Shut up." She stood slowly, still smiling. "And by the way? That fire that killed Pierce's mom? I started it." My breath stopped. "She found out about me and Pierce's uncle. I locked the door from the outside. I was going to let her burn." Ruby tilted her head. "But you had to play hero, didn't you? You ran in and saved Pierce. Got those ugly scars on your legs." She stepped closer. "Pierce still doesn't know it was you. He thinks I pulled him out. I made sure of it." Before I could respond, she threw herself backward into the table. The pot of stew tipped. Boiling liquid and chunks of meat spilled across her arms and chest. She screamed. The door slammed open. Pierce. He took one look at Ruby on the floor, covered in burns, and his boot caught me in the stomach. I hit the ground. Couldn't breathe. He grabbed my hair and slammed my face into the tile. Once. Twice. Three times. Blood filled my mouth. "I told you what would happen." His voice was a growl. "I told you to leave her alone." He picked up Ruby like she weighed nothing. Carried her to the sink. Ran cold water over her burns. Then he turned back to me. His hand closed around my throat. I clawed at his wrist. Couldn't get air. The edges of my vision went dark. Ruby's voice, faint and breathless: "Pierce, stop—you'll kill her—" "Good." Just before I passed out, he let go. I sucked in air. Coughed blood onto the floor. Pierce grabbed my hair again. Dragged me to my knees in front of Ruby. "Apologize." I couldn't speak. He slammed my head into the floor. Again. Again. Again. "This is your warning. Next time, I'll cut off whichever hand you used to push her." He left. Ruby went with him, wrapped in his jacket. I lay there until the bleeding stopped. Then I packed my bag. Left the house. And caught the first bus to the Fire Base.
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