Shattered Dreams: A Midnight Dragonfly Novel (38 page)

United Forever

“Hi,” I said, going down on my knees and placing the backpack on the ground next to me. From inside, I removed a handful of daisies and put four in the little stone vase to the right, five to the left. Then I retrieved a thermos of water and gave each a drink.

My eyes stung. Fighting back the tears, I fumbled around in the bag, then placed five white votives in a neat line in front of the tomb.

God, how I wish I … remembered. Something.

Anything.

“I’m here,” I whispered, lighting the candles one by one.
“I’m here.”

Home. Finally.

Where I belonged.

EPILOGUE

Six days after we found Jessica, the package arrived.

I was texting with Victoria when the intercom buzzed. Not thinking much of it, I answered, but no one responded. Only static. Puzzled, I went to the window, saw the box. It sat on the porch, small and cardboard, with absolutely nobody around.

That’s when the hated tightness started.

Ignoring it, I went back to study three outfits lain out on my bed. So much had happened. I wanted to move forward. Jessica was out of the hospital. Detective LaSalle was going to be okay. Amber’s fingerprints had been found all over my laptop, and while I didn’t think we’d ever get an actual confession, we all knew how those Facebook posts had been made from my computer.

And in just a few hours, Chase and I were going to a movie.

It all felt so amazingly … normal.

But even as I reached for my favorite pair of skinny jeans, I couldn’t stop thinking about the box. So I took my phone with me, telling Victoria that if I didn’t text her back in five minutes something was wrong.

Odd. I know. But there you go.

The second I opened the door to the outside, something warm and pure whispered through me. Without hesitation I dropped to my knees, lifted the lid and saw her, small and emaciated and frightened.

But the moment I put my hand to the dull white of her fur, the small, white cat started to purr.

Advance Praise for
Shattered Dreams

“The first novel in the Midnight Dragonfly series takes flight with a powerful mix of mystery, magic, and romance.
Shattered Dreams
is an entrancing debut brimming with all the things that make New Orleans unforgettable!”

—Shannon Delany, author of the 13 to Life series

“A word to the wise—this tale of love, betrayal, and stalking evil is best read with the lights on.”

—Jana Oliver, author of
The Demon Trapper’s Daughter

“Well-written and filled with both dramatic and romantic tension,
Shattered Dreams
is an exciting debut you won’t want to miss.”

—Jenna Black, author of
Glimmerglass
and
Shadowspell

“With
Shattered Dreams,
Ellie James delivers all the goods—in very high style.
Shattered Dreams
takes readers on a roller-coaster ride of thrills and chills while exploring the deepest recesses of friendship, family, and love.”

—
New York Times
bestselling author Linda Castillo

“A haunting and engaging story with characters who will stay with you long after you finish the book. Ellie James is a debut author you won’t want to miss.”

—C. C. Hunter, author of
Born at Midnight

“Mesmerizing! With
Shattered Dreams,
Ellie James has woven unforgettable characters and dark elements into the richness of New Orleans to create a beautifully haunting tale that will stay with the reader long after she turns the final page.”

—Rachel Hawthorne, author of the Dark Guardian series

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

SHATTERED DREAMS.
Copyright © 2011 by Ellie James. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

www.stmartins.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

James, Ellie.

Shattered dreams : a midnight dragonfly novel / Ellie James.—1st ed.

p. cm.

Summary: After her grandmother’s death, sixteen-year-old orphan Trinity Monsour moves to New Orleans to live with her aunt, hoping to lead a normal life, but her frightening visions not only prevent her from feeling normal, they make her a suspect in the disappearance of a classmate.

ISBN 978-0-312-64702-5

  1.  Psychic ability—Fiction.   2.  Secrets—Fiction.   3.  Orphans—Fiction.   4.  High schools—Fiction.   5.  Schools—Fiction.   6.  New Orleans (La.)—Fiction.   I.  Title.

PZ7.J15372Sh 2011

[Fic]—dc23

2011027058

First Edition: December 2011

eISBN 978-1-4299-8518-5