I watched Ryan die. So how is Ben wearing his face? Six years ago, I watched my best friend--and secret crush--splatter all over the pavement. He died. I saw him. Yet, in the back of my mind, I've never stopped looking for him. Seeing him in crowds, in the classroom, in my dreams--and my nightmares. It's cost me everything--my identity, my sanity, and maybe my life. So when I walk into class to see a man who looks exactly like Ryan standing before me, I freak out again. My therapist tells me to stay away from Ben. He's no good for me. I'll end up back in a padded room. But I have to know the truth. Is Ben really Ryan? That's not possible. But Ben has scars--real ones and metaphorical ones. If Ben is Ryan, why doesn't he just tell me? Is he trying to drive me crazy? Or worse--is he trying to kill me? The Boy Who Died is the first romantic suspense novel from bestselling romantacy author Bella Moondragon writing as B. Moon. If you love romantic suspense, are a fan of Colleen Hoover, Gillian Flynn, Christopher Greyson, or Paula Hawkins, you won't want to miss this page-turner!

Chapter 1 New Year, New Me

Marcie

I sling my backpack over my shoulder and step out of my apartment onto the sunny breezeway outside. Early September in Virginia retains most of the heat of summer, so I wipe instant sweat off my forehead before my brown curls can catch in it. This semester is going to be different. That means not showing up looking like a drowned rat, even if I doubt anyone in my photography elective is going to care.

Birds sing as I lock the door then test the knob to make sure it actually locked. A voice in my head that sounds suspiciously like Dana, my therapist, reminds me I'm not supposed to be indulging those instincts. I'm safe here. The only person I've been in danger from since setting foot on the campus of Ardent University is myself, and she's getting out of my way this year. I unlock the door, lock it again, and walk away without testing the knob.

My heavy backpack bounces against my shoulder. I don't want to have to return to my apartment between classes, even if it's technically on campus, and the weight of my books reminds me exactly what kind of day I'm in for. A long one. My very first semester with a full course load. I massage my shoulder and shrug on the second strap to even out the weight. Nursing textbooks aren't light.

But I'm not worried. All summer, I talked with Dana and the guidance office. Both of them asked me a dozen or more times if I was sure a full slate of classes wouldn't lead to what they called "a repeat of last time" and what I call "honestly, a pretty minor mental breakdown, considering." But I am not thinking about that. I'm thinking about the fact that I told them I was sure so many times that they both believed me, and now I have my very first college elective to look forward to. My outlook feel light and bright, and I take a second to categorize the feeling like Dana taught me.

Hope. I smile and stride down the wide, cobblestone path cutting through the main quad toward the art building. This is going to be a good year if it kills me.

Emerson Hall, a glass-covered building that hosts most of the art classes, welcomes me through its wide-open double doors. If I'd lived a different life, most of my classes would've been here. But after months in the institution, I wasn't able to face the idea of grim professors judging my performances like the musclebound nurses judged my fingerpainting and macaroni necklaces for any sign I was a danger to myself or others. I haven't even entered the building since then. It's light and airy, like I remember from the tour Ryan and I took so many years ago. As always, his name hits me like a spear to the chest. I suck in a deep breath and plunge forward.

The photography class is on the far side of the building from the door in a room covered in windows. A handful of desks sit haphazardly around the room, and a middle-aged woman wearing a blazer with elbow patches looks up from one of them as I walk in.

"I'm Professor Washington," she says. "I love an early student. Really shows the dedication you need to get the shot in the real world. Take a seat, and we'll wait for the rest of the stragglers to wander in."

I nod and surreptitiously check my watch as I claim a desk near the back. Twenty minutes early. Dammit! I tried so hard to arrive a chill, normal five minutes ahead. I'll just do better tomorrow.

Minutes tick away. Professor Washington scribbles in a tiny notebook balanced on her desk. I pull out my laptop, then the simple camera suggested for the course. A few more students filter in. As always, they're all a few years younger than me. Between my reduced course load and the six months I lost to the institution, I'm entering my sixth year attending Ardent. At least I've got kind of a young face. I never lost the baby fat in my cheeks, and I like to keep my hair braided back away from my face in a way my roommate, Heather, says makes me look like an orphan on Ellis Island.

A guy sits in front of me, and my breath catches. His hair is the exact same golden blond as Ryan's in the summer. My rib cage squeezes, crushing all the air out of my lungs. My hands shake. I clutch the edges of my desk to try to still the tremors.

Dana's voice, easy and certain, pours over my thoughts. Breathe. Three reasons he's not Ryan.

I inhale. The guy in front of me is shorter than Ryan's 6'3" by a few inches.

I exhale. Ryan lived in goofy graphic T-shirts his mom picked up for him at the local thrift store, and this guy is wearing a kind of ridiculous blazer.

I inhale. The guy in front of me has thick, muscular arms. Despite his height and his few seasons on the basketball team, Ryan hated sports and barely had enough muscle to lift some of his older cameras.

And the most important one? The Dana in my mind taps her pencil against her clipboard.

Ryan is dead. The guy in front of me isn't Ryan because I watched Ryan die, and I remember every second like it was yesterday. I exhale shakily and relax my grip on the desk.

The guy in front of me twists in his seat to reveal a thick, blond mustache. "Can I borrow a pencil?"

I almost laugh as I hand over my spare. What a stupid close call. He looks nothing like Ryan. I fiddle with the settings on my new camera as the last of the desks fill up. The moment class actually starts, Professor Washington stands and begins handing out syllabi. There's no reason to stress today. I doubt I'll be doing anything trickier than reading paragraph five on page two aloud this week. I relax into the flow of class.

"In addition to the two photography expeditions I'm leading on the eighth and the twenty-seventh," the prof says as we approach the end of class, "we have three others, to be led by an actual, working photographer. You're very lucky." She smiles conspiratorially. "Please help me welcome Ben Andrews, the newest photojournalist at the Ardent Weekly!"

I clap politely with everybody else, but I'm too busy circling the expeditions Professor Washington will be leading. Her attendance policy is lax as long as people turn in the work, but I'm not going to lose my chance to actually go out in the field with her.

A light, teasing laugh bounces off the windows, and my stomach drops to my toes. He sounds exactly like Ryan. I inhale and look up, ready to start listing differences.

There are none. The man standing at the front of the class, waving his hands to try to get people to stop clapping, looks exactly like my high school best friend, plus the six years I've been without him. His hair is a little longer, curling around his ears instead of shaved tight to his skull. He's grown into his hands and his ears. He wears the sort of preppy, short-sleeved button-down with a tiny pattern we used to make fun of people for. But there's nothing else to separate him from the boy I knew.

"All right, I'm not exactly Ansel Adams." He smiles self-consciously. "I just moved here from a little town in Illinois, and-"

That's Ryan's smile, the one he used when people told him he was so tall he had to play basketball. My stomach lurches. My heartbeat drowns out the rest of his words.

Inhale for three. Hold for three. Exhale for three. Still Ryan. I pinch myself until my jagged nails break the skin. Still Ryan. I shut my eyes, rub them, and open them again. Still Ryan. My rib cage caves in on my lungs as I fight through every goddamn exercise Dana ever taught me, looking for anything that will make this hallucination go away.

It has to be a hallucination. Ryan is dead. He's dead! I saw his blood, still taste it sometimes. But if it's a hallucination... then I'm losing my mind again.

Professor Washington claps her hands, and I jump.

"All right, that's Ben. Why don't the rest of us go around and introduce ourselves? Name, and why you decided to take this class." She smiles. "I decided to teach photography because I think there's nothing more beautiful than giving others the gift of art."

Oh, god, they want me to talk. To talk without throwing up. My skin vibrates as if attempting to escape from my body.

"And you?" Professor Williams looks at me.

So does Ryan. Ben. Ryan. I swallow.

"Marcie Holt," I manage. "Needed an art elective."

Professor Williams purses her lips and turns to the next student. Ben doesn't. He lingers on me. There's something in his eyes I don't recognize. I tear at the skin around my thumbnail.

"That's it for today," Professor Williams finally says. "I look forward to-"

I lurch out of my seat, bolting for the door. It doesn't matter what she thinks of me. I'm changing electives.

View More Comments on App

Other books by ID Johnson

Beauty and the Alpha Beast

Werewolf

5.0

An enchanted castle full of secrets, a rite of passage she cannot avoid, an arranged marriage she'll do anything to get out of. Bexley isn't like ordinary girls. She'd rather be studying animals than flirting with men. It's too bad her stepfather insists she pay attention to Garth, a meathead who only wants her to make babies and clean his house. On her twenty-first birthday, like all women in her village, she's ordered to the castle to meet with the Alpha King. For someone who didn't even know wolf shifters existed, it's all a shock, especially when she sees the twisted body of King Canaan. Canaan is used to keeping secrets, so it's not difficult for him to keep them from Bexley-like the fact that she's his mate, so she can never leave. But the king has enemies. Not only is the witch that cursed him still out there, when Garth shows up leading a band of villagers who want to kill him, he'll have to fight against his own people. Unless Bexley can find a way to stop them. It might help if she knew the truth about herself. When she discovers her true identity, nothing in the kingdom will ever be the same. If you enjoy fairy tale retelling with a wolf shifter twist, you'll love this new series by the author of The Alpha King's Breeder and The Vampire King's Feeder.

Alpha of Smoke

History

5.0

My chances of survival are slim. Going west in the 1880s? Dangerous. Fighting rogues and traveling through pack lands where we are unwelcome? A death sentence. But Akecheta awakens a part of me I've never known before. I'm brave. I'm strong. I'm an Alpha's daughter. I will fight for my people--even if it costs me everything. And chances are, it will. If you love steamy wolf shifter romance that will leave your heart racing, read this new adventure from the author of The Alpha King's Breeder.

Tempted by Sin

Romance

5.0

I feel his eyes on me, staring through the darkness-darkness as black as his soul. As the fiancée of a rich state senator, I should be living the easy life, but that's not how it is for me. My mother's sick with cancer, my fiancé smells like women's perfume, and I'm not sure he even loves me. When I start to sense someone watching me, I should be terrified. Instead, I'm electrified. Kidnapped, held in a small room, but not tortured, I'm given a chance to study this man behind the mask. He's intriguing in ways he shouldn't be. He excites me in places I've never felt before. Should I give into the enticement and taste his sin? Or try to return to my regular life with a man I cannot trust who probably doesn't care about me at all? It's tempting-that's for damn sure. Tempted by Sin is a steamy dark stalker romance that might be triggering to some. You won't want to miss the shocking twist at the end!

Meet-Cute Me Under the Mistletoe

Romance

5.0

Christmas magic is in the air at the Santa Clause Ball! Will it lead to love? Growing up in a town called Mistletoe Mountain, it's no wonder I love Christmas. My parents named me appropriately, too. You can't get much more Christmas-y than Holly Lane Garland! This Christmas is going to be even more magical than usual--I can just feel it! At the annual Santa Claus Ball, I meet an amazing man who makes my heart play "Jingle Bells." There's just one problem--well, maybe two. I have no idea what his name is--or what he looks like. (Did I mention the Santa Claus Ball is a masquerade?) Searching for my perfect man leads me to make a new friend. Patrick is amazing, and we have so much in common. He loves Christmas, too. But I think he has a girlfriend. And, well, he's just not the guy who kissed me under the mistletoe. Or is he? Will I find love before Santa arrives, or will I lose my chance at mistletoe magic? If you like sweet, clean Christmas romance novels that get you in the mood for the holidays, you won't want to miss this new romance from the author of Melody's Christmas, Christmas Cocoa, and All I Want for Christmas is Pooch!

A Sketch Away From Perfect

Modern

5.0

Sometimes being outnumbered is a good thing--a very good thing! Harper When I signed up for an app that let me make some extra cash attending events with single men, I had no idea it would lead me to fall in love--four times! Scott is a caring organic farmer with muscles like no other. Damien is one of the richest men in the world who knows how to spoil me. Rafe is a famous quarterback who always hits me in the right spot. And then there's Tomas, my former professor turned Latin lover. It's scary dating four men, but they don't mind. In fact, they like how happy I am this way. Jack, however, my ex, is not exactly happy to find out my new situation. He'll stop at nothing to have me as his own--and share me with no one. When he goes too far, will my men be able to save me? If you love steamy reverse harem books, this new series from the author of Realm of the Chosen and Ember's Flames is perfect for you. Why choose if you don't have to?

The One - Four Fae for the Princess

Fantasy

5.0

All fae have a One--One person who strengthens their magic and enriches their life. A perfect mate. So why can't I find mine? What is a fae princess to do when she can't find the prince she's meant to spend the rest of her life with? I have to find him now, for the sake of my kingdom. Evil forces are moving in, and the only way I can come into my full power is to find my perfect mate. If I don't, the magical barrier that protects us will crumble because my magic won't be strong enough to hold it. But... I feel this strange pull to not one, but four different men! What in the world is going on? Can I be mated to all four of these men and still save my kingdom, or will what seems to be an asset turn out to be our undoing? The One is the first in a new reverse harem series by the author of Realm of the Chosen and Ember's Flames.

You'll also like

Fiery Passion: The Guilty Wife Of The CEO

Keely Alexis

4.9

On their wedding night, Rogelio wrapped his fingers around Marian's neck and spat at her, "Congratulations! From now on, you live in hell!" The reason for his wrath was that he believed she was responsible for the death of his elder brother. So, he married her but refused to touch her, determined to make her suffer for the rest of her pitiful life! However, due to an unforeseen accident, Marian was forced to sleep with Rogelio in order to save him, and she ended up getting pregnant. Concealing her pregnancy, Marian lived cautiously under Rogelio's watchful eyes. He hated her and relentlessly humiliated her, yet he would never allow anyone else to lay a finger on her— "Mr. Bailey, your wife got into a fight with someone!" Rogelio secretly took action, eliminating that person completely. "Sir, your wife claimed that all of your family's wealth belongs to her!" Rogelio quietly transferred all the shares to her. Unaware of all this, Marian only wanted to escape, but Rogelio pulled her into his warm embrace, whispering, "Mrs. Bailey, where do you intend to go with our unborn child?"

I Wait For You, My Love

Sheela Romoli

5.0

Natalie used to think she could melt Connor’s icy heart, but she was sorely mistaken. When at last she decided to leave, she discovered that she was pregnant. Even so, she chose to quietly leave his world, prompting Connor to mobilize all of his resources and expand his business to a global scale—all in a bid to find her. But there was no trace of Natalie. Connor slowly spiraled into madness, turning the city upside down and leaving chaos in his wake. Natalie finally surfaced years later, with wealth and power of her own, only to find herself entangled with Connor once again.

One-Night Stand: Accidental Surrogacy for Billionaire

Rashmi

4.9

"Miss Brown, I am the butler here at your service," the butler replied. "My master wants to buy the baby in your belly." "What?!" Does that mean the abortion didn't take place? Did they kidnap her from the operating table just to buy the baby? But why her? "You..." Alice was about to ask a question, but the man in front of her calmly continued, as if he had expected her question, "You're pregnant with his child, and he needs a child. That's all I can tell you." Alice was forced to sign a surrogacy contract and eight months later gave birth to two healthy babies. Fortunately, the man was unaware of her daughter's existence. It wasn't until five years later that fate brought them together again...

Unspoken Hearts: My Neglected Mute Wife's Escape

Jenn Curlin

3.9

Kallie, a mute who had been ignored by her husband for five years since their wedding, also suffered the loss of her pregnancy due to her cruel mother-in-law. After the divorce, she learned that her ex-husband had quickly gotten engaged to the woman he truly loved. Holding her slightly rounded belly, she realized that he had never really cared for her. Determined, she left him behind, treating him as a stranger. Yet, after she left, he scoured the globe in search of her. When their paths crossed once more, Kallie had already found new happiness. For the first time, he pleaded humbly, "Please don't leave me..." But Kallie's response was firm and dismissive, cutting through any lingering ties. "Get lost!"

Sweet Submission: Reclaiming Her Love

Maurise Gladen

4.8

When Corynn mustered up the courage to tell Elliot about her pregnancy, she unexpectedly found him gallantly helping another woman from his car. Her heart sank as three years of effort to secure his love crumbled before her eyes, compelling her to leave him behind. Three years later, life had taken Corynn down a new path with someone else, while Elliot was left grappling with regret. Seizing a moment of vulnerability, he pleaded, "Corynn, let's get married." Shaking her head with a faint smile, Corynn gently replied, "Sorry, I'm already engaged."

Hiding the Twins from Their Billionaire Father

Pixie.

5.0

Kara Martin was known as Miss Perfect. She was a beauty with good personality and successful career. Unfortunately, her life changed at one night. She was accused of adultery, losing her job, and abandoned by her fiance. The arrogant man who slept with her did not want to take responsibility. He even threatened to kill her if they met again. What's worse, Kara was pregnant with twins and she chose to give birth to them. Four and a half years later, Kara returned to work at a large company. As the secretary, she would frequently face their notorious CEO. Kara thought it wouldn't be a problem, but as it turned out ... the CEO was the father of the twins!

6/F MANULIFE PLACE 348 KWUN TONG ROAD KL

Resources

For Authors Contact Us Tags Completed

Referrals

Law

Conditions of Service Privacy Policy Copyright Complaints

Download App

APP STORE

GOOGLE PLAY

The Boy Who Died

About

Contents