Chapter 1

I am Valerie. My sister is Vivian. We are identical twins.

She was the golden child. She got into the most prestigious elite university in the city.

I was the black sheep. I got into too many street fights, so my parents sent me away to my grandfather’s remote ranch in Montana.

But on her seventh day at college, the school called. Vivian had vanished.

My parents rushed to the campus, panicked.

But the school washed their hands of it. They said Vivian was an adult.

They even mocked her, saying a quiet freak with severe social anxiety didn't belong in a top-tier school anyway.

My dad snapped. That night, he drove all the way to Montana to bring me back.

He told me, this time, he wouldn’t stop me from being the monster I was.

When I got the news of Vivian's disappearance, I was out in the woods with a bunch of local guys, hunting wild rabbits.

The next thing I knew, I saw my dad standing under a massive pine tree, looking completely broken.

His eyes were sunken, stained with tears. Seeing me was like a drowning man catching a liferaft.

"Valerie, please. Come home with me," he begged.

His voice shook. He looked like he had used up every ounce of his strength.

Seeing him like that made my heart ache.

Vivian and I are identical twins. We share the same beautiful face, but our personalities are night and day.

She was the smart, sweet, perfect girl. But she was too quiet. She kept to herself and hated the outside world.

Me? I had a vicious temper. I fought with older boys and almost killed a few. I was a headache for my parents, which was why they shipped me off to Montana.

Vivian and I barely saw each other.

But we were closer than anyone knew.

We Snapchat-ed every day. We FaceTime-ed, sharing our dreams for the future.

So, the second I heard she was gone, I didn’t hesitate. I packed my bags and went back with my dad.

The moment I stepped into our house, I went straight to our old room.

Everything was neat. The matching Hello Kitty sheets on our bunk beds were still clean and fresh.

My dad said the last time Vivian called was the night before our birthday.

Her voice had been raspy. She cried and begged them to take her home. She said she couldn't take the pressure anymore. She hated the toxic environment. She just wanted to be back with Mom and Dad.

My parents thought it was just her usual social anxiety kicking in because of the new environment. Vivian had always been fragile and timid. She had barely any friends.

My dad had comforted her over the phone. He told her to focus on her classes and promised they would visit soon.

But when they arrived at the campus, the advisor told them Vivian had disappeared.

My dad lost his mind. He searched every dorm and corner of the school. Even when the police came, they found nothing. In a fit of rage, my dad confronted her academic advisor, Mr. Davis. He demanded to know why the school hadn't notified them sooner.

But Mr. Davis just shrugged. He said Vivian was an adult and they weren't responsible. He even sneered, saying a girl with such a fragile, defective personality didn't deserve to be in a prestigious school anyway.

My dad wanted to beat him to death right there. But he held back.

He didn't believe Vivian just ran away. He knew the school was hiding something. So, at that moment, he decided to bring me—the wild, dangerous twin—back.

My dad handed me a crumpled notebook. It was Vivian’s diary. He had found it in her dorm room before he left.

I gripped the worn notebook, tears streaming down my face.

"Don't worry, Dad. I’ll get justice for Vivian."