Aria's POV
It's so good to see you awake! Celeste's voice drips with fake sweetness as she perches on the edge of my bed. We were devastated when you collapsed.
Collapsed. Like I tripped. Like I wasn't murdered.
I force my face into a smile. Thank you for visiting.
Julian stands by the window, hands in his pockets, looking every bit the concerned ex-fiancé. Do you remember anything from that night? The engagement party?
He's testing me. Trying to figure out if I know.
It's all fuzzy, I lie, watching the golden numbers above his head shimmer. $890,000. The doctors say I might never remember.
Relief flashes across his face. That's probably for the best. Don't stress yourself trying to recall painful memories.
Painful. He has no idea.
I look at Celeste's wrist where her number glows: $2.3 million. What does she want that costs that much? And why can I see it?
We should let you rest, Celeste says, standing. She leans down and kisses my cheek. Her lips are ice cold. We'll visit again soon.
The moment they leave, I exhale. My hands are shaking.
Dad pokes his head in. Are you okay? You look pale.
I'm fine. Just tired.
Get some sleep. I'll bring lunch up later. He smiles, but his eyes are worried.
After he leaves, I stare at the ceiling, my mind racing. The numbers. Everyone has them. Different amounts. What do they mean?
I need answers.
I need someone who won't think I'm crazy.
I need Lyra.
Two hours later, there's a knock on my door. Before I can answer, it bursts open and a girl with wild red hair and about seven books in her arms stumbles in.
Lyra I start.
Don't. She dumps the books on my desk and spins to face me. Her green eyes are fierce. Don't you dare pretend you're fine. I can see it on your face. Something's wrong.
Lyra Chen has been my best friend since college. She runs an occult bookshop downtown and believes in magic more than she believes in gravity. Most people think she's weird. I think she's brilliant.
And right now, she's looking at me like she can see straight through to my bones.
How did you know I was awake? I ask.
Your dad called everyone. I came as soon as I heard. She sits on the bed and grabs my hands. Aria, you were dead. I saw them zip you into a body bag. I watched them load you into the ambulance. Dead people don't wake up four months later.
My throat tightens. The doctors say it was a coma.
The doctors are wrong. Lyra squeezes my hands harder. I've been researching for months. Forbidden magic. Resurrection rituals. Someone brought you back. I don't know who or why, but someone paid a price for your life.
The room spins. You believe in resurrection magic?
I believe in you. And I believe you didn't collapse from stress at your engagement party. Her voice drops. I believe someone killed you. And I've been trying to prove it.
Something breaks inside me. All the fear, all the confusion, all the horror of waking up in a world that moved on without me it comes flooding out.
It was Julian, I whisper. And Celeste. They poisoned me.
Lyra goes very still. You remember?
Every second. The poison burning. Julian holding me down. Celeste watching me die. Tears stream down my face. They murdered me, Lyra. My own sister and the man I was supposed to marry. They killed me.
Lyra pulls me into a hug. She doesn't cry. She just holds me tight and says, We're going to destroy them. Both of them. I promise.
When I finally pull back, I wipe my eyes. There's more. Something's happening to me. I can see things now. Numbers. Golden numbers on everyone's skin.
Instead of looking shocked, Lyra leans forward. What kind of numbers?
Prices. Dollar amounts. On their wrists or floating above their heads. I point to her wrist. You have $156 written right there.
Lyra's eyes go huge. She looks down at her wrist, even though I know she can't see what I see.
What do you want that costs exactly $156? I ask.
Her mouth falls open. How could you possibly there's a rare book. On a specialty website. About resurrection rituals. It's been sold out everywhere, but one collector has it listed for
$156, I finish.
Oh my God. Lyra jumps up and starts pacing. Oh my God, this is incredible. You can see people's deepest desires. What they want most in the world, represented as a price.
But I don't understand why. Or how.
It's part of the resurrection magic. It has to be. Lyra grabs one of her books and starts flipping through pages. When someone comes back from death, they sometimes return with gifts. Abilities. This is yours.
I think about the numbers I've seen today. The doctor wanting $25,000. The nurse wanting $12,000. Dad wanting nothing.
Test it on me again, Lyra says. What's my price now?
I look at her wrist. The number has changed. $200.
I'm thinking about a different book, Lyra says excitedly. One that costs $200. Can you see that?
Yes! It changed when you thought about it.
So the numbers shift based on what people are currently desiring most. Lyra grins. This is amazing. Do you know what this means? You can read people. Really read them. See what they truly want.
I think about Celeste's $2.3 million and Julian's $890,000. I can see what my murderers want.
Exactly. And we can use that to destroy them. Lyra sits back down, her expression turning serious. But Aria, there's something else. Something important.
What?
Everyone has a price. Everyone wants something. Even people who seem satisfiedthey still have desires, dreams, goals. She looks at my wrist. What's your price?
I pull up my sleeve and show her my blank skin. Nothing. There's no number.
Lyra's face goes pale. That's not possible.
Maybe I don't want anything?
No. Everyone wants something. Even if it's just to be happy or safe or loved. Lyra traces her finger over my empty wrist. The absence of a price doesn't mean you want nothing. It means something else entirely.
Like what?
I don't know. But in magic, when something that should exist doesn't, it usually means it's been hidden. Or traded. Or She stops.
Or what?
Lyra looks up at me with frightened eyes. Or you're the price. Not the customer. The product.
The words hit me like a slap. What does that mean?
Someone brought you back from death. Resurrection magic requires a trade a life for a life, a soul for a soul, something valuable for something valuable. Lyra's voice shakes. If you don't have a price written on your skin, it might be because you ARE the price. Someone paid for your resurrection. And the cost was you.
I can't breathe. So I'm what? Owned by someone?
I don't know. But we need to find out who resurrected you and what they want from you. Lyra stands and starts gathering her books. I'm going to research every resurrection ritual I can find. You focus on learning how to use your ability. Read everyone's prices. Map out what people want. Especially Julian and Celeste.
Why them?
Because if you can see what they desire most, you can take it away from them. Lyra's smile is sharp and fierce. We're going to make them pay for what they did. But first, we need to understand your power.
I nod, feeling determination replace fear. Okay. I'll practice.
Lyra heads for the door, then pauses. Aria? One more thing.
What?
Be careful who you tell about this. If someone went through the trouble of bringing you back from death, they're watching you. They know you're awake. And they'll come for you eventually. She meets my eyes. When they do, you need to be ready.
After she leaves, I sit in the growing darkness, staring at my blank wrist.
Someone brought me back.
Someone paid a price.
And somewhere out there, they're waiting for me to figure out what I owe them.
I'm about to get up when my phone buzzes. A text from an unknown number:
Welcome back to the land of the living, Aria. We need to talk about what you've become. Tomorrow night. 247 Cathedral Street. Come alone. C
My heart stops.
Someone knows.
Someone knows I'm different.
And they want to meet.
Timeline: Day 1, Afternoon to Evening