Chapter 1

The Valedictorian.

At East Coast University, the title was a death sentence.

Every year, the top graduate, the one who gave the speech, met a bad end.

Soon after graduation.

Always.

The university called it tragic coincidence.

The police reports said suicide. Depression from the pressure, they claimed.

But we students knew.

The brighter the star, the quicker it fell.

The more accolades, the more public the "accident."

A shadow hung over the honor.

Fear was a quiet roommate to every ambitious student.

Most of the top contenders learned to play it safe in their final year.

A missed assignment. A slightly off exam.

Anything to avoid the spotlight.

Anything to avoid being first.

My sister, Claire, didn't play it safe.

Three years ago, she was Valedictorian.

She was brilliant. Fearless.

She told me the talk of a curse was just that – talk.

Superstition.

She said she'd break it.

She stood on that graduation stage, her voice clear and strong, full of hope.

I remember the sun in her hair.

Her smile.

A week later, they found her.

I didn't believe it then.

I don't believe it now.

Claire wouldn't kill herself.

She loved life. She had plans.

For us. For our mom.

That's why I'm here.

That's why I worked, why I pushed, why I didn't miss a single point.

This year, I am the Valedictorian.

I need to know what happened to Claire.

And I'll walk the same path she did to find out.

Even if it leads to the same end.

Our mom, Susan, raised us alone.

Dad died when I was small. A factory accident, they said. Quick.

Mom worked double shifts at the diner, her hands always smelling of bleach and fried food.

She wanted better for us.

College. A life she never had.

Claire was her shining star.

Her proof that all the sacrifice meant something.

Claire got a full scholarship to East Coast.

She excelled. Made Mom so proud.

I remember Mom crying when Claire got the Valedictorian letter.

Happy tears then.

So many happy tears.

Claire was more than a sister.

She was my best friend. My protector.

She taught me how to read, how to ride a bike, how to stand up for myself.

She always smelled like old books and cinnamon.

She believed in truth. In justice.

She wouldn't have left me with a lie.

The official story of her death. That was the biggest lie of all.

I would find the truth.

For Claire.