Chapter 1

I've survived three years on this island. Three years of sleeping in the dirt, eating insects raw, and catching rainwater in my cracked hands.

My ribs press against my skin. What was left of my clothes rotted away two winters ago, and I can no longer remember what it feels like to be full.

One day, the island’s most vicious brown bear came back. Blood dripped between its yellowed fangs, and scraps of flesh hung from its claws.

I'm standing over its den with a stone spear clenched in both hands when a helicopter thunders overhead. The bear glances at my weapon and laughs.

Not a growl. A human laugh.

Then it reaches up and pulls off the bear's head.

Nathan.

My brother.

"Three years ago, you just had to go after Mia for that Best Actress award. You even tried to have someone assault her."

"So Ethan said we'd dump you on an island for a few years. Let Mia get some payback."

I can't move. Can't breathe.

Behind me, the second version of myself, the one my mind created to survive the endless loneliness, steps forward and gently rubs my head.

"I'm not a hallucination either. I'm your husband, Ethan Weston."

"You brought this on yourself. You just had to go after Mia."

Three years. Three years I survived on this island like a wild animal.

And it was all a lie. A prison built just for me.

My whole body is shaking.

The helicopter door opens. Mom and Dad step out hand in hand, smiling at me like this is a family reunion.

"Your starring role in Modern Castaway has already premiered worldwide."

"We promised you a Best Actress award, remember?"

"Come accept it, then we'll bring you back here. The sequel's waiting to shoot. Mia wants a Best Director award next."

Ethan waves his hand, and a swarm of cameramen appear out of nowhere, lenses aimed at me like weapons.

He smiles, eyes bright with excitement.

"Claire, those 1,096 tally marks you carved into that rock wall? That became the film’s astounding opening shot."

"It broke the internet. Fans are begging for high-res photos."

Nathan turns to the crew, his voice calm and almost gentle, but every word cuts me open.

"Make sure you get the destroyed shelter too. Close-up."

My chest seizes. Even breathing hurts.

Just minutes ago, that bear, that thing, smashed my shelter for the twenty-sixth time.

I chased it down like a maniac, ready to die fighting.

And now I find out it was my own brother. Every single time.

"Why?" My voice cracks. "Why did you keep destroying my shelter?"

Nathan looks at me, casual as anything. Like I'm being unreasonable.

"You stole twenty-six years of Mia's life. A little punishment is getting off easy."

He pauses, then smirks.

"Oh, and that 'wild man' you spent three years terrified of? The footprints that destroyed your wheat field the first year? That was Mia."

My brain goes blank.

I remember that day. The stalks crushed into the mud. Trampled beyond saving.

I wanted to scream but didn't dare make a sound. I pressed my hand over my mouth so hard my jaw ached.

The terror was a tidal wave. Every rustle of leaves, every snapping twig sent my heart into overdrive.

Three months. Three months of pure paranoia before I finally slept through the night.

Mom steps forward and shoves a bouquet of flowers into my arms.

"You have no idea. Mia scratched up her shins walking through that wheat field."

"So I came up with a solution. We swapped out your seeds for roasted ones."

"Anyway! Enough of that. Congratulations, sweetheart! Our Claire is going to be Best Actress!"

I stare at her loving face, and I feel like I'm drowning in ice water.

The second year, I clawed open new soil with my bare hands. Planted those seeds with so much hope. Watched the dirt every single day, waiting for something green to push through.

Nothing ever grew.

I told myself it was the soil. That I'd picked the wrong spot.

The third year, I moved back to the original plot. Weeded every day. Made fertilizer. Rationed my precious fresh water to keep those seeds alive.

Dad claps me on the shoulder, grinning. Proud, even.

"Oh, and that stream where you went fishing? The piranhas? We put those there."

"This was your punishment, after all. Couldn't let you get too comfortable."

The bouquet slips from my fingers and hits the ground.

Tears pour down my face. I'm screaming before I even realize it.

"Why?! Why would you do this to me?!"

"Wasn't I your daughter for twenty-six years? Aren't I your sister? Aren't you the man who swore to spend his life with me?"

"Everything you say I did to Mia, I never did ANY of it! Why won't you believe me?!"

Mom's face goes cold.

"You said you wanted to leave. I bought you a plane ticket myself."

"But instead, you turned around and hired someone to take nude photos of Mia to destroy her reputation."

"I DIDN'T!" I scream.

She opens her mouth again, but Nathan cuts her off with a raised hand.

"Mom. Drop it. We agreed to three years of punishment, then we'd move on."

"Even Mia's forgiven her. Besides, Mia still needs Claire for that Director award."