Fixing My Path: Where The Path Leads, #2

By Pamela Gail

It's time for the annual Raigus Art and Design Halloween Carnival. Lily Astor is exploring her freedom far away from the hold her parents have on her. Her one goal at this year's carnival is to have the time of her life. Turner Crosby is working in RAD's legendary haunted house. His one goal is to scare as many unsuspecting victims as possible. As the night goes on, fun and excitement turn to fear as police storm the campus. Lily rethinks her life choices as the truth unfolds in this novella.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pamela Gail
• Release date: May 18, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224402175

Book preview

Chapter 1

Lily

The sun set about an hour ago, and the annual Raigus Art and Design Halloween Carnival is in full swing. I’ve been looking forward to this legendary event since before I was even accepted to RAD.

When I came to visit during my senior year in high school, the girls who showed me around campus couldn’t stop talking about the Halloween carnival. Of course, my parents thought it was a terrible idea and forbade me to go. I missed it freshman year as I was still trying to get my footing and figure out how to be on my own. I mostly kept to myself, allowing my parents and Ames to control me. Last year, I went to the carnival for a little while, but I was by myself, so I didn’t stay long or do anything fun.

I’ve basically been betrothed to Ames Reardon since the day I was born. When I started dating Ames at the age of fourteen, I was suddenly allowed to go anywhere and do anything without question. They trusted him with my life and never asked what we were doing or where we were going. If my parents had been a little less trusting of Ames, maybe things wouldn’t have happened the way they did.

He’s a stick in the mud, but I’ve always loved Halloween—the costumes, candy, scary movies, monsters—all of it. Haunted houses are my favorite part.

Being raised in a wealthy, high-profile family doesn’t leave room for things as silly and juvenile as Halloween. My parents never took me trick-or-treating, that was left to the nanny, and all costumes and potential houses had to be pre-approved by my parents. I wasn’t allowed to go to a haunted house or Halloween party unless it was at church or the country club, and those were basically boring as shit. Maybe my love for Halloween comes from it being forbidden in my childhood.

Long before I was old enough, I would watch horror movies and read scary novels late at night when my parents and nanny were asleep. I wish I had been brave enough to sneak out and go to a real Halloween party or haunted house.

Being my own person has been difficult. Making decisions for myself is not easy, and in the year since I stopped letting them control me, I think I’ve really grown, though I have a long, long way to go.

I’m still not sure who I am, and it has taken my roommate, Dallas, and our friend, Adalyn, months to teach me how to care for my home.

Growing up, I always had someone do everything for me—laundry, shopping, cooking, and cleaning. Even in my first year of college, my mom sent my nanny to my apartment a couple of times a month to clean and do my laundry. At the beginning of my sophomore year, I asked Mother to stop sending her, so I could learn to do things for myself. It was the first real step toward independence. Sadly, I didn’t even know the basics. My roommates often cleaned up after me, and instead of washing clothes, I bought new stuff when they got too dirty to wear. Needless to say, I went through a lot of roommates. Dallas is number seven and has stuck around the longest. At first, Dallas would clean for me rather than just leave it, but after several months, we finally started forming a friendship. It was then that she and Adalyn began teaching me about self-care and hygiene. I mean, I showered, washed my hair, and brushed my teeth, but I didn’t wash clothes, towels, and sheets regularly—or ever. Like my clothes, I simply replaced sheets and towels. I’m grateful to them both.

Before them, I was so lonely that I had lost count of how many times I wanted to run back to Alabama—not that it was ever really an option. Being a prisoner in my own home was not high on my list of desires.

With Dallas and Adalyn helping, I have slowly started building a life here and pulling away from my family and Ames seems truly possible. They may still believe I will return home after college and marry Ames, but I have other plans.

Tonight, I’m not going to think about them or anything having to do with my life in Alabama. I have been looking forward to the carnival for months and intend to make it a night worth remembering.

Dallas went home to visit her family. She still hasn’t told Wylde about the baby, and as her belly grows, it’s getting harder to hide her secret. Other than her family, Adalyn and I are the only ones who know. I worry that I might slip in front of the boys. Wylde, Dean, and Turner live across the hall, and Dallas has spent the past three months carefully scheduling her life to avoid seeing Wylde. It broke them both when she cut things off with him.

I think she should tell him about the baby, but it’s not my decision. He has a right to know whether they are together or not, but tonight isn’t the night to dwell on what my roommate should