" Aaaaaah ! " His friends scrambled away in terror . I stood at the precipice and stared up at the sky , spreading my arms wide . " COME ON ! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR ? KILL ME ! YOU ARE ALL PATHETIC , COWARDLY BASTARDS ! " 11 A deafening roar ripped through the sky . When I opened my eyes , I was lying in a vast , white , empty space . A woman in a white dress stood over me . When she saw I was awake , her face twisted with fury . " Why did you kill him ? All you had to do was make him fall in love with you , and you could have gone home ! " " He was my creation ! My male lead ! Who gave you the right to kill him ? You ruined my world! I chose you specifically for this ! You were supposed to do what I said ! " Her voice rose to a hysterical mean to you because he liked " So what if he killed you ? So what if he tortured you ? You just get reborn anyway ! He was only and didn't know how Do you have 11 She was rambling , sobbing as if his death meant the end of her entire existence . She said he was a character she wrote , but from the way she was acting , you'd think he was her god . She lunged , her hands closing around my throat . My vision started to swim , black spots dancing at the edges . Just as I was about to lose consciousness , a shimmering button appeared above her head . A choice . RESTART MISSION WITH CALEB VAUGHN . PLEASE SELECT HOST : [ THE AUTHOR ] or [ AVA ] I kicked my feet , pushing myself up just enough to lift my hand . With the last of my strength , I slammed my palm down on the button labeled [ THE AUTHOR ] . You love him so much ? Then you can be the one to save him . For a moment , all I heard was single , piercing scream . Then, slowly , I opened my eyes . I was staring at a familiar white ceiling . From outside my window , I could hear the faint, familiar sounds of my neighborhood . I turned my head . This was my room . My bed . Tears streamed from the corners of my eyes . I pressed my hands to my mouth to stifle the sobs that wracked my body . I was ho- Chapter 2 me . " Is she still sleeping ? " " Let her rest . She seemed so tired last night . " It was my parents ' voices . I threw the covers off and ran from my room , launching myself into my mother's arms . She stumbled back , surprised . " What's gotten into you ? Did you have a bad dream ? " I buried my face in her shoulder , my voice thick with tears . " I just missed you so much , Mom . " I was finally home . And I was never , ever leaving them again . My life returned to its peaceful , normal rhythm . There was no more Caleb Vaughn . No more monsters . 09.57 Sometimes , though , I have a dream . A dream of that other world . In it , someone is still trying , and failing , to win Caleb's affection . But something has changed in him . He seems to remember . Each lifetime , he finds this new person and tortures them to death , his methods growing more and more cruel . They are locked in a new cycle , an endless war of mutual destruction . In my dream , I see the woman , the Author , kneeling on the ground , begging . " I was wrong ! Please , I don't want to do this anymore ! I want to go home ! " And I see Caleb , his face cold and merciless , as he kills her without a second thought . He looks up at the empty sky , a strange , hollow look in his eyes , and whispers a single question . " Ava , where are you ? "