I’m lucky to be alive. I couldn’t stop thinking it, the words swirled around and around inside my brain.

Gareth handed me a mug of tea, his warm brown eyes concerned. “Tell me from the beginning,” He said gently.

The beginning!? So much stuff has happened over the last few months, it’s weird to think that my life used to be normal. I can’t believe I used to complain that Greendale was the most boring town on the planet! Ha! That seems like a lifetime ago, now, sitting here in Gareth’s cramped apartment, watching raindrops speckle the window.

I take a deep breath, and let my mind float back…

I guess everything started that night I first saw Patrick, in the park. It was cold and dark, the trees were whipping around with the wind. I can remember it all, every tiny detail is etched in my mind.

I was sitting on the swings, a lit cigarette burning in my hand. I was thinking about Alice. And then I saw him, in his bright red parka, moping around under the trees. What the heck was Patrick King doing here?