Prologue

Ten Reason Not To Die

Prologue

My legs wobbled as I made my way closer to the edge of the cliff. I took in a deep breath of air, hands trembling by my sides as I stepped closer and closer to the end of the cliff. My heart hammered against my chest when I stared down at the rocky waters below me. If I jumped off that cliff right now, I would die from the impact, immediately.

But wasn't that what I've always wanted, to die quickly and without any pain?

I just wanted my life to end. I wanted to get away from this hell hole I've been sucked into. I wanted to go live with my parents up in heaven, not in some orphanage where I was too old for anyone to want to adopt me. They all wanted to adopt an obedient little child, not some seventeen year old teen like me.

I moved my foot one step closer, feeling myself stop breathing.

If I moved just an inch closer, I would be tumbling down that cliff.

You can do this, Remy. It's what you've been wanting for years now.

I moved my left foot forward, letting it dangle in thin air.

A tear escaped my eyes, sliding down my cheeks slowly.

Suddenly, I felt myself fly towards the side, as I squeezed my eyes together tightly. I prepared myself for the impact. Instead, I found myself crashing onto dirt. I opened my eyes, noticing that I was now thrown meters away from the edge of the cliff.

Hovering over me was a familiar face, one that was well known in my school.

Evan Woods.

He was well known for being in the 'it crowd', something that I was never part of. Evan Woods was known as the school's most likable male, for his care for other students, and generosity. All the girls in my grade wanted to be his girlfriend, but I've never seen him with his arm around any girl before. People say that he doesn't like to lead on girls, and he's waiting for the right one.

Personally, I found him fake.

"What the hell do you think you were doing?!" he shouted at me, as I pushed him off of me.

My vision was still blurry from my tears, as I wiped them with the back of my hand with frustration.

"Wasn't it obvious enough?" I hissed, standing up, as I brushed the dirt off my coat. "Everything was going fine until you interrupted me."

"Well do you really think I would just sit there and watch you jump off a clif Evan asked me angrily.

He followed me as I walked. I got aggravated, and pushed him away from me with my palms. "You don't know a thing about me! If I want to kill myself, I'm going to kill myself!"

I walked back to the edge of the cliff, as my hands shook by my sides. "I'll give you ten seconds to run. Or else, you'll witness my bloody body at the bottom of that lake."

Evan hit his lower lip, not uttering a word.

"Fine? Is that how it's going to be?" I snapped. "Congrats, Woods, you'll be the witness of my suicide."

I stepped forward, but before I could fall down, I felt a tug by my wrist. Evan pulled me backward.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" I screamed, letting tears fall down my cheeks. "Let me go!"

Evan clenched his jaw. "I'm not going to let you die."

Tears streamed down my face, as I ripped my wrists out of his grip. "Why do you even care?" I sobbed. "You don't even know me!"

"You're Remy Williams, the quiet girl that sits behind me in AP Calculus." Evan spoke.

"Is that it?" I raised an eyebrow. "Pathetic."

Evan pulled me forward, so that my chest was pressed against his. What the hell did he think he was doing? "Get away from-"

"Give me ten days." Evan started off.

"What?" I spat, trying to get his body away from mine.

"Give me ten days, and I can give you ten reasons not to die." Evan paused. "And if I can't change your mind by then, you can go jump off that cliff."

I pursed my lips. "You don't mean that."

"I do." Evan sternly said. "Do we have a deal?"

I hit my lower lip. "I don't know."

"Do we have a deal?" he repeated, ignoring me.

I gulped, as I stared up into his exotic green eyes. They looked so genuine and sincere. Did he really want to save my life?

"Deal."

****

Ten Reason Not To Die

Day 1 Mallory

The orphanage was always quiet and empty on Sunday mornings. Most children, which I must say are years younger than me, go off with the nuns to church every Sunday morning. The nuns here gave you an option whether you wanted to go or not, but I was always preferred not to go, just because I was never the most religious person.

I sat at the long dinner table eating stale toast as breakfast with the only other girl in the orphanage that didn't go to church. She sat across from me, ripping off pieces of hard bread, and dipping them into homemade strawberry jam that the nuns got us all to help make.

"When do you think a mommy and daddy are going to come adopt me?" Mallory's soft voice asked, blue eyes reaching up to mine with a sparkle dancing in them.

At only the age of six, Mallory knew a lot at her age. She was extremely intelligent, and knew more than the average six year old should. She knew that her mother left her on the stairs of the orphanage when she was a baby, but it never seemed to bring down her optimistic mood. She would always say that things happen for a reason.

"The right family will come and get you one day." I assured, taking a sip out of my tap water.

Mallory nodded, tucking a strand of her curly blonde hair behind her ears. "Okay." She muttered, taking her spoon, and eating the strawberry jam straight out of the jar.

I held back a laugh, as I watched Mallory eat the jam messily. There was red jam all over her cheeks, but she was still too innocent and young to care about how she looked like.

The doorbell suddenly rang, alarming the entire orphanage with its loud bells. I got up from my seat, as I made my way over to the front entrance, pulling out the French doors.

My eyes reached up to Evan Woods, whose cheeks were pinched red from the cold weather outside. I frowned, as I hit my lower lip. "Why are you here?" I hissed, as I pulled the door out wider for him to come inside. "How did you even find out where I live?"

Evan stared up at the entire orphanage, noticing that it was rather large. He didn't know that I was an orphan, so he must've assumed that this was my house, that this enormous orphanage was my mansion.

I dabbed the napkin in water, trying to get rid of the mess she made on her shirt. "He's just some guy from my school." I muttered, giving up on cleaning the six-year old up. "This is never going to work. Go upstairs and take a shower before the nuns come back."

Mallory nodded quickly, giving Evan another glance, before rushing up the grand staircase. I shook my head, tossing the napkin on the table of trash. I started to clear up the table, as Evan helped me pick up the dirty plates.

"What did she mean by nuns?" he asked, carrying the plates behind me, as I pushed open the door to the kitchen.

I licked my lips; dumping out all the trash as Evan began to turn the faucet on to was the dishes. "You don't have to wash them. I'll do it." I told her, picking up the sponge.

Evan stepped out of the way. "So? What did she mean by nuns?" he repeated.

I pursed my lips, scrubbing the dishes clean. "Nuns, as in our caretakers."

"Caretakers?" Evan asked with confusion clear in his voice. "Don't your parents take care of you?"

I glanced at him, shaking my head. "No. They're dead."

Something must've clicked inside Evan's head, because he looked around again, noticing the many doors on the second floor. "Y-You mean, you live in an orphanage?"

I finished washing the plates, as I began to dry them with a dry cloth. "Yes, Evan. I'm an orphan."

Evan's green eyes sparkled with guilt, as he gulped. "Oh." He paused, as I raised an eyebrow. "But, we've gone to school together for seven years. How come I never knew?"

"Because no one knows, except for the teachers and all." I sighed, placing the dishes back in the pantries from they came from.

"Is this one of the reasons why you want to-"

"Die?" I cut him off, laughing bitterly. "You can say that. I mean, come on, Evan. I'm turning eighteen in a year. No one is going to want to adopt a seventeen year old teen. I'm going to get kicked out of this place once I turn an adult, and what happens then? I can't afford college, or a place to stay in that matter. I'm going to end up on the streets and die slowly and painfully. Might as well get it over with sooner than later, yeah?"

"You still have a year." Evan pointed out. "You can get a job now, and raise up for an apartment, then find a job, and go to-"

"It's not as easy as you think it is." I snapped. "You have parents to back you up and everything. It's better off if I die now."

Evan's face hardened, as he clenched his jaw.

Why was this stranger so determined to save my life, anyways? What have I ever done for him?

"No." he said. "You're giving me ten days, right? I'll find ten reasons why you shouldn't die before that."

I smirked, pushing past him to get to the kitchen. "Good luck with that. Day one, where's your first reason?"

"Remy! Who's at the door?" Mallory's high pitched voice called from the dining room, echoing throughout the entire orphanage.

I groaned, grabbing Evan's arm, pulling him into the dining room with me. Just when I thought Mallory couldn't have made a bigger mess with herself, she now had jam in her hair, and all over her shirt.

"Mal, how did this happen?" I asked her, rushing over with a napkin to dab her red stained cheeks. She didn't pay any attention to me, as her eyes casted over my shoulder to the figure standing behind me.

"Who is this?" she asked in a tiny voice.

Evan remained speechless, as I shook my head.

Mallory came running down the stairs with dampened hair and a new t-shirt on. "Sister Mary isn't back yet, is she?" she asked.

I shook my head, rubbing her blonde head of hair. "Not yet."

Mallory sighed in relief, giving me a tight squeeze from my waist. "Can we go get ice cream once they come back?"

I laughed, kissing her forehead. "Sure."

"He can come, too!" she squealed, pointing over to Evan.

I looked behind my shoulder, watching as a grin spread across Evan's lips.

"Reason number one, Mallory." Evan spoke, making my shoulders tense up.