The Insiders (The Insiders Trilogy, #1)

by Tijan

There was someone in my room. I sensed them just as I turned the lights off. This was the nightmare every girl had at some point in her life. It was here. It was happening to me, not to someone else. Me. Coming back from the bathroom, going to my bedroom, their shadow caught the corner of my eye. Hairs on the back of my neck stood up. A chill went down my spine. A split second. Not even. That’s how long I had to compute what was about to happen before a hand grabbed my arm. Another slammed over my mouth. “Shh!” He moved fast, backing me into the wall. He was tall, a couple inches on me, and strong. That chill just doubled, and he bent his head low, whispering into my ear, “In two minutes, men will break into your home and take you hostage.” My lungs stopped working. This didn’t happen to people like me. I was no one special. Okay, that wasn’t altogether true. The only special thing about me was a lame nickname I got in elementary school, but that was years ago. I was Bailey Hayes, twenty-two and

Ahh! I loved writing this beginning. It almost got taken out during the edit process, but I made sure to keep it in there.