Forge Me

By Fae McKae

Katherine Nolwood, Markleville High Senior, has started the last year in a long high school career. She and her best friend, quarter-back Tyler Markley, can’t wait to leave their hometown in the rear view mirror. It has always been them against the world, together . . . until suddenly it’s not.

A car crash leaves Tyler with amnesia. He’s forgotten every moment of his friendship with Katherine. Devastated, she watches him from the sidelines. What else can she do? Yet, it’s from a distance that she sees him most clearly. Small details add up until she realizes this Tyler is not the Tyler she knew.

Can Katherine convince this doppelgänger to lead her to her real friend? Or will she find herself in a deadly game of her own making?

After all, some secrets are hidden for a reason.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fae McKae LLC
• Release date: Nov 9, 2022
• ISBN: 9781662933011

Book preview

Chapter 1

Senior year was all about planning. What college should she go to? What major should she enroll in? Should she live on-campus or off?

Senior year was all about worrying.

What if she didn’t get accepted to her top pick? What if she didn’t get that scholarship she needed to attend? What if her major was full?

Katherine didn’t have a plan.

She was good at a lot of things. She was good at science and math. She was good at art and social studies. She was good at linguistics and foreign languages.

She was ‘good’ at a lot of things, but she wasn’t ‘great’. That’s where the worry came in.

Tyler had it easy.

Tyler Markley, Senior Quarterback, heir to a large family-owned corporation and an actual all-around nice guy. He seemed too ‘perfect’ sometimes, but in a town as small as theirs, it was easier to make friends than enemies. Unless, of course, you were like Katherine.

Katherine had always been an outcast: too smart for most of her class, but too lax for the ‘nerds’ who were one-upping each other for title of Valedictorian. She swam, but hadn’t wanted the commitment of a team. She read, but didn’t want books picked out by the book club. She liked to sing anywhere she went, but didn’t want to be stuck with the same song over and over again until it was perfect as their choir was ought to do.

Like she’d mentioned: Katherine Nolwood was a Jack-of-all-Trades and master of none.

Tyler seemed not to mind.

He had the world on a silver platter and pick of the school and he wanted her as his best friend.

The thought brought a smile to her face as she leaned her temple against the cool window. The houses rolled into fields around them; suburbs changing to country-side that isolated the small town inside itself.

What’s that smile for?

Huffing a laugh through her teeth, she turned to her car-mate. Chocolate brown eyes caught hers, shooting a teasing, questioning look. His brunette hair was short, but the bangs long enough to fall into his eyes as he looked between her and the road. Come on. Tell me!

"You, she smirked, drawing out the vowel sarcastically. Obviously."

You mean my dashing good looks or my brilliant athletic skills? he prodded with a playful grin.

Don’t forget your overwhelming humility. She rolled her eyes. Nah, I’m just… happy we’re friends is all.

‘My only one’ went unsaid, but he heard it none-the-less.

Silence stretched between them as he continued to drive down the narrow road. The edges cracked and crumbled under tires and grass, so he often ended up driving down the middle when no car was heading the opposite way.

I tried to tell them, he said quietly.

No one believed you, she said, knowing what he was referring to.

Early freshman year, the school cameras had caught her on film vandalizing school property. As young as she was, she had been charged as a minor and escaped actual jail time, but it had left a nasty mark on her permanent record. The thing about small towns? They never forget history like that.

Fact was, she hadn’t been there that night. She had been with Tyler, studying, trying to get his grades up high enough that he could join the varsity team. He had told the police as much, but they didn’t believe him. After all, friends covered for friends all the time.

She had been framed, but had no way of proving it. The film was evidence that someone with her looks and build had tampered with school property. A town this small, the population and possibility of look-alikes dwindled past the decimal point. The jury saw her height, her blonde hair, her favorite jacket –one that was her dad’s and had the logo of his company on it—and saw all evidence pointing to her.

The jury took less than an hour to discuss and decide on guilty.

When her mind turned to the teary-eyed look on her mom’s face and the stone-cold blankness on her father’s, Katherine shook her head and forced her thoughts away. She propped her arm on the armrest and leaned further into the window. It wasn’t your fault. They had the evidence, the film. There’s nothing I could say to that.

You know as well as I do that it’s not your fault either! he said sternly, eyes narrowing at the road. "I’m sure if they would just look into the records—!"

It’s okay, Tyler, she cut him off more sharply than intended and winced. Letting out a slow sigh, she tried again. "It’s not your problem. It happened years ago, remember? I decided long ago that what happened in freshman year wasn’t going to affect my entire life, so just… give it a rest. Please."

Fine… His tone meant he wouldn’t drop it for long, but he’d given up arguing for the moment. That was all Katherine needed right then.

They were about half-way to her house by this point. She knew because the corn fields had turned to beans, following typical crop rotation they learned about in science and history. The fields all around her addition had been beans this year, so the change signaled they were at least out of Tyler’s high-end neighborhood.

Scrambling for some other topic, she circled back to what they had been doing not ten minutes before starting their drive. Looking over to him, she propped her chin on her knuckles. So, think you’re ready for the test on Monday?

Tyler let out an explosive sigh. I have to be, don’t I? If I fail one more time, Coach will bench me. Doesn’t matter if I’m team captain or star-quarterback: if my grades drop below a C, I’m out.

Well, that’s why you have me, yeah? She smiled to herself. "I mean, I might not be Valedictorian levels of smart, but I can hold my own in pretty much any subject."

Yeah. He looked over with a soft smile. You’re pretty cool like that.

Not exactly knowing how to handle the compliment, Katherine looked back out the window, only to flinch as something flashed into her eyes. Squinting against it, she looked through the side mirror to see a car several yards back. The silver color made the sunlight glinting off the exterior almost blindingly bright. Spotting the front license plate, she pondered the shape of the car.

In a town this small, most everyone recognized each other’s cars, or at the very least, when someone got a new car. Most were second-hand or junkers, unless you were part of Tyler’s crowd. His friends bought brand-new only and drove it for roughly a year before selling it off. This was one of those cars and, as far as Katherine knew, none of the ‘popular’ kids at school had been making noise about a new vehicle. It was possible that this was an out-of-towner that liked to use their roads as by-passes for the larger, busier highways, but…

This road they were on didn’t by-pass any highways. It was for townies only.

Hey, Tyler, she called. Don’t you think that car looks a little like ours?

He glanced into the rear-view mirror, squinting against the sun’s reflections. I don’t know, maybe? Kind of hard to tell with the sun.

The nagging feeling didn’t leave her as they took a turn, only to have the car follow. She startled when she heard the engine rev. Whirling to glare at him, she ordered. Don’t.

He flashed her a grin and revved the engine again.

No! she protested. "This is a country road!"

Yeah, with no speed limit signs posted, he pointed out. That means free-for-all!

No, it means—! she shrieked when he floored the gas pedal and felt the car accelerate around them. She held onto the arm rest for dear life as he went from 45 to 70 in less than three seconds. He laughed the entire time as she chanted. "No, no, no, no!"

When he finally took mercy and slowed down, she smacked him on his stupidly muscular arm —once, twice, three times for good measure —each one punctuated with a sharp, "No!"

Aw, come on, ‘Rine! he laughed, Lighten up!

"You do that every. Time! she huffed as she settled back into her seat. Behind them, the car had disappeared, left in the dust. The next road sign ignited her anger again. And you missed the turn!"

Aw, shoot. Did I? He leaned forward, looking through the window for landmarks. Well, looks like I’ll just have to take the next road and do a loop.

Or, you could do a U-turn, she suggested, gesturing to the empty road all around. Not like anyone’s here.

I could… He looked over at her and, oh, there was that look again. One that was conniving, but soft at the same time. Or I could take us the long way around and get to spend more time with you.

She felt her face redden at that, not entirely sure how to respond other than a tentative, embarrassed smile. She looked out the window again more to hide her blush than to enjoy the scenery. Yeah, okay. Let’s do that.

He perked up and flicked on his turn signal at the next road.

Unfortunately, it was one that had a very short double-back time. They hadn’t even managed to start on another subject before they were back on the road Tyler had just gunned down.

Hmm… Tyler grunted. That didn’t work out like I planned.

Oh well. She side-eyed him with a smirk. Better luck next time.

Next time, huh? He gave her a sly look and slowly, purposefully, revved the engine.

Her smile dropped as her eyes went wide. Tyler, no—!

She shrieked. He laughed. The car sped on.

The empty road suddenly wasn’t.

Tyler, Tyler! she shouted. She grabbed his arm, pointing out the window, anything to get his attention.

He stopped laughing just in time to see the car from before speeding towards them, straight-on collision course. A few unthinking curses fell from his lips as he panicked and slammed on the brakes, but it was too late.

Their car couldn’t slowdown in time.

The other car didn’t seem to notice as it sped down the center, just like they had been doing before. On a road as narrow as this, it was either aim for the ditch or hit each other head on.

The ditch was preferable.

Just as Tyler decided this, the other car did too. The only problem?

They aimed for the same ditch.

Screeching filled her ears. She snapped her eyes shut on instinct. She wasn’t sure what happened. One second, they were hurtling off the road, then…

Katherine coughed as the airbag deflated from her chest. Her torso hurt from the bag ejection and seat belt. Her knees were bruised from slamming into the glove box. The hand that had been on the arm rest was covered in scrapes from broken glass. Her head hurt, but she didn’t know why.

Dazed, she fumbled for the door handle, trying to get out of the car as it slowly filled with smoke. Her dominate hand hurt too much, so she ended up using the other to pull the latch and fall out of the vehicle with a small thud. Untangling herself from her seat belt, she gained just enough coordination to pull herself a few feet back.

She stared at the wreck with confusion.

Tyler? she called, voice thick with the fog that covered her mind.

No answer.

T-Ty? she called again, fear cutting through the fog like a knife through butter. Tyler?

Still no response.

No… no, no, no! she chanted to herself. She struggled to get to her feet, but she couldn’t. They didn’t want to work with her. She got to her knees —the world spun nauseatingly around her. She ended up back on the ground.

Phone, she told herself. "Doctor. Someone. Help."

With fumbling fingers, she dug through her pockets to find her phone. They were close enough to a residential area that she could trust the service not to just quit on her at the first chance. With trembling fingers, she dialed 911.

"911, we’ve received your call. What is your emergency?" a kind, but hurried voice on the other end answered.

C-car crash… she said, tongue feeling too thick in her mouth. Two cars. B-both front end…

How many people are involved?

I… I don’t know? Her voice cracked. Three? Maybe? My friend and I… we were in one car, but I don’t… the other…?

Are you able to stand?

N-no… she keened into the phone.

Tyler had been in the driver’s seat. It was a front-end collision. She knew, statistically, that the drivers in front-end collisions had a low survival rate of 5%. The other car had been at the right angle to—!

She sobbed into the phone.

"Calm down, sweetie," the woman hushed. "We’ll be there soon. Can you tell us where you are?"

Outside my addition? she warbled through her sore throat. The road right in front.

What is your name, dear?

K-Katherine. She swallowed thickly. Katherine Nolwood.

"Stay right where you are, Katherine," the lady ordered. "We’ll find you. I’ll stay on the line with you until the ambulance gets there."

O-okay… she choked off on another sob. Her ribs hurt as she forced air into them. Everything hurt. Her pounding heart sent a throbbing rhythm of pain to her head. Her vision grew foggy as something warm and wet slid down her forehead.

Was it sweat? Or blood?

"Do you have anyone we can call for you?" the lady’s voice sounded so distant; almost a whisper. "Katherine, are you there?"

Her words faded into a buzzing noise in Katherine’s ears as her breathing slowly began to settle. The buzzing grew louder, sounding strangely like another engine. Another vehicle, maybe? A passerby? But Katherine didn’t get the option to find out as her vision finally gave up and darkness took her.

Chapter 2

An annoying beeping sound woke him up. He groaned and tried to reach out to turn off his alarm, but froze when he tried to move his arm. White-hot pain ran up from wrist to shoulder. It left him wide-eyed and gasping.

Where was he? Why did he hurt so much?

Pain-filled eyes took in the sterile white walls, ceiling and floors, only just off-white enough not to blind him. There was a dormant TV in the corner of the ceiling and machines all around him, beeps speeding up with his heartrate. That explained what he thought had been his alarm, but why was he here? In a hospital?

Did he get hurt?

He scrambled to think of how he could have possibly gotten hurt.

Most likely offense? Sports’ injury. They happened often enough on the field and he had heard many a horror story about athletes who had been taken out for good by a torn ACL or rotator cuff. He had been careful to avoid those injuries as best he could, but he must have run out of luck.

Or maybe not? His leg was in a sling above the bed, hard cast covering it. He must have broken a bone. Could that happen on the field? He’d heard some stories, but Coach had been pretty stringent on the guys not playing hard enough to break bones.

Was it something the guys had done? Had the team ganged up on him for one of their pranks? As team captain, he’d thought he’d stopped that whole thing, but he knew just how hard the temptation was.

Or maybe the cheer captain found out he’d been talking with one of the girls on the prom committee? He would swear it was just talking, but girls got strangely territorial about the weirdest things. He would never claim to understand them. But if it was her, then she’d probably take out her anger on his car—slash his tires, key his doors, maybe tamper with something to cause an accident…

Then it all came rushing back.

A quiet drive down crumbling country roads. Fields on either side. A car behind him… then in front. Nowhere to go, no way to dodge. He hit the ditch. The other car hit him.

Then nothing.

He must have been taken to the hospital after that. But who had called the ambulance? Had the other driver been conscious? Had they been able to make the call? Or was it…

A knock on the door drew him out of his thoughts. Swallowing thickly, he cleared his throat and winced at the pain. He must have been out for a while for his throat to feel so dry.

The knock came again. He answered with a raspy. Come in.

Those two words took more out of him than he had anticipated. If it was this hard to talk, it would be torture getting back onto the field. And they had a game this Friday!

Coach would not be happy about this.

His musings were interrupted when the door opened.

* * * * *

When Katherine first woke up, Tyler was all she could think about.

Where was Tyler? Had he been taken to the same hospital? Was he here? Was he okay? Or was he…?

A nurse came in, seeming surprised to see her up. Good! You’re awake! We managed to call your parents. They’re on their way now.

What about Tyler? she asked, single focused around the way her head throbbed. Is he okay?

Who? The nurse looked confused.

Tyler. The boy with me, she clarified. He was the driver…

The nurse pursed her lips and looked through Katherine’s chart. She seemed to find something and made a quick mark. The driver of your vehicle, his name is Tyler?

Tyler Markley, she confirmed. Please. What happened to him? Is he okay?

The nurse made another mark, then straightened the charts and hung them at the foot of Katherine’s bed. The driver of your vehicle had to be taken to the Emergency Room. He has since been moved to Intensive Care, but there’s nothing else I can tell you.

Intensive Care? Katherine felt her heart plummet. "Is it bad? Is he dying?!"

I’m sorry, but I can’t say any more, the nurse said again, voice stern. You aren’t legally related to him, so I can’t share any more information without the patient’s consent.

Let me talk to him! she said as she pushed her feet out of the bed. He won’t mind! He knows—!

The world spun.

You are not going to see him, the nurse said, putting a firm hand on Katherine’s shoulder. You are going to stay in this bed until we can clear you of a concussion.

After that? She tried to bargain

I’m sorry. The nurse shook her head. I can’t give you his room number or any other information. You’ll just have to wait until he’s able to ask for you.

‘Able to’, meaning he couldn’t now.

Just how bad did Tyler have it? Would he even make it through the night? Was the last time she saw him going to be her screaming at him to slow down?

Was she going to lose the only friend she had?

I can’t tell you anything about him, but I can tell you about the damage you sustained, the nurse said, picking up the chart again. A couple of bruised ribs, a sprained wrist and some superficial wounds to the right arm and eyebrow. A blow to the back of the head leaving a suspected concussion. All-in-all, not bad for surviving a car crash.

Katherine stared at the nurse, unable to see the silver lining.

Honestly, you should be grateful. If your driver hadn’t turned into the ditch on the right-hand side of the road, you would be where he is right now. The nurse placed the clipboard back on the foot of the bed, then looked up with sharp eyes. Or worse.

Worse? Worse.

There was a worse.

Tyler wasn’t worse. He was still alive. At least, that’s what she hoped worse meant?

Before the nurse could say more, Katherine’s mom was rushing in, face red and eyes wet. She crowded around Katherine’s bed, hands hovering over her shoulders as if afraid to touch and cause harm.

I’m okay, Mom, Katherine assured her. It was enough to break the small dam holding back the tears.

I was so worried! Her mother sobbed, wrapping her into a tight hug. When we heard the news! I was beside myself! Your father had to—!

It’s okay. I’m safe. She clutched her mom just as tightly, realizing just how close she had been to death. How close Tyler still was. She looked to her dad. Tyler? Is he okay?

Her father shook his head. They won’t tell us anything. Even though we’re the closest thing that boy has to family other than his vacant parents, they won’t say a word. Patient Confidentiality.

If they wouldn’t tell her father, they must have been at a larger hospital, not the little one in town. Everyone in town knew how close Tyler was to her family, how many times her father had had to take him in over the years for injuries from climbing trees or doing stunts. By this point, they wouldn’t bat an eyelash at telling him anything.

That wasn’t true here.

When will his parents be in? Katherine asked. The look on her father’s face was answer enough. What about Mr. Williks? He should be here soon, right?

If they count a butler as ‘family’. Her father looked doubtful. Otherwise, he’ll likely have to wait until Tyler can make decisions of his own and be released from the hospital.

"It’s times like these that I really wish his parents acted like they had a son, her mother said, obvious rage and injustice in her voice. To think, they’re out on some island in Cancun or a lodge in the Alps and he could be dying right now—!"

She cut off in a small sob and heavy inhale. She ran her hand through Katherine’s messy hair. "We’ll be here for him. Whenever he calls for us, we’ll be