Kill Two Birds with One Stone

By Ava Mae

Homeless and ashamed, a young women named Arabelle struggles to survive. When she seeks to escape her reality with friends in a forest, an accident occurs causing the forest to erupt in flames. While everyone makes it out alive, the blame falsely falls on one friend, leaving Arabelle with immense guilt for hiding the truth.

She finds herself with an ultimatum that will change the course of her life. Blocking out his past, a firefighter named Tucker immerses himself in his work and hobbies. He crosses paths with Arabelle during the forest fire and they begin to form a friendship.

Though their relationship blossoms, Arabelle fears her secrets and past will push Tucker away. Meanwhile, Tucker fears his feelings for Arabelle will leave him with a broken heart because of a past friendship he’d lost.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Nov 10, 2023
• ISBN: 9798889102731

Ava Mae

Ava Mae is a newly graduated student with her bachelor’s in social work; however, her passion lies in writing. She believes books are the bridge to the imagination and can take one across the world without leaving the comfort of their chair. She enjoys outdoor activities and nature. Most of all, she enjoys educating herself on the individual lives of others and their experiences.

Book preview

About the Author

Ava Mae is a newly graduated student with her bachelor’s in social work; however, her passion lies in writing. She believes books are the bridge to the imagination and can take one across the world without leaving the comfort of their chair. She enjoys outdoor activities and nature. Most of all, she enjoys educating herself on the individual lives of others and their experiences.

Dedication

I would like to dedicate this book to the young women who continue to fight no matter what comes their way.

Copyright Information ©

Ava Mae 2023

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Ordering Information

Quantity sales: Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address below.

Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data

Mae, Ava

Kill Two Birds with One Stone

ISBN 9798889102724 (Paperback)

ISBN 9798889102731 (ePub e-book)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023915693

www.austinmacauley.com/us

First Published 2023

Austin Macauley Publishers LLC

40 Wall Street, 33rd Floor, Suite 3302

New York, NY 10005

USA

[e-mail]

[phone]

Acknowledgment

Thank you to Austin Macauley Publishers and Ben List for making this dream possible.

Prologue

Want some?

Bella shook her head as Bryce shoved a joint toward her face.

He shrugged. Suit yourself.

Bella brought her knees to her chest and scooted closer to the fire. It was a chilly night for October. She raised her head to the sky to study the stars only to get a view of the tree branches blocking them.

Bella sighed heavily and rested her head on her knees. She observed her four friends—who were hardly the definition of a friend—that were either drunk or high. Their behavior never seemed enticing enough for Bella to join in, but they were the only people so far who didn’t judge or question her even if they barely paid attention to her.

When had her life gotten like this? When had she stooped so low that her company consisted of half-coherent individuals who saw themselves with no purpose in life other than to catch the next high? Deep down, Bella knew the answer. She just didn’t want to come to terms with it. Who wanted to face the fact that they hung out with the kind of people most similar to them?

Bella crinkled her nose at the strong smell of marijuana coming from the fire pit. She turned her head to the side to avoid the smoke drifting toward her face. Her life hadn’t always been this way. She used to know she had purpose. She may not have been aware of what kind of purpose. But from a young age, her parents had taught her that everyone played a part in the world. For years, Bella had been a firm believer in that idea.

Now? Now she wasn’t certain her parents’ philosophy was accurate. What purpose did she or these dimwits behind her have? As far as she was concerned, none. No purpose. They had been dealt the short end of the stick. They were the ones who weren’t going to make the cut in the survival of the fittest. They were going to be the example to the rest of society of what it meant to place last in Darwin’s hypothesis. Yet, not even having that small bit of purpose comforted her.

Completely overcome with irritation, Bella shifted altogether to get out of the smoke’s path that was growing thicker by the second.

Holy Shit, Bryce! she suddenly heard Julie yell. However, it didn’t faze Bella because those kinds of outbursts were common among her friends.

Commotion behind her began and grew louder, but Bella blocked out the noise like she’d become so good at doing in the last months.

Bella! Bryce yelled.

Bella shoved her head between her legs and squeezed her eyes shut to further push her mind toward the black hole of silence.

Shit! Shit, man, Connor directed angrily at Bryce.

What do we do? Julie demanded. Shannon is barely conscious.

We gotta get out of here before the cops come, Bryce said frantically, no longer functioning like he was in a haze.

We can’t just let the forest burn down! Connor shouted crossly.

You’re suggesting we burn down with it? Julie accused sarcastically.

We’re gonna get thrown in jail if we stick around. We need to get the hell out of here! Bryce pointed out.

Bella could almost feel herself being engulfed into the black hole when someone shook her violently.

Bella, get the hell up! Run!

Suddenly realizing something was very wrong, Bella stood up. Directly behind her, she saw fire licking at the base of a pine tree until it was completely enwrapped in orange light. Dread filled Bella’s veins as she felt a slight breeze drift past her that caused the flames to jump from tree to tree. She watched in horror while the once peaceful pine forest became ablaze in seconds.

She realized her luck that the fire was spreading away from her instead of trapping her. Acting fast on this knowledge, Bella did what her friends had told her to do in the beginning.

Run.

She ran through the forest in the direction of the parking lot. Then suddenly, the hair on the back of her neck rose as an immense wave of heat hit the back of her. Bella’s adrenaline spiked causing her to sprint even faster. Why had they decided to camp out so deep in the park? Unfortunately, there was no beaten path so Bella had to run back to the parking lot the best she could. She dared a glance behind her, not bothering to stop her pace. She gasped at the sight, simultaneously tripping on something, which caused her to fall to the ground.

Momentarily shocked, Bella laid motionless on top of something large. Then she heard it moan. Rolling off the structure, Bella recognized it to be Shannon. She knew there was something seriously wrong with her mentally when she hesitated on whether or not to help Shannon. She briefly judged the approaching flames that were no longer just attacking the trees North. The fire was now spreading in every direction.

Gritting her teeth in frustration at the inconvenience, Bella hurriedly did her best to pick Shannon up and run. Bella quickly found out that the fastest she could manage was a fast walk since Shannon was now dead weight. Tripping on practically every root from being unbalanced, she finally fell altogether, toppling on top of Shannon again. Out of breath, strength, and energy, Bella exhaled a long, heavy sigh. She took one last peek behind her to gauge the fire.

The last thing she remembered was feeling a heavy wave of suffocation that smelled like death.

Chapter 1

A day later, Bella found herself awake in a hospital room. She’d been up for two hours already speaking to the doctor then talking with an officer. She barely remembered what happened after tripping and falling. Apparently, after she fell, the lack of oxygen in the area had caused her to pass out. If the firefighters hadn’t shown up when they did, she and Shannon would have been food for the flames.

Bella still couldn’t believe how fast the fire had spread. One minute, it was just a small, contained fire and the next second it was untamable.

Well, it looks like your story matches with the other woman’s, the officer said, walking into Bella’s hospital room. It took a minute to register what he was talking about. Bella had never considered Shannon a woman even if she was twenty. They all acted like juniors in high school.

Bella nodded in response, knowing the less she said, the better off she was.

So, he sighed heavily while scrutinizing her, you’re cleared with us. Don’t go too far though, in case we need to get a hold of you. It was evident to Bella that the officer had serious suspicions about the likelihood of her story. However, with no contradictions, there was no reason to question further.

Case closed.

I understand, she breathed.

Bella wondered briefly what would happen with Shannon. Guilt began to set in. However, she quickly justified the situation by inwardly saying, Bryce, Connor, Julie, and Shannon were the ones who started the fire, and if Shannon hadn’t drunk so much, she would have been sober enough to get out of there.

Yet, Bella knew if Shannon had been sober, this whole situation would look a lot different. Bella would be taking the blame for the fire; and honestly, she probably would have accepted being the scapegoat without ratting on the others. But this time, she got lucky enough with a way out.

Just then the doctor entered the room with his hands in his pockets.

She’s cleared with us, Doctor Hasley, the officer stated before leaving with a parting nod toward Bella.

Then it looks like you’re good here, Dr. Hasley said, moving to her I.V. "We’ll have you come back in a week for a check-up to make sure everything is healing nicely. You are lucky the burn is only a second degree and only on your arm. Things could have been a lot worse."

I believe it.

The pain will get worse before it gets better, but don’t be alarmed. That means it is healing. I’ve prescribed you silver sulfadiazine—commonly referred to as Silvadene—to put on it twice a day. Avoid getting your burn wet within the first week. You’ll need to make sure you change the wrapping every couple of hours; and if you run out of gauze, it’s nothing special. You can buy it at Walgreens. Doctor Hasley paused to take a breath. Any questions?

Bella felt small under his gaze. His blunt professionalism was nowhere near great bedside manner.

No, she shook her head hoping she would remember all of his instructions.

Alright. I will have a nurse bring a wheelchair for you, he said, walking toward the door, but halted before exiting. Was there no one you wanted to contact to take you home? His eyes wrinkled with compassion.

It was the first and only glimpse Bella received that showed Doctor Hasley had a heart underneath his layers of professionalism.

No, was all she offered.

He gave a curt nod then was replaced by the nurse who helped Bella change and relocate to the wheelchair. As she was wheeled past the front desk, she noticed a man in uniform approaching her. Bella’s blood began to rush. She wanted to get as far away from the authorities as possible. Maybe the officer had found something out and sent someone to question her further. Or worse, detain her.

Excuse me, he said, standing directly in her path forcing the nurse to stop. She was only allowed a little relief when she noticed that the man was a firefighter, not a police officer. You’re Arabelle, right?

Bella paused a moment before responding. She hadn’t been called that since she was a kid. Clearing her throat, she said, Yes, what can I help you with? she hoped she sounded sweet and not terrified.

The nurse interrupted the conversation saying, Do you mind if I just wheel her outside and you guys can chat out there?

Bella could sense the woman’s impatience. Truth be told, it was obvious to everyone that Bella didn’t even need a wheelchair.

Of course. My apologies, the stranger said, moving out of the way.

Once they were outside and the nurse had left, the man began again.

I was just driving by, and I thought I’d return this to you, he said, handing Bella a photo. You dropped it while I carried you out of the accident, he added.

Bella took the picture from his hand and delicately tucked it away without even looking at it. She didn’t need to. She knew exactly what it was. Bella had it in her pant pocket that night. It must have slipped out when she was being moved around.

Thank you, she said sincerely.

It looked important, he stated, placing his hands in his uniform pockets.

A sad smile formed on Bella’s lips at his observation. Yes. It is, she confirmed.

I’m Tucker, by the way.

It’s nice to meet you. I’d introduce myself, but it would seem you already know my name, Bella said in good humor. She had to keep reminding herself not to act stiff. As far as Tucker was concerned, she was innocent.

How’s your arm doing? he nodded toward her wrapped arm.

Bella shifted her bodyweight to one leg, standing in a natural uneven pose. It’s fine. Not something I want sticking around, though. Pretty uncomfortable, and I imagine will be inconvenient, she answered with only half honesty. In reality, it still felt like her arm