A Tedoleran under the Christmas Tree

By Nova Edwins

I'm guarding a dark secret and don't have the slightest idea how to confess it to my friends. When we get lost in the middle of the snowy Colorado wilderness, I find the perfect solution to my dilemma—a menacing monster lurking among the pines.
My plan is simple: I'll sacrifice myself so that my friends can escape to safety. If I'm no longer alive, I can't confess anything to them. Idiot-proof.
Unfortunately, the monster has no interest in killing me. What it intends to do with me is much more diabolical...
Dark sci-fi romance with a Christmas theme. Over the top and utterly ridiculous. Contains holiday lights, candy canes, and a happy ending in front of a fireplace.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Black Umbrella Publishing
• Release date: Jul 7, 2024
• ISBN: 9783910412743

Nova Edwins

Enjoying the average psychopath just like the next girl.

Book preview

PROLOGUE

ISLA

I squinted in the back seat and wished I could disappear. Wished to be able to simply vanish into thin air. I didn't want to exist anymore. How could I confess to my friends what I had done?

I probably wouldn't even be able to say it without throwing up. The shivering didn't stop, despite the fact that I was actually dressed too warmly for the car ride. The cold came from within me—probably from where my soul had been before.

No matter how many times I told myself Warren deserved it, the sinking feeling wouldn't go away, nor would the twinge in the pit of my stomach.

Taylor had taken me aside right at the beginning and warned me about Warren, but I hadn't wanted to hear it. No, I was smart and independent and didn't need any help.

Such bullshit. I wish someone would come and take me by the hand and tell me what I had to do from now on because as soon as I took responsibility for my own life, I basically threw myself into misfortune. And not only with men. The last job I had taken at a print store hadn't been a normal print store—they printed counterfeit money after closing time. I simply attracted misfortune, and when I tried to fix it, I only made everything worse.

Harry had helped me get a restraining order against Warren, so he couldn't come near me after he beat me up. He had to keep a distance of at least twenty yards. Still, I hadn't felt safe because he had always been hanging around on the other side of the street, waving at me with a sardonic grin.

Until this morning, when he apparently decided that the restraining order ultimately couldn't stop him from breaking into my apartment.

I had been so angry that I had pushed Warren off me with all my might. His head had hit the edge of the table. Blood had spilled onto my carpet while I stood there rooted to the spot. I realized that I should have called an ambulance. Or the police. Or both.

But I had taken my packed bag and left the apartment. Down at the roadside, I had waited almost forty-five minutes until my girlfriends picked me up for our Christmas trip.

I hadn't spoken a single word.

There were only two possibilities: Either Warren was dead, and the police would be waiting for me when I returned, or he wasn't dead, and he would be waiting for me when I returned.

Either way, I was probably better off disappearing into the snow. Maybe I'd wait until my girlfriends were asleep tonight, write them a goodbye note, and take a long walk. So long that I would freeze to death and my body would never be found.

Jen, Taylor, and Harry didn't deserve to be constantly dragged into my misfortune. They would probably even say that Warren deserved to die and that I had nothing to blame myself for. But I couldn't let them find out and risk being charged with aiding and abetting. Or failing to render aid. Or whatever.

I just wanted to disappear—no more decisions to make.

Isla? Jen said.

No, no, no. I couldn't talk to them now, or I'd burst into tears, and they'd immediately know that something was wrong. I'm asleep, I claimed, squeezing my eyelids shut a little tighter.

Why don't we just stop here for a minute? Taylor suggested. We'll stretch our legs and see if we can manage to get a signal on our cell phones. Otherwise, we'll keep an eye out for distinctive landmarks. Maybe we'll get lucky and happen to see Colorado's tallest fir tree to use as a guide.

Sounds good, Harry said.

Yes. What a great idea! Getting out and pretending that everything was fine. Great. Just great.

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