My mother drinks in every detail in awestruck wonder as Geraldine Sawyer, head administrator of Goldcrest Omega Academy gives us the grand tour of my new school. This isn’t where I’m supposed to be. That’s all I can think as I take in the luxuries all around us.

I smile when it seems appropriate, but I’m barely listening.

I had such big plans before Aiden died.

I let them all slip through my fingers after.

Now that he’s gone, nothing matters.

I could have fought this. Could have told my mother I didn’t want to go to an Omega academy.

She’d have listened, if I had another plan. Another passion to throw myself into with my whole heart. That’s the trouble. My heart isn’t whole anymore.

The part that made it beat is gone.

It doesn’t matter where I am, that’s not going to change.

There’s no place on this earth that would make it beat again without him.

He was my one true mate, the missing half of my soul.

Going on without him feels wrong, so I’m stuck here, going through the motions while every day seems to get grayer and grayer. The world has turned into an old movie. Familiar, but strange. All of the color washed out.