And Nem did go.

With Patch held to her chest, she took off for the exit.

As she flew past the two adults, she slowed for a moment. She wanted her mom to see she was okay, that she was a brave girl, doing as she'd been taught.

Their eyes connected.

Why was her mom's face so white? Her skin like crisp, clean paper pulled over her bones. Then she realized her face was the only pale part. Her t-shirt, jeans, arms and legs, everything else, was red. Rich, terrible red.

Her mom mouthed, "I'm sorry," and "B… B. Look."

She wondered for years why the last word her mom ever spoke to her was "look."

Look at what?

Look for something?

Look and remember. Don't make this mistake?

Yes, she'd relive this day forever.

Nothing would be the same again. Ever.

But her mother had not said look. By the time Nem discovered what she'd meant, she was old enough to understand the person she loved and trusted had been hiding a secret.

4

5 out of 5 stars

Amazing! Review by JANE on October 1

Back to that Day by Orelia Mason

Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase

If I could give Back to that Day a higher rating I would but since a 5 star is the highest, then it’s what I have to give... One of the best I've read in a long time. I will read this more than once and I never read books more than once.

* * *

William’s addiction to checking the Amazon reviews Orelia Mason received on her books had become a bad habit.

Habit was too mild a word because if William was brutally honest with himself, laying every card on the table, then this habit had become an addiction.

The habit-addiction began in an innocent way.

In fact, the act was joyful and uplifting at the start. He figured most addicts declared similar sentiments. Uplifting and joyful. No harm done. Just something to pass the difficult days. An activity that let you feel good about life until the wicked thing wrapped barbed tentacles around you and took over everything.

The first time William checked Orelia Mason’s Amazon page over two years ago he’d been thrilled. Way back then all he felt was pure delight at the quantity of positive reviews garnered by her debut Back to that Day.

Even though they no longer spoke because of that stupid argument, he still felt pride. Her success proved how valuable his assistance had been with her manuscript. She had nothing when she first came to him. Raw talent, and that was it.

This, of course, was when he still imagined the beginnings of poor sales of his own books came down to a simple life glitch. After all, Suffer Them to Come to Light had also ranked high in its categories and remained in the top twenty US charts overall for six months.

More than once, since helping her, he imagined he possessed magic success dust. By his mere sprinkle, he’d created this remarkable sequence of events, which had brought her soaring above other wannabe writers. This had satisfied him to no end, and more than once as he stared in the mirror, smiling, he’d thought, William you’re a great and wise mentor.