FREE! In The Arms of My Enemy (Completed!) Book 1

Panic! (Bonus AU chapter!)

Author's Note:

In celebration of Amazon Prime Video's newest series Panic, I am thrilled to be teaming up with Amazon Prime Video and Wattpad to write this exclusive chapter that puts my characters from this story into the world of Panic!

I hope this chapter intrigues and inspires you to learn more about Panic. Visit the #PanicWritingContest on Wattpad for the chance to put your creative writing chops to the test and learn more about the show!

To find out more about the contest, prizes, and how to enter, check out the #PanicWritingContest here: wattpad.com/AmazonPrimeVideo

Don't forget to watch the series premiere on May 28th, only on Amazon Prime Video, here: http://primevideo.com/

Carp, Texas, Summer 2021

Fidelia Atwell stared up at the cliff that loomed over the ­­lake, her stomach twisting. Surely there was a better way...? She swallowed hard and clutched the unlit flare tighter as she watched the other contestants climb the slope to the lowest jump-off point.

Carp, Texas, was where dreams went to die. They drowned in the mud and stupidity that was hillbilly purgatory. The only thing an orphan with a younger sister to care for could do was escape. With only $200 and her father's old pistol to their name, they didn't even have enough to make it to the next town. No, Fidelia reminded herself as she held out her hand to receive her contestant number, the $50,000 prize money was the only thing that could save her and Lottie.

Ears buzzing with adrenaline, she marched around the edge of the lake, ignoring the catcalls and shouts from the idiots that eagerly watched the spectacle. She held the flare in her teeth for a moment so she could tie back her mass of red curls. Time to get down to business.

Panic. The name of the 'game' that this town's bored teens invented so they could watch each other almost die for the sake of money and adrenaline. They all pitched in a dollar a day during the school year until finally, after graduation, the seniors competed for the prize money, enough to leave town and go wherever and be whoever they wanted.

Fidelia knew it was stupid. Heck, she had lifted her nose and firmly stated that anyone who competed, and the sadists who watched, had IQs far south of 60. But here she was, climbing up the grassy slope of the cliff, determined to win the prize money or die trying. The latter was a real possibility. After all, it had happened to two kids just the year before.

"You'll look good skewered on the rocks down there," Ray Hall leered back at her from his position at the front of the line.

Fidelia tightened her grip on the flare, her face heating with rage at the sight of him. The lecherous swine had nothing better to do than drink all day and stare hungrily at Lottie. He liked them innocent and naïve, and he made sure everyone knew it.

"Looks like you'll be saving me a spot," she snapped back, gesturing for him to jump first. If he didn't make it, she certainly wouldn't shed a tear about him.

Ray laughed and lit his flare, shouting his name to the spectators below. With a hooting yell, he ran and jumped off the cliff. And with that, he had entered the game and earned his first 100 points.

Even though she hated him, Fidelia couldn't help but hold her breath, waiting for the splash. Everyone cheered as the water exploded with the impact, and Fidelia grudgingly let out the air she'd been holding.

As the others jumped, Fidelia's stomach sank further. There were at least 20 other competitors jumping off the low point. If she wanted to win, she needed an edge. She had to go for the highest jump for the extra 100 points.