Porcelain
by Jesse Sprague
Her past is bathed in blood. But without trustworthy memories to guide her, her future may be equally drenched in red.
Ten years ago, Gabrielle woke up from a blackout covered in blood next to her brutally murdered parents. Certain that her porcelain doll was the killer, she nevertheless clung to it, because it was only protecting her. Wasn’t it?
After years of therapy, living in institutions, and lots of medication, Gabrielle has made enough progress to enroll at the University of Washington. She just wants to be normal. A doll is just a doll, after all.
But when she’s sexually pressured at a date’s house, she blacks out again and wakes up next to her date’s bloody corpse—with her doll. Worse, her brother’s new boyfriend is the homicide detective on the case. Despite her brother’s faith in her, she’s left seeing two possibilities—either she’s a killer, or her doll is.
With her past catching up to her, Gabrielle is determined to find answers. If she doesn’t discover the truth, the only people she loves—and the only ones who love her—could be the next victims. So she’ll do whatever she has to, even if that means going to jail for murder, to save them.
About the Author: Jesse Sprague
Coming from a long line of storytellers, and as a busy mom herself, Jesse Sprague writes for others looking for an evocative escape. And her debut novel, Spider’s Kiss, took the shapeshifter trope in a new direction with sexy spiders in space. Her sc-fi series Beneath 5th City explores what happens if there are no heroes to step up in an alien invasion. Her previous stories have appeared in anthologies with award-winning and New York Times bestselling authors.
To Jesse, words are magic—they might be the only real magic left in this world. Find Jesse Sprague at JesseSprague.com.