Chapter 1 - The Bitter Toast
How did my sister's wedding turn into a crime scene in under twenty minutes?
My sister Felicity was halfway down the aisle when I realized the champagne I just sipped tasted wrong—bitter and chalky, with a weird metallic aftertaste that made my tongue feel thick. I set the glass down on my lap and tried to focus on the ceremony, but my vision started getting blurry around the edges.
The string quartet playing Canon in D sounded like it was underwater and far away, even though they were only twenty feet from where I sat in the second row. My hands started tingling first, then my feet. I looked down at the champagne flute, realizing something was seriously wrong with whatever I had just drunk.
I tried to stand up to get help, but my legs wouldn't cooperate, and I ended up half-falling into the aisle.
Felicity's new mother-in-law, Diane, rushed over and grabbed my arm hard enough to bruise, yanking me back into my seat with surprising strength for someone in her sixties.
She hissed in my ear that I was making a scene at my sister's wedding and needed to sit down and be quiet like a proper bridesmaid. Her breath smelled like expensive wine and mint gum, and her fingers dug into my bicep as she forced me to stay seated while my heart started racing in my chest.
I tried to tell her something was wrong with my drink, but my words came out slurred and wrong, like my mouth wasn't working right anymore.
Diane leaned in closer and whispered that she knew exactly what I'd done—that she'd watched me trying to steal attention from Felicity all week with my complaints and drama. She said I was just like my mother, always causing problems and ruining special moments for everyone else.
My vision tunneled even more, and I could feel my pulse hammering in my neck and temples while sweat started soaking through my bridesmaid dress.
The officiant was asking if anyone objected to the marriage, and I wanted to scream that someone had poisoned me, but Diane's hand clamped over my mouth before I could make a sound. She pressed so hard I tasted blood from where my teeth cut into my lip, and her other hand stayed locked around my arm, keeping me pinned to that chair.
I tried to bite her hand or scratch her or do anything to get free, but my body felt like it was moving through syrup, and nothing worked the way it should.
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My head lolled to the side, and I saw Felicity looking back at me with an annoyed expression, like I was deliberately trying to ruin her perfect day. The ceremony kept going while I felt myself slipping further away from consciousness.
I could hear the vows being exchanged, but they sounded muffled and distant, like I was listening from the bottom of a swimming pool. The last thing I remembered was Diane whispering, "You're taking a little nap now, lower-class trash," before the dark closed in completely.
