Hey, Everyone!

My name is H.L. Roberts and I am super excited to be back for my second ever Wattpad Block Party! This is hosted by the incredible so make sure to take a second to give her a shout out and a huge thank you for this event! I'm excited to tell you about my up and coming YA Thriller Novella, The Replacement, that is expected to be published this October! I also have a special INTERNATIONAL giveaway going on so be sure to check it out below!

Thunder rang out as the storm broke, and ice-cold rain was forced down in the warm night. Evelyn rushed to get under the covered patio to beat the rain.

What a weird place to pick for a talk, she thought. Gardener Crest had plenty of rooms to sit down in and have a nice quiet conversation away from the party. But no. Once again Jasmine had to be dramatic and meet at the pool house that was so far from the house you couldn't even hear the loud music. Just great.

Evelyn walked to the front door of the pool house, and she noticed that it was barely cracked open. When Evelyn pushed the door open, she noticed that all the lights were out, including the ones that lined the ceiling that were always on.

Maybe I misunderstood where she wanted us to meet, Evelyn thought as she called out to the empty pool house, "Jazz? Are you here?"

Evelyn pulled out her cell phone and turned it on. As she heard the door behind her slam closed she looked up, and the light from her phone showed no one in front of her. Then, she saw a shadow from behind. That was when Evelyn heard the soft click of a lock. A cold feeling slithered up her spine as she turned around.

A blonde girl stepped out of the shadows. An involuntary gasp escaped Evelyn's lips as she stared at what looked like her own reflection. Jasmine, she thought, but as the girl took another step forward, Evelyn realized that this wasn't her twin.

This girl wore a long strapless magenta dress, identical to the one Evelyn was wearing. Jasmine was wearing a short cobalt blue dress. The house was completely quiet as she took in the girl before her. How every little detail matched her own.

Evelyn's eyes were wide in shock as she suddenly found herself unable to move. To talk. To breath. She had been expecting Jasmine, but this wasn't Jasmine. Color left her face as she whispered, "You aren't my sister."

"You don't say," replied the girl as she began to smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. They remained cold and hard. "I'm not Jasmine. I'm Evelyn."

Suddenly, Evelyn was aware that the teen in front of her was holding a large butcher knife.

Evelyn began to scan the room trying to find the quickest way to back door before she realized the remodel that blocked the only other exit. There was no way out. She slowly began to walk backwards as she hit something. She slowly reached behind her to feel what she hit, and she realized that she ran herself into a wall. She was trapped.

Lightning flickered across the sky, catching the knife blade and making it flash, reminding Evelyn that it was still there. That this wasn't her imagination.

The other girl stepped forward, but she didn't make any effort to lash out with her weapon. Instead, they stared at each other, completely transfixed.

It was her face, but it wasn't her face. That was when Evelyn realized what was different. It was her eyes. The only thing Evelyn could see was pure evil.

"Who are you?" she whispered.

"You heard me. My name's Evelyn. It used to be Monica Daley, but now it's Evelyn Warren. You have had your fun, but now it's my turn. Which means you have to go."

Evelyn glanced out the window, hoping that there was an off chance that someone had gone outside to look for her. No luck. All her friends were in the house, meaning no one would be around to hear her scream.

"What do you mean, I have to go?" asked Evelyn, stalling for time. "And your turn to do what?"

"Well, it's my turn to have the kind of life I should have had in the beginning," answered Monica, her expression pensive. She ran her finger along the side of the knife. "One that has friends, a family, and a promising future." There was a slight pause as Monica looked away from Evelyn and to her knife.

"You know, I spent sixteen years of my life in foster homes," Monica spat, her expression darkening. "I got treated like dirt. I was the little kid nobody really wanted. All they wanted was they check that came with me. The little kid who got treated like dirt... I was constantly yelled at and hit. And if I wasn't hit, I was starved and left in a locked closet for hours at a time. Every time someone came to visit me, I had to pretend that I was grateful for the roof over my head." Their eyes met.

"I envied lives like yours. Ones with parents who loved their kids who would never beat them or hurt them just for the hell of it. Ones where the kids had lots of friends, every material thing they wanted. With a future that they could look forward to. I saw yours, and I just knew I had to have it." Suddenly, a heartless smile replaced the snarl on the girl's lips, and she leaned forward slightly and whispered, "I'll make the most of your life, Evelyn. I'm gonna love every second of it."

Suddenly, Evelyn realized the meaning behind Monica's words. It was no accident that the girl looked and sounded like Evelyn. A cold horror spread through her body as she realized what Monica had planned to do.

"You can't do this," Evelyn whispered.

"You don't get it, do you? I already have. I have been here for weeks just taking little moments to fool your friends, your family, and even that tall, handsome basketball player you have wrapped around your worthless little finger," Monica laughed. "Come on, Evie. Just think. With me at the helm, you'll beat Jasmine out for Prom Queen for sure. You can forget about being staff writer at the school paper... Penny Ayala's been the editor long enough, hasn't she? You don't have the nerve to unseat her. But I do." Evelyn pressed herself as far back to the wall as she could, praying that someone, anyone, could come save her.

"Evie, don't worry, it won't take that long. Just a second or two, and it'll all be over. Besides, I've got a real nice place picked out for you. Nice and quiet, out in the woods. Nobody will ever know. Nobody will ever find you. What happens out here will be just between us. Forever."

Monica's tone was almost cheerful. Evelyn fought back the urge to cry and tried to remain alert, in case Monica let her guard down for a second. "They will know. My friends, my family, everyone. You will not get away with this."

Monica let out a dark laugh. "You still aren't getting it, Evie! I've studied you for months. Darling, I have you down pat. I've been to your house, to your school, and your bedroom. I've worn your clothes. I've read your books, and even read your journal."

"You read my journal. I blamed Jasmine for that. We didn't talk for weeks! I thought someone was watching me but... I thought I was being paranoid, but someone was watching. You were." Monica smirked as she watched Evelyn slump against the wall, dropping her phone. Fear was getting the best of her. "I can't believe this. You did this all by yourself without any help. How did I not notice?"

"Not quite. I had some help. You know the cute guy that Jasmine had such a big crush on? Joseph Evans. Does that name ring a bell?"

"He was in on this?"

"I just paid him to hang out with Jasmine and give me information about both of you. But the moron fell in love with her, and he was planning to tell her everything. I had to do something to shut him up."

Realization dawned on Evelyn. "The night Joseph fell from the pier. There was another guy there... Kevin. He said something about some girl who killed him. Everyone thought he was crazy–but he was telling the truth, wasn't he? You killed Joseph."

"Don't worry... I took care of him too... Nobody will believe him. I was there that night. I got rid of Joseph, framed Kevin. I've been everywhere. I've fooled everyone. Your mom-"

"No."

"Yes. We talked, she hugged me, and she's accepted me as hers. I've fooled your brother and his pathetic girlfriend, your own twin, and even your boyfriend."

Evelyn started violently shaking her head.

"I've been with Travis, you know. I've touched him, I've kissed him, and the best part? He couldn't even tell the difference."

"You're a liar," Evelyn breathed as tears started to fall from her face.

"He didn't know, and he will never know. Nobody will know that you're gone. Nobody will ever know the difference." With that, Monica took one more step towards her prey, the knife raised high. "So, it's time for you to say your last goodbyes. It ends now."

***

Monica stood over Evelyn's cowering form, the butcher knife raised. It was nearly midnight, and at last, the fateful moment had arrived. As the New Year rang in she would finally become what she had spent so much time mimicking. She was about to become Evelyn Warren. Let's get this over with, Monica commanded herself as she white-knuckled the knife handle.

But for some reason, she couldn't move. She was frozen, immobilized by a strange sense of...

Conscience?

The other murders had been easy. Her little foster sister, Addison Pierce, the old woman at the bus station, the hit-and-run victim, Joseph Evans...Monica hadn't thought twice when she left her foster sister in that firetrap of a house, when she held Addison's head under the water, when she pulled the scarf tight around the old woman's neck, when she stepped on the gas pedal to run that innocent woman over, when she shoved Joseph off the pier. She'd never imagined it would be this hard to kill Evelyn Warren. This was supposed to be just another piece of business.

Monica stared at Evelyn's pale, tearstained, pleading face. Killing her means killing myself, that is something that must be done.

Still, Monica hesitated. She heard the shouting at Gardener Crest getting louder and more frenzied. "Two!" the kids bellowed.

My time is now. Monica thought, as the thrill of the kill overpowered her emotions.

"One!"

Her eyes met Evelyn's one last time before Monica slashed downward with the heavy blade.

Also, to celebrate my new book and the #WattpadBlockParty, I'm giving away one signed paperback copy of my book, 23:27 (US and Canada Only) and 5 electronic ARCs of The Replacement (Open Internationally) The giveaway link will be posted at the bottom of this post as well as on my profile!

Thanks for taking the time to read this preview! All votes and comments are massively appreciated!

Happy Reading

H.L. Roberts