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  For my husband, who is my biggest fan and my greatest support. I couldn’t have done this without you. Thank you for believing in me when I fail to believe in myself. So many of my dreams wouldn’t have come true without you.

  Special thanks to my Critique Partner, T. Christensen, and all of my amazing Beta Readers. Mayhem wouldn’t be what it is without you.

  Mayhem

  Catharina Maura

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  45. Sneak Peak of Chaos (Mayhem book #2)

  46. More books by Catharina Maura

  47. Chapter 1: The Tie That Binds

  Prologue

  Emilia

  I was eight years old when I moved in next door to Catherine and Carter Clarke in our sleepy town of Woodstock, Vermont. It was hate at first sight for Carter and I, while Kate and I became instant friends. I remember the day like it was yesterday. How could I not? It was, after all, the day that my entire life changed. It changed for the better, though it took me years to realize it.

  “Daddy, I don’t wanna,” I cried, distraught. “I don’t wanna move here. I miss mommy and I miss my friends. Why do we have to move all the way here?”

  I cried my little heart out as we walked into our new house, which was a far cry from our condo in California. My dad sighed and kneeled down in front of me, his face filled with sorrow. “I know, Princess,” he said. “I know you miss your old school and your friends, but I promise you that you’ll make new friends here. You’ll enjoy it, sweetie. Just give it time,” he said, his voice breaking.

  I failed to see that this was just as tough on him as it was on me. In hindsight, it must have been even harder for him. He tried so hard to shield me from the fact that my mother left us to be with someone else. He never wanted me to feel unwanted or abandoned, but I was too young to appreciate the sacrifices he made for me. For us.

  I glared at my dad through my tears and ran away from him. Up the stairs I climbed, to what would become my new room. I sniffed loudly and tried my best to keep my tears at bay as I walked towards the large window in my bedroom. The sound of the movers unpacking our belongings only increased my distress. I couldn’t understand why my mom would no longer live with us. No one had sat me down to explain what happened. It was like she just disappeared from one day to the other, and I guess she kind of did. She packed her bags and left without telling either of us. One day we just woke up to find her gone, nothing but a handwritten letter left in her place.

  I was choking back a sob when I looked out my bedroom window and saw the most magnificent thing I’d ever seen. It was a treehouse, technically. In reality, it was a tiny wooden mansion with its own proper staircase leading up to it. It was far bigger than any other treehouse I’d ever seen. It was beyond my wildest imaginations and I stared at it in awe, my tears long forgotten.

  I watched as a girl that seemed to be my age pulled along a boy that looked a little bit older than her. Their dark hair and their identical hazel eyes made it obvious that they were siblings. The girl giggled while the boy scowled, and into the treehouse they disappeared. I stared at the treehouse in hopes of catching a glimpse of them and gathered my courage to approach them in the meantime. After all, my dad was right. I might make new friends here, and if I asked, these two kids might just let me into their treehouse.

  I hesitated briefly before I sneaked into our neighbor’s garden as stealthily as an eight-year-old could and paused at the bottom of the stairs. I was nervous and my heart was beating so loudly that it seemed like I could actually hear my own heartbeat, but in the end my curiosity won out. I slowly made my way up the stairs, and with every step I wondered if the two kids would welcome me or shun me.

  They were both startled when I walked in, and I froze out of instinct, suddenly at a loss for words. All the way up I’d been rehearsing what I’d say to them, but instead of introducing myself like I’d been meaning to, all I could do was glance around the room in awe. It looked like I’d interrupted them in the middle of a tea party, one with actual tea cups and a fancy looking tiny little table with matching chairs. I felt like I’d walked into a fairy tale. The boy looked at me with red cheeks and wide eyes while the girl smiled at me so sweetly that I wondered if she might be an angel.

  “Hello,” she said, holding out a tea cup for me. “I’m Kate and this is my brother Carter. Wanna join?”

  Relief rushed through me and I smiled at her as I took a seat at the exquisite tiny table. “I’m Emilia,” I whispered. “I just moved in next door and I saw your treehouse from the window.”

  It’s like my voice snapped Carter out of his daze, because he looked at me furiously and snatched away the tea cup that Kate was about to hand to me. He brought the cup to his lips and emptied its contents in one big gulp before slamming it back down.

  “This is our treehouse. No outsiders allowed,” he shouted, his hazel eyes blazing.

  Kate merely rolled her eyes and poured me a new cup of tea, but Carter snatched that from her too. His actions angered me and I glared at him as fiercely as my tiny self could. Just as Kate finished refilling his cup, I grabbed it and drank all his tea in one go, just like he’d done with mine. Carter looked at me, completely shocked, and then yanked the cup out of my hands. He stared at it in disbelief while Kate burst out laughing.

  “I like you,” she murmured, a wide smile lighting up her face. “We’re going to be friends.”

  My heart soared at her words and I was about to reply to her when Carter jumped out of his seat and pushed me with all his might. I fell out of my seat and onto the floor. I gasped and glared at him while Kate rose from her seat, tears gathering in her eyes. I stood up and just as Carter was about to push me again I grabbed his hand and bit down on it as hard as I could. He shook his hand to try and get me off, but I held on like a rabid dog.

  Eventually, Carter’s screaming and Kate’s crying sent their mother running into the treehouse. She was a whirlwind of panic and long brown hair. She took one look at my upset face, Kate’s tears, and Carter who was cradling his hand and sighed.

  “What happened?” she asked, her voice soft and even. She didn’t shout at us like I expected her to and she didn’t raise her hand before giving us a chance to explain, like my mother had always done. Instead she smiled lovingly and took a look at Carter’s hand. She kissed his cheek and stroked his hand gently in an effort to soothe his pain.

  Carter pointed at me, tears gathering in his eyes in his mother’s presence. “It’s her! She bit me!” he yelled. My heart dropped and I looked down as my own eyes filled with tears. I was scared that she’d never let me near Kate n
ow–my friendship with Kate would be over before it had even started. I sniffed and looked up, glaring at him as best as I could. I decided then and there that if I was going down, he was going down with me. “He pushed me!” I shouted, sounding just as aggrieved as Carter did. Kate jumped into action when a big fat angry tear rolled down my cheek. She grabbed her mom’s hand and nodded, taking my side. Carter looked at her in disbelief and then at his mother before his eyes zeroed in on me.

  “It’s true, Momma,” Kate said. “Carter pushed her. She fell right out of her chair. He drank her tea too,” she said, pointing at the seat I’d previously been in.

  Carter and Kate’s mom knelt in front of me and held me by my shoulders gently. “Hi. I’m Helen. I’m Carter and Catherine’s mom. You just moved in next door, right?”

  I nodded, trembling slightly. Helen smiled at me and brushed my hair with her fingers before looking at Carter through narrowed eyes.

  “Is it true that you pushed her?” she asked, her tone stern. Carter looked away and folded his arms over his chest, a stubborn look on his face. I sniffed back my tears and Helen sighed. “You should be glad she didn’t bite you harder, Carter.”

  My eyes widened and I looked at her in disbelief. Bite harder? She turned towards me and smiled at me. “Next time just bite harder, okay? He should know better than going around pushing other kids.”

  I wasn’t sure whether to nod or shake my head and she chuckled at my expression before petting my hair lovingly. Kate nodded too. “Yeah, just bite harder,” she said, a fierce expression on her face. Carter’s eyes moved from his sister to his mother before he finally glared at me. He looked so hurt and betrayed that for a second I felt guilty for biting him. I guess this is the moment he decided we’d be adversaries going forward.

  “You’re grounded, Carter,” his mother said. “One week. No TV for you, kiddo.”

  The way he looked at me before storming out told me there’d be retribution. If I’d known that Carter and I would spend the next years waging war against each other, would I still have done what I did?

  Yes. The answer is a resounding yes. Kate and I spent that entire week becoming best friends, and every time Carter glared at me from his bedroom window that faced mine, I’d stick my tongue out to him. Who would’ve known that Carter spent that week thinking up schemes to get rid of me?

  Chapter 1

  Emilia

  “Don’t look now, but he’s staring at you again,” Kate whispers. I blush and try to glance at Zach as discreetly as I can. I totally fail, of course. I’m anything but subtle. He catches me staring at him from across the cafeteria and grins as he throws a wink my way. I turn scarlet and turn back around so quickly that I nearly fall out of my chair. Kate looks at me in disbelief. “I said don’t look!” she whisper-shouts. I bury my face in my hands to hide my embarrassment and Kate gasps. “Oh, my god. Oh my god, Milly. He’s coming this way. He’s walking right towards us.”

  I peek at her through my fingers to make sure she isn’t joking. Her shocked expression tells me she isn’t messing with me, and I suddenly forget how to act like an actual human being. Zach is one of the hottest guys in school and I’ve had a bit of a crush on him for as long as I can remember. He’s in Carter’s grade, so he’s two years older than Kate and me. For him to even speak to me makes my heart race. Our town is tiny and almost everyone knows each other, but it’s still not that common for a senior to speak to a sophomore like me, and it’s Zach on top of that.

  “Hey, Emilia,” he says, dropping into the seat next to mine. Oh, my god. Zach is actually sitting next to me. He puts his arm on the back of my seat and I nearly stop functioning. “Haven’t seen you around in some time,” he murmurs. Instead of replying I just stare at him speechlessly, beyond flustered. “I…I…I had the flu,” I stammer eventually. Zach smiles at me and my heart does a somersault. “Hope you’re all better now, babe,” he says. I nod and stare at him, part of me still in disbelief. I can’t believe he’s actually sitting here and speaking to me. And did he just call me babe? I practically swoon. I glance around us to find some of the girls in my grade looking at me with blatant jealousy. Zach is widely considered to be the second hottest guy in school. The top spot is reserved for asshole Carter. I personally don’t see the appeal. It’s obvious the girls in my school are delusional. I guess he does have gorgeous hazel eyes that look a little green in certain lighting and his thick dark hair is pretty nice. He’s also super tall and keeps getting more and more muscular, but whatever. It’s Carter. His rotten personality definitely overshadows his slightly good looks.

  “Yeah, all good now,” I say, finally snapping out of it. Zach is talking to me. There’s no way I’ll ruin this opportunity, nerves be damned. “That’s good,” he murmurs. “Good... because I was kind of wondering what you’re doing on Saturday. I’m having a few people over at my house. Thought you might wanna hang out?”

  I blink, my mind completely blank. Did he just… Is he asking me out? I guess not, because he said there’d be more people. But still, it’s more than I ever expected. I blush and Zach smiles smugly. He leans in as though he’s about to brush my hair out of my face, but just before his fingers make contact with my hair, a hand closes around his wrist, holding it in place. I look up to find a furious Carter staring down at me.

  “Goddamn it,” I mutter under my breath. Carter’s sole mission in life seems to be to annoy me. We’ve been feuding with each other since the day we met, and over the years our war has only intensified. I’ve tried my best to keep my teeny tiny crush on Zach from Carter, because that type of knowledge would be weaponized in his hands. He grits his teeth and looks away from me, focusing on Zach instead. Zach’s shoulders sink and he purses his lips, clearly disappointed that Carter interrupted us.

  “What do you want,” I snap.

  He ignores me and stares Zach down. “Kate and Emilia aren’t allowed to go to parties until they’re sixteen,” he says, grinning evilly. “So please tell me you weren’t just inviting them to this weekend’s house party.”

  He pushes Zach’s wrist away roughly and stands in front of me, getting between Zach and me. I’m tempted to poke him where I know he’s ticklish, but I don’t want to come across as childish or petty in front of Zach. “Ah, I didn’t know, dude,” Zach says. My heart sinks. He’s going to take back his invite, all because of Carter.

  “That’s odd, because I vaguely recall mentioning it to you when you asked me about Emilia yesterday,” Carter says. Zach cups the back of his neck and looks down nervously. Not only are Carter and Zach in the same grade, they’re also on the football team together. There’s no way he’d choose me over Carter. I’m never getting an invite now.

  “It’s fine. I mean, you don’t live that far. I could drop by,” I say, trying to sound as upbeat as I can. Carter laughs humorlessly and turns to look at me. “Like hell you will,” he says. He glares at me and I glare right back at him.

  Zach stands up and looks at Carter, ignoring me entirely. “Look, I hear you. No hard feelings, man,” he says. I stand up too, but Zach shakes his head. He winks at me and then walks away. I bite down on my lip in an attempt to keep from murdering Carter in cold blood.

  “You— you… you’re such a dick!” I shout. I push against his chest, but I fail to move him. In the last year he’s gone from thin and my height to muscular and tall. I hate it. I hate that I now have to raise my head to look into his eyes. I push against him harder and he grabs my hands, keeping them in place.

  “If I catch you trying to go to any parties before you’re sixteen, I’ll tell your dad,” he says. I huff and roll my eyes. Like my dad would actually care. With each year that passes by he works more hours and spends less time with me. He’s become a shell of the person he used to be. Every once in a while he’ll make a remark that tells me that he’s just reminded of my mom whenever he looks at me. I can’t even remember the last time we had dinner together. He’s definitely not going to care if I go to a party.
/>   “I’ll tell my mom too,” Carter says.

  That asshole. He knows Helen is my weakness. The idea of her being disappointed in me breaks my heart, and he knows it. He grins like he knows he’s got me now and lets go of my hands. His eyes move to Kate and he stares at her with raised brows.

  “What?” she says. “I didn’t do anything. Go tell Mom all you want,” she challenges. I chuckle when Carter glares at her before storming off. I inhale deeply and sit down in my seat. I push my tray with half eaten food away in dismay, my appetite long gone.

  Kate huffs and stares at Carter’s disappearing form. Her stunning eyes are identical to Carter’s and they’re flashing with anger. “I can’t believe he just cock blocked you like that. I mean... I know you two have your feuds and all that, but damn. This is next level.”

  I look up at her, suddenly realizing that she’s right. “He did, didn’t he?” I snap. Kate nods, furious on my behalf. She crosses her arms and bites down on her lip. “Maybe we can sneak into the party,” she murmurs. “How cool would it be if we actually went? I know Zach hasn’t invited anyone else in our grade, he never does. This would’ve been a first. Damn Carter. I can’t believe he ruined this for us.”

  I laugh. “I can’t believe that’s what you’re concerned about. Kate, he ruined my chances with Zach! Didn’t you see the way Zach looked at me before he walked away from us? I know that look. It’s the exact same way Tommy looked when Carter told him to stay away from me last year. I can’t believe he did that to me when he goes around sleeping with half the school. Don’t even pretend it isn’t true.”