Without the safety of the flotation device, or the pool bottom beneath her feet, Makayla was suddenly drowning in fear. - Lis Wiehl

Then there were Cassidy and Allison, her best friends. She knew she could count on them to support her, at least in their own ways. But either of them, when faced with something that might be bearing down on her like a freight train—how rational and lucid would they be?

The resume was a work of art. It listed jobs she had never held at health clubs that never existed, promotions that had never happened, professional memberships in nonexistent organizations, awards she had never received, and a fake degree. Accompanying it were letters of recommendation she had written herself.

Be more than careful," he told her. "Be totally paranoid. Err on the side of caution.