AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Before anyone even has the chance to get to know me, they can tell that I’m different. They take one look at my flaming red hair that makes me look as though I’ve been birthed from the fires of hell and my peculiar eyes bleeding various colors of the rainbow, and they know that I’m not normal. That I’m not like other people.
Once they learn that I am a curse on anyone I meet, they run as far as they can from me. To this day, I don’t understand why my parents didn’t put me up for adoption. I can only assume it was because they didn’t realize the depths of my demons until I was older, and perhaps by then it was too late. Or maybe they thought they could exorcize the demons from me.
However, after several failed attempts to do just that, they resorted to more stringent punishments. I couldn’t watch television or have nice things. I was never to brag if I did well in school. I was never to have idle hands or demand more than I deserved. Essentially, if it was a sin, I wasn’t to do it, say it, or even think it.
A knock on the door jolts me out of my thoughts, and I realize that while I had been lost in my head, the sun has fully set and the room is now bathed in darkness. Getting up, I turn on the light before opening the door.
Standing on the other side is a petite girl. She’s got medium-length, platinum-blonde hair with bright pink tips. Her eyes are ringed in black eyeliner, with dark red lipstick painted on her lips. A thick black choker is wrapped around her neck, along with a bunch of necklaces of varying lengths. Wearing a short black band tee that looks like the bottom has been ripped off, along with matching bootie shorts, she’s my opposite in every way.
Her eyes widen in surprise when she sees me. “Wow. You’re…” I tense, waiting for whatever harsh remark follows those words. “Beautiful.” She grins broadly. “I can see why my brother is obsessed with you.”
My mind blanks as I blink at her, not sure if I heard her correctly or not. No one has ever called me beautiful before. And what did she mean about a brother? I don’t know who she or her brother is.
She holds up a bag. “I was told you needed some clothes.”
“Umm, yeah.” I push the door open wider so she can come in.
“I’m Dara, Don’s sister.”
“Oh! It’s nice to meet you.”
She laughs, this light, musical sound as she strides toward the bed. “From what little my brother divulged, you’re basically a fish out of water right now. I’m sure all you really want is to be left alone to process.”
A small smile lifts my lips at her bluntness.
“Don says there’s something on tonight?”
“Just church.”
My brows pull down in confusion. “Church? Don doesn’t strike me as the religious type.”
Dara laughs again. “He’s not. We’re not. It’s not the kind of church you’re used to.”
“I don’t understand.”
She gives me a soft smile. “I know, but you will. Now come on, let’s get you ready.”
She sets the outfit she brought on the bed, and I immediately notice a problem. “Umm, I can’t wear that.”
She glances at me before staring at the outfit on the bed—a black leather mini-skirt and a red halter top. “What’s wrong with it?”
I chew on my bottom lip, unable to explain the multitude of issues. The skirt is shorter than anything I’ve ever worn, red is a sinful color that I was told never to wear, and the entire ensemble shows so much skin that I’m confident I’ll go up in flames as soon as I put it on.
“I…”
I just can’t put what’s wrong into words, but thankfully Dara picks up on my uncomfortableness. “God will not smite you for wearing a cute outfit,” she attempts to reassure. “And if you’re worried about how you’ll look, don’t be. You’ll be smoking hot in this outfit. My brother won’t be able to stay away from you.”
None of that genuinely puts my fears to bed, and noticing that, she turns to face me, planting her hands on my shoulders. “You’ve come this far, right? You wanted to break out of your mold and discover who you truly are?”
I nod, guessing it’s kinda true. I didn’t want to be me anymore. I didn’t want to be the demon girl everyone in Esteridge saw.
“Well, nothing says new me like doing a complete one-eighty, wearing and doing things the old you would never have done.”
I can feel my confidence slowly growing, even if I am still nervous.
“If you’re brave enough to leave behind everything you ever knew to come here, then you’re brave enough to put on a skirt.”
“You think I’m brave?”
