AllFreeNovel
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Chapter 1
“Mom, can I please have another?” I ask as she sets the table for dinner. I’ve already eaten my fair share of cookies, but that doesn’t stop a little boy like me from asking. I am growing, after all.
“No more until after dinner, Luka.”
“But, Mom, I want another.” This time it comes out as more of a demand, and she doesn’t like it. I can tell by the look on her face. She isn’t happy with me demanding things, but she has a hard time denying me anything.
“Luka, don’t make me call your father down here,” she warns as if that means anything to me. It doesn’t. My father won’t leave his office for the likes of me. I’ve been told many times to learn my place in this family, and I have. Or so they think.
Instead of whining further, I wait until she walks out of the dining room and take what I want, just like always. I smash the cookies in record time before I take off down the hall and out the front door to wait on Delaney. I know they’re on their way here. I overheard my father talking to her father on the phone earlier. The Costa family. The only thing I know about them is that I like to play with Delaney even though she’s two years younger than me. She doesn’t mind getting dirty and playing in the mud and always does what I tell her. Maybe that’s why we get along so well. I don’t have to tell her twice.
I see the car pulling into the driveway and clasp my hands in front of me as I wait on it to pull up and finally stop in front of me.
Out climbs Ross Costa, Delaney’s father. He walks over and nods at me before heading for the door I left wide open. I should know better than to ignore him, but I don’t care. He didn’t bring her because she was always out of the car first, yet I continued waiting. I wait for the door to open and for Delaney to climb out. My heart beats a little faster in my chest when she doesn't. I narrow my eyes at the car, but she never gets out.
I turn and trudge up the steps and back inside. I’m angry she didn’t exit the car. I’m angry she isn’t here, and someone will pay for that.
I storm through the house until I see Mr. Costa standing near my father’s office.
“Where is Delaney?” I ask, catching his attention. He turns his head and looks down at me with narrowed eyes.
“She had other obligations today,” he replies sternly. That doesn’t work for me.
“She’s supposed to be here,” I tell him.
“She isn’t coming today,” he repeats when my father opens the office door and looks down at me.
“What are you doing, Luka?”
“He didn’t bring Delaney.” The words nearly come out as a growl of annoyance. He should have brought her. He shouldn’t have left her behind. “He was supposed to bring her.”
“Well, he didn’t. Go find your mother,” my father orders me as if that’s a sufficient answer. It isn’t.
“He should have brought her!” I snap louder this time. I want her here. I want to play with her.
“Luka, don’t you dare raise your voice at me,” my father warns, only to have me raise my voice once more. His hand collides with my cheek before I narrow my eyes at him. He can see himself in me. I know he can. He raised me to be like this.
“Fine. Have it your way,” I tell him before turning on my heel and walking back down the stairs, but before I leave, I hear Mr. Costa speak.
“He’s just like you when you were a child,” he tells my father.
“He may be worse.”
I am worse. I will make sure that I’m worse. I walk down the stairs straight to the kitchen, grab a knife, and head out the back door. Out there, I find the rabbit Delaney loves to play with. I hate it. I hate anything that takes her attention away from me.
I grab it by the back of the neck before sitting down in the grass.
“You’re stupid if you think you get to have her,” I tell the rabbit. I don’t care if it can’t understand me. I don’t care if it doesn’t know what I’m saying. I bring the knife up to its throat as I stare into its small blinking eyes. I should feel bad for what I’m about to do. I should feel something, but I don’t. I don’t feel anything. And that should tell you something, but not me.
I slit its throat and watch the crimson blood as it seeps into my crisp white shirt. I have no feelings. I don’t care.
I stare at its now lifeless body as it hangs limply in my hand when I hear my mother calling for me. I drop the rabbit on the ground with the knife before returning to the house. Once she sees me, she throws a fit.
“What is that? What happened, Luka?”
“I killed that stupid rabbit.”
“What? Why would you do such a thing?” she gasps.
