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I don’t think, I run. It takes me almost half an hour to run back to my house, but I don’t stop. Too scared of anything that could happen before crossing over to our territories. I wipe my face free of tears and zip up my jacket. I can’t have anyone at my house seeing my ripped tank top. They’ll ask questions I can’t answer.
I push my front door open and walk right into the living room. My sister, Emma, and Xi are on the couch. Not far, my other stepbrother, Lik, is sitting on the armchair my dad usually sits on.
“Billie!” Emma shouts in relief. “Oh my god, where have you been? I texted and called.” She hurries to me and looks down at me. She’s much taller than I am and looks more and more like our dad as she gets older. “What happened to your cheek?”
Elliot hit me. I’d forgotten about that after the latest events.
“I fell running through the forest,” I lie. “Some Kings chased me, but I managed to lose them.”
“Fuck,” Xi huffs. “This isn’t good. It’s not fucking good at all.”
“I can’t believe we’re about to lose the North Shore,” Lik adds.
“Everything is gonna become Kings’ territory,” Xi concludes.
Emma, the oldest out of the four of us, looks down at me again and frowns. She runs our crew with our dad, and I know she won’t let us go down without a fight.
“We’ll figure something out,” she tells us. “We’ll get together with the rest of the crew tomorrow. For now, I’m just glad you’re all alright.”
She digs her blue eyes into my muddy ones. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Maybe she can feel me trembling; maybe it’s her sisterly instinct.
Either way, I smile and nod. She takes me into a tight hug, and I breathe in her warmth and her strong perfume.
With the taste of Caden still on my tongue and the phantom touch of his soft lips between my legs, I lie to my sister. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
1
CADEN
Me & My Demons - Omido, Silent Child
Today
I count the cash in my hand before looking around the room to ensure I’ve searched everywhere I could steal something. Jewelry? Done. Emergency cash they hide under their mattress? Done. Underwear drawers? Done and redone. I walk out and gaze at the family portrait hanging in their upstairs landing. I bet my ass there’s a safe behind there.
I hesitate, tilt my head then turn around. Nah, I’m going to get caught for sure. I stretch my arms and walk down their double staircases. The houses in Stoneview are perfect for thieving. The parents are away most of the time and are too loaded to notice when things go missing.
The town is a half-hour drive from the North Shore, but our lives couldn’t be more opposite. Only the rich and famous get to live in this city. The only problem with stealing here is getting in. It’s hard to break into their houses to steal their treasures. They have top-notch security and it’s practically impossible to sneak in without getting caught on camera or having guard dogs released on your ass.
Thankfully, I don’t need to sneak in. I usually walk through the front door and smile brightly at their maid when they welcome me in. A technique I’ve perfected over time.
Strolling back into the living room, I observe the kid at the table, focusing on his homework.
“How is it going, buddy?” I ask, sitting down next to him. “I like the way your parents redid the bathroom, by the way.”
“I’m not doing good at all,” he mumbles, chewing on the cap of his pen and twisting the page of his notebook with his other hand.
I like Jordan, although his low confidence will get the best of him one day. I wish he could see how smart he is.
“Alright, let’s have a look together.” I grab his book and read the math problem several times before looking at what he started writing. “Okay, that’s not a bad start.”
For another half hour, I help him with the questions he didn’t understand. Math comes easy to me. It’s just another language to learn. It’s simple and efficient. It makes sense. And, thank fuck, it never changes. Once you know something, you don’t have to worry about it. It’ll always stay the same.
A knock on the door takes us out of our hard work, and I peer up from the table to watch Jordan’s mom walking into the room.
“Your two hours are over, Caden,” she smiles sweetly. “Are you all done with your homework, pumpkin?”
Jordan nods and closes his textbook and notepads. “Yeah, Cade is the best.”
