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PROLOGUE
Hades
Age Thirteen
I’m getting really tired of moving and seeing all of my clothes and hand-me-down skates in “foster kid luggage” (or if you’re new here; black trash bags) once again. It’s honestly pretty depressing. I’ve been in this new foster home for a week now and even though the social worker promised me it would be different this time, it’s not. Shocker, I know.
I don’t really know how to explain why I’m not used to all the moving yet. I’ve been doing it every few months since my egg donor left me in a grocery store parking lot five years ago, to the delight of her latest sleazy Alpha boyfriend… Russ? Rob? Whatever his name was, I called him “The Turd” because he always smelled like he’d taken a long bath in a dumpster full of poop.
My mom is a drug addicted Beta so the boyfriends never stuck around long once they realized she was just using them for her next high or so she could say she had an Alpha boyfriend. Turd, though, had been hanging around for close to six months when he finally convinced her she’d have more money if she “dumped the freeloading brat”, and that was that. I spent my 8th birthday on a bench outside our local Handi-Mart until someone called the police and they placed me into foster care. Which leads us to today, with me sitting on the window seat in this dirty, sardine can of a room I share with three other kids, listening to my foster parents argueagain.
Jamie, one of the other foster kids here, comes sprinting into the room. He’s panting with his hands on his grass-stained knees when he wheezes out, “D, will you come check out the new kid they just dropped off? She won’t talk to any of us, and Phil is being weird again.” He rolls his eyes as he stands up after finally catching his breath.
I whip my head around to glare at him and hiss, “Weird how? And what do you mean, new kid? I thought they weren’t allowed to place any more kids here after they removed Katie?”
Katie is an eleven-year-old girl who was removed two days after they placed me here because she told her teacher that Phil, our foster father, had been touching her inappropriately for months. They were threatening to remove the rest of us, too, but because Katie had a history of acting out, they didn’t really believe her. It’s honestly amazing the shit you overhear when the adults around you forget you can actually hear and understand them.
Just as Jamie is about to answer me, we hear Phil tell his wife, Dianne, “Don’t worry, I’ll get the girl settled just fine on my own. I don’t need a nitpicky nagging bitch watching my every damn move.” That just sets Dianne off screaming again. If there’s one thing I learned in the last week, it’s that these people can’t go one sentence without screaming awful things at each other.
Jamie quickly shuffles closer and mumbles under his breath, “I guess it was an emergency or somethin’. The social worker was telling Phil and Dianne she was bruised up real bad and couldn’t go back home from the hospital, so they brought her here. They said she’s ten, but dude, she’s so small there’s no way.”
Just then, Phil comes around the corner with his arm around the skinniest girl I’ve ever seen. His hand is gripping her shoulder so hard I can see her wince, even through the mess of bright red hair covering her tiny face. “Boys,” Phil says loudly, “Meet your new roommate, Blair.”
As soon as Phil says her name, her head whips up and the most insane green eyes I’ve ever seen lock onto my face. She scowls, looks up at Phil, lifts her chin the tiniest amount, and quietly says, “My name is Blake. Not Blair.”
I’m blown away by this tiny girl correcting my foster father with no fear on her face. I’m sure she can smell Phil’s light scent exposing him as a Beta since he’s so close to her, so maybe that’s why she’s not as scared of him as she should be. I’ve seen him get mad over almost anything in the last week. This time, he just glares at her for a second before turning to face me. Phil sneers at me while saying, “Hell boy, get Blair here some sheets and make sure she knows the house rules. I’d hate to have to punish her.”
The way he says it makes the hairs on my arms stand on end, and if I didn’t already believe Katie, I sure as hell do now. “Yes sir. I’ll make sure she knows the rules,” I quietly say back while staring at the floor.
I learned real quick around here that it’s best to avoid eye contact and treat Phil like an Alpha. He’s so bitter that he doesn’t have the dominant designation. Especially when my file states that I’m showing signs of an Alpha presentation already; even though my designation won’t actually come in for at least another three years. He turned his anger on me pretty quick after that little fact came out during my placement last week.
He finally leaves the room and Blake turns back to me and quietly asks, “Which bed can I use?”
I don’t really know why I point at the bed right next to mine, but I do, and she walks over to drop her small backpack on the bed. She takes off her sweatshirt so she’s just in a too-big top that looks like something you’d find at a hospital. Which, if what Jamie heard is true, definitely makes sense.
She balls her sweatshirt up to put in her bag and I suck in a breath and let out my first ever growl when I see that her entire upper body, from her chin down to her fingers, is covered in bruises and cuts. My mouth is gaping open in shock thatthatsound came out ofme. I snap my jaw closed as she whips her head to stare up at me, trembling as she sits down on the edge of the bed and twisting her fingers. I clear my throat and mumble an apology as I think about what she needs to know, all while I try not to stare at her bruises.
Clearing my throat again, I look at her and say, “Sorry ‘bout the growling, and about Phil. I’m D, and this is Jamie. We should probably tell you the rules if you’re gonna stay here.” She nods her head fast, still trembling slightly. I watch her for a second before I continue, “So, there’s really only three rules they give us all, and the most important one is to be quiet at all times. Children are to be seen, not heard. That one is from Dianne, Phil’s wife. She works the night shift, so unless she’s at work, we have to be silent in the house, okay?” She nods again, frowning hard.
“Rule number two, we’re not allowed in the kitchen. We eat when they tell us to, otherwise we stay in our rooms or outside.” Blake’s eyes widen in shock at that, and she looks like she might cry. But then she looks at Jamie standing at the end of her bed, and I can see her pulling herself together. It’s honestly impressive. I definitely couldn’t stop my tears at her age. Then again, my mom had just abandoned me, so maybe that wasn’t my fault.
I tune back into reality when Jamie speaks, not realizing I had zoned out. “And the last rule from the fosters is don’t be a snitch. Whatever happens in this house stays in this house, and if they find out you tattled, they’ll know, and it will be bad for you. You got it?” Again, Blake nods without saying anything. Something about her is making me feel something I’ve never felt before; almost like I want to keep her with me all the time so nothing can hurt her. It’s making me nervous.
Blake looks between us nervously now. “I’m really tired, so I’m gonna lie down now… Is that okay?” she asks, looking at me.
“Of course it is,” I say. She crawls into the bed without waiting for the sheets. Blake covers everything except one of her light green eyes with the small blanket on the end of the bed as I continue talking. “I’ll wake you if there’s an emergency. And Blake?” I ask. She raises her one visible eyebrow, and dang it, that might be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. “Please wake me up if you need anything at all. I’m gonna lay down too, but my bed is right here.” I point at the bed she’s facing.
She looks like she might cry again, instead she whispers, “Thanks D. You’re being really nice.” As she rolls over, I get angry, barely stopping myself from growling out loud and scaring her again.
Who the hell hurt this tiny, sweet girl?
I’ve barely talked to her at all, but I decide right then I’m going to protect her as long as I can. As long as she’ll let me. I don’t know how long we’ll be in the same foster home, but I’ll find a way to protect her even if one of us gets moved. She’s too small and there are too many monsters in the world, like Phil. If I have my way, what happened to Katie will NEVER happen to Blake.
A little while later, I’m finishing up some Algebra homework for class tomorrow when I hear a tiny whimpering sound. At first, I can’t figure out where it’s coming from, but when I look over at Blake, I see her thrashing in her bed. As soon as I go to stand up, her whimpering gets louder before turning into crying. I get out of bed and quietly crouch down next to her, touching her shoulder as carefully as I can, but I’m not prepared for her to wake up swinging and shouting, “NO! Don’t touch me!”
Glancing behind me to the closed bedroom door, I quickly give her shoulder a little shake. “Blake,Blake! Stop! It’s D, you’re safe.” I try to stay as quiet as possible while I wake her, because I know if Phil hears us, it won’t be good. Her eyes pop open and she sits up so fast she slams into my nose, making us both groan. I get a whiff of her sweet strawberry scent that honestly makes me a little dizzy. Or maybe it’s a concussion? “Ouch!Damn, Blake. Who knew such a tiny girl could pack such a vicious head-butt?” I say, smirking and trying to make her smile.
She’s sitting here white as a ghost, shaking so hard I’m afraid she’s going to break a tooth with the way her teeth are knocking together. I’ll try anything to help her feel better. She gives me the smallest smile before her whole face falls, and she starts to cry. These huge tears are just rolling down her cheeks as she frantically wipes them away and looks at me with the saddest eyes I’ve ever seen while mumbling, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I won’t do it again. Please don’t hurt me; I’ll stop crying,” over and over again.
