Fallen

For a moment, Haddie simply stood there watching them. They were all so incredibly light, the bird, the bunny, and especially her mommy. A tear tracked down Haddie’s cheek. She loved her mommy so much that sometimes it felt like her heart would soar right out of her body.

She would not let that man hurt her mommy. She would not.CHAPTER TWENTY-FOURThirteen Years AgoLoud footsteps sounded on the wooden stairs to the attic and Kandace looked up from the book she was reading on her bed, placing her pillow more firmly over her stomach. Sydney glanced at her, a small worried line forming between her eyes. It sounded like a man was approaching. A trill of fear whirled through Kandace. Jasper. Who else could it be?

Kandace’s fight or flight instinct kicked in as she sat up quickly, dropping her book to the floor, her head whipping around for a place to flee. She was finally healed, finally sleeping through the night, the pain in her tailbone tolerable enough that it didn’t wake her up every time she moved. Sydney sat up too, raising her hand in a relax gesture, giving Kandace a comforting nod. “You’ve done nothing wrong,” she whispered.

Kandace blinked, forcing her shoulders to relax. No, she hadn’t done anything wrong, in fact, they’d even earned the rare privilege of a chaperoned walk around the grounds that afternoon, but at Lilith House, Kandace wasn’t sure it mattered whether you were guilty or innocent of any particular charge.

The door crashed open and Jasper stood in the doorway, a moaning Aurora in his arms.

Jasper dropped Aurora on her bed and then turned, walked to the door, and slammed it behind him.

Kandace and Sydney both rushed to Aurora’s side, Kandace drawing back when she noticed the bandages on Aurora’s trembling thighs, blood seeping through the gauzy white material. “Oh my God,” she breathed, pulling Aurora’s skirt a tad higher. “Aurora, what did they do to you?”

“They caught me looking through the cabinets in the infirmary.” Her gaze stayed stuck on Kandace’s. Snuck into the infirmary? That surprised Kandace. She’d only known Aurora a short time, but she was always the one warning Kandace not to take risks. Not here.

“Why did you do that?” Sydney hissed, an edge of hysteria in her voice.

“Just seeing what I could find.”

Sydney made a sound of frustration, standing. “I’m going to get you some water,” she said, rushing to the bathroom. She looked ill.

“They caught me but they didn’t know what I took,” she whispered to Kandace, reaching back and bringing something from where she’d apparently tucked it in the waistband of her underpants. “I told them I snuck in for the pain meds.” She glanced toward the bathroom and then put the white wrapped item in Kandace’s hand.

Kandace glanced down at it, her stomach landing in her feet. It looked like a pregnancy test. Her eyes shot to Aurora’s.

“You’ve been throwing up almost every morning since the . . . cleansing,” she said. “You’ve been falling asleep before lights out.”

Kandace was taken aback. “Only a bug.”

Aurora shook her head. “Maybe. Please, just take it.” She winced when she shifted. “There was another girl in the infirmary when I went through the drawers. I didn’t think she’d tell. I thought I was safe. But she did. She told.” She closed her eyes. “So stupid. I should have been smarter about it. My dad said I was the stupidest person he ever met and he was right.”

Kandace shook her head. “You’re not stupid. It’s Lilith House that’s sick,” she spat out. “They make spies out of us. That girl used the information because she had some reason to. I mean, apart from Sydney and me, do you trust any other girl here? I don’t. We’ve all been sent here by someone who believed our lives mean nothing, that we could be disposed of. And they use that against us. It’s dog-eat-dog for the utmost for His fucking glory. It’s the only way to avoid punishment or earn privileges.”

Aurora let out a small snort. “A short walk outside? Time off from cleaning duty? That’s the price of a soul these days?”

Kandace pressed her lips together. She was certain others had sold out for less. It wasn’t always so much about the prize, but the character of the person trying to win it.

You learned how noble you were in a place like Lilith House. You learned how much of yourself you were willing to sacrifice for others. And how cheap your price could be.

Aurora had sacrificed for her because she worried she was in trouble. It hadn’t been worth the risk because she wasn’t pregnant, but just to know someone had her back in here was priceless to Kandace.

Aurora’s expression remained miserable and Kandace glanced down at Aurora’s thighs again, remembering her roommate telling them that she was a cutter. She remembered the numerous pink scars, the ones she’d put there herself.