2. Chapter 2
Chapter two
Raina
Thirteen years ago, age seven
Playing outside by yourself is no fun.
I kick my ball, watching it bounce off the fence surrounding our house. It rolls to a stop a few feet away, and I sigh, trudging up to it.
In the summer, my half-siblings are home, and they’ll usually play with me. Sometimes Danny and Benjamin refuse because I’m too little, but Marissa always wants to do things with me.
But now school has started again, and I have to wait until the weekend. That’s when Marissa will be able to stay home, and we can play dolls or catch or hide-and-seek as much as I want.
“Why can’t it be now ?” I grumble, kicking the ball with more force this time. I gasp when it lands under Lydia’s rose bush.
Groaning, I drag myself toward the bush. I wish I had someone to play with. It’s so boring here by myself. Father is always busy, Lydia won’t even look at me, and the staff all have jobs to do.
Getting on my hands and knees, I squeeze myself under the branches. There are thorns everywhere, and one of them scratches my arm.
If Marissa was here, she’d get the ball for me. She says it’s her job as my big sister to make sure I don’t get hurt. But now I’m all by myself.
Grabbing the ball, I toss it back into the grass and then wiggle my way out from under the bush. But halfway out, my hair gets caught on a branch, pulling tight, and I yelp in pain. I try to get free, but my hair only ends up more tangled, and I prick myself on a thorn.
“Ow,” I cry.
“I can help you.”
I gasp at the voice. It’s coming from behind me, and I can’t turn to see who it is.
“Here, hold still.”
It sounds like a boy, maybe around Danny’s age. Where did he come from? I’ve never seen anyone outside the fence before.
I whimper when he pulls on my hair, but I try to stay still. If he can’t get me free, I’ll have to call for help, and then Father will get mad at me for playing in Lydia’s rose bush again. The last time I touched her roses, Father locked me in my room for two whole days. No matter how much I heard Marissa crying, he still wouldn’t let me out.
“There.” He pats my shoulder, and I realize I’m free.
Spinning around, I stare at the boy on the other side of the fence, my jaw dropped. He has light skin just like I do, but he’s taller than me. Probably older, too. Benjamin’s age, I think. But where Benjamin’s hair is blond, this boy’s is as dark as night.
“Here, let me help you out.” He lifts some of the branches that he can reach through the fence. “Go on.”
Ducking my head, I crawl out the rest of the way. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. What’s your name?”
I bite the inside of my cheek. Father told me I’m not allowed to talk to strangers. He said they’re dangerous and that they all want to hurt me. I’ve never encountered one until now, though, and this boy doesn’t seem dangerous at all. Still, I don’t think I should give him my real name, just in case.
“Rose,” I lie, glancing at the bush beside me. “What’s yours?”
“Erik.”
“Are you dangerous?”
He laughs. “Me? No. Are you?”
I giggle. “No. Where did you come from?”
“Just moved here last week.”
“Do you not have to go to school, either?”
“I’m homeschooled.”
I tilt my head. “What’s that?”
“My mom teaches me from home.”
“Oh! My older sister teaches me, too, when she gets home from school.”
The boy frowns. “I don’t think it works like that.”
I nod. “My half-siblings go to school, but my father says I’m different. That’s why I stay home.”
“So you don’t have to do any schoolwork?”
I nod. “I like to, though. Learning things is fun.”
He huffs. “Yeah, maybe little kid stuff, but I have to learn fractions. It’s hard and boring.” He leans closer. “That’s why I’m out here. My mom thinks I’m working, but I’m really looking for butterflies.”
“Butterflies? I love butterflies!”
“Yep. Haven’t had any luck yet, though.”
I gasp. “You need to set a trap! You know what all butterflies love?”
“What?”
“Flowers!” Turning to the bush, I look at all the roses until I find the prettiest one. It takes a lot of tugging and digging into the stem with my fingernails, but I eventually manage to pick it. “This will help you find them.”
When I reach through the bars, holding out the flower, Erik grins and takes it. He has a pretty smile, one that makes his brown eyes light up.
“I have more, if you’d like.” I point to the bush full of white blooms. “I can—”
I’m interrupted by the sound of the side door’s hinge squeaking. We’re just out of sight if someone looks through the window, but if they come outside, I’ll be caught.
“Run,” I whisper-yell at Erik. “This way!”
I sprint across the yard, and he follows on the other side of the fence. Around the corner of the house is a big bush with thick leaves and purple flowers. I dive into it, and Erik crouches on the other side of it, frowning at me in confusion.
“Why do we have to hide?” he asks.
“Because I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t exist.” Reaching through the bars of the fence, I tug Erik so he’s better hidden from the house.
“You don’t?”
“That’s what Father tells me whenever I ask questions.”
He pokes me in the cheek. “You feel pretty real to me.”
“Ow!”
“Shh.” He grins at me. “You gotta stay quiet, or they’ll find us.”
Peering through the leaves, I check the backyard. Whoever came outside is probably one of the maids smoking a cigarette, but it could be Father. “Did you see anyone?”
“No.”
“Good.” Turning back to the fence, I plop into the dirt. “Now, are you safe from the bears out there?”
Erik’s eyes widen. “There are bears around here?”
“That’s what Father told me.”
“Oh. I… I think I’m safe.”
I glance at the top of the fence. It’s at least twice as tall as Erik is. Too tall for him to climb, I think. “I’ll watch your back,” I tell him. “If I see any come out of the woods behind you, I’ll let you know.”
He relaxes. “Thank you. You’re really nice.”
“You think so?”
“Yeah. You wanna be friends?”
That makes my stomach flip. “I’d like that. But we have to keep it a secret. Father can’t know I talk to anyone on the other side of the fence.”
“Secret friends, then?”
I nod, smiling. “Secret friends.”