Chapter Four
Seventeen Years Ago - Evelyn
AS I OPEN the door, I pause, finding a boy with dark hair standing by the window, almost as if he’s waiting for me. The red-looking man who’s going to be taking care of me now said this would be my room, at least this is the one he sent me up to. Mentally, I retrace my steps and yep, this is the right one. This room is truly mine and nobody will take it away, no matter how little I am for my age
Crossing my arms, I plant my feet and try to stand up tall. “Why are you in my room? I didn’t say you could be in here.”
Mom told me all about bullies, it’s why she wouldn’t let me go to school, even when I begged her to. She said she was saving me from the entire world by keeping me home.
This boy is probably one of those bullies. He’s a lot bigger than me, which I’m used to, because everyone is bigger than me, but he’s a lot bigger, which means he’s older than me, too.
That’s fine. I’ve already turned seven. I’m a big girl now.
“I can do whatever I want.” The boy takes a step toward me. “I’ve been here the longest.”
His jet-black eyes are a bit mean, but also sad. His straight dark hair is too long for him, but I sort of think it looks cool like that. How annoying.
I roll my eyes. “I don’t care what you do, but do it out of my room.”
The boy smiles like I said something funny. “You’re a bit tiny to be bossing people around.”
“You’re a bit big to pick on someone so little.” Since I’m small, I have to be smart and talk tougher. “Kind of lame, if you ask me.”
This time he laughs at me for real. My eyes narrow.
My mom said that you can learn what you need to know about a man in the first five minutes, that’s all it takes to see what kind of person they are, so you have time to protect yourself…or run.
Even though that same thought didn’t save her, I decide to try my best to learn about this boy. He says he’s been here the longest, which means nobody wants him. He’s obviously a troublemaker, but he still smiles, and he hasn’t tried to hurt me. I think he might be nicer than he acts, so I’m pretty sure I can keep bossing him around without him doing much about it.
I let out a huff. It’s annoying that he’s here, but I guess it’s a good time to test out my theory. As I take a step closer, his chin dips so he can keep his eyes on me.
“This is my room, which means if you’re in here, I get to tell you what to do and you have to listen.” I grin, a little evilly, knowing that no boy would stick around for that. “Or you can go away.”
His black eyes flick toward the door, tilting his head like he’s listening. Whatever he does or doesn’t hear makes him walk to my bed and plop down on it. “Okay. I’m staying.”
My jaw drops open.
He smirks, eyes brightening like the flash of a camera, like he’s documenting the moment in his brain for a rainy day. How frustrating.
“Get out !” I say, dropping my stuff to walk over and tug him out of the bed.
“But you said I could stay!”
“I said you have to do what I say, and now I’m saying you have to leave!” I pull and pull but he doesn’t move an inch, forcing an aggravated growl up my throat.
“You’re a sassy little thing,” the boy says, flipping his hair out of his eyes.
I cross my arms again, standing my ground. “You don’t get to push me around.”
“You’re the only one who’s trying to push anyone around.”
I glare at him.
“Listen, I just don’t want Cyrus to find me yet.” The boy sighs. “He won’t look for me here.”
Cyrus. The red man. Why would he be hiding from him? “Isn’t he supposed to take care of us?”
“The only reason we’re here is so he can get a check from the government. There’s not much care involved.”
I frown, having heard about the government from Mom. “He works for the bad people?”
“I don’t think they’re all bad, but yeah. He works for them.”
Huh. “What does he do?”
“Well, he’s supposed to take care of kids like us, who don’t have parents. Except, he doesn’t actually like us, so it makes taking care of us... not fun. For anyone.” The boy winces. “He’ll teach you the rules tomorrow, and as long as you follow them, he’ll leave you alone.”
This boy obviously doesn’t follow those rules, but this place can’t be that bad. There’s food, I saw a bunch of it in the kitchen. That’s one thing Mom and I didn’t have a lot of. She said it was because the bad people wouldn’t help us.
“What’s your name?” the boy asks me.
“I don’t have one yet.” When we were in the car, the red man told me I would get a new one, but he didn’t tell me what it would be.
“Not the name Cyrus gives you, but your real name.”
“I don’t want the one my Mom gave me.”
“Why?”
He’s nosy. And I don’t want to talk about it. But if I did, I’d tell him that I want to leave that old life behind forever. Every part of it. Even my name. “What’s your name?”
“Ryder.”
“Is that your real name or the one Cyrus gave you?”
“It’s the one my mother gave me. Not even Cyrus could take that away.”
Hm. “Why does he do that anyway? Give us new names?”
“I think men like Cyrus needs to feel in control.” Pause. “What happened to your mom?”
They think I’m too little to understand, but I know how life and death works. I know that Mom got a little more dead every time she put the special candy in her arm. Candy isn’t supposed to go in arms. My heart starts beating as my thoughts drift to what really happened to her, but I shut it out. “The lady said she was sleeping.”
Ryder looks sad. “You know that’s not true, right?”
“Duh.” I don’t need him thinking I’m stupid, especially when I’m not.
“Do you want some help with your stuff?”
“Why are you being nice to me?”
He looks just as confused as I feel. “I’m not sure.”
“You’re a weird boy.”
“You’re a bossy girl.” He smiles again.
I sniff. “I don’t care that I’m bossy.”
“Me neither.” Shrug. “How old are you?”
“I’m seven and one quarter.” It’s my biggest achievement. “How old are you ?”
“I’m eight.”
“Eight what ?” I ask. Ryder looks at me like I’m not speaking English, so I spell it out for him. “Eight and how many quarters ?”
“Why does it matter?”
“It just does.”
“I’m eight and two quarters.”
Ugh . He’s older and has more quarters than me. So unfair. I throw my stuff down and stomp over to my window.
Ryder laughs behind me. “Are you mad because I have more quarters than you?”
“No. I don’t care.”
He comes and stands next to me, looking out the window. “My room is right next to yours.”
“I wish it wasn’t.” That’s a lie. It’s sort of comforting to know he’s nearby, now that he’s the most familiar person in this house.
Ryder smiles like I said all that out loud. “Want to play a game?”
Normally I would love to play a game because I love winning, but I don’t feel like it right now. I’ve been brave, this whole day, this whole week, and I’m tired. So, I shake my head. We stand there for a few minutes just looking out the window, not saying anything else. There’s nothing to look at besides the almost empty street and a line of houses, but we do.
Until a deep angry voice booms through the house, making me jump from my skin as it rattles the walls. “ Ryyyyyderrrrr !!!!!!!!!”
My eyes flash to Ryder, catching his flinch.
“Guess it’s time to go,” Ryder says with a reserved grimace, his black eyes going cold, sending chills down my spine. “See you.”
Suddenly, I don’t want him to go. I want to hide him under my bed so he doesn’t have to go to that angry man, but my feet remain glued to the floor.
“You’ll be safe in here.” Ryder gives me a little wave as he walks out the door, closing it softly behind him.
Because I know exactly how it feels to have an angry voice calling for you, I grab a pillow from my bed, before crawling under it and wishing I was anywhere else but here.
This place was supposed to be better.