EPILOGUE
The sports hall was a deafening wall of sound. Sweat stung my eyes, and my heart hammered against my ribs, but as I stood on the cusp of the D, the noise faded into a dull roar.
I looked at the giant Goal Keeper blocking my view of the net. Her long arms loomed like prison bars.
Prison.
My mind flashed briefly to the cold reality of HMP Bronzefield, where my mother, Louise Thorn, was currently serving eight years for Child Cruelty.
I had eventually read her letter: two paragraphs of nothing, no apology.
Just bitter words blaming our father, Jacob, who was currently rotting in High Down prison for the same crime, plus another five years for dangerous driving.
They were locked away, serving their time simultaneously, but my siblings and I were free.
Adam and I visited our mother every month but had severed all contact with our father.
During the trial, things at school gradually calmed down, and once they were sentenced, Jacob Thorn’s connection to his kids and me became a thing of the past.
Rebecca Blake recovered from her injuries and returned to school. I would see her with her brother from time to time, but we never spoke.
"SHOOT!" my Captain screamed.
I bent my knees, pulling my shoulder back, my eyes locked on the net.
My muscles burned from the toughest tournament of my life.
It was the fourth quarter, and the Ref was about to call time.
We needed a single goal to win the championship for my school, Northridge Academy.
I was now in my final year, excelling in my studies and was a major part of the netball team.
In fact, all the Thorn kids were doing well.
I thought of Sophie, officially adopted by her foster family now and thriving, watching from the stands.
We saw each other every weekend. Adam had also come to watch me play.
He was currently building a future with a mechanic apprenticeship he accessed through work.
Thankfully, Kieran’s initial annoyance at him had faded into a genuine, hard-won brotherhood.
I cut Kieran a look, and he nodded, silently telling me to take the shot.
Kieran Rook—my tempestuous, stubborn, brilliant future architect, who had finished his A-levels and was now learning the family business alongside his brother, Lincoln, from their father, Cameron. He still visited his mother’s grave, but the nightmares had gone.
I had stopped looking backwards at the ghosts of my childhood and would be starting Uni the following September. I was going to be a counsellor and help kids just like me.
I aimed for the hoop, and with a final explosive burst of power, launched the ball.
It soared through the air, carrying every ounce of my past, my healing, and my future.
THUMP.
The net rattled. For a fraction of a second, there was silence. Then, the crowd went absolutely crazy.
Spectators flooded the court like a tidal wave, coming from all directions.
My teammates swamped me, screaming, crying, and pulling me into a suffocating, joyous group hug.
Through the sea of cheering faces, my eyes found Kieran again.
The boy who had helped me hold the world together: that hidden link.
We were an unbreakable team, balancing each other perfectly, and this victory belonged to him just as much as it did to me. Looking at his proud, beaming face, my heart swelled with a fierce, overwhelming love that completely eclipsed the noise of the crowd. I smiled, tasting sweat and victory.
The past couldn't hold us back anymore. We had finally won.
THE END