nd to her cheek. It was on fire, the skin already swelling. She looked at Clemon, at the man she had called 'Dad' for tw
me do?" he grunted,
ugh the haze of pain. "Look at the fit
ring-it all burned away, leaving behind something cold and hard and sharp. The
Clemon. The gaze was so devoid of warmth
loe said, each word a shard
the hallway. "You'll stay there and think about what you've done. You're meeting Mr. Weeks t
h them was like screaming at a brick wall. She turned without anoth
oice. "She's finally getting it. Good. Now, about that
Britni, the latest iPhone for Kimberley. The words were like kn
he wood, her body finally gave in to the tremors she'd been suppressing. She slid down to the floor,
st a stack of textbooks, was her NYU acceptance letter. The paper was slightly worn, the edges sof
rt-time jobs, the sleepless nights studying. All of it to bui
e wouldn't let them sell her futu
terrifying, took
u
bed. Her hands moved with frantic, desperate energy. A few changes of clothes. The small wad of cash she kep
fully slid it into a plastic sleeve
aughter. The sound was so normal, so mundane, it was obscene. Any lingering s
n. The cool night air, damp with the promise of rain, ru
ver her shoulders, and climbed onto the windowsill. She
ju
sharp, searing agony shot up her leg. She cried out, biting her lip to stifle the sound.
it and nearly collapsed, a fresh wave of nausea washing over her. She could
er, and forced herself forward, one agonizing step at
Chloe! Get out here and clear these d
le
down the hall. He rattled the doorkno
sil
and slammed into the door. The cheap wood of
om was
n, the curtains flutter
"She's gone," she whispered, before her voice rose into a p
e empty room, the open window, and the reality of the situa
inst the wall, where it exploded into a hundred tiny pieces. "I'll find her," he seethed,
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