Glass Jaw

Prologue

Ryan ~ Age 10

"So, when was the last time you saw your aunt and uncle?" the lady in the front seat asked.

I looked away from the blurry trees out the window and tried to focus on her words. I knew it was rude not to remember her name but my brain had been filled with a distracting buzzing sound for the last two days. It felt like my head was being swarmed by a bunch of bees that no one could see.

"I—" my throat was dry since I hadn't felt like talking much recently. I coughed to clear the cobwebs out of my voice then continued, "I don't remember. Maybe when I was a baby."

The lady's expression in the rearview mirror was the same one that most adults had given me recently. It reminded me of how Mom had looked when I got hurt. She would kiss me and tell me that she wished she could take my pain away. But these strangers weren't my mom and no one could take my pain away. 

The car stopped and I peeked through the dark skies at a humongous stone house. It almost looked like a castle. With its high walls and climbing vines, I was reminded of Hogwarts. Except the shadowy corners made it look much scarier than I imagined Hogwarts being.

As the kind lady grabbed my bags from the trunk I took a deep breath. "Positive thoughts only," I reminded myself.

I tried to imagine what the house would look like in the daylight when the sun was around to make everything look happier. Or maybe if it was lit with a hundred glowing candles and the sparks of magic that came at the end of a wand.

This place couldn't be scary if it was Hogwarts.

But if magic were real, would any of this have happened?

Harry had been alone until he got to Hogwarts. Then he'd found a family and a home. I already had a family and a home until a few days ago. Would this giant stone castle bring me new ones?

"I'm sure they're excited to see you," the lady said as she opened the door for me to step out and follow her.

I tried to smile at her but my mouth didn't work properly. I didn't want to be rude. I didn't want this lady to think I didn't appreciate her kindness. Dad always said to treat people the way you wanted to be treated. She deserved better than a silent kid who couldn't even smile right.

We stopped in front of two heavy wooden doors. I gulped and eyed the huge bronze lion's head door knocker. Maybe this really was Hogwarts. Maybe Dumbledore was about to welcome me into Gryffindor.

When the door opened, an old wizard in a dress did not greet me. My mouth popped open and my eyes burned as a tall man looked down at me with concern. For the smallest moment, I thought it was my dad. They looked so similar with soft blonde hair and hazel eyes that matched my own. But my dad didn't wear fancy suits like that. He wore hoodies and track pants.

"You must be Mr. Chamberlain," the lady said politely from my side. "I'm Sara Goodwin—the social worker—and this is Ryan, your niece. I understand it may have been a while since you've seen each other."

"Hi, Ryan," said the man. He knelt in front of me and smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. They looked sad, just like mine and I felt a connection to this stranger. Like maybe he understood what I felt. "I'm your Uncle Robert."

"Hi," I whispered, then remembered my manners, "it's nice to meet you."

Uncle Robert opened his arms and pulled me into a hug. If I closed my eyes and tried really hard, I could almost pretend this was a hug from my dad. Dad's hugs were softer though—like you could just melt right into him. I didn't feel the same safety in Uncle Robert's arms as I did with my dad, but at least it was familiar.