Butterfly Farm

Chapter One: Descent

  Descent by Red
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  Ava knew she had to have some sort of curse over her. It made sense, after all. How else could someone be so unlucky all the time? Her life was as fucked up as a soup sandwich, and the moment it started to suck less, life went and threw her another curve ball to sucker punch her in the gut. It happened everytime she began to get comfortable, to trust that she was safe. It was happening again now. 

  Ava was being replaced tomorrow. 

  They didn't say it in so many words. No, no one ever said it aloud. They probably thought she was too messed up for that, too unstable to be told such a harsh truth. Better to just let it happen naturally, let her make the decision to throw herself in the trash by herself. Because yes, obviously that's exactly what any insane person would do when you force them to rethink living. Maybe she should just run away now and save herself the disappointment of being betrayed again. 

  Her foster home was accepting two new arrivals tomorrow morning. That was wonderful, of course. Good for them for rescuing more children and giving them a new home, a happier life. Giving them a second chance to turn themselves around. 

  It was great except for the fact that Ava knew their beginning spelled her end. 

  It always happened this way. New kids came in, and Ava was kicked out. Something about her attitude, or her uselessness, or maybe just her basic existence always prompted families to shuffle her out of their homes like a rotten egg. 

  She knew it, she accepted it, but she sure as hell didn't appreciate it.

  Ava sighed heavily, pulling herself up off the carpet in her room and wandering to the open window to lean out into the cool night air. Her hair fell into her eyes when she looked down at the ground a story below her, masking the sensation of tears sliding silently down her cheeks. She loved it here. Loved the farm, loved the freedom. Loved that she was alone with no one but a wonderfully kind woman and a child, with no one else around for miles. Loved that she could feel safe to sleep in her own room without needing to lock the doors or keep a knife under her pillow. Loved that she didn't have to be afraid. 

  Now, that was all about to change. 

  Tomorrow, Mrs. Lennox would be accepting two new boys into her home for the foreseeable future. Boys about her own age or slightly older, brothers who'd probably been in the system as long as she had. That alone was enough to threaten her peace of mind. 

  But what about her safety? 

  She'd never had a good experience with boys, especially when she was trapped in close quarters with them. After what happened three years ago, she was trying hard not to show how terrified she was. Because she was terrified. Ava McGuire never let anything get to her, but there were some things not even she could forget. She'd been shaking ever since Mrs. Lennox had first tentatively brought up the possibility. Now, it was happening, and Ava knew she couldn't stick around for much longer. 

  And the sad part was, she didn't think it would even matter to anyone if she did leave. She'd been fooling herself to think the Lennox's liked having her around. They were getting two boys to help on the farm, and she was just going to be another mouth to feed, and a nuisance to maintain. 

  Ava didn't have any delusions that she was an angel. She'd been going through a bad spell at school, and she knew it was worrying Mrs. Lennox. She hadn't meant to burden the woman with her problems, but evidently it had become too much. They'd decided she was more trouble than she was worth. Better to start over again with someone new.