Tell Me Softly

Prologue

Kami

I still remember it like it was yesterday. I had gotten up at midnight as we agreed. Even that made me nervous. I'd never been allowed to stay up that late before. I was supposed to be counting sheep by ten o'clock...but I wouldn't that night. I got out my pink flashlight—which I was proud of even if Taylor made fun of it—and stuffed it into my backpack. I was dressed; I just had to braid my hair. Braids were the latest fashion among kids my age. I peeked out the window and smiled as I saw a flashlight blinking in the window on the upper floor of my neighbors' house. That was the sign.

With a tingle in my stomach, I pulled the knotted rope out from under my bed and tied it to a table leg, just as Taylor had shown me. When I was sure it was secure, I threw it out the window and tried to gather my courage. Tonight was going to be crazy—we were going to sneak into Mr. Robin's house and steal all the chocolate he had hidden in the basement. Mr. Robin was a grouchy old man who owned the local chocolate shop, and he was the stingiest guy I'd ever met. He would always show us the sweets he brought home, but at most, he'd give us a lollipop. He was a jerk, and I could tell he hated us. Us being me and the Di Bianco brothers, Taylor and Thiago.

Taylor was my age and was my companion on all my adventures, and Thiago—well, he used to be, but since he'd turned twelve, he'd decided he was over all this kid stuff, to quote his exact words. Not that night, though. That night, he'd agreed to come along, and even if he'd act all special and never stop reminding us that he was basically a teenager now, I knew he was as excited as we were.

I climbed out the window, and right as I was halfway down, I heard them both coming close and whispering to me from below.

"Come on, Kami, they're going to catch us!" Taylor hissed. That made me more nervous.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" I replied, hurrying but trying not to kill myself in the process. My house was big, and my room was on the second floor, so high up we'd had to tie three pieces of rope together to reach the ground.

"Kam, get a move on!" Thiago was talking this time. Thiago was the only person who could make me cry, who could get under my skin. And he was also the only person who called me Kam.

A part of me had always wanted to show him I was as brave as he and his brother were, that I wasn't some dumb pampered girl, even if I wore braids and the cutesy dresses my mom bought me. But it never mattered what I did. No matter how many bugs I caught, how far I spit, how many adventures I went on with them, Thiago always laughed at me and made me feel like a little kid. And that's why I hated it when he grabbed me around the waist and lowered me impatiently when I was a foot and a half off the ground.

"You're not trying to back out, are you, princess?" he asked with that sly look his brother sometimes had too. There was a difference, though: when Taylor looked at me, it made me feel calm, like I could do anything. But when I felt Thiago's green eyes bearing down, I got nervous, wanting to impress him.

"Don't call me that. I've always hated it," I responded, pulling away. He stretched out a hand and pulled on one of my pigtails.

"If you're not a princess, why are you wearing your hair this way?" he said. He untied one of my ribbons. Thank God I had rubber bands in too.

"Give it back!" I said. I was getting angry.

He laughed and put it in his pocket.

"Stop it, T, you're going to make her cry," Taylor said, grabbing my hand and tugging me toward him. I squeezed his hand tight, hating the tears that were threatening to flow from my eyes. I followed him, and we all started running.