Majority [removed] [#Ooorahs] #1

Prologue: The Lion Within

Cherise ghosted through the recreation room. She might as well be no one, easily ignored.

The scissors hidden in her pocket were razor sharp.

The teens in this cluttered game room had said hello to her when the social worker was introducing her to them. Now that adults were absent? Cherise was a shadow hidden behind curtains of black hair. She was a stir of air beneath the war zone sounds of their video-game. No one would bother to speak to a girl who never said a word out loud.

A fat teenager glanced away from the TV and suddenly caught sight of Cherise. He waggled his tongue, as if to imply that the new girl might be enticed by disgusting sights.

Cherise tightened her grip on the hidden scissors she had stolen from an unguarded sewing kit. This group home was a lot less vigilant than the mental institution had been.

"Huey?" a small boy said. "That guy looks like your dad."

The fat teen looked towards the TV screen. It was full of violence, with macho guys slamming their fists into each other's faces.

"Oh so funny, Thomas." The fat teen sneered at the small one.

The object of his sourness was severely disabled. Not only was Thomas small and prepubescent; he sat in a powered wheelchair. Judging by his stunted, withered limbs, he could not walk at all. He held a lightweight laptop balanced across his bony knees. How could such a frail kid feel safe challenging someone so much larger?

Oh well. It was not Cherise's problem.

She exited the recreation room before anyone else took notice of her. It was always a good idea to avoid fellow victims. Abused children absorbed cruel lessons from their parents, Cherise knew. She herself had learned all kinds of selfish cruelty from her Ma.

Not that she could have protected her baby sister. Nobody could have.

Still, she should have put up a fight. That was what a good person would have done.

The kitchen smelled like ramen noodles. Mrs. Hollander stood by the stove, stirring a pot, making dinner for her eight wards. Cherise sneaked past her new foster mother, unnoticed. That rickety door, over there, must lead to the backyard of this house.

Cherise unlatched the decrepit door. Hinges creaked as she slipped into the night, although she tried to be quieter than the rain hissing upon leaves. She eased the door shut behind her.

The back porch was soft with rot.

Cherise sat on a bench that looked battered and eroded. She pushed up her sleeve and poked the sharp end of the scissors against her dark skin.

Slice.

She dragged the blade, wishing it would scratch out her hatred, wishing she could release her pent-up screams.

She sliced again.

And again.

Again.

Maybe she ought to cut herself out of the world?

Mrs. Hollander seemed pleasant. No doubt she would appreciate having one less broken teenager to include around the dinner table.

The flimsy door creaked open.

Cherise froze, ready to hide the scissors or else stab someone. Who had dared follow her into the rainy night?

It was the ultra-disabled kid.

Thomas powered his wheelchair through the doorway, and the door clattered shut behind him. "Hi," he said in a friendly voice. "I'm your suicide watch."