Constance Academy

Chapter One

✦ CHAPTER ONE ✦

I could finally breathe again. Every muscle in my body relaxed as my lungs expanded with air. A tender sigh escaped my lips and I pulled my knees to my chest. It was quiet, so quiet that I could have heard a mouse scurry in the attic. There were no ear-piercing shrills or loud bangs to set my nerves on edge which should have brought me some peace of mind. Instead, it made my heart pound in my chest. The anticipation was killing me and it worsened with each passing second. Quiet was supposed to bring peace, but I was too focused on when the other shoe would drop.

I always felt like I had to pick up the broken pieces because no one else was going to. Whether that was picking up shards of glass from the kitchen floor or disinfecting a bloody lip.

It was quiet. Too quiet.

My teeth sunk into my bottom lip as my feet began to carry me into the hallway. I felt like a cat, drawn by sheer curiosity into a deathly situation, slinking down the stairs to meet my fate. The wooden planks squeaked beneath my measly weight. I was careful not to jam my toes in the holes. They had started as meager cracks, but slowly grew and grew until they became a tripping hazard.

I peeked around the corner, just as laughter filled my ears. My hand landed firmly on my chest, feeling as though the wind had been knocked out of me. Ainsley and Kirk flew past me, seemingly in the midst of a game of chase. Ainsley childishly stuck her tongue out at him, but it brought a smile to my face. It was sweet that even though they only met six months ago, they quickly started to act like real brother and sister. When in reality, they were only foster siblings. It was harmless, childish fun where they could imagine a whole new world, while I was trapped in a perpetual hell here at the Jankins'.

As I watched Kirk's little toddler legs run as he chased Ainsley around the table. I found myself wishing that I could go back in time. A time where I had parents and a real home, but not even my imagination could create such a fantasy.

"Stop Kirky!" Ainsley's high-pitched whine dragged me from my thoughts. "Stop!"

The game was short-lived as Ainsley quickly grew annoyed. A pout slowly appeared on Kirk's face as he stopped in his tracks. As he raised his arms to give her a shove, it was as if time slowed down while I stood shell-shocked, unable to react. Suddenly, I felt myself jump into action as I leaped toward them. My heart thumped in my chest as I watched wide-eyed. Ainsley's feet slipped out from under her and she crashed into the coffee table making the crystal vase wobble back and forth until it fell to its side.

For a second, relief washed over me, thinking we were in the clear, but just then it began to roll, starting its descent toward the hardwood floor. My heart lurched and dropped into my stomach as tears pricked my eyes. I already knew how this would end.

"No!" As I reached forward, I could have sworn I saw the vase hover. Suddenly, a strange feeling erupted through my veins as I felt a tingling sensation in my fingertips. It was like a surge of electricity set my body on fire and it filled my soul with pure power, unlike anything I'd ever felt before.

I blinked. Am I crazy? With the blink of an eye, the feeling faded and the vase crashed against the floor. Each broken piece made my heart ache for the two young, innocent children that were standing before me frozen, because they knew of the dire consequences that would follow. Dread was plastered on both of their faces.

Heavy footsteps echoed throughout the house, making the floors creak. Each second that passed, they grew faster and louder. My shoulders raised higher and higher with each thump.