“Are you younger?” I asked.
He nodded as we sat next to each other in the dark.
“Nine?”
He nodded again.
“I guess you’re my younger brother now. Don’t worry, I’ll be a good sister,” I promised him quickly. “I know allabout the foster parents. Just follow my lead and you’ll be okay. I’ll protect you.”
“You—don’t have to,” he whispered softly.
I nudged him with my elbow. “I know I don’t have to—but I want to. I’ll take care of you.”
His eyes got impossibly wide.
“What is it?” I asked with concern.
He shook his head like it was nothing, but a small smile curved his lips.
Warmth unfurled in my chest, and I grinned back.
I’d started the day with zero friends.
Now I had two.
Things were looking up.
Chapter 2
The Monster
Alexis:Year 2091
The energy in the trailer was contentious at best and treacherous at worst.
Wind howled outside as winter dumped snow furiously.
The February storm cast everything in shadows. The green light in the corner flickered weakly, barely sustained by the small amounts of electricity allotted to the trailer.
It was the dead of night, which was why Nyx was outside hunting. She said the dark made it easier to kill.
I took her word for it.
“We need to act now,” Mother whispered to Father in the trailer kitchen.
What are they talking about?My stomach twisted as a bad feeling scoured my chest.
They thought they were the only ones still up.
Charlie was asleep beside me.
I was wide awake.
Charlie had been with us since the summer, and he was already the best brother I could ever have asked for.
He was quiet and shy, but I didn’t mind, since he hung out with me every day and let me help him with his math homework. He never made fun of my stutter or called me stupid.
Actually, he hadn’t spoken a word more than the single sentence he’d said when we first met. But I didn’t mind.
