“Shit. How long have you been stuck in this place?”
I shrug, not wanting to tell him it’s been over a year and a half. I don’t know why the question feels so personal. Instead, I ask, “You really don’t know your name?”
He smirks again, and I narrow my eyes. I’ve never seen any of the kids here do anything but cry, beg, or stare blankly. I’m an exception, but I’ve never smirked. It’s weird. Kinda refreshing, too.
“No. Who needs one, anyway?” He swipes a hand through his dirty hair, then glances back at Sofia, cuffed to the cage and hiding behind her knees and hair. He tilts his head in her direction. “Already grooming an apprentice, huh? Bet she’ll make her mommy proud someday.”
I shake my head and push off the ground to stand. I don’t know why that sends a surge of anger through me. Doesn’t he see that she’s just a kid? Arealkid? Until she arrived, I’d never really been around someone so little. Never seen such a small kid up close, how innocent their eyes are.
“She’s a kid,” I growl. “She’s still good.”
He barks out a chuckle, and Sofia’s whole body jumps. “Kids aren’t good. They’re dumb, which makes themappeargood. And besides,” he glances back at her, and she trembles under his glare, “she’s her mother’s daughter. There’s no fighting what’s in her blood.”
