old couple. All their kids moved away, so they moved closer to them.”
“Are there any other kids our age in the neighborhood?”
“Just my sister, Victoria. She’s ten.”
“I’ve always wanted a sister!”
“You can have mine,” I say.
“Don’t you like your sister?”
“Most of the time, no.”
“Why?” she asks, quirking an eyebrow at me.
“Long story.” Discomfort seeps in and I can’t stay on the floor. I get up with my empty glass in hand and head down to the kitchen with Arissa following. I trip over something in the maze of boxes, unpacked items, and used packing materials. The glass falls from my hand, shattering on the floor around the ice it once held.
I fall to my knees, brushing the glass and ice into a pile with my hands. How careless of me to break one of their glasses.
Rose, Andrew, and Arissa rush to my side. Rose sets a gentle arm on my shoulders. “Are you okay?”
“I’m sorry.” I continue sweeping the glass fragments as hot tears well in my eyes.
Andrew crouches in front of me at eye level, taking hold of my wrists and stopping me. “Sara. Are you okay?” he asks.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to,” I sob.
“Come on, sweetie,” Rose coaxes. “Let me make sure you’re not hurt.”
“I have to clean this up.”
“Let Rose check to make sure you’re okay,” Andrew says softly.
”I have to clean this up,” I repeat, twisting my wrists and turning my palms upwards in an attempt to free my hands from Andrew’s.
My new friend and her parents gasp.
Blood pools around a glass shard stuck in my left palm. I try to slip free again to resume my task, oblivious to the injury and the pain. Andrew and Rose each hook an arm into my armpit, lifting me off the ground.
“No! I have to clean up my mess!” I strain against them.
All I see is a blur through my tears as Andrew turns my face to his. “We are taking you to the bathroom. Rose will clean your hand and check for other cuts or bruises. I will take care of the mess. It will be okay. It was only a glass. We want to make sure you’re okay,” he says in the same soft tone he used earlier.
I relax in their arms.
“Okay?” he asks.
“Okay,” I mutter.
Andrew and Rose let go and I walk with Rose and Arissa to the bathroom. I sit on the counter while Rose turns on the faucet. Andrew brings their first-aid kit and smiles at me before leaving.
“This might hurt,” Rose warns, sterilizing the tweezers with rubbing alcohol. She places my hand under the water, rinsing the blood away without a flinch from me. I don’t feel anything. She removes the shard with the tweezers and tapes gauze over the cut. “Put pressure on it to stop the bleeding.” She examines my face, arms, and legs next.
Arissa stands in the doorway watching. “Are you okay, Sara?”
I burst into tears. Rose draws me close, rocking side to side. She releases her embrace as I calm down. Arissa moves next to her, holding a box of tissues. I pull one out.
A knot forms in my stomach and I hang my head. “I’m sorry for the trouble I caused. I understand if you don’t want me to come back.”
“Don’t be silly,” Rose says, pushing my hair out of my face. “You can come over any time.”
“Really?” I ask in amazement, making eye contact.
She smiles. “Yes, really.”
Warmth rushes through me. The knot loosens and sets some butterflies free.
“Mom,” Arissa says, breaking the silence, “can Sara stay for dinner?”
“What time is it?” I ask, panicked, gripping the edge of the counter so hard my knuckles turn white.
Rose checks her watch. “Five fifteen.”
“I have to go,” I say, jumping off the counter and rushing to the front door.
“Sara!” Arissa calls.
I stop and look back.
“Will you come over again?” she asks.
“Yes,” I answer, then run out the door for home.
The house is dark and quiet around me. All the bedroom doors are closed and the heavy curtains are drawn throughout the rest of the house. My shoulders drop and the rest of my body relaxes.
Safe.
“Where have you been?” Father bellows.
CHAPTER TWO
I jump and scan the living room, den, and hallway. Every muscle in my body tenses as his dark form appears in the hallway.
“I asked, where the fuck have you been?”
I throw my hands up in front of me and cower. “Across the street meeting the new neighbors.”
He struts nearer, still cloaked by the darkness. The clinking and