Chapter 1

My mom always said I was my younger brother, Jamie Walker's second mom.

Ever since I was four, whenever Jamie messed up, I had to take the blame.

When he dirtied the floor, I scrubbed it clean.

When he stole something, I wrote the apology letter.

The year I was seven, he accidentally hurt Lucas, the son of Henry Stone, the local shopkeeper.

When Henry came to our door, Jamie pointed straight at me and said, "Lily did it."

Without even blinking, my mom shoved me at Henry.

"I didn't raise my kids right. It's my fault," she said. "Hit her or yell at her, whatever you want."

Little did she know, after Henry took me away, I never came back.

*****

Jamie stood frozen in terror.

Henry yanked me over, glaring fiercely as he shouted at Jamie, "You hurt Lucas. I'll teach you a lesson for good.

"You're so young and already acting this bad. You're gonna pay for this."

I stumbled as Henry pulled me roughly. Feeling helpless and wronged, I looked at Mom.

I wanted her to say something, even if it was one word in my defense.

But she didn't look at me. She just kept nodding and groveling to Henry.

I couldn't understand it.

Mom had already paid for Lucas's medical bills and even slipped him 60 bucks for sweets.

And Henry had said he forgave Jamie.

So why was I still getting punished?

The weird tickling on my arm snapped me out of it.

Henry was slowly stroking my arm with his thumb.

When I looked up, I ran right into his strange, creepy smile.

I wanted to break free, but I couldn't do a thing.

Just then, Jamie ran over and grabbed Mom's leg, sobbing as tears rolled down his cheeks. "No, don't let him take Lily away!"

There was a brief look of satisfaction in Mom's eyes, but then she shot him a stern look.

"When kids mess up, they have to pay for their mistakes," she warned.

Jamie's tears streamed down his face, even more uncontrollable than before.

He bowed desperately to Henry. "It's my fault. I was the one who hit Lucas.

"Lily had nothing to do with it. Please, let her go."

I realized what was happening, struggling desperately to break free from Henry's grip and lunging toward Mom.

But she pulled Jamie back and stepped away.

She told Henry, "She's yours to deal with however you see fit."

When she turned her back on me, it finally sank in: I'd been left behind.

As Mom and Jamie walked farther and farther away, panic rose in me. I desperately tried to call out to them.

But before I could say a word, Henry slapped his hand over my mouth and dragged me into his storage room.

With a kind smile, he offered me some candy, said he'd take good care of me, and told me not to be afraid.

I absentmindedly popped the candy into my mouth, only wanting to get out of there.

Suddenly, he lifted my skirt and slipped his hand underneath.

Then he started taking off his pants.

The pain hit me like a knife, and I couldn't help but scream from it.

Henry clamped his hand over my mouth, frantically glancing around.

The next second, he moved in to kiss me.

"Be a good girl. If you make me happy, I'll take you back to your mom," he said.

I stopped myself from dodging.

It hurt so bad. I wanted Mom.

But if I could hold it together, maybe I could see her.

When I stopped struggling, Henry's smile spread across his face.

"That's it. You're gonna feel real good in a minute," he said.

I was forced to endure the pain.

Eventually, I couldn't hold back anymore and tried to escape, but he kept dragging me back.

When the floor was covered in dark red, I lay there with my eyes wide open, not moving at all.

Henry put his pants back on, satisfied.

He crouched down and pressed a kiss against my cheek.

"Good girl. I'll grab you something nice to eat," he said.

He left, humming a tune.

Twenty minutes later, he tossed in two bread rolls and a bottle of water.

"Wait here for your mom to come get you. If you blab about this, you're dead," he warned.

I stood up, saw the threat in his eyes, and nodded frantically.

I'd seen that same look in Mom's eyes many times.

Whenever I refused to take the fall for Jamie, she'd look at me that way and threaten to give me away.

And every time, I'd end up caving.

Henry ignored me, turned around, and walked off.

I tried to grab him.

But when I reached out, I noticed my hand was transparent.

What was going on?

Before I could wrap my head around it, I suddenly realized the pain was gone.

I bolted for the warehouse door, wanting to get out of there.

But I was moving so fast, I couldn't stop myself.

As I was about to slam into the door, I shut my eyes, bracing for impact.

But the pain never came.

Instead, somehow, I was outside the door.