The Dark of You by Shade S.M

Author:Shade, S.M.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-06-30T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

“Calm down. You’re safe here.” The voice that breaks through my grogginess is kind. “You have a high fever and took a bump on the hip but nothing is broken.”

My eyes feel like they’re lined with cotton when I drag them open to see a young man in scrubs smiling down at me. “There you are. How are you feeling?”

My lips and throat are so dry. “Thirsty.”

He moves my bed to a sitting position and hands me a glass of water. “Can you tell me your name?”

Oh no. This is the moment. They’ll find out who I am and I’ll be arrested. The alarm on my face brings sympathy to his. It’s then that a woman I hadn’t noticed steps forward. “It’s okay, Darcy. I’m Mara. I’ve been assigned as your caseworker. You’ve been here for over twenty-four hours. You were in pretty bad shape when they brought you in. Pneumonia and strep throat. We had an officer take your prints to identify you so we could contact your family.”

“I don’t have family.”

“Yes, I know, you’re a ward of the state, but missing as a runaway.” She looks at me with pity. “Two years on the street?”

“Better than the alternative,” I sigh. I’m so tired. So exhausted of everything. “Am I going to be arrested?”

“No, honey. We don’t arrest foster children for running away. When you’re healed, I’ll have a placement for you. With less than a year until you age out, a group transitional home would be best. We can help you get a job and learn to live independently.”

It’s a relief to find out I’m not wanted for the stabbing, but my tired mind can’t think much past that. Placement is always a risk, but a glance to the right shows me a snowstorm in full force beyond the windows. Maybe it’ll work for a while.

“Okay.”

Two days later, I’m driven to a town about three hours away. The group home isn’t much different than most I’ve seen before, except that it’s all kids who are within a year of aging out of the system. At least it’s quiet at night, which is more than I can say for the other ones. My first morning there, I wake early, wrap a blanket around my shoulders, and make my way to the TV room. My throat and chest feel better but I’m still under orders to take it easy.

About halfway through the morning show I’m watching, someone sits next to me on the couch. “Hey new girl.”

“Darcy,” I reply, not interested in the least at whatever she has to say.

“I’m Thea.”

When I don’t reply, she doesn’t try again, just watches TV with me. The morning show cuts to the news, and there he is. Mr. Miller. All smiles, he nods at the camera.

The words printed on the screen beneath him make me slam a hand over my mouth. Walton Miller upsets incumbent to win senate seat. The man who tried to rent me out for sex, who just a few days ago chased me into traffic, is now a senator.

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