Page 10 of Royal Havoc

Sparks explode inside me, shooting fire into my veins. “You’re a lying sack of dog shit!” I shout, swinging at his face, but miss when he moves. “Where’s my lighter? I’m gonna set your ass on fire!” I shout, spinning around and head to the bathroom.

His arm wraps around my waist, pulling me tightly against his front. “It was just a little jog through the woods.”

Swinging my elbow back hard enough to break a rib, hoping to puncture his lung. “You knew those boys were waiting in the woods. Hiding like shadows.” Hurrying from his grasp. “You knew how afraid of the dark I was. You told them my secret! She wanted to have me sent away!” Tears distorting his face.

The same face that haunts my nightmares. He’s the reason I hate this place so much. He turned my secret into insanity.

“You’re mine, Onyx. You’ve known it our whole life. My patience is gone.”

“Get. Out!” I yell, my throat burning from the force.

“Don’t try to run because this timeI willcatch you,” he warns evilly. “See you tomorrow, little spade.” He smiles maliciously before strolling from the room like he’s out for a casual walk.

Tears spill over the red rims lining my swollen eyes as I slide down the wall to my butt. Chatter fills my brain, turning my head into a chaotic mess – None of it is coherent, just choppy half-sentences battling to be heard.

After all these years, I stupidly thought I’d do better if I were ever unlucky enough to cross paths with him again. Obviously, I was wrong. The warnings I told myself. The boundaries I set. Precautions I put into place. All of it evaporated like smoke at the sight of his annoying face.

Our past is etched deeper than I imagined. All the emotions he tricked me into feeling are raised like a tattoo on my skin, waiting to be traced.

He threw away mytrustthe night he shared my fear and turned it into a game. I need to forget the emotions crawling around my useless heart and remind him who he’s dealing with.

Kings always fall harder than Queens.

five

Princess

Tulip: 2007 Age: 10 ½

Inever cried before I got to The Row. No, I cried when I crashed my bike into Mommy’s rose bush. I had like a million thorns poking me everywhere. Now, I cry every day. When I think about Mommy and how much I miss her, that’s when I ugly-cry.

Daddy used to love me. We would have tea parties and sneak Mommy’s chocolate chip muffins before dinner. On the weekends, he would let me help make pancakes for breakfast. Then, we would watch my favorite princess movies.

All the fun times stopped when Mommy and Daddy started yelling at each other all the time. Daddy didn’t want to play with me anymore, and Mommy cried a lot.

Maybe that’s why I cry when I think about her, because she is crying too.

I don’t like The Row. I want to go home so bad it makes my tummy sick. I miss my room and all my stuff. I know Mr. Cuddles, my purple teddy bear, misses me like I miss him. I can’t sleep without him.

Daddy lied. He said I was going to Gramps’s house for a sleepover, so all I packed was my princess blanket and princess pajamas. I would have packed Mr. Cuddles if he didn’t lie.

I told Mommy it was an accident. I could hear Daddy yelling at her. He called me a bad girl.

My throat hurt for days because I screamed so loud. I begged him to save me. I promised to be a good girl, but he wouldn’t listen.

I hate these people. Hazel, the red-headed witch, is a monster. She scared me so bad I peed my pants. Now, she laughs at me and calls me a baby.

Tears instantly fill my eyes when I hear her shoes clinking on the concrete. I hurry to wrap my blanket around me and scoot into the corner.

“You’re awake,” she says, searching for a key on the big circle she carries.

I sniff, wiping my cheeks with my blanket, pressing myself into the corner even more. The block walls are so cold I shiver, trying not to let my teeth chatter.

“Get up,” she grumbles when she shoves the wrong key into the lock.

“I don’t want to,” I tell her, trying to hide my tears.

Her hand shakes when I answer, making her lose her place, and all the keys slide together. Her dark eyes get big. “Do youthink Iwantto look at your ugly face? No, I don’t. Everyone has to do things they don’twantto, including you, precious."