Page 2 of UnWholly Angels
Peeling my oversized coat over my shoulders, I smoothed my hoodie down, quickly wiping away any stray tears. After a few minutes and some deep breaths, I made my way out of the room and to the top of the stairs. I could hear the other kids talking and knew they were probably waiting for me to come down so everyone could eat. I blew out a breath and tried to pull it together.
Well…here goes nothing.
Making my way downstairs, I found the dining room quickly. Everyone was already sitting at the table, probably in ‘their seats,’ and I looked around to see if there were any spaces left. One chair was open at the far end of the table, and I realized it was facing the kid who stared me down earlier. He was leaning back in his chair, watching as the rest of the kids fidgeted in their seats while they waited for food. Next to him, closest to the counter where all the food was waiting, was the pretty girl I had seen earlier. She was quietly watching everyone else, almost like she was waiting for something to happen. I didn’t look at her for long, though, not wanting to piss this guy off again. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me as I sat down, but no one stopped what they were doing to really pay attention to the new kid.
The warden’s heavy steps came to a stop behind me, and everyone stopped talking almost instantly. “This is Riley, everyone,” she announced lazily. “You know the rules. Make sure he has something to eat and give him some space. Tomorrow, you can show him the routine and get him settled.”
My skin burned at the use of my first name. “I’d prefer if my middle name be used when I’m addressed, ma’am,” I replied carefully.
A few snickers erupted from the head of the table, and I glanced up to see the kid from earlier rolling his eyes. The warden sighed. “Look, kid, that’s the name on the paperwork, so that’s the name I’m using,” she snapped at me. Turning to the rest of the table, she glared at the kid seated opposite me. “If I have to intervene tonight, you know what will happen. Don’t be stupid, Rocco.”
I watched as the kid, Rocco, glared back at the older woman before sinking into his chair. She waited a minute before turning to the pretty girl next to him, saying, “You can serve everyone now,” and leaving the room. Wait, was she supposed to be leaving? I didn’t have a chance to really think about it before the girl stood and picked up the first dish of food.
I watched as she started serving the table, quickly realizing that some of the kids were getting a lot more than others. By the time she made it to me, there was less than a spoonful of chicken left in the dish. Dropping it onto my plate, she turned and got the next dish of food. This happened again with the servings of rice, and by the time a questionable bowl of carrots was served, I barely had enough food to feed a mouse. Looking up, I found Rocco sneering at me over his full plate of dinner. “Something wrong,Riley?” he spat, almost waiting for me to react.
I clenched my jaw but held his gaze. “I’m just wondering why I have to be on a diet, but you don’t,” I replied coolly.
The table fell silent as all eyes darted between me and Rocco. His eyes darkened, and I could feel his rage from across the table. “The fuck did you just say?”
I shrugged one shoulder. “Just trying to figure out why you get to decide how much we eat.”
His jaw tightened, and slowly, he stood, clearly trying to intimidate me. “Listen, I know this is your first day. But let’s get one thing straight.” Walking toward me, I watched as he cracked the knuckles of his right hand. Once he was beside me, Rocco leaned in until he was almost touching my cheek, and I could feel his hot breath against my skin. “This ismyhouse.Imake the rules. You’d be smart to realize that right now.”
I looked up to see the pretty girl had returned to her seat at the table, her eyes wide as she watched Rocco’s every move. Turning my face slightly, I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. “You’d be smart to know rules are meant to be broken,” I replied calmly.
He pulled away from me, eyes flaming with anger. The other kids sat perfectly still and looked anywhere but at me. Clearly, this wasn’t new behavior. A sharp laugh flew out of his mouth as he straightened to his full height, which was only a few inches more than mine.
“Well, let me be the first to show you what happens when you break the rules,” he smirked before tilting his head to the side.
Without warning, a sharp pain slammed through my right side, and my body smashed to the cold tile. Desperate to catch my breath, I looked up to see a kid standing to the side of my chair, his fists clenched by his side. He looked eerily similar to Rocco but had short brown hair and a younger face.
“What the fuck?” I wheezed, rolling to my stomach to try and push up from the ground. A low tune sounded behind me, and a sinister whistle pierced my eardrum as I struggled, causing goosebumps to rise along the back of my neck.
“No one said you could stand,” Rocco barked, and pain shot through my spine as the kid from behind me shoved his boot into my back, pinning me in place on the ground.
I heard a commotion from the other end of the table and saw a small set of feet rushing over to where we were.
“Rocco, please stop,” a soft voice begged, and if angels were real, I bet this was what they would have sounded like. I knew without even seeing her face that this was the girl from earlier, but what the hell was she doing?
“Sit down, Maya,” Rocco’s cold voice snapped in the silence.
“Rocco, come on, he doesn’t know—”
“I said,sit down, Maya.”
A short silence followed, and I groaned as the pressure on my back got worse. My body was frozen to the ground; I couldn’t have moved if I wanted to. At that moment, my father’s voice rang clearly through my mind.
Always do the right thing, even if the odds are stacked against you. Protect the ones who can’t protect themselves.
Even though I knew this would probably get worse, I couldn’t stop myself. “I’d be happy to sit down, too, if you’d let me off the fucking floor.”
Within seconds, the pressure on my back was gone, replaced by two sets of meaty hands gripping the back of my hoodie and hauling me upright. As my equilibrium adjusted to the movement, I found myself face to face with Rocco, who would’ve had steam coming out of his ears if this was a cartoon.
“Let’s see if a night in the hole will fix your fucking attitude,” he snarled. Looking at whoever was holding me up, he jerked his head toward the door frame. “Get him out of my face.”
I had no idea what the hole was, but I assumed it wasn’t a place I wanted to be. Where the hell was the warden? How did she not hear what was happening? I swallowed thickly as the two kids holding my hoodie started dragging me out of the room. At thelast second, my eyes locked onto the pretty girl with the auburn hair,Maya, who was biting her lower lip and watching silently. I fought the tight grips on my upper arms, trying to get out of their hold as I looked at her again.
I was starstruck. She had the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen…a beautiful shade of brown, almost black to match her almond-shaped eyes.
