Page 3 of UnWholly Angels
There was no going back now. I would claim Maya.
This place was in need of a new king, and I had just made my first move.
Chapter Two
Maya - Age 15
Fourteen years ago…
New kidRileymust have had something wrong with him. He was either high as a kite or he had a death wish. It was likely the second option; he clearly was trying to insert himself into a hierarchy he didn’t create. He had already tried to make sure everyone was treated equally, which was admirable. Unfortunately, as long as Rocco was around, that wouldn't happen, and Riley would continue to be punished for his defiance.
As he was dragged from the house, my fists clenched at my sides, my eyes cautiously stuck to the floor as Rocco made hisway back to the head of the table. I remained standing, my eyes trained on the floor. My mousey words were so quiet, I was only half-convinced they were heard.
“Why did you do that? He just got here, and we don’t know his story.” My voice shook with the question. Despite the anger thrumming in my chest, I had to tread lightly.
He scoffed. “Does it look like I give a fuck about his story? He’ll learn his place, just like everyone else did. So, I’ll tell you one last time: sit down, or you don’t eat.”
As much as I wanted to argue, right now, silence was key. Rocco knew the power he held over us; it was useless to resist. All I had to do was bide my time. In three years, when I turned eighteen, I’d be able to run away and never be found.
“Go ahead, beautiful, do as you're told,” he smirked, pulling my chair free from under the table, like he was suddenly such a gentleman.
With my feet planted to the floor, I held back. The growing need to stand up for myself raced through my stomach, and I couldn’t move. Things had to change; we couldn’t keep living like this.
Rocco’s cheeks turned bright red with anger as he reached out and grabbed my arm harshly. His long fingernails dug into the soft part of my upper arm as he shoved me forward, slamming me face-first into a plate of food on the table and pinning me there. My eyes widened when I realized I could see everyone else watching this happen.
“Since when are you hard of hearing?” he snarled. The room was silent as I stared lifelessly at the wall in front of me. After a minute, he leaned down until his nose was almost touching my cheek. “Fine. Let’s remind everyone what happens when you forget who runs this place.”
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. I’d been punished before, but never in front of the rest of the kids who lived here. Usually,Rocco saved my beatings for when we were behind closed doors. The sound of leather pulling through fabric as he removed his belt sent fear down my spine. As I squeezed my eyes shut, the last thing I saw was the empty seat at the end of the table.At least the new kid wouldn’t see this…
I heard footsteps as I waited for the feeling of the first crack of the belt, but nothing came. Instead, a small slap echoed through the room. I opened my eyes slightly and was shocked to find Lorenzo, Rocco’s younger brother, holding his wrist in mid-air. No one knew what to do. No one had ever stood up to Rocco before.
“Dude, stop,” Lorenzo murmured. “You know what will happen if she hears something going on. Save this shit for later. Not in front of everyone.”
There was a momentary standoff between the brothers and continued silence as we all waited for Rocco’s reaction. In an instant, I was yanked off the table by the back of my shirt and pushed into the chair. Rocco was standing too close to me, glaring at me as if I had asked Lorenzo for help. I swallowed, trying to ignore the cold chicken and rice smeared across my face. My chest tightened as I waited for his next move, wondering how much worse this was going to get.
It felt like hours before Rocco finally spoke, his words full of hate and fury. “You got real lucky this time, Maya. My brother won’t always be here to save you,” he hissed. Releasing my shirt, he stood up and glanced around the table. “Show’s over,” he snapped at the other kids. “Eat, before I decide to take it out on someone else.” The room instantly came back to life as the others began eating as fast as possible. I held my breath as Rocco sat down next to me, a vicious smirk pulling at his lips. “I’m sure you must be hungry too, Maya. Don’t you want to eat?”
My stomach clenched in hunger. It had been a few days since I had been allowed to eat, but I knew better. I wasn’t going to get out of this so easily.
“Yes, please,” I whispered, sitting as still as possible. His smirk turned into a grin as he reached across the table, wiping the now-cold food from the side of my face.
“Then don’t waste your food.” Suddenly, his fingers forced their way into my mouth and I choked instantly, pieces of rice sliding down my throat as Rocco emptied his hand between my teeth. Yanking his hand away, I gasped loudly, unable to think or move. Hushed whispers and small laughs filled the room as Rocco wiped his hand on his pants before casually turning away from me, as if nothing happened. “There. You ate. Now get the fuck out.”
Tears spilled from my eyes as I raced out of the room, stopping at the back door when I heard the shuffle of shoes behind me. Too angry to care, my hair whipped over my shoulders as I turned to find Lorenzo.
“Why do you let him do this?” I asked harshly, using the sleeve of my shirt to wipe the food away, along with my tears.
He didn’t answer. Instead, he walked to the door, entering a code to unlock the deadbolt before he pushed it open with a small creak. With a breathy sigh, Lorenzo pinched his nose, the confusion and sadness plastered across his face. “Because he’s family, Maya. He’s all I have.”
I looked toward the stout boy who had helped me tonight, anger and disbelief racing through my veins. “Being his family doesn’t make any of this okay,” I snapped.
He just shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. And it never will,” he replied. As I stared at him, he sighed and opened the door wider. “Look, just…go take a breather, and I’ll make sure he doesn't bother you tonight. Just stay out of his way.”
I didn’t hesitate; I raced outside, desperate to escape for as long as possible. Raindrops fell against my skin as I ran through the courtyard. Every crack of thunder or car horn sounding in the distance caused me to jump, but the further I ran, the safer I felt. Tonight, I had put myself in danger, and for what? Some new kid? I clenched my jaw as I made my way to the spot I had found over a year ago. Nobody knew about it; it was the only safe space I had left in my life.
In less than a minute, I reached the fence separating the group home from an abandoned lot behind the property. At one point, it was supposed to have been turned into a much larger, more modern group home. The state lost its funding, apparently, so they just gave up and left everything behind. This became the perfect place to hide when things got really bad. Part of the fence had been ripped open, leaving a big enough spot for me to duck under. In the distance, I could see the line of trees, which hid the path to the small man-made cave at the top of a hill that was all mine.
As I started toward the tree line, I thought I heard a small sob coming from the construction equipment to my right. The rain had picked up, so I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination. But when I heard a low scream over the rain, I froze, knowing what Rocco had done with the space.The hole, as he called it, was an old sewage drain that had been reinforced at the start of the construction. After it had been left behind, Rocco and a few of the other boys decided to turn it into a prison. I shivered, remembering the times I had been forced into the drain and left behind for hours. The hole was where you ended up for not conforming to the rules set by someone who thought he had an ounce of importance in any of our lives, or whenever he felt like it.
