PROLOGUETen years ago…I furtively began my walk home from the schoolhouse. Nine years old and with a chest full of worries, I wished I could enjoy the expanse of forest on either side of me, the smell of pine, and the sound of dead leaves crunching underfoot. Instead, I had my fingers crossed that I wouldn’t encounter any of my classmates on the way home.Maybe if I stick to the trees, they won’t notice me. If I’m quick, I might get home before they see—A pair of quick footsteps sliced across my thoughts. I should have run, but my small legs—my cursedly human legs—refused to move. Instead, I turned my head, though I knew in my bones what was about to happen.The first thing I saw was his auburn hair, swishing around his head like flames. My fingers clenched around the straps of my old, beat-up bag just as his hands touched my shoulder. He shoved me down as hard as he could, and I went sprawling across the path. Dust kicked up around me and was caked into the arm of my oversized sh
Last Updated : 2026-02-10 Read more