“We’ll fix him up.” I sniffled, tears slowing, and whispered, “I’m thirsty.” “You have water beside your bed.” “It has amoebas in it.” I was going through a Bo phase from Signs. “You don’t know what those are.” He forced me to take a bath and combed conditioner through my hair. If he didn’t, my curls got too tangled, and they hurt to brush out. “Papa, your friend . . . is she my mother?” His gaze softened. “No, angel.” My eyes grew heavy as he scooped me up in a towel. And the last image I had before sleep took me under, was red paint running down the drain... I slid down the shower wall, numbness pervading every cell within me. Pd like to believe my mind had pushed the memory so deep it’d never see the light of day in an act of self-preservation, but that was a lie. Subconsciously, I always knew something wasn’t right, that things weren’t as sparkly as they seemed, and I smothered the guilt of ignoring the truth by living an altruistic life. Although, with the knowledge in front of my face, I couldn’t live in blissful ignorance anymore. My papa may be a good father. But he was not a good man. Even now, I didn’t know what to do. In this world, everything was twisted and upside down, and as the numbness faded, uncertainty of where my loyalties should lie tore at me. Picking myself up off the floor, I wrapped a towel around me and exited the bathroom, taking a step back before I ran into Yulia. Without further ado, she shoved my cheer bag into my arms. “Dress. Then you come down to breakfast.” I hesitated, looking at the bag that felt foreign in my arms. A week in this house, and my past was a distant memory. I’d wanted out of this room, but today I wasn’t so sure about anything. “Tt was not request,” Yulia snapped impatiently. “And if I don’t?” Casting a meaningful glance at her small frame that was easily five inches shorter than mine, I asked, “Are you going to carry me out?” Her expression hardened, and with a humph, she turned on her heel to the door, steps filled with purpose. She was going to tell on me, and the last