Chapter 3

"CRACK!"

A sharp snap, accompanied by my scream, echoed through the garage.

I lay drenched in sweat on the makeshift bed, every breath a stab of pain.

Pops skillfully splinted my leg with two wooden boards and bandages.

"Alright, bone's set."

"No walking for three months. Whether it heals properly is up to her."

Pops wiped the blood and whiskey from his hands, turning to Jax.

"This kid's bones are thin, brittle. Whoever did this really didn't hold back."

Jax said nothing, pulling a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket and offering one to Pops.

The two walked to the doorway, lit up, and smoke swirled around their faces.

"Boss, are we really keeping her?" Vince asked, leaning in.

"She's a huge problem."

"What if her family comes looking for her..."

"Her family?" Jax blew a smoke ring, his voice dripping sarcasm.

"The kind of family that beats you half to death and dumps you here to die? They'd probably be happier if she was gone."

My consciousness blurred, but my mind uncontrollably replayed scenes.

My senior year parent-teacher conference.

Brenda, my stepmom, in an elegant suit, arm linked with my father, David, smiled politely at the teacher.

"Our Skylar is just too introverted, she doesn't know how to fight for what she wants."

"Not like our Kyle, he's lively and outgoing, everyone loves him."

The teacher smiled awkwardly: "Skylar's grades are excellent, always top of her class. Getting into a good university won't be a problem."

Brenda's smile faded: "Girls, what's the point of studying so much? She'll just get married eventually."

"Now for boys, a good education is everything."

David stood by silently, never saying a word.

His silence was as good as a 'yes'.

From the day my mother passed away and David brought Brenda and her son, Kyle, home.

I became an outsider in my own house.

Kyle broke the only memento my mother left me, and Brenda said:

"He's just a child, Skylar. You're the older sister, you should be understanding."

Kyle stole my allowance to buy the latest gaming console, and Brenda said: "We're family, there's no 'yours' and 'mine'."

And my father always had just one thing to say: "Listen to your Aunt Brenda."

This time, I received an acceptance letter from a top university.

Kyle barely got into a low-tier local college.

Brenda stared at my acceptance letter, her eyes filled with undisguised envy.

She begged me to give my spot to Kyle.

There was no way I would agree.

And then, everything happened today.

She swung a baseball bat at my leg. David stood nearby, turning his face away, offering no resistance.

"Skylar, don't blame me," Brenda's voice was soft yet cruel.

"Kyle's future is more important than yours. He has to get that spot."

"Just consider it a sacrifice for your little brother."

A sacrifice.

My future, my life, in their eyes, was something that could be casually sacrificed.

"Awake?"

Jax's voice pulled me back from my agonizing memories.

I opened my eyes, meeting his deep, unfathomable gaze.

"Drink," he said, holding a chipped enamel bowl to my lips.

Inside was warm, soft rice porridge.

I parted my dry, cracked lips and swallowed mechanically.

A warm current flowed into my stomach, dispelling some of the cold.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Skylar."

"Skylar," he repeated, without much emotion.

"From today on, you'll stay here."

"When your leg heals, you'll work to pay off your medical bills and food."

"If you want to leave, you can, anytime."

"But step outside that door, and whether you live or die is none of our business."

He spoke coldly, yet it was the most sensible thing I'd heard in over a decade.

None of that phony 'I'm doing this for your benefit' crap.

"Why?" I asked, my voice still weak. "Why did you save me?"

We were strangers; taking me in brought them nothing but trouble.

Jax took the empty bowl, tossing it into the sink with a clang.

He stood with his back to me, his tall frame blocking the dim light.

"I used to have a sister," his voice was low, as if speaking of something very distant.

"She was about your age, and her grades were good too."

He paused, and I could feel the sadness emanating from him.

"Later, she died."

"Her piece-of-shit stepfather beat her to death."

"All to get his own kid a chance at a good life, a ticket out of this dump."