Chapter 9

OLIVIA’S POV In the boundless darkness, memories surged like a tide. It was a bright afternoon. I was walking alone on the path that led back to my foster mother Laura’s house. The plane trees on either side of the stone-paved road cast dappled shadows on the ground. A breeze rustled the leaves gently. James was away that day, and the passing kids noticed I was alone. “Hey, look who it is!” a boy shouted. “Hah, it’s that unwanted orphan!” another boy pointed at me, a cruel grin spreading across his face. “Even her mom didn’t want her!” a girl giggled behind her hand. “Come on, what mom? She doesn’t have one!” Each word was like a knife, slicing into my most fragile wound. I tightened my grip on my backpack straps. Don’t listen, Olivia. Just walk faster—they’ll fade away. I lowered my head and quickened my pace, trying to escape, but it only seemed to make them more excited. “Look, she’s trying to run!” They chased after me, picking up stones from the roadside. The first stone grazed my