The Scars We Carry

e long years. It was a sound of freedom, but it didn't feel like it. The air outside was cold and d

p at me with wide, innocent eyes. He was the only good thing that had happened in

Leo asked, his voice a tiny

ull ache in my chest.

ness, stopped me at the final gate. "Chloe," she said, her voice low. "The world out he

ated the warning, but I already knew. How could I forg

arents... The thought of them sent a fresh wave of pain through me. The Blackwoods had taken them from me, too.

roup of older girls cornered me. They called me "Chloe the Monster," the same name the media had branded me with

u have to be strong. Not for them, but for you." She became my only friend, my only reason to survive. And when sh

ker of strength. "We'll find a new home, Leo," I w

ered the quiet. A fleet of black luxury cars screeched to

face twisted into a mask of pure hatred. He was the man I was once supposed

one who sealed my fate, the one who stood in court and pointed a finger at his own sister, his voic

ing with venom. "Look what the cat dragge

, watching, his face pale but resolute. "You crippled my mother," Ethan had screamed, his words echoing in the vast, empty space. "Now you'll know what it feels like to have your legs dest

pensive cars and their hate-filled eyes, I knew