Page 8 of Avenging Azalea

“Maybe one day,” I said.

He grabbed the keys to his fancy SUV and waved as he walked out. Just like that, my heart slowed, and my smile fell as a shadow crept over me. Touching Bella and Daisy’s heads, I resolved myself to the task at hand.

A few hours later, after I’d scarfed down two slices of pizza, I finished stuffing my things into the backpack that Titus had gotten me for school. I gripped the bag, my hand shaking and my bottom lip trembling at the thought of leaving this little cocoon of safety. I’d tried so many times to call home just to make sure George was okay, but all I got was an automated message saying the line was no longer in service.

Before I changed my mind, I pulled on my jacket and slipped my arms through the backpack. Bella and Daisy cocked their heads as they stared at me, and I dropped to my knees, giving them each a hug. I nuzzled my face into the side of their thick necks, tears wetting their fur.

“I’m going to miss you two so much. Please don’t think I want to leave or that I don’t love you,” I said.

Bella licked my salty cheek, making me smile. Blinking back the sadness, I stood up and walked to the door with the girls right on my heels.

“Stay,” I said softly, and they both sat.

I hated deceiving them, but they would whine if they saw me go outside, and that would alert the guards. Slipping out into the hallway, I stared at their faces one last time and then closed the door before I lost my nerve.

Keeping track of the shift changes and where the guys liked to stand was easy. Right about now, Naji and the rest of the guards would be finishing up the pizza and watching the second half of the Thursday night football game. Tiptoeing down the stairs, I heard the television on in the kitchen, which was good for me.

Leaving through the patio door, I paused to look back at the house that had quickly become my sanctuary. I’d found a small gap in the metal fence surrounding the backyard a few days ago. Two bars had been set just far enough apart that I could get my small frame through once I tossed my backpack over to the other side.

Picking it up, I ran across the open grass and through the scraggly forest, popping out onto a sidewalk. But this wasn’t the main street that I’d seen on the map. I suddenly wished I was better at directions. Turning to the right, I walked casually, not wanting to draw attention to myself, but froze when I spotted the massive gates.

“Shit, this is a gated community. I’m so stupid, of course it is.”

Looking back the way I’d come, I wondered if I could go around. There were two massive homes on this road, and I would bet their backyards extended over to Titus’s road. It would give them all extra privacy and security. There was no way I could pull off saying that I was visiting these people. I didn’t know their names or if they even had kids my age. Sweat broke out all over my body. I was trying to think of a good excuse when I heard a lawn mower and spotted a landscaping truck parked in the driveway of the furthest home.

Keeping my head down, I marched for the gate and let myself feel all the emotions that I’d been suppressing. One by one, Titus, Bella, and Daisy’s faces floated around in my mind. Then came Shadow and Sheba and even my new friend Steph. Tears immediately filled my eyes at the thought of never seeing them again. It scared me how quickly I’d become attached.

A guard came out when I reached the gate. I slowly looked up with tears streaming down my face. His face twisted in concern.

“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to bother you, but can you open the gate? I need to go. I was hired to help them,” I said, pointing at the grounds crew milling around. “And I just ruined a large patch of really expensive flowers and got fired.”

I started sobbing all over again, just not for the reason the guard thought.

“I was ordered off the property and told not to come back. I didn’t mean to ruin anything, I swear,” I said, wrapping my arms around myself. The guard looked a little skeptical but right on the fence. “My stepfather is going to kill me. He keeps telling me I’m useless, and here I am, not able to hold down a job for a single day.” Tears ran freely, my body shook, and I could picture exactly what I looked like.

“Hey, don’t worry, it happens to all of us. I lost my first job, too. No one got hurt, and it’s just flowers. Not that Mrs. Wallace will think that. She is very particular about her gardens.” I nodded, thankful that I’d said something believable. “Do you have a ride?”

“I’ve got money for the bus. I’ll be fine.”

“You sure you don’t want me to call someone?”

I shook my head. “No, it’s just me and my stepfather, and…I really want to avoid him for now.”

The guard sighed like he intended to argue but stepped into the booth and handed me some napkins. I blew my nose and wiped at my eyes as he hit a button, and a smaller man-sized door in the gate opened.

“I’m really sorry you lost your job, but you’ll find another.”

“Thank you. I really hope so.”

The gate closed behind me with a clang. Pulling out the phone that Titus had given me, I brought up the map and started walking in the direction of the bus stop. Each step felt like my shoes were weighed down. A distinct conflict was brewing inside of me. For the first time in a long time, there was something I wanted.

Yet, my heart ached, and guilt hung around my neck at the thought of not at least trying to save George. He was only eight. I needed to get him out of there.

It was obvious now that I couldn’t go back to what my life had been. The last three weeks had shown me a future that was beyond my wildest dreams. It would take me longer on my own, but I was capable of looking after my little brother.

I was never meant for the world that Titus lived in, but that didn’t mean I had to stay a ghost. I could carve something new. Something mine. A life not defined by fear-soaked nights or the scars others left behind. A life that I chose.

TITUS