none of his insurance paid out. My mom never worked a day in her life, and she’s been in a mental institution for the past eleven years, which has eaten a lot of her funds. Not only that, we’ve moved around a lot and wasted tons of money on houses and tuition. We’re not poor by any means, but I don’t think we’re anywhere near the kind of rich you think we are.”
“Stop saying ‘we.’ They’re not part of you,” Elora snapped and sat up. “What are you talking about? The Everlys were one of the wealthiest families in the country. You couldn’t have bled them completely dry.”
“I don’t know how much money we – they – have, but we don’t… er… I didn’t live like they were that rich.” I was almost shouting in frustration. “And you weren’t listening, I had a terrible childhood! My fake mother tried to kill me!”
Elora had been more shaken about my confession that my family wasn’t loaded than she had about Kim trying to kill me. She sat very still for a moment, then took a deep breath.
“Oh. So she was one of those.”
“What do you mean by that?” I pressed, and by now, I was livid. The casual, callous air that she had about my attempted murder. “One of those?”
“Oh, well.” Elora shook her head as if she hadn’t meant to say that. “Every now and again, a mother knows. Sometimes they hurt the child or kill them.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. You knew there was a chance that she might kill me?” I snapped and stood up. “You knew that I could die but you just left me? You didn’t care what happened to me at all!”
“Don’t be so melodramatic,” Elora rolled her eyes. “This is the way we live. It’s a very small risk, and it rarely happens. And you lived. No harm done.”
“No harm done?” I pulled up my shirt, showing her the scar that stretched across my belly. “I was six-years-old, and I had sixty stitches. You call that no harm done?”
“You’re being disgusting.” Elora stood up and waved me off. “That’s not at all how a Princess should behave.”
I wanted to protest, but nothing came out of my mouth. Her reaction left me feeling dazed and strange. I let my shirt fall back down on my belly, and Elora glided over to the window. She clasped her hands in front of her and stared outside. She never said a single word, but a minute later, Finn appeared in the doorway.
“You need something, Elora?” Finn did a small bow to her back, but she probably had ways of seeing him even when she wasn’t looking.
“Wendy is tired. Set her up in her room,” Elora commanded diffidently. “See that she has everything she needs.”
“Of course.” Finn looked at me. His dark eyes felt comforting, and even though I knew this was just his job, I felt relieved knowing he was there.
He left hastily, and I hurried after him. I wrapped my arms tightly around myself, trying to steady my nerves. I was reeling from everything, and I couldn’t make sense of how I really fit into it.
Elora was right, though. I probably did need to get cleaned up, and maybe if I slept on it, everything would seem better somehow. But I doubted it.
Finn led me up a winding staircase and down another elaborate hall. At the end, he opened a heavy wooden door, revealing what I assumed was my room. It was massive, with high-vaulted ceilings, and one entirely windowed wall that made it seem even larger.
A gigantic four post bed sat in the center, and everything was rather modernly furnished. A laptop, flat screen, gaming systems, iPod, and every other gadget I could possibly want. Finn opened the closet door, which was already stocked with clothing. He opened another door and flicked on the light, showing my own private bathroom that more closely resembled a spa.
“How do you know where everything is?” I asked. He seemed to know this house very well, and thinking about Finn helped calm me some.
“I stay here from time to time,” Finn replied nonchalantly.
“What? Why?” I felt a
“Stop saying ‘we.’ They’re not part of you,” Elora snapped and sat up. “What are you talking about? The Everlys were one of the wealthiest families in the country. You couldn’t have bled them completely dry.”
“I don’t know how much money we – they – have, but we don’t… er… I didn’t live like they were that rich.” I was almost shouting in frustration. “And you weren’t listening, I had a terrible childhood! My fake mother tried to kill me!”
Elora had been more shaken about my confession that my family wasn’t loaded than she had about Kim trying to kill me. She sat very still for a moment, then took a deep breath.
“Oh. So she was one of those.”
“What do you mean by that?” I pressed, and by now, I was livid. The casual, callous air that she had about my attempted murder. “One of those?”
“Oh, well.” Elora shook her head as if she hadn’t meant to say that. “Every now and again, a mother knows. Sometimes they hurt the child or kill them.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. You knew there was a chance that she might kill me?” I snapped and stood up. “You knew that I could die but you just left me? You didn’t care what happened to me at all!”
“Don’t be so melodramatic,” Elora rolled her eyes. “This is the way we live. It’s a very small risk, and it rarely happens. And you lived. No harm done.”
“No harm done?” I pulled up my shirt, showing her the scar that stretched across my belly. “I was six-years-old, and I had sixty stitches. You call that no harm done?”
“You’re being disgusting.” Elora stood up and waved me off. “That’s not at all how a Princess should behave.”
I wanted to protest, but nothing came out of my mouth. Her reaction left me feeling dazed and strange. I let my shirt fall back down on my belly, and Elora glided over to the window. She clasped her hands in front of her and stared outside. She never said a single word, but a minute later, Finn appeared in the doorway.
“You need something, Elora?” Finn did a small bow to her back, but she probably had ways of seeing him even when she wasn’t looking.
“Wendy is tired. Set her up in her room,” Elora commanded diffidently. “See that she has everything she needs.”
“Of course.” Finn looked at me. His dark eyes felt comforting, and even though I knew this was just his job, I felt relieved knowing he was there.
He left hastily, and I hurried after him. I wrapped my arms tightly around myself, trying to steady my nerves. I was reeling from everything, and I couldn’t make sense of how I really fit into it.
Elora was right, though. I probably did need to get cleaned up, and maybe if I slept on it, everything would seem better somehow. But I doubted it.
Finn led me up a winding staircase and down another elaborate hall. At the end, he opened a heavy wooden door, revealing what I assumed was my room. It was massive, with high-vaulted ceilings, and one entirely windowed wall that made it seem even larger.
A gigantic four post bed sat in the center, and everything was rather modernly furnished. A laptop, flat screen, gaming systems, iPod, and every other gadget I could possibly want. Finn opened the closet door, which was already stocked with clothing. He opened another door and flicked on the light, showing my own private bathroom that more closely resembled a spa.
“How do you know where everything is?” I asked. He seemed to know this house very well, and thinking about Finn helped calm me some.
“I stay here from time to time,” Finn replied nonchalantly.
“What? Why?” I felt a
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