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PROLOGUE

ARROW

My heart hammeredas I sat on the city bus, waiting for my stop. The short ride seemed so much longer than usual. Why was the bus going so slowly?

I glanced around at the crowd on the bus, spying to see if those dangerous men had followed me. An old lady wearing a straw hat with a daisy sat two seats in front of me. Two teenagers giggled across from her. They had probably skipped school like my friends and I had today. Three men took up the back seats of the bus.

I’m safe.

I released a slow breath, even though nerves ravaged my stomach. I didn’t see anyone resembling those gangsters who had killed that man, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t come after me later.

Why did the man with the slash on his face let me and my friends go? Was it a trick to follow each of us? I glanced outside the bus, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. People were friendly to you when they wanted something in return. What did he want? Was I being paranoid?

Probably.But I had good reasons.

I trusted very few people. Life was a bitch. The only people worth my time were my four best friends.

The bus finally pulled over for my stop, and I stood from my seat, slipping my backpack onto one shoulder. I got off the bus but didn’t go straight home. Home wasn’t that safe either. The wound on my shoulder still stung from two nights ago. I didn’t tell my friends about my dad’s drunken assault this time. It was old news by now, and they would have made a big deal out of it . . .

Life was hard, and I didn’t want it to be more difficult. My mom died when I was twelve, and my life turned to hell. At fifteen, I’d gotten used to the ugly side of life. On terrible days, I wondered if foster care would be better for me. Then again, who knew where Social Services would send me?

I did my research, and I’d rather be home with my abusive father than with abusive strangers. The world was a messed-up place. If my dad went to jail, I’d be an orphan and thrown into a messed-up foster care system. What if they took me somewhere far from my friends? What would I do? How would I meet with them to continue our WaterFyre Rising video game venture?

No, these boys were all I had.

There was one place I could go besides home. I yanked the door to Pam’s Diner open and entered my safe haven. It gave me a place to go when I had nowhere else.

“Hey, you’reearly.” Pam eyed me as she wiped a table with a white cloth. She had curly red hair and freckles. She was in her mid-thirties and the owner of this restaurant, the place where my mom worked before she died of liver failure.

Deep down, I knew my mom had died of heartache. My dad wasn’t a good husband or father. He was before he started drinking.

“Yup.” I forced a smile and slid into my usual corner booth, placing my backpack beside me. Seeing Pam made the erratic bat wings flapping in my stomach calm a bit.

“Got homework to do?” Her brown eyes warmed on me.

“Yup,” I lied.

Teachers didn’t give us homework when it was so close to the end of the school year. But I knew she was trying to get information from me like she always did when I came here to get away from my alcoholic dad. She knew he’d hurt me before, and she’d called the police.

I’d stayed with Pam for a few weeks while everything was sorted out with my dad’s arrest. I didn’t want to be a burden to Pam or go to a foster family, so I lied and said he’d only hit me once. Dad promised to stop drinking and attended his AA meetings. But he didn’t take long to fall into the old routine. Pam didn’t know that, and I didn’t want her to worry. She’d already done enough for me. I spent time at one of my friends’ houses whenever I could.

Avoiding my dad had been my survival method.

“Let’s feed that brain of yours.” She studied me carefully. “What do you want to eat?”

“The usual.”

“No fever?” She placed a hand on my forehead, and I jerked. “You okay? I’ve never seen you this pale.” She slid into the seat across from me. “Wanna tell me what’s going on? Did your Dad?—”

“No. I’m just tired. My friends and I are working on a video game, and I’ve been staying up late.” That wasn’t a lie. Just not the whole truth.

“Oh, that WaterFyre Rising thing, right?”

“Yeah.” She was the only other person who knew about my passion.

Pam smiled. “Your mom would’ve been extremely proud to see you chasing your dreams like this.” She rose from the seat. “Food will come right up. And don’t youdarepay me.” She pointed at me with her index finger. “I need some help in the back room when you’re done, okay?”

I nodded. “Thanks.”