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My firstprotected, safe Even now, the scent of leather andthat I can't resist For years, I lived under the blanket of a lie, knowing that there were people out there ould protect me, no matter what, who had eable

Then one day—I can't remember when—I woke up and realized it

My protectors, my family, they were the monsters

And their protection cas are cloaked in black, se of the cruarette In the other, a s wrapped around a bottle Inside, there's about half a liter of Jaes around the rim

“Jue,” my best friend, Reba, says fro navy skirt that tangles in the bra over sli, me and Reba I'm sin and she's salvation, that's ork I don't think I could handle two of me in the same town let alone the sahts—” she starts, but I' down to land in a crouch beside her

I hts, but I'm not sure that I'm afraid

I', not anymore

That's what growing up around monsters will do to ya

“There et to the bonfire,” she says, unhooking a stray thorny blackberry arm from the shoulder of her sweater “Like, say, in a car”

I take a drag on ive her a look

“Nobody in their rightpast her and following a narrow trail through the brush “And even if we could find soh to pick us up, there's always the chance Cat or soht see us on the road Can't risk it”

Reba sighs and pushes some of her wavy red hair over one shoulder Yet another reason we're friends—her father's the pastor of a local church Mine's the president of an outlaw motorcycle club She's been trained to hate hiht be complete opposites, but we have that in common