Page 40 (1/2)

Prologue

Twenty-five years earlier

"Rory's a boy's na only seconds earlier, announced as he glared down at her accusingly

Never taking her eyes away froot up as she wiped dirt off her shirt and jeans When she finally stood up all the way she was forced to tilt her head back slightly so that she could continue to glare at hiht her

"It's a girl's na him back

One thing she'd learned, thanks to having five older brothers, was never to let anyone push her around Once you did, you'd have to sleep with one eye open and keep an eye out for snakes in your bed, spit in your cereal, and toe nails in yourbullies at ho to put up with it at preschool, she decided as she gave the boy that had all the girls giggling and calling cute, another shove

"You're ugly!" he practically sneered as he reached over and pulled one of her pigtails, hard

"Well, you s hily since he was kind of cute with honey blonde hair and green eyes

"Well, you look like tail hard enough to

"Well, you-"

"That's enough of that!" Mrs Fitzpatrick, the rabbed theed the that her father said looked like a rainbow took a shit on She wasn't sure what shit was exactly, but she knew that no ht

"She started it!" the boy pointed out as they were dragged to the small table in the far corner with the scary clown painted on it

"That's enough of that, Connor," Mrs Fitzpatrick said sternly as she planted them on wobbly, red blotched stools "You will both sit here and think about what you did while the rest of the children enjoy free play"

Rory narrowed her eyes on the little boy that had cost her a turn on the swings as he narrowed his eyes on her

"You'll pay for this," he prohtly

"No, you will," she said, knowing the second, the very second, Mrs Fitzpatrick turned her back on the to find its way into Connor's hair

Twenty years earlier